The butler rattled off a string of names, one after another, which extinguished Liu Jinli's anger, and his face grew increasingly grim.
"Why did they all come together?" Liu Jinli asked again, his words filled with surprise, not anger.
These people are all leaders in their respective industries, and their assets are countless. He would treat any one of them with utmost respect.
Even if he is the Grand Elder of the Demon Realm, there is no reason for him to be at odds with these Gods of Wealth. They usually have dealings with each other and their relationship is quite good.
What's going on today? Let's all come to his residence.
With a hint of doubt in his eyes, Liu Jinli glanced at the butler, whose face was extremely pale, and his heart skipped a beat. Had something happened?
There was no point in speculating here, so Liu Jinli made a quick decision and headed towards the front hall.
Regardless, let's treat them well first.
I strode into the front hall, and sure enough, all the important figures in the capital were sitting there, each with an unfriendly expression, their gloomy faces like dark clouds hanging overhead.
The originally tall and spacious lobby was made extremely oppressive by these people, as if it were a closed space without windows or doors.
"Oh dear, I didn't know you were here. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you properly." Liu Jinli suppressed his nervousness and forced a smile as he went out to greet them.
"Why hasn't tea been served yet? This is so unruly!" Liu Jinli scolded the servant, then turned to the servant with a forced smile, "My servant is unruly, please excuse me."
"Elder, please excuse the tea; we dare not drink it," one of them said.
Upon seeing that it was a merchant who controlled medicinal herbs from various regions, Liu Jinli quickly smiled and said, "Boss Qi, what are you saying? There must be some misunderstanding."
Liu Jinli had already sensed that something was wrong, but in the rush, there was no time to find out why these people had come together. He could only exchange pleasantries with them while improvising as the situation developed.
"We have delivered the Grand Elder's letter. After thinking it over, we believe that for such an important matter, we should personally visit the Grand Elder to give him a reply." Boss Qi spoke on behalf of everyone, clearly indicating that they had reached a consensus.
"Letters? What letters?" Liu Jinli asked in surprise. "Gentlemen, is there some misunderstanding? I have not sent any letters to any of you."
No one answered Liu Jinli's question, so Boss Qi slammed several sheets of paper on the table as his answer.
Liu Jinli quickly picked it up and took a look, and was so frightened that he almost fainted.
The content above is all very similar, with only one format: "Send XX from your residence to the Liu residence."
That XX is a precious weapon, a rare crystal, or an extremely expensive potion; it is definitely a treasure that money can hardly buy.
No wonder these people were furious; any one item from the letter could cause a huge uproar in the capital.
"This...this person who wrote the letter really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth," Liu Jinli said with a dry laugh, his heart pounding wildly. Such a bold act would definitely offend the group of people in front of him.
These people are all influential figures in the capital; offending them will definitely lead to a miserable life.
only……
"What do these letters have to do with me?" Liu Jinli asked, clinging to a sliver of hope. Perhaps they had made a mistake, who knows?
"If it weren't for the Grand Elder's jade token, how could such a letter have appeared before us?" Boss Qi snorted coldly, finally getting to the heart of the matter.
His answer immediately made Liu Jinli so angry that his teeth itched. Wasn't the Grand Elder's jade token on Liu Lanyan?
Does that girl want to kill him?
Very well, he was just worried about how to get rid of her openly and legitimately, and now this is an opportunity, how could he not make good use of it?
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Chapter Twenty-Five: A Bloodless Victory
"Everyone, this matter is definitely not what you think." Having made up his mind, Liu Jinli felt confident and spoke without the panic he had shown earlier.
"Don't you all know what kind of person I, Liu Jinli, am?" Liu Jinli's composure made the people in the room hesitate for a moment.
To say that Liu Jinli was an upright and incorruptible person would be absolutely impossible.
However, he would never offend someone who would benefit him.
Liu Jinli is definitely a pragmatic person.
"What did the Grand Elder say about today's events?" Boss Qi still looked displeased, but his tone was no longer as harsh.
Hearing that Boss Qi's attitude had softened somewhat, Liu Jinli quickly explained the whole story: "As everyone knows, I only got this position as the Grand Elder because of my elder brother. If it weren't for my brother's misfortune, I would also... sigh..."
Liu Jinli sighed deeply, his face showing grief and a hint of choking, but he forced himself to suppress it, as if mentioning his deceased brother had caused him great sorrow.
Boss Qi and his group remained noncommittal about Liu Jinli's reaction. Whether he was truly sad or not was none of their business. What they wanted was the result, not to accompany Liu Jinli in reminiscing and feeling sentimental.
Fortunately, Liu Jinli knew when to stop and quickly steered the conversation back on track: "I have become the Grand Elder, but the jade token representing my status as Grand Elder has always been in the hands of my elder brother's daughter, Liu Lanyan."
At this point, Liu Jinli seemed to remember something and looked up to ask, "Was the person who delivered the letter to you a woman?"
There was no one else besides Qin Xiu around Liu Lanyan, and it's unlikely there was anyone else.
Boss Qi really didn't know who had sent the letter, and he looked questioningly at the group of people who had come with him.
“It’s a woman,” one of the people said.
"That's it." Liu Jinli breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands again, saying, "As you all should have heard, Lanyan was greatly shocked after hearing the bad news about my brother, and her mind is a little unclear. She may have done this in a moment of confusion. Please, for my brother's sake, please be lenient."
"Elder, that's not quite right." Boss Qi wasn't dismissed by Liu Jinli's few words. "We all know Liu Lanyan is muddle-headed. If she's muddle-headed, why would she ask us for these things?"
When Boss Qi said that, everyone else present nodded in agreement.
"This..." Liu Jinli was speechless with difficulty, unable to find the words to refute.
"Elder, you should invite Miss Liu out so we can confront her face to face." Boss Qi simply didn't believe that Liu Lanyan was behind this; he always felt that Liu Jinli was the one who came up with the idea behind it.
"Boss Qi, now that she's in this state, is it unnecessary for her to confront us?" Liu Jinli deliberately feigned a troubled expression.
In truth, he was overjoyed. What he wanted was for Liu Lanyan to come out, then confront her, and thus deal with her in a logical and proper manner.
"Elder, we must get to the bottom of this matter. Of course, if the Elder doesn't want us to know, we don't have to. After all, we are of lowly status, how dare we interfere with the Elder's decision?" Boss Qi's words were "soft on the outside but firm on the inside," showing no sign of letting up.
Liu Jinli sighed and ordered, "Go and call Liu Lanyan here."
The maidservant obeyed and hurriedly went to the side courtyard to fetch someone.
A short while later, Liu Lanyan came over with her maid. Seeing a room full of people, she was inexplicably stunned.
"Lanyan, did you deliver this letter?" Liu Jinli asked, holding up the letter on the table in front of Liu Lanyan as she approached.
I thought Liu Lanyan would deny it, but to my surprise, she admitted it right away: "Yes."
Liu Jinli was stunned for a moment, then realized that she was confused and could not possibly deny it.
If she just admits it, things will be much easier.
"Yes." Just as Liu Jinli had predicted, Liu Lanyan readily admitted it without the slightest hesitation, which was quite satisfying.
"Nonsense!" Upon hearing Liu Lanyan's words, Liu Jinli immediately shouted, "It's one thing for you to be ignorant in the past, but how have you become so irresponsible now?"
Liu Jinli played the role of an elder scolding a child very well. However, everyone present was shrewd and didn't care about the problems between Liu Jinli and Liu Lanyan. They only cared about their own interests.
"Elder, since Liu Lanyan is such a muddle-headed person, how could she know to come to us for these things?" Boss Qi spoke up calmly from the side, his sharp question showing no mercy whatsoever.
Their status is incomparable to that of the Grand Elder, but their influence in other areas is absolutely not to be underestimated.
If they hadn't received such a rude letter, with its commanding tone that made them feel insulted, none of them would have come to question it.
We're all seasoned professionals, so we naturally know how to achieve mutual benefit.
This time, Liu Jinli went too far. If they don't show any remorse, how will they gain a foothold in the capital in the future?
When Boss Qi spoke, his meaning was clear: how could Liu Lanyan, a fool, possibly know to ask them for these things?
It's absolutely impossible for her to be a fool, but Liu Lanyan isn't the only one in the Liu family.
It's not impossible that someone might take advantage of Liu Lanyan's name to amass wealth.
Upon hearing Boss Qi's words, Liu Jinli was taken aback. Yes, everyone in front of him was a shrewd fellow.
Everyone in the royal city knows that Liu Lanyan is not thinking clearly.
It's no use even if Liu Lanyan admits it; he believes it, but the others don't.
Liu Jinli was filled with regret. How could he have forgotten about this?
It was all because the incident happened so suddenly that it caught him off guard, causing him to make such an unwise move in a hurry.
Liu Jinli's mind went blank; he had no idea how to explain the situation before him.
My brain is racing, trying to find the perfect excuse.
"Elder, have you thought of a reason?" When Boss Qi and the others saw Liu Jinli's sudden change in expression and his silence, they became even more certain that Liu Jinli was behind everything.
That's right. How could Liu Lanyan, a fool, possibly know what's in their mansion and ask them for it so easily?
To shift the blame to Liu Lanyan, Liu Jinli went to great lengths, even finding such rough, crumpled paper from somewhere, making it look like something a fool would play with.
Liu Jinli had good intentions, but in the end, he made a mistake and they found a handle against him.
"Gentlemen, I am..." Liu Jinli stammered, trying to explain, but the others didn't give him the chance.
After glancing at the others, Boss Qi exchanged a look with them: "Elder, there may indeed be other hidden reasons behind this. However, regardless of the circumstances, we all hope to receive a definitive answer from the Elder."
With that, everyone stood up, bowed politely, and took their leave: "Tomorrow, we will await the arrival of the Grand Elder at Wangjiang Tower."
Without giving Liu Jinli any room to persuade him to stay, he turned and left.
The meaning was crystal clear: if Liu Jinli didn't give them a satisfactory answer, their "relationship" could very well undergo a major change in the future.
As soon as they left, Liu Jinli slumped into his chair in despair. He had never been able to secure his position as the Grand Elder. He had finally managed to build a relationship with these people, and if they were to harbor resentment now... his future would be bleak.
Liu Lanyan stood to the side with her head slightly lowered, her hair falling down to cover the fleeting smile in her eyes.
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