In the darkness, He Sui returned home with extreme reluctance. As soon as he entered the main room, he saw the person he least wanted to see. The current head of the He clan, He Sui's eldest uncle, He Junhong, was sitting inside. He Sui's father, He Junru, was sitting beside him.

"Uncle," He Sui stepped forward and paid his respects.

Gesturing for He Sui to sit, He Junhong asked straightforwardly, "Is there any progress on the Silk Company matter recently?"

Although he knew this day would come, He Sui hadn't expected to be forced to account to the clan patriarch so soon. Making up lies was pointless; He Sui knew the shrewdness of his uncle and father, so he simply recounted the events.

He Junhong and He Junru didn't interrupt He Sui. The two occasionally exchanged glances or frowned slightly. From beginning to end, He Sui was the only one speaking in the room. After explaining how the Citizens Party thought they could seize the initiative but were ambushed by Wang Youhong, He Sui said with a flushed face, "Uncle, we miscalculated this time."

He Junru didn't react to He Sui's words. He thought for a while and said, "You go out first; I have something to discuss with your father."

Whether it was being scolded or reprimanded, He Sui was mentally prepared. He never expected the result would be being kicked out directly. Disheartened and dejected, He Sui went out. Back in his room, he was restless. He reflected on these events, feeling that he had done his best, yet it seemed every link and every step was insufficient. Thoughts churned in his mind, but he couldn't find the key. He Sui felt as uncomfortable as if he were in a furnace.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a door opening came from outside. He Sui heard his uncle and father walk out of the main hall to the gate, say something in low voices, and then his uncle left. Without waiting for his father to come find him, He Sui stepped out the door.

He Junru was startled by He Sui's figure. He asked strangely, "It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Dad, I can't sleep." He Sui had a thousand words in his heart, but only choked out this one sentence.

He Junru suddenly laughed, "Let's go to your room to talk."

As soon as they sat down, He Sui spoke first, "Dad, I didn't accomplish this matter. I... I failed you."

"What do you mean by 'didn't accomplish'?" He Junru yawned as he spoke.

"I said there would be results before the New Year, and this matter would definitely increase the family's income significantly."

He Junru chuckled helplessly, "I say, Ah Sui, did you think your uncle and I believed what you said back then?"

Hearing this, He Sui felt cold all over. If He Junru had pointed at him and cursed, or even beaten him soundly, He Sui wouldn't have felt this bad. If no one believes a person's words, it's equivalent to being sentenced to death.

"Ah Sui, when it comes to judging people, your uncle is more accurate than I am. I think you have high standards but low ability; you feel your talents are wasted no matter what you do. Your grandfather became a Daotai back in the day, but your uncle and I started by following your second grandfather, running businesses and keeping books, building it up bit by bit. Speaking of which, our family's foundation was built by your second grandfather staying in the countryside. Your great-grandfather handed this family business to your second grandfather, and we didn't realize your great-grandfather made the right choice until we took over from your second grandfather. Thinking back now, we truly feel your great-grandfather had vision."

The history of the He family business wasn't easy. Originally, the He family wasn't a major household. During the Taiping Rebellion, Jiangsu was decimated, with nine out of ten houses empty. The He family took that opportunity to rise. He Sui wasn't too clear on this history.

Of course, He Junru didn't intend to recount the family history in detail. He continued, "You have that bit of cleverness, feeling your talent is wasted on anything you do. I originally had no solution. But your uncle thought you could be this assemblyman. So I listened to his arrangement."

He Sui didn't know what his father He Junru meant. He said somewhat timidly, "Dad, I wanted to open a path for our family business. If we can handle the raw silk well now, we will definitely make a big profit."

"Right. Your uncle said that you have seen the world after all, and a person like you has great ambition. We came from doing practical work, so we really don't have your vision in these matters. Looking at it now, you're doing quite well."

"...In what way is it 'quite well'?" He Sui couldn't understand what his father was referring to.

"Ah Sui, I know you want to get rich overnight. Put bluntly, you haven't seen money. You don't even frown when asking to spend a few hundred taels. But when it looks like there's a profit of hundreds of thousands or millions, you dare to think about it and dare to poke that hornet's nest. Why is it that when success is in sight, you panic?"

"Ah?" He Sui was confused by the lecture.

"Do you really think this bullshit assembly can deal with Wang Youhong?" He Junru asked.

"I think it can't now, but it will be able to later. After all, the MPs in the British Parliament have great power. The MPs in other powers' parliaments are also very formidable."

"Hehe!" He Junru sneered, "I originally thought you were just daydreaming, but your uncle thought what you said made sense. Now that Wang Youhong is preparing to use you, why are you daydreaming again?"

Wang Youhong is preparing to use me? He Sui hadn't completely ruled out this possibility. But he always felt this thought was a bit wishful. What He Sui wanted was the power for the assembly to control taxation, not for Wang Youhong to dominate alone as he did now. The current situation was far from this goal.

Looking at He Sui's conflicted expression, He Junru said, "Ah Sui, I'll just tell you straight. You are not material for making money. Don't expect to have any promise in making money. If you want to listen to your dad, then go see Wang Youhong tomorrow. Tell him you can organize this Silk Company, and you are willing to come forward to organize it. Then whatever Wang Youhong asks you to do, you might as well do it. Your uncle and I will make decisions regarding family matters; you don't need to worry so much."

He Sui was completely unprepared for these words. Tongue-tied and unsure what to say, he saw Shen Junru yawn again, "It's late, I'm going to sleep. What I just said isn't just my meaning, it's also your uncle's meaning. You should hurry and sleep too."

Sending his father Shen Junru out, although He Sui hadn't completely clarified what exactly his father's attitude was, he felt the pressure in his heart diminish instantly. He intended to lie on the bed to rest, but unknowingly fell asleep.

The next morning, while eating breakfast together, He Sui couldn't help but observe his father's expression carefully, but saw that Shen Junru's expression was no different from usual. He ate with the same focus as always, and after eating, He Junru got up as usual, looking like he was going to their family's factory.

roughly determining that his father was truly not angry, He Sui gradually regained his confidence. He quickly got up, packed his clothes, and then rushed to the Citizens Party headquarters.

Several other cadres had already arrived, and the young people sat together. Xie Siji said, "I prepare to speak clearly with Wang Youhong. Our Citizens Party will come forward to organize the Silk Company. Let Wang Youhong name a price."

Hearing this, He Sui couldn't help blinking several times in succession. Had Xie Siji discussed this with his uncle and father? This thought churned in He Sui's brain. How could what the two said be almost exactly the same?

Xie Siji only glanced at He Sui once before continuing, "We also know the situation of the People's Party, and Governor Wang is also very clear. Although the current situation isn't as difficult as it was more than a year ago, I'm afraid this situation won't last long."

Hearing this, He Sui couldn't help asking, "Brother Xie, will things really be so?"

Xie Siji said seriously, "I think things will definitely become like that in the future, and now is not the time to discuss this at all. We must make Wang Youhong believe that things will definitely be so in the future. Since our families are all in this raw silk business, and we are all international students—Brother He even returned from England—we are the most suitable candidates to deal with the foreign devils. If we want Jiangsu's silk business to survive, this Silk Company must be handed over to us to run."

This attitude of asking openly made He Sui feel extremely unaccustomed. He asked, "What if Wang Youhong doesn't believe it?"

"He will definitely believe it. If he doesn't believe it, he will be even more likely to hand this over to us." There was a bit of unhappiness in Xie Siji's voice, "Brother He, the situation is so chaotic now. Since Wang Youhong has already seen that the situation is wrong and wants to find a solution, he can only find us. Those subordinates of his might be able to lead troops to fight, though actually, they aren't good at fighting either. As for managing silk, they are even more incompetent. As long as we can explain the matter clearly at this time, Wang Youhong can only ask us to handle this matter."

"But Wang Youhong won't really hand over the great power to us." He Sui now wanted to prove his ability to his family the most, so he couldn't help but voice the matter he was most concerned about.

Xie Siji looked at He Sui, as if wanting to fully understand He Sui's thoughts. He Sui felt a bit guilty at heart and subconsciously bit his lip lightly. But he saw Xie Siji's expression quickly change from slightly doubtful to determined. Xie Siji said loudly, "Letting us do this thing is handing the power to us. We can naturally explain to him what power we want. Moreover, how long has Wang Youhong held this Jiangsu Governorship? We voted for him as MPs so he could hold the title of Jiangsu Governor. Brother He, why do you take this too seriously? Whether this Silk Company can be operated well is the key. If we still can't get Jiangsu's silk industry up and running after we organize the Silk Company, then we really have no hope left!"

The other cadres nodded slightly upon hearing this. Xie Siji moved his gaze away from He Sui, "Brothers of various families, fellow MPs, are we fighting for this power? Yes, we are fighting for this power. But we are fighting for this power to handle the silk industry matters well. It is not for anything else. As long as we are not wrong on this point, Wang Youhong will definitely be able to believe us."

Having finished saying this, Xie Siji scanned the other few people, "If everyone has nothing else to say, let's discuss this charter properly."