Lu Wenhui poured herself a cup of tea from the Yixing teapot on the coffee table, held it in her hand, and smelled the aroma. "I heard his plan was indeed brilliant, otherwise I wouldn't have come to see you, Brother Jin."
"That also depends on whether this young man is qualified to be a knife. The reason he told you he was going to Macau but didn't mention Pedro Lobo is that he wasn't sure if Pedro Lobo would give him a chance. But based on what you've said about this young man named Song Tianyao's past experiences, Pedro Lobo will most likely be tempted." Lu Wenjin calmly wiped the crystal glasses in his hands, paused slightly as if thinking for a moment, and then said, "Back then, it was the Governor of Macau's wife, Shi Yilian, who wanted to seize Lin Xizhen's opium monopoly behind the scenes, and she only asked Pedro Lobo to step in. But Pedro Lobo just couldn't handle it, losing both the Governor of Macau's favor and his own reputation. After that, several Governor of Macau never relied on him again. He originally had the opportunity to become the King of Macau, but now he has to barely be called an equal by the newcomer, He Xian. An old Portugal in Portugal colony has to call He Xian, China person more than ten years younger than him, 'Brother Xian.' This is all thanks to the Lin Family. Even in thirty years, Pedro Lobo will not be able to swallow this insult."
"Pedro Lobo has always had a big appetite. If the three families join forces to wipe out the Lin Family, it seems that the He Family, which has the best relationship with Jardine, will benefit the most..." Lu Wenhui was thinking a bit too far ahead, already considering the issue of profit distribution if the Lin Family were to be brought down.
In Lu Wenhui's eyes, if Song Tianyao could persuade Pedro Lobo, Pedro Lobo could easily convince He Dong. He Family, if the He family got involved, Lu Wenjin, the current head of the Lu Family, was He Dong's son-in-law, so the Lu Family's involvement was inevitable. The three major families could easily take down the Lin Family, which started with opium. Pedro Lobo was known as the Gold King of Macau, lacking nothing but money. The He Family controlled several major newspapers in Hong Kong and dictated public opinion. In addition, He Dong was practically a veteran of Jardine Matheson, and his relationship with the Jardine Matheson executives was far superior to that of the Lin Family. On He Dong's birthday, almost the entire Jardine board of directors would attend to celebrate with He Dong. Finally, there was the Lu Family. Lin Xiaohe Hong Kong's reputation as a prominent figure in Hong Kong and his limited influence in Hong Kong London were, to put it bluntly, nothing compared to her elder brother, Sir Lu Wenjin.
Pedro Lobo had been trying to take down the Lin Family for more than a year or two. Back when Lin Xizhen had just been killed, many people emerged who wanted to seize the Lin Family's assets. More than half of those people were instigated by Pedro Lobo. Unfortunately, the Lin Family was quick to react. They abandoned all their businesses in Macau, retreated to Hong Kong, and clung to Jardine for survival. In addition, Pedro Lobo's influence in Hong Kong at that time was still too small, his reputation had been ruined by Lin Xizhen, and he had not had much contact with the powerful families in Hong Kong. Therefore, his wish to eliminate the Lin Family was ultimately not fulfilled.
But things are different now. He Zuozhi, the illegitimate son of He Dong, the head of the He Family, and the brother-in-law of his elder Lu Wenjin, is now in Macau, running Macau Radio business with Pedro Lobo. Because of his status as an illegitimate son, He Dong's vast family business cannot be handed over to him. So, he received a sum of money and, after He Dong spoke with Pedro Lobo and He Xian, was arranged to develop his Macau. In the past two years, Pedro Lobo has visited He Dong in Hong Kong whenever he has free time. Pedro Lobo's children and the He Family's children also visit each other frequently, and they are considered close family friends. The two families have a very close relationship.
It can be said that Pedro Lobo now has everything he needs to deal with the Lin Family, except for a suitable weapon. After all, he already has the status and position of the Director of the Macau Economic Bureau, so it's not appropriate for him to personally take the lead and fight the case.
Song Tianyao just happened to give Pedro Lobo an opportunity.
"Pedro Lobo is no longer greedy for money; what he needs is reputation—the reputation he lost back then. Now he wants to find a way to regain it from the Lin Family." Lu Wenjin put his glasses back on, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. "I'll say it again: let Pedro Lobo test this young man's mettle, whether he has the qualifications and awareness to be a good 'knife'."
Chapter 335: Is this some kind of rebellion?
Qi Weiwen found Song Chengqi's calm expression after learning that Song Tianyao was going to confront the Lin Family very strange. In Qi Weiwen's view, Lin Yujing was Song Chengqi's daughter-in-law, and the Lin Family was his in-laws. Now, Song Tianyao seemed to have found an excuse to completely disregard Lin Yujing's feelings and leave Lin Yujing and her daughter in the hospital. He was taking advantage of Lin Yujing and her daughter's experience at the Lin Family and was eager to deal with the Lin Family, which seemed to be driven by interests.
This matter couldn't be kept from Song Chengqi, but after Song Chengqi found out, shouldn't he go to see Song Tianyao and persuade Song Tianyao to stop, so as to avoid Lin Yujing being caught in the middle and suffering? No matter how bad the Lin Family is, they are still Lin Yujing's relatives.
Moreover, after meeting Lin Yujing and her mother, Qi Weiwen felt that even if Song Tianyao eventually won against the Lin Family, Lin Yujing would not be happy. She would likely have a knot in her heart and would inevitably be depressed from time to time in the future.
Taking advantage of a lull in business at the restaurant, Qi Weiwen walked over to Song Chengqi, who was washing dishes with several children in the back alley. She squatted down, rolled up her sleeves, and first instructed the boys to clean the private rooms. She then stacked the dishes Song Chengqi had washed, asking:
"Song Advisor, regarding Sister-in-law Song's matter, did A-Yao handle it improperly? If Sister-in-law Song knew what A-Yao did..."
Song Chengqi wiped the water stains off a plate and handed it to Qi Weiwen next to her, her expression somewhat blank.
"Don't you think A-Yao is heartless, turning against his in-laws without considering his aunt's feelings?"
"It's not just me, outsiders probably think so too." Qi Weiwen put down the plate that Song Chengqi handed him. "If A-Yao was just helping Song Sansao fight for the family property, outsiders probably wouldn't say anything. But I heard from Lou Fengyun at the factory that when we were chatting privately, A-Yao was planning to mortgage the factory to raise money. It doesn't seem as simple as just helping Song Sansao vent her anger."
"Oh." Song Chengqi simply responded with a faint "Oh," indicating that she understood, but did not respond to Qi Weiwen's words, and continued washing the plates in the wooden basin.
Qi Weiwen waited for a few seconds but received no response from Song Chengqi. She didn't know if the old man didn't want to get involved in Song Tianyao's matter or just didn't want to talk to her. She picked up a stack of washed dishes, put them down, and prepared to leave.
Song Chengqi tossed the dishcloth she was using to wipe the dishes into the wooden basin, straightened her back slightly, and stretched. "Can't A-Yao do business with other people? His business doesn't necessarily have to be with the Lin Family, yet he insisted on using his third aunt's excuse to create conflict with the Lin Family?"