County Magistrate of Yang City

Several more days passed, and the chaos in Yang City gradually subsided.

All the gray forces were methodically integrated by the Zhang Family.

By this point,

Throughout the vast Yang City, both the Underworld and the Legitimate World followed the Zhang Family's lead.

However, anyone with even a little experience knew this.

Taking control was only the beginning.

Surviving, keeping things running, and continuing to grow stronger—that was the real challenge.

Winning the realm was hard; holding it was harder still.

Night.

Zhang Mansion, a Father-Son Talk after the Family Banquet.

"Son, what do you plan to do next?"

As usual, whenever one stage came to an end, Zhang Yongfeng would ask his son for his opinion and hear out his plans.

"Next..."

Zhang Ming pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.

"On the surface, both the Underworld and the Legitimate World in Yang City now follow our Zhang Family's lead. But Father, there is still another force in Yang City."

"The Government Office!"

"And the Underworld is not nearly as easy to handle as the Legitimate World!"

Most of the Legitimate World consisted of normal, aboveboard business dealings, and the people they took in were decent folk and honest men.

As long as they were given a stable environment and work, with no worries about food or clothing, they were easy enough to deal with.

But the Underworld gangs presented an entirely different sight.

Layabouts, slippery schemers, and villains steeped in evil made up the majority of them.

It was basically impossible to pacify them through ordinary means.

They could not even be released back into society—every last one of them was a source of disorder!

They could only be kept under control or locked up.

"Problems must be solved one at a time. Let's start with the easy ones. How do you plan to deal with those gang members?"

"The current Yang City does not need so many gang members."

In the past, because of the several Martial Arts Halls and major gangs in Yang City, every gang had needed to gather enough underlings to avoid being bullied by the others, while also claiming territory.

But now that all that messy business was gone, there was naturally no need for so many gang members.

"Simple. Send all the trash to build roads, mine, raise pigs, or, failing that, put them on the Farm Estates as tenant farmers."

"If they want to keep being idle drifters wandering Yang City's streets, they can forget about it."

"In the Yang City of the future, there will not be even a scrap of soil for such people to survive in."

Zhang Yongfeng nodded. He had no objections to this arrangement.

But...

"In theory, this is the best way.

But with so many people, if we use coercive measures on all of them and they report us to the authorities, one or two might not matter, but dozens or hundreds would be troublesome."

Zhang Yongfeng was no fool. Of course he knew how much backlash such an arrangement would provoke.

"I'll have to find time to sound out our County Magistrate Lord."

"Tell him not to concern himself with these trivial matters."

Zhang Ming nodded. "We do need to sound him out."

"We'll also need to sound out the County Magistrate when we deal with those disobedient, self-righteous clerks."

Officials and clerks.

Officials were officials; clerks were clerks.

Great Zhou implemented the Rotating Official System. The top one or two local officials were mostly outsiders.

But clerks were different. Nearly one hundred percent of them were locals.

And unlike officials, clerks had almost no avenues for advancement, so they formed exceptionally solid local interest groups.

Yang City was the same.

The Zhang Family could use money to clear the way and settle some clerks, but there would always be a few who were disobedient and thought themselves lofty.

Perhaps their gray income was greater than the money the Zhang Family offered, or perhaps the Zhang Family's business expansion had encroached upon interests that originally belonged to them.

In any case,

Every one of these people was unruly and difficult to win over. They had often caused trouble for the Zhang Family in ordinary times, seeking extra gains.

Not to mention these past few days.

Zhang Ming had started a great battle and personally dealt with Martial Arts Hall masters and gang leaders.

During that time, these petty clerks had struck at the Zhang Family even more often.

As far as Zhang Ming knew, the Zhang Family's servants, guards, shops, and businesses had all suffered retaliation to varying degrees.

Some were sealed up, some arrested, some framed—every kind of method had been brought out.

If Zhang Ming had not moved so quickly and finished off all the Martial Arts Hall masters and gang leaders within a few days,

A protracted battle with grievous losses would have been unavoidable.

As for these unruly clerks,

Zhang Ming's attitude was simple.

If they would not obey, would not cooperate, or bore grudges, then they could die.

The world would keep turning without anyone.

The Zhang Family's wings had already grown full. There was no need to care about a few little rats.

"Mm, that settles it. I'll deal with the County Magistrate and the Assistant County Magistrate. Leave those petty clerks to you."

"Alright, Father. Leave this matter to me."

With a single clap, father and son reached an agreement, as though Yang City were already in the bag.

And that was indeed the truth.

With Zhang Ming, the strongest man in Yang City, the Zhang Family's commercial network, and support from high-ranking officials,

Wasn't Yang City already the Zhang Family's?

In ancient times, powerful families cultivated lands by the hundreds of thousands and carved out their own domains.

Why could the Zhang Family not become a smaller version of one?

"Oh, right, Zhang Ming. I recently heard some news. The Old Steward is dead."

"The Old Steward?"

The image of that stooped old man surfaced in his mind—the man who had embezzled Merchant Guild profits for his son's sake and had been driven out of the Zhang Family by him.

"Mm, the Old Steward."

"He died? How?"

"It has only been a few months. When I drove him out, he had embezzled at least a thousand taels of silver from the family! Enough for a family of three to live on for hundreds of years."

Zhang Yongfeng laughed. "Stop pretending. You little brat, I have no idea who you learned all that badness from."

"You drove him out without taking back those accounts—what did you intend to do? You think I don't know?"

"Hehe."

Zhang Ming gave a dry laugh and simply stopped pretending.

"His money was squeezed dry, and his son threw him out, right?"

"I just didn't expect him not to last even a few months. I thought he would at least make it to winter."

"Alright, alright, stop being glib. When a man dies, the lamp goes out. What's past is past."

"He was buried in the Cemetery outside the city. When you have time, go take a look. After all, he served our family for decades."

"Mm, don't worry, Father. I'll go see him when I have time."

Yang County Office.

"Oh my, Brother Yongfeng is here."

"Quick, someone prepare tea. Prepare tea!"

The County Magistrate greeted him in haste, his face full of warmth.

"Haha, County Magistrate Lord, it has been a long time. Your complexion is rosy, and you remain as vigorous as ever."

"Unlike this younger brother of yours. I have overworked myself and have been unable to sleep at night lately. My health is worsening by the day."

"Haha, Brother, you must take care of yourself. Who doesn't know that the more than ten thousand people of Yang City depend on you for their livelihood? You must keep yourself healthy."

"County Magistrate Lord, you flatter me. You are the parental official of the hundreds of thousands of people in Yang City."

A sedan chair was lifted by all who passed beneath it. Both men were old hands; after a few simple pleasantries, the atmosphere became harmonious. Once they were seated, they began getting to the point.

The Zhang Family and Yang City's current County Magistrate had worked together amicably for years, exchanging benefits too numerous to count. Thus, Zhang Yongfeng did not beat around the bush.

"County Magistrate Lord knows that I, Zhang Yongfeng, have exhausted myself for the tens of thousands of fathers, elders, and fellow townspeople of Yang City—generating revenue for Yang City and profits for the Empire's achievements. Yet there are always petty men dragging Yang City down."

"All of Zhang's painstaking efforts are going to waste. Zhang is heartbroken, truly heartbroken."

"Oh?" The County Magistrate's eyes widened as he hurried forward to soothe him.

"Brother, do not grieve. Tell your elder brother who these people are, and I will stand up for you."

Zhang Yongfeng casually drew a roster from his sleeve.

After taking the roster and giving it a brief glance, the County Magistrate frowned.

"Ah, Brother Zhang, you've given me a difficult problem. Quite a few people on this roster are capable hands of the County Office. This leaves me..."

Capable hands my ass. How many of them actually listened to you? he grumbled inwardly, though his expression did not change in the slightest.

Reaching into his sleeve again, Zhang Yongfeng took out two Silver Notes worth one thousand taels each. They quietly fell to the ground, and he swiftly picked them up again.

"County Magistrate Lord, are these Silver Notes you dropped?"

"Ah, ah, yes, yes. Look at me, getting old—I can't even handle such a small thing properly."

"Not at all, not at all. County Magistrate Lord has simply overworked himself for the people of Yang City. Overworked himself."

After putting away the two thousand taels' worth of Silver Notes, the County Magistrate still wore a troubled expression, though it had faded somewhat.

Zhang Yongfeng understood at once. He knew the County Magistrate was not satisfied with money alone and wanted something else.

Zhang Yongfeng cleared his throat and slowly said,

"Ahem, County Magistrate Lord, this year, thanks to your care, our Zhang Family Merchant Guild has flourished. This year's taxes paid to the Empire will be thirty percent higher than before."

Before his words had even finished falling, Zhang Yongfeng raised the stakes further.

"County Magistrate Lord is a man of great talent. After several years of management, you have developed Yang City from the impoverished, dilapidated county it once was into what it is today.

"For County Magistrate Lord to remain a mere County Magistrate in Yang City would truly be to put great talent to petty use and wrong you greatly. My son has a master who serves as an official in the Capital City. If he were to learn of County Magistrate Lord's abilities..."

In an instant,

The two men met each other's eyes and smiled faintly. Everything was understood without a word.

"Ah, though these people are capable hands of the County Office, a family has its rules, and a state has its laws. No one may break the law."

Zhang Yongfeng cupped his hands in thanks.

"County Magistrate Lord is righteous!"

"Haha, this County Magistrate merely enforces the law impartially, enforces the law impartially. Beneath the law, there is no mercy."