Chapter 580: Discussing the Proper Matters

Hearing Yang Tao say that,

I laughed,

"Hehe, good. I believe you, Yang Tao will bring our traditional culture over. So I ask you, Yang Tao, what is our traditional culture?"

"What is traditional culture?" Yang Tao immediately pouted.

"It's the Three Bonds and Five Constants. The Three Bonds are: ruler as the bond for minister, father as the bond for son, husband as the bond for wife."

The Five Constants are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness; this is the most basic moral principle for how we conduct ourselves and act.

Benevolence is moral virtue of the heart; moral virtue of the heart is conscience. We often say, patting one's own conscience, that refers to benevolence. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. This is benevolence.

What is righteousness? It is propriety, meaning to act according to the time, the place, and the person. A gentleman should think of righteousness and not illicitly take unjust wealth. A gentleman understands righteousness, a petty person understands profit; wealth and honor gained unjustly are to me like floating clouds. This is a saying often repeated by Confucius.

Illegally obtained wealth, for us, should not even be considered. The ancients said, profit is the harmony of righteousness; if one wants to make a great fortune, one must first speak of righteousness. Therefore, all wealth is built upon a moral foundation. Cooperation and mutual benefit is righteousness.

Propriety, what is propriety? It is the ceremony of human affairs. Advancing and retreating, interacting with propriety, is the proper conduct of a person. Respecting elders and juniors in order, handling affairs with rules, no licentiousness arises, no damage to human relations, this is the foundation of correctness. The ancients said, do not look at what is improper, do not listen to what is improper, do not speak what is improper, do not act what is improper; this is propriety.

Trustworthiness….

Yang Tao immediately waved her hand to cut off my lecture.

"All right, Zhao Jianqiang, I didn't come here to be educated by you.

What nonsense, what era is this, what society is this, still talking about these, the Three Bonds and Five Constants,

It's ridiculous, still the husband as the bond for wife, nowadays which old master doesn't listen to his wife.

Nowadays whoever has money is the master,

Don't ask how this money came about.

What benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness,

You think you've time-traveled back to feudal society.

"Open your eyes and look, those are all old ideas, things you can't take out the door." Yang Tao said, pursing her lips.

"Yang Tao, these things are not old ideas; you need to savor them carefully to know their meaning.

We have society, why has morality plummeted? Mainly because this ideological education hasn't kept up.

We have indulged ourselves too much.

The ancients had three reverences,

Reverence for heavenly mandate, reverence for the eminent, reverence for the sages' words. Nowadays who do people fear? Nobody fears anyone, so they act without restraint.

People's hearts have already collapsed.

No one talks about benevolence, righteousness, morality anymore; only profit is discussed.

I think this attitude is wrong; profit is fine, but one must first have morality; wealth without morality must absolutely not be taken.

"Yang Tao, I'm telling you this today so you understand: some money can be taken, some money must not be taken."

"What do you mean, Zhao Jianqiang? You won't default, will you? You've gone around in circles talking about benevolence and righteousness, and the result is just not wanting to pay up, right?" Yang Tao got a bit angry.

Seeing Yang Tao angry, I wanted to laugh.

I haven't even said it yet, not giving her four hundred million, and now Yang Tao is already angry.

I then took out a cigarette,

very leisurely at the spot,

took a puff,

"Yang Tao, this money, I acknowledge. After all, the contract is there, there's no way to deny it.

But I want to tell you,

Da Heng Group really doesn't belong to me anymore,

Not to mention four hundred million, I can't even come up with four million.

"Yang Tao, this money, what do you suggest we do?" I said, spreading my hands.

"What, Zhao Jianqiang, what do you mean? Speak clearly." Yang Tao glared angrily.

"What I've said is already clear enough; I said I acknowledge it, I and you signed the four hundred million equity payment. But my current situation is that I am no longer the chairman of Da Heng Group,

I also have no right to demand Da Heng Group give you four hundred million,

You want me personally to give you this money, my life is now a problem,

I can't even get by in Xin Cheng,

I'm currently building a house in Niushiling, preparing to move back to the countryside.

"Tell me, what should I do?" I said, looking at Yang Tao.

"Zhao Jianqiang, the benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness you just talked about are all bullshit.

What gentleman's wealth, wealth obtained properly.

Where is your way?

Are you playing the golden cicada shedding its shell?

You resigned as chairman of Da Heng Group, letting Zhao Xiaohua become chairman,

That way you can pass the buck.

I asked Zhao Xiaohua for it, and Zhao Xiaohua said the current Da Heng Group does not acknowledge past debts.

I asked you for it, you spread your hands,

Saying you have no money.

Still crying poor in front of me.

Zhao Jianqiang, you're playing high.

I never dreamed you'd be like this; just now you spouted all that literature, who were you performing for? Should be for those who know.

Zhao Jianqiang, you pat your conscience and speak,

Without Lao Qi, could you be where you are today?

I ask you, did my 400 million get eaten by a dog? Tell me.

I hahaha laughed and said: "Yang Tao, it really was eaten by a dog, not an ordinary dog, but a heavenly dog ate it."

Not even scraps were left.

Yang Tao, you don't need to say that Director Qi helped me,

Actually, we have a cooperative relationship,

Over these years, have you received little dividends from Da Heng Group?

I have never shortchanged you.

Back then we agreed that you would only take dividends, no equity, and not participate in company management.

Yang Tao, is this the case?

I just talked to you about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith—that's what I was telling you.

You think about how this 400 million came about; when I was in danger and needed help, you took advantage of my peril, opened your mouth like a lion, and directly demanded 400 million.

Only then did Director Qi help me.

This, I'm not talking nonsense, right? This incident happened less than a year ago.

I believe you remember this more clearly than I do.

I accept this 400 million.

But did Director Qi help me?

You've been abroad all this time; do you understand what's happened domestically?

Who is Zhou Fuhai, do you know? How did Liu Shiru and Kong Shi fall from power, do you know clearly?

Yang Tao, you came today, and after seeing our victory, you directly came to ask for money.

This is the morality I spoke of; does taking this money sit right with your conscience?

I said to Yang Tao angrily.

Zhao Jianqiang, don't say useless things; anyway, I only recognize black and white. That is, the contract signed, Da Heng Group and you must give me this 400 million. Don't ask where this money comes from,

how you won—that was our Lao Qi putting in great effort behind the scenes.

Without our Lao Qi, how could you ask the Wen family for help, or have Wang Ge step forward to handle the Zhou family's affairs?

Zhao Jianqiang, with just a small contractor like you, how could you defeat the Zhou family? Yang Tao immediately defended herself to me.

Yang Tao, do you want to know how I met Wen Han and how I met Wang Ge?

Do you want to know what happened inside?

In this, Director Qi didn't exert any effort at all.

You came to reap the benefits without effort.

Alright, do you know why Wen Han is willing to help me, and why Wang Ge is willing to help me?

It's not that they don't know your relationship with Lao Qi; that's why they helped you. Yang Tao gave me a sideways glance and said.

Nonsense, they never even mentioned Director Qi,

I'll tell you everything, so you know clearly what you actually have.

Director Qi has already retired, retired, and is now on the periphery of power.

After I told you about Da Heng Group back then, why didn't you and Director Qi suggest I go straight to Sijiucheng to find Wen Han and Wang Ge?

Don't you have a clue about this?

If Director Qi could truly help me,

you would have directly suggested it, letting me go to Sijiucheng to ask them for help, so why would I need to go through all that trouble?

Yang Tao, you yourselves know that no one listens to your words, because the current Director Qi is not the former Director Qi.