The Lineage's Foundation

The Lineage's Foundation

Meanwhile, on the other side of Jinxia City, at the Wang Family Residence.

"Master, the matter you instructed me to handle has been settled. The Donghai Gang will make its move tonight." Lu Shiye pushed open the patriarch's door, bowed deeply, and spoke.

"Is that so? You've worked hard." Wang Yi'an set down his brush, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his neck. "Hopefully, this will make those lowly commoners secretly boiling salt rein themselves in a little."

Ever since the Wang family had been ordered by the court to oversee Jinxia's salt industry, such incidents had never ceased. As the patriarch who had controlled the Wang family for over twenty years, Wang Yi'an had long become adept at dealing with them. He did not consider disposing of a few lowly commoners to be any great matter. It was merely irritating.

Outsiders said that above was Jinxia City, below was the Salt Wang family; the lineage had already reached the summit in Jinxia, able to turn its hand and summon clouds, flip it and bring rain. Even the authorities gave them three parts deference, so naturally the Wangs lived like immortals. Wang Yi'an scoffed at that claim. Not only could he not sleep easy on a high pillow, but he also had to plan for the future at every moment. How could those mediocre fools outside possibly imagine the things he considered and worried over?

"However, Master... hasn't the price of salt been a little high lately?"

"What? Is someone dissatisfied?"

"The people's dissatisfaction is secondary." Lu Shiye hesitated, then decided to speak the truth. "I heard that the Qingwu Gang is also eyeing the salt trade. If they secretly incite people, I fear the matter of illicit salt will rise again before long, no matter how hard we suppress it."

"So what?" Wang Yi'an raised his head and looked at his adviser. "Let me ask you a few questions."

The latter froze. "...Please ask, Master."

"Who makes salt for the court in Jinxia City?"

"This... only the Wang family possesses such qualifications."

"What is the punishment for privately making and selling salt?"

"Death."

"Compared with the Donghai Gang, which is stronger, the Qingwu Gang or the Donghai Gang?"

"The Wu Gang is merely a rabble made up of porters and peddlers. Naturally, it cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Donghai Gang under your control..."

"Then isn't it obvious what should be done?" At this point, Wang Yi'an's voice suddenly darkened. "Adviser, when did you become so indecisive?"

Lu Shiye looked into his sharp gaze and could not help shuddering.

If someone offended again, they only needed to be dealt with the same way.

If the Qingwu Gang interfered, then uproot them along with the rest.

To the Wang family patriarch, this was not a problem at all.

He swallowed and lowered his head. "Yes, I know what to do."

"You served two generations of my family. It is understandable that you would be influenced by my father." Wang Yi'an sighed, and his words no longer carried their earlier chill, as though what had just happened had been an illusion. "But Lu Zhigao... you have been with me for so many years. Do you still not understand what I want? Salt, money—they are all merely means. Only power can shelter the lineage and carry it onward forever."

"And there are two kinds of power. One comes from attaching oneself to others; the other comes from accumulating and plotting for oneself. Either kind requires vast amounts of silver to support it. Our ancestors could not see that far. They only wanted to cling to the salt trade and make a fortune, without considering whether this salt was surnamed Wang from the very beginning. If I do not make up for all the time they wasted now, then when should I wait until?"

He walked to Lu Shiye's side and patted his shoulder. "Now is precisely the time when we need money. You must guard this pass well for me and help the Wang family ascend another level..."

"Yes! Lu will certainly not fail your command!" The adviser felt both reverence and delight. He could be said to have watched Wang Yi'an grow up. Compared to the other patriarchs, he truly sensed something different in this man, as if others had been born to obey him. Though he was an adviser, as Wang Yi'an had grown at astonishing speed, he had rarely been able to offer any worthwhile opinions.

Perhaps this was what they called a wise lord.

"Father, I heard you were looking for me?" A sudden knock sounded from outside the door.

"Ah, you came at just the right time." Wang Yi'an returned to his seat. "Come in first."

A handsome young man with a tall, straight figure strode into the room. After sweeping his gaze around, he bowed twice in succession. "Greetings, Father. Greetings, Adviser."

Lu Shiye turned slightly and returned the bow with a smile. "Young Master, I trust you have been well."

This man was Wang Yi'an's second son, Wang Renzhi.

If his eldest brother, Wang Qingzhi, was steady in temperament and seasoned in conduct, bearing more than a few traces of their father, then the second son had an entirely different nature. He loved food, drink, and pleasure, spent money with a lavish hand, and often mingled with the spoiled young masters of other lineages. He was hardly fit to shoulder the lineage's great responsibility.

Yet it was precisely this Second Young Master who had awakened the ability of Qi Awakening at the age of fifteen.

"You ought to spend more time at home and keep your mother company, instead of returning from the north only to immediately spend days fooling around with those fox friends and dog companions. You even celebrated extravagantly in a brothel, making the entire city aware that you had passed the examination to become a Fangshi." Wang Yi'an rebuked him. "The Bureau of Military Affairs is not like the government offices. I can use my connections to transfer you to Shenzhou, but I cannot ensure that your path in the bureau will be smooth sailing. If those important figures grow tired of you, this will be as far as you go."

"You are being modest. Who does not know that all four department clerks of the Bureau of Military Affairs are on good terms with you? Of course, I will not go too far. Please rest assured, Father." Wang Renzhi spoke dismissively. "Besides, I have not done no proper business these past few days. After the appointment order came down, I even took time to visit the Bureau of Military Affairs."

"Oh? Rare for you to show such awareness."

"One must make preparations in advance. I understand that. Oh, Father," the Second Young Master abruptly changed the subject, "several newly promoted Fangshi were there at the time. Guess what? I saw a young lady from the Luo Family. She was quite pretty... Could it be that Qi does more than strengthen the body? Could it also beautify one's appearance—"

"Enough. Do not say such things at home, and you are not permitted to say them outside in the future either." Wang Yi'an cut him off impatiently. "From today onward, you must rein in your temperament and watch your words and conduct. Women especially... it would be best if you cut off all those tangled affairs from the past. If you cannot do it, I can have the adviser do it for you."

Wang Renzhi was stunned. "What is this about, Father? You never used to interfere in this."

"The past was the past. Things are different now." Wang Yi'an slowed his speech. "You know about His Majesty's enfeoffment, do you not?"

"I know." Seeing his father's stern expression, Wang Renzhi became obedient as well.

"I received news from the Capital Region. The first to be enfeoffed is the Third Imperial Princess, granted the title Princess Guangping, and her fief is precisely Jinxia City."

"This... are you certain?" Wang Renzhi said in surprise. "Jinxia is remote and shabby. Aside from salt, it has nothing. Let alone Shangyuan, which of the three southern provinces is not more comfortable than this place?"

"Is His Majesty's will something you can defy simply because you do not wish it?" he said in an unquestionable tone. "In short, you only need to know that this city will soon fall under the princess's rule. The formal transfer order should arrive shortly. Do you understand?"

"Your son understands... no, your son still does not quite understand." Wang Renzhi scratched his head. "What does this have to do with my finding women? Could the princess possibly care about that?"

Lu Shiye gently reminded him, "Her Highness the Princess has no one to rely on. Arriving here for the first time, she is no different from duckweed without roots. The Wang family's support is exactly what she needs."

"Oh, you mean building connections. But isn't that my brother's responsibility? He maintains all the relationships throughout the government offices. You were the one who assigned that task to him in the first place..."

Wang Yi'an could not help rubbing his forehead.

If the adviser had not been here, he would already have spat the word "stupid" into the other man's face.

Aside from possessing a handsome appearance, his second son was inferior to the eldest in every possible respect... Could it be that Wang Qingzhi had been too worry-free, causing him to neglect the education of his second son?

And yet it was this sort of son who had become a Fangshi.

It seemed Qi could improve one's physique, but not perfect one's mind.

Wang Yi'an stared deeply at Wang Renzhi. "Relationships stabilized with money and silver will never be as solid as iron walls. If we truly wish to seize the government offices in our grasp, this enfeoffment is a rare opportunity for us. Listen carefully, Renzhi. I want you to marry the princess... in other words, marry into her family."

"Marry—marry into her family?" The Second Young Master immediately cried out. "That will not do! Father, Father, please think thrice... What if my elder brother leaves no heirs? Wouldn't the Wang family then have no successor at all? More importantly, who knows what she looks like?"

"It will do whether you like it or not!" Wang Yi'an slammed his fist onto the table.

He felt that his patience was nearly exhausted. To be honest, when he had first learned that his second son had awakened Qi Awakening, he had for the first time felt that Heaven was favoring the Wang family. If there was any place in Jinxia City where he could not fully insert his hand, it was the Bureau of Military Affairs. Fangshi also needed money, but they treated him more as someone to be used. In their eyes, those incapable of Qi Awakening were like ordinary mortals, simply not the same kind as Fangshi. Such contempt could not be made up for with money. So long as he remained an ordinary man, he could never truly pull them into the same boat.

Though the Donghai Gang had promised to bring him strength enough to overwhelm the Bureau of Military Affairs, Wang Yi'an himself remained wary of that incomprehensible power. Not relying too heavily on power bestowed by others was one of his foremost principles in conducting affairs.

Wang Renzhi's Qi Awakening had allowed him, for the first time, to see hope of completely controlling Jinxia City's Bureau of Military Affairs.

If he could bring the princess aboard as well, it would undoubtedly greatly shorten the time required for this process.

If there was any flaw in this plan, it was likely the second son himself.

"It will do whether you like it or not," Wang Yi'an repeated. "Once the princess's imperial carriage arrives, I will create an opportunity for you. Before then, do not go near any other women. Besides, this may not necessarily succeed. You must give it your all."

"Could the princess still fail to fancy me after I give it my all?" Wang Renzhi clenched his fist. "Perhaps she may even willingly marry me!"

"Oh?" Wang Yi'an neither confirmed nor denied it. "The princess is not some country girl who has never seen the world."

"If she willingly marries me, then I would not have to marry into her family, right?"

"Of course. At that time, you may discipline her however you please."

"I understand, Father." Wang Renzhi nodded heavily.

To think that he could stir up his fighting spirit this way. After all, he carried his own blood in his veins, did he not? Wang Yi'an waved a hand and dismissed them both, then returned to the documents on his desk.

It would be best if he could bring the princess home in marriage. If not, it did not matter. At most, he would simply forgo the shortcut and spend a little more time—as long as he could insert his hand into the Bureau of Military Affairs, Jinxia City would sooner or later merge with the Wang family and become the lineage's true foundation.