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“Impressive? I think they’re just overindulging themselves,” Su Mingche remarked. Moreover, why does his mother and father pamper these two people? What does he have to do with their disagreements?
Su Mingche couldn’t help but laugh, “It seems like Second Aunt has been giving you a hard time these past few years.”
“Why should I be involved in her affairs? Why does she come to me?” The more Su Yu thought about it, the angrier he became, and the less he wanted to bring his son home.
Just wait; sooner or later, they will regret it to the point of banging their heads against the wall.
His elder brother didn’t want to get married, and his sister, after getting married, only had a daughter and no grandchildren yet. They wanted a grandson? They must be dreaming.
Watching Su Yu’s fierce expression, Su Mingche leaned in and teasingly asked, “What wicked ideas are you plotting now?”
Su Yu shook his head with an expressionless face, “Nothing.”
Nothing?
With the way he looked, who could believe that?
Besides, with his vengeful nature, could he really refrain from seeking revenge if someone had plotted against him? Did he even believe that himself?
“I came here because of your nonsense. Why did you call us over?” Su Mingche frowned and glanced at Su Jing.
“Let’s talk when everyone’s here. I don’t want to repeat myself,” Su Yu impatiently replied, his brows furrowing.
After dealing with Su Jing, I’ll go back to find my son.
“Alright.”
It took about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, and everyone had arrived. “Lord of the House, did you call us here for something specific?” It didn’t seem quite appropriate to gather in Second Uncle’s courtyard.
“Little Yu, now that everyone is here, you can speak,” Su Long looked at Su Yu and said.
“Su Jing used the connections I had to smuggle private salt, and the transactions amounted to over a hundred thousand taels of silver,” Su Yu said directly, locking eyes with them.
One sentence shifted everyone’s attention onto Su Jing.
“What’s going on here? Smuggling private salt is asking for trouble, isn’t it? How could he have used your connections?” Everyone knew that Su Yu and Su Jing were at odds, so how could Su Jing use Su Yu’s connections? That doesn’t make sense, does it?
“There were people under him who were double-dealing, and that’s how things turned out,” Su Yu said, narrowing his eyes.
One sentence made everyone understand what was implied: “So you mean…”
“Hand over my elder brother. He has been working on cracking down on private salt recently, and we have no leads,” Su Yu said unapologetically.
Since he dared to use his connections, he should bear the consequences.
Su Long and Su Mingche had no objections; getting rid of such a person was for the best.
However, the others exchanged uneasy glances. This was indeed a serious matter, and the problem was that if they handed over Su Jing, they would incur significant losses, especially in terms of reputation.
“Little Yu, can’t we handle this matter internally within the family?” one of them asked, looking at Su Yu.
Upon hearing this, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Su Jing’s lips. He knew it would ultimately come to this.
Staring at Su Yu, Su Jing’s eyes held a hint of sarcasm. Now, do you understand? He wanted to see if the family would agree to hand him over, even if he offered himself up.
Su Mingche noticed the sarcasm in Su Jing’s eyes and furrowed his brow slightly. He suddenly understood why Su Yu had called these people over.
Originally, Su Mingche had intended to say something, but he fell silent, waiting to see what Su Yu had in mind today.
“Is there anyone else who shares his thoughts?” Su Yu raised his gaze and asked them.
Some spoke up, “Little Yu, we’re all family. Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss about this? Can’t we just let this matter go?”
“Yeah, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“What do you mean not a big deal? With the government cracking down on private salt so aggressively right now, if they find out someone in our family is involved in smuggling, have you considered the consequences?” Someone angrily retorted, “Our priority should be to completely disassociate the Su family from this. Are you seriously thinking of pretending like this never happened? Is your brain filled with water, or is it just tofu inside?”
Frowning and glancing at the four who were defending Su Jing, the person who had been silent all along finally spoke up, “Is that really how you all see it? You think this isn’t a big deal? Maybe you should bring Su Jiu back and ask her if it’s truly not a big deal.”
“Before, there was just one person suspected of smuggling private salt, and the entire family was arrested. Even though it was eventually proven not to be true, do I need to spell out what happened to that person after they were released?”
“That’s right, Little Yu handled this matter correctly. Let’s have Su Jiu deliver him directly. As for how to completely dissociate the Su family from this, what do you think, Little Yu?”
Su Yu didn’t respond; he simply looked at the four people defending Su Jing. His gaze finally returned to Su Jing, and he asked, “Are these your allies?”
The smile on Su Jing’s face gradually froze as he looked at Su Yu. It seemed he had underestimated the complexity of the situation.
Staring at Su Yu intensely, he said, “Su Yu…”
“Accepting his benefits would naturally lead you to speak for him, but I’ve never seen people as reckless as you four,” Su Yu said with a half-smile, half-sneer, as he looked at the group.
“What do you mean? You’re slandering us,” some of them said, sounding uneasy.
“Slandering? If it’s slander, why are you all so nervous? You knew about his private salt smuggling, didn’t you? Some of the things in his possession were granted by you,” Su Yu toyed with his fingers, looking at them with a sly and mocking expression.
The four individuals turned pale, instantly realizing Su Yu’s purpose in calling them here. Su Yu must have concrete evidence in his possession, and this discussion was merely a formality; he had no intention of giving them any face.
“We were just greedy for a moment. We won’t do it again. Can we let this matter pass, Little Yu?” one of them pleaded.
“Discuss this matter with my elder brother; there’s no point in talking to me,” Su Yu replied, not even glancing at them. He was already thinking about what gifts to bring back for his son and wife when he returned home.
Seeing Su Yu’s demeanor, Su Jing knew that Su Yu was determined to take action against them today.
“Su Yu, before you go ahead with this, have you consulted Grandfather? He won’t allow you to act recklessly like this,” after all, this matter would damage the family’s reputation, and Su Xi would never approve of it.
He had to find a way to escape this predicament. Once he managed to do so, he wouldn’t spare Su Yu.
Su Jing’s eyes were filled with bitterness, harboring resentment towards Su Yu. They were only two years apart in age, so why did everyone in the family always praise Su Yu? Especially when Su Yu passed the civil service exam and became the top scholar in that year, the entire Su family celebrated him. At that time, who remembered that he had also passed the scholar exam?
After that, Su Yu’s business prospered, and his reputation grew. Everyone praised how talented and remarkable Su Yu was, as if the Su family only had him.