Chapter 37: Village Inspection

“This ultimately comes down to the Wu family’s shallow foundation and rapid rise, which can’t compare to the Zhou family’s deep roots… Let’s not talk about other things; when it comes to positions like county assistant and chief clerk, our Wu family definitely can’t support such roles…”

Wu Ming sighed, suddenly stood up, and went outside.

Indeed, two maids were already waiting there, respectfully helping him adjust his clothes.

“Have they all arrived?”

“All have arrived! People from Baishui Village, Qingshi Village, Datian Village, and even branches from other townships!”

A maid named Lürui, with bright eyes, spoke softly. Her breath was fragrant and warm, carrying the delicate scent of her hair, which delighted Wu Ming greatly.

“Excellent! Let’s go to the ancestral hall!”

Of course, this was not the time for indulgence, so Wu Ming naturally suppressed his frivolous thoughts and headed to the Wu family ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall occupied a vast area, with upturned eaves and interlocking brackets, red bricks and green tiles, looking brand new.

In front of it was a small square, where over a hundred people, young and old, men and women, had gathered densely. Upon seeing Wu Ming enter, they all slightly bowed with smiles on their faces, except for a few elderly elders who maintained their decorum.

This was the Wu clan.

Of course, among them, there were hardly any close relatives. Most were distant branches, and some had even twisted family records to forcefully claim kinship.

In terms of actual blood relations, it was laughable.

However, in ancient times, people emphasized unity for self-protection. After all, people with the same surname were one family just five hundred years ago! As long as the family records matched, outsiders couldn’t really say much.

“Everyone!”

Wu Ming slightly raised his hand.

Seeing this young man, who was usually known as a mischievous troublemaker, now exuding great authority, everyone involuntarily quieted down.

“Everyone… As the head of the Wu family, I have heard about the incident in Qingshi Village and am truly very distressed!”

Wu Ming spoke eloquently, completely shedding his previous image of being a debauched and lustful young noble: “Today, I have gathered everyone here because I want to establish regulations for our Wu clan!”

“…Without education and etiquette, which of the prominent families in Yunping doesn’t emphasize scholarly traditions? Seeing our younger generations spending their days working in the fields and playing in the countryside, wasting their precious time, I feel deeply distressed… Therefore, I have decided to establish a clan school, allocating one hundred mu of land as school property. All Wu clan’s children can attend for free, with food and accommodation provided. Outstanding students will also receive rewards!”

This declaration immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

Education was costly, and teenage boys could be expensive to raise. Wu Ming’s willingness to open a school and provide meals for the clan’s children, giving them prospects, greatly surprised everyone.

“Excellent!”

At this moment, an elder who had previously remained silent clapped his hands: “It’s high time! High time indeed!”

These people had naturally received Wu Ming’s message beforehand and had discussed it together.

Now seeing it was indeed a good idea, they naturally gave strong support.

Wu Ming smiled: “In that case, let’s all enter the ancestral hall to finalize the regulations, then offer sacrifices to our ancestors to formalize the system!”

At this, the ancestral hall’s main gate opened. Wu Ming led the way, and the male clan members followed in an orderly line. The rules were strict, with women only able to wait outside enviously.

Inside the ancestral hall, incense smoke curled in the air. After finalizing the details, Wu Ming personally wrote the sacrificial text, which was read by an elder and then burned. Incense was lit to worship the ancestors.

Everything proceeded methodically. Wu Ming solemnly followed each step, showing great decorum, though his inner thoughts were unknown.

“Nephew! Your actions today have laid the foundation for our clan’s prosperity for the next hundred years. Even in death, I shall rest in peace…”

“Indeed, it’s truly our fortune that you, dear nephew, are now in charge!”

…

Several elders, genuinely concerned for the Wu clan, couldn’t help but express their heartfelt emotions, shedding tears of old age.

Wu Ming smiled in response to each of them, completely shedding his previous image as a dissolute young noble.

Perhaps after today, the surrounding villages would spread tales of a “prodigal son who turned his life around.”

The day continued busily until noon, when a grand banquet was held, treating over a hundred people to a hearty meal. Specifically for this occasion, a pig was slaughtered, and dishes such as fragrant, fatty red-cooked pork, white flour steamed buns, and various other delicacies were served in abundance. Wu Ming knew very well that many had come just for this meal, so he deliberately instructed the kitchen to prepare extra portions.

At this time, rural life was poor, and even during festivals, meat was a rare luxury. Seeing such a feast, the clan members were overjoyed, devouring the food with gusto. Men, women, and children all wore smiles, and finally took the leftovers home before departing joyfully.

“Master!”

At this moment, the steward Wu who had been sent to the county town returned, his face filled with shame: “The eldest young lady is in seclusion and refuses to see anyone. I have let you down!”

“In retreat, huh…”

Wu Ming stroked his chin: “Well then, you may go down first and prepare the plans for the school, get the deeds ready for the one hundred mu of land…”

Seeing that Butler Wu seemed somewhat reluctant, he couldn’t help but smile: “What? Do you think it’s not worth it?”

“No… I was just thinking that if the eldest miss knew, she would surely be pleased…”

Steward Wu smiled and said a few more words before taking his leave, his eyes appearing slightly red.

“Come to think of it… this man didn’t join us after we became prosperous, but has been with our family for generations. No wonder he’s like this…”

Wu Ming was silent for a while, then sighed again.

One couldn’t truly understand the role of clans in an individual’s life without experiencing ancient times.

Even in the case of rebellion, due to the threat of extended punishment, if Wu Ming took action, these clan members and household servants would have to follow him down the same path, no matter what.

Of course, this was when the clan was strong. If it were weak, then property disputes and covetous eyes were common occurrences.

But times had changed. Before, Wu Ming’s branch of the family was weak and naturally subject to bullying. However, now with Wu Qing’s rise to power, even seizing the position of clan head, everything was different!

“Although this is a world where individual transcendence is possible, building an organization and cultivating a faction is not without use. At the very least, many trivial matters can be handled…”

Establishing a school, nurturing scholarly traditions, and enabling the younger generations to read and write was a major undertaking for the clan.

Wu Ming knew that Wu Qing must have had such thoughts before, but due to her being a daughter and Wu Ming’s previous reputation as a good-for-nothing son, it had been delayed.

Now, however, everything was different!

“There will naturally be good and bad among the clan members, so they need to be screened one by one. Those who previously coveted our family’s land will be directly excluded, while the other clan members’ children will be treated equally…”

Wu Ming dared not use the older generation, as they had too many ulterior motives.

However, once the younger generation learned to read and write and entered Wu Ming’s system, their sharp edges would be smoothed down, making them basically usable.

Moreover, some household servants could be allowed to attend as companions, at least learning a few characters.

By persisting in this way and cultivating diligently for decades, with a flourishing literary culture, if a few scholars and candidates could emerge, the family’s prosperity would be secure, and the clan would flourish.

However, this was the path for peaceful times; during turbulent times, there was another approach.

Scholars were merely seeds; both literary and martial strengths were indispensable!

Now under pressure from the Zhou family, Wu Ming was even more eager to gain control of military power.

The next morning, in the dim light of dawn and the lingering chill, he ordered the village militia to assemble.

The Wu family owned twenty hectares of land and had two hundred tenant households, making them the foremost power in the area. At this time, the village militia numbered over fifty men, lined up in formation. Although not extremely elite, they were all strong and capable men, quite impressive indeed.

“Cough cough!”

Seeing Wu Ming approach, Feng Han gave a light cough, and immediately the fifty-plus men shouted in unison: “Greetings to Young Master!”

“At ease!”

Wu Ming was somewhat satisfied with what he saw.

In fact, if fully mobilized, the entire fortress could field two hundred men, but that would interfere with other tasks.

According to ancient military systems, every five households were to provide one soldier, meaning that among five families, one adult male would be conscripted for full-time military service, so as not to disrupt normal social production.

Now, with two hundred households under the Wu family, it was easy to raise forty or fifty men.

Any more than that would require the family to be under attack, at which point the entire fortress would be defended. In such a situation, with the families’ lives at stake within the fortress, hundreds of men fighting to the death could resist an army of thousands!

Wu Ming was very confident in controlling these people.

At this time, the life and death of the tenant families all depended on their lord. If Wu Ming, in a bad mood, reclaimed their land, they would immediately become homeless and have to become refugees.

Under the Great Zhou Dynasty, land consolidation was becoming increasingly severe, coupled with frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities. Refugees truly faced a dead end.

“My intention is to reestablish the patrol office!”

Wu Ming first watched the drill and then announced loudly.

“According to the regulations, the patrol office should have one village patrol officer and five assistants, all of whom can be registered as minor officials, receiving salaries and rations. Additionally, ten assistants can be appointed, making a total of sixteen people!”

The county had a patrol office responsible for dealing with thieves, and each village had a patrol station subordinate to the patrol office. In practice, however, according to unwritten rules, once there were local gentries in the village, the candidates would be recommended by that family, and the patrol office would approve them.

Although these were clerical positions, for the people below, it was still a path forward, so immediately there was a stir.

“Now, the village militia teams will be divided into small groups for martial contests to select sixteen people, and then a village patrol officer will be publicly recommended!”

As soon as Wu Ming spoke, he saw the crowd below rolling up their sleeves, eager to try, with Feng Han managing the order, dividing them into circles, the atmosphere was lively and well-organized.

“What a pity… If Feng Han could take this position as village patrol officer, it would be excellent!”

Wu Ming could only think this thought to himself.

Feng Han was a formidable talent with the eighth level of physical cultivation and internal martial arts mastery. He could even join the army and obtain an official position, being granted the rank of deputy squad commander at the junior ninth level.

Although the village patrol officer had some real power and benefits, in essence, it was still a lowly position akin to a servant. Assigning Feng Han to such a role would be an insult.

At this time, although Feng Han had somewhat revealed his intentions to Wu Ming, he was still a guest in the Wu family and could leave at any time.

“Haha… Competing for an official position through martial arts? How could such an event not include me?”

Suddenly, a thunderous voice rang out from outside the training ground.

Soon after, a muscular and vigorous man with thick eyebrows and leopard-like eyes, a beard like needles, and a voice like rolling thunder strode in with laughter.

Although it was late autumn, he wore no upper garment, revealing muscles like forged steel. Scars like centipedes crisscrossed his torso, creating a fearsome sight.

“He’s indeed a fine warrior, but seems somewhat unruly!”

Wu Ming’s eyes flickered: “Who is this man?”