Chapter 161: Sun Strategy (Part 2)

“Don't overthink it. Once this matter escalates, your Wu family will surely be stripped of its assets and exterminated. There will be no escape...”

The voice was calm, echoing above the teahouse. Wu Qilong sat there, speechless for a moment. He had, after all, been seasoned in the business world for years and was not an incompetent or mediocre person. No ordinary alarmist could have intimidated him. However, this time was different. Having already become aware of the "fading yellow fabric" issue and Ning Yi's astonishing, interconnected scheme, the words now spoken were a gradual revelation. Ning Yi's demeanor was natural as he casually presented the concept of having his family's assets seized and his clan wiped out.

Few people, if any, could immediately recover from such words when they concerned their own fate and the extermination of their household. Wu Qilong had previously considered the severity of the yellow fabric fading, but at most, he imagined some fines. Many issues, even those that could be labeled "deceiving the emperor," weren't easily or arbitrarily judged; there were always many avenues for mitigation. This was also why he found Ning Yi's demand for one-third of the Wu family's assets utterly preposterous. Yet, it was Ning Yi's few sentences that directly highlighted a factor they had never considered before.

A war was coming...Manager Liao's trip to the capital was specifically to solidify the accusation of your Wu family deceiving the emperor...Combining all these factors...

Ning Yi quietly drank his tea, waiting for Wu Qilong to digest this information, then continued to speak as if in casual conversation.

"What the Su family can do, many others in Jiangning can also do. When you first received the yellow fabric, this was already decided. If you requested a delay for the first delivery, the news of the fading would certainly be released."

As he spoke, detailing a plan almost entirely set by himself, he also seemed to express regret to the current Wu Qilong and the entire Wu family, as if it had nothing to do with him: "At that point, we would definitely ensure your whole family perishes."

He continued: "Such an outcome would not be good. Once everyone knows, the entire situation would no longer be controllable by the Su family. Even if we don't escalate matters in the capital, there will be others who will exert influence to bring down the Wu family. Of course, the Su family would certainly continue to act. After your family is punished and the market is in chaos, we would move to seize your market share. As for whether we can get the best part and how much effort that would take... the Su family would definitely face some trouble with that."

"That's why I still hope to resolve all these matters before the imperial merchant delivery is delayed." Ning Yi refilled his tea and shook his head. "Time will be tight, but this is to ensure you hand over everything. There's no need to organize it too meticulously; just give us everything you can. For what's not feasible, Tan'er will surely exercise discretion..."

"Of course, the most important thing is sincerity. This is crucial. If possible, I'll show you the plan. At the time, I emphasized a few points to Tan'er: First, absolutely no delays. We don't have time for negotiations. No matter what you say, if you request an extension and the matter isn't completely settled, even if just one detail remains unfinished, the Su family will release the news. Once released, the situation will be beyond the Su family's control, and we'll simply have to accept our fate. The second point is essentially a supplement to the first: there's only one chance. The Su family won't say, 'What else do we want? You can go prepare it later.' So, try to get everything done in one go. You should understand why these things must be done this way."

Having said all this in one go, Ning Yi took a sip of tea. Wu Qilong placed his hands on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"So... my Wu family... is at your mercy?"

"The phrasing is different, but that's the meaning." Ning Yi pursed his lips and nodded, deeply agreeing with Wu Qilong's summary. "I believe this should be the most peaceful way. Of course, the situation is dire, and you must feel terrible. But at this point... perhaps you should step outside the situation and look at it, like a game of chess. Since it's already checkmate, you can't expect your opponent not to capture you. Once it's checkmate, the next move is definitely to take the piece. Can you... understand this?"

Wu Qilong stared at Ning Yi as if he were a madman, opening his mouth several times but failing to speak. Ning Yi met his gaze calmly. After a moment, he nodded and murmured, "You understand. I'm truly pleased..."

Wu Qilong's voice was suppressed and low, almost syllable by syllable: "One-third... if given to you, then the formula for the resplendent golden brocade..."

"There is no formula," Ning Yi shook his head. "There was no correct formula from beginning to end, because it faded. That's why Tan'er fell ill at the time. You must have felt this psychological pressure yourselves these past few days. She had been researching for three years, fighting alone, and Su Boyong was injured then, which is why she collapsed."

"Then why should my Wu family give you this one-third?"

"Oh, it's not one-third. Let's be clear about this first, so you'll be prepared. One-third is what the Su family wants... There's a way. At that time, the Su family will help the Wu family manage things in the capital and Jiangning. Since the news will be temporarily sealed, others won't yet know about the Wu family's problems. Then, the Wu family will proactively admit fault: first, by providing money for various levels of influence, with Su family cooperation; second, by voluntarily paying fines to be used as military funds; and third, and most important..."

Ning Yi paused: "You must proactively take on several times your current share of the annual tribute cloth. This amount is necessary to ensure the authorities don't confiscate the Wu family's assets, because even with war, the tribute cloth will still be needed, perhaps for the Jin state... This burden will be somewhat heavy. Shrink your market, hand over the ordinary fabric you produce to the imperial court, and you can also buy more on the market. Also, as you know, Tan'er has improved the looms, increasing efficiency, so the Su family will have surplus capacity to help with the tribute cloth. We will certainly have spare fabric available, which can then be a sales channel for you."

"So, one-third for the Su family, and for the various expenses of the imperial court, I don't know if one-third will be enough, but in any case, you can definitely manage it. Then, for the next few years, although the Wu family's market share outside will continue to shrink, by becoming imperial merchants, in a few years, you will at least be the same size as the Lu family, who specialized in imperial commerce before."

Wu Qilong's fist pounded on the table.

"It's difficult to accept at first, I understand," Ning Yi said, completely unmoved. "But neither you nor I know the true state of the higher echelons of the court right now. Having a path is better than having none, isn't it? If it were the other path, indeed, there might be a chance—who knows if the fading issue would be resolved? In any case, the Su family spent several years on it and accepted their fate; Su Tan'er also fell ill because of it. Perhaps you're exceptionally lucky and can solve the problem in a month or two. In ten days, you can gamble on that chance. We'll release the news according to the plan, and then Manager Liao will operate in the capital. That's the process, in short. Perhaps there are other solutions I haven't thought of yet. Oh, by the way, do you have any reliable imperial relatives? I think you could find someone like that to help..."

Wu Qilong took a deep breath, pointing at Ning Yi. "You—it's you who want to put my Wu family to death, yet you stand there pretending it has nothing to do with you, offering me advice. Ha..."

"You still don't understand?" This time, Ning Yi looked at him, frowning. "This kind of thing... it's not child's play. Often in life, you might feel there are many, many options for a situation, but in the end, you find there's really only one choice, and you just have to do it. Put your Wu family to death? Why do you say that so lightly? As if it's no different from someone hitting me with a brick before? What do you want me to say?"

"You started this matter. Do you want to hear that? You shouldn't act this way; I warned you. Do you want to hear that? Or that line about 'old friends still grasp their swords, while influential officials laugh as they adjust their hats'? Your Uncle Wu took that poem home to frame; he even said at the time that doing business was just like that... Do you want to hear this? It's meaningless. I never intended to talk about any of that. I just want to tell you what the situation is *now*. As for why it became this way, that's for you to reflect on later. Does talking about it now solve anything?"

"Nobody is targeting your Wu family. Someone simply stabbed Su Boyong. Oh, and don't say that has nothing to do with you or that you were unaware—that's the most important part. Then you started coveting the imperial merchant status, the fabric faded, and Su Tan'er fell ill. The Su family faced problems, and everything that followed has simply been about resolving those problems. Nobody wants anyone to die, nobody wants to kill anyone's whole family. We're just solving problems, achieving the best possible outcome. That's what problem-solving looks like."

"Before the night of the cloth merchants' annual meeting, nobody knew it was you. It was simply a matter of who would step in—whether it was you or the Xue family, it would have been the same. Now I'm telling you: there are two paths. First, your entire family lives. Second, your entire family dies. Do I really need to explain in detail how to choose? As for the Su family, as I said, since it's already checkmate, the next move is obvious. Even if I let you choose, wouldn't it be clear?" At this point, Ning Yi's gaze had grown serious. He then shook his head and sighed.

"Going back to what I said before, I know this is difficult; it's hard to accept at first, for anyone. Things happened too quickly, the turning point came too fast, leaving you little time to process. Additionally, you must be angry. Most people might even think at first, 'I'd rather my whole family die than let you gain anything.' That's understandable. However, one person can't come up with unique solutions for something so monumental, with so many decisions to be made."

Ning Yi paused, glanced at the sky outside, then sincerely looked back at him: "It's getting late. I don't mind talking more with you here, but... you should go back soon. You'll probably be very busy sending messages and thinking of countermeasures. A thousand years is too long; now is the time to seize every moment. For matters like this, solutions can only be found when everyone gathers together. Don't waste time; every second counts."

He finished with a smile, observed Wu Qilong's expression, then picked up the chemistry book beside him. Across from him, Wu Qilong pushed back his chair and stood up. Ning Yi seemed to remember something, raising his head: "Oh, this pot of tea is on me."

Wu Qilong stood for a few seconds, but ultimately said nothing. His face was unreadable. As he was about to descend from the teahouse, he looked back. Ning Yi sat there, already bending his head, picking up his brush, and continuing to write and sketch, occasionally frowning in thought and recollection, taking small sips of tea. The preceding conversation and ultimatum, with their sharp, murderous intent and the severe scope and consequences they implied, seemed to him as ordinary as that outdated Persian chemistry pamphlet—just "so-so" things.

It was still early in the afternoon. The sunlight cast his silhouette against the backdrop of the teahouse.