"Don't worry, Brother. This noble's ship is not easily capsized. Perhaps we can even rise in status with them, and let this Jinling City have a new ruler."
If anyone overheard his words, it would be a crime of treason.
However, the brothers had already pledged allegiance to that person for many years, naturally having a powerful backer and fearing no risk.
Meanwhile, at the nearby Chi family, the elders of the fifth branch, who should have been joyfully preparing for a daughter's wedding, were now causing a commotion in the ancestral home.
"Chi Zimò, how dare you treat me like this after only managing the Chi family for a few years? Aren't you afraid Father will come to you in a dream tonight and demand your life?!"
The speaker was the fifth master of the Chi family. He was tall and handsome, appearing much younger than his forty-plus years. Standing next to Chi Zimò, he didn't look older.
Crying incoherently beside him was the fifth madame of the Chi family.
She hailed from a merchant family, with a distant marital connection to the Zhu family, which had facilitated this marriage.
Now, the couple, one playing the harsh role and the other the soft, had come to make a scene, all for the sake of the dowry.
Unfortunately, Chi Zimò watched their theatrical performance with cold eyes, his breathing undisturbed, clearly unafraid of their antics.
Since the twenty-first patriarch, Chi Chengxu, had revitalized the family, the clan had gradually grown.
Being merchants, they were not restrained in taking concubines.
Coupled with their adherence to the old custom of having many sons and grandsons, it was natural that after generations, there were countless collateral relatives.
The twenty-second patriarch, Chi Shang, had countless wives and concubines in his lifetime.
He had three principal wives alone, not to mention the concubines and maids.
His first wife was from the prestigious Dong family. Sadly, after giving birth to the eldest and second sons, she passed away within a few years.
Fearing that their two grandsons would not survive in the cutthroat Chi family, the Dong family managed to send the two brothers to Yunqi Academy, far away, where they stayed for over ten years.
Although life in the mountains was simple and harsh, it allowed them to avoid much of the internal strife within the family. However, upon their return, their relationship with their father was not as close as it had been in their childhood.
After the death of his first wife, Dong shi, Chi Laoye took the daughter of Scholar Zhao as his successor, citing the family's need for a mistress to manage affairs.
Zhao shi was respectful, courteous, humble, and gentle. She was devoted to her husband and cared for the concubines. However, she did not understand the family's business dealings, and thus, while pregnant, she was exploited.
The person who exploited her was the birth mother of the current fifth master Chi, the former favored concubine, Concubine Lan.
Concubine Lan came from a merchant family, though not a prominent one. However, she was shrewd.
At a young age, she not only made a name for herself in the business world but also used her connections with the merchant association to ensnare Chi Laoye, becoming his most favored and trusted concubine.
When Zhao shi learned of this, she magnanimously welcomed Concubine Lan as a sister. Little did she know, this would cost her her life.
During childbirth, no one in the household attended to her.
By the time Concubine Lan returned with Chi Laoye from a social engagement, Zhao shi was long dead, and the child in her womb had also perished.
Grieving for less than half a month, Concubine Lan was elevated to the position of wife. Six months later, she gave birth to the current legitimate son, the fifth master Chi.
He grew up under Chi Laoye's doting care, thus developing a spoiled and willful personality. There was nothing in Jinling City he dared not do, for the Chi family would always cover for him.
Although his status was not as esteemed as that of the eldest and second sons born to the first wife, Dong shi, he still held the title of a legitimate son and was a figure who walked with impunity within the family.
Mother and son believed that their time had finally come, envisioning the vast fortune of the Chi family falling into their hands.
Who would have thought that the eldest and second sons, born to the original wife, would also return after completing their studies? Not only that, but they had also married their maternal cousins from the Dong family. The couple was harmonious, and the brothers were devoted to each other.
Chi Laoye was filled with joy and pride.
It was at this time that Chi Zimò was born, and thus he received immense love from his birth.
Seeing this momentum, Madame Lan and the fifth master Chi grew anxious. Their golden opportunity was about to be snatched away. The position of patriarch, the family's power, the leadership of the clan – all were about to be handed over. How could she tolerate this?
She decided to go all out. While they were away on business, she colluded with bandits to kill the eldest son Chi Lang and his wife, as well as the second son Chi Erlang. Not even their complete bodies were left.
At that time, Chi Zimò was only eight years old and had already lost both his father and mother.
Chi Laoye, having lost his wife in his early years and his sons in his middle age, was so devastated that his once healthy body seemed to be hollowed out. He could only linger on.
He also brought Chi Zimò to his own courtyard to personally raise him, while sending Madame Lan, who had served him for most of his life, to live in a separate courtyard.
This attitude made those who sought to curry favor with the Chi family immediately understand Chi Laoye's intentions.
Naturally, they were no longer as attentive or flattering to mother and son as before.
It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Mother and son, accustomed to a life of being surrounded by attendants, could not tolerate such "neglect." Thus, over time, they harbored resentment towards the young Chi Zimò.
With Chi Laoye ailing and Chi Zimò weak, it was naturally difficult to contend with the vigorous Madame Lan and the fifth master Chi.
Moreover, due to his excessive trust in Madame Lan previously, many business matters had been handed over to her for management, naturally allowing her to counter him.
This continued until Chi Zimò was over eighteen. Only then did Chi Laoye entrust more than half of the family's assets to this eldest grandson of the main branch, who had lost his parents early, and then passed away.
As for the fifth master Chi, he naturally only received a portion from the remaining fragmented assets.
However, the Chi family was powerful, and even fragmented assets were enough for them to live comfortably.
Alas, human greed knows no bounds.
The former Concubine Lan, now the old Madame Chi, was naturally even more displeased.
For the past ten years, she had been devising ways to kill or drive away Chi Zimò, but each attempt was thwarted.
The power she held was also gradually reclaimed by Chi Zimò. Now, only her physical form remained in the back courtyard, living out her remaining days.
Therefore, they intended to use this opportunity to stir up trouble.
They wanted to show the other members of the Chi family how Chi Zimò, the so-called head of the family, bullied the elders and disregarded the lives of his siblings.
They didn't expect to drag him down, but to tarnish his reputation was also good.
Although the Chi family had many collateral branches, the main lineage had always been the first branch.
For example, the secret maritime route, the household guards they maintained, and nearly eighty percent of the family's assets were inherited by the first branch.
Why should they, as legitimate sons, inherit such vastly different family fortunes? How could they be content with this!
And so, the fifth master and his wife of the Chi family, one scolding and the other crying, caused everyone present to show signs of distress.