Protect Our Clan Leader

After witnessing two almost identical dramas in a row, Chen Fangjie felt drained and bored.

On the other hand, Wang Mei seemed to revel in this, becoming even more exuberant. She apparently loved these times, marking her as someone quite capable.

Wang Shouzhe would never have expected this unassuming housemaid Wang Mei to be lusting after him.

That’s it for this situation.

In general, Wang Shouzhe was satisfied with the completion of the second stage of the task. Not only had he sold forty thousand loads of grain at a high price, but he’d successfully planted a damaging seed in the hearts of Liu Yongzhou and Zhao Dingtian to serve the next phase of the plan.

Then, as per the original plan, the Chen Clan of Donggang dispatched two large merchant ships, symbols of identification removed. The Wang family, in anticipation, transported the grains to Fenggu Farm first. They devoted a large workforce and worked through the night to load the grain onto the large merchant ships.

Though moving the grain back and forth seems like a waste of manpower and resources, in these special times, a bit more caution equates to a bit more safety.

For a Profound Martial family that can be passed down through generations, what’s crucial is not about explosive profit, but a single word.

Stability!

Attaining stability is no easy task, but two primary approaches can be laid out: avoiding risks, and resisting risks.

Had it not been for the internal and external troubles faced by the Wang family, Wang Shouzhe would rather not confront the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan prematurely. He would prefer to manage the overall situation, establish long-term plans, and eventually crush the opponents with sheer momentum.

Given the present circumstances, however, he can only strive for the best possible outcome.

Time ticks by day by day.

On this day.

Just like usual, Wang Shouzhe was cultivating. When he went to the martial arts field, a gleam of suppressed light was dashed in his eyes as his aura started to rise sharply.

“Family Head, have you broken through?” Wang Gui, the little servant, sensed that powerful aura and asked with joy and surprise.

“I’ve just broken through to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm,” said Wang Shouzhe serenely, though there was a hint of joy in his words. A while ago, he’d reached the peak of level six. After some days of solidifying and refining, he’d made a monumental breakthrough tonight, swallowing a Cultivation Pill and clenching a Spirit Stone for an aggressive push.

Thanks to a solid accumulation, as well as proper resources and luck, he managed to break through on the first try.

From today onwards, Wang Shouzhe commands the power of the Advanced Stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

At eighteen, he’s at the Qi Refining Realm level seven!

Among everyone in Changning Defense, this is quite a remarkable achievement. Thinking back, the Old Ancestor Longyan had also reached this level of achievement at eighteen, only slightly earlier by a few months.

Just after the breakthrough, his Mysterious Energy’s quality and quantity, as well as his physical condition, took a significant leap upward.

What followed was a period to be spent on diligent cultivation to stabilize and familiarize with this new level of power as soon as possible. However, ascending to the Qi Refining Realm Level Eight would not be as easy, nor would it be achievable in a short period of time.

At the training field, Wang Shouzhe practiced Profound Martial fighting techniques, movement techniques, swordsmanship, and bowstring control. It was clear that he was much stronger than before. Not to mention fighting two of his old selves, he felt he could probably handle two average sixth-level Qi Refiners. That is, average ones…

After a round of cultivation, when the sun became somewhat scorching, and his whole body was sore and achy, Wang Shouzhe decided to head back for a bath.

He then brewed a small pot of Yangshan Petite Spirit Variety in the side hall to refresh and focus his mind, and began dealing with some miscellaneous matters.

“Family Head, these are the recent intelligence reports about the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan,” offered Wang Gui, presenting some letters and reports.

As Wang Shouzhe flipped through the reports, his brows gradually furrowed. After he’d read the last one, he slammed his hand on the table with its cold eyes brimming with rage. “Wolves are always wolves. Even when they wear a human skin, they cannot hide the greed and cruelty in their bones.”

Although he had expected the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan to resort to all means necessary once they began their strategy of annexation and their methods wouldn’t be soft, Wang Shouzhe hadn’t imagined their methods could be so despicably greedy.

Take the Liu Clan as an example, they rule over around two thousand households, owning roughly forty thousand acres of fertile land. Affected dramatically by this recent pestilence, these freeholding farmers have suffered significantly. Many poorly managed families don’t even have any grain left after paying the grain tax.

However, among these farmers, there were also a good many middle and even wealthy ones.

These richer families had deeper pockets and the habit of hoarding some grain. Therefore, as a whole, although these freeholding farmers were still short of grain, they could borrow from one another and manage to survive, albeit with difficulty, through this famine year.

But once the Liu Clan got involved, they began by arresting a group of middle-class farmers who had hoarded a bit of grain. These farmers had dared to privately loan grain to others and even had contracts to get the grain back two-fold after the autumn harvest.

Eventually, these middle-class farmers had to forfeit part of their land to secure the “forgiveness” of the Liu Clan.

That was not even the worst part. Some wealthy families, seeing how their fellow villagers were suffering, came forward to give loans to the desperate ones without charging any interest.

This undoubtedly violated the core interests of the Liu Clan. They secretly recruited some thugs among independent cultivators to make daily ruckuses in the residences of philanthropic rich families, demanding “relief.” This led to these rich families closing themselves off as a means of self-protection.

One rich family, more tenacious, continued to surreptitiously provide relief to others. As a result, they suffered a night raid by a group of independent cultivators, resulting in the demise of all ten members of their family, from the elderly to young children.

The Liu Clan had only one goal: to force impoverished families to mortgage their land in exchange for their stored grain. According to intelligence, not many self-sufficient farmers have done so yet.

However, as time went on and the “famine” made worse by human factors grew more severe, people were bound to be unable to withstand the circumstances. Eventually, they would have to exchange their lands for those overpriced grains.

In response to the locust infestation, to avoid the consequences of a large influx of homeless people, the different regions are usually sealed off; civilians find it rather hard to move about. This has brought a lot of convenience to Liu Clan’s plan.

The Liu Clan’s demand isn’t much. They only wanted to annex one-tenth of the land in their territory. If they use ruthless methods, they will undoubtedly achieve their goal in two months.

Of course, as a prominent family, the Liu Clan would not violate the Da Qian Law on the surface.

They would adopt the same method as used in the trade between Dantai and the Liu Clan, known as Qian gold mortgage loans. This ensured that they would not incur legal liability on record.

This is the so-called ‘countermeasures in response to policies.’ In rural areas, prominent families are like local emperors to the common people. When they disregard their reputation, they can do whatever they please.

At this moment, Wang Shouzhe somewhat regretted “selling” the stored grain to the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan.

But this thought was brief, as even if he did not take action, the Liu and Zhao clans would still get grains from somewhere else and implement the same plan. This would only end up aiding their cronies, and the situation would get out of control.

The resentment of the people has risen. Notify Wang Zhong to reel it in and initiate the assassination plan. At the same time, find out the whereabouts of that group of independent cultivators that exterminated an entire family.” With a solemn expression, Wang Shouzhe wrote a secret order and had a member of the household deliver it.

While delay would accummulate more public resentment, and moving in for the kill when resentment is at its peak would be more advantageous for the Wang Family’s future plans. However, this could also lead to more tragedies for ordinary families.

After handling this issue, a few drinks of Yangshan Petite Spirit variety helped calm his emotions.

“Family Head, don’t forget that the second young master of the Liu Clan is visiting today.” Wang Gui cautiously reminded, discerning Wang Shouzhe’s mood.

The second young master of the Liu Clan?

With the reminder, Wang Shouzhe remembered the letter received from the Liu Clan a few days ago. The Clan Leader’s second son of the Liu Clan, Liu Yuanrui, was expected to arrive at Dingpu Ferry around noon today to visit the Wang family.

Wang Shouzhe and Miss Liu, Liu Ruolan, have already been betrothed. According to the protocol, the Wang family had to send a suitable representative to welcome Liu Yuanrui. Such reception tasks are usually assigned to the heir apparent.

However, since Wang Shouzhe isn’t married yet and Liu Yuanrui would be his future brother-in-law, he had no choice but to welcome him personally.

A carriage was prepared, along with some fruits. Two house guards were summoned as well.

The party set off for Dingpu Ferry and the carriage passed along the outer edge of Zhuwei Lake.

The shore of Zhuwei Lake had already changed. Over a hundred strong men from among the Wang family’s tenant farmers had been assigned here to clear the reeds surrounding Zhuwei Lake, level the land, and construct sheds.

The work was overseen by the third in the line of the Shou generation of the Wang family—Wang Shounuo. The burly, tanned young man was initially busy organizing the strong men to unload some timber and stones. On seeing Wang Shouzhe’s carriage, he greeted him from afar and continued working.

The construction of these sheds was meant to serve the next stage of the plan. Since his younger cousin was busy, he didn’t interrupt his work.

The carriage continued swaying and shaking on the road, finally reaching Dingpu Ferry.

This ferry point also housed some of the Wang family’s businesses, such as stalls and ferries. However, most of the tasks, including heavy lifting, were assigned to the collateral branches of the Wang family, yielding only small profits.

Wang Shouzhe went straight to the Deep Water Pier. Not even a quarter of an hour had passed before he saw a ferry arriving. Upon docking, Liu Yuanrui and his entourage were the first to disembark.

From a distance, Wang Shouzhe went forward to greet him with a smile, “Master Yuanrui, your visit is an honor. I do apologize for not coming to receive you earlier.”

Liu Yuanrui was not yet sixteen. Although he looked somewhat juvenile, his robust attire made him appear somewhat like a valiant young man.

He too was smiling broadly as he quickly advanced, returning the gesture, “Brother Shouzhe, I am sorry for the abrupt visit. Please forgive me.” His elegant demeanor and refined air put people at ease.

Being the descendants of a prominent martial family, especially those from the main line, they receive elite education from a young age. Their manners, behavior, and protocols are greatly emphasized. There do exist instances of rowdy scions hailing from such families, but they are rarely seen. Especially in public, they always portray themselves as gentlemen with impeccable manners.

While the two were exchanging pleasantries,

A young girl’s voice rang out from behind Liu Yuanrui, “Brother-in-law, you’re even more handsome than I imagined.”

Brother-in-law?