Wang Family Incident

Wang Family Incident

The Wang Family.

After hearing the news Wang Renjie had brought him, Wang Renxiong burst into laughter. "Ha ha! First place in the Martial Child Assessment? Excellent, absolutely excellent! Just what I'd expect from my son!"

He looked just like a father watching his son come into his own.

Beside him, the second madam, whose face had a foxlike charm, wore a smile on her fair, tender face, but her eyes were full of cold light. Every so often, she shot Wang Renjie a glance brimming with anger.

She knew exactly why Wang Renjie had come to tell Wang Renxiong the news. He wanted to use it to change Wang Renxiong's mind, and, for the sake of that little bastard, bring back the woman who had left with nothing! Now, aside from Wang Renxiong, she had the final say in every major and minor affair of the Wang Family. Wang Renjie wanted that woman back, which plainly meant he intended to wrest power from her!

In the past, even if Wang Renjie had tried to persuade Wang Renxiong, she wouldn't have given it a second thought. She knew how furious Wang Renxiong was with the woman who had left with nothing. Wang Renxiong was obsessed with saving face. His own woman had dared to sever their ties, even at the cost of leaving with nothing. It was as good as slapping him hard across the face!

Wang Renxiong valued his dignity more than his life. There was no way he would tolerate something like that! Getting him to take the woman back was simply impossible!

But times had changed. That woman's son had actually placed first in the Martial Child Assessment! Heaven knew how he'd managed it.

As far as she knew, Wang Renxiong had disliked the boy because, aside from the birthmark on his body, he had judged the boy's aptitude to be mediocre. Yet now he had come first in the Martial Child Assessment! It was almost unbelievable!

At that moment, the second madam felt a threat deep in her heart. On one hand, it was because of Wang Renxiong's words just now. His attitude clearly showed that he admired Zhang He. On the other, it was because of her position in the Wang Family. For so many years, she had controlled many of the family's affairs, but in name, she had always remained the second madam!

She had even tried, in bed, to whisper sweet nothings in Wang Renxiong's ear, hoping he would elevate her status and make her the rightful first madam! But every time, Wang Renxiong had dodged the matter and changed the subject. It had been like a thorn lodged in her heart all this time. Now, that thorn had begun to dig deep!

Wang Renjie could naturally sense the fox woman's hostility toward him. But he no longer cared. Still, watching Wang Renxiong laugh away, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Big Brother, oh, Big Brother. You were the one who cast her aside. How can you still have the nerve to say that?

Wang Renjie knew he had to strike while the iron was hot. He hurriedly said, "Big Brother, don't you think it's time to bring them back? It can't have been easy for them out there..."

Wang Renxiong's laughter abruptly stopped. His expression turned cold as he looked at Wang Renjie and said icily, "Bring them back? Hmph. Have you all forgotten what happened back then? If I bring her back just like that, what becomes of my dignity?"

Wang Renjie's eyes lit up slightly at Wang Renxiong's words. Previously, when his big brother rejected the idea, he never gave a reason. Wang Renjie knew Wang Renxiong's temper inside out. The moment he heard him offer an excuse, he knew there was a chance!

"Big Brother, the Family Ranking Assembly is coming up. Even for the sake of the family's interests, you ought to bring Sister-in-law and the others back." Wang Renjie made a show of persuading him. He didn't mention their feelings as husband and wife, only the family's interests. Wang Renxiong was sure to be swayed.

This was the opening he needed! Wang Renjie knew Wang Renxiong already regretted what he'd done. It was just that his twisted pride kept him from taking action. As long as Wang Renjie said it was for the family's interests, Wang Renxiong could use that as a graceful way down!

"Alas." Wang Renxiong seemed troubled. After a moment's thought, he nodded faintly. "Fine. For the sake of the family's interests, I'll put my pride aside!"

Wang Renjie was overjoyed!

"Husband, how can you do that? Have you forgotten what she and her son did when they left? They threw your dignity on the ground and trampled it underfoot!" The second madam suddenly stood up and shouted.

"You can't put it that way. Big Brother is acting entirely for the family's interests. Compared to the family's interests, what do personal humiliation and honor matter?" Wang Renjie rebuked her righteously, ignoring the resentment blazing in her eyes as he went on urging Wang Renxiong. "Big Brother, to show your sincerity, I think you should go there in person! It's all for the family's interests!"

Wang Renxiong nodded. "Fine. For the sake of the family's interests, I'll go there in person. Second Brother, you can prepare everything else." With that, he rose and left.

The second madam collapsed into her chair.

Wang Renjie gave her a faint, cold smile, then strode away. From this moment on, the Wang Family would be turned upside down. Wretched woman, you used your despicable tricks to deceive Big Brother back then. Now it's time to pay for it!

The Zhang Family.

"Swear allegiance?" Zhang He was baffled when he heard Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui explain why they'd come.

"That's right. You're now a third-rank noble household, and you'll have a fief. When the time comes, you'll need people to follow you. A noble household without a few followers would look pretty pathetic," Fatty Tang said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, following a noble household means small families like ours can not only receive protection, but also get some relief from taxes. All in all, we're sure to come out ahead by following you."

Wang Dachui nodded too. "Actually, we only just learned about this. Before we came, a few families had already invited us to join them, but we turned them all down."

Zhang He understood what had happened. The two of them had only just learned about swearing allegiance, and they'd immediately come to offer themselves to him. With the potential Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui had shown, any family would treat them well. They'd passed up the others and come straight to Zhang He. Perhaps they also wanted to repay his kindness.

"Ha ha, I welcome everyone. It's just that my fief hasn't been assigned yet. We can talk about it after it's been settled."

Although Zhang He had now earned the status of a Cold Gate household, he would still have to wait a while for his fief to be assigned. The arrangements for a fief involved too many factors. They could only be finalized after weighing all sides.

"That's fine." Fatty Tang nodded without a care. "We'll just follow you from now on. They say it's cool beneath a big tree. In another twenty years, at the next Family Ranking Conference, your children will have been born, and then they can aim for an even higher noble rank!"

"The next Family Ranking Conference? Heh, that's a long way off." Zhang He smiled at that. He knew a little about the Family Ranking Conference. Held once every twenty years, it was an enormous event! Especially for ambitious families, each conference was the perfect opportunity to spread their wings and make a name for themselves!

Families wishing to attend the Family Ranking Conference had to send five contestants. They had to be direct descendants of the family and under thirty years old. If anyone was found to be over thirty, or not a direct descendant, their family would be disqualified on the spot!

"Besides, you need a certain amount of family wealth to qualify for registration. All the money I have right now came from selling Five Poison Beads through the Wang Family Pharmacy. Compared to those big households, it really isn't much."

Zhang He wasn't particularly concerned about the Family Ranking Assembly.

"Come on, you two probably haven't eaten yet. Stay and eat with me."

The Zhao Family.

Zhao Wencai and Zhao Zhiben sat drinking gloomily at the wine table.

"He's just some little Martial Child. So what if he won a Cold Gate seat? At most, he'll become a third-rank noble household! It'll still be a piece of cake for us to deal with him! Third Uncle, you've worked hard all these years over affairs at the Martial Child Academy. You can take this chance to rest for a while. Once things die down, you can return to the Martial Child Academy as before. And if you can't go back there, you can always find somewhere else." Zhao Feng poured Zhao Wencai a drink as he comforted him.

As it happened, he was the reason this whole mess had started, and he felt a little ashamed. But beneath the shame, his hatred for Zhang He had surged sky-high.

"This time, we really did hit a snag. Who would've thought that boy everyone looked down on could rise like a soaring roc? Not only did he come first in the Martial Child Assessment, he even won Prince Qu's favor."

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

"Zhang He has Prince Qu's full attention. It won't be easy to deal with him. The slightest mistake could bring disaster down on us, so we should take our time with this." Zhao Zhiben was the more levelheaded of the two. He raised his cup and urged Zhao Wencai to drink. Then he caught sight of the calculating gleam in his son's eyes and couldn't help asking, "Zhao Feng, you haven't provoked Zhang He these past few days, have you?"

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

"Good. Zhang He is on top of the world right now, and he's earned the favor of those above us. We can't touch him for now. How's it going with getting on his good side?"

Now you want me to get on that commoner's good side!

Zhao Feng could only say, "There's a conflict between us, and it won't be easy to resolve it right away. I'll wait until things have died down a bit before I try to get on his good side. That way, it'll have an effect. Dad, don't worry."

Zhao Feng was all talk. As he spoke, he was seething with hatred for Zhang He!

So what if a mere commoner had risen to become a Cold Gate household? Killing him would be a piece of cake. His father and second uncle were so cautious; they thought far too highly of that brat!

"By the way, now that the Martial Child Assessment is over, go visit Luowang Prefecture. Your maternal grandmother misses you. You should pay your uncles a proper visit too."

Zhao Feng nodded.