The Wang Family Incident

Wang Family.

Upon hearing the news brought by Wang Renjie, Wang Renxiong burst into hearty laughter. "Haha! To actually secure first place in the Martial Child Assessment—not bad, truly not bad! He is worthy of being my, Wang Renxiong's, own flesh and blood!"

His demeanor was exactly that of a father seeing his son achieve greatness.

Beside him, the fox-faced Second Mistress wore a smile on her delicate, fair-skinned face, yet her eyes were filled with icy glints. The glances she occasionally cast toward Wang Renjie were brimming with fury.

She knew full well why Wang Renjie had come to tell Wang Renxiong this news. He wanted to use this information to make Wang Renxiong have a change of heart and, for the sake of that little bastard, welcome back the woman who had left with nothing but the clothes on her back! Currently, aside from Wang Renxiong, she was the one who called the shots on all matters, big and small, in the Wang family. Wang Renjie bringing that woman back was clearly an attempt to seize power from her!

If this were the past, she wouldn't have taken Wang Renjie's persuasion to heart, no matter how much he tried. She knew that Wang Renxiong was filled with rage toward the woman who had walked out on him. Wang Renxiong was a man who valued his face above all else; for his own woman to dare to sever ties with him at the cost of leaving with nothing was like a heavy slap across his face.

A man who valued his reputation more than his own life would never tolerate such a thing! It was impossible to imagine him bringing that woman back.

However, times had changed. That woman's son had actually taken first place in the Martial Child Assessment! Heaven only knew how he had managed it.

According to her understanding, the reason Wang Renxiong had disliked the boy in the past—aside from a birthmark—was his judgment that the child had mediocre talent. Yet, he was now the top performer in the Martial Child Assessment! It was truly hard to believe.

At this moment, the Second Mistress felt a threat from the bottom of her heart. On one hand, it was because of Wang Renxiong's words just now; his attitude clearly showed his admiration for Zhang He. On the other hand, it was a matter of her own status in the Wang family. For so many years, although she had controlled many affairs within the family, her title had always remained that of the Second Mistress.

She had once used their intimate moments in bed to whisper in Wang Renxiong's ear, hoping he would elevate her status to that of the legitimate First Mistress. Yet, every time, Wang Renxiong would evade the subject and change the topic. This matter had always been a thorn in her side, and at this moment, that thorn had begun to prick her severely.

Wang Renjie, standing nearby, naturally sensed the vixen's hostility toward him. However, he no longer cared. Seeing Wang Renxiong laughing heartily, he couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. Big Brother, oh Big Brother, you already cast them aside, so how do you have the face to say such things now?

Nevertheless, Wang Renjie knew he had to strike while the iron was hot. He quickly said, "Big Brother, look, is it possible to invite them back now? It hasn't been easy for them out there..."

Wang Renxiong's laughter stopped abruptly. His expression turned stern as he looked at Wang Renjie and said coldly, "Invite them back? Hmph, have you all forgotten what happened back then? If I just invite her back like this, where would I put my face?"

Hearing these words, Wang Renjie's eyes brightened slightly. Previously, when his brother refused this request, he never bothered to offer a reason. Wang Renjie knew Wang Renxiong's temper perfectly well; the moment he heard him speak like this, he knew there was a chance!

"Big Brother, the Family Ranking Conference is almost upon us. Even if only for the sake of the family's interests, you should invite them back." Wang Renjie feigned a persuasive tone, avoiding talk of marital affection and focusing solely on family interests. Wang Renxiong would surely be moved.

This was a stepping stone! Wang Renjie knew that Wang Renxiong had long felt regret, but his twisted pride had prevented him from acting. As long as he provided the excuse of family interests, Wang Renxiong would use it as a slope to climb down.

"Sigh." Wang Renxiong seemed conflicted. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded faintly. "Very well. For the sake of the family's interests, I shall set aside my pride!"

Wang Renjie was overjoyed!

"Husband, how can you do this! Have you forgotten what she and her son did when they left? They were clearly throwing your face onto the ground and trampling it underfoot!" The Second Mistress stood up abruptly and shouted.

"That is not the way to put it. Big Brother is acting entirely for the sake of the family's interests. What is personal honor compared to the interests of the family?" Wang Renjie retorted with righteous indignation. Ignoring the resentment radiating from the Second Mistress's eyes, he continued to urge Wang Renxiong, "Big Brother, to show your sincerity, I believe you should go in person! Everything is for the sake of the family's interests!"

Wang Renxiong nodded. "Very well. For the sake of the family's interests, I shall pay a visit in person! As for the rest, Second Brother, you go and make the preparations." With that, Wang Renxiong rose and left.

The Second Mistress collapsed into her chair.

Wang Renjie watched her with a faint, cold smile before striding away. From this moment on, the winds were changing in the Wang family. You vile woman, you used despicable means to seduce my brother back then; now, it is time for you to pay the price!

Zhang Family.

"Allegiance?" Zhang He was momentarily confused when Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui explained their intentions.

"That's right. You are now a Third-Rank Noble, which means you will be granted a fief. When that time comes, you will need people to follow you. If a noble has no followers, it is very embarrassing," Fatty Tang said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, by following a noble, small families like ours can not only receive protection but also get a reduction in taxes. In short, following you definitely won't be a loss."

Wang Dachui nodded as well. "Actually, we only just learned about these things ourselves. Before we came here, several families had already approached us to join them, but we turned them all down."

Zhang He understood the situation. These two had just learned about the concept of allegiance and had immediately rushed over to pledge themselves to him. Given the potential shown by Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui, they would have been welcomed with open arms by any family. Yet, they had abandoned others to come to Zhang He; perhaps, in their hearts, there was also a desire to repay his kindness.

"Haha, all are welcome. However, my fief has not been allocated yet. It won't be too late to discuss this once the land is settled," Zhang He said with a smile.

Although he had now attained the status of a Cold Gate noble, the allocation of his fief would still take some time. Matters of land required balancing too many factors and could only be determined after careful consideration from multiple sides.

"That's fine," Fatty Tang nodded nonchalantly. "Anyway, we'll just follow your lead from now on. As the saying goes, it's easy to enjoy the shade under a big tree. I believe that in twenty years, at the next Family Ranking Conference, once your children are born, you'll be able to challenge for a higher noble rank!"

"The next Family Ranking Conference? Hehehe, that's too far off." Zhang He chuckled. He knew a thing or two about the Family Ranking Conference. It was held once every twenty years, and each time it was a grand event! Especially for those ambitious families, every conference was a perfect opportunity to expand their influence.

For a family to participate in the Family Ranking Conference, they had to send five contestants. These individuals had to be direct blood descendants of the family and under the age of thirty. If it were discovered that a contestant was over thirty or not a direct descendant, they would be immediately disqualified!

"Moreover, to register for the conference, one must possess a certain amount of family assets. All the money I have now was earned through the Wang Family Pharmacy by selling the Five Poison Beads. Compared to those wealthy families, it really isn't much."

Zhang He did not place much importance on the Family Ranking Conference.

"Come on, you two probably haven't eaten yet. Let's eat together here."

Zhao Family.

Zhao Wencai and Zhao Zhiben were drinking gloomily at the table.

"It's just a minor Martial Child, isn't it? Even if he obtained a Cold Gate seat, so what? At most, he's just a Third-Rank Noble! Dealing with him should be an easy task! Third Uncle, you have worked hard for the Martial Child Academy all these years; you can take this opportunity to rest for a while. Once the storm passes, you can return to the academy, or if not there, you can go elsewhere." Zhao Feng poured wine as he tried to comfort Zhao Wencai.

Come to think of it, this whole incident had started because of him, and he felt a sense of shame. Yet, beneath that shame, his hatred for Zhang He grew to monstrous proportions.

"This time, we truly capsized in a gutter. I never expected that a boy who was looked down upon could rise so rapidly, not only winning first place in the Martial Child Assessment but also gaining the favor of Prince Qu."

Zhao Wencai, the former head of the Martial Child Academy, wore a bitter expression.

"Zhang He is deeply favored by Prince Qu; it won't be easy to deal with him. A single misstep could bring disaster upon ourselves, so we must plan this carefully," Zhao Zhiben said wisely. He raised his glass to toast, but then caught the calculating glint in his son's eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Zhao Feng, you haven't provoked that Zhang He these past few days, have you?"

Zhao Feng shook his head like a rattle. "No!"

"That's good. Zhang He is currently at the height of his power and has gained favor from above; we cannot touch him for the time being. How are you doing with the task of befriending him?"

He wants me to go and befriend that commoner again!

Zhao Feng had no choice but to say, "There is bad blood between him and me, and it won't be resolved in a short while. Once some time has passed and the matter has faded, I will go to make amends with him; only then will it be effective. Father, you can rest assured."

Zhao Feng was being hypocritical; while he spoke those words, he hated Zhang He to death in his heart!

A mere commoner, so what if he had managed to crawl into a Cold Gate family! Toying with him until he died would be nothing more than a piece of cake. His father and second uncle were actually being so cautious—they were far too generous in their estimation of that brat!

"By the way, the Martial Child Assessment has concluded. You should take a trip to Luowang Prefecture. Your grandmother misses you, and you should also go and pay your respects to your uncle and the others."

Zhao Feng nodded.