This world was both real and hypocritical.
So long as Meng Zhao kept up the appearances and left no room for criticism, not even the imperial clan could suppress him without cause.
Of course, this rested on the foundation that Meng Zhao and the Meng Family possessed sufficient strength to weather storms and fear neither bitter cold nor scorching heat.
Beyond those two points, there was a third—and the one Meng Zhao had considered most carefully. He wanted to make his own voice heard and deepen the impression that every force in Lingwu City had of him.
Why had Beitang He established his authority?
Most likely, he wanted to seize more power and benefits during the coming formation of the Prefectural Army—to make the great powers unwilling to disregard him, the smaller powers afraid of him, and thus bring all beneath his sway.
Meng Zhao stopping him was likewise a display of authority. Yet rather than using slaughter, he intended to step upon Beitang He's shoulders and look down upon the crowd, so these people would know that Meng Zhao was far more than a useless man with only the hollow reputation of a prodigy. He was a leader with responsibility, strength, and courage.
This sent those people an exceedingly strong message: from now on, they had another patron they could turn to—the Meng Family, and Meng Zhao.
That was right. This was the most fundamental reason Meng Zhao had stopped Beitang He and saved Gang Leader Mi of the Xiaohe Gang and the others.
It was also a struggle for power and profit. Yet it could not be denied that, compared to Beitang He, who created authority through slaughter, regardless of Meng Zhao's true intentions, he at least did not inspire revulsion.
For instance, Gang Leader Mi and the