Victor Wu's worries were realized. A month later, Arthur Jian arrived, bringing along Ronald Charles and Leonard Charles, as well as Henry Luo, and a crowd of wealthy locals—big and small—Henry Henderson and Noah Johnson among them.
A large group of people blocked the entrance to Victor Fan's house. The reason: the businesses Victor Fan had handed over to the Charles brothers—more than twenty rice shops—had all been found to be selling tainted rice. Most of this rice was infested with bugs, had been stored too long, or was even moldy.
Under the public's questioning gaze, Victor Fan didn't say a word, while the old regulars of the rice shops came knocking at his door.
The Charles brothers insisted that the problems existed when Victor Fan handed over the businesses. All sorts of accusations flew, but Victor Fan acted as if nothing was wrong, showing no sign of worry.
“Ah, Julian Potter, these kinds of things... well, none of us wanted to see this happen. Please come with me so we can get to the bottom of it.”
Henry Luo immediately spoke up. Several officers came over, intending to take Victor Fan away.
Henry Luo had already bribed the Charles brothers—Victor Fan knew this well. As the saying goes, 'Kick a man when he's down.' Now that Victor Fan's fortune was gone, his assets had become someone else's. Even merchants who could never compete with him before had sided with the Charles brothers.
The noise grew more and more chaotic.
“Everyone, please hear me out.”
At that moment, Henry Henderson stepped forward and walked up to Victor Fan.
“As everyone knows, Julian Potter is a great philanthropist here in Dingtown. Whenever there was a disaster, he was always the first to help. For so many years, everyone has seen how he runs his business—there has never been a problem like this. Why did nothing happen before, but as soon as his estate was handed over to the wrong people, all these problems appeared?”
Henry Henderson's words immediately made Ronald Charles and Leonard Charles uneasy, but at that moment, Arthur Jian stepped forward.
“People's hearts are fickle, you know. Maybe Julian Potter planned this all along, made a big profit, and then walked away. Otherwise, why would there be so much tainted rice left in the warehouses? Isn't that right, everyone?”
As Arthur Jian spoke, the crowd split into two camps. Henry Luo insisted on taking Victor Fan back for a thorough investigation.
“Master Luo.”
At that moment, Mr. Johnson also stepped out from the crowd.
“Ah, Mr. Johnson, I didn't know...”
“You, local official, does your seat feel a bit too uncomfortable? Maybe it's time you found another post.”
Instantly, the crowd fell silent. No one dared say another word. Henry Luo's face turned pale. He hurriedly spoke up for Julian Potter and ordered his men to leave, insisting that it was just as Henry Henderson said—someone was deliberately framing him.
Victor Fan's longtime customers were also left with doubts. Their good impression of him outweighed the bad, so they decided to let it go.
Only the Charles brothers kept shouting, but Arthur Jian could see that the Johnson Family and the Henderson Family—the two most powerful families in Dingtown—had both come out in support of Victor Fan.
In the end, the matter was dropped.
A few days later, Noah Johnson and Henry Henderson visited Victor Fan's home. The three sat down together to discuss the situation.
“The King of Chu has sent people to urge us. He wants our two families to persuade Lord Charles to let the Chu Kingdom's army pass through our Cao Kingdom, so they can strike directly at the heart of Luland.”
Noah Johnson spoke up immediately, while Henry Henderson looked troubled.
“Your Johnson Family has many scholars close to Lord Charles, but our Henderson Family, though we hold military power, can't easily get involved. After all, a grand general of Cao Kingdom shouldn't meddle in such things. Besides, there are other factions in the palace—if things go wrong...”
Noah Johnson nodded, then both men looked at Victor Fan, but he only smiled without saying a word.
“Mr. Fan... oh, I mean Boss Fan, do you have any wise advice?”
Henry Henderson asked sincerely.
Victor Fan asked someone to bring a map, then pointed to it and began to explain.
“As you can see, the situation in the world: Qiland and Luland are fighting hard to resist the Chu Kingdom's army. Yue Kingdom is still recovering, and now Gavin has reached middle age—he's no longer as ambitious as in his youth, and he has more concerns. Though the city-states around Yue seem submissive, their ambitions are fierce. Gavin dares not act rashly, and that's exactly why King Cyrus of Chu is targeting Luland.”
Victor Fan continued his analysis: Qinland and Zhengland—Zhengland may not be as strong as Qinland, but right now, Qinland is suffering from years of drought and famine, its strength depleted. Neither side dares make the first move. Chu Kingdom knows this, so with Qinland to the west and Yue to the east, it dares to act.
Yanland and Jinland have long been ready for action, so even though Chu Kingdom holds a huge advantage, it can't advance any further.
“So, Boss Fan, are you saying we should wait and act later?”
Victor Fan shook his head.
“Mr. Johnson, as for Lord Charles, everyone knows his character well. On the surface, he hesitates, but in reality, he wants to connect with Qinland and Qiland. I'm sure both of you know this.”
“That's true. Lord Charles has secretly sent many letters to the rulers of those two kingdoms, along with precious gifts.”
Henry Henderson spoke, and Victor Fan nodded.
“You two can reply to King Cyrus of Chu: say that the situation is unstable. If we act rashly, Qinland and Zhengland to the west, Jinland and Yanland to the north, won't just sit and wait. They're closer to our Cao Kingdom than Chu is. If they notice Chu's moves, they might swallow Cao Kingdom before Chu does. And Lord Charles isn't a fool.”
This chapter isn't finished yet. Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading!