Chapter 77

In the study of Zhou Zhong, the secretary of the Beigang Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, a warm stove burned brightly. Zhou Zhong sat behind his desk, writing something. The weather had suddenly changed over the past two days, with a cold north wind blowing continuously. The sky was dark and gloomy, with no trace of sunlight, making Shuangyu Port lose the warmth of the previous days. The temperature dropped sharply, and if the houses were not heated, it would be impossible to sit inside.

"Mr. Wen Da, the invitations to the old clients of the chamber of commerce have all been sent out. And as you requested, they are all wealthy clients with deep ties to our chamber of commerce. According to the reports from the brothers who delivered the invitations, these old clients have all agreed to attend the banquet. The banquet will be held in three days. Is there anything else you need to instruct?" Third Lady stood in front of Zhou Zhong's desk, reporting solemnly.

"Thank you, Third Lady!" Zhou Zhong looked up at Third Lady and then smiled, "Speaking of the old clients we are inviting, we still owe them a lot of money. However, since we are inviting them, there's no need to pretend to be poor. Prepare plenty of good wine and food. After all, we are inviting them to discuss business, and it wouldn't be good to be too frugal."

Hearing Zhou Zhong's instructions, Third Lady nodded, but then frowned and said, "Mr. Wen Da, are you really going to use that method to develop the chamber of commerce's business?"

Hearing Third Lady's question, Zhou Zhong finally put down his pen and looked up, smiling, "Of course. Although the destruction of the Jeolla and Kawanami chambers has greatly enhanced our Nanyang Chamber of Commerce's reputation, reputation is one thing. You know the current situation of the chamber of commerce. Not only are we financially strained, but we also lack ships and manpower. If we don't use this method, it will take at least three to four years for the chamber of commerce to recover."

However, Zhou Zhong's words did not convince Third Lady. She said, "Mr. Wen Da, your method is clever, but it is different from the rules left by the elders, and no one has ever used this method before. I am worried that if something goes wrong, it will be difficult to handle the relationship between the chamber of commerce and the old clients."

At this point, Third Lady paused, glanced at Zhou Zhong's expression, and then continued, "So I think we should do this: we can borrow some silver from the Xie family. With the money, we can build new ships. Then, after a few successful trips, as long as nothing goes wrong, we can quickly repay the silver!"

As Third Lady spoke, her expression was somewhat anxious. After all, she had always thought there was some relationship between Zhou Zhong and Xie Lingyun. Now, asking him to borrow money from the Xie family would clearly make Zhou Zhong lose face in front of Xie Lingyun.

Seeing Third Lady's expression, Zhou Zhong guessed what she was thinking. In fact, not only Third Lady and the people inside the chamber of commerce, but also after the previous two collaborations, Zhou Zhong and Xie Lingyun had appeared together several times, and they were equally talented and beautiful. Therefore, many people misunderstood that there was a relationship between them. Both Zhou Zhong and Xie Lingyun had tacitly not explained this misunderstanding because it was beneficial to both of them.

Firstly, for Zhou Zhong, the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce was in a very weak period, so having a powerful ally was necessary. Especially when others misunderstood his relationship with Xie Lingyun, in their eyes, the relationship between the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and the Xie family would be even closer. This way, no one would dare to easily provoke the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, and they might even take the initiative to show goodwill. For example, Jin Wenhuan, if it were only based on the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce's reputation at the time, the other party would never have come forward to inform on their own.

Of course, for Xie Lingyun, this relationship was also very beneficial. Previously, the influence of the Xie family was limited to the South Harbor area. But after the destruction of the Jeolla Chamber of Commerce, their water fort was occupied by the Xie family. This way, the Xie family began to intervene in the North Harbor. However, although the Xie family was powerful, they had no foundation in the North Harbor. To establish a foothold in this complex area, they needed the help of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, a local power. Therefore, maintaining a close relationship with Zhou Zhong on the surface was also necessary.

After listening to Third Lady's words, Zhou Zhong thought for a moment and then said, "Third Lady, I am not borrowing money from the Xie family because I am afraid of losing face. To be honest, I have already borrowed money from Lingyun in Songjiang, and I haven't repaid it yet. So borrowing again is no problem, and I believe the Xie family would be willing to lend me money."

At this point, Zhou Zhong suddenly realized that his words might cause more misunderstanding. Indeed, when Zhou Zhong looked at Third Lady, he saw a 'I understand' smile on her face.

Seeing Third Lady's expression, Zhou Zhong felt somewhat helpless. However, he did not want to explain, so he continued, "The reason I am not borrowing money from the Xie family is mainly considering the future. Although our cooperation with the Xie family has been pleasant recently, they previously dominated the South Harbor and are now intervening in the North Harbor. Sooner or later, there will be some business competition between us. Borrowing money from them now also means owing them a favor. If competition arises in the future, we will be at a disadvantage from the start. Therefore, if we can solve the problem ourselves, we should not trouble outsiders!"

After hearing Zhou Zhong's explanation, Third Lady asked curiously, "But Mr. Wen Da, you and Miss Xie, what's the difference between us? Besides, the Xie family has no male heirs. If you and Miss Xie..."

"Third Lady, I and Miss Xie..." Before Third Lady could finish, Zhou Zhong interrupted her. However, he also didn't know how to explain his relationship with Xie Lingyun, so he finally said helplessly, "Third Lady, my relationship with Lingyun is very complicated, and I have no intention of taking over the Xie family. So everything must rely on ourselves!"

Although Third Lady seemed to understand Zhou Zhong's explanation, seeing that he did not want to explain further, she did not ask again. Finally, she said, "Alright, you and Miss Lingyun are both grown-ups and have your own ideas. I won't ask more. As for the banquet for the old clients of the chamber of commerce in three days, I will personally oversee it to ensure there are no mistakes!"

Hearing that Third Lady finally stopped asking, Zhou Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Third Lady then reminded him to wear more clothes, as the temperature had dropped sharply, to avoid catching a cold. Zhou Zhong nodded in agreement. After Third Lady left and closed the door, Zhou Zhong did not get up but sat in his chair, lost in thought.

Third Lady's words were not without impact on him. On the contrary, Zhou Zhong was seriously considering his relationship with Xie Lingyun.

Xie Lingyun was not only naturally beautiful but also had a resilient and calm personality, with great business acumen. In modern terms, Xie Lingyun was a well-rounded and intelligent beauty. Such a woman might seem a bit strong for men in the Ming Dynasty, but to Zhou Zhong, she was undoubtedly very attractive.

However, no one is perfect. Xie Lingyun was talented and beautiful, but one thing made Zhou Zhong uncomfortable: perhaps due to her upbringing in business, she had developed a habit of not showing her emotions. She always maintained a calm demeanor, even when angry, she would not show it on her face. This made Zhou Zhong feel that Xie Lingyun was very calculating, so he always kept his distance from her.

However, people are not plants. Through their interactions over time, they occasionally put aside business and talked about personal matters, such as their families and hobbies. These conversations naturally made them feel closer to each other.

Additionally, Zhou Zhong thought about a very practical issue: the Xie family and the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce were both one of the four major chambers of commerce in Shuangyu Port, with immense financial power. Moreover, the Xie family had only one daughter, Xie Lingyun. If he could marry Xie Lingyun, not only would the crisis of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce be immediately resolved, but the combined strength of the two families could make them the dominant force in smuggling in Shuangyu Port, and even in the entire Ming Dynasty.

Thinking about the possibility of becoming the person who controlled all smuggling in the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Zhong felt his ambition boil, and even the idea of pursuing Xie Lingyun flashed through his mind. However, when he calmed down, he felt ashamed of this thought.

Firstly, he was already engaged. Mr. Wang Lun had treated him well, even during the most difficult times for the Zhou family, he did not propose to break the engagement like the Song family. If he chose Xie Lingyun now for the sake of the Xie family's wealth, he would have to break the engagement with the Wang family. If he did that, he would be no different from the second son of the Song family. So this was a matter of principle, and Zhou Zhong would never break the engagement.

Additionally, there was a crucial point: he always felt that he could not grasp Xie Lingyun. Xie Lingyun was a very calculating woman and a very rational person. Even when talking to Zhou Zhong, she would deliberately hide her emotional side, making it impossible to understand her thoughts. This made Zhou Zhong unsure of how Xie Lingyun viewed him.

Even if Xie Lingyun really liked him, she had been raised to be the successor of the family. This means the Xie family would not want to hand over their business to an outsider. They might even want Xie Lingyun to marry into the family to bear a child with the Xie surname to continue the family line. Zhou Zhong's status would never allow him to marry into the family, which was an irreconcilable contradiction. Given Xie Lingyun's calm and rational nature, she would also be very clear about this, so she might reject Zhou Zhong from the start, regardless of whether she liked him or not.

Thinking about the complex relationship between him and Xie Lingyun, Zhou Zhong felt a headache. After thinking until his head ached, he still could not sort out their relationship and felt even more confused. Finally, he got up, put on his clothes, and called for someone to prepare. He decided to go to the dock to take a walk and clear his mind.