Republic of China, 1922: Rise from the Post-Zhili-Fengtian War

"Please, Lord Min, fine tea and snacks have been prepared in the front hall. You've just recovered, so please sit down and let's talk."

Seeing that the situation was somewhat awkward, Gu Cheng quickly gestured for Wang Yongjiang and the others to enter. The group walked through the corridor, entered the house, and sat down. Feng Delin glanced at Wang Yuyou, who was standing beside him, and said with a smile, "It's been two years since I last saw you. Yu'er has grown into a beautiful young lady!"

Then, turning to Wang Yongjiang, he said, "Minyuan, look how lucky you are! Your daughter is so beautiful and well-educated. Whoever marries her will be incredibly fortunate!"

Wang Yuyou blushed at his praise, but then stole a glance at Gu Cheng. Wang Yongjiang smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Third Master, you flatter me," but there was a hint of smugness in his eyes.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Yongjiang turned his attention to Li Mao: "Chairman Li, when Lu Shoulian was in charge, he didn't enforce enough rules on the merchants in the city, which led to many problems with the materials from the Jinzhou camp... I'm taking this opportunity to remind you of something:

Going forward, the Chamber of Commerce must exercise greater oversight over the merchants in the city, clearly defining what they can and cannot do. Especially those who flirt with the Japanese—you must keep a close eye on them. If anything goes wrong, Lu Shoulian's case is a prime example!

These words were clearly a warning to him, after all, Lu Shoulian had bribed him to tamper with building materials before his death;

Now that the Lu family has been destroyed and its assets seized, and its partners have been arrested or investigated, he, as a tainted witness, has been promoted to a position in the "Chamber of Commerce." Wang Yongjiang will definitely have to say a few more words.

Li Mao was timid by nature, and upon hearing these words, he quickly bowed slightly: "Don't worry, Lord Min, this humble servant will obey Commander Gu and you without fail."

When Wang Yongjiang heard "Commander Gu," his brows furrowed slightly.

Gu Cheng naturally noticed this subtle change and smiled, "It's inappropriate for you to ask me for advice as a military commander. From now on, you should consult Mr. Liu Chen more about matters big and small within the Chamber of Commerce! If there are any security issues inside or outside the Chamber of Commerce, then you can come to me."

Mo Dehui quickly said he didn't deserve it, and at this time the invited merchants arrived one after another.

Manager Sun of the grain store, Boss Liu of the cloth shop, Boss Wang of the pharmacy, Manager Zhao of the ironware shop, and the heads of more than a dozen other businesses, all dressed smartly and smiling, greeted each other with clasped hands and entered the courtyard one after another.

Some people saw Feng Delin sitting at the main table and quickly stepped forward to pay their respects; others saw Wang Yongjiang was also there and slowed their pace, bowing even lower when they clasped their hands in greeting; still others secretly sized up Gu Cheng, their eyes filled with a hint of awe.

The courtyard gradually became lively, filled with the sounds of people and the aroma of tea.

The servants carried tea trays back and forth, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Li Mao stood to the side, pointing things out like a supervisor, but his nervous demeanor only made the servants more flustered.

Zhou Ran couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to whisper, "Chairman Li, please sit down and rest for a while. I'll keep an eye on things here." Li Mao then awkwardly sat back down in his chair, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Just as things were getting lively, the entrance suddenly fell silent for a moment.

The silence came suddenly, like a ladle of cold water being poured into a pot of boiling water. Everyone lowered their voices and turned their gazes toward the door.

A black sedan slowly pulled up in front of the Chamber of Commerce. The door opened and three people got out.

Leading the way was Takeo Kikuchi, followed by two middle-aged men in kimonos, both Japanese merchants from Jinzhou City.

It should be noted that the Japanese, taking advantage of the South Manchuria Railway, had extremely low transportation costs; coupled with the low prices of Japanese goods, many merchants in the city had no competitive edge against them.

Gu Cheng didn't want to invite them because, due to the dumping of goods by the Japanese, many shops were finding their business space shrinking.

Kikuchi clearly noticed the subtle atmosphere in the courtyard.

All eyes were on him, some wary, some disgusted, but none welcoming.

But the humble smile on his face remained unchanged, as if he were wearing a mask welded to his face.

He stepped forward and gave Li Mao a slight bow: "Chairman Li, congratulations. I hope Chairman Li will not take offense at my uninvited visit."

Li Mao glanced at Gu Cheng and said, "Mr. Kikuchi, you're too kind. Please come in, as all guests are welcome."

Kikuchi waved his hand behind him, and the two Japanese merchants quickly stepped forward and carried up the gifts they had brought—a pair of large vases, about half a person's height, with blue and white lotus scroll patterns, fine porcelain body, and lustrous glaze, clearly top-quality Jingdezhen porcelain.

A Japanese businessman said in broken Chinese, "Chairman Li, this is just a small token of my appreciation. I wish you great success in your business and abundant wealth."

A few hushed whispers rose from the courtyard.

Someone recognized the origin of the pair of vases and said in a low voice, "These are fine items, worth at least several hundred dollars."

The person next to him snorted and whispered back, "A few hundred silver dollars? That's nothing to the Japanese. They can easily make it back by selling a batch of goods."

He spoke softly, but just loud enough for them to hear—

Li Mao looked at the pair of vases, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead again.

He looked at Gu Cheng again, only to see that his superior's expression remained unchanged, and he merely nodded slightly.

Li Mao finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly had someone accept the gift, and thanked them repeatedly.

Kikuchi took his seat at the main table, while the two Japanese businessmen were seated at a side table next to him, sharing the table with several local businessmen.

The businessmen looked worse than if they were crying, but they didn't dare to get up and leave in front of Gu Cheng. They could only keep a straight face and deal with it, unable to even manage a smile.

The ceremony began quickly. Li Mao walked onto the stage, took out the speech Gao Tianqi had prepared for him, and began to read it. The core of his speech consisted of only three sentences—

The chamber of commerce was to operate legally, cooperate with military supplies, and safeguard the interests of the people of Jinzhou. As for the Japanese, not a single word was mentioned.

The businessmen in the audience listened, some nodding frequently, some expressionless, and some secretly glancing at Kikuchi. Kikuchi held his teacup, sipping slowly, his face bearing his usual humble smile, as if every word Li Mao said had nothing to do with him.

Gu Cheng sat by the side the whole time, but halfway through the ceremony, Wang Yongjiang leaned in and whispered, "Jingchuan, may I speak to you in private?"

At this moment, all his attention was on those Japanese men. When he heard Wang Yongjiang's voice, he turned around abruptly, only to see that the other man's pale face held a hint of inexplicable displeasure. He immediately nodded.

The two men rose, walked around the corridor, and entered the study at the back. As soon as they entered, Wang Yongjiang said coldly, "My lord Gu, is this appropriate? We just got rid of Tang Yulin, and the military reorganization is underway. Why are you getting involved in the business world?"

At this point, his expression grew even uglier. "I always thought you were a well-educated young talent. How come you have such a big appetite?"