Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 45 A Strange Agreement

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Liu Ye wasn't surprised by Gao Hongtu's statement: "I suspected the same thing. You rose to power too quickly, your foundation is unstable, and the honor and disgrace of the Gao family rest on your shoulders. If you die, the Gao family will surely collapse." Liu Ye smiled slightly, "So I changed my mind. I won't kill you. Surprised?"

"Oh?" Gao Hongtu was shrewd and intelligent, but he never expected this outcome.

"As long as I have the ledgers, you won't target Zhang's Cloth Shop, right?"

Gao Hongtu answered without hesitation, "Yes." This ledger was far too destructive; it was not worth the risk if it were just a mere brothel.

"Then I have achieved my goal for this trip." Liu Ye maintained his smile.

"But..." Gao Hongtu still didn't understand. Someone capable of infiltrating his residence and killing someone was clearly no saint; why would they let him go so easily?

"No matter how big your business becomes, you're still just a businessman. With your current mindset, you wouldn't understand my thoughts. I'm sparing your life so you can manage the money shop properly. If I were to kill you now, the Gao family would collapse, your money shop would go bankrupt, and what would I gain then?"

Gao Hongtu thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You want me to run the money shop well so you can seize it and reap the benefits?"

He couldn't help but laugh; the man's words seemed utterly delusional to him: "Killing me, Gao, is easy for you right now, but if you don't kill me today, I guarantee you won't be able to harm a single hair on my head tomorrow. Even if you find a way to kill me later, seizing my bank isn't such a simple matter. According to you, does that mean that any assassin who can assassinate an emperor throughout history can seize the throne and become emperor? Hahaha!"

Liu Ye smiled at him, not annoyed at all.

As Gao Hongtu laughed, his smile faded. There was an indescribable confidence in Liu Ye's smile, giving him a strange feeling that this man's idea might actually come true. Impossible! This was utterly absurd. He shook his head, as if trying to shake away this ridiculous thought.

“I know you won’t believe me, so I’m saying this: with your current perspective, you don’t understand my thinking. Taking over your bank isn’t about money; I have plenty of ways to get rich. I have a grand plan, and your bank is a ready-made tool. I won’t tell you now, but you’ll find out in the future.”

Gao Hongtu stopped laughing. He stared at Liu Ye and said coldly, "What makes you think I'll obediently listen to you, run the money shop properly, and then hand it over to you intact?"

Liu Ye asked, puzzled, "If you're not going to manage the money shop properly, are you going to deliberately ruin your own business?"

At this moment, the woman on the bed let out a soft laugh, clearly amused by the remark. Liu Ye smiled slightly at her: "Looks like the atmosphere is quite good. This lady has stopped trembling and is even in the mood to watch the show!"

The woman muttered softly, "She's not that old, she's not the eldest sister..."

"Shut up!" Gao Hongtu yelled at the woman, somewhat exasperated. Even though he thought she was just delusional, he felt very uncomfortable being led by the nose in the conversation.

“Alright, Mr. Gao, let’s make a deal.” Liu Ye’s smile faded, and he said seriously, “Today I took your account books, and you’re hesitant to act rashly, so naturally you won’t make things difficult for my Wan Hua Lou. So you can continue running the money shop, and in less than three years, I will take over your money shop. If you can see the big picture, you can continue to be the manager of the money shop, but I will become the boss. What do you think of this deal?”

Gao Hongtu tried his best to suppress the strange thoughts in his heart, avoiding Liu Ye's eyes, and said with his head down: "I, Gao, founded the bank and it will be inherited by someone with the surname Gao in the future. What do your crazy words have to do with me? Why should I make this ridiculous agreement with you?"

"It's alright, it's alright. Whether you believe it or not, we'll see within three years." Liu Ye clapped his hands, stood up, and said to Lin San, "If we wait any longer, it will be dawn. We should go."

Upon hearing this, Gao Hongtu wisely shut his mouth. After all, he needed to get rid of this plague god first; his life was still in the other man's hands.

Lin San started to walk out, but Liu Ye scolded him, "Are you stupid? It's not safe to walk like this. We need Boss Gao to see us off." He held a knife to Gao Hongtu's neck and said with a grin, "Boss Gao, please see us out of the mansion."

Gao Hongtu was both shocked and furious. "You broke your promise! Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?"

"I didn't say I was going to kill you, I just wanted to see us off and avoid some trouble," Liu Ye laughed. "Youji, while you're at it, take the gold bars from the cabinet too, a thief never leaves empty-handed!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Hongtu looked at Liu Ye with resentment and disdain. Liu Ye looked up at the sky, pretending not to see it.

As they stepped out of the room, the two men were waiting there impatiently. Old Mai and Mai Rong stood trembling beside the cart.

Seeing them come out, one of them asked, puzzled, "Did you succeed? And who is this person?"

When Gao Hongtu saw this burly giant with a fierce face, he felt a surge of tension.

Just then, a patrol of servants happened to pass by. Seeing their master being held to the neck with a knife, they were horrified and quickly drew their own knives, trying to rush to his aid. Liu Ye gently pressed the knife down a little, and blood seeped from Gao Hongtu's neck.

"Boss Gao, you know what to do, right?"

Gao Hongtu was extremely frustrated, but dared not disobey. He roared at the servants, "A bunch of useless idiots, get out of here!"

Upon hearing the master's words, the servants could only retreat to a distance and watch the group leave the mansion.

After leaving the Gao family's gate and turning several corners, seeing that the servants could no longer catch up, Gao Hongtu said resentfully, "Now you can keep your promise, right?"

Liu Ye sheathed his knife. "Of course I will keep my promise. You can leave now."

Gao Hongtu took two steps, and seeing that they really didn't make a move, he ran away as fast as he could.

"I will keep the three-year agreement. Remember to run the bank well, Boss Gao!" Liu Ye called out to his retreating figure. Gao Hongtu staggered upon hearing this, almost falling over.

"As for you two, find somewhere else to live. Be careful the Gao family doesn't take their anger out on you." Liu Ye said to Old Mai and Mai Rong, who had escaped with him, and had Lin San hand them twenty taels of silver. "Without your help today, we wouldn't have been able to infiltrate the Gao family so smoothly. I'm a person who distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, and this is compensation for you."

The uncle and nephew, who had expected to suffer collateral damage, were overjoyed and left with the silver, expressing their gratitude profusely.

When the group returned to the inn, it was already late at night. After a tense night, they rushed into the room, only to find a girl inside. It was so dark that they couldn't make out who she was.

Liu Ye calmed down and looked closely. It was Su Wen! She was still wearing a cheongsam. After a few months, he noticed that Su Wen's breasts had grown larger. This dress was clearly not suitable for her figure; it covered her chest and hips very tightly, and her large breasts seemed to be trying to break free of the dress, presenting a unique kind of allure.

Suwen smiled slightly, stepped forward, and hugged him.

Feeling the soft yet bouncy White Rabbit candy against his chest, Liu Ye was instantly captivated. All Liu Ye could say was, "Happiness came so suddenly!"

He returned the embrace with a warm hug, burying his face and nose in Suwen's hair, inhaling its fragrance.

He began to kiss her forehead, a gesture that made Suwen feel warm and happy. Her slightly tense body relaxed, she closed her eyes, and pouted her lips.

If a girl closes her eyes in front of a boy, it means she wants you to kiss her. If you just stand there and do nothing, that's "worse than an animal."

Liu Ye chose to be a "beast," cupping Su Wen's face in his hands and gently kissing her sensual lips.

The fleshy feel of the soft, full lips intoxicated Liu Ye, and he stuck out his tongue to explore between their lips and teeth.

Their tongues began to make intimate contact. Suwen felt as if she had been electrocuted, her whole body trembling. A tingling sensation spread from her lips and tongue throughout her body. Her mind went blank, and she felt as if she were floating. She hugged her beloved man tightly, her nails digging into the flesh of his back.

The stinging pain from behind only excited Liu Ye more. He continued kissing her, but his hands began the next move—unbuttoning her cheongsam and caressing her through her bra.

Even through the fabric, I could still feel the softness and elasticity in my hands. Her round and high breasts were so big that two hands weren't enough to hold them all, which showed that Suwen's breasts had grown quite a bit in the past few months.

As he moved, Suwen began to moan indistinctly, and even the gentle caresses gave her a stimulation and pleasure she had never experienced before.

Standing prevented Liu Ye from successfully carrying out his plan to conquer the high ground. He half-hug, half-push, shoving Su Wen onto the bed, then pressed himself against her. The elasticity and fleshy feel of her full body beneath him caused him to lose his last shred of reason. He began to unhook her bra…