In the evening, Ling Ruonan took Luo Ziling to visit Ling Mingrui and Xie Enhua again.
Xie Enhua's mood was noticeably much better than the previous days.
After a group of them went to Ling Jinhua's place and returned, Ling Mingrui had told her about the situation at the time.
Having heard that Ling Jinhua managed to mediate the matter with just a few words, Xie Enhua was, of course, overjoyed.
No parent wants to see their own sons and daughters get into disputes.
Ling Mingrui and Xie Enhua naturally felt the same way, they had always been troubled by the conflict between Ling Ruonan and Ling Zhengping.
However, Ling Mingrui knew well that the struggle between the siblings would not cease because of this.
Luo Ziling's words indicated that as a grandson, he would not sit idly by either.
If Ling Zhengping tries to do something, the situation will become even more troublesome.
But now that both siblings were willing to present a reconciliatory posture, he could temporarily breathe a sigh of relief.
The matter that followed, if handled properly, should not be so distressing.
Ling Mingrui clearly understood the crux of the siblings' disagreement, which mainly stemmed from Ling Jinhua's attitude.
Ling Jinhua had been unwilling to hand over the Northern Group to Ling Ruonan, after all, it was a company valued at over a hundred billion.
Upon learning of Ling Jinhua's attitude, Ling Zhengping naturally would not easily give in, as he wanted to annex Northern Group under his own name.
However, his methods were not as effective as Ling Ruonan's, and he ultimately lost to her, unable to reclaim it.
From the perspective of family interests, Ling Mingrui also hoped that Ling Ruonan would relinquish control of the Northern Group, allowing a genuine descendant of the Ling Family to manage this enterprise. Yet, he felt guilty towards his daughter, Ling Ruonan, hoping to offer her some compensation, and host a grand wedding for her with a generous dowry.
Now that Ling Jinhua was willing to relent, and Ling Zhengping outwardly dared not express any further interest in the Northern Group, Ling Mingrui was also willing to give the Northern Group as part of the dowry for Ling Ruonan.
Such a dowry, he felt, was presentable.
If, in the future, Ling Zhengping and Ling Ruonan no longer engage in disputes, he would be satisfied with this arrangement lest further conflicts arise.
Afterward, he had discussed the matter with Ling Jinhua, honestly sharing his thoughts.
Ling Jinhua did not say much beyond stating that he also did not wish to see chaos within the Ling Family, nor did he want the rivalry between Ling Ruonan and Ling Zhengping to persist. As for the Northern Group, other members of the Ling Family should not interfere, but they should maintain cooperation with the Northern Group, striving for mutual benefits, and hopefully, the Northern Group could help strengthen the Ling Family's other businesses.
Ling Jinhua also promised Ling Mingrui that he would have a good talk with Ling Zhengping, advising him against further foolish actions.
Hearing such assurances from Ling Jinhua allowed Ling Mingrui to breathe another sigh of relief.
He did not remain idle, having a few long talks with Ling Zhengping, subtly threatening him while making some promises.
In front of him, Ling Zhengping assured that he would no longer be hostile towards Ling Ruonan or target Luo Ziling, and that it was best to let the matter pass.
Although Ling Mingrui was not entirely convinced by Ling Zhengping's promises, he knew that at least for the time being, Ling Zhengping would not resort to any schemes.
Ling Mingrui now felt that the most unstable factor was Luo Ziling.
After analyzing various situations during this period, he reached a conclusion. That was, following the argument between Luo Ziling and Ling Zhengping, and Luo Ziling's harsh words in front of Ling Jinhua, he had already begun his retaliation.
Although there was no evidence proving any of these acts were done by Luo Ziling, Ling Mingrui still believed that it was Luo Ziling's means of retribution.
He hoped that Luo Ziling's retaliatory methods would intimidate Ling Zhengping, making him restrain himself a bit.
Of course, he did not want to see further acts of retaliation from Luo Ziling.
At the very least, he hoped there would be no revenge against Ling Zhengping.
Today's visit from Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan was the result of a phone call he had made to Ling Ruonan.
He wanted to have a good talk with Luo Ziling, to be frank about some matters, and to convey certain threats to Luo Ziling.
When Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan arrived at the villa, Ling Mingrui was already home.
He invited Luo Ziling to play chess with him.
Naturally, Luo Ziling did not refuse.
While playing chess, Ling Mingrui said in a seemingly casual tone, "If your uncle had your strategies, you'd probably be dead by now."
Luo Ziling knew that Ling Mingrui was not cursing him, but that there was an underlying meaning, so he feigned ignorance and chuckled, "Perhaps I have a big destiny, having escaped death by luck many times. Certainly, it's rare in reality for an uncle to want to kill his own nephew."
"For power, for interests, even fathers and sons can turn against each other, and brothers can resort to killing," said Ling Mingrui unflinchingly, "Just like Li Yuan, Emperor Taizong of Tang and his brother Li Jiancheng, and Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi with their tales of shadow conspiracies. The principle of 'the victor becomes king while the vanquished become bandits' has been timeless. Emperor Taizong killed his brother and forced Li Yuan to abdicate, but that did not prevent him from becoming a renowned emperor in history."
"Grandpa has such broad experience and naturally sees farther than us," Luo Ziling chuckled, "Personally, I hold no familial affection towards my uncle since the day I met him, he's never shown me a kind face. In my heart, such an uncle is more alien, terrifying, and detestable than a stranger."
"So am I the same in your eyes as this grandfather?"
"No, that's different!" Luo Ziling knew Ling Mingrui would ask such a question, so he quickly shook his head, "Grandfather and grandmother have shown great love to my mother and care for me as their grandson. Without their protection, it's likely my mother and I wouldn't even be alive by now."
Ling Mingrui grunted and said nothing more.
Quickly, Luo Ziling added what he hadn't yet said, "Although my uncle scares me, and I think my safety would be better if he were gone, he is after all, my mother's own brother, grandfather and grandmother's son. Even with all his attempts against me, I've never considered killing him."
"So you killed people around him?"
Ling Mingrui's question was blunt, leaving Luo Ziling momentarily stunned.
Luo Ziling's reaction was quick, he immediately replied, "Grandfather has wrongly accused me. I've been busy with schoolwork, attending classes, and doing laboratory research. There's a clear record of me being there every day. Besides, I wouldn't dare to kill anyone. My life is just beginning, with such a promising future; why would I destroy it by committing murder?"
Ling Mingrui remained silent, simply holding a chess piece between his fingers, pondering for a moment before placing it on the board.
"For someone young with such good tactics, having loyal subordinates is indeed impressive, but remember, people act while heaven observes. Acting too ostentatiously will surely lead to retribution. Don't harbor too many enemies; avoid unrealistic goals. Understand?"
Having said this, Ling Mingrui raised his head and cast a knowing glance at Luo Ziling, an implicit warning in his gaze.