Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 190: He who knows the current affairs is a hero
Cried!

Wang Xi looked at Tao Mo, her eyes filled with tears.

That feeling is like a child who has been painstakingly raised for many years finally getting into Tsinghua or Peking University, and your heart is filled with happiness.

Wonderful.

This was almost entirely Tao Mo's improvisation, rather than something they had planned beforehand, or even discussed at all.

However, Tao Mo not only gave a brilliant answer, but also overwhelmed Madam Zixia with his imposing manner.

If the maximum score is 100, then Taumo's score must be 120.

Huangfu Sengnian, Li Jieman, and Wang Shuang were no less soaked; their backs were already drenched in sweat, but their lips remained tightly closed, for if they opened their mouths, they would inevitably gasp for breath.

This scene is truly terrifying.

What they fear most now is Tao Mo's identity; it's their Achilles' heel, and the consequences of its discovery would be unimaginable.

It could even be said that if they were in Tao Mo's seat, they might have been completely flustered, but Tao Mo remained calm.

This is truly incredible.

Fortunately, Madam Zixia did not notice them, because Tao Mo's words had completely stunned her.

From the perspective of Taoist thought alone, Tao Mo's thought is clearly on a higher level. It can be said that he has taken a detached view of life and death, and Bai Yunzi's thought seems somewhat immature.

Even from a purely logical standpoint, if you tell the emperor that you must follow the laws of nature, then what are the laws of nature? They are birth, aging, sickness, and death; the principle that prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and adversity inevitably leads to prosperity.

If that's the case, then to still talk about governing the world well would be a contradiction.

Of course, if you're going to say that, then you should never get involved in politics, otherwise you're certain to die.

This also explains why Mr. Wuming did not participate in politics.

There is only one word to describe it, perfect!

Madam Zixia couldn't help but stand up and bow, saying, "I have benefited greatly from your insightful remarks, sir."

His tone was also very sincere.

"It's hardly a profound statement."

Tao Mo waved his hand and said, "These are deadly remarks. Therefore, I have never had any intention of entering officialdom, and I am only doing this for the sake of survival."

"Sir, you are too modest."

Judging from her tone, Lady Zixia began to lower her stance.

Although the process was extremely tumultuous, they managed to suppress Lady Zixia and achieve their goal.

Tao Mo seemed to have already gotten into the zone, and suddenly asked, "Madam is so eager to see me, may I ask what it is about?"

Madam Zixia said, "I do have a request, which concerns the Beauty Wine. I have heard that the Beauty Wine is brewed using your wonderful method, and I happen to own several wineries. I hope to cooperate with you—no, I should say with your esteemed institution. I do not seek the secret method, but only ask that you help your institution sell the Beauty Wine and Hero Wine. Furthermore, I guarantee that the profits your institution will gain will be a hundred times greater than they are now."

Tao Mo stroked his beard and asked, "May I ask how many wineries you own, Madam?"

Lady Zixia paused for a moment, then replied, "Dozens of families, large and small."

Tao Mo then asked, "Then this lady must be extremely skilled in business."

Madam Zixia hurriedly replied, "I certainly wouldn't dare compare myself to you, sir."

"Madam, please don't be modest."

Tao Mo stroked his beard, chuckled, and then said, "In that case, please forgive this old man for not being able to cooperate with you, madam."

This turn of events left Lady Zixia somewhat bewildered, and she subconsciously asked, "Why?"

Instead of answering, Tao Mo asked, "Does Madam know why I had Que'er and the others brew wine to sell?"

Lady Zixia cautiously replied, "I heard that Master Zixia hopes to cultivate their independence and teach them the principle of 'when you are successful, you should help the world, and when you are unsuccessful, you should cultivate your own virtue.'"

"Exactly."

Tao Mo nodded and said, "If I were to hand this 'textbook' to Madam, what would she use for lessons in the future?"

Madam Zixia asked in confusion, "But you are also cooperating with the Bai family."

Tao Mo smiled and said, "There are two reasons for cooperating with the Bai family. First, Que'er once bullied the young lady of the Bai family, so I intend to use this opportunity to have him apologize to her."

Secondly, the Bai family father and daughter are not good at business. You can understand it this way: whether it is Hero Wine or Beauty Wine, they are all teaching materials, while Yi Xian Jue is bamboo slips and paper used to write the content. The combination of these two is the textbook.

However, the lady is extremely skilled in business. Cooperating with her would be detrimental to the growth of Que'er and the others. Furthermore, I am not fond of fame or fortune, and have no desire for money whatsoever. There is truly no reason for me to cooperate with the lady.”

These words were exactly what they had planned yesterday, because Madam Zixia came specifically for the wine, and they mainly designed the dialogue around that.

Madam Zixia pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Sir, you always consider my needs in every way, which makes me feel ashamed. However, I do not quite agree with this."

Tao Mo smiled and said, "Please speak, Madam." Madam Zixia said, "Learning should also be a step-by-step process, progressing step by step. The current 'One Fresh Delicacies' textbooks can no longer meet the learning needs of Que'er and the others. We should replace them with better textbooks."

"Ha ha!"

Tao Mo stroked his beard and laughed a few times. "What you say makes sense, but it seems you are unaware of my teaching methods."

Lady Zixia looked at Tao Mo with a puzzled expression.

Tao Mo said, "My teaching method lies in guiding students to learn on their own, rather than following the textbook in everything. Even if the textbook needs to be changed, they should be allowed to create their own. I don't need to worry about that. I just lead them into the door. As for cultivation, that's up to them."

After saying that, he looked at Wang Xi and the others, "Que'er, Seng Nian, Xiao Man, Xiao Shuang, are you confident that you can update the textbooks to the content that Madam mentioned?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "I am not talented enough, and I fear it will take a year to achieve what you have described."

Wang Xi was so anxious that she kicked him, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is my aunt, it will take at least two years."

Li Jie hurriedly said, "Brother Que, don't be angry. This fellow is just trying to annoy people."

Wang Shuang quickly comforted him, "Two years, two years, Brother Que, please calm down."

Hearing the four of them bickering, Madam Zixia's face turned pale and then red.

This was absolutely the greatest humiliation she had ever suffered in her life!
The implication is that my students could achieve what you've accomplished in a year or two, so what are you pretending for?

I really don’t know what to say.

"Don't be rude!"

Tao Mo stopped them, then said to Madam Zixia, "Please forgive them, Madam, but they are still hard to change their ways. As for the cooperation, I really cannot comply."

Madam Zixia smiled slightly and said, "Sir, you flatter me. In business, there is no fixed outcome. Whether it succeeds or fails is all up to fate. Although I am truly regretful that I could not cooperate with you today, your words have enlightened me. My trip has not been in vain."

Tao Mo cupped his hands and said, "Not at all! Not at all! You flatter me, Madam."

Madam Zixia immediately stood up. "I apologize for disturbing you today, sir. If you have no further instructions, I will take my leave."

"Please take care, Madam!" Tao Mo turned to look at Wang Xi. "Que'er, please see Madam off on my behalf."

"Yes."

Wang Xi hurriedly stepped forward, "Auntie, please."

Lady Zixia smiled and nodded.

Upon leaving the hall, Wang Xi said to Madam Zixia, "Auntie, Que'er has truly done her best."

Lady Zixia glanced at him sideways and said with a smile, "Really?"

His face showed no sign of frustration; on the contrary, he appeared very excited.

Wang Xi saw this and felt a little uneasy. He nodded and said, "It's true, it's true. But the master hates fame and fortune the most. In fact, if the master wanted fame and fortune, he could get them easily. But my aunt came here for profit this time, so she can't get the master's consent."

Actually, Que'er had told her aunt before that the master disliked this kind of situation the most.

Madam Zixia smiled and said, "But Auntie has never failed to get what she wants."

After saying that, she paused slightly, "Que'er, go back and tell your husband that I am determined to have this Beauty Wine. If he wants peace, he should cooperate with me. Otherwise, I guarantee he will never have a moment's peace for the rest of his life."

Wow! So this is a threat. Wang Xi was dumbfounded. Tao Mo's performance just now was quite perfect, practically flawless. He originally thought he could intimidate Madam Zixia, and Madam Zixia's attitude was also very humble. Who would have thought that she would change her face so quickly and resort to force? He said awkwardly, "Auntie, you have to give me some face, even if you don't care about me."

Madam Zixia smiled and said, "So, Que'er thinks that my aunt's personal visit today, and her donation of one million coins, isn't out of respect for Buddha?"

So this is your strategy of "courtesy before force"! Wang Xi blinked and said, "Auntie, the master is not someone to be trifled with. Que'er is afraid..."

Madam Zixia laughed and said, "Que'er, as a son of the Wang family, is afraid of an old Taoist priest. He is really spineless. No matter how capable or resourceful your master is, so what? He has no power or influence, and his background is not noble. Why should he compete with me? A wise man knows when to yield. I am determined to get this wine."

I thought you were some high-level player, someone who played with skill, but damn it, that's all you are. You just try to take it by force when you can't win an argument. That's really going too far. Wang Xi was very annoyed, but he had to admit that if Madam Zixia was going to do this, it would indeed be a headache for him. He said apologetically, "Please, Aunt, have mercy. If we really fight, Que'er will be caught in the middle, which will be difficult for her."

Madam Zixia smiled and said, "You're just a child, why are you caught in the middle? Focus on your studies. I only want the wine, not you, and I won't harm your Nameless Academy."

Wang Xi hung his head and remained silent.

"Alright, no need to see Que'er off."

Lady Zixia smiled slightly and walked towards the door.

Guang Sheng, who was standing to the side, said, "Madam, judging from what he just said, this Mr. Wuming does have some talent and doesn't seem like someone who seeks fame and fortune."

Lady Zixia simply smiled faintly: "If he were truly a wise man, why would he be my enemy?"

Upon arriving outside the courtyard, just before boarding the carriage, she suddenly said to Guang Sheng beside her, "Go and fetch Uncle Fu."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)