"Chen Feng, we've thought about it, and you shouldn't go to the Zhao family. The Zhao family are the emperors of the Five Prefectures, arrogant and overbearing. If you go to them to discuss a fake marriage, they won't give you a good reception," Qin Yan and Cheng Lu said with concern.
"Director Qin, Xiaolu, your worries are not unfounded. Given the Zhao family's nature, they indeed won't give me a good reception. But the problem is, even if they don't give me a good reception, I still have to visit the Zhao family. Otherwise, the problems in the Five Prefectures will not be resolved fundamentally," Chen Feng said with a firm expression.
"Chen Feng, think it over again. Are there any other ways you can try? It's not necessary to only seek a fake marriage with the Zhao family," Qin Yan and Cheng Lu probed.
"I've already thought about it. Other methods can only temporarily alleviate the problems in the Five Prefectures. To fundamentally solve the issues, we must cooperate with the Zhao family, the local emperors. Only by cooperating with the Zhao family will our subsequent series of economic measures targeting the Five Prefectures not encounter obstruction and will they be effective," Chen Feng said earnestly.
Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, Qin Yan and Cheng Lu stopped trying to persuade him. Chen Feng was very wise, and his perspective often went to the root of the matter. Since Chen Feng believed the Zhao family was crucial to solving the problems of the Five Prefectures, he would definitely do it, and nothing could stop him. Moreover, the problems in the Five Prefectures were indeed very serious and had reached a point where they had to be resolved. Even if Chen Feng were to be bullied by the Zhao family this time, it would still be worth it. In Chen Feng's words, if one person endures hardship for the benefit of thousands, such a thing is worth doing.
Chen Feng didn't hesitate and went to the Zhao family immediately.
"You are the Chen Feng who has turned the Five Prefectures upside down?" Zhao Wentai, the head of the Zhao family, looked at Chen Feng in disbelief. He had imagined Chen Feng to be an old and cunning veteran of the political arena. Otherwise, the political arena of the Five Prefectures would not have been thrown into such chaos. Anyone from the Five Prefectures would know that the political arena was filled with cronies who only sought to make money and pass the time, doing nothing else. To subdue this group of despicable scum in the Five Prefectures would require someone with extremely rich political experience. However, this young man before him was too young. It was hard to believe that he could subdue the old veterans of the Five Prefectures.
"Yes, I am Chen Feng, the new official with three fires," Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Tell me, what are you doing at the Zhao family's? No one from the Zhao family is in the political arena of the Five Prefectures," Zhao Wentai asked, perplexed.
"I want the Zhao family to make more money," Chen Feng said after a moment's thought, deciding to change his approach. While a direct confrontation could solve the problem, it would encounter immense resistance, especially from the local emperors. Therefore, dealing with the Zhao family required a bit of tact and a softer approach.
"Chen Feng, did I hear you correctly? You were so ruthless in the political arena of the Five Prefectures, and many officials there were dismissed because of you. Now, you're acting like a great benefactor in front of the Zhao family. Do you think I would believe that?" Zhao Wentai retorted coldly.
"You must believe it," Chen Feng replied with a faint smile.
"Since I have time today, I'll indulge you. Answer me one question first: didn't you say you are a new official with three fires? Your main target must be the political arena of the Five Prefectures. I am not part of it, so why are you here trying to curry favor with me?" Zhao Wentai questioned directly.
"Mr. Zhao, you are indeed not part of the political arena of the Five Prefectures. However, you are the emperor of the Five Prefectures. This time, my arrival in the Five Prefectures is aimed at making sweeping changes to its economy. To achieve a revolutionary transformation of the Five Prefectures' economy, it is impossible without the cooperation of the local emperor. Therefore, I have come to disturb you, Mr. Zhao," Chen Feng explained earnestly.
"It seems you intend to make a name for yourself this time in the Five Prefectures. You are conducting a major cleanup of the political arena and making drastic changes to the economy. But have you considered one thing? The Zhao family has developed very well for decades and is the richest family in the Five Prefectures. Why should we cooperate with you for drastic changes?" Zhao Wentai countered.
"Mr. Zhao, to be frank, the Zhao family is indeed the richest in the Five Prefectures. However, your assets are nothing in other prefectures," Chen Feng said directly, provoking him.
"You don't need to tell me that; I've known it for a long time. But I don't care, as long as I'm number one in the Five Prefectures, that's enough," Zhao Wentai replied coldly.
"Mr. Zhao, even if you don't care about the Zhao family's economic strength elsewhere, you have to think about a deeper issue. If the Zhao family doesn't change, it will be difficult to maintain its position as the richest family in the Five Prefectures," Chen Feng said, trying to scare Zhao Wentai.
"That's interesting. The Zhao family has been the richest in the Five Prefectures for decades, stable as can be. You come along, and with a single word, the Zhao family is no longer the richest? Do you think I'll believe your nonsense?" Zhao Wentai looked at Chen Feng with disdain.
"Mr. Zhao, you are overlooking a problem. The Five Prefectures have been bled dry by the Zhao family for decades and are on the verge of bankruptcy. Once the government of the Five Prefectures declares bankruptcy, do you know what will happen next?" Chen Feng continued to talk sternly, trying to scare Zhao Wentai.
"Chen Feng, don't try to alarmist. I've heard of foreign governments going bankrupt. But the Chinese government, in thousands of years, has never been known to go bankrupt, except in wartime," Zhao Wentai said, feigning composure.
"Generally speaking, local governments in China do not go bankrupt. No matter how poorly a local government performs, the higher government will bail it out. But the problem is, the higher-level government has been cleaning up the mess for the Five Prefectures government for decades. If it were you, would you continue to do so?" Chen Feng countered calmly.
Zhao Wentai was speechless.
"What would happen if it really went bankrupt?" Zhao Wentai asked deliberately.
"If the government of the Five Prefectures truly goes bankrupt, there will only be one outcome: half of the money belonging to the major bosses within the Five Prefectures will have to be used to repay the government's debts, it's as simple as that," Chen Feng said, pretending to be serious and trying to scare Zhao Wentai. In reality, local governments in China do not go bankrupt, so the Zhao family had nothing to worry about. The reason was simple: when a local government becomes unmanageable, the higher authority intervenes in advance. They package the debts that the local government cannot handle into financial products and sell them. In simple terms, whoever buys the local government's debt will receive enormous interest returns. Many major bosses, seeing the substantial interest, and with the guarantee of the higher government, would quickly buy these financial products for the local government's debt. The subsequent operation was a testament to the wisdom of the Chinese political arena in manipulating people. Once the debt financial products reached the hands of the bosses, they would invariably hype them up to earn more money. It was precisely this action that led to their downfall, and they could only suffer in silence. The reason was simple: once debt financing becomes tradable, it means it's a commodity transaction. If a commodity transaction is not handled well, losing all the capital is normal, and there's no one to cry to! Thus, the higher government quietly resolved the local government's debt issues. This is also why most political arenas are now bold enough to borrow huge sums of money. If they can't repay their debts, they play with finance and let the bosses take over. Bosses are very smart and won't easily fall into the trap, but even the smartest bosses cannot resist the temptation of huge interest rates and plunge into the abyss.
"Chen Feng, don't try to scare me. Would the dignified political arena of the Five Prefectures act so brazenly?" Zhao Wentai asked in a panic.