Chapter 77: Forced Signature Banknotes
After one month.

Zheng Wenjie leisurely looked at the newspaper in his hand, and the content on it attracted his attention.

During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese invaders used military notes to forcibly exchange for Hong Kong dollars from Hong Kong residents and occupied the HSBC Building as its headquarters. At that time, there were still a large number of unissued banknotes in the bank's warehouse. The Japanese invaders forced HSBC executives to sign and issue them to purchase supplies in neighboring countries.

The content in the newspaper was a statement issued by HSBC, which stated that all forced-signature banknotes were not in compliance with laws and regulations, and HSBC refused to recognize the validity of this batch of nearly 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars.

The reason why this statement attracted Zheng Wenjie's attention was entirely because the 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars had begun to circulate widely, and no one in later generations had heard of this batch of banknotes. It was impossible to say that the 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars had already become waste paper like military notes in the past few decades.

If it really becomes waste paper, many companies and enterprises in various countries along the entire coastal area will be impacted, and it will be a heavy blow to HSBC. The most important thing in the banking industry is credit. You issued banknotes, bought my goods, and finally told me that the banknotes are illegal and will become waste paper?
When involved in deception or suffering major losses, most people, not to mention companies or individuals, will not care what the cause is, but will only find the responsible party to negotiate an explanation and try their best to make up for their losses.

HSBC dares to issue a statement now because Hong Kong Island is still under the control of the military government, and they have not yet realized how much impact this will have on HSBC.

But what Cheng Wenjie can see clearly, the British Hong Kong government and HSBC senior management will also be able to see sooner or later. If Hong Kong Island can develop into one of the Four Asian Tigers and HSBC can take root in Hong Kong Island and continue to develop, HSBC will have to recognize this batch of forced-signed banknotes sooner or later. But now because of this statement, the purchasing power of this batch of forced-signed banknotes will definitely be greatly reduced.

As long as Zheng Wenjie exchanges all his assets for these forced-signature banknotes, his net worth can at least triple.

Zheng Wenjie smiled happily. Although he did not travel through time, the development process of the earth was like a big hand constantly correcting the chaos. He knew that in the next few decades, Zheng Wenjie would have countless money as long as he bent down.

Zheng Wenjie has no interest in money, but getting something for nothing still makes people happy.

A black car slowly stopped outside the gate. Zheng Wenjie looked up and saw a man wearing glasses and looking gentle and refined... a Taoist priest?
He was wearing a Taoist robe, his black hair was tied into a Taoist bun, and he was wearing a pair of leather boots. He looked out of place. Just as he was about to enter the clinic, he was stopped by the doorman, Lao Jiang.
"Why are you here again? My young lady never sees patients. Go away!"

Pei Likang took the gift box handed over by the driver with a smile on his face and said sincerely: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I came to apologize, but I let it go for a moment and didn't expect that it would hurt others and myself."

Lao Jiang frowned, looking even more impatient. He naturally knew that Zidanqiang, Zeng Jiang and Pei Likang had a relationship, but he didn't expect that Pei Likang would come to apologize in person. Regardless of whether it was what he said of letting it go, he definitely hadn't given up.

"Your little thing is not a big deal, and there is no need for you to come and apologize. Just don't come again. I have already said everything I should have said, both good and bad. If you still have no shame, don't blame me for being rude!" Lao Jiang held the knife in his waist and looked like he was going to attack.

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! I am not here to see Doctor Gong today. I am here to see Mr. Zheng!" Pei Likang took two steps back and said, holding up the gift box.

Zheng Wenjie put the newspaper on the tea table, walked slowly to the door, looked up at Perricone, and raised his eyebrows: "Looking for me?"

"Mr. Zheng, nice to meet you. I am Song Yunzi, a Taoist priest living in the Five Elements Palace. Brother Zheng, you can also call me by my secular name Pei Likang." Pei Likang placed the gift box on the hood of the car and bowed deeply with his hands.

Zheng Wenjie: "I know Pei Likang, the head of the silk and satin trade among the 72 trades in Guangzhou."

"Well, Brother Zheng, why don't you invite me in and have a seat so we can talk in detail?" Pei Likang said with a smile as he picked up the gift box.

Just now he was talking about Mr. Zheng, but in two sentences he became Brother Zheng. Are all businessmen so polite? But Zheng Wenjie did not refuse. He was free anyway, so he made a gesture of invitation to Perricone.

Pei Likang stepped onto the stairs and passed by Lao Jiang. He didn't care when he heard the heavy snort and took two steps into the martial arts hall. Now in this house, there is a medical clinic on the left and a martial arts hall on the right. Since being driven away by Tang Xue last time, Zheng Wenjie has basically stayed in the martial arts hall.

After they were seated, Pei Likang said straight to the point: "Brother Zheng, I came here uninvited because I heard that in the past half month, Brother Zheng sent someone to take over the name of Heshengtang and waived the membership fees, which caused a considerable impact."

"Even the leaders of the island and the New Territories are quite dissatisfied with this. Brother Zheng, I'm afraid this move will not be safe. I have heard that Kowloon has a plan to join forces to target Heshengtang tonight."

"I'm afraid that Heshengtang can't withstand the joint attack of all the Kowloon schools, and it will also affect the Gong family clinic. After all, this is not Fengtian."

Zheng Wenjie knew that not collecting fees would indeed break the rules of Hong Kong Island clubs. People would all go to Wo Shing Tong, so what would happen to other clubs? Don’t underestimate fees. The bigger the club, the more fees the members have to pay every month.

Pei Likang had a sincere expression, as if he was doing it for everyone's good. Seeing Zheng Wenjie remained silent, he continued, "I can help Brother Zheng with money and effort to resolve this dispute. I also heard that Brother Zheng is interested in acquiring a property in Hong Kong Island? I can also provide a little insignificant support."

Zheng Wenjie smiled and asked, "What do you want? Go to Guangfu to treat your mother's illness?"

Pei Likang looked gloomy and said negatively: "To be honest with you, Brother Zheng, my mother passed away half a month ago, so I waited until now to visit you, Brother Zheng."

"My condolences." Zheng Wenjie said indifferently.

Pei Likang took a deep breath and laughed again: "Thank you very much. I came to visit Brother Zheng to ask for his help."

"Hmm? Tell me about it? You are the boss of the silk business. You have both money and people. I am just an ordinary citizen. I wonder how I can help you." Zheng Wenjie said curiously.

"I have been weak and sickly since I was young, so my mother sent me to the Five Elements Palace to practice. I like physiognomy the most."

"I saw Ma Qiang's face and it showed that he was blessed with good fortune. He should have turned misfortune into good fortune and lived a peaceful life. But I didn't expect that he would die because of my karma." "I read through all the physiognomy books and realized that someone with a stronger destiny interfered with Ma Qiang's fortune and suppressed it, so I found Brother Zheng."

Zheng Wenjie had a blank expression on his face: "Oh? Then what do you see from my face?"

Pei Likang shook his head helplessly: "The art of physiognomy is extensive and profound. I am not very knowledgeable and can't tell what Brother Zheng's face looks like, but he is definitely not an ordinary person."

"I visit Brother Zheng not only to satisfy my desire to seek the truth, but also to ask Brother Zheng for help." After saying that, Pei Likang stood up and bowed deeply to Zheng Wenjie.

"Tell me about it first." Zheng Wenjie said with a smile.

Pei Likang stood up straight and sighed with a look of pity, "Two months ago during the Mid-Autumn Festival, 66 people died in Huangshan Village, which specializes in growing crops for our Pei family, overnight, and only one child survived."

"The Cantonese police also investigated at the time, but it was not long after the Japanese surrender and it was a time of turmoil, so the police could not find out the cause of the villagers' death, and the case was left unresolved."

"But the deaths in Huangshan Village caused quite a panic. I went to investigate myself and found that it was caused by ghosts. I also learned the cause and effect from the only surviving child."

"The ghost's name is Chu Renmei. Her husband smoked opium and owed a lot of debts. In order to pay off her husband's debts, Chu Renmei made a deal with a manager of my Pei family named Tian Qi. He was caught on the spot and then beaten to death."

"After he died, they put his body in a pig cage and threw it into a pond in the back mountain."

The more Zheng Wenjie listened, the more strange he felt. Chu Renmei? He knew her. It was a childhood memory. Even after more than a decade, he still remembered her figure with disheveled hair and wet eyes.

Zheng Wenjie didn't interrupt and continued to listen to Pei Likang: "If that was the case, Chu Renmei's resentment wouldn't have turned into a ghost. The bad thing is that all of this is a conspiracy, and that kid told Chu Renmei everything."

"Chu Renmei's husband met Miss Ran. In order to please Miss Ran and get close to the Ran family, he wanted to divorce her. However, he was afraid of being known as a heartless man, so he teamed up with Tian Qi and others to kill Chu Renmei."

"When Chu Renmei found out, she was filled with resentment and killed all the villagers that day. But luckily, there was still the child. Before she died, Chu Renmei gave the child a bracelet and promised the child that she would agree to anything he asked for. Now, the child has used the bracelet to temporarily stabilize the child."

"But we can't leave any trouble behind. If Chu Renmei's resentment is not resolved, something bad will happen sooner or later."

Zheng Wenjie nodded in agreement, and Chu Renmei continued to kill people.

“If Chu Renmei continued to kill people, I would have no choice but to retreat and ask the masters of the Five Elements Palace to come out. But now Chu Renmei has been stabilized. As long as we perform a ritual, burn her body and resolve her resentment, this matter can be completely resolved.” Pei Likang said seriously.

"But the pond where Chu Renmei's body was located has been assimilated into a ghost realm by Chu Renmei's resentment. If your fate is not strong enough, you may not be able to get out of the pond. But Brother Zheng's fate can restrain Ma Qiang to death, so he will definitely be able to retrieve Chu Renmei's body safely."

Pei Likang asked again: "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Brother Zheng, please lend a helping hand for the people of Huangshan Village and the people who will be affected in the future to completely solve this disaster."

Zheng Wenjie didn't believe that Pei Likang really just wanted to save people. Pei Likang had already investigated Zheng Wenjie. As soon as they met, he told him about the difficulties Heshengtang was facing and said that he could solve them. He was also willing to help Zheng Wenjie buy a house. This was just a transaction. If Zheng Wenjie didn't go to retrieve the body, there would naturally be no help.

Pei Likang's words sounded righteous, but in the final analysis, it was all for the sake of his own land in Huangshan Village. But no matter how you put it, even if Chu Renmei was dealt with, those lands would be divided sooner or later.

Zheng Wenjie asked curiously, "How much land does your Pei family have in Huangshan Village?"

Pei Likang did not hide anything, nor did he need to hide anything. If it was his father who came here, they would have just laid it out and talked directly, but he still had a little bit of Taoist baggage.

“The five villages near Huangshan Village have a total area of ​​about 3,000 acres.”

Zheng Wenjie sighed, "As expected of you, you are the head of the silk and satin industry. I agree to this, but I have one condition."

Perricone smiled. "You can say whatever you want."

"I don't need your help with the troubles of Heshengtang, and I don't need your help in buying a house. Just lend me the money. For five years, lend me one million Hong Kong dollars without interest."

Pei Likang frowned. The Pei family was in the business world, and one million Hong Kong dollars was a large sum of money for them. But after thinking about it, Pei Likang nodded and agreed. He was not afraid that Zheng Wenjie would not pay it back. If Zheng Wenjie dared not to pay it back, he would offend all the 72 trades in Cantonese, and all walks of life would be enough to trap Zheng Wenjie in a quagmire.

"Good! Happy cooperation." Zheng Wenjie stood up and shook hands with Pei Likang with a smile, and suddenly picked up the newspaper on the table: "But, Mr. Pei, don't give me these Hong Kong dollars that are invalidated together with the military notes."

"Of course! I will come to visit you again when I can gather the funds in three days." Pei Likang nodded and smiled, feeling a little embarrassed. He agreed so readily because he wanted to lend the forced-signature banknotes to Zheng Wenjie for five years and exchange them for new Hong Kong dollars.

Zheng Wenjie walked Perricone to the gate and watched the car drive through the street with a smile.

(End of this chapter)