The Great Ming Imperial Preceptor

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Early winter afternoon, sunlight, tea house, an atmosphere akin to confrontation. Search: \(¨End¨Book¨God¨Station¨) Free to read fine literature.

"Indeed… it was you who did it…"

Frankly, this was not the development Wu Qilong had imagined. Although he had previously speculated about Ning Yi, Su Tan'er, and the situation facing the Wu family, and had already reached preliminary conclusions, he hadn't expected Ning Yi to say such a thing, at least not today.

Speculation is, after all, speculation, and after speculating, there's always a need for verification. These past two days, he greeted Ning Yi, including sitting down in front of him at this moment, while still thinking about how to probe, how to glean some clues from the other person's behavior. A moment ago, when he heard Ning Yi talking about chemistry, metals, and such, he was still wondering if the fabric discoloration was indeed related to him? This was a process of gradually stacking chips toward confirmation, but he hadn't expected the other party to simply look at him and directly overturn everything, verifying the doubts in his mind.

This was originally unreasonable. After setting up the game, would you choose to reveal your hand at this moment? Not in a formal setting, not after careful consideration, but casually bringing up such a thing in this seemingly leisurely place on an early winter afternoon. Various feelings of astonishment surged in Wu Qilong's heart. Even though he had already mentally prepared for Ning Yi's setup, the sudden surge of confusion was still indescribable.

However, Ning Yi merely glanced at him before lowering his head to pour himself tea.

"You seem very angry. Why?"

The words were faint. Ning Yi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his expression remained unchanged. Wu Qilong almost clenched his teeth instantly.

Why was he so angry? Of course, because…

Because…

He suddenly laughed, turned his head to look around, then leaned back in his chair: "Indeed, it was you who did it… everyone miscalculated…"

Ning Yi shook his head, not particularly concerned about this matter: "The Su family's and the Wu family's affairs have already reached this point. What difference does it make who did it? How bad is the situation over there?"

Unexpectedly, Ning Yi would ask such a question with a calm and matter-of-fact expression. Wu Qilong was stunned, then chuckled: "Don't you know how the situation is?"

"Not really. Things have been a mess at home recently, and besides, I haven't inquired about this matter for over a month."

"You…" Wu Qilong tilted his head, eyes wide, "Haven't inquired!?"

This matter began to show signs several months ago. It could even be said that the Su family began preparing for it several years ago. It has developed to the point where it has affected countless people and things, and countless people are still rushing around in panic because of it. The money involved in just these past few months is probably tens, even hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. At such a time, when he found a certain key person, the other party was casually saying here that he hadn't inquired about it for over a month!?

He stared at Ning Yi, his gaze filled with indescribable absurdity. Ning Yi looked at him for a while, then smiled, reaching out to close the book beside him: "It's just about time to figure it out anyway. Tan'er has mentioned it several times at home recently. I heard she started spreading rumors outside. That's probably about when it started."

“…So, the rumors were also spread by her, right?”

"Yes, indeed." It seemed as if he were talking about a good deed akin to helping others. Ning Yi nodded sincerely, his voice not loud but clear: "It's not concrete news yet. It will be considered when to release it. Your agreement with the weaving bureau, the date for the first batch of deliveries, should be coming soon. That's about when it will be."

An absurd atmosphere seemed to permeate the entire tea house. Wu Qilong could understand these words on the one hand, but on the other hand, he felt like he was in a completely unreal environment. Ning Yi's tone was calm, his attitude sincere, seemingly with an attitude of having nothing to hide. He seemed to be completely detached, stating everything from an observer's point of view. Now, Su Tan'er was starting to spread rumors, and later she would start releasing concrete news. He actually said it without any concealment. He had never seen such a person, such a way of speaking, negotiating, and confronting. It was simply absurd beyond belief.

But the most ironic thing was that even if he clearly knew these steps, he couldn't stop the other party from saying these things.

Wu Qilong looked at Ning Yi absurdly, unable to organize his words for a moment. Ning Yi drank his tea while looking outside the tea house, waiting for him to come back to his senses. After a long while, Wu Qilong took a deep breath and nodded through gritted teeth: "So, you think the time to reveal your hand has come, right?"

Ning Yi pursed his lips, thinking, shaking his head and nodding again: "Uh, not really… sort of, I guess. Overall, this isn't my business. It still needs to be settled between you and Tan'er."

"Then… what is this supposed to be?"

"A coincidence… a whim… anything, really." Ning Yi smiled. "Anyway, you've already realized it. Since you came here today, and I happened to be free, and you wanted to talk about this in your heart,

so it doesn't matter if I tell you. Actually, if it had been earlier, you would have had time to consider and buffer, which I think would have been better for the Su family." He raised his cup and took a sip of tea.

Wu Qilong calmed his emotions and leaned closer to the table: "Then, Ning Liheng, what do you think is best?"

"Give Tan'er what she wants." Ning Yi shook his head. "That will save a lot of trouble."

"How do I know what your wife wants?"

"Sincerity, everything you can offer that the Su family's main branch can swallow…"

"…Everything!?"

"Yes, everything."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Wu Qilong smiled coldly and sarcastically. Ning Yi's expression was indifferent, as sincere as a three-year-old child. After a moment, Wu Qilong took a deep breath: "Alright, Mr. Ning, why don't you give some examples? What does this 'everything' represent?"

"Everything means everything. Those places where the Su family has been making moves recently, uh… Luzhou, Shouzhou, Guangzhou, Hezhou, Xuanzhou…" Ning Yi seemed to be counting on his fingers. "Those places, the shares of business that can be given up, some convenient real estate, uh, several cloth formulas. I heard Tan'er mention a few, one of which seems to have very dense stitches… it's your Wu family's unique method. After all, some shares and business need to be coordinated for a smooth handover, and then…"

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Qilong slapped his palm on the table with a *crack*: "Ning Liheng! Do you know what you're saying! You're here today, in front of me, asking me for half of the Wu family!?"

"It shouldn't be half." Ning Yi glanced at him. "The Su family has also been experiencing turmoil recently. The Wu family has a solid foundation. Tan'er's side alone can't swallow half of the Wu family. It's just trying to eat as much as possible. Even a third of the Wu family is unnecessary; it's almost saturated. With this one-third, even without the imperial merchant status, it's enough to prove that Tan'er is qualified to be the head of the Su family. Besides, the most important thing is not this. What she's most angry about this time, what she cares about the most, what the Su family is most angry about and cares about, you should understand. You must be sincere then. There's only one chance…"

"Dream on!" Wu Qilong gritted his teeth. "You really think you've got the Wu family figured out, just because of this little thing? The Wu family has been around for so many years…"

"Human nature. Everyone thinks that way at first." Ning Yi interrupted him calmly. "Dreaming, daydreaming, greedy people never have enough, no one would directly give up these things. That's why I said it's about time to explain things clearly. Actually, for a month and a half, everything that needs to be done here has been done. The discolored cloth…"

"We'll get the weaving bureau to postpone the delivery. Let's see how long the Su family can hold out."

"Yes, postpone…"

"So, you're spreading rumors, saying that the Wu family's cloth is discolored. Go ahead and say it. Even if there's a temporary impact, it will take until the Wu family makes the delivery to confirm these things. What can you do?"

Ning Yi looked at him and sighed: "Yes, what's going to be said will definitely be said. Actually, we don't want it to be ten days later, because once the news spreads, other cloth merchants will have some preparation. It will take more effort for us to take it down then. It's always better for you to bring it over than for us to take it ourselves… Oh, by the way, Shopkeeper Liao has already gone to the capital. I don't know if you know about this…"

"You…"

"I heard that he used to travel back and forth to the capital, knows several big cloth merchants, and has many connections. This time, he took some silver with him – the Su family's main branch has only that much silver left anyway. He took it all. The main goal is to frame the Wu family for deceiving the emperor."

Amidst Wu Qilong's distorted expression, Ning Yi smiled and shook his head: "Actually, I know what you're thinking. Cloth discoloration is just a minor issue. Exaggerated, it's deceiving the emperor. But the emperor has always been lenient in recent years. Of course, he won't easily issue an edict for confiscation of property and extermination of the family. The Su family has connections, and the Wu family also has connections, but they aren't very big connections. If both sides are working on it, it will depend on the emperor's mood. But this is always a bargaining chip. Throwing down tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of taels of silver will definitely be useful. If the Wu family admits the punishment, the result might be a little better. Uh… if you have sincerity, Tan'er will also ask Shopkeeper Liao to help the Wu family say a few words. The punishment won't be very light, but confiscation of property and extermination of the family is too exaggerated after all…"

Wu Qilong smiled through gritted teeth: "You also know that the crime of deceiving the emperor won't be easily judged…"

"But there's going to be a war, Qilong." Ning Yi picked up the teapot and reached out to fill Wu Qilong's teacup. "Throughout the years, what's most needed in war? Money. Everyone sees business opportunities from the war, haven't you thought about this? Although the Wu Dynasty is said to be rich and prosperous on the surface, the country is always short of money, no matter when. An army marches on its stomach. Once the troops are mobilized, how much money is needed to fill this bottomless pit? No amount is enough. We don't know when the war will start, but all the decisions will definitely be made before the war. Does anyone know if the decision has been made yet?"

He looked at Wu Qilong: "If the decision hasn't been made, there's still a chance to maneuver. But, tsk… will it be decided tomorrow? Or at the end of this month? Next month? It doesn't matter if you drag it out… Once the decision is made, the Emperor, the Chief Ministers, the Six Ministries of the Three Departments, and officials at all levels

will have to worry about money. As for your Wu family, with such a solid foundation, how much silver can you offer? I'm not very clear about these things, but it must be a lot, right? Millions of taels? Tens of millions of taels? Am I saying too much…? It just so happens to coincide…"

Wu Qilong's face was already white. Ning Yi sighed and comforted him softly: "Don't overthink it. Once things get out of hand, your Wu family will definitely have its property confiscated and its family exterminated. There's no escape…"

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