Zhou Binglin crossed the corridor and approached the study. He saw several people carrying something out, covered in white cloth, with blood dripping from it.
"What happened?"
He frowned and stopped a steward to ask.
The steward shuddered. Seeing that it was Zhou Binglin, he reported, "It was a maid from Fourth Madam's courtyard! The master was already worried about winter relief, and then Third Madam grabbed hold of this girl, saying she had sticky fingers. After looking into it, they found she'd just been unlucky, so they beat her to death..."
Zhou Binglin shuddered as well. He went to the study and lightly knocked on the door. "Father!"
"Binglin? Come in!"
Zhou Binglin entered quietly, bowed respectfully, and hardly dared to breathe.
"How did things go?"
Though he had just had a servant beaten to death, Zhou Tong'an's face was calm, his scholarly air in full display. He looked every inch the virtuous Confucian.
"An agreement has been reached. Third Uncle's family put up fifty taels of silver, and the land went to Fourth Aunt's family. They'll also receive an extra shi of grain every year."
Zhou Binglin spoke softly.
"Every last one of them—over a bit of land and silver, they'll even forget their ancestors!"
Zhou Tong'an snorted. "They're all relatives, yet they'll fight each other red-eyed. They're truly no better than beasts!"
"There are countless family affairs to deal with, and the other great households are no different. The Zhou family has managed to remain stable thanks to Father holding the center and planning everything from behind the scenes!"
Zhou Binglin bowed. He meant every word. He knew that the larger a lineage grew, the harder it was to treat everyone fairly. Every branch and household was like a pack of wolves.
Without his father's skill, they would indeed have struggled to hold things together.
"Ah... As long as both sides agree, that's good."
Zhou Tong'an asked about the details, and Zhou Binglin answered each question. Only then did Zhou Tong'an let out a long breath. "You handled this errand well, though you still lack a little finesse..."
He offered a few more pointers, then continued, "It's the depths of winter. Keep an eye on every household's firewood, rice, and flour. Don't let anything run short. Keep a close watch on our household-born servants, too, and make sure they don't go without food. The new county magistrate has just taken office. If anyone freezes or starves now, it'll reflect poorly on all of us!"
"Of course. I confirmed the supplies early and arranged the money and grain... But what about the accounts office?"
Zhou Binglin hesitated.
"Let's wait a little longer. Martial Master Song should arrive in a day or two. Once that silver shipment of theirs is escorted here, things will be easier..."
Zhou Tong'an sighed, too.
Others thought the Zhou family was a great household, clad in silks and fine foods, with gold and silver piled high. They didn't realize that supporting this enormous family—with over a thousand clansmen, not to mention the household-born servants and slaves—cost a mountain and a sea of money. And that was without counting the two members with Official Status who needed support.
For now, they were still counting on Zhou Tongren and Chief Clerk Hu to advance further. Naturally, their superiors had to be properly attended to.
Among Great Zhou's officials, those who wanted a peaceful life could keep their heads down and go with the flow. They would earn merit without making enemies, and by the time they grew old, they could still accumulate a considerable fortune.
But anyone hoping to climb higher had to first make sure their superiors received their due. They couldn't squeeze their subordinates too hard, either, and had to win people over from time to time. The expenses were enormous, and the Zhou family had to shoulder them all.
"Speaking of that, I'm a little uneasy. Go ask again..."
Zhou Tong'an had just started speaking when hurried footsteps rang out. "Master, something terrible has happened!"
A man entered. Zhou Binglin recognized him as Old Zhou, the steward his father trusted most. He clutched a letter in his hand.
Though Zhou Binglin badly wanted to see it, he didn't even dare turn his head. He feared it would be taken as proof that he coveted the position of family head, and his heart sank with bitterness.
"Whelp!"
Bang!
Zhou Tong'an took the letter. After reading a few lines, he flew into a rage and slapped the table. Cups and bowls crashed to the floor, shattering into a mess.
"Father, please calm down!"
Zhou Binglin and Old Zhou both dropped to their knees. Now he could ask, "What happened?"
"Take a look... Just take a look... That brat from the Wu family has some nerve!" Zhou Tong'an flung the letter at him, striking Zhou Binglin in the face. It stung sharply.
There was no time to dwell on it. Zhou Binglin hurriedly read the letter, and his heart clenched. "He actually dared to..."
As a scion of a great family, he felt a vague fear of such a table-flipping approach, where someone made a move without warning. "Could we explain the situation and ask the authorities to help suppress them?"
"Idiot!"
Zhou Tong'an roared, then pointed at Old Zhou. "You tell him!"
Old Zhou smiled bitterly. "Young Master, that won't work! The Wu family's Township Inspector has already filed a report with the county office, saying they launched a night raid on a bandit gang and wiped out Jie Tianfeng's group of more than fifty men. The county magistrate is going to commend them... As long as they insist the goods were seized from the bandits' stronghold, we have no evidence. There's nothing we can do..."
"Wu Ming..."
Zhou Binglin was surprised. In his memory, Wu Ming had been nothing but a spoiled wastrel. He hadn't realized until now that the man had shown his true colors: decisive, ruthless, and vicious to the extreme.
"Good! Good! Very good!"
Zhou Tong'an let out a cold laugh. "The tiger's been keeping its claws sheathed, and you thought the Zhou family was a sick cat... Old Zhou, give the order. Have Black Tiger and Earth Dragon get moving. Put all our martial instructors into the ranks. Send the Chief Steward, the Second Steward, and several Attendants as well. Open the armory and let them pick the best equipment... Hmph! When it comes to elite fighters, does the Wu family have anything on the Zhou family? I'll make sure he has no place to bury his corpse!"
Zhou Binglin shuddered. Black Tiger and Earth Dragon were famous bandits in Yunping County. Even he hadn't known until now that they were dogs raised by his own family!
And now his father had clearly given up on handling this through official channels. He meant to crush Wu Ming with force!
Zhou Tong'an pointed at Zhou Binglin again. "To stay safe, rely on Literary Talent in times of peace and force in times of chaos. You're going with them this time! You will bring that brat's head back to me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Though he was unwilling, Zhou Binglin had no choice but to kneel and accept the order.
But just then, another steward rushed in to report, holding a bamboo tube in both hands. "A flying letter from the Dao Academy. It's the highest-priority kind!"
"Hand it over!"
Zhou Tong'an took it. A ring on his hand glowed, and the bamboo tube split open by itself, revealing a scroll of ancient paper.
"This..."
After reading a few lines, Zhou Tong'an seemed to have had the heart torn out of him. He slumped in his chair. After a long while, he sighed. "Cancel this operation for now!"
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Zhou Binglin suddenly thought Zhou Tong'an looked more hunched over, as if he had aged several years.
Spoon Mountain, inside the bandit stronghold.
Wu Ming had already made his preparations, yet now he understood what it meant when man's plans fell short of Heaven's.
"Hm? A letter from my sister?"
He hadn't received any retaliation from the Zhou family. Instead, Wu Qing's letter arrived, leaving him quite confused. But once he opened and read it, he understood.
"My sister wrote that she's already forced the Zhou family to swallow their losses... Of course, I went a little too far, too. In exchange, the Dao Academy won't accept me anymore. She told me not to rush and said she'd think of another way..."
Wu Ming put the letter away in his robe and rubbed his nose, feeling a little awkward.
Being sheltered beneath his sister's wings had been only natural to the former wastrel. But Wu Ming himself disliked the feeling of owing someone a favor.
"Actually, I could've handled it myself!"
Unfortunately, he had no way to explain that to anyone.
If I'd followed my plan, lured them deep into the mountains, and sustained myself through battle, I could've wiped out the Zhou family's elite forces in one fell swoop! Then the Zhou family would've been a tiger with its teeth pulled, there for me to toy with. I could even have forged a surprise force of hardened veterans!
His original plan had been to wait for the Zhou family's retaliation, then use the food, medicine, and even talismans provided by the Main God Hall to annihilate their hidden forces deep in the mountains!
That would leave the Zhou family with no armed force to protect them. They'd become a huge piece of fat, and might even suffer a ruined household and never recover.
That was what it meant to pull out the weeds by the roots and drain the pond to catch the fish—a scheme that would leave them powerless to retaliate.
Of course, Wu Ming knew that materializing supplies out of nowhere would inevitably raise questions. But this world had Daoist objects like mustard-seed pouches and spatial rings, even if they were especially rare. County-level great households like the Zhou family simply had no access to them. He could easily use one as a cover.
Then, after finishing the job, he could quietly lend a hand to wipe out the forces targeting Wu Qing. That would repay his debt and settle the karmic ties of this body. After that, the whole world would be open to him; he could advance or retreat as he pleased.
Even if the worst came to pass, he could leave in style. With the Main God Hall at his back, he could go anywhere under Heaven!
But now, those karmic ties had only grown deeper.
"Ah... A beauty's favor weighs heavy, and I can't exactly repay it by marrying her. What am I supposed to do..."
Wu Ming shook his head, as if trying to cast out some unhealthy thoughts. "Someone! Tell Feng Han we're going back!"
As for the letter's warning that he couldn't enter the Dao Academy, Wu Ming ignored it outright.
It was only a county-level Dao Academy. Wu Ming already had plenty of Daoist Incantations in his possession, so he hardly cared.
It was a pity he couldn't get a steady stream of incantations from the Dao Academy, but that only meant he'd have to earn a few more merits. Wu Ming, who was determined to become the master of the Main God Hall, didn't take that to heart.
For the tenant farmers of the Zhou and Wu families, the past few days had been remarkably peaceful.
The air was even filled with the festive cheer of the New Year, and when Wu Ming returned, the mood reached its peak.
"Young Master, we took in five thousand taels of silver, fifteen pieces of fine jade, as well as refined iron, green salt, and all sorts of gifts. Conservatively speaking, it's worth at least fifteen thousand taels of silver!"
Zhao Song reported to Wu Ming, his face alight with excitement.
"Good! I promised that two tenths would go toward compensation, which comes to three thousand taels. One hundred taels per person, and the families of the disabled and the fallen will each receive an extra five mu of land!"
As Wu Ming spoke, Zhao Song's face lit up with intense excitement. He dropped to his knees. "The family head is wise! We're all willing to give our lives for you!"
This expedition hadn't been especially dangerous, yet the spoils were generous. Naturally, everyone was satisfied.
To be honest, Wu Ming had considered this beforehand.
Even if the Zhou family had sent out all their elite fighters and the two sides had fought to the death in the shadows, as long as no major figure was killed, publicly it would look no worse than a mistaken casualty during a bandit suppression—or even a brawl between two villages.
If he succeeded in one fell swoop, he would strip away the Zhou family's hidden and potential forces. How long could two men with Official Status protect them?
Unfortunately, plans never kept pace with change!
Before you continue