Chapter 394 Divide and Conquer

Ye Jiayao did what she said. In the afternoon, a porridge stall was set up near Tianshangju, where a food street was once held.

In Xiangyi Building, Jubaozhai's storekeeper Mei Xiuguang and storekeeper Lian Xingwang were having a secret conversation.

"Manager Lian, this trick really works. Tianshangju was deserted yesterday, and I heard that it only received two tables of guests at noon today." Mei Xiuguang lifted the tea lid with a gloating expression on his face.

Lian Xingwang sneered, "This trick is indeed clever, much cleverer than Zheng Sanduo's idea. Even if Ye Jinxuan knew someone was plotting against her, she would be helpless."

"That's right. Zheng Sanduo made a great promise at the beginning, but now he has to live his life in hiding like a stray dog. Even Fu Ji's business has collapsed. Most of Zheng's life's hard work has been burned down in a fire." Mei Xiuguang sighed, but there was not much regret on his face.

Competitors are enemies, and one less is one less, which is what we wish for.

"Fortunately, we were not implicated. We just hope that Zheng Sanduo stays away and is not caught by the government." Lian Xingwang said.

Mei Xiuguang frowned and said, "Manager Lian, can this operation be guaranteed to be foolproof?"

Lian Xingwang sneered, "That person said that this time we'll just make trouble for ten days or half a month and then stop. Anyway, the money has been paid, and we won't contact each other anymore. If Ye Jinxuan can't find any evidence, she can't suspect us. She's going to take this loss."

Mei Xiuguang nodded and felt relieved: "In these ten days or so, Tianshangju's business will definitely plummet. The days of being the only one in the market will come to an end. We can only blame Ye Jinxuan for making too many enemies."

The two of them couldn't help but burst out laughing when they thought of Ye Jinxuan's disgusted look at a group of beggars. They felt so relieved in their hearts.

"Boss." A waiter came to report from outside.

"Come in." Lian Xingwang suppressed his smile and put on the majestic attitude of a shopkeeper.

The waiter came in and said, "Boss, Tianshangju has set up a tent and started distributing porridge."

Lian Xingwang and Mei Xiuguang looked at each other and couldn't help laughing again.

Lian Xingwang waved his hand to let the waiter go, and turned to Mei Xiuguang and said, "The business has been disrupted by others, and they still have to give porridge to beggars. How upset do you think Ye Jinxuan must be? Is she vomiting blood?"

Mei Xiuguang laughed and said, "She thinks that distributing porridge can solve the problem? How naive! When a female Zhuge Liang encounters an unreasonable beggar, she is at her wit's end and can only swallow her anger."

At the same time, the news of Tianshangju's free porridge service also reached one person's ears.

The gentle young man tapped the table rhythmically with one hand, lost in thought. After a moment he raised his eyes, his brows were clear, and the corners of his mouth raised in an elegant arc.

"This woman is really not simple."

"Young Master, what you mean is..." The subordinate was puzzled.

The one called Young Master is Zuo Qingyun, the owner of Datonghui.

Zuo Qingyun said slowly, "Her move of retreating to advance is really powerful! Aren't there beggars making trouble? Then she will distribute porridge in a big way. I have distributed porridge here, but you are still hanging around at the door. That is pure trouble. At that time, public opinion will turn to Tianshangju. This move of hers not only earns her reputation, but also resolves our subsequent moves."

"If I'm right, she'll report it to the police next."

The subordinate's eyes were stern: "Young Master, what should we do? We can't just let her go without any pain!"

This was the first time that the young master had suffered a major setback since his debut, and it was at the hands of a woman. No one in Datonghui, no, the entire Jiangzuo League could swallow this humiliation.

Zuo Qingyun smiled faintly: "Let's just watch from the sidelines and ignore Xiang Yi Lou and Ju Bao Zhai. If Ye Jinxuan is smart enough and can get evidence, then Xiang Yi Lou and Ju Bao Zhai can also be removed from the Jinling catering industry."

"Wouldn't that be too easy for her?" the subordinate said indignantly.

"Let her have a good time?" Zuo Qingyun tilted his lips and put on a mysterious smile.

"Of course we can't let her get away with it so easily, but we shouldn't take action again before we are completely sure. It's enough that she has capsized once. It's her ability that she can resolve it. We might as well give her another chance." Zuo Qingyun said.

The subordinates were getting more and more confused. Wasn't Ye Jinxuan a mortal enemy? Why did the young master send good fortune to her?

Zuo Qingyun raised his handsome eyebrows. Most people would not understand his thoughts. It was a rare opportunity to meet an interesting opponent with whom he could have a fight. It was like a cat teasing a mouse. The fun of it was beyond the understanding of outsiders.

Outside the Tianshang Residence, beggars were still sitting in rows drinking rice porridge, looking contented.

The guys in Tian Shang Curie were all gnashing with hatred.

Damn it, these beggars are so shameless, they queue up over there to ask for porridge, and then bring it back here to eat. They are so poor that they have no conscience anymore.

If the Second Young Lady hadn't repeatedly warned them not to act rashly, everyone would have rushed in. That night, Tianshangju didn't have a single customer, but the next day they continued to give out porridge. When the beggars in the city heard about the porridge, they all lined up in a long queue.

Everyone was so depressed. There was no need to cook. The chefs were busy making steamed buns and porridge. There were pots and pots of alms, but the beggars just sat at the door and didn't move.

Everyone was wondering what the Second Young Lady meant. She was too patient.

Ye Jiayao had to keep calm even if she couldn't hold her temper. What she wanted now was word of mouth and overwhelming public opinion. Only when she had enough reason could she write an article.

At the same time, she was also watching. The more patient she was, the more complacent her opponent would become, and the more complacent his opponent became, the more likely he would be careless and unprepared.

Chunyu had also made all the arrangements, and several beggar leaders who did not show up were all kept under close watch.

On the third day, Ye Jiayao reported the matter to the authorities, who immediately sent people to arrest all the beggars sitting at the door.

The beggars were so excited that they wanted to cause trouble, complaining that Tianshangju was rich but unkind, but the government refuted everyone's reasons for causing trouble with just a few words.

"You say that Tianshangju is rich but unkind? Check your own conscience. You are making trouble here, but instead of driving you away, they give you big white steamed buns and rice porridge. If you still call this being rich but unkind, then there are no good people in the world. If anyone dares to make trouble again, they will all be arrested and sent to the quarry to do hard labor."

The beggars looked everywhere for their leader, but the leader was missing. Without anyone to lead them, they naturally dared not make trouble and dispersed.

In a quiet alley in the city, in an abandoned house, in a grove outside the city, and in a dilapidated temple, several thugs were surrounding the beggar leader and beating him up.

He beat her and cursed her: "You stinky beggar, do you know the rules of the underworld? Tianshangju is the territory of Jiu Ye, how dare you act wild? I will beat you to death."

"It's useless to beat him to death. We can just throw him into a mass grave and no one will know..." someone said lightly.

The beggar leader rolled on the ground after being beaten, howling and begging for mercy: "Masters, Masters, spare my life... It wasn't me, it really wasn't me."

"Bullshit, I've been keeping an eye on you for days. The man sitting at the gate of Tianshangju today is from your North City Beggars Gang. How dare you quibble?" the gangster said viciously, and hit him harder, kicking and stomping him.

The beggar leader who was beaten felt resentful, and the others were also responsible, so why did they pick on him alone?
"You are seeking your own death, who can you blame? Just go and die without worry. Your territory and your subordinates will be taken over by others. I believe that people in the east, south and west of the city will be happy to take over."

The gangster said as Xia Chunyu had taught him.

The beggar leader almost vomited blood. Damn, this is so unlucky. Today it was the turn of the people from the north of the city. Everyone did it, but in the end he was the only one who was unlucky, and the benefits were taken by others. It’s not that easy.

He screamed and called out several other gangs.

"What you say is useless, I don't believe it?" A gangster kicked the beggar leader hard again, breaking two ribs.

"Oh, it's true. The people from Xiangyilou paid us to do this. People from the east, south and west of the city all received money. Each person received fifty copper coins a day..."

The thug stepped forward and grabbed the beggar leader by the collar: "Are you telling the truth?"

"Really, really. I dare not hide it. It was definitely the people from Xiangyilou who instructed us to do it. Although the person who came to contact us was very mysterious, we beggars walk the streets and beg everywhere, and we have seen many people. Xiangyilou is in the north of the city. I recognize that man. He is a manager of Xiangyilou. His surname is Zhang. I swear to heaven that every word I say is true..." The beggar leader dared not hide it anymore. If he didn't explain clearly, he would lose his life.

The hooligans stopped and pointed at the beggar leader, threatening him: "If you still want to live, you have to listen to me. If you dare to disobey me, I will kill you as easily as crushing an ant."

The beggar leader nodded repeatedly with a look of horror.

The same scene was played out in four places, and confessions were obtained with almost no effort.

The beggar from the north of the city was thrown into jail that day and was asked to explain everything to his subordinates and surrender to the government. Although the other leaders were not thrown into jail, they were ordered to surrender to the government with their subordinates.

Xia Chunyu sat with Jiu Ye drinking tea and waiting for news. When the news came back, Xia Chunyu laughed and said, "Jiu Ye's men are very capable. Thank you Jiu Ye for your help this time."

Jiu Ye said quietly, "You are welcome, my Lord. I am honored to be of help."

"Then I will take my leave now. I will treat you to a drink some other day, Master Jiu." Xia Chunyu bowed.

After leaving the door, Song Qi chuckled and said, "My Lord, your strategy of divide and rule is really great."

Xia Chunyu curled his lips and didn't take it seriously. He was just taking advantage of human nature. There were conflicts among these beggar gangs. They couldn't even share happiness, let alone bear the misfortune. Who would be happy if he was the only one who suffered bad luck and his territory was divided up by others in the end? He would rather drag others into the water and share the misfortune.

Yaoyao’s analysis was correct, it was indeed done by a colleague.

A fire burned down the training class and also brought down Fu Ji. This time, Xiang Yi Lou and Ju Bao Zhai could also get out of this mess.

(End of this chapter)