Chapter 59: Recruiting a Son-in-law

  "Brother Xia, Brother Yuntai, how did you come?" Fang Zida hastily stood up to greet them, feeling strange in his heart. How did Yang Du and Yuan Keding come together to find him? Since the misunderstanding last time, although Yang Du didn't say anything on the surface, he was always unhappy in his heart, and every time he saw Yuan Keding, he had a bad face, but today both of them were smiling, what's going on?

  "Congratulations, Meng Ming! Good things have come to you!" Yang Du hurriedly walked a few steps closer, clasped his hands together in congratulations towards Fang Zi Da, leaving Fang Zi Da completely bewildered.

  "Has the President agreed to the central bank's matter?" Fang Zida asked, but looking at Yuan Keding who was even happier than Yang Du, he felt puzzled again. If it were a matter of the Central Bank, it would be normal for Yang Du to come and congratulate himself, but why was Yuan Keding so happy? This matter had nothing to do with him.

  "Is it or isn't it, isn't it is also......" Yang Du smiled slyly and pulled a mysterious face, looked around left and right, then grabbed Fang Zida's hand and said: "Let's go, let's go, find a quiet place for us brothers to have a few drinks."

  "Mr. Yang is right, I'll get the wine," said Yuan Keding with a smile from behind, and the two of them dragged Fang Zida away after some pulling and tugging, while Jin Jiu was completely ignored as if he didn't exist at all.

  Watching them enthusiastically drag Fang Zidao away, Jin Jiu's stunned expression finally returned to normal. The faint sense of loss from being ignored instantly vanished, replaced by the wild joy in his heart.

  "Yang Hui... Yuan Yuntai... Good fellow! This Master Fang is quite capable, it seems that a bright future is just around the corner!" The appearance of Yang Du and Yuan Keding made Jin Jiu even more determined to hold onto Master Fang's leg for a good life. After all, now that he had seen the current "Crown Prince" up close, this was definitely something worth bragging about.

  He smiled foolishly and sat down with a pleased expression, picking up a peanut from the plate and tossing it into his mouth. He shook his head and hummed a tune: "I am now... on the city wall, gazing at the mountain scenery, my ears hear the outside... chaotic and disorderly, the banners... fluttering in the wind... empty shadows..."

  Fang Zida was inexplicably pulled by them to a wine building, went upstairs to a luxurious room, sat watching a table full of wine and dishes, with two guys laughing on both sides.

  "I'm asking you two, what's going on here? It's not time for dinner yet, is it?"

  "Never mind, eat slowly and drink slowly. Come on, I'll toast to you first!" Yang Du smiled and raised his cup to finish it off. Before he could even put the cup down, Yuan Keding also came over with a cup in hand.

  What's going on, I don't know anything, and you've already had me drink two cups of wine. Fang Zida cried and laughed, saying: "Can't you tell me what's going on first? This confusing wine is hard for me to drink."

  "Hahaha!" Yang Du and Yuan Keding looked at each other, bursting into loud laughter, and with a gaze that was both ambiguous and strange, they sized up Fang Zidao, making his skin crawl.

  "Brother Xiaozi, is it really a matter of the Central Bank? If you don't make it clear, I won't drink this wine."

  "Haha, look at this kid getting anxious?" Yang Dule said with a smile, holding the fan handle and pointing at Fang Zida, "Didn't I say so? Whether it is or not, it's all the same. Zhengming! You're really lucky! You should accept this good thing, don't mention just one central bank, even if the president makes more demands, he won't refuse."

  Fang Zida was confused and spent half a day still not understanding. What's the good thing? What does it mean to respond? What is what and what?

  At this time, Yang Du nodded to Yuan Keding, indicating that he would let him speak. Yuan Keding didn't hesitate and directly stated Yuan Shikai's intentions.

  "Ah! Me? The President? Son-in-law?"

  Fang Zida was shocked by this news and stared blankly for half a day without regaining his senses.

  "Brother Ming, as long as you marry my sister, we'll be one family from now on. One family doesn't speak two different languages, what can't be discussed? "Yuan Keding's face smiled like a chrysanthemum flower, as if he was an old procuress in a brothel, and he couldn't help but boast about how beautiful his sisters were, like flowers and jade, gentle and virtuous. Fang Zida's head was getting bigger just listening to him."

  "Exactly, exactly!" Yang Du tapped the edge of the drum: "Ming, you're not young anymore, it's time to get married. As the saying goes, there are three unfilial acts, and having no offspring is the worst. Besides, the President's several misses are all suitable matches."

  "This..."

  Fang Zidao took advantage of the pause to smoke a cigar and sorted out his confused thoughts. This was something he had never expected, who would have thought that due to the Central Bank affair, Yuan Shikai suddenly proposed that he become his son-in-law? To be honest, Fang Zidao was not prepared at all, and today he was caught off guard by Yang Du and Yuan Keding. But after careful consideration, this matter wasn't so bad after all. Fang Zidao didn't actually place much importance on women, beautiful women were nothing new to him, and romantic entanglements in the business world were common. As for political marriages like this one, Fang Zidao had seen many before, it was just a matter of each party getting what they needed.

  He lit a cigar and took a sip, carefully weighing the pros and cons of this matter. He was very clear that this was both a ball thrown by Yuan Shikai and a test for him. If he refused, Fang Zidao would be equivalent to cutting off his own retreat, completely drawing a line between himself and Yuan Shikai, Beiyang. Such a reckless move was something Fang Zidao would never do.

  As for the benefits that Fang Zidao gained, there are many. Not to mention that through marriage with Yuan Shikai and the Beiyang government, he obtained an unbreakable connection, becoming Yuan Shikai's son-in-law. Afterwards, whether it was Yuan Shikai himself or the Beiyang bigwigs, they would all become his political backing, just like what Yang Duan said earlier - at that time, not to mention a trivial Central Bank, even more demands would be supported by Yuan Shikai.

  At present, China's Beiyang clique is the most powerful. After the failure of the "Second Revolution", Yuan Shikai, this great president, has reached a new height in his civilian prestige. With Yuan Shikai's support, whether from future reforms or development, taking this step will absolutely not be a loss.

  Of course, Fang Zida also considered the reaction of Song Jiaoren and the KMT side, but this idea was thrown out of his mind after a brief thought. In today's era, it is not the same as 100 years ago. Intermarriage between aristocratic families and political struggles is a common occurrence. Everyone will leave a way out for themselves and their family. This has been the case in China for thousands of years. With Song Jiaoren's temperament, he would definitely not object. As for the inevitable opinions, Fang Zida felt that as long as he communicated well with Song Jiaoren and others, these were small matters.

  As for which daughter Yuan Shikai wanted to marry, and whether this daughter was as beautiful and virtuous as Yang Du and Yuan Keding said, Fang Zida didn't worry too much. Looking at Yuan Keding and Old Yuan's appearance, it seemed that Yuan Shikai's daughters wouldn't grow up with the temperament of a sow either. As long as they were passable, understood things, and listened to him, Fang Zida would be satisfied.

  Fang Zida has always been a decisive person. After hesitating for a moment, he thought through the pros and cons and immediately burst out laughing.

  "The great president's favor, the painstaking efforts of my brothers Hui and Yun, how could I, Fang Zhongda, not be grateful? To tell you the truth, these past few days I was thinking of asking you two to inquire about which prominent family in the capital has an unmarried young lady, so that I might seek her hand in marriage. Who would have thought that before I even opened my mouth, you two brought me such news? It's truly made me both astonished and delighted! However...I, Zhongda, am unsophisticated and poorly educated, could the president's daughter possibly look favorably upon me?"

  Seeing Fang Zidao's straightforward and interesting response, Yang Du and Yuan Keding were both overjoyed at the same time. They patted their chests to guarantee that they would take care of this matter. As long as Fang Zidao agreed, they would handle everything that followed. Later, they would go to the Presidential Palace as guests and bring out the thousand gold from the Yuan family to meet each other. If neither side disagreed, then the matter would be settled.

  Having settled the matter, Yang Du and Yuan Keduan's mood improved, and the relationship between the three of them suddenly became much closer, extremely intimate. This drink lasted until night, and only then did the three disperse with a flourish.

  After parting with Yang Du outside the wine building, Fang Zida looked at the two people going far away. He who was just half drunk suddenly straightened up, where was there any hint of drunkenness?

  "It's interesting, really interesting......" Fang Zidao couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought back to what had just happened. As the saying goes, "If you deliberately plant flowers, they won't bloom; if you carelessly stick a willow branch in the ground, it'll grow into a shade tree."

  After checking the time on his watch, Fang Zidao did not go home but immediately went to Song Jiaoren's house.

  "Have you been drinking?"

  "He had a drink with Yang Du and Yuan Keding, from this afternoon till just now." Fang Zida nodded, sat down and without any courtesy, picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

  "Yuan Keding?" Song Jiaoren was taken aback, and if it were just Yang Duan's words, he wouldn't be surprised. But how did Yuan Keding end up having drinks with Yang Duan and Fang Zidao? And judging from Fang Zidao's hurried appearance, something must have happened.

  "There's something I need to tell Brother Dun Chu." Fang Zidao said straightforwardly, "Today they came to me on behalf of the President, guess what it's about?"

  "For the sake of the central bank?" Song Jiaoren blurted out, but as soon as he spoke, he shook his head: "No, that's not right! What does this have to do with Yuan Da? Why did he come and stick his foot in?"

  "Haha! I thought so at first too." Fang Zida laughed and said, "Later on, I found out it was not that at all. The two of them came to propose a marriage for me."

  "Propose a marriage? What marriage?" Song Jiaoren was stunned again, and then immediately understood, standing up in surprise and saying: "Could it be......"

  "That's right, President Yuan wants me to be his son-in-law!"