A Contest of Wits and Might

Si Jingyu's promise to have the people from the Jiazhuan Pavilion lead the investigation is essentially an endorsement of Zhou Zhao's statement and an agreement to return the shop's shares. While it may seem no different from Zhou Zhao's previous demands, the actual implications are quite different.

"Alright, as long as Water Mirror Manor keeps its promise, I have no objection."

Zhou Zhao hesitated for a moment, but still nodded in agreement. Jiazhuan Pavilion was only a second-rate merchant guild, which was why it was pushed out as a stepping stone. Even without Spirit Transformation expert in charge, Water Mirror Manor was still a first-rate Aristocratic Clan. He had already received a promise, and bringing back the news would be a great achievement. If he continued to press the matter relentlessly, it would incur the wrath of the Water Mirror Manor, who would see Jiazhuan Pavilion as a scapegoat, which would inevitably bring disaster upon the Jiazhuan Pavilion.

Although Jiazhuan Pavilion is currently acting as a vanguard for other Aristocratic Clan and wealthy clans, and can be considered a hero, will these Aristocratic Clan and wealthy clans stand up to protect Jiazhuan Pavilion if it faces retaliation from the Water Mirror Manor?

Zhou Zhao didn't believe in the integrity of these powerful Lineage. He was afraid they would sell Jiazhuan Pavilion at any moment without even bothering to apologize.

Thinking of this, he glanced up at Si Jingyu at the head of the table, wondering whether the young woman had truly grasped the intentions of all parties and struck decisively at their weak points, or whether it was just a lucky accident, an unintentional stroke of luck.

If it's the former, that's terrifying. To have such vision and cunning at such a young age is truly monstrous.

Zhou Zhao sat back down with satisfaction, but the representatives of those powerful Aristocratic Clan and conglomerates were not. A few days earlier or later, the implications would be completely different. The former could tear Water Mirror Manor apart, bone and all, while the latter could only eat the gecko tail that Water Mirror Manor had discarded.

Jiazhuan Pavilion is not qualified to participate in the distribution of the pie. It will be satisfied with getting its share. However, those forces of the same level as Water Mirror Manor will not be satisfied with such petty gains. They are destined to be restless at this feast.

Just as Si Jingyue was about to announce the start of the banquet again, she was interrupted once more.

"Wait a minute! Since Jiazhuan Pavilion has spoken first, Fragrant Tea Manor also has something we'd like to discuss with your establishment."

The one who stood up and shouted to stop him was Lu Ling. After the Si Clan members recognized his identity, their expressions turned extremely ugly.

If Jiazhuan Pavilion is a mantis shrimp, then Fragrant Tea Manor is a tiger shark. The two are not on the same level of threat. The Si Clan can arrogantly refuse Jiazhuan Pavilion, but they cannot give Fragrant Tea Manor a hard time.

Behind the Fragrant Tea Manor stands a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. In the past, it was a great Aristocratic Clan that was on par with the Water Mirror Manor. Now that Water Mirror Manor has lost its pillar of strength, it is inferior to the other party.

Before Si Jingyue could speak, her daughter presumptuously said, "I wonder what the Lu Lineage wants to discuss. If it's something trivial, we can talk about it after the banquet, so that others won't say that our Water Mirror Manor is lacking in manners."

Ostensibly, it was a self-deprecating remark about the Water Mirror Manor's lack of manners, but it was actually a veiled criticism of the Fragrant Tea Manor's lack of manners.

Lu Ling was well aware that his actions were indeed immoral. Pressuring people at a funeral was not the behavior of a gentleman. However, morality and etiquette are things to be forgotten after a good meal. Once personal interests are involved, they should be put aside and let interests take precedence. Those Lineage that are bound by moral constraints and unwilling to change their thinking have long been devoured by other forces.

There are some things we do even though we know they're wrong.

However, Si Jingyu's pressure forced Lu Ling to change his original plan. What is a "trivial matter"? Twenty-three shops are important assets for the Jiazhuan Pavilion, but for the Fragrant Tea Manor, which controls 60% of the national tea business, they are just trivial matters. Therefore, the original excuse he prepared could no longer be used. Otherwise, if the other party said, "So it's just such a small matter? No problem, no problem, we can talk about it after the banquet," then it would be Lu Ling and Fragrant Tea Manor behind him who would lose face.

With his mind racing, Lu Ling spoke up, "Two years ago, your clansmen attacked and severely injured six members of the Lu Lineage in the Hide-and-Seek Forest. One of these six clansmen later died from his injuries. We hope your clansmen can hand over the murderer and give the Lu Lineage justice."

These words caused an uproar among the Si Clan members.

"A conflict from two years ago is being brought up now, and people are all dead except for ashes. What justice can we expect?"

"In that incident, more members of our Si Clan were injured—eleven in total. It's just that they all survived; otherwise, we would have been the victims!"

"Minor squabbles between large Lineage are so common; I've never seen anyone take this seriously. It's clearly just deliberately picking a fight!"

Large Lineage are never harmonious. The upper class may know how to consider the big picture when making decisions, but the lower-class members don't think so much. They are used to being domineering in their own territory and don't know how to restrain themselves outside. So, two tigers cannot share one mountain. When two domineering groups collide, a fight is bound to happen.

Generally speaking, as long as there is no situation of "the big bullying the small," the Lineage will not stand up for such a trivial matter. Everything must be harmonious, stable, and the overall situation must be prioritized. After all, it would be difficult to distinguish who is right and who is wrong if the matter were investigated further. Therefore, the tacit way of dealing with life and death is to assume responsibility for Lineage.

Lu Ling's pretext was clearly a case of ulterior motives; what he cared about was not justice, but rather forcing the Si Clan to submit.

Once the Si Clan hands over the murderer, it will be tantamount to admitting that the Lineage cannot protect its own people. What will follow is inevitable collapse and the clan will scatter, and the cohesion of the people will disappear.

This matter has nothing to do with money, but it is by no means a trivial matter.

"Hey, see? I told you the true colors would be revealed. I knew I'd be outmaneuvered by force. Luckily, I've already filled my stomach."

Nan Botu wiped his mouth, glanced at the half-eaten delicacies still on the table, and immediately beckoned to the maid beside him, saying, "Pack up the rest for me."

"Ah?"

The maid was focused on the conflict and couldn't react immediately.

"So, pack it up for me, I want to take it home to eat. Surely your Si Clan can provide even this much service?"

The maid had never seen anyone ask for leftovers to be packed up after eating at someone else's house, but her good upbringing allowed her to answer immediately, "Yes, yes, but are you sure you want to pack these up? There are still quite a few dishes in the kitchen that haven't been served yet, so why don't you just pack them up and take them with you?"

Nan Botu let out a burp and waved his hand, saying, "No need. I know those dishes that haven't been served belong to you cooks and servants. Of all my flaws, I only have one good point: I only take what's rightfully mine. No matter how good other people's food is, I won't take it."

The maid thought to herself, "Who would be in the mood to eat at a time like this?" But since the guest had asked, she had no choice but to comply.

Nan Botu looked at his seat and said, "I'd better step back a bit to avoid getting involved. When gods fight, mortals suffer."

As he spoke, he picked up his food tray and moved it backward, leaving those around him dumbfounded.

Those important figures at the center of the incident naturally had no time to pay attention to the petty drama outside; they focused all their attention on Si Jingyu, wanting to see how this "young master" would respond.

The previous confrontation made them realize that, compared to the current clan leader Si Jingyue, her daughter seemed to be the one with the Nine Ding in the Si Clan. Although it was somewhat unbelievable, there were too many bizarre things that happened in large Lineage, so this was not enough to make them unable to accept it.

Under countless malicious gazes, Si Jingyu slowly spoke, "Is this the intention of the Lu Lineage's Tea King elder?"

The Tea King is the Spirit Transformation Grandmaster behind the Lu Lineage. Judging from the title, you can tell that this senior is not good at martial arts. But whether he is good at it or not, the value of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster will not be reduced much because of this.

Lu Ling replied ambiguously, "Perhaps, perhaps not, it depends on your estate's attitude."

Si Jingyu nodded and said, "Then let Senior Tea King come and demand the person in person. There are too many people who use others' power to bully others these days. Subordinates always like to use others' names to impersonate their elders, causing countless troubles. Our ancestors suffered greatly from this. The Jiazhuan Pavilion incident is a lesson from the past. To prevent our descendants from being unfilial and ruining the reputation of our elders, please forgive my overconfidence; I dare not agree rashly."

Lu Ling chuckled awkwardly, "There's no need to trouble Grandpa with such a trivial matter. Don't you trust me? Others might impersonate elders, but why would I do something that would give others cause for criticism?"

As the young patriarch of the Lu Lineage, his status was close to that of Si Jingyu, so there was indeed no need for him to claim the title. His words and actions represented the will of the Lineage, just like a diplomat. However, after witnessing this today, Lu Ling had to admit that his voice in the family was obviously not as strong as Si Jingyu's. At least he could not give orders on behalf of his father.

"Preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. I believe that with Brother Lu's character, he is not someone who speaks carelessly. However, some things still need to be set in order to prevent those below from going astray. If we ourselves do not abide by the rules, how can we expect those below to? Therefore, I would like to ask Brother Lu to go back and consult with the Tea King. Even just a written order would be helpful. Once I see the token, I will immediately present him with the person he desires."

Si Jingyu, with an air of "I'm doing this for the Lu Lineage's sake," put Lu Ling in a difficult position, making it hard for him to speak again unless he insisted that this was the Tea King's intention and took out a token from his person.