A little maid rushed in, saying, "The old madam has hanged herself."
"Mother!"
The fifth master of the Chi family immediately roared and rushed to the backyard.
However, those present, except for Chi Zimo, were all somewhat anxious.
"Patriarch, why not agree to the fifth master's request? After all, he is not asking for much, and it is for the child. You and Yingniang of the fifth branch are siblings, why must you be so stubborn?"
The speaker was an elder of the Chi family, a righteous man who usually spoke fairly.
Unfortunately, Chi Zimo did not give him as much face as before, and snorted coldly.
"Not much? They want thirty percent of the shipping business, isn't that a lion's roar, a fool's dream? As long as I live, they will never get their hands on this shipping business!"
He said with a sneer.
"As for Madam Lan, if it weren't for the sake of the Chi family's reputation, I would have kicked her out long ago. Go and tell her to die at the fifth uncle's house, not in the ancestral home, it's bad luck! Anyway, grandfather laid down an iron decree before he died, forbidding her from being buried in the Chi family's ancestral grave, so she can hang herself wherever she wants, I don't care."
His words were both harsh and venomous. If Madam Lan were present, she would probably have wailed endlessly.
Several elders of the clan silently shook their heads. They didn't know why it had come to this.
If it weren't for her past contributions to the Chi family's business, Chi Zimo would have been capable of leaving her to beg on the streets.
In the backyard, Madam Lan was rescued just as she was about to hang herself.
The marks on her neck were not even obvious. Seeing the fifth master Chi and his family walk in, and then no one else, she lost even the desire to act.
"What did he say? He still disagrees?"
"Mother, shipping is the Chi family's most profitable business. How could he possibly agree to give away thirty percent of it? We knew this from the start. You insisted that I make a scene, and now look, no one can control us."
Madam Lan glanced at her son with some impatience.
"Your brain, mother has truly taught you in vain. If you weren't so disappointing, would this Chi family be controlled by that brat?"
Chi Wulang was scolded to his face, but he dared not retort.
Madam Chi, on the side, also lowered her head. Her mother-in-law was much more formidable than her. Trying to outsmart her was out of the question; it was best to play dumb.
"He will naturally refuse your request, but if we use this opportunity to settle for less, and allow You'er to work in the shipping business, doing odd jobs, wouldn't that be better!"
Chi Lingyou was the most outstanding son of the fifth branch of the Chi family. Although he was only about sixteen years old, he was very intelligent and alert.
The future of the fifth branch, or her own comfort in the future, would likely depend on this grandson.
Therefore, Madam Lan placed all her hopes on him, hoping that he could enter the shipping business and gain a foothold in the ironclad territory of the first branch of the Chi family, or even replace them.
Upon hearing this, even the dullest Chi Wulang understood Madam Lan's intentions.
His eyes lit up with excitement.
"Lingyou is quite favored by Chi Zimo. Didn't he send him to Dongdu City on business a few days ago? So, arranging for him to join the shipping business should not be difficult."
Madam Lan also nodded.
Although their mother and son's schemes were not conveyed, Chi Zimo could guess them with his toes.
He hated Madam Lan because she was malicious and had caused the tragic deaths of his parents and second uncle. However, he lacked evidence and could not avenge them openly, so he had to tolerate her to some extent.
But he didn't have much of an opinion about Chi Wulang, Chi Lingyou, or even Chi Lingying.
His grandfather had taught him a lesson over the years.
That is, family glory is not something that can be achieved by one person alone. If they cannot weather the storms together, even the most prosperous family will decline in the future.
Therefore, if Chi Lingyou was willing to learn in the shipping business, he might allow it.
But if they used such despicable methods, then I'm sorry, Chi Zimo was not a kind person either, and he would naturally fight them!
Meanwhile, Chi Lingyou and Chi Lingying, the brother and sister, were unaware of their grandmother's and father's sordid schemes and were content to wait for marriage at home with girlish hearts.
While the Chi family's turmoil had not subsided, Liangzhou City was united as never before.
After the Feng family took the lead in settling the Su clan, Xiao Ji and Xiao Muqian, free from worries, devoted themselves to repairing the city walls and defenses.
Unexpectedly, someone leaked the news. Many people who could not make ends meet outside heard that the Su clan had settled in Liangzhou City and came in small groups.
Soon, dozens of Zigou people, who had been severely oppressed, came to seek refuge, and then people from the northern desert, dragging their families, also came here to make a living.
As people from all around who could not make ends meet flocked to Liangzhou City, everyone realized a problem.
That is, how to properly manage these displaced people and how to integrate them with the local population?
They would definitely stay. Since they had opened the door for the Su clan, there was no reason to refuse other foreign clans. As long as they genuinely wanted to stay and live a good life, they would not be turned away.
However, while finding ways to survive was easy, integration was somewhat difficult.
Although the people of Great Jin were not xenophobic, the sudden influx of so many foreign clans made them somewhat resistant. They felt that these newcomers were coming to snatch their food, land, and business, so they were not very welcoming.
In just half a month, there were four or five clashes between the Su clan and the people of Great Jin.
These were not major incidents, but measures had to be taken to curb them, otherwise, if they escalated, it would be extremely difficult for foreigners to survive in Liangzhou City.
"Intermarriage."
Elder Chen, after listening to all their concerns, directly proposed.
"Intermarriage is the fastest way for the people of Great Jin to integrate with the Su clan, the northern desert people, and the Zigou people. After one, two, three, or four generations, there will naturally be no distinction between 'you' and 'me'."
Xiao Ji's eyes lit up, and he said to Elder Chen with great admiration,
"Elder Chen's method is excellent. You have solved a great difficulty for Liangzhou City!"
Elder Chen quickly waved his hand with a smile, not taking any credit for himself.
"I am here today to discuss another matter with the General."
"Elder Chen, please speak freely!"
Elder Chen nodded. He was not one to flatter, so he spoke directly.
"General, if this city is to truly accept foreigners to live and work here in the future, then language will be the primary problem. If they cannot understand each other, how can they communicate? Therefore, I was thinking, could we find people among these foreigners, like those in Tong'an Village, who can speak their native tongue and also some Great Jin dialect, to serve as teachers in the academy!"