CHAPTER 944: CHAPTER 944: WHAT’S THE POINT OF STANDING AS EQUALS?

Although she had visited before, Li Qiao never went inside.

Uncle Wu intended to bring her and Minmin in, but the other party only saw Uncle Wu.

Later... She went fishing at the Maine River with Minmin.

Li Qiao shook off her memories and didn’t notice Shang Yu’s smiling eyes, "Looks like dad knows people from the Six Families."

The Yangshan Imperial Residence is usually uninhabited.

It’s said that only during important meetings of the Six Families is the residence’s traffic gate opened.

Li Qiao keenly observed her surroundings. The area was sparsely populated, yet the air was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

In the shadows, there were people.

Before long, they arrived at the first building of the Imperial Mansion, an aged villa with faded exterior walls and rain-washed marks around the window frames.

By the roadside, two cars caught Li Qiao’s attention. One was Uncle Wu’s ride.

And on the platform above the mansion, there seemed to be a helicopter parked.

At the entrance of the mansion, Wei Ang took the lead in pulling open the villa’s double doors, "Eldest Young Master, Young Madam, the family head is inside."

Li Qiao unconsciously held Shang Yu’s hand. The two stepped onto the stairs side by side, and in the foyer, a faint aroma of sandalwood greeted them.

Behind them, the large doors closed tightly. While Li Qiao was still examining the room’s layout, Shang Yu was already leading her familiarly towards the living room.

In the center, surrounded on three sides, were Taishi Chairs made of huanghuali wood; all the furniture was huanghuali.

Three people were seated. At the head of the Taishi Chairs was Shang Zonghai.

To the left was Uncle Wu, and on the right was an elderly man Li Qiao didn’t know. He wore a gray robe and seemed to be around Shang Zonghai’s age, with kind eyebrows and a somewhat otherworldly aura.

Shang Zonghai held a lidded cup, nodded gently, "You two, come and sit. Old Tan, this girl is Li Qiao."

At this moment, the elder known as Old Tan’s gaze fluctuated, staring unblinkingly at Li Qiao, "Is she... Ao Fan’s child?"

Uncle Wu took the opportunity to speak, "Elder Tan, I brought her here a few years ago, but... you didn’t see her."

Old Tan pursed his lips, looking at Wu Lv with some displeasure, "Why didn’t you say she was Ao Fan’s child?"

Wu Lv lowered his head, looking somewhat restrained, "Ao Xian was worried about unforeseen complications, so..."

Old Tan snorted and turned to Li Qiao, his expression visibly gentler, "Child, come here."

Li Qiao smiled and walked over to him, nodding politely, "Uncle Tan."

Old Tan, named Tan Zong, is the head of the Tan Family in Myanmar.

Tan Zong scrutinized Li Qiao for a moment then nodded to himself, "Ah, very good, without Old Shang, I wouldn’t have seen Ao Fan’s descendants."

Shang Zonghai twirled the Buddha Beads, looked at Tan Zong, and said, "Don’t just praise. I called you here for something I need your help with."

To ask for help, not to request help...

Here, Tan Zong gestured for Li Qiao to sit down, then looked at Shang Yu, his expression warm, "Shaoyan, your dad is always so impolite when meeting me, shouldn’t I ask for something in return?"

Shang Yu curled his lips, lowered his eyes, and spoke with a voice wrapped in laughter, "Whatever Uncle Tan wants, just say the word."

"Ha." Tan Zong chuckled softly, motioning towards Shang Yu, "Just saying nice things, you and your dad are alike, both foxes."

Li Qiao vacantly stared at the ceiling, suddenly recalling something...

The previous supreme leader of Myanmar seemed to also have the surname Tan.

During his term, Tan was the national surname.

But it wasn’t Tan Zong, so she didn’t know... whether the leader with the surname Tan had any relation to Tan Zong.

At this moment, Tan Zong’s smile faded, and he picked up his tea cup and lifted the lid, "Old Shang, what do you need me to do, just say it."

Shang Zonghai took a sip of tea, speaking leisurely, "It’s nothing much, Xiao Hongdao is in Myanmar, you know what to do."

"Xiao Hongdao?" Tan Zong’s eyes narrowed, "That old thing is still alive?"

Shang Zonghai raised his eyes to look at him, then spoke shockingly, "Your brother resigned out of disgrace years ago due to a map error in the Military Department injuring a duke’s son? The Bai Family is now dominating the Cabinet Office, and the so-called leader is just an obedient puppet. The Tan Family’s position in the political sphere is gradually declining, if you don’t take action, let alone this Feng Shui treasure land of the Yangshan Imperial Residence, I’m afraid even the Six Families will struggle to persist."

Tan Zong squinted his eyes, his fingers clutching the tea cup.

After a long while, his gaze turned sharp towards Shang Zonghai, "Old Man Shang, how are you so familiar with the internal secrets of Myanmar?"

"Just knowing the enemy and oneself." Shang Zonghai lowered his gaze, concealing the depth of his eyes, "If the Bai Family isn’t eliminated, your Tan Family will be the next Mu Family."

Tan Zong seemed thoughtful and took a while before he chuckled, "Old Shang, you truly do justice to your title of Old Fox. It’s not that you want to eradicate the Bai Family, but you’re clearly aiming to sever Xiao Hongdao’s proud lifeline."

Shang Zonghai nodded casually, "Sitting comfortably for too long makes one wish for some change, wouldn’t you say?"

Tan Zong sighed, "I thought Xiao Hongdao already passed away. His legs were nearly crippled by you back then, are they healed then?"

Li Qiao swallowed, glancing sideways at Shang Zonghai, realizing that Xiao Hongdao’s use of a wheelchair was thanks to him.

"Healing them isn’t so simple." Shang Zonghai leaned back in the Taishi Chair, his arm resting on the curved armrest, "This matter is left to you Six Families, I won’t interfere with anything else, but if the Bai Family has ideas they shouldn’t have, then they’ll have to bear the consequences."

Li Qiao didn’t deeply ponder Shang Zonghai’s words, just assuming it was a rivalry among Myanmar’s old clans.

After dinner, Li Qiao and Shang Yu were the first to leave the Yangshan Imperial Residence.

Once in the car, she pulled out her silent phone to check messages, and soon, a dark wave surged in her eyes.

Xia Siyu and Luoyu were missing.

...

In the living room of the mansion, the fragrance of wine filled the air as Tan Zong and Shang Zonghai continued to sip.

Tan Zong watched the car lights retreating outside the window, gesturing with his wine glass, "The portion belonging to Ao Fan within the Six Families has long been divided up, your intent in bringing that child to see me, is it to pave a way for her or to reclaim what’s Ao Fan’s?"

"She doesn’t lack those resources." Shang Zonghai’s eyes were filled with a gleam, "The grudges of the older generation shouldn’t be borne by the children. The younger generation’s clashes should naturally be settled among themselves."

Tan Zong understood, "Are you planning to stand against Xiao Hongdao in Myanmar?"

"Standing against each other, what’s the point?" Shang Zonghai leisurely sipped on the aromatic white wine, "It should be Victor King, loser at the mercy of the victor."

Upon hearing this, Tan Zong shook his head, "Thinking back to when your two families were taught by the same line, in the end you don’t even interact. Old Shang, I can deal with the Bai Family, but don’t underestimate, Xiao Hongdao’s methods are far more insidious than yours."

Shang Zonghai set down his wine glass, playing with his eyebrows, "I’ll accept that compliment."

"Hahaha..." Tan Zong pointed at him and laughed heartily, "You old fox, I almost forgot, ’King of Traditional Chinese Medicine’ is just a flattering term outsiders gave you, ’Supreme Poison Doctor’ is the real you. I guess Xiao Hongdao’s legs were crippled by your poison, right?"