Chapter 5: The Secret Struggle

  Di Zhe walked out from the corner and bowed separately, saying: "Lu Dongjia, Fan Dongjia!"

  "Zhai Er Ye, you've seen the situation tonight?" Fan Yong Dou asked with a bow. With his identity, calling Zhai Zhe 'Er Ye' was truly giving him face.

  Di Zhe let out a bitter laugh and said: "I just arrived from Guannei today, and tonight I was having a small drink with Xiao Shuo here when we happened upon this matter."

  He didn't see the scene of the incident on the upper floor, but he also guessed seven or eight parts through others' accounts. It's nothing more than that Lu's business has been bad recently, and the guards have no oil to make a profit. Seeing Ge Feng, under the emotional frustration, he got drunk and made trouble, now it directly relates to the duel between the two major commercial households in Zhangjiakou.

  The Di family and the Lu family had a lot of business dealings, so Lu Fuyou was familiar with Di Zhe. He nodded slightly to him, but didn't say anything.

  It was noisy for more than two hours, and it was almost midnight. Most people in the village had already rested. The masters of various shops were awakened from their sleep, put on their coats to resist the cold of late autumn, and went to the scene of the incident. The conflict between Fan's family and Lu's family caused a sensation in the village.

  The goal of businessmen is clear, that is to make money. The coldness of the past year has made all the merchants uneasy. If the merchant team cannot enter the grassland, the existence of Zhangjiakou is meaningless. At present, the war between the Tumet people and the East Turks has not stopped, and everything is still unclear. The two families of Lu and Fan are facing a decisive battle, which makes it difficult for everyone to make a choice.

  Di Zhe sat beside Lu Fu You and Fan Yong Dou, watching as the various masters entered the dimly lit tavern.

  The chaotic scene and the sour smell of wine made some people cover their noses. Zhai Zhe saw his older brother Zhai Tang's figure in the crowd, but pretended not to see him. If he always hid behind his family, with his older brother's attitude towards him, Zhai Zhe was afraid that for the rest of his life, he could only be a rich young master; he had to find opportunities to move to the forefront.

  The wounded man on the ground was still groaning faintly, and with Lang Zhong's help, the bleeding from his wound had stopped. However, judging from Lang Zhong's solemn expression, he was not completely out of danger yet. His life or death had become the most powerful weapon in the showdown between the two families. If he died, the Lu family could justify killing Ge Feng, who was being held captive, and deliver a fatal counterattack to the traitor.

  Fan Yongdou would not allow such a situation to arise. The Fan family was a challenger, and Ge Feng's life or death did not hang in the balance of his heart, but if he could not even protect the lives of those who had defected to him, how could he let those merchants who were watching from the sidelines throw themselves into his arms? Dasheng Quan was the first merchant in Zhangjiakou to establish contact with Dongxu. This road had already been opened up, and he needed to quickly solidify his position rather than make a wedding dress for latecomers.

  Di Zhe's gaze swept over the wounded at his feet, and now even his own family had become one of those hoping for his death, while his enemies were instead hoping to preserve his life. The reversal of roles in fate left Di Zhe with a sigh.

  Everyone has arrived, Fan Yong stood up and said: "This place is simple, please forgive me, it's really a big deal to ask everyone out in the middle of the night."

  He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Lu Fuyou and said: "It's not suitable for me to say this, it just so happens that there is a witness here, please ask Er Ye of Wangshun Pavilion to explain everything clearly. What do you think, Lu Dongjia?"

  Lu Fu nodded slightly.

  Fan Yongdou gave a slightly apologetic expression towards Di Zhe and said: "Thanks for your trouble, Second Master Di!"

  Di Zhe secretly admired Fan Yongdou's demeanor and behavior, treating people with courtesy that was truly impeccable. Lu Fuyou was far from being his match, no wonder Ge Feng had been a guard at the Lu residence for five or six years but still couldn't compare to being in the Fan residence for just one month. He stood up, cleared his throat with two light coughs, and then recounted the events of the evening clearly and in detail. For some things he hadn't witnessed personally, he glossed over them briefly, recounting about 80-90% of what had happened.

  Di Zhe's tone was impartial, and neither Lu Fu You nor Fan Yong Dou raised any objections. Just as he finished speaking and was about to sit down, Fan Yong Dou suddenly interjected, "If it weren't for the new arrival of Di Zhe, a disaster would have been brewed here. In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

  Di Zhe regained his composure and hastily waved his hands, saying: "All the masters are present, what right do I have to speak?"

  Fan Yongdou shook his head and said, "No, you are neither a member of the Fan family nor the Lu family, but since you have witnessed this matter, can you tell me your opinion?" Of course, there were other people at the scene, but after the conflict broke out, they were all afraid of getting into trouble and ran away.

  Lu Fuyou wanted to speak but stopped himself. Since Fan Yongdou came out, he has been passive everywhere. If he expresses opposition at this time, it would be a manifestation of distrust towards the Di family people, and offend them for no reason.

  Di Zhe hesitated for a moment, then said: "Ge Feng has made mistakes in this matter!" Ge Feng's face changed greatly as he was tied up, fearing that Di Zhe would say that he wanted to expel him from Zhangjiakou.

  But Di Zhe didn't say anything more.

  Fan Yongdou was about to say more, when Zhai Tang squeezed out of the crowd, glared at Zhai Zhe and said: "It's better if Fan Dongjia doesn't make things difficult for his younger brother. This matter is of great importance, and he can't just speak nonsense."

  Di Zhe lowered his head and said, "In my opinion, saving people is the most important thing." This sentence was a matter of course, but it was also the key sentence.

  Fan Yongdou's face broke into a smile as he said, "That's right, Ge Feng hurt someone from the Lu family. I'll give everyone an explanation later, but for now, let's focus on saving people first!"

  Lu Fuyou stood up, sneered and said: "How can the people of Lu's family be trampled on in this gathering? Today's affairs are all watched by you masters. I propose to hold a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow to decide on this matter." The guards beside him stepped forward to help the injured person.

  Fan Yongdou said loudly, "Just now the doctor checked and this person's wound is deep but fortunately not fatal. If something happens again after leaving this place, don't blame my Fan family."

  This sentence is very straightforward and also extremely impolite, it can be said that they have already torn their faces with the Lu family. One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, they have fought to this point, and it's hard to reconcile again.

  Lu Fuyou flew into a rage and pointed at Fan Yongdou's nose, saying: "What do you mean by this?"

  "If the Lu family believes me, I can guarantee that the injured person will be fine. If something goes wrong, my Fan family is willing to withdraw from Zhangjiakou! But the Lu family took the person away, and if anything happens again, it cannot all be blamed on Ge Feng's head."

  The two sides were at odds with each other, leaving a few still sleepy owners stunned.

  Lu Fuyou's face turned bright red, and he cupped his hands together: "Everyone has seen it, thanks to everyone's appreciation, the Lu family still has some status in this gathering. I didn't expect to be bullied to such an extent. Tomorrow, please ask the masters to take charge of my humble self."

  He was unwilling to bother with Fan Yongdou again, and the next day, the Zhangjiakou Chamber of Commerce would open, and the various Dongjia would jointly decide. At that time, whether it was letting Ge Feng die or expelling him from Zhangjiakou, he believed that with the influence of the Lu family, he could still do it.

  "It just so happens that Old Master Zhai is a witness, Ge Feng has made a mistake, I am willing to hand over Ge Feng to the Zhai family for management! If Lu Dong doesn't trust me, he might as well hand over the injured person to the Zhai family for treatment. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility." Fan Yongdou stepped forward, pressing his point.

  This showdown with the Lu family came a bit earlier than he had imagined, but it was also what he urgently needed. The Fan family needed to concentrate more business to operate the trade route to Liaodong, but the existence of the Lu family made him feel like a fishbone in his throat, and he needed to win over more friends. Whether or not it was at the behest of Zhai Tang, Zhai Zhe's performance tonight was on his side. From Ge Feng's hint to him, Fan Yongdou had been observing Zhai Zhe, and this young man showed insight and maturity beyond his years.

  Di Zhe looked at his brother with a wry smile, he indeed took this opportunity to show his face in front of the various masters, but also put the Di family on the chopping block.

  Fan Yongdou had a Di family on his left and another Di family on his right, which made Lu Fuyou suspicious.

  "Don't bother others with our family's affairs!"

  Lu Fu's tone was firm, and Fan Yongdou made it clear that he couldn't bear to lay hands on his own family members again. If the injured guard didn't die, what reason would he have to drive Ge Feng out of Zhangjiakou?

  The guard found a simple stretcher to lift the injured person and led the way out. Lu Fuyou bowed his hands to the more than 20 shop owners present, saying: "I'll be troubling you all tomorrow!" He turned around and followed them out.

  The host, Fan Yongdou, had invited everyone to come over. He could only smile wryly and explain: "I'm troubling you all in the middle of the night, but this is a matter of great importance. Lu Dongjia has spoken up, so we can only discuss it again tomorrow."

  The hour was almost over, and the masters of the shops went their separate ways. Everyone's sleepiness was gone, and this night, the town was destined to be sleepless.

  It's either the Fan family or the Lu family; everyone needs to make a choice.

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