Protect Our Clan Leader

It has to be admitted that women tend to be more meticulous in such matters when compared to men.

Although Wang Shouzhe was not exactly a straight male archtype, his mind moved around less when it came to these things. If it weren’t for his mother, Gongsun Hui, and his sister Luomei’s reminders, he might not have thought to bring gifts at all.

Fortunately, this silent interaction with Liu Ruolan at least helped him understand the meaning expressed by Liu Ruolan.

“Yuanrui, go back and tell your sister that I understand her intention,” said Wang Shouzhe solemnly.

Huh?

Liu Yuanrui was dumbfounded. His sister’s intention? What did she mean? Could it be that she had hidden some secret code in this return gift?

Despite his significant talents, he was still young after all.

And boys often seem less tactful in this regard compared to girls.

Putting this topic aside for now, Wang Shouzhe started to chat with Liu Yuanrui.

But Gongsun Hui asked for a brief leave.

Around an hour later.

Outside the main hall, Gongsun Hui’s voice came in: “Shouzhe, your great-grandfather is here, come out and greet him.”

Great – grandfather?

Wang Shouzhe was taken aback, and then he realized and rushed out with joy. Liu Yuanrui also followed out of curiosity.

Outside the main residence and the main hall.

A tall man in grey robes stood there. He looked only middle-aged, but his demeanor was like that of a towering mountain, unfathomable.

As for Mother Gongsun Hui, she was standing next to him obediently, like a small girl.

“Shouzhe is honored to meet Ancestor Meng,” Wang Shouzhe quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

“Shouzhe, you need not be so formal.”

The man in grey robes was naturally one of the two ancestors of the Gongsun Clan – Gongsun Meng, who was respectfully called Ancestor Meng by everyone in the family.

At this moment, Ancestor Meng was sizing up Wang Shouzhe and couldn’t help but reveal a satisfied smile, “Good, good. Shouzhe, you’ve reached the seventh level of Qi Refinement Realm at such a young age, which is very hard to achieve.”

Of course, what he was most satisfied with about Wang Shouzhe was not his cultivation progress, but the way he conducted himself, his style of doing things, and some of his means to control the situation.

“Ancestor Meng speaks highly of me,” Wang Shouzhe humbly and respectfully said, “I’ve only achieved what I have today because of the resources of the family. It was impolite of our Wang Clan not to greet you when you arrived. Why didn’t you give us a heads up, so we could’ve greeted you accordingly?”

“This visit was intended to be a secret, so of course we couldn’t make a show of it. It’s certainly not considered impolite,” Ancestor Meng laughed heartily, “I heard from Hui’er about your plans and actions. You’re doing well, the likes of wolves and other villains should be taught a lesson.”

Wang Shouzhe bowed and said, “Thank you for your support, Ancestor Meng. Please come inside so that I can properly host you.”

“Not for now,” Ancestor Meng laughed and waved his hand, then turned his gaze to Liu Yuanrui, gave a faint smile and said, “This child reveals the aura of the Liu Family’s cultivation technique, the ‘Origin Water Heart Sutra’. Is he a child of the Liu Family?”

Wang Shouzhe said, “Ancestor, this is Liu Yuanrui, the little brother of my fiancee, Liu Ruolan.”

Liu Yuanrui broke into a cold sweat and finally came out of his initial shock, quickly stepping forward to pay his respects, “Liu Yuanrui, greets Ancestor Meng.”

The Liu Family and the Gongsun Clan were in disagreement, but it was merely a matter of disharmony, not a case of being mortal enemies. It didn’t mean that younger generations could casually disregard an elder like Ancestor Meng from another clan.

“So you are one of the ‘Yuan’ generation of the Liu Family. A while ago, I met your older brother, Yuan Hui. He is quite promising and has the potential of reaching the Spiritual Platform. Given the resources of the Liu Family, he can be well-cultivated. However, you seem unstable and your physical conditions appear loose. In the future, you should focus more on cultivation. Whether or not one can reach the Spiritual Platform is uncertain, so do not give up easily.” Ancestor Meng, quite the senior, offered a few words of advice.

“Yes, I’ll work hard.” Liu Yuanrui was sweating from his forehead. You usually couldn’t contradict what an elder said, even if they were from another clan.

After the formalities were done.

Grandmother Gongsun Hui bowed to Ancestor Meng and said, “Grandfather, I’ve finished communicating with Ancestor Longyan. She has been waiting for a long time, shall we go now?”

As soon as Ancestor Longyan was mentioned, even Ancestor Meng became solemn, and his eyes showed respect, “Hui’er, you lead the way. It’s been a long time since I last saw my aunt.”

Ancestor Meng’s mother was Wang Lingdie, the legitimate daughter of the fourth generation of the Wang family, and Great Aunt to Ancestor Longyan. Therefore, she was his legitimate aunt.

Gongsun Hui led the way with Ancestor Meng following behind.

As for Wang Shouzhe and Liu Yuanrui, the younger ones naturally followed closely behind.

They informed Ancestor Longyan and then entered Long Yan Habitat.

Ancestor Longyan had already been waiting in the courtyard. With her white hair flowing over back, she wore a veil and was dressed in simple clothes. She gave the impression of being transcendent and beyond the mundane world, resembling a truly exiled fairy.

Compared to Wang Mei’s impersonation of Zhong Luoxian, Ancestor Longyan seemed as different as heaven and earth.

Meng, the Old Ancestor, was the first to pay his respects, bowing and saying, “Gongsun Meng, pays respect to Granny Longyan.”

“Meng’er.” In the eyes of Old Ancestor Longyan, as deep as the starry sky, there was a trace of sigh, “Every time I see you, I can’t help but think of the past. When your mother was young, she always looked forward to my return from the Academic Palace, because she knew she would get some rare and delicious snacks. Time passes by as fast as a white horse crossing a gap, and before one realizes it, everything has changed.”

Listening to Old Ancestor Longyan’s reflection, Wang Shouzhe couldn’t help but be amused. So, Meng’s mother was a foodie when she was young.

No wonder Old Ancestor Longyan is so fond of the damsel Wang Licui. She sees the childlikeness of her younger niece in her.

“Granny, my mother has lived a peaceful life devoid of worries and troubles in this lifetime, please don’t be sad.” Meng, the Old Ancestor, comforted.

But only Meng himself knew that his mother, Lingdie, although she lived to the age of eighty, suffered from heartaches for the last twenty years, which no one could cure.

It was because of the devastation of her mother’s clan, she pitied her Old Ancestor, but more so her Granny Longyan and her brother Qiong. Even the best dan medicine can cure the body but not mend a broken heart.

He remembered that twenty-five years ago, when his mother, Lingdie, was on her deathbed, she held his hand and instructed him, “Meng’er, if you ever get a chance in the future, be sure to lend a hand to help the Wang family.” He remembered these words.

Otherwise, why would Gongsun Hui have agreed to marry Wang Dingyue? If it wasn’t for Gongsun Meng championing the cause, Gongsun Mo might not have agreed to the marriage, let alone the other elders.

“Old Ancestor Longyan, Elder Meng,” Wang Shouzhe urged, “Let’s all sit down and talk. Let bygones be bygones, we should look forward to a better future.” Both the elder-level figures were not ordinary people. They quickly composed themselves and took their seats on the stone benches in the pavilion.

Now, Liu Yuanrui finally had a chance to pay his respects, “Liu Yuanrui from the Liu family, pays respect to Old Ancestor Longyan.”

Old Ancestor Longyan had personally gone to the Liu family to arrange the match for Wang Shouzhe, so naturally, she was familiar with the younger generation of the Liu family. Her voice softened a few points, “Yuanrui, you do have the demeanor of a scholar. It’s not a bad choice to choose a career in government. However, you should not neglect your cultivation.”

With the discernment of Old Ancestor Longyan, she could easily identify Liu Yuanrui’s predicament.

“Yes, granny.” Liu Yuanrui was sweating profusely. He had already been criticized by both Elders today.

Inwardly, he vowed that once he returned, he would diligently pursue his cultivation practices.

In addition, he hadn’t expected that his brother Shouzhe had already achieved the seventh level of Qi Refinement, on par with his twenty-one-year-old older brother, Liu Yuanhui.

With this potential, it’s no wonder that the family ultimately agreed to the marriage.

Think about it, given the situation the Wang family is facing, if Wang Shouzhe didn’t have any potential, even if Granny Longyan had face, she wouldn’t be able to convince the Liu Family.

Gongsun Hui began to serve tea to the two elders, using Shanyang’s miniature spirit seeds. She had also laid out some fresh fruits and other items that she had gleaned from her maternal home.

However, Wang Shouzhe and Liu Yuanrui, the younger generation, just stood quietly on one side, attentively listening to their conversation.

After quite a while, they began to talk about Wang Shouzhe.

The locust plague was the first topic, followed by how he managed to secure a large quantity of grain from the Qian Merchant House. Subsequently, he sold this grain at a high price to the Liu and Zhao families.

And now, he has started to obstruct the merger plans of the Liu and Zhao families.

All these actions are brilliantly chained, ensnaring the Liu and Zhao families in an unescapable trap. They had hoped to exploit the situation for a massive profit by buying and selling grain at exorbitant prices.

But now, Wang Shouzhe counters their exploitation by using the funds earmarked for their clearance and infilling project for disaster relief. In doing so, he not only saves labor costs but also rescues farmers who were on the verge of falling victim to Liu and Zhao families’ selfish interests, shattering their plans.

Having failed their scheme, their reputation is tarnished. Not only did they not gain any benefits, but they also have a massive amount of overpriced grain stuck on their hands. After all this, the prestige of the Wang family among the locals in Ping’an Town will undoubtedly eclipse that of the Liu and Zhao families.

Elder Meng had nothing but praise for Wang Shouzhe.

Whereas Liu Yuanrui, was astounded. His future brother-in-law, Shouzhe, is power-packed. His series of impressive maneuvers and strategies have not only dug holes for others but have also garnered large benefits for the Wang family.

Even the two elders are heeding his commands here, assisting him in handling the subsequent matters.

At this point, Old Ancestor Longyan cast a meaningful glance at Wang Shouzhe. Mentioning all these matters in front of Liu Yuanrui was naturally meant for him to relay back to his family.

This should quiet down any gossip within the Liu family.

However, Old Ancestor Longyan was also aware of the behind-the-scenes information. The “achievements” that Wang Shouzhe could announce to the public are only limited to these.

The rest of his daring plan, however, must remain hidden from the public eye since it pertains to the grand plan for the future rise of the Wang family!

Wang Longyan was very clear that there were still some families in Changning’s Guard City who did not want to see the rise of the Wang family.

A moment later!

A cold light flickered in her eyes.

Now that her injury was gradually healing, it was time for her, Wang Longyan, to settle old scores bit by bit.