The plum garden is not big. After entering the garden, passing through the entrance hall and walking around a flower bed, you will reach the main hall of the garden.
This was originally the place where the newspaper discussed matters with clients. In Yan Liqiang's previous life, this would have been the newspaper's meeting room and the general manager's reception room.
As soon as Yan Liqiang walked in, he saw a well-dressed man in his fifties, a little overweight, who looked a bit like Wang Gang, who played Heshen, sitting steadily next to the coffee table in the hall, sipping a cup of tea leisurely.
The man also heard Yan Liqiang's footsteps. When he saw Yan Liqiang walk in, he put down the teacup in his hand, stood up with a smile on his face, and bowed to Yan Liqiang, "This must be Captain Yan, right? I've heard of Captain Yan's name a long time ago. I knew that Captain Yan was famous in the capital at a young age. I didn't expect that he would be even more famous when we met. I'm so sorry, I'm Gu Zhongren, the owner of Huaixiang Bookstore!"
"Manager Gu, you are so polite. Please take a seat, please take a seat!" Yan Liqiang walked over with experience. He was neither friendly nor cold. Instead, he invited Manager Gu to sit down, while he and Fang Beidou sat on the other side of the coffee table.
"I wonder if Manager Fang has told Captain Yan about my purpose of coming here!" Manager Gu spoke in a lukewarm tone, with a seemingly friendly smile on his chubby face. However, there was a feeling that he had taken over the host's position and was arrogant and did not take Yan Liqiang and Fang Beidou seriously at all.
Yan Liqiang narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at the shopkeeper Gu opposite him with a smile, "I wonder why Shopkeeper Gu suddenly became interested in newspapers. With Shopkeeper Gu's ability, it shouldn't be difficult for him to publish another newspaper in this Imperial Capital City, right?"
Shopkeeper Gu shook his head. "Of course it's not a difficult task, but the Han Empire Times you created has already opened up the situation in the Imperial Capital. Everything has come naturally. It has also become famous in teahouses and restaurants. People read and talk about your newspaper the most. So it's better to buy it now than to make it now. If we can buy your newspaper, everything will be simple, right? Besides, didn't your newspaper's previous assets also buy from others? Isn't this what business is all about?"
"Shopkeeper Gu is right. Business is all about buying and selling. Our newspaper's assets were indeed purchased from others, so we can certainly sell them!" Yan Liqiang said indifferently, "Then I wonder how much silver Shopkeeper Gu is prepared to pay to buy our newspaper. I heard from Shopkeeper Fang that Shopkeeper Gu hasn't made an offer yet!"
Shopkeeper Gu smiled and held up a finger. "Captain Yan, what do you think of this price?"
"One hundred thousand taels of silver?" Yan Liqiang asked.
Shopkeeper Gu smiled and shook his head.
"It can't be ten thousand taels of silver. You have to know that it cost us more than that to buy this farm and the bookstore in the city!" Yan Liqiang laughed.
Shopkeeper Gu still smiled and shook his head.
Sensing the teasing in Shopkeeper Gu's smile, Yan Liqiang stopped talking and put away his smile. He said calmly, "Shopkeeper Gu, just tell me the exact amount!"
Manager Gu smiled and glanced at Yan Liqiang. "One tael of silver. Our Huaixiang Bookstore is willing to pay one tael of silver to buy your newspaper, including this farm, workshop, and several of your shops in the city. Nothing in the newspaper can be touched!"
"What? One tael of silver? Shopkeeper Gu, you are kidding!" Before Yan Liqiang could say anything, Fang Beidou's face changed. He stood up and glared at Shopkeeper Gu angrily, saying loudly, "If Shopkeeper Gu wants to make such a joke, please go somewhere else. Captain Yan and I don't have time for this..."
"Don't be anxious, Manager Fang. Why don't you ask Captain Yan if he is willing?" Manager Gu laughed, and that smile almost made Fang Beidou kick him hard on the greasy face.
"It's not impossible to sell it for one tael of silver..." Yan Liqiang spoke calmly, and glanced at Fang Beidou. Fang Beidou took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and sat down. "Then Manager Gu should at least show us who the master behind him is, so that we can consider whether the weight of that master is worth 100,000 taels of silver! Although Fang Beidou and I are not big shots in the Imperial Capital, we are not people who can be bullied casually!"
"That's great! Captain Yan is really a smart man!" Shopkeeper Gu gave Yan Liqiang a thumbs up, then glanced at Shopkeeper Fang, "Shopkeeper Fang, if it's convenient, I wonder if you could step aside for a moment. This is also for your own good. I'm here on a whim, and there are some things I just want to talk to Captain Yan about in person!"
Hearing what Manager Gu said, Fang Beidou stood up suddenly and just nodded to Yan Liqiang, "Then I'll go out for a while, you guys chat!" After saying this, he left the hall directly.
"Manager Gu, you can talk now sometimes!" Yan Liqiang spoke calmly after Fang Beidou left the hall.
“The Prime Minister admires Captain Yan very much…” When mentioning the Prime Minister, Shopkeeper Gu straightened up all of a sudden, and his expression became respectful and humble.
"Manager Gu is here on behalf of the Prime Minister..." Yan Liqiang asked in surprise. The four words that came out of Manager Gu's mouth were both beyond Yan Liqiang's expectations and expected, which made Yan Liqiang feel a little complicated.
Manager Gu nodded and said, "The Prime Minister also asked me to give Captain Yan a few words..."
"What?"
"The Prime Minister said you are a smart man, let me get straight to the point and tell you clearly, ahem..." Manager Gu coughed twice and cleared his throat, "As long as Captain Yan is loyal to the Prime Minister from now on and knows who to listen to, the Prime Minister will let bygones be bygones. The Prime Minister can give you the same things that Sun Bingchen and the Emperor can give you, and even more. No matter money, status, or secrets of beauties, as long as Captain Yan asks, there is no problem!"
"anything else?"
Manager Gu's voice suddenly turned cold. "The Prime Minister's original words are, if Captain Yan is ignorant of current affairs, then August 15th of next year will be Captain Yan's death anniversary. On the contrary, if Captain Yan thinks it through and knows which side he should stand on and is one of us, then Captain Yan will be safe and sound on the day of the blind comparison in a few days. Captain Yan will rise to prominence in the future, and his future will definitely be more than just a fifth-rank sword-bearing guard in front of the emperor!"
"What about the newspaper?"
"The Prime Minister appreciates this newspaper that Captain Yan created. If Captain Yan decides to stand on the Prime Minister's side, Captain Yan will treat this newspaper as a small gift to the Prime Minister, and I will take over in the future. On the contrary, if Captain Yan still insists on his own way, then this newspaper will no longer have a need to exist in the Imperial Capital. Captain Yan can decide on his own what to do..."
This is not a negotiation at all, it's simply an ultimatum.
If I agree, I will be on Lin Qingtian's side in the future. Lin Qingtian will want both my people and the newspaper in my hands. If I don't agree, then the day of the blind competition in a few days will be the time when Lin Qingtian will execute me openly, and the newspaper will not be able to be saved in the end.
In just a moment, Yan Liqiang suddenly discovered that the Prime Minister just moved his little finger, and Yan Liqiang found that all his previous plans and arrangements in the Imperial Capital had instantly become a joke. It's not that Lin Qingtian didn't realize the value of the "Han Empire Times", he was just waiting to reap it from his hands when it was ripe. Lin Qingtian was not completely unaware of what he had done before, he just watched calmly, and then after discovering his own value, he forced himself to the guillotine and made a choice on the guillotine.
This is the true skill of the prime minister of the empire! These few days, it was time for Lin Qingtian to close the net and reveal his ferocious face!
Could it be that a man who could sit on the position of prime minister of such a huge empire amidst all the ups and downs, and make countless powerful sects and high-ranking officials bow their heads, was simple
The life experience of my two lifetimes combined is less than fifty years. In front of someone like Lin Qingtian, I am completely on a different level. When I came to the Imperial Capital, I imagined everything in the Imperial Capital to be too simple and too natural.
From the beginning to the end, even until now, Yan Liqiang had not even seen what Lin Qingtian looked like. Lin Qingtian even disdained to see him and only sent a small person to run errands. The heavy blow like a mountain falling on his head had already come down from the sky, forcing Yan Liqiang to make the most difficult and important decision in his life...
The turbulent undercurrents in the Imperial Capital can really crush a person to pieces if one is not careful...
Under the burning gaze of Shopkeeper Gu, Yan Liqiang was silent for almost five minutes before he slowly spoke, "This news is too sudden, I am not prepared at all. Shopkeeper Gu, please allow me to think about it for a few days and then give you an answer!"
Shopkeeper Gu smiled and glanced at Yan Liqiang. "The Prime Minister is not an unkind person. He said that he would give you three days to consider. After three days, you must give me a reply. If you do not give me a reply, it will be regarded as your rejection of the Prime Minister's kindness. You can weigh the consequences yourself. I will take my leave..."
"Manager Gu, take care. I won't see you off!"
Shopkeeper Gu stood up and left...
Yan Liqiang sat in the room, quietly, frowning, as if thinking about something...
In the conversation just now, Yan Liqiang heard not only what Manager Gu said, but also all of Manager Gu’s mental activities and all the real thoughts in his head. Yan Liqiang’s brain also saw through it. The thought snake that had merged into Yan Liqiang’s head had already stripped Manager Gu naked in front of Yan Liqiang...
There were some things that Shopkeeper Gu didn't say, but Yan Liqiang already knew them. He even knew how Shopkeeper Gu and the people behind him would deal with him and the newspaper after he refused. They had actually prepared two plans. One was for the Ministry of Justice to find fault and close the newspaper, and then arrest people. Among the writers employed by the newspaper, there were also several craftsmen in the workshop, some of whom had already been controlled and bribed by them, and they came up with a sinister way to pit the entire newspaper, Fang Beidou and Yan Liqiang together. Another plan was in Shopkeeper Gu's arms. In the past few days, they had gone to Cangzhou to find the shopkeeper who sold Shunyi Bookstore to Fang Beidou some time ago. Under some coercion and inducement, they made the shopkeeper sign a contract to sell the bookstore to Shopkeeper Gu before Fang Beidou bought Shunyi Bookstore. The government office also made arrangements. With these two plans, this newspaper and the Great Han Empire Times had already been regarded as their possessions...
The real killer move was not on the day of the blind competition. If he rejected Manager Gu, even if he was lucky enough to survive Shi Minzhang's arrow on the day of the blind competition, once their conspiracy at the newspaper was launched, the only fate waiting for him was to be arrested and thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice and die of illness in prison. Even the emperor could not do anything about it. Fang Beidou, Hu Haihe, Xiao Wu, and Xu Enda would all be buried with him...
Guo Si, the gangster who ambushed Xu Enda a few days ago, is now working for Gu, the shopkeeper. A few days ago, it was Guo Si and several detectives from the Ministry of Justice who went to Cangzhou and found the old shopkeeper of Shunyi Bookstore...
The person who instigated this murder was Lin Qingtian, and the person who personally arranged it was the Minister of Justice Gu Chunyi. The person who came forward was Shopkeeper Gu. Shopkeeper Gu and Gu Chunyi both had the surname Gu, but the people of the Imperial Capital thought that the two had no relationship. In fact, twenty years ago, Shopkeeper Gu was a servant in the home of the Minister of Justice Gu Chunyi. As Gu Chunyi became prosperous, Shopkeeper Gu left the Gu family, cleaned up his identity, changed his name but not his surname, came to the Imperial Capital, opened a bookstore, and became one of Gu Chunyi's eyes and ears and white gloves in the capital...
After seeing through the key points, Yan Liqiang couldn't help but feel a chill that made him shudder...
(End of this chapter)