Chapter Thirty-Three Careful Planning

  That night, Su Tiancheng couldn't sleep. Su Huawen's words had struck a chord in his heart. In this era, land was extremely important. The royal family and nobles possessed large tracts of land, relying on the harvests to accumulate wealth. Even the most successful merchants ultimately developed by buying land. No matter how ambitious one was, they had to take things step by step. Without a solid foundation, it was uncertain whether one could seize opportunities to rise through the ranks. Don't think that ancient people were foolish; they were intelligent and saw many things clearly.

  In this world, people are all self-interested, no one can avoid it. If you don't have the ability yourself, you can't blame others for looking down on you or bullying you. In such a chaotic world, the strong prey on the weak, which is the natural order of things. Therefore, developing your own strength is the most important thing, and other matters can be put aside for now.

  Su Tiancheng didn't have those foolishly loyal thoughts. Since crossing over, he had experienced a series of events that made him keenly feel the need to have a powerful armed force by his side, at least one that could protect himself.

  Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces have been plagued by bandits, many wealthy families have started recruiting guards. The original intention of the guards is to protect their mansions, but in Su Tiancheng's view, the guards are not just for protection, there is more to it than that.

  The military system of the Ming dynasty was basically in name only, and during the Wanli period, the three major expeditions were mostly composed of recruited soldiers. Some robust soldiers would rather go to rich households to serve as guards, where they received good treatment. Deserting military households either joined the bandit troops or secretly entered rich households to serve as guards.

  Su Tiancheng also thought that he could recruit some guards, but to do so, he must have silver and land. Without these necessary foundations, everything is empty talk. It's not necessarily the case that you have a far-sighted vision, nor is it necessarily the case that you are elegant and refined, standing in a high place, waving your arms and shouting, and people will follow you to the death. This is self-deception. The economic foundation determines the superstructure. As someone who was a leading cadre in his past life, he understood this principle best.

  Su Huawen agreed to allocate the land of Pingyang Prefecture City under his own name, but this is not necessarily achievable. The key is that Danni will come out and object. Su Huawen has been relying on Danni for a long time, and at critical moments, he may not be able to hold on. If he can't think of a way to thoroughly move Su Huawen, he may not get this land.

  Time is limited, next year to participate in the imperial examination, at the latest by the end of July is to set off, after the winter wheat harvest in May, will be very busy, guiding tenants to plant sweet potatoes and corn, guiding tenants to carry out field management, must wait until the sweet potatoes and corn are healthy growth, can rest assured to go to Taiyuan Prefecture to participate in the imperial examination.

  So, before the end of the year, the issue of land ownership must be thoroughly settled.

  Su Huawen still had to stay in Pingyang Prefecture for a while, and since he was back, he had to greet some old acquaintances and move around. It was already the twelfth month of the lunar year, and he also wanted to talk to these merchants and spread the word about the old mansion, which was all under Su Tiancheng's control.

  Su Tiancheng did not accompany him on the visit, this kind of thing, he could not do it. The people Su Huawen visited were all merchants after all, and he was a scholar. Before achieving real success, if he got together with merchants, and those with ulterior motives found out, it would be another excuse to deal with him.

  December 10th, noon.

  Su Pingyang hastily entered Su Tiancheng's room.

  "Master, Madam and Second Master are back."

  Su Tiancheng suddenly stood up, coming so quickly, Su Huawen returned on the eighth day of the first month, and they arrived on the tenth day.

  Su Tiancheng always felt that the letter from the Chamber of Commerce was not so simple, and there must be more content behind it. He didn't expect it to come so quickly, and it seems that this matter has been settled.

  "So they will be returning to the mansion soon?"

  "It's not necessarily so. I heard from Niu Er that when they entered the city, Lei Kui was waiting for them at the city gate. They seemed to have followed Lei Kui to the Lei residence."

  "How did Niu Er know?"

  "Niu Er came into the city to take care of some things and happened to see them, so he followed them from a distance. When he saw Dà Nǎi Nai and Second Master arrive at the Lei residence, he hurried over to report."

  "Oh, Niu Erdao is also clever, is he still in the mansion now?"

  "He's gone. I was thinking of keeping him here for a meal before he left, but he said he had something to do and rushed off."

  The autumn wind blows, and then comes the night rain. Su Tiancheng did not expect that he would get a return so quickly.

  Heaven helps me, Su Tiancheng smiled, why are the big wife and Su Tiannan so stupid, returned to Pingyang Prefecture City, and actually went to Lei Wentong's home, regardless of whether it was Lei Kegui who received them at the city gate or not, nor whether they were invited by others or not, they should have at least a basic judgment.

  "Uncle, go find Father right away and tell him that Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Brother have gone to the Lei residence. Hurry up and go tell Father now, but be careful not to let others know."

  By this time, Su Tiancheng had already determined that the letter from the Chamber of Commerce was indeed what Lei Wentong meant.

  Lei Wentong's plan can be said to have grasped the key, through Su Huawen and Danni's hands, to strangle himself. Think about it, the land all belongs to Su Tianhao or Su Tianran now, what's the point of struggling on? No matter how hard he tries, there's no great use. Relying on the thirty taels of silver every month, living a tight life, wanting to achieve those grand ambitions is just a dream.

  Besides, in such a situation, one's own fate is in the hands of others. Things in the world are unpredictable, and one's fate must be grasped by oneself. If Su Huawen suddenly encountered something and passed away, what would I do? There would be no way out at all.

  Lei Wentong's idea was originally not bad, but unfortunately, he added feet to the snake. Dàniáng and Su Tianran returned to Pingyang Prefecture City, of course, they went home directly, what were they going to do at his house?

  Moreover, Su Huawen had already understood the reasoning behind it, and the Chamber of Commerce's letter was directly related to Le Wentong.

  Half an hour later, Su Huawen returned to the mansion, his face ashen.

  He looked at Su Tiancheng, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  "Father, I've already guessed it, the letter from the Chamber of Commerce is what Lei Wentong meant."

  "Kunyuan, why are you saying this? Lao Boss Lei is your elder, he wouldn't do something like that."

  "Why did Le Wen Tong do this, I don't want to analyze it for now, but Le Wen Tong's intentions are sinister, and I can analyze that. I can be sure that the Chamber of Commerce's letter was also received by my mother, who rushed over in a hurry, with the intention of teaching me a lesson. After arriving at Pingyang Prefecture City, she was taken to the mansion by Lei Kui Gui. I didn't expect Le Wen Tong to be so impatient."

  "Oh, what's your opinion?"

  "Father, as the saying goes, 'A harmonious family is the foundation of all prosperity.' But if conflicts arise at home, even the authorities can't do much to help. You're aware of the situation at home, and I don't want to say more. If Le Wen Tong's clever words were to persuade Mother, do you think our household could still be peaceful? Who knows what would happen then? Father would lose interest in managing the shop, and I'd get entangled in endless arguments. Wouldn't that make Le Wen Tong the happiest person?"

  Su Huawen had long suspected that it was Le Wentong's doing, but he did not expect that Le Wentong would actually send a letter to his wife as well. Whether or not this situation is real, the wife has arrived in Pingyang Prefecture and first went to the Lei residence. What does this mean? Su Huawen understands his wife's thoughts, which have always been unspoken, but now that things have come to a head.

  Arriving at Pingyang Prefecture City, Su Huawen didn't tell his wife either, also wanting to avoid some trouble.

  Su Tiancheng's analysis made him even more determined about his previous thoughts. In any case, this time he had to settle some things down, otherwise, the longer the delay, the more unpredictable the consequences would be.

  "Kunyuan, what you said makes sense. Some things, I have my own decisions to make. Many things in the past, I was aware of and knew how to handle them. After all, you are younger than me, so when speaking and acting, you should still pay attention to your own attitude."

  Su Huawen tactfully reminded Su Tiancheng that after Madam and Su Tianran returned home, their attitude was still a bit better. After these two days of contact, he had already felt that Su Tiancheng's personality had undergone tremendous changes, and it was likely that he would not easily admit defeat. Who knows, maybe an intense argument would erupt on the spot, and at that time, it would be difficult for him to mediate.