Chapter 19 Section 19 Supporting the Foreign Lawsuit

During this period, Du Yuesheng also did another major event that shocked Shanghai, which was to help "Jiangbei tycoon" Gu Zhuxuan win the lawsuit with foreigners. "Jiangbei tycoon" is Shanghai's name for Gu Zhuxuan, the owner of Tianchan Stage. Gu Zhuxuan was born in Yancheng, Jiangsu.At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were natural disasters and military disasters in northern Jiangsu. The Gu family had many children, and Gu Zhuxuan was the fourth. One year he fled famine to Shanghai.A few years later, Gu Zhuxuan had some savings, opened a car dealership, and worshiped Cao Youshan, a "big" generation, as his teacher.Then, he also recruited his disciples to open the incense hall, known as "Gu Siye", who was domineering in the Datong Road and Tanziwan areas of Zhabei. Because of his ancestral home in northern Jiangsu, he was called "Jiangbei Tycoon".

Not long after Gu Zhuxuan was driving, he met a young widow named Wang Yuehua, rich and beautiful, from Yangzhou, with a Yangzhou-like accent.Gu Zhuxuan often chats with her as a fellow villager, talking about the customs of his hometown.After going back and forth, the two developed feelings and became good friends. From then on, the Gu family's car dealership continued to buy new cars. Wang Yuehua acted like a proprietress and gave orders. Gu Zhuxuan also obeyed the grandma of the God of Wealth. After Gu Zhuxuan made a fortune by driving, he often went to Hubei Road and Dangui Stage with Wang Yuehua to listen to operas.

At this time, Peking Opera gradually became popular in Shanghai, and theaters like Dangui were almost full every day. Gu Zhuxuan thought, driving a car is dealing with rickshaw drivers after all, and it is difficult to climb the ranks with high-class people, so it is better to open a theater.Although he thought so, he never told anyone about it.It just so happened that Ma Xiaoliuzi, who had been a police officer with him, came to see him that day. The two hadn't seen each other for a few days. Upon questioning, Xiaoliuzi had been promoted to inspector, and was in charge of teahouses, theaters, and brothels along Nanjing Road to Fuzhou Road. , Bookstore.

Gu Zhuxuan left the little six sons to eat, and the two talked while drinking. The little six said: "Fourth brother, opening a theater is indeed very profitable. You are interesting, you can open one!" Gu Zhuxuan laughed loudly and said: "Little six, are you drunk? Nowadays, every inch of land in Shanghai is expensive. It costs tens of thousands of yuan to buy land and build a house. Where can I get it? Don't talk nonsense. !" Little Six got a little drunk, and said: "I'm not talking nonsense after drinking, the vacant land at the intersection of Hubei Road and Nanjing Road diagonally across from Dangui, isn't it a good location. This land is encircled by the Ministry of Industry, and now I want to put a price on it Fuck, I have a solution for this matter, buy it for a few thousand dollars, there is nothing to say about building a theater!"

Gu Zhuxuan still shook his head. Little Six put a serious face on his face, put down his wine glass and said, "Fourth Brother, I am sincere to you, and I never joke. If you say you don't have enough money, I will show you a way." Gu Zhuxuan hurriedly asked: "Who are you looking for?" Little Six smiled mysteriously and said, "Look for your sweetheart, Wang Yuehua!" Gu Zhuxuan couldn't help but feel hot on his face, but that night he really discussed with Wang Yuehua about investing in opening a theater. What Gu Zhuxuan meant was to take out all the car dealerships and open up theaters exclusively.Wang Yuehua disagreed. She said: "More business is the same, and there is another way of making money. Look at Huang Jinrong and Du Yuesheng. They do everything. Are the people in northern Jiangsu worse than them? Let me help you, and you must do it. Come to the Hall of Fame!"

After hearing this, Gu Zhuxuan looked at Wang Yuehua and said affectionately: "Why don't I want to, but I don't have enough money, you have it, but it's the widow's life money. I will run the theater wholeheartedly, and there will be no big mistakes, but others The gossip is ugly, and I'm sorry." Wang Yuehua poked him on the forehead with her finger: "What do we have to share, you go and figure it out. If you want to open a theater, do it hard!" After negotiating with Wang Yuehua, Gu Zhuxuan went to the patrol room to find Xiaoliuzi, and discussed about taking the land from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.The little six sons patted their chests to help, and then Gu Zhuxuan personally found Ji Yunqing, the local tycoon in this area, to open up the joints, and everything was done properly. Soon, a brand new big theater was built opposite the Lotte Teahouse.

Gu Zhuxuan named the theater the Tianchan Stage. Everyone knows that Liu Hai plays Jinchan, which of course means the golden toad bestowed by God and the meaning of getting rich. When the theater opened, Gu Zhuxuan was so blessed that he hired famous civil and military veterans, Huadan, and clowns to perform a series of the play "Opening the World".This is a ghost show, with wonderful mechanism and setting, full of gimmicks, and the venue is full.As a result, Gu Zhuxuan soon became rich. Just when Gu Zhuxuan was prosperous and full of ambition, one day, Du Yuesheng sent someone to tell him:

"Your Heavenly Toad stage is going to be lost!" Gu Zhuxuan was really taken aback when he heard this, and hurried to Du's mansion, and when he saw Du Yuesheng, he asked, "Mr. Du, what's going on?" Du Yuesheng said anxiously: "Isn't Yong'an company next to your garden? They want your place, and they plan to build a 10-story building and open a hotel. This company is registered in the UK, and the Ministry of Industry Bureau wants to buy their account. I heard that We are going to give a price to take back the land of Tianchan." "Then, what should you do if you make up your mind?" Gu Zhuxuan suddenly lost his mind.

"Boss Huang and I can't help with this matter. The concession is dominated by foreigners, and our strength is nothing more than that!" "Mr. Du, you have to help me!" "I think you still have a way, you can still fight." "How to spell it?" "Fight a lawsuit with a foreigner. In this way, it is possible to win." "What if we can't win?" Gu Zhuxuan was a little timid again. "If you don't fight, you can't give in!" Du Yuesheng encouraged him. Seeing that the theater was about to lose its hold, Gu Zhuxuan felt anxious to death. Although Du Yuesheng pointed out a way for him, he still felt that the way forward was bleak...

After sitting for a while, he said goodbye to Du Yuesheng in an irritable mood.On the way home, he thought of his lover Wang Yuehua again.If the theater is closed, how can I be sorry for her?If you go back and become the owner of a rickshaw dealer, you will never be considered a famous person in Shanghai.After thinking about it, he became even more annoyed. He accidentally tripped over a stone and fell to the ground, causing his butt to hurt.However, this fall broke Gu Zhuxuan's strength. He limped and said to himself: "It's a big deal and end up falling. I will go back to my hometown to farm. I have to work hard, and I can't just be so cheap." Yongan Company!"

Soon, the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry really ordered Tianchan Stage to be demolished within a month, and only gave a symbolic relocation fee of several hundred taels of silver.An inspector named Iowa was sent to carry out the order. A Hua went to the writing room in the theater, saw Gu Zhuxuan, sat down and sighed: "Fourth, serving bowls and being under the control of others, this unlucky job was assigned to me. What are you talking about? Fourth, I Try your best to delay, you go to find a way." Instead, Gu Zhuxuan laughed loudly, and patted Ah Hua's shoulder heavily with his palm: "Ah Hua, how can I blame you? But I, Gu Laosi, are not easy to mess with. I want to file a lawsuit with Wing On Company, and if I can't win, From now on, I will never hang out on the beach!" A Hua said timidly: "Fourth brother, the backstage of Yongan Company is the British Consul General, can you fight the British?" Gu Zhuxuan smiled and did not answer.All of a sudden, he was more confident than before. It turned out that two days ago, Gu Zhugan went to find Du Yuesheng again, and Du Yuesheng expressed his firm support for his lawsuit against foreigners.Because foreigners can squeeze out the "Jiangbei tycoon" today, and they can squeeze out him, the "Shanghai tycoon" tomorrow. On the same day, Du Yuesheng took Gu Zhuxuan to find another celebrity, "Three North Tycoon" Adge Yu Qiaqing. After listening to Gu Zhuxuan's account of the cause and effect of this matter, Yu Qiaqing said: "Zhu Xuan, foreigners are different from Chinese people in litigation. Foreigners sometimes accept justice but not others, unlike our courts that admit people but do not admit justice. As long as the law is in your hands , you don’t have to be afraid. However, the lawsuit has been going on for a long time, and I don’t know how long it will last? Do you have so much money? Are you reluctant?” "No problem, Brother Ad, I'm here." Du Yuesheng patted his chest aside and said. At this time, Gu Zhuxuan's expression was very solemn, and he said: "Old Yu, I, Gu Lao Si, will fight for pride and not for money. I am going to pay for all my belongings, and I will never back down. At worst, I will go back to northern Jiangsu to farm!" Yu Qiaqing clapped her hands repeatedly and said, "Okay, you have ambition! I'll help you out. I'll hire two foreign lawyers for you. If the lawsuit continues, there will be good news!" Therefore, Tianchan Stage acted as the plaintiff, suing the Ministry of Industry and Commerce for breach of contract and forced relocation. The lawsuit was first brought to the British Consulate General in Shanghai. As soon as the complaint was delivered to the Consulate General, the Consul General was stunned: it was the first time he saw the Chinese complaining to the Ministry of Labor.He thought to himself: "If this situation persists, will the Chinese in the concession be able to manage it in the future?" He immediately called the person in charge of the matter from the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, asked the cause and effect, was unable to speak for a while, so he shook his head and said, "You guys are too stupid to do things, how can you sell this place to that Chinese theater owner? If he has property rights, it will be troublesome. However, we must not let that surnamed Gu win the lawsuit." After about half a month, the approval document from the British Consulate General came down.It was a piece of English, and Gu Zhuxuan hurriedly took it to find the foreign lawyer he had hired, Mu Ansu.Mu Ansu took a look, frowned and said, "This approval is very slippery. It said that the land was originally the property of the Ministry of Industry. Although it was sold to the Tianchan Stage, it is now withdrawn. The two parties can negotiate a price to redeem it." .Now this matter, Mr. Gu, if you are willing to settle this matter. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce will compensate you for the land price. But according to the usual practice, this payment is only for the land and does not include the above-ground buildings. The above-ground buildings can be handled by you!" When Gu Zhuxuan heard this, he jumped up angrily, and said, "Fart! It's a foreigner's arrogance. They only take the land and don't care about the houses built on it. There is no such reason. Lawyer Mu, I can't do this. Anyway, I have Having spent money to this extent, I will never give up until I win.” From Gu Zhuxuan's tone, Mu Ansu knew that he was desperate.If the lawsuit goes on, he will naturally get a large reward, and now his spirit has also improved. He said with a smile: "According to the legal regulations, the consul general is only the first-level ruling. If there is no instruction from a diplomat at the minister or ambassador level, his ruling will not take effect." Gu Zhuxuan asked: "If we sue the minister and the minister makes a ruling, is it considered the final verdict?" Mu Ansu shook his head and said, "It can't be regarded as the final ruling. Because according to British legal regulations, the ruling of the London Grand Court is the final ruling. But let me tell you, the appeal to the Beijing Minister is still in China, and the cost is not counted." It’s too big. If you sue in London, you need to pay in foreign currency. I can try my best, but I can’t say that the ruling will definitely be in your favor. Of course, if you want to continue the lawsuit, I’m still very happy to help you. Please think carefully , Get back to me in two days. If you are determined to continue the lawsuit, we will sign a power of attorney." When Gu Zhuxuan came out from Mu Ansu's place, he felt a little uneasy.When he walked to Hubei Road, he passed by the gate of Tianchan Theater. At this time, the sky was getting dark, the street was lit up, and there was a lot of traffic at the gate of the theater, which was very lively. He looked at the bustling crowd, standing on Nanjing Road, feeling emotional.This lawsuit is a bottomless pit, he has been trapped in the hole and has to struggle to get out, he is determined: "Fight, I will fight even in London, even if I lose, I, Gu Zhuxuan, will be famous all over the world." However, after calming down, Gu Zhuxuan was unsure again. He wanted to discuss with Du Yuesheng first, so he called a rickshaw and went straight to Du's mansion at No. 216 Huagebian Road. After hearing what he said, Du Yuesheng thought for a while and said, "It's decided to fight. But for the specifics, I still have to listen to brother Ade." The two of them had a casual drink, then got into the car of Du Mansion and drove straight to Yu Qiaqing's house. Yu Qiaqing had just finished dinner and was lazily resting on the rattan chair. When she saw Gu Zhuxuan and the others coming in, she waved her hand to ask them to sit down on the chair next to her, and asked, "I heard that the lawsuit has been settled, what are you going to do?" Gu Zhuxuan told Mu Ansu roughly the contents of the conversation, and finally said: "Mr. Yu, the lawsuit has reached this point, and it's hard to get out. I want to accompany the Ministry of Industry to the end. What do you think?" Yu Qiaqing opened her sleepy eyes, sat up straight and said: "Zhuxuan, you can only fight this lawsuit to the end. If it is softened, I'm afraid you won't even get the hundreds of dollars of land and silver. If the boat is over, this battle will definitely win." Win. You dare to take the lawsuit to the London Court of Justice this time. This is the first case brought to London by an ordinary Chinese since the concession in Shanghai. Because it involves international audio-visual, the British may have to pay attention to it. Besides, foreigners The judiciary is independent, free from administrative interference, and will make decisions in accordance with the law. I have studied it, and the Ministry of Ministry of Works is wrong, but you have to type up and sue the British Minister in Beijing first. Of course, I will not stand idly by. I am the Ministry of Works. Director Hua, I can create some public opinion for you, so that the Ministry of Industry and Bureau is a little bit unreasonable in this matter. Then those foreign directors will not be so arrogant in the future, and my words can be spoken more loudly than before." "Yes, during this period of time, I sent some disciples to spread the word, saying that people from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau accepted a large amount of bribes from Yong'an Company." "So much the better." On the third day, Gu Zhuxuan and Mu Ansu signed a power of attorney and appealed to the British Minister in Beijing on the grounds that the judgment was unfair and the loss should be compensated and not transferred. As a result, the British Minister in Beijing found it very difficult to receive this complaint.The minister was an old bureaucrat, and he felt that the Ministry of Works was in the wrong. Although the land was originally the official property of the Ministry of Works, it had been sold out and signed a deed.However, Yong'an Company was registered with the Hong Kong government, and the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry agreed to give him the land and signed the contract without negotiating with Gu Zhuxuan. This was obviously a matter of a daughter agreeing to two relatives.Therefore, the minister ordered the secretary to inform the consul general and Gu to discuss and give a certain price to relocate. On this day, Gu Zhuxuan was resting at home, thinking that he was waiting for the reply from the British envoy in Beijing, thinking that it had been more than a week since the petition was lodged, why there was no news?He was thinking wildly, when suddenly a servant came back and said, "There is a foreigner who came to you with an interpreter and said he was from the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry." Gu Zhuxuan was taken aback, but immediately thought that this might be Beijing's certificate taking effect.So, he ordered: "Please meet the guests in the small living room downstairs." The foreigner came in with a smile on his face, sat down, and after flattering Gu Zhuxuan, he slowly turned to the main topic: "Mr. Gu, the Minister has notified the Consul General about the issue of the Tianchan stage, and asked the Ministry of Industry to resolve it properly. Smith, the British director of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, has authorized me to negotiate with you and wants to hear your opinion." Gu Zhuxuan usually sees that these foreigners have a three-point fear, but since the lawsuit, he has already competed with them. He thinks that these guys with high noses and blue eyes are tough and soft. The more you are afraid of them, the more bullying they will be. You, therefore, are not afraid of them. At this time, his voice also rose: "Mr. Smith, I have two requirements and methods. One is not to relocate, and I will not ask you for any compensation. The other is that if you must relocate, you can do it at a certain location. Build me a three-story theater in the city center. Otherwise, I will continue to sue!" The smile on Smith's face faded, he straightened his face, and said seriously: "Mr. Gu, is there a third acceptable solution?" Gu Zhuxuan thought for a while and said, "I cannot accept other methods." Smith stood up angrily and said: "I regret that I cannot propose a better solution to Mr. Gu. However, I would like to advise Mr. Gu, I am afraid that the solution in the future may not meet your requirements, and then you should not regret it." !" Gu Zhuxuan became angry when he heard the threat from the foreigners, but he tried his best to slow down his tone and said: "I, Gu, has reached this point in the lawsuit. At worst, I will lose all my property and become a bum. However, I will not back down. Please tell me Gentlemen of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, I cannot accept this kindness." Hearing this, Smith had no choice but to leave in despair. Less than a week after Smith left, Mu Ansu called and told Gu Zhuxuan that the Beijing Minister Ying had sent him a reply, stating that the matter could not be resolved by the embassy and could be appealed to the London Court of Justice for final decision.Then, he asked for Gu Zhuxuan's opinion whether to follow the originally agreed steps and appeal to London. On the phone, Gu Zhuxuan said categorically, "Lawyer Mu, let's do this!" Unexpectedly, the complaint arrived in London, and there was no news for two or three months. At this time, someone persuaded Gu Zhuxuan, forget it, boats help boats, water helps water, and foreigners always help foreigners. If the final ruling is still the same as that of the Ministry of Industry and the Consul General, it will make a toast instead of fine wine, and the loss outweighs the gain. At this time, Gu Zhuxuan also regretted a little, thinking that I, Gu Si, had been living in Shanghai for many years, and in the end I was empty-handed and went back to my hometown in northern Jiangsu to eat sweet potato porridge, which was probably destined.However, more than half of the theater's capital is owned by Wang Yuehua, and the two of them had a good relationship, so dragging her down, no matter what, shouldn't be done.He felt sad when he thought about it, so, taking advantage of the bright moonlight, he walked to Wang Yuehua's house. Gu Zhuxuan went to the street and saw that the passers-by were carrying moon cake boxes, only then did he realize that it was already the Mid-Autumn Festival.So, I bought some cooked vegetables and a bottle of Yanghe Daqu and went to Wang Yuehua's house. Since the lawsuit, Gu Zhuxuan has been in a bad mood, and has not been to Wang Yuehua's house for a long time.As soon as they met, Wang Yuehua saw that he had lost a lot of weight, and felt a little sad in her heart, and her eyes couldn't help turning red. Gu Zhuxuan was also moved, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiped away her tears and said: "Yuehua, I am sorry for you, I dragged you in to suffer, this life is over, I will be a cow and a horse in the next life Pay off your debts!" Wang Yuehua was sad when she heard this, and said affectionately: "Don't say such disappointing words. Now that the judgment has not come down, no one knows what will happen! Even if the lawsuit is lost and the family property is wiped out, I will go wherever you go. Marry Follow the chicken, marry a dog and follow the dog, marry a pole and I will take it with me, I would rather be a beggar with you for the rest of my life, and never break up!" Adversity brings true love, these words come from Wang Yuehua's heart, Gu Zhuxuan held Wang Yuehua's hands tightly, and said: "Good Yuehua, with your words, I will die with peace in my eyes!" The two met with teary eyes, infinitely sentimental, and infinitely affectionate. In the end, Wang Yuehua broke the silence and said: "Zhuxuan, it's useless for us to be sad. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival and a reunion festival. Let's have a drink and relieve our boredom!" As soon as she finished speaking, there was a very hasty knock on the door. Wang Yuehua hurried downstairs to open the door. It turned out to be a close confidant of Gu Zhuxuan. Lord, Mr. Du is looking for you!" "What can you do with me?" "He came to you with Attorney Mu and said that the judgment of the London Grand Court has come down." "The verdict came down?" Gu Zhuxuan's heart touched his heart, and he immediately asked: "What's the result? What's the result?" "You won, Mr. Du said you won." When he heard that he had won, Gu Zhuxuan was ecstatic and jumped up excitedly, then, regardless of the presence of his subordinates, he picked up Wang Yuehua and circled around the house, and then said to Wang Yuehua: "Yuehua, I'll go and see first. " When they arrived at the writing room of the Tianchan Stage, Du Yuesheng and Mu Ansu were sitting there.Seeing Gu Zhuxuan coming, they immediately handed over a document. Gu Zhuxuan saw that it was the Chinese copy of the Dali Court's verdict.It read: "Mr. Gu Zhuxuan, your appeal has been finalized by this court, and the demolition by the Ministry of Industry is illegal. You should pay 100,000 yuan in damages. You can choose a new location and rebuild the Tianchan Stage." At this time, a house is only a few hundred yuan, and 100,000 yuan is a considerable sum. Gu Zhuxuan's fame resounded in Shanghai overnight, and Du Yuesheng's halo became even more dazzling because he supported him behind the scenes.