Ye Ling had no favorable opinion of her aunt. Her uncle passed away when her aunt was thirty-five, who remained single and had tons of men outside. Even though she's fifty-six now, her life still remains loose and was practically a laughingstock.
Although Ye Yifeng's character was terrible, it was an undeniable fact that she's a member of the Ye Family. So when she sought help, it was part of the Ye Family's rules that they're to stick up for her.
Every prominent family had their own cultural heritage, and anyone that comes from those families generally had a different temperament from others. Their family rules and regulations were part of their cultural heritage, and this was also the reason why these families managed to remain in power.
When Ye Ling stepped into the study room, Ye Yifeng asked without any emotion in his expression, "How is Ye Sheng doing?"
"Doctor Zhang said that he would be fine after some sleep." Ye Ling immediately answered.
Nodding his head, Ye Yifeng asked again, "What do you think of that young man named Su Tao?"
"He's a despicable person!" Ye Ling commented in disdain, "When he fought with Ye Sheng, he actually used hidden weapons laced with poison!"
Shaking his head, Ye Yilong replied, "This can be considered a lesson for Ye Sheng to be cautious in all matters. Is there a rule stating that no unusual method or weapons can be used?"
Hearing her father's words, Ye Ling was briefly stunned. Su Tao had also used the same explanation. Letting out a sigh, she responded, "I understand."
"I got Ye Sheng to pick up martial arts since young and permitted him to participate in underground fights since I hoped that he could understand the brutality of the real world. But I never expected him to gain nothing from all those experiences. A courageous person should be wise, and if he suffered from someone's hidden weapons, then it can only be said that he's not cautious enough. Putting it in a nutshell, he's all brawn and no brains, and he won't be able to take over the Ye Family." Ye Yifeng said in disappointment.
"It's because Su Tao was too good of an actor! If they're fighting in an arena, Ye Sheng would surely be cautious!" Ye Ling tried to explain on behalf of her brother.
"Underestimating others is an act of foolishness, and real-world competitions are far more sinister. Rules still restrict even the most brutal arena. But in the real world, not only is it a competition for strength, but it is also a contest for wits, so don't make any explanation for your failure." Ye Yilong unhappily waved his hand and instructed, "For the time being, the two of you will stay home and read up on books."
"Books again!" Ye Ling wore a bitter smile.
Suffering a setback meant that they're still weak, and the simplest way to strengthen themselves was by reading books. This has always been Ye Yilong's method of educating his children, and it's also one of the rules and regulations in the Ye Family.
When Ye Ling left, a middle-aged man entered under the butler's lead, which Ye Yilong stood up and started to brew a pot of tea.
There weren't many people that could get Ye Yilong to brew tea for them, but this man was Ye Yilong's most trusted aide.
"How did the sounding go?" The middle-aged man asked.
"Ni Buwei is tougher than we'd imagined. He actually managed to endure all of that!" Ye Yilong sighed and continued, "That means that our options are only left with shredding all pretense."
Shaking his head, the middle-aged man reminded, "You can't do that! Although the Ni Family is in a weaker position, even a starved camel is still larger than a horse. They have been developing that gold mine for a long time, and even without our help, they can easily find other families with power in the military to replace us. If we want to gain the rights to the gold mine, then we will have to mediate with Ni Buwei."
"Any response from the Qin Family?" Yi Yilong asked after a brief silence.
"The Qin Family doesn't participate in these matters. As long as the foundation of Beijing isn't shaken, they will turn a blind eye." The middle-aged man replied.
"That brat Qin Jingyu has been borrowing the shell to sell firearms to the middle east and profited quite a bit; the Qin Family no longer lacks in money. They know their position well, and as long as they remain loyal to the country, their position won't be shaken." Ye Yilong's voice sank as he continued, "But there are more movements from the Shui Family nowadays. Do they intend to come back to Beijing? If that's the case, then Beijing will be getting lively soon. I'm only worried that the Ni and Shui Families might go into an alliance, which won't be good news for us."
Shaking his head, the middle-aged man analysed, "The Shui Family has been operating in Jiangnan, and they won't meddle in Beijing so easily. But we have to pay attention to the young man, who is a physician and also the middle man between the two families. He even bears the Fire Beacon!"
At this moment, Ye Yilong even suspected if Su Tao was a chess piece arranged by the Shui Family to link the Ni and Shui Families into an alliance.
Frowning his brows, Ye Yilong said, "The Qin Family has the Dragon Group, while the Shui Family has the Fire Beacon! These two hidden powers are too powerful, and many people have failed to get rid of them. Right now, no one has an idea of how far the two organisations have developed."
"The Dragon Group's objective is to protect the stability in Beijing, while the Fire Beacon is to guarantee the booming of Jiangnan. Actually, everyone knows that with these two organisations around, there won't be chaos no matter how the various prominent families fight amongst themselves." The middle-aged man said as he wore a grave expression.
Nodding his head, Ye Yilong agreed with the middle-aged man's point-of-view.
Over the past years, Beijing was swept by numerous hardships but still managed to stand firm. Furthermore, the reason why provinces such as Huainan, Huaibei, and Zheyun had the highest public security was due to the Fire Beacon.
Sire Shui has perfectly fulfilled the promise he made back then by staying at Qiongjin City.
Compared to that, the Nanyue Province, which was also flourishing, had a more inferior public security since there's no organisation like the Fire Beacon to sort things out in society.
At this moment, Su Tao had no clue that he had unknowingly thrown himself into a conflict between two prominent families in Beijing.
The conflict between the Ni and Ye Families originated from the gold mine located in South Africa's Free State Province.
The Ni Family wanted to invite the Ye Family into a partnership to develop the gold mine together, but the Ye Family wasn't willing and wanted to monopolise the entire gold mine. Thus, the Ni Family let out words that they were seeking new partners when they noticed the circumstances, which sparked the conflict.
Ye Yifeng sent the siblings with the excuse of Ni Jingqiu reneging on the wedding to sound the Ni Family. After all, the Ni Family was the one that reneged on the wedding, and they must be punished.
In Ye Yilong's eyes, the reneging on the wedding was actually a bargaining chip for the two families to negotiate.
After reaching a unanimous agreement with his trusted aide, Ye Yilong gave a call to Ni Buwei since he was finally willing to lower his head and assist the Ni Family to develop the gold mine.
Hearing that, Ni Buwei naturally agreed and even offered 10% more profits than they had previously agreed on.
Although there wasn't the marriage between Ni Jingqiu and Huo Kun as the link, and a small conflict even took place, the two families did not clash as imagined. On the contrary, they each took a step back from the clash and reached an agreement.
Conflicts between families didn't mean falling out completely, but most of the time, they would reach an agreement.
The seemingly intense conflict was just a means to increase their profits, and once the two parties have reached an agreement, they would naturally forget the unhappiness that took place.
When the banquet ended, Ni Jingqiu and Su Tao came to the carpark and she worriedly asked, "How's the condition of my mother?"
"Her condition is more serious than I've imagined. If you want her to live healthily, then she has to receive treatment immediately. Although her condition is under control from her medication, the toxin from the medicine has permeated her five viscera and six bowels, which resulted in several illnesses. Her problem is no longer with her kidneys, even her heart, spleen, stomach, and liver have suffered a certain degree of damage. That also means that treating her will also be more difficult." Su Tao frankly answered.
Hearing that her mother's condition was actually so serious, Ni Jingqiu's heart trembled as she held onto Su Tao's hand and begged, "Please, help my mother!"
Sighing that Ni Jingqiu's hands were colder than he had imagined, Su Tao did not withdraw his hand and smiled. "Then, you have to convince your mother. After all, she's the patient, and there's nothing I can do to help if she's unwilling to cooperate with the treatment."
When Ni Jingqiu recovered from the anxiety, she withdrew her hand and was surprised that Su Tao's hands were as tender as a woman's. Her face blushed a little and nodded. "Don't worry. I will definitely be able to convince my mother. Although she's a little stubborn, I'm confident that she will agree to it as long as I beg her a few more times."
Nodding his head, Su Tao reminded, "Then don't drag the matter. Her condition cannot be dragged on, and you have to hurry up."
"The events today were beyond my expectations, but I will handle it well. I guarantee that the Ye Family won't take any revenge against you." Ni Jingqiu complicatedly said with a sigh.
"Since I chose to make a move, I naturally considered the consequences. I believe that the Ye Family won't fall out completely with the Ni Family to come after me." Su Tao smiled.
Hearing those words, Ni Jingqiu exclaimed in her heart that Su Tao was a smart person. He had everything clearly sorted in his heart more than anyone else.
"I owe you another favor now."
"Don't worry about it, and you can repay me. Didn't you say that you're going to find a suitable location for my pharmacy? Then, I'll leave it to you." Su Tao joked.
"So, you've laid a trap for me!" Ni Jingqiu was briefly stunned before she suggested, "Oh, right. I'm sure you did not eat well earlier, so let me treat you to a feast!"
Su Tao naturally wouldn't reject Ni Jingqiu's offer since he had already considered her as his new partner. Thus, he suggested, "Can we find somewhere with drinks?"
"You want to drink?" Ni Jingqiu was perplexed.
Pointing at Ni Jingqiu, Su Tao replied, "Strictly speaking, you're the one who needs to drink right now. Although it's not advisable to drink with your asthma, it's also a case-to-case basis. Alcohol can be a poison, but it's also the best medicine for sorrow. Getting drunk to resolve all your sorrow can be beneficial to your health."
