Chapter 350: Chapter 234: A Man Must Be Ruthless (Part 2)

"The reason..."

Liu Hong’s gaze shifted north, toward the Dingyuan Marquis’s Mansion, as he spoke in a low voice,

"If I’m not mistaken, that person must have done it to help the Xiao Family."

According to his deduction, Liu Wen and Xiao Dongchen must have been targeted by that person for some reason.

Then, that person took advantage of the Bright Moon Building’s trip to the Three Towns to eliminate all of them at once.

Realization dawned on Liu Taofang’s face. "Dad, are you saying the three hundred thousand silver taels the Xiao Family got from Xiao Dongchen... belonged to my cousin, Liu Wen?"

"So you’re not completely hopeless."

"I don’t know what method he used, but judging by the result, that person is no simple character."

At this, Liu Hong’s expression grew even colder.

"Fortunately, you and Lin Huai’an were well hidden, so that person probably didn’t uncover your identity. Otherwise..."

Otherwise, not only would Liu Taofang and Lin Huai’an have been targeted, but even he, the Governor, would likely have been implicated.

As the full picture became clear, Liu Taofang felt a wave of lingering fear.

Now he finally understood why Liu Hong was so furious.

"Dad, then... then what should we do now?"

Liu Hong shot him a look and snorted. "Scared now, are you? Why didn’t you think more when you were blinded by greed?"

"I was wrong."

Seeing the remorse on Liu Taofang’s face, Liu Hong sighed internally.

This son of his couldn’t compare to his eldest; he was incompetent, shallow, and vainglorious. But he was still his son.

Blood is thicker than water, after all.

"Fang’er, do you remember what I taught you and your brother when you were young?"

"To achieve great things, you must plan before you act."

"Now, I will teach you a second lesson—to achieve great things, you must also be willing to use any means necessary."

Liu Taofang paused, a look of confusion on his face. "Dad?"

’The things I did with Lin Huai’an were all crimes punishable by beheading. Shouldn’t that count as using any means necessary?’

Liu Hong knew his son hadn’t understood. He lowered his voice slightly and said, "Let’s put aside the matter of the summer rations for the Three Towns for now and just talk about the recent rise in grain prices."

"When you and Lin Huai’an were plotting, were you planning to use Old Marquis Xiao’s punishment from the Holy Emperor as an opportunity to pin everything on the Xiao Family?"

Liu Taofang nodded and admitted honestly, "Yes, that was my intention."

"The Xiao Family needs to prepare provisions for the Three Towns, so they’ll have to buy from the two markets. It’s only natural that would cause grain prices to rise."

"Plus, the summer grain harvest in Shu State was poor this year, so a larger increase should be justifiable."

Liu Hong glared at him. "And once the price is high enough, you sell off our family’s old grain reserves and make a huge profit, is that it?"

"I can’t hide anything from you..."

"But in doing so, did you ever consider how the Xiao Family would react?"

"They... they would probably approach Lin Huai’an to negotiate. I’ve thought about it. When the time comes, I’ll just have Lin Huai’an do Marquis Xiao a favor."

"Do him a favor?"

Liu Hong almost laughed in exasperation. "What gives you the confidence to say something like that?"

Liu Taofang looked at him, confused. "Dad, does the Xiao Family really have any other options?"

Hearing this, Liu Hong shook his head. "You... you know too little about the Xiao Family, and even less about the Old Marquis."

"The Xiao Family is indeed in a bind right now, but as long as the Old Marquis is alive, it’s difficult for anyone to use ordinary tricks against him... at least, not in Shu State."

"Did you know that because of how recklessly you and Lin Huai’an have been raising prices, the Old Marquis is already planning to borrow grain from Guangyue Prefecture?"

Liu Taofang was stunned. "Borrow grain from Guangyue Prefecture?" he asked in astonishment.

"The Old Marquis... is he planning to borrow from Duke Qian of the Zhang Family?"

Liu Hong snorted. "Now do you see how foolish you’ve been?"

"It’s laughable that you decided to make a move without even a clear understanding of your opponent’s capabilities."

"But Dad, Lin... Lin Huai’an said before that the Old Marquis is extremely proud and would never ask outsiders for help."

"And you believe what he says?"

"Did you know that besides the old grain you control, Lin Huai’an has already prepared nearly a million shi of grain?"

"What?!"

Liu Taofang stared at him blankly, his expression a mess of confusion.

He clearly hadn’t expected the Old Marquis to make such a choice, and he couldn’t fathom why Lin Huai’an hadn’t told him about this.

’Or... did Lin Huai’an know all along and was just playing me for a fool?’

Liu Hong glanced at him and waved a hand in annoyance. "Get up and speak."

Liu Taofang pressed his lips together, kowtowed once while still kneeling, and only then carefully sat down on the edge of a chair.

After a moment of silence, Liu Hong tapped on the back of his chair and said, "I know you were deceived by Lin Huai’an, so I can’t blame you for this matter. But from now on, you must not be so quick to trust others."

"Yes, I understand."

"No, you don’t!"

"Are you thinking of going to find Lin Huai’an after tonight?"

Liu Taofang lowered his head without a word, his silence a clear admission.

Liu Hong, well aware of his son’s temperament, didn’t lose his temper again. He just said calmly,

"Lin Huai’an may be a merchant, but for him to have gotten this far, he is obviously no pushover."

"What’s more, he’s backed by that group from the Ji State Trading Company."

Liu Taofang nodded silently and asked in a low voice, "Dad, you’ve been mentioning the Ji State Trading Company. What’s their background?"

Seeing his son calm down so quickly, Liu Hong felt a flicker of relief.

"The Ji State Chamber of Commerce? They’re a pack of jackals who are obsessed with money."

"Although I don’t know much about them, I am aware of what they’ve been doing up north."

"Up north?"

"Yes. They’ve made a lot of silver through the northern grasslands’ Mutual Market. Some of it is legitimate, and some of it isn’t."

Understanding dawned on Liu Taofang, and his eyes widened slightly. "Dad, are you saying... they’re smuggling?"

Liu Hong nodded slightly. "Salt, iron, weapons, armor... as long as those nomadic races on the grasslands, who are little different from the Barbarian Race, can pay the price, there’s nothing the Ji State Trading Company won’t dare to sell."

"Aren’t they afraid of being discovered?"

"Discovered by whom? And who would dare to discover them?"

"Everyone who knows has long been bought off, even some of the Nine Ministers in the Imperial Court..."

Liu Hong stopped there and shook his head. "You only need to understand one thing—Lin Huai’an is their man, the pawn they chose to replicate their northern operations here in Shu State."

Liu Taofang said nothing, simply staring at his father without blinking.

Of all that he had heard, this revelation hit him the hardest.

After a moment’s thought, he said in a bitter tone, "Dad, then... does that mean I’ve been played by Lin Huai’an this whole time?"

"Why... why would he..."

Liu Taofang suddenly realized something and looked at Liu Hong. "Was he trying to drag you into it as well?"

Liu Hong glanced at him, lifting his chin slightly. "The fact that you figured that out means I didn’t waste my breath telling you all this."

"That Lin Huai’an has been in Shu State for quite some time. How could he not have approached me?"

"Then... then you..."

Before Liu Taofang could finish, Liu Hong waved his hand dismissively. "He’s just a pawn. What right does he have to be on equal footing with me?"

He paused, a cold sneer appearing on his face. "Besides, he dared to plot against my son. How could I possibly let him get away with it?"

Hearing this, a complex mix of gratitude and shame appeared on Liu Taofang’s face.

He had wanted to do something for the family, but it had backfired completely. In the end, his father still had to be the one to clean up his mess.

"Dad, just tell me. What do you need me to do?"

Liu Hong said flatly, "Do nothing."

"Starting today, you will stay in the mansion and go nowhere. No matter who comes looking for you, you stick to one story—you don’t know Lin Huai’an!"

Liu Taofang didn’t understand why, but he nodded obediently and didn’t ask any more questions.

Seeing this, Liu Hong’s expression softened.

"The Shu State of today is not the Shu State of five or ten years ago. The situation is so complex that an ordinary person could never make sense of it."

"If I weren’t in the Governor’s Office and didn’t have a good understanding of certain noble families and individuals, I’m afraid I too would have been ensnared in someone’s plot."

He looked at Liu Taofang and continued, "This disaster you’ve faced isn’t entirely a bad thing. From now on, learn more from your older brother and don’t make this kind of mistake again."

Liu Taofang first nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Dad, then... what about Lin Huai’an?"

"When I met with him tonight, we already decided on our next move. We were... we were going to keep raising the grain prices."

Hearing this, an inscrutable smile appeared on Liu Hong’s face. "You don’t need to worry about that. Just stay put and rest easy."

"But..."

"Why worry about a dead man?"

’A... a dead man?’

’Who? Lin Huai’an?’

Liu Taofang felt a jolt of shock, and his gaze toward Liu Hong flickered with astonishment.

Liu Hong met his gaze and said calmly, "Fang’er, remember what I told you today."

"Those who wish to achieve great things must be willing to use any means necessary."

"For anyone who stands in your way, there is only one outcome... death!"

Outside the door, Liu Lang couldn’t help but shudder.

’He’d already guessed that the man named Lin Huai’an was likely one of the people he had seen outside that residence in the East Market.’

’He wondered if the man was now dead, just as Liu Hong had said.’

’No wonder.’

’No wonder the boss had sent him to watch Liu Hong—with this level of ruthlessness alone, Governor Liu Hong was someone who demanded serious attention!’

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