"I don't know."
As Li Xiaoning shook her head, Chen Jinzhao felt a slight sense of disappointment. However, he patiently listened to Li Xiaoning's subsequent words. Li Xiaoning furrowed her delicate brows and said, "I only know that such a person once existed. Besides that, I also know a secret that might be helpful to Mr. Chen."
"What is it?" Chen Jinzhao asked again.
Li Xiaoning subconsciously glanced around, her gaze filled with caution.
Chen Jinzhao said, "This is my private residence, and there are dozens of guards within a five-kilometer radius. The Li family's influence cannot reach here, so you can speak freely."
Li Xiaoning breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
She then continued, "As far as I know, the Li family selects a few women with good physiques and appearances from society every few years and controls them. I can guarantee that this information is true and reliable. However, I don't know what happened to those women, because they disappeared after being taken under control. It's possible that they have already..."
Li Xiaoning's voice trailed off.
She sensed the temperature around her dropping, making her realize that Chen Jinzhao was suppressing his anger.
"Where did you get this information?" Chen Jinzhao's eyes were icy.
Li Xiaoning took a deep breath and, under immense pressure, said, "I learned this from a core member of the Li family. I was quite close to one or two of them, and I managed to pry this information out of them through some other means."
Chen Jinzhao connected what Li Xiaoning had said with what Ding Ling had told him, and a vague suspicion began to form in his mind.
The accusations pointed directly at the Li family and the Wu family!
He took a deep breath to suppress the rage in his heart. "Do you know when the Li family last took control of a woman?"
"About two to three years ago, or more accurately, after you had your accident and went missing," Li Xiaoning answered without hesitation. Chen Jinzhao's eyes became profound, and he murmured to himself, "So, that explains it. At that time, I was the only support Tao Qiyue had. And since I was missing, it was widely believed that I had perished. They acted without any reservations."
As he spoke, Chen Jinzhao clenched his fists.
He was determined to find Tao Qiyue's whereabouts in Lingnan, to see her alive or dead.
Seeing his reaction, Li Xiaoning continued, "Mr. Chen, is there anything I can help you with?"
Chen Jinzhao emerged from his anger, his gaze returning to calm, making Li Xiaoning feel even more that Chen Jinzhao was different from before. She looked at Chen Jinzhao with trepidation, like a devout follower.
"You want to stay in Lingnan, have you ever thought about taking charge of the Li family?" Chen Jinzhao asked this question.
"Yes!"
Li Xiaoning gave a firm affirmation without any hesitation.
From the moment she learned in her childhood that she was an illegitimate daughter of the Li family, she had endured various cold stares and oppression from them. Therefore, Li Xiaoning had harbored this dream from a young age because she wanted to control her own destiny and not be manipulated by others!
Over the years, she had been working towards this and had achieved considerable success.
However, due to her own insufficient qualifications and lack of resources, Li Xiaoning could only manage to get involved in the circle of the younger generation of the Li family. She was currently unable to penetrate the middle-level circles, let alone enter the core layers.
If she could gain Chen Jinzhao's assistance...
The outcome would be completely different!
"Then do you know what I want?" Chen Jinzhao threw the question back to Li Xiaoning.
He was increasingly dissatisfied with Li Erzhou and could no longer wait a few more years to act. However, acting now would destabilize the situation. Therefore, Chen Jinzhao wanted to support Li Xiaoning to take over the Li family.
Otherwise, the Li family would turn the entire Lingnan into a ticking time bomb.
Only by firmly grasping the Li family in his hand could such a situation be avoided.
Li Xiaoning straightened her back. "Mr. Chen wants a reliable ally, a stable and controllable Lingnan, and a subordinate whom you know inside and out."
Chen Jinzhao looked at Li Xiaoning in surprise.
This woman's intentions were quite pure, only wanting to climb up with all her heart.
Compared to four years ago, she had clearly matured a lot.
"Alright, I won't waste your time. If you can take down Li Taihang within a month, I will lend you my support." Chen Jinzhao assigned Li Xiaoning a task.
Li Taihang was Li Xiaoning's biological father and Li Erzhou's youngest son, currently in his fifties.
If one wanted to take charge of the Li family, putting the young Li Xiaoning forward would lack sufficient seniority. If it were Li Taihang, it would be different. As Li Erzhou's youngest son, he had a certain qualification and prestige, making him the most suitable puppet.
Li Xiaoning showed a hesitant expression. Chen Jinzhao said, "If you find it difficult, you don't have to do it."
"I guarantee I will complete the task assigned by Mr. Chen and will not disappoint Mr. Chen!" Li Xiaoning's gaze gradually firmed. Anyway, she had no feelings for Li Taihang. This man had only treated her mother as a plaything.
The higher the status of a family, the more indifferent the family affection between them.
Li Xiaoning had long been accustomed to this.
"One month's time, I will definitely give Mr. Chen a satisfactory answer," Li Xiaoning made a solemn pledge in front of Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao was very satisfied with Li Xiaoning's attitude.
The two chatted happily. When Li Xiaoning left, Chen Jinzhao personally saw her out, which made Li Xiaoning feel overwhelmed with emotion.
The more this was the case, the more she vowed to help Chen Jinzhao and to control her own destiny with his help!
After seeing Li Xiaoning off, Chen Jinzhao did not rest.
Eggs should not be put in the same basket, and Chen Jinzhao would not place all his hopes on Li Xiaoning. He obtained a list of Li family members, intending to select suitable candidates to be his proxies.
After finishing these tasks, Chen Jinzhao dialed a phone number belonging to Jiangnan Province.
A familiar voice quickly responded from the other end, "Mr. Chen, why did you think of me so suddenly? Do you need me to do something for you?"
"Old Qian, how are things progressing in Yuezhou?" Chen Jinzhao asked indifferently.
With the frontline battles settled, Chen Jinzhao had the time to deal with Jiang Yangping. After all, he had not forgotten the previous incident.
Qian Deshui was responsible for handling some of the clandestine matters, ensuring that the Jiang family was completely dismantled. Qian Deshui was skilled at these tasks, and Chen Jinzhao trusted him implicitly.
Qian Deshui chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. I can assure you of one thing: the Jiang family's influence has been reduced to the lowest possible level. In another three to five years, it can be completely eliminated. However, I've noticed the Wu family is showing signs of replacing them. What do you think, Mr. Chen?"
The Wu family was already a military clan. Now, with Wu Gang, a prodigy, and Wu Gang being one of Chen Jinzhao's loyal followers, the Wu family's prestige in the Jiangnan region was growing, and they were looking to enter the vacuum left in Yuezhou.
Chen Jinzhao raised an eyebrow. "They should know when to stop."
The followers who had braved dangers with him were now all seeking greater benefits for their own families, which inevitably disappointed Chen Jinzhao.
That was not his original intention.
"Let's not talk about this for now. Come to Lingnan in the next few days. I have something I need to ask of you." Chen Jinzhao concealed nothing from Qian Deshui, as Qian Deshui was his most trusted confidant. Before Qian Deshui could ask, Chen Jinzhao continued, "Elder Li Erzhou is getting old, and his thinking ability has become rigid. I want to send him to a sanatorium to enjoy his twilight years. If he continues to hold his position, I'm afraid he might have a stroke one day."
"Can you help me?"