Zhou Binglin walked through the corridor toward the study when he saw several people carrying something out, covered with a white cloth, drops of blood falling one by one.
“What’s going on?” he frowned, stopping a steward for answers.
The steward flinched, but upon recognizing Zhou Binglin, quickly reported, “It’s a maid from the Fourth Madam’s courtyard! The master is already troubled about winter relief, and the Third Madam accused her of stealing. After investigation, her luck simply ran out, and she was beaten to death…”
Zhou Binglin shivered involuntarily. Arriving at the study, he gently knocked on the door: “Father!”
“Is that Binglin? Come in!”
Zhou Binglin lightened his steps, entered the room, respectfully bowed, and dared not breathe heavily.
“How did things go?”
Although a servant had just been beaten to death, Zhou Tong’an remained calm, exuding a scholarly demeanor, the image of a virtuous Confucian.
“Fifty taels of silver and the land have been allocated to the Fourth Madam’s household, and an additional shi of grain will be provided annually,” Zhou Binglin replied softly.
“One after another, fighting over land and silver, not even respecting ancestors anymore!”
Zhou Tong’an snorted coldly, “Even relatives can turn bloodshot-eyed. Truly despicable!”
“There are many affairs within the clan, and other large families are no different. The fact that our Zhou family remains stable is all thanks to Father’s wise leadership and strategic oversight!”
Zhou Binglin bowed deeply, speaking from the heart. He knew that in such a large clan, fairness was hard to maintain, and each branch was like a pack of wolves.
Without his father’s skillful handling, it would have been impossible to hold things together.
“Sigh… As long as both sides are satisfied, that’s good enough!”
Zhou Tong’an carefully inquired about the details, and Zhou Binglin answered one by one, finally letting out a sigh of relief. “You handled this matter well, though still lacking a bit…”
After offering further advice, he continued, “Now that winter is here, ensure each household has sufficient firewood and grain, don’t let any shortages occur. Also, keep an eye on the household-born servants to ensure they don’t go hungry. With the new county magistrate in office, any incidents of cold or starvation would make us all look bad!”
“Of course, supplies and funds have already been confirmed… However, the issue with the treasury?”
Zhou Binglin hesitated slightly.
“Wait a little longer. Master Song should arrive soon. Once the silver is delivered, things will be easier…”
Zhou Tong’an sighed again.
Others might think the Zhou family lived in luxury with piles of gold and silver, but they didn’t know the family supported over a thousand clan members, countless household-born servants, and the expenses were like mountains and seas. Not to mention, there were two officials to support.
At this time, they were still hoping Zhou Tongren and the county clerk Hu would rise further, so the superiors’ tributes couldn’t be lacking.
It was said that in the Great Zhou dynasty, officials could live peacefully by simply blending in, avoiding mistakes, and by retirement, they could accumulate a decent fortune.
But if one wanted to climb the ranks, one had to constantly appease superiors, avoid excessive exploitation of subordinates, and occasionally win favor through gifts or favors. Such expenses were enormous, and the Zhou family was the one footing the bill.
“Just thinking about this makes me uneasy. Go check again…”
Zhou Tong’an had barely finished speaking when hurried footsteps approached: “Master, bad news!”
A man entered. Zhou Binglin recognized him as Lao Zhou, his father’s most trusted butler, holding a letter.
Though Zhou Binglin longed to see it, he dared not even twitch his head, fearing it might be seen as evidence of coveting the head of the family position. His heart sank with a sense of sorrow.
“Despicable!”
Bang!
Zhou Tong’an snatched the letter, read a few lines, and immediately flew into a rage, slamming the table. Cups and plates crashed to the floor, shattering into a mess.
“Please calm down, Father!”
Both Zhou Binglin and Lao Zhou knelt.
Now Zhou Binglin dared to ask: “What happened?”
“Look! Look at this! That Wu boy is truly audacious!” Zhou Tong’an flung the letter, striking Zhou Binglin’s face, causing real pain.
He couldn’t care about that now and hurriedly read it, his heart growing cold: “How dare he do this…”
As a scion of a noble family, he instinctively feared such ruthless and decisive actions: “Can we clarify the situation and request official assistance?”
“Fool!”
Zhou Tong’an roared, then pointed at Lao Zhou: “You explain it to him!”
Lao Zhou sighed bitterly: “Young Master, it won’t work! The patrol station of Wujia Village has already reported to the county magistrate’s office, claiming they raided bandits at night and eliminated over fifty members of the Jietianfeng gang. The county magistrate is even petitioning for commendation… As long as they insist the goods were seized from the bandit camp, and we have no evidence, there’s nothing we can do…”
“Wu Ming…”
Zhou Binglin was somewhat surprised. In his memory, this person was merely a spoiled noble, but now he was showing his true colors—decisive and ruthless to an extreme.
“Good! Good! Good indeed!”
Zhou Tong’an sneered coldly, “When the tiger doesn’t show its fangs, they think our Zhou family is a weak cat… Lao Zhou, issue orders: mobilize Hei Laohu and Gun Dilong. All our family’s martial arts instructors will be incorporated into the force. Order the Senior Steward, Second Steward, and several retainers to go ahead, open the armory, and choose the best equipment… Hmph! In terms of elite forces, does the Wu family dare to rival ours? I want that boy’s head on a pike!”
Zhou Binglin shuddered. Hei Laohu and Gun Dilong were notorious bandits in Yunping County, and only now did he realize they were actually his family’s dogs!
Clearly, his father had abandoned any hope of legal recourse and was preparing to take Wu Ming down by force.
Zhou Tong’an then pointed at Zhou Binglin: “To ensure peace, in prosperous times rely on scholars, in turbulent times rely on warriors. This time, you’re going too! Bring me that boy’s head, or don’t come back!”
“Understood!”
Despite his reluctance, Zhou Binglin had no choice but to kneel and accept the command.
But soon, another steward rushed in with a bamboo tube in both hands: “A divine academy urgent message, top priority!”
“Bring it!”
Zhou Tong’an took it. A ring on his finger emitted light, and the bamboo tube automatically split open, revealing an ancient scroll.
“This…”
After reading a few lines, Zhou Tong’an seemed to have his backbone taken away, slumping into his chair. After a long while, he sighed: “Cancel this operation for now!”
It seemed like an illusion, but Zhou Binglin suddenly felt Zhou Tong’an’s hunched figure had aged several years.
…
Inside the mountain stronghold at Shaowu Mountain.
Wu Ming, already prepared, now understood the saying “Man proposes, Heaven disposes.”
“Hmm? A letter from Sister?”
Instead of Zhou family retaliation, he received a letter from Wu Qing, which left him puzzled. After reading it, he suddenly understood.
“My elder sister wrote that she has pressured the Zhou family into swallowing this injustice… Of course, my actions were a bit excessive. As a result, the divine academy will no longer accept me. She advises me not to rush and promises to find a solution…”
Wu Ming carefully put the letter into his chest, touched his nose, and felt somewhat awkward.
This feeling of being protected under his sister’s wings was natural for the previous spoiled noble, but for him, it felt like an uncomfortable debt.
“Actually, I could have handled it myself!”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t explain that to anyone.
“If everything had gone according to my plan, luring the enemy deep into the mountains, using the supplies, medicine, and talismans provided by the temple, we could have wiped out the Zhou family’s elite forces in one fell swoop! Then the Zhou family would be a toothless tiger, at my mercy, and we could train a special and elite force!”
His original plan was that when the Zhou family retaliated, deep in the mountains, with supplies from the temple, he could annihilate the Zhou family’s hidden forces!
With no military power left, the Zhou family would become a huge piece of meat, possibly facing ruin and never recovering.
That would be a complete eradication, cutting off their ability to retaliate permanently.
Of course, Wu Ming knew that suddenly producing supplies would raise suspicions. However, in this world, magical items like “pouches of holding” or “space rings” did exist, though extremely rare. The county-level noble families couldn’t even access such things. He could use that as an excuse.
Furthermore, after accomplishing this, he could secretly eliminate the forces targeting Wu Qing, thus repaying the debt, settling the karma of this body, and then he would be free to advance or retreat as he pleased.
At the very least, with the temple, he could go anywhere in the world!
But now, the karma had deepened.
“Sigh… Grateful for a beauty’s kindness, but unable to offer myself in return. What should I do…”
Wu Ming shook his head, as if trying to shake away some unhealthy thoughts: “Someone! Notify Feng Han, we’re returning!”
As for the letter mentioning he couldn’t join the divine academy, Wu Ming simply ignored it.
A mere county-level divine academy—Wu Ming, who already possessed many Daoist techniques, naturally didn’t care much.
Although it was a pity he couldn’t continuously obtain Daoist techniques from the academy, it merely meant he needed to earn more merit points. For Wu Ming, who aspired to become the master of the temple, this wasn’t a big concern.
…
For the tenant farmers of both Zhou and Wu families, these days were surprisingly calm.
Even an atmosphere of celebration for the New Year spread throughout the households. When Wu Ming returned, the festive mood reached its peak.
“Master, we’ve gained a total of 5,000 taels of silver, fifteen pieces of jade, fine iron, green salt, and various gifts. Conservatively estimated, it’s worth about 15,000 taels of silver!” Zhao Song excitedly reported to Wu Ming.
“Good! I promised two-tenths as compensation, which is 3,000 taels. Each person gets 100 taels, and for the disabled or fallen, their families will receive an additional five mu of land!” Wu Ming said.
Zhao Song’s face lit up with excitement as he knelt: “The young master is wise! We are willing to serve you with our lives!”
This mission wasn’t particularly dangerous, but the rewards were substantial, so naturally, everyone was satisfied.
Frankly speaking, this was exactly what Wu Ming had considered beforehand.
Even if the Zhou family’s elite forces were fully deployed and both sides engaged in a deadly struggle in the shadows, as long as no major figures were killed, it would appear on the surface as mere bandit suppression with accidental casualties—nothing more than a village brawl.
If it had succeeded, the Zhou family’s hidden and potential forces would have been completely uprooted. Relying solely on two officials, how long could they protect the family?
Unfortunately, plans always changed faster than circumstances!
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