The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Duan Chenghong feigned hesitation: "Brother Wang, do you really want to know?"

Wang Jinbao said sincerely, "Please inform me, Brother Duan. I would be extremely grateful."

"Please rest assured, Brother Duan, I will absolutely not do anything foolish."

"Sigh~" Duan Chenghong sighed, "Since you want to know, then I might as well tell you."

"The person behind that Wei fellow is surnamed Changsun!"

One sentence was like a bucket of cold water, completely chilling Wang Jinbao's unwillingness to give up.

Eldest grandson...eldest grandson?

This surname is not a common one to begin with. The only family that Duan Chenghong would call a big shot could be the one in Chang'an.

Need I say more about the Changsun family of Chang'an?

Leaving aside the current Empress Zhangsun, Zhangsun Wuji and Zhangsun Shunde were both very famous figures.

A bitter smile appeared on Wang Jinbao's lips: "Brother Duan, do you mean that this is orchestrated by His Highness...?"

"How could that be?" Duan Chenghong shook his head. "Her Majesty the Empress is the mother of the nation. How could she do such a thing, deliberately harming us merchants?" He paused, then sighed, "To tell you the truth, the person behind this is Changsun Shunde."

"He was an extremely greedy man. Relying on his past merits, he abused his power for personal gain while in office, using his position to enrich himself."

"Last year, his embezzlement was discovered, and he was publicly humiliated by His Majesty. However, His Majesty spared his life because of his past contributions and the fact that he was a relative of the Empress."

"Currently, Changsun Shunde has been dismissed from his post and is staying at home; this was his doing."

"Hmm?" Wang Jinbao was stunned for a long time, as if he had thought of something, and asked anxiously, "Brother Duan, is what you said true?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Duan Chenghong was quite surprised to see that Wang Jinbao seemed to have some real ideas.

He was originally planning to use his words again.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Wang Jinbao fell into deep thought.

No kidding, after learning what Duan Chenghong had just said, Wang Jinbao's first thought wasn't revenge, but how to curry favor with him.

Wasn't Changsun Shunde inherently greedy?

Then let's cater to their preferences.

The other party has just been dismissed from their job and is currently at a low point, so this is the perfect time to curry favor! If we can get in touch with the Changsun family, will we ever have to worry about making a lot of money in the future?

What utter nonsense about being scammed! You can't just throw away your money for a little bit of face, can you?

But...what makes Wang Jinbao hesitate is whether Changsun Shunde can recover.

Dismissal... Is it a temporary dismissal, or has His Majesty completely given up on the other person?

If it's the former, then he'll definitely have to curry favor with them; if it's the latter... Wang Jinbao narrowed his eyes.

Actually, Wang Jinbao does have a few solutions.

He knew someone named Wang Bai.

The other party was also accompanied by a very important person, and a very important person among important people, far more powerful than Duan Chenghong's uncle.

In the ninth year of the Wude era, Wang Bai collected grain from all over the place to brew wine, which was said to be at the behest of a powerful figure.

He had a vague idea of ​​what was going on at the time, so he did a lot of favors for the other party and thus established some friendship.

If this matter can be brought to the top through Wang Bai, given the personality of the powerful figure behind Wang Bai, he might develop some goodwill towards him.

Everyone knows that Minister Chen is extremely righteous and hates evil. Someone like Changsun Shunde is definitely someone Minister Chen dislikes.

Wang Jinbao's hesitation was about who to curry favor with.

Changsun Shunde has the best chance, while Minister Chen behind Wang Bai... has a very small chance, but if one can curry favor with him, the gains will be great.

Wang Jinbao had little hope of currying favor with Minister Chen because he was unsure whether the latter would even intervene in the matter.

After all, it was a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit, so there's nothing to say. He was just angry on his own.

The only thing that Minister Chen might care about was the glassmaking method in Changsun Shunde's possession.

Of course, Minister Chen might not care.

Both options carry risks; you have to take the gamble.

"..."

"Brother Wang, have you made up your mind?"

Duan Chenghong slowly savored the wine in his hand.

He was originally sent by Li Shimin to inform these people, to shift the blame onto Changsun Shunde and his ilk, and to see if they could escalate the situation. That was all. He had no say in what Wang Jinbao and his group actually did.

Upon hearing Duan Chenghong's words, Wang Jinbao snapped out of his daze and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Brother Duan, I was lost in thought just now. I'm truly sorry. I'll punish myself with a drink."

With that, he raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Duan Chenghong didn't care about this matter and instead asked, "Brother Wang, what are your plans now that you know who's behind this?"

This statement is quite intriguing, considering that Duan Chenghong had previously hesitated even to reveal the person behind the scenes.

Now they're asking him what his plans are.

Wang Jinbao was a little confused about what the other party was thinking.

Was she testing him?

I want to see if he wants revenge or will swallow this bitter pill.

What will the other party do after they find out?

If he were to say he wanted revenge, would Duan Chenghong help him take revenge together, or would he tell Changsun Shunde about it?

"Brother Duan, you jest. What other plans could I possibly have?" Wang Jinbao chose to play it safe, waving his hands repeatedly. "As the saying goes, the common people can't fight against officials. We're just businessmen; how could we dare offend those big shots?" "Now that I know who's behind it all, I'm done with my life. I don't want to get involved anymore."

"Really?" Duan Chenghong said meaningfully, "It's true that the people shouldn't fight against the officials, but the problem is... Changsun Shunde is no longer an official!"

"So what if he's not an official?" Wang Jinbao shook his head. "Brother Duan himself said that the other party is a relative of Her Majesty the Empress. Even if he's not an official, he's not someone a small merchant like me can afford to offend."

"Let's forget about it."

"Consider it a lesson learned."

"Hehe..." Duan Chenghong chuckled, gesturing for the other to come closer, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother Wang, to tell you the truth, you can tolerate it, but I can't."

"What I bought for six thousand strings of cash has become a lesson, but this lesson is too expensive for me to afford."

"I will definitely not let this go. At worst, I'll have my uncle intervene. Who's afraid of who?"

"Her Majesty the Empress might be on someone else's side."

Wang Jinbao blinked. If what Duan Chenghong said was true, he shouldn't need to hesitate.

Previously, the chances of choosing Minister Chen were slim, but if the Duan family were added, the chances would not only increase, but even if it didn't work out in the end, he could at least curry favor with the Duan family!

In short, it's definitely a worthwhile investment! "Brother Duan, I..."

"You don't need to say 'you, you, you,' I wasn't testing you, I was just telling the truth!"

"Brother Duan, to be honest, I've never suffered such a great loss in my entire life. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Please, Brother Duan, help me!"

Duan Chenghong: "..."

"..."