"Brothers, it's best to settle your families first."
"This matter is, after all, an internal gang affair, so it's best not to let the outside world know."
"Once we've seen off the guests, we'll gather in the deliberation hall."
Yang Wanli was now the backbone, and he immediately stated his plan.
The several hall masters all knew this was to save their face, and they were filled with gratitude.
After they had settled the abused female family members, Yang Wanli continued the banquet as if nothing had happened, until the last guest was seen off, and night had fallen.
The new Money Gang Leader, Yang Wanli, and the other hall masters sat in the deliberation hall, their excitement and anticipation from last night replaced by a heavy cloud of sorrow.
"Gang Leader Yang Siniang reported earlier that the family members of the brothers showed no signs of having engaged in sexual activity."
Yang Wanli revealed this news, unsure if it was good or bad.
Gang Leader Yang Siniang was the female gang member he had previously asked for help; she also held a position in the gang, considered middle management in the main headquarters.
However, when the hall masters heard this news, they couldn't bring themselves to be happy.
They had all carefully questioned their family members beforehand, and all of them claimed to know nothing.
Even if that old lecher Bamboo Five Peaks hadn't truly acted, were the sounds they heard outside the room earlier fake?
It was laughable that at the time, they had been easily sent away from the courtyard, so as not to disturb Bamboo Five Peaks's pleasure.
Thinking about it now, they truly regretted it immensely; they didn't know what kind of perverted tricks that old lecher had played, causing the hall masters to imagine all sorts of things, while also feeling incredibly disgusted.
"That old lecher, he has no ability but still tries to act like a big shot!"
A hall master cursed angrily.
At the time, they had found it strange; even if Bamboo Five Peaks was still vigorous due to his superb martial artist cultivation, he shouldn't have been so ferocious.
Who knew this old fellow didn't even take the normal path.
"Alas, brothers."
"Don't dwell too much on what's happened; when you go back, don't mention this matter again."
"The key now is the future of the Money Gang."
"Which is our future!"
Yang Wanli said sternly.
How could the others not understand this principle? It's just that they also felt helpless.
They had already sided with Prince Zheng; even if they regretted it now, what could they do?
This time, they had fallen out with Bamboo Five Peaks. Between the Money Gang and an Upper Three Ranks master, who Prince Zheng would ultimately favor, they already had some vague answers in their hearts, but they just didn't dare to accept this reality.
"Gang Leader, why don't we ask Prince Zheng to preside over justice?"
"I believe Prince Zheng wouldn't be unreasonable, would he?"
The person who said this had no confidence himself.
"Bamboo Five Peaks has been a revered figure in Prince Zhengs Mansion for many years, and he's an Upper Three Ranks master."
"Even if he truly made a mistake, Prince Zheng probably wouldn't be able to punish him severely; to appease us, he'd probably just give a verbal reprimand."
"But what then?"
"Our Money Gang and Bamboo Five Peaks have formed a grudge. How will others under Prince Zheng get along with us?"
"After all, Bamboo Five Peaks is an old-timer; we are just newly affiliated forces."
"Now His Highness Prince Zheng needs us. When he no longer needs us, will he still uphold justice for us?"
Yang Wanli's string of questions left the several hall masters in silence.
Li Xuan, listening from the rooftop, couldn't help but nod repeatedly; even he was swayed by Yang Wanli.
"Then Gang Leader, what do you suggest we do?"
"There's no need to rush to report this to Prince Zheng. Let's first find more fallback options for ourselves, so that Prince Zheng's people don't dare to easily manipulate us," Yang Wanli said immediately.
"Hold out for a better price?"
"You could say that," Yang Wanli nodded, then continued, "Former Gang Leader Chen Tan just died, and I just took over today, and this kind of thing happened."
"If this continues for a few more days…"
Yang Wanli shook his head; some things didn't need to be stated explicitly.
The other hall masters also understood; if Bamboo Five Peaks dared to bully people like this on the first day, he would surely become even more audacious later on.
"Gang Leader, whatever you say we do, we'll do!"
The hall masters gritted their teeth and expressed their stance one after another.
"Good, since I, the Gang Leader, have the trust of my brothers, I will naturally lead them to fight hard!"
"Everyone has seen the outcome of our wholehearted reliance on Prince Zheng."
"Since sincerity doesn't bring sincerity, we have no choice but to play some tricks."
"The foundation of the Money Gang is still there. We will continue to maintain our stance. If Prince Zheng is anxious, we move closer; if Prince Zheng relaxes his guard on us, we take two steps back."
As soon as Yang Wanli finished speaking, a hall master immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that just like a prostitute in a brothel?"
"Haha, brother, your words are crude but the meaning is not. What we want is precisely this kind of push-and-pull. Once Prince Zheng completely loses interest in us, we won't even be able to use this tactic anymore."
Yang Wanli was interrupted, but he wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he smiled and explained.
"Just coincidentally, the Red Scarf Squad in the city has gained some momentum. Perhaps they can help us with this matter?"
Immediately, the hall masters expressed their concerns: "Gang Leader, this might not be appropriate."
"We had a significant conflict with the Red Scarf Squad when we plotted against them before."
"Don't you remember, Hall Master Zhao is still lying in bed now; he's probably crippled."
However, Yang Wanli wasn't worried at all, and he waved his hand, saying:
"Alas, what's there to fear?"
"If we want them to help us, there are plenty of ways."
"For example, the tasks Prince Zheng entrusts to us, we can leak them to the Red Scarf Squad…"
Yang Wanli raised an eyebrow, and the hall masters immediately understood.
"Oh—"
"Is the Gang Leader referring to the government's usual tactic of 'nurturing bandits to enhance one's own importance'?"
With Yang Wanli's hint, the hall masters' eyes lit up, and they all felt that this plan was feasible.
"The Gang Leader is truly worthy of being the Gang Leader; his wisdom and strategy are outstanding!"
"Hey, if the Gang Leader had become Gang Leader earlier, our Money Gang would have prospered long ago."
"It's all that Chen Tan's fault; he's been occupying the latrine without doing his business, dragging down the Money Gang for so many years!"
The hall masters' sincere flattery came one after another, praising Yang Wanli until he felt elated, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Damn, being a Gang Leader really feels good!"
Yang Wanli couldn't help but secretly sigh.
Li Xuan had heard enough from above and felt that Yang Wanli was doing well, having essentially handled all the tasks he had assigned.
Seeing that there was nothing more to do here, Li Xuan immediately returned to the palace to report the good news.
After all, completely wresting the Money Gang from Prince Zheng's grasp still required careful planning.
...
Two days later.
"You said the Money Gang didn't report me?"
Old Zhu's face darkened as he listened to his subordinate's report.
"Reporting to Old Zhu, the Money Gang has been very quiet these past two days. Those few hall masters scurried home with their female family members that day, not even daring to use the main gate."
"They probably knew they were in the wrong, which is why they didn't dare to cause trouble."
Old Zhu gritted his teeth, filled with anger.
"I knew it!"
"These dogs, they put on quite a show."
Old Zhu had actually been bluffed by the Money Gang that day, thinking he had truly done something outrageous.
Now it seemed it was all an act by those people to exonerate themselves.
"Alright, alright, you just wait for me."
"By the way, have you found out how the people were sent in to me?"
Old Zhu was currently inconvenient to investigate at the Money Gang headquarters himself, so he specifically sent trusted subordinates.
"Old Zhu, those servants who attended to you in the small courtyard were originally hired by the Money Gang."
"That day, these servants personally led those women into your room, and then they all dispersed."
"Although these servants claimed to have received your direct orders, I'm afraid they were all lying."
Upon hearing the report, Bamboo Five Peaks became even more furious: "Alright, alright, so you're playing this game with me, huh?"
"I refuse the seduction, so you ruin my good name!"
"Have you found out whose idea it was?"
When Bamboo Five Peaks got angry, even his trusted subordinates below him found it hard to bear.
"Old Zhu, this matter should have been the idea of those few hall masters. The new Gang Leader, Yang Wanli, was unaware. He almost stumbled into the courtyard at the time, so it's likely the hall masters were dissatisfied with the new Gang Leader and wanted to set a trap to displease you."
"At the time, the hall masters must have realized you weren't in the room, which is why they hastily brought Gang Leader Gang Leader Yang out again. It's just that they didn't time it right later, leading to the subsequent misunderstanding."
Bamboo Five Peaks showed a surprised expression upon hearing this:
"Oh, so it was an internal conflict within the Money Gang."
"They truly are a bunch of useless mud that can't be plastered to a wall."
Bamboo Five Peaks sneered and continued, "However, to dare to scheme against me, they truly have a death wish."
"Just wait and see how I deal with these little brats!"
After figuring out what had happened, Bamboo Five Peaks slammed the table and headed straight for the Money Gang headquarters.
Knowing that he was not at fault in the slightest, Bamboo Five Peaks was utterly righteous.
He barged all the way to Yang Wanli's room, kicking the door open with a bang, clearly showing hostile intent.
Yang Wanli was originally busy handling gang affairs at his desk, but upon seeing Bamboo Five Peaks burst through the door, he showed no surprise at all; instead, he immediately put on a smiling face and said:
"Old Zhu, you've arrived."
Yang Wanli's attitude stunned Bamboo Five Peaks; the other party seemed to have amnesia, completely forgetting the unpleasantness of a few days ago.
Bamboo Five Peaks's eyes darted around, knowing that Yang Wanli might have discovered the truth about being used. He immediately found a chair and sat down grandly, speaking to himself:
"Gang Leader Gang Leader Yang, regarding what happened two days ago, I know you were used, and I can choose not to pursue your responsibility…"
Before Bamboo Five Peaks finished speaking, Yang Wanli immediately bowed in gratitude:
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Old Zhu. I also didn't expect that being a Gang Leader would be so difficult!"
Although Yang Wanli said this, he muttered to himself, "Used?"
"Used how? Did he know about Hero Mo's matter?"
As Yang Wanli was feeling surprised and uncertain, Bamboo Five Peaks nodded with satisfaction and continued:
"If you ask me, it's those few hall masters under you who went too far. As for you, the Gang Leader, I am quite satisfied."
"Thank you for your appreciation, Old Zhu, but at that time, I was… ashamed, truly ashamed!"
Yang Wanli looked as if he wanted to hide in a hole, raising his sleeve to cover his face, but his mind was racing, and he somewhat understood that Bamboo Five Peaks seemed to have misunderstood something.
Bamboo Five Peaks saw that Yang Wanli had indeed been deceived and had now realized it, and he immediately felt that there was still someone worth using in the Money Gang.
"I will certainly not let those few hall masters of yours off lightly, otherwise my reputation might be ruined."
"But I appreciate you and will give you a chance. Your Money Gang can deal with it yourselves, to save me the trouble of acting and making the scene too ugly."
Upon hearing this, Yang Wanli immediately said anxiously:
"No, absolutely not, Old Zhu!"
"The Money Gang is in need of people right now. These hall masters are the backbone of the gang. If they are gone, I'm afraid we will disappoint His Highness Prince Zheng's expectations."
"Old Zhu, please allow me to speak further. Why not spare their lives for now and settle accounts after Prince Zheng's important matter is accomplished? It wouldn't be too late."
Yang Wanli's words made Old Zhu's expression sink, but then he smiled:
"Good, among the entire Money Gang, only Gang Leader Gang Leader Yang has the most vision. No wonder His Highness Prince Zheng specifically appointed you to succeed as Gang Leader."
Yang Wanli immediately cooperated by showing a surprised expression.
"Then it shall be as you say."
"This matter should have been entrusted to you on the day you took office, but two days were wasted. Gang Leader Gang Leader Yang, you know what to do next."
Old Zhu looked at Yang Wanli with a deep gaze, his warning evident.
"Understood, understood!"
Yang Wanli nodded repeatedly, appearing remarkably obedient and sensible.
"Good, your Money Gang will first proceed to uproot the Red Scarf Squad and reclaim the underground industry in the capital."
"As for what happens next, we will inform you after you've reclaimed the underground industry."
"Also, notify all branch headquarters to do their utmost to collect wealth from the populace, then centralize it, properly secure it, and await further orders."
Yang Wanli solemnly walked to the side and carefully wrote down Old Zhu's requests with pen and paper. This attitude greatly pleased Old Zhu.
"For reclaiming the capital's underground industry, you only have one month. These past two days are also included in the deadline."
Old Zhu's additional request made Yang Wanli look troubled:
"One month?"
"But the Red Scarf Squad is quite strong…"
But Old Zhu's next words made Yang Wanli breathe a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, I will assist you in secret."
Yang Wanli immediately smiled and promised:
"With Old Zhu around, everything will be fine."
"Let alone a month, we can take down the Red Scarf Squad in half a month!"
Old Zhu's lips curled slightly, but he quickly suppressed it:
"Gang Leader Gang Leader Yang, work hard. Remember that His Highness Prince Zheng will not mistreat meritorious officials."
"I won't stay here with you, to avoid further trouble."
"I've rented a small courtyard at the street corner; come find me there if you need anything in the future."
Old Zhu left his words and then departed on his own.
Yang Wanli quickly jogged a few steps to the door, bowed respectfully to the outside, and chanted:
"Farewell, Old Zhu."
The smile remained on his face, but a worried expression appeared in his eyes.
"An Upper Three Ranks master, can the Red Scarf Squad handle it?"
Although Yang Wanli knew that Mo Tiansheng, who had been constantly seeking him out, was very strong, he had never heard that he was also an Upper Three Ranks master.
This made Yang Wanli's heart pound.
But he knew that the Red Scarf Squad had Princess Ankang and the Imperial family behind them, so this kind of matter was not for him to worry about.
That night, Li Xuan once again came to the Money Gang headquarters and found Yang Wanli.
Hearing the familiar voice transmission, Yang Wanli began to write on the table with his finger, reporting the day's events.
After Yang Wanli became Gang Leader, he seemed to have gained the full support of the hall masters, making the gang impenetrable, but he still dared not be careless.
Li Xuan read Yang Wanli's report, immediately narrowed his eyes, and transmitted:
"Lure the snake out of its hole, kill!"