Chapter 139: The Desire to Keep Her in a Golden Cage

Chapter 139: The Desire to Keep Her in a Golden Cage

Outside the county town, on the official road, in the night wind.

Even though Sun Zhiye was struggling to contain his inner fury, his expression inevitably betrayed a hint of ferocity. His gaze involuntarily followed the direction of the departing carriage, recalling Lu Mingchao's calm, almost careless smile, the fervor in his heart grew even stronger than before.

"Eldest Young Master Sun, are we still going to Squire Zhang's residence?"

Tian Dong, carrying a white lantern, bent down to inspect the broken wheel, confirming that continuing the journey was impossible, then stood up and approached Sun Zhiye's side, asking respectfully.

Whether it was an auditory hallucination or not, Tian Dong faintly heard the Eldest Young Master's breathing, deep, heavy, and rapid.

Perhaps the Eldest Young Master was seething with anger.

Thinking this, Tian Dong lowered his head even further.

Sun Zhiye's gaze remained fixed on the pitch-black night ahead. "No need to go anymore. Cheng Zhi's private licentious affairs are certainly not fabricated by Lu Mingchao."

Cheng Zhi was indeed an unexpected and disastrous move.

This truly shows that appearances can be deceiving, and the sea's depth cannot be measured with a bucket.

"Eldest Young Master, won't our plan to frame Lu Lei for deception come to nothing?" Tian Dong frowned, his voice involuntarily rising.

Tian Dong could barely recall the Eldest Young Master's confident and spirited demeanor when he was on top. Had he known this would happen, he would have advised the Eldest Young Master to stay in the prefectural city.

In the quiet night, even the faintest sound was clear.

"It's not a total loss."

"It's like a drop of ink accidentally spilling on a piece of rice paper, or mud accidentally splattering onto a pristine robe. Though the paper and the robe themselves remain intact, the blemish left behind is still hard to conceal."

"Lu Lei once considered marriage with the promiscuous Cheng Zhi, and later got caught up in a deception scandal. This experience is akin to ink staining clean paper or mud soiling a white robe."

Sun Zhiye sighed softly, his breath visible in the cold night air, dissipating into the wind.

"But..."

Sun Zhiye's eyes slightly raised, glancing at Tian Dong. "Didn't you just advise me to reconcile and cooperate with Lu Mingchao a few days ago?"

Tian Dong was taken aback. "Has the Eldest Young Master had a change of heart?"

Sun Zhiye gave a bitter smile and remained silent.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice deep. "Tian Dong, if I intend to keep a proud, untamed bird, how should I tame it to make it obedient and compliant?"

Tian Dong was startled.

Why did the topic suddenly shift to raising and taming birds?

The Eldest Young Master is indeed the Eldest Young Master. Even when the Sun's family is declining, he still has the elegance to raise birds.

After a moment of thought, Tian Dong said softly, "Eldest Young Master, there are two methods."

"First, confine the bird in a golden cage, deprive it of its ability to forage and survive on its own, so that it can no longer adapt to the environment outside the cage."

"Second, borrow the method of taming eagles on the grasslands, through continuous patience and perseverance, gradually eliminate its wild and untamed nature until it is successfully tamed. In this way, the originally fierce and proud eagle will become unwaveringly loyal to the Eldest Young Master."

Sun Zhiye furrowed his brows, his eyes flickering.

No matter the method, taming requires him to maintain an absolute advantage.

The situation is truly unfortunate.

"Tian Dong, unhitch the carriage and ride back to the city," Sun Zhiye instructed indifferently.

"Tomorrow morning, send someone to Zhang Cheng and demand a reasonable explanation."

...

The next day.

The teahouses and taverns in Changhe County were alive with activity.

With a single strike of the wake-up clapper, guests from the north and south were startled; as the storytelling began, tales from all directions were woven into the narrative.

The common folk brewed a pot of clear tea, prepared a plate of melon seeds, and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in the teahouse.

Through veiled references, news spread like wildfire about the Sun family's warehouse grain getting damp and moldy, and the eldest son of the Sun family using his subordinates as scapegoats, intensifying the situation.

The merchants who had barely maintained cooperation with Sun Zhiye through concessions once again unilaterally tore up their contracts.

The stored grain in the warehouse couldn't be sold, and the hidden danger of tens of thousands of taels being withdrawn from the accounts erupted, worsening the already dire situation.

"Eldest Young Master Sun, why not sell the undamaged grain at a very low price to recoup as much as possible."

"Otherwise, over time, if the grain doesn't circulate, the cash flow will break, and the Sun family will be in peril," Chuan Bai was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead and blisters formed on his lips.

No merchant can withstand repeated turmoil.

Especially an unsolvable crisis of reputation and credibility.

He seemed to have already seen the vast Sun family teetering on the brink of collapse.

"And after recouping the losses?" Perhaps because the future was uncertain, Sun Zhiye remained calm and composed.

However, it was unclear if his calmness was genuine or just a facade.

After adding the final stroke to the portrait, Sun Zhiye looked up at Chuan Bai, "If you were an uninformed commoner, hearing that the Sun family is selling grain at a low price, would you think it's good quality or damp and screened?"

Chuan Bai held his breath.

The answer was clear.

"So, your suggestion won't work."

"My vision is short-sighted, not as far-sighted as Eldest Young Master Sun."

"But, are we going to do nothing?"

"Of course, we can't do nothing."

"I'm torn between fighting to the death for survival or preserving our strength to rebuild slowly."

Chuan Bai was puzzled, "I do not understand the deeper meaning."

Sun Zhiye lightly rubbed his temples, a glint of brilliance flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Chuan Bai, have you considered that publicly burning the stored grain could be a clever way to break the deadlock."

"This is what it means to be in a desperate situation and then emerge victorious."

"If handled properly, the crisis of Sun's business reputation can be resolved immediately, turning the crisis into an opportunity, just like how Chaofu Grain Shop turned the crisis of poisoned grain into an opportunity, opening a new chapter amidst the chaos."

This was the strategy he devised after a sleepless night, analyzing and summarizing Lu Mingchao's consistent style of handling situations.

He even believed that, in the same position, Lu Mingchao would do the same.

Lu Mingchao has the guts and is willing to take such risks!

Chuanbo pursed his lips, his brows furrowed deeply, hesitating.

"Speak your mind; no need to hesitate," Sun Zhiye said with an unchanged expression.

Chuanbo looked up, "In autumn, the master of the business arranged for the managers to purchase a large amount of grain in the surrounding counties, villages, and towns of Changhe County, just to hoard it and then raise prices for profit. If all of it were to be destroyed in a grain cellar fire, the loss would be devastating."

"Eldest Young Master Sun, Sun's accounts are already in dire straits."

Being in a desperate situation doesn't guarantee a way out.

Sun Zhiye murmured softly, "Yes, being in a desperate situation doesn't guarantee a way out."

Looking back at the long river of history over thousands of years, how many people have been able to burn their boats and fight with their backs to the river, achieving a great victory?

The vast majority have perished in desperate situations, never to rise again.

Calculating the fall guy.