Chapter 39: The Tycoon of Jiangbei

Lin Yi sat in the living room of the Wang residence, examining a contract and a power of attorney delivered by Chief Inspector Gao.

After reading through them, Lin Yi stated with certainty, "Chief Inspector Gao has been bribed, and he is colluding with the other party to swindle you."

Madam Wang was startled and quickly asked, "How could Chief Inspector Gao possibly swindle me?"

From the very beginning, Chief Inspector Gao had been involved in her husband’s efforts to deal with Chen Guangliang. Since her husband’s arrest, the Inspector had been helping them with great dedication; their family had long regarded him as their "patron." Even if the Inspector had claimed he was accidentally deceived, they would not have doubted him for a moment. The only reason they had summoned Lin Yi was the hope that the contract could be declared void.

Lin Yi explained, "In this contract, the payment terms are written quite clearly: 'installment payments' and '500 silver dollars per month.' Given Chief Inspector Gao’s shrewdness, there is no way he could have missed that. Furthermore, the fact that he insisted you sign a power of attorney beforehand proves that he had decided from the start to join forces with Chen Guangliang to annex these rickshaws."

Li Yan felt dizzy. This was nothing short of "aiding the enemy." If her husband were to find out, he would surely die of anger in prison.

At that moment, Zhang Chunlan, the second wife of Wang Chengyun, said with a sarcastic tone, "Big sister, is this how you manage the household? Ever since the master was imprisoned, look at the mess you've made of this family! First, 5,000 silver dollars were stolen, and now you’ve handed over 20 rickshaws to aid the enemy. Even the master himself never suffered such a loss. If he finds out, he will be absolutely furious."

This was a power grab. Zhang Chunlan also had a son with Wang Chengyun, and she was unwilling to be under Li Yan’s control; naturally, she would seize this opportunity to stir up trouble.

Li Yan immediately retorted, "You are forbidden from telling the master. Do you want something terrible to happen to him?"

Zhang Chunlan sneered and replied, "You’ve made a mistake, and yet you want to keep it from the master? There is no such thing in this world. The next time I see him, I will certainly tell him that you are completely unfit to run this household."

Li Yan felt a splitting headache. She knew this woman was capable of doing exactly that, so she hurriedly said, "Let’s discuss our affairs later; Lawyer Lin is still here."

"Hmph." Zhang Chunlan’s goal was to force Li Yan into a compromise.

Li Yan then turned to the visibly awkward Lin Yi and asked, "Lawyer Lin, is this contract valid?"

Lin Yi pondered for a moment before saying, "If we take it to court, there might be a chance of winning. However..."

Li Yan quickly pressed, "However what?"

Lin Yi sighed and said, "Setting aside whether we could win or the immense energy it would drain, the fact that the other party is now colluding with the police makes the situation unfavorable for you."

In truth, there was no hope of winning. With a power of attorney, Chief Inspector Gao had the legal authority to manage those rickshaws, and the agreement for installment payments of 5,000 silver dollars was a standard transaction; it was not as if they were being taken for nothing.

Zhang Chunlan chimed in, "Li Yan, are you trying to ruin our family? The master is gone, and these people are powerful—why must you go and provoke them!"

Li Yan said helplessly, "Then, Lawyer Lin, could you please make a trip and tell them that you will collect the payments every month, or have them pay directly to your law firm? I truly do not want to have any more contact with them."

Lawyer Lin replied immediately, "Certainly. They would not dare to welsh on those five thousand silver dollars."

Afterward, Li Yan paid Lawyer Lin a fee; at this point, he was the only person they could still rely on.

...

At No. 13 Yingchun Lane, off Hubei Road 203, stood the Gu family mansion—a spacious and luxurious estate.

Gu Zhuxuan sat in his living room, sipping tea, while his rickshaw depot manager, Sun Yingjie, reported on the business. By this time, Gu Zhuxuan’s interests had long since expanded into other industries. In the early 1920s, he had opened a series of businesses, including the Tianchan Stage, the Tianchan Glass Factory, the Subei Dasheng Steamship Company, the Desheng Teahouse, and the Dajiangnan Hotel.

Due to his status and influence, his teahouses and restaurants were often used as venues for "peacemaking." Feuding gangs or individuals with private vendettas would invite him to mediate, which naturally required grand banquets.

At the same time, Gu extended his influence into politics. In the autumn of 1924, during the height of the Qi-Lu conflict, the wealthy gentry of Zhabei, led by Wang Yanbin, organized the Northern Shanghai Defense Corps. Because of Gu’s power in Zhabei, they invited him to serve as Deputy Commander. From then on, Gu became a legitimate local military official, and his social standing grew day by day.

Later, he held various public positions, including Chairman of the Shanghai Rickshaw Trade Association, Director of the Zhabei Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Yanfu Fellow Townsmen Association, Vice-Director of the Subei Fellow Townsmen Association in Shanghai, Vice-Director of the Subei Refugee Relief Committee, board member of the Chinese Red Cross, and director of several charitable organizations.

At this point, Gu Zhuxuan had become a tycoon who was both an official and a businessman, known as the "Tycoon of Northern Jiangsu."

At the tea table, Gu Zhuxuan lay back in his chair, smoking opium, and said nonchalantly, "The Public Settlement Traffic Department has 60 licenses. Have you secured them yet?"

Gu Zhuxuan had become quite arrogant by now, firmly believing the rumors that he was the "Fourth Tycoon of Shanghai." He assumed that these sixty rickshaw licenses in the International Settlement were rightfully his.

To his surprise, Sun Yingjie replied, "Even when we offered 200 silver dollars, Section Chief Smith would not agree to give them to us. It is said that the Traffic Department is using these licenses to enter into a long-term partnership with a small rickshaw depot to extract greater value."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhuxuan continued to smoke his opium calmly and asked, "A small depot? How large is it?"

Sun Yingjie replied, "It currently has about 100 rickshaws and licenses. What is most surprising is that this depot has only been in business for three months, and the owner is just a former rickshaw puller who doesn't even look twenty years old yet."

Gu Zhuxuan finally showed a hint of interest. He put down his pipe and said, "So young? And he started with nothing?"

Sun Yingjie nodded. "According to the information I have, this young man made full use of 'share solicitation.' He started by pooling funds with other rickshaw pullers, and then gained the favor of people in the Traffic Department, so his business is essentially run as a partnership."

Gu Zhuxuan said calmly, "I don't care if it's a partnership. Since he already has over a hundred rickshaws, go pay him a visit. Tell him that, according to the rules, he must pay 10 percent as protection money."

Sun Yingjie said, "Understood, I will go at once."

Gu Zhuxuan added, "Be polite. It isn't easy for a young man!" He was reminded of his own days struggling in the Shanghai Bund, and he felt a shred of admiration for Chen Guangliang’s talent.

Knowing his boss enjoyed making friends, Sun Yingjie replied, "Very well."

In the Shanghai Bund of this era, regardless of how much the tycoons might have helped the poor or served the national interest, they had undoubtedly built their fortunes through extortion, and their businesses were largely involved in the "lower-class" trades and the opium business. In their hearts, they were not truly interested in charity; they wanted to accumulate connections and influence, thereby expanding their power.