The moment he saw the jade tablet, Zheng Huihong's heart was tossed into a maelstrom.
His eyes darted between Song Qiao and the table, his shock evident.
"This... this isn't something that can be faked!"
Precisely because it couldn't be faked, when Song Qiao produced this jade tablet.
He was filled with disbelief.
The president of the grand Mountain Gate General Association, and he was so young?
Compared to his father's bewilderment, Zheng Feiyu appeared much calmer.
This was because he didn't know the true significance of the Mountain Gate General Association.
But from observing his father's reaction, he guessed it wouldn't be an easy matter.
"You're the General President of the Mountain Gate?"
Zheng Huihong swallowed hard, trying his best to adjust his tone as he asked.
Song Qiao casually retrieved the jade tablet from the table and nodded in confirmation.
He then asked, "Did the Third Concubine's control over your Zheng family have the Guo family's permission?"
Zheng Huihong was now certain that his conversation with his son had been overheard by Song Qiao.
Coupled with Song Qiao revealing his identity, there was no longer any need to conceal the facts.
He nodded heavily in response, "She was sent by the Guo family. If not for that, our Zheng family wouldn't have..."
"Alas! For the past two years, all the major and minor affairs of the Zheng family have been decided by her alone."
"My doting on her was merely lip service."
"Even though I wished to regain control of the Zheng family, it was futile against the Guo family."
He sighed deeply at the end, his words full of helplessness.
"You've likely guessed these matters already. Although your identity is shocking."
"I still don't believe you can help us. So, you should leave."
"Let's pretend this conversation never happened."
After Song Qiao revealed his identity, Zheng Huihong's attitude had clearly softened.
But even so, facing the Guo family, he knew the Mountain Gate General Association alone was far from enough!
Song Qiao didn't opportunely bring out his identity as a Hall Master to persuade him.
After all, identity was not something to be used carelessly; it needed to be employed in suitable scenarios.
Bringing out too much at once could easily arouse suspicion.
He merely smiled at Zheng Huihong and then asked.
"What's the objective?"
"What?" Zheng Huihong was slightly taken aback, failing to grasp Song Qiao's meaning.
"The Guo family sent the Third Concubine to control your Zheng family; what was their objective?"
Song Qiao was patient now, repeating his question.
Heh heh, Zheng Huihong suddenly burst into laughter.
"Although you are the General President of the Mountain Gate, you seem to look down on my Zheng family too much, don't you?"
"Among the prominent families in Modu, I wouldn't say our Zheng family is omniscient, but we certainly hold a significant position."
"The Guo family sends someone to control our Zheng family, and you still need to question their motive?"
Zheng Huihong implied that the Zheng family was already a coveted entity, and it was natural for the Guo family to seek control.
But upon hearing this, Song Qiao couldn't help but laugh, even to the point of tears.
He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and shook his head, saying.
"Omniscient, a significant position... Heh heh, if that's the case, why are you still constrained by the Guo family and unable to break free?"
"It's not that I look down on the Zheng family. It's just that for the Guo family, the Zheng family doesn't seem that important, does it?"
"Hoo... As expected of the Mountain Gate President, you truly can't be fooled."
Zheng Huihong stopped arguing. His expression suddenly turned somber.
He leaned on his chair and slowly sat down, sighing and laughing self-deprecatingly.
"The objective is simple: to use my Zheng family to launder money for the Guo family."
"You should know this kind of operation. Outsiders know that our Zheng family is wealthy and makes a fortune daily."
"They would naturally question where all this money comes from."
"Even if the truth were to be exposed one day, they would still readily believe that our Zheng family has always been engaged in these illegal activities."
"And the Guo family's money, every cent of it, is clean!"
Song Qiao nodded slightly upon hearing this. The Zheng family had been the Guo family's scapegoat from beginning to end.
The Guo family had many such scapegoats.
This was precisely why the security department had been watching the Guo family for so long but could never catch them red-handed.
As Zheng Huihong had said, because their money was clean!
"So that's how it is."
Both fell into thought, while only Zheng Feiyu suddenly remembered something.
He began to stare at Song Qiao with vigilance and questioned.
"Wait! You said you're the General President of the Mountain Gate. Then why did you send that woman to the security department?"
"Very simple," Song Qiao smiled. "Because I'm also with the security department."
"Have you heard of Mo Ling? My old flame."
"I had her investigate the Third Concubine this time."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to find you specifically for this matter, would I?"
Zheng Feiyu nodded blankly, completely forgetting that Song Qiao had entered as an eavesdropper.
This wasn't someone who came specifically to find them; it was clearly someone who came specifically to eavesdrop!
Only after discerning their attitudes did he confidently step out to propose cooperation.
Compared to Zheng Feiyu's pure heart, Zheng Huihong was much more seasoned.
He didn't find Song Qiao very trustworthy, so he stated directly.
"Let's end today's conversation here. You've tricked the Third Concubine; she will never let this go."
"If you want me to believe you can help the Zheng family, then perhaps you should try to get past her first."
"We can discuss future matters later."
Song Qiao knew the other party was giving him a test.
He wanted to see if Song Qiao could withstand the Third Concubine's retaliation. This test was, of course, reasonable.
Song Qiao nodded and asked, "Evidence of money laundering for the Guo family..."
"No!" Before Song Qiao could finish speaking, Zheng Huihong immediately refused.
Looking at his determined expression, Song Qiao understood his thoughts.
The biggest reason was his distrust, hence his reluctance to confront the Third Concubine so early.
In Song Qiao's opinion, this was still a very reasonable request.
Song Qiao had previously determined that the Guo family likely didn't care about the Third Concubine.
Now, the situation seemed to align with Song Qiao's conjecture.
The Third Concubine was, in essence, a tool for the Guo family's money laundering.
Even if something happened to her, at most, they would just replace her with someone else to take over her work.
It would be insignificant to the Guo family, and certainly wouldn't affect their foundation.
Otherwise, Xu Shao wouldn't have dared to slap her after knowing her identity.
However, Zheng Huihong's reaction made Song Qiao feel that the Third Concubine might not be simple.
"Could the Third Concubine have some hidden trump card?"
Zheng Huihong looked at Song Qiao calmly and replied.
"If she were truly easy to deal with, would I have remained inactive until now? Why would you need to wait until now?"
Song Qiao chuckled dryly, but he didn't tell him that he had only just learned of the Third Concubine's identity.
If he hadn't been helping Jiang Rou collect debts today, who would have known she was from the Guo family?
He feigned understanding, then took out a card from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"I understand, I understand. This is my contact information."
"If you change your mind sometime, you can let me know."
With that, Song Qiao vanished in a flash.