272: Chapter 272 Planning

If possible, he also wanted to advance to the Meridian Opening Realm.

Facing the gaze cast by Pei Qingyun, Pei Tianrong suppressed the reverie in his heart and replied, "Yes, Old Ancestor."

"Alright, don't be so nervous." Seeing this, Pei Qingyun also said seriously, "The preparation work for yuanhong phase ii has officially begun. You need to keep a close eye on your end; the Qian Clan and Lü Clan might make a move."

"Understood, I will pay attention," Pei Tianrong said solemnly.

"Alright, I have some other matters to attend to."

...

After Pei Tianrong left, Jiu, who had originally been hiding in the shadows, appeared and said respectfully to Pei Qingyun, "Old Ancestor."

"The reason I had you come over is that there is actually one thing that requires you to do it personally." As he spoke, Pei Qingyun took out a letter he had already prepared from his bosom. "Make a trip to Longxi yourself and deliver this letter into the hands of Family Head Yongsheng."

Over these years, with the growth and expansion of the Pei Clan, the number of Secret Guards has also been continuously increasing.

Jiu, this Secret Guard Commander, no longer needed to handle everything personally as he did a few years ago.

His main task had also changed to management and reporting intelligence to Pei Qingyun.

Especially in the past year, the number of tasks he personally executed could be counted on one hand.

Now, Pei Qingyun having him personally deliver a letter showed its importance.

Taking the letter, Jiu's eyes narrowed, and he said solemnly, "Old Ancestor, rest assured. I will deliver the letter safely to Family Head Yongsheng at the fastest speed."

"Mm," Pei Qingyun acknowledged.

In fact, as early as after meeting Chen Yuanba, he had already prepared this letter.

For the Qian Clan and Lü Clan to make a move against yuanhong phase ii, it was nothing more than these few methods.

First, by using their prestige to prevent other Great Families from purchasing shops in the Yuanhong Trading Market; this effect was similar to what is known as a blacklist in the entertainment industry.

Of course, the Qian Clan and Lü Clan speaking out had an effect far more overbearing than a blacklist.

After all, offending capital just meant having no hope of success; at worst, it would only harm oneself, as capital would only engage in some underhanded tactics locally.

Conversely, offending the Qian Clan and Lü Clan was not just a matter of changing people; the entire Family could be wiped out.

This was just like the outcome of defying imperial power in ancient times.

In Jinhuai Prefecture, the Qian Clan and Lü Clan were akin to half-emperors.

Back when the first phase of the Yuanhong Trading Market opened, the reason many Great Families did not attend was due to the influence of the Qian Clan and Lü Clan.

At that time, the Qian Clan and Lü Clan did not favor the first phase of the Yuanhong Trading Market and did not take the initiative to speak out.

Furthermore, with the Pei Clan ostensibly having the Chen Clan and He Clan behind them, although the first phase of the Yuanhong Trading Market was affected, its subsequent operations were still successful.

Now, the situation was completely different; the Qian Clan and Lü Clan would likely take the initiative to strike.

In addition, the Pei Clan did not agree to the Chen Clan's request for cooperation, which could be considered indirectly offending the Chen Clan; there was no need to even mention the He Clan.

The reason both families befriended the Pei Clan was nothing more than the fact that the Yuanhang Trade Caravan could bring profits, and it was also a good chess piece to deal with the Qian Clan and Lü Clan.

Now that the chess piece was disobedient and even wanted to grow into a general.

How could the Chen Clan and He Clan possibly support it?

To put it bluntly, even if the Chen Clan and He Clan did not kick someone when they were down, as long as they revealed even a hint of dissatisfaction with the Pei Clan.

Then the pressure faced by the Pei Clan would not be as simple as just doubling.

The attitude of all Great Families in Jinhuai Prefecture would change, even affecting the operations of the first phase of the Yuanhong Trading Market.

The second, by controlling Materials, the two families could hinder the construction of yuanhong phase ii.

This method mainly involved controlling sources and attacking transportation.

Controlling sources was something the two families could not do. The sources for the construction Materials of yuanhong phase ii were very extensive; most were basic items, and others were synthetic Materials that Pei Qingyun had researched using scientific knowledge from his past life, such as cement.

If the two families restricted Materials, it could at most affect the construction period, and progress would be a bit slower.

If absolutely necessary, the Pei Clan could still obtain these requirements through business in other prefectures, albeit with higher transportation costs.

Compared to the profits, this increase in cost was negligible. If they could not control the Materials, the two families could only target transportation.

Disguising themselves as mountain bandits to attack transport teams was a perfectly normal tactic. In fact, many Great Families used such methods to earn extra money.

The third, and also the most direct.

If you cannot solve the problem, then solve the person who raised the problem.

The number of Grandmasters in the Qian Clan and Lü Clan combined was at least ten on the surface.

Although Grandmaster Martial Artists would not be dispatched casually, it was not that they could not be moved.

Currently, the impact brought by the Pei Clan and the damage caused to their interests were not that significant, not enough to make them resort to such measures.

Pei Qingyun was ostensibly only a Grandmaster in the Early Stage of the Six Bowels Realm, which really did not amount to much for the two families.

As long as they wanted to, they could easily dispatch two Grandmasters, and how could the Pei Clan withstand it?

Of course, these three possibilities were just the worst-case scenarios.

The two families might not necessarily target the Pei Clan like this.

After all, the Pei Clan was only a third-rate Family.

But Pei Qingyun was never someone who acted based on luck; before refusing the proposal to cooperate with the Chen Clan, he had already factored all possibilities into the risks.

With his current strength, all risks were controllable.

Since he wanted to build the Yuanhong Trading Market into the economic center of Jinhuai Prefecture, the Pei Clan had to have absolute control.

Whether it was the Four Great Families or in-law families, none could participate in the distribution and management of the Yuanhong Trading Market.

However, damage was unavoidable.

And the Longxi Pei Clan was an important link in reducing his losses.

...

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

Jinhuai Prefecture City.

The Chen Clan's ancestral grounds, at the main entrance.

Third Elder Chen Zexi and his party, after several days of long-distance travel, finally returned to Jinhuai Prefecture City.

As soon as he entered the Chen Clan's ancestral grounds, Third Elder Chen Zexi headed straight for the main residence.

Upon hearing that Third Elder Chen Zexi had returned, Family Head Chen Zemin immediately came to greet him with a smile.

But when he saw the expression on Third Elder Chen Zexi's face, his heart skipped a beat. However, he still tried to keep his tone as calm as possible, "Zexi, you are back. Looking at you, things do not seem to have gone smoothly. Was the share ratio for the investment not negotiated?"

"No!"

"Then you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Third Elder Chen Zexi gave the answer.

"Pei Qingyun does not agree to the Chen Clan investing in the Yuanhong Trading Market."

"Pei Qingyun does not agree… How dare he." Chen Zemin's expression changed as he looked at Third Elder Chen Zexi.

"Pei Qingyun's strength is very strong; I am no match for him," Third Elder Chen Zexi said dejectedly.

Chen Zemin said with an astonished face, "What! You are no match for him? Has he not been promoted to the Six Viscera Realm for less than two years? Have you fought him?"

"No. I only felt the aura emanating from him; it was not something that the Early Stage of the Six Viscera Realm could have," Third Elder Chen Zexi said.

Chen Zemin frowned and said, "Listening to you, he actively released his aura to intimidate you."

"Yes. Before I even mentioned this matter, Pei Qingyun actively released his aura. His doing this clearly meant he knew the purpose of my visit," Third Elder Chen Zexi recalled the scene of the meeting and nodded.

Chen Zemin said, "It must be that Chen Yuanba mentioned this matter to him."