Beiyang Dream

Chapter 30 The Rich Woman's Marriage Plan VS The Corrupt Official's Bribery Scheme

Just as Luo Jingrou was about to ask Chang Desheng something more, Sai Jinhua suddenly stood up, picked up the silver pot, and poured Chang Desheng half a cup of coffee.

"Zhenbang," Sai Jinhua put down the teapot and said with a smile in Chinese, "You don't know yet, do you? Jingrou's third uncle is Zhang Bishi, the Zhang family of Penang, Southeast Asia, the esteemed Zhang!"

She's giving Chang Desheng a complete oversight!

Chang Desheng raised an eyebrow. That name sounds familiar! Where have I heard it before?

Guo Shigui, who was standing next to him, had been listening intently. When he heard the name "Zhang Bishi," his eyes lit up, and he leaned closer, lowering his voice to speak in rapid, dense Tianjin dialect:

"Zhenbang! Zhang Bishi! The richest man in Southeast Asia! His business empire spanned the entire world, well, I heard his fortune was around this much..." He held up five fingers and shook them, "At least this much!"

"Five...five million taels?" Chang Desheng asked tentatively.

"Five million?" Guo Shigui's eyes widened. "Fifty million! No less!"

"Fifty...fifty million taels?" Chang Desheng's voice trembled, and his mind went blank, as if someone had hit him with a gong next to his ear.

His mental calculations were completely in disarray: fifty million taels... How much was the Beiyang Fleet's annual budget? Two million? Three hundred? That's equivalent to twenty Beiyang Fleets! Li Hongzhang forced his father to come up with ways to please the Empress Dowager Cixi for just over a million taels of silver, even coming up with the idea of ​​a birthday celebration ship... Zhang Bishi's family fortune was equivalent to twenty-five birthday celebration ships!

If he can marry his sister... how much must Luo Jingrou's father have earned?

Chang Desheng slowly turned his head and looked at Luo Jingrou.

She sat there quietly, a slight smile on her lips, her two dimples appearing and disappearing.

But in Chang Desheng's eyes, she instantly changed.

She was no longer the young lady of a wealthy family that ruled a fallen kingdom.

She is a walking snowflake of silver, a glittering financing channel, and the strategic investor he desperately needs for his great cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and becoming president... without a doubt!

Of course, she's also the best candidate for the future "First Lady"! Beautiful, cultured, rich, and with a rebellious streak... She's a limited edition!

.......

The "Rich Woman Marriage Project" is officially launched at this moment!

Project Name: Luo Jingrou Strategic Marriage Project (Phase I).

Project goal: To marry the niece of the richest man in Southeast Asia, and acquire funds and connections...

Project budget: emotional investment + time cost + political risk... aiming for zero financial investment, commonly known as getting something for nothing!

Expected returns: Too many to calculate...

Construction period: one and a half years, must be completed before returning home in 1891!

Then Chang Desheng began to reconsider his own position.

Position: Fifth-rank member of the Beiyang Army, top student of the War Academy, and a candidate imperialist agent who was received and valued by the German Emperor.

Assets: Monthly salary of 100 taels (currently), with unlimited future potential.

Advantages: It can help the Luo family of Lanfang buy weapons and gain access to imperialist powers! This is hard currency.

He's incredibly handsome... a bit cunning, but still very handsome! His looks are definitely up to par.

A rising star of the Beiyang Army, with a promising future. Upon returning to China, he will at least attain the rank of fourth-grade Daotai, and is expected to become the Director of the Korean Military Affairs Office.

Top of the Prussian War Academy, received an audience with the German Emperor, strong academic endorsement...

In short, the advantage lies with me!

As for disadvantages... none have been found yet.

Chang Desheng's attitude towards marriage was actually very pragmatic. For the Beiyang warlord who was destined to become president, love had to take a backseat... Mutual success was the most important thing! Marriage was like starting a company together; feelings were an add-on, not a necessity.

After figuring it out, he took a deep breath, put on that genuine smile again, and nodded to Luo Jingrou: "So you're Lord Zhang's niece, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner."

His tone sounded quite indifferent, as if he didn't care much.

But Duan Qirui, sitting at the other end of the table, clearly saw the sly look in Chang Desheng's eyes—it wasn't the look one would give a girl!

It was like... like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a piece of juicy, fatty meat. No, not fatty meat, but a whole roasted lamb, wrapped in gold leaf.

Duan Qirui sighed again, for some inexplicable reason.

This guy surnamed Chang just got an official position and he's already eyeing rich girls... How come he gets all the good things?

.......

At the same time, Luo Jingrou also made up her mind.

Investing is the Luo family's forte. Starting with their great-grandfather Luo Fangbo, the Luo family has always been adept at judging people before making a bet. A right bet brings immense wealth; a wrong bet leads to utter ruin. Lanfang's ability to establish itself wasn't just due to its military prowess, but also to its keen eye for talent and its boldness to take the plunge.

The fall of a nation is, of course, also due to betting on the wrong horse...

In Luo Jingrou's view, Chang Desheng is a "business" worth careful consideration.

She also had a little abacus in her head, and it was frantically swiping away at the same time:

This man surnamed Chang is a fifth-rank official of the Qing Dynasty, sent by the Beiyang Army to Germany to study the Army Academy... He has a good foundation! Although his official rank is not high, he is young and has room for advancement.

Top of the Prussian War Academy, a promising future awaits!

He claims he can influence the Qing Dynasty's procurement of German arms... Is that true? If so, it would be worth spending some money on him. Lanfang's restoration efforts desperately need arms; getting a few Krupp cannons would make things much easier.

He still looked like the leader of this group of Beiyang students. Those who could be leaders usually had connections… another point.

Besides, he's quite handsome, has a refined manner of speaking, is quick-witted, and we get along well. At least he's not unpleasant to look at, so being around him shouldn't be difficult.

This person is clearly a man of principle, with high aspirations. You can't bribe someone like that with a low price. Besides, money alone probably won't work; you have to offer something else—a future, aspirations, or even a person… no, no, no, you can't offer a person! What are you thinking? Luo Jingrou's face flushed slightly.

Miss Luo thought to herself: My father always said that when judging a person, you need to look at three things: appearance, bone structure, and heart. This Chang Desheng certainly has the looks (he's really handsome), and the bone structure is also strong (he's capable), but as for his heart, I need to get closer and look very carefully. Is he someone who can really get things done after taking the money, or is he just thinking about swindling money? Is he a partner I can entrust with important matters, or just a passerby who only wants to exchange money for goods?

She gently put down her coffee cup, already having a plan in mind.

This deal is worth taking. But before investing, you need to "inspect the goods."

How do we verify it? There's a ready-made excuse right in front of us.

She looked up, and her dimples reappeared; her voice softened slightly.

"Mr. Chang, Sister Sai told me that your German is better than your English. I'm currently struggling with German, so I wonder... if you could occasionally give me some pointers?"

Let's take a closer look first. Whether they're a mule or a horse, sincere or feigned, a partner to be entrusted with important matters, or just a passerby for a transaction, we'll only know after spending time with them.

The Luo family never invests their money in people who don't understand.

Well, I'll discuss it with my fifth uncle when I get back. He's been in Europe for many years and is very knowledgeable. I'll have him send someone to investigate Chang Desheng's background.

Chang Desheng picked up his cup and gently tapped it against hers, making a crisp sound.

"I wouldn't presume to offer guidance," he said, his Oxford accent becoming increasingly fluent, as if he'd been given a smooth dressing. "Let's learn from each other and improve together. When is Miss Luo available...?"

Luo Jingrou smiled sweetly, her dimples deepening slightly: "I'm available anytime, so you can have whatever you want... Also, about that letter of recommendation..."

She certainly has letters of recommendation!

But she wanted to see what Chang Desheng was capable of.

If he can actually get a letter of recommendation from Krupp or Brauchitsch, it means he has a powerful backer. That would make the investment worthwhile.

If he can't handle it, or if he tries to pass off a fake... then goodbye, the Luo family's money doesn't come from thin air.

Chang Desheng understood this principle; he needed to prove that he wasn't just a braggart.

Whether it's Krupp's letter or Brauchitsch's, he has to produce one before anything can happen...

Thinking of this, Chang Desheng patted his chest confidently, as if he were a contractor taking on a project: "Leave it to me! The recommendation letter will be in your hands within a month at most!"

Right there at this long table in the Kempinski restaurant, the two parties, Party A and Party B, completed their first informal yet historic mutual valuation.

I haven't eaten yet.

But the buying and selling seems to have already begun.

On the other side of the table, Duan Qirui picked up his now-cold coffee and drank it all in one gulp.

The coffee is bitter.

My heart is even more bitter.

He looked at Chang Desheng's confident smile, then at Luo Jingrou's bright, calculating eyes.

Well, he thought to himself, these two, one wants to get something for nothing, the other wants to profit from something rare. They're a damn perfect pair!

This deal is worth negotiating.