1005: Chapter 106: Chaos in the Hao League 1005: Chapter 106: Chaos in the Hao League That day, a bombshell piece of news topped the headlines in Jincheng, Xiongcheng City, and Capital Prefecture.
The silver-ranked Aristocratic Clan, the Zhang Family, had long colluded with some unscrupulous officials, producing counterfeit and substandard medicines.
Consumers harmed by their products numbered in the tens of millions.
This time, when Xinmeng Group developed a vaccine for the benefit of the public, the Zhang Family set their sights on it and mass-produced fake vaccines.
Luckily, Xinmeng Group discovered the scheme in time and cooperated with the officials to annihilate several fake medicine manufacturing dens outright.
And they caught the Zhang Family red-handed producing counterfeit drugs.
The matter was straightforward.
But it was also severe.
Once the news broke out, Jincheng officials sprang into action.
That very day, factories were sealed off, the Zhang Family was slapped with a seal order, and many of the Zhang Family were taken away for investigation.
The entire Hao League was in turmoil, anxious to disassociate themselves from the Zhang Family.
These were all trifles.
What’s more important were the victims who had sought out the Zhang Family in the past, only to be silenced, threatened, or bought off.
This had already escalated into a serious social issue.
Previously, officials could still tolerate the existence of the Hao League.
But after this incident, Jincheng officials were under immense pressure from above.
Chen Yigeng slammed the table, “If this matter is not resolved, you’ll not only lose your official hats, you’ll all be sent to your deaths!”
The issue was far too serious and had already sparked a terrifying chain reaction.
Following that, an official announcement was released that Xinmeng Group, as a responsible corporation, was willing to undertake the treatment for those consumers harmed by the counterfeit medicines.
In gratitude for Xinmeng Group’s benevolence, they transferred ownership of the Zhang Family’s pharmaceutical factory to Xinmeng Group.
How much money was exchanged, no one knew.
But the day the factory was sealed, it was also unsealed.
Only the sign had changed.
The workers remained the same workers, the technicians the same technicians, and the equipment unchanged.
However, a significant number of factory leaders had been replaced.
Production was urgent.
Yet the vaccine production was no longer so critical, so Xinmeng Group allocated half of its production capacity to manufacture affordable medicines for the public.
Their slogan was to let every common person have access to affordable and effective medicine.
And in partnership with Jincheng’s Hua Xian Hospital, they started to take in patients affected by the Zhang Family’s counterfeit drugs, striving to provide them with free treatment.
On one side was the complete downfall of the Zhang Family, notorious for their infamy.
On the other side was Xinmeng Group, which took this opportunity to successfully break into the Jincheng market and earned a wealth of positive reviews.
Everything seemed so effortless.
“Dammit, that idiot Zhang Fei, by doing this, he not only dug his own family’s grave but now our Hao League is also being watched by the officials.”
“From now on, ignore anyone from the Zhang Family, let them all go to hell!”
“This time, not only did we fail to destroy Xinmeng Group, but we’ve also allowed them to establish a foothold in Jincheng.
Such bad luck.”
…
The rest of the aristocratic Clan heads in the Hao League were furious.
In this world, there really is no such thing as sentiment; these people only spoke of interests.
No matter how much profit the Zhang Family had created for them, in the end, they still ended up abandoned and forsaken.
Even cursed and assassinated.
Because the Zhang Family knew too much about the Hao League, several key members of the Zhang Family were killed on the same day.
Suddenly, amidst the turmoil, the Hao League began to fragment internally.
Everyone feared following the same path as the Zhang Family.
That was a silver-ranked Aristocratic Clan that had fallen like that.
Fallen, and thus perished.
It truly was a sigh-inducing tale.
Seizing the chaos within the Hao League, the Xiao Family from Jiangnan took the chance to move into Jincheng and purchased the Zhang Family’s large residence, converting it into the Xiao Family Mansion.
Xiao Family’s various experts all began to converge towards Jincheng.
Xiao Chen’s plan was still far from finished.
What he wanted was the Xifeng Group.
The little Zhang Family was nothing but a test subject.
That day, to the Zhang Family Mansion, now the Xiao Family residence, a guest had arrived.
This guest was once part of the Gold Aristocratic Clan, now a first-rate Silver Aristocratic Clan, the Huang Family.
The Family Head of the Huang Family, Huang Zuren, personally came.
“Mr.
Huang, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Xiao Chen personally came out to greet Huang Zuren.
Although Huang Zuren was also a Family Head, he was known in Jincheng as a magnanimous and kind-hearted man, a famous good Samaritan.
The most important thing was that as a member of the Gold Aristocratic Clan, he had not joined the Hao League and as a result, had been resented by others.
When he went to the Capital City, he was assassinated.
In the end, his whole family was almost killed, but he was fortuitously rescued by Xiao Yulan and survived.
After that incident, Huang Zuren started considering his future.
His Family Clan, against the entire Hao League, definitely wouldn’t stand a chance.
Thus, he needed help.
The Xiao Family became his ultimate choice.
He had reviewed the Xiao Family’s files, their rise to power, and their invincibility.
Behind such a family, there must be an incredible top-tier figure.
Others said the Xiao Family was supported by the Zhou Family, but he absolutely didn’t believe it.
Because the things the Xiao Family and Xinmeng Group were doing in Jiangnan were things that the Zhou Family absolutely would not do and had no willingness to do.
“Mr.
Xiao, seeing you is really long overdue!”
After a long conversation, both were overjoyed.
Because the thoughts of the two of them coincidentally matched perfectly.
“Family Clans are ultimately cancerous to society.
Monopoly, tyranny, deceit; they have done all the bad things, and ordinary people without influence can only struggle to live within the rules they set, yet still can’t live well.”
Huang Zuren sighed, saying, “I am willing to donate all of the Huang Family’s assets to the Xiao Family, but I hope that when you meet a girl named Xiao Yulan, you can properly thank her for me.
She saved my life — those assets were originally intended for her.”
“Xiao Yulan?
The Xiao Yulan who once worked at the March Group?”
Xiao Chen asked curiously.
“Yes, do you know her?”
“Heh, more than just acquaintances, Xiao Yulan is my cousin.”
Xiao Chen chuckled, “In that case, I’ll immediately call her and have her come to see you.”
“This is really an incredible coincidence.”
Huang Zuren was stunned for a moment, never having dreamed that his ultimate choice would be so correct.
Perhaps this was destiny at work.
Soon, Xiao Yulan came over, and Xiao Chen did not disturb their reunion.
Instead, he quietly left and went to the Jincheng prison.
He planned to go there to see Zhang Fei.
At this time, inside Jincheng prison, Zhang Fei was talking with family members from outside.
“How have you all been?
The Xiao Family hasn’t given you any trouble, have they?”
Zhang Fei asked.
“No, the Xiao Family didn’t do that, but our family’s factory has now become part of the Xinmeng Group, and our residence has become part of the Xiao Family,” Zhang Fei’s wife sighed, “You…
why did you have to do those illegal things?
Didn’t our family have money?”
“It’s too late to say anything now.
You must understand, joining the Hao League meant I was no longer in control of myself.
Many things, if I don’t do them, someone else will.
If others make money, their Family Clan will become stronger, and our Zhang Family would gradually decline.”
Zhang Fei sighed, “What chills me to the bone isn’t what the Xiao Family did to us, but those damned people in the Hao League!”