Chapter 116: The Qiu Family Seeking Help Through Connections

“This…” Zhao Bingchun never expected Zhang Zhiji to turn hostile faster than a dog’s temper. He was momentarily stunned and frantically signaled Li Yuanjing for help.

Li Yuanjing, already in sync with Zhang Zhiji, cautiously tried to calm him down.

But Zhang Zhiji was not having it; he ignored Li Yuanjing’s attempts and instead launched a series of threats at Zhao Bingchun.

Before long, Zhao Bingchun was so frightened that he fell to his knees, thinking some secret had been exposed.

Only then did Zhang Zhiji, looking down from his position, pin the blame for the inn and the land on the Qiu family.

“This…” Zhao Bingchun gritted his teeth, especially as he saw the calm, indifferent face of Li Yuanjing beside Zhang Zhiji.

At that moment, he knew full well: this had to be Li Yuanjing’s cunning scheme.

However, Zhao Bingchun soon resigned himself to it.

After all, the trap he had set for Li Yuanjing the previous night had been ruthless. Now Li Yuanjing merely wanted this piece of land—was that too much?

Not at all.

He hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Once that matter was settled, Zhao Bingchun finally brought up the main purpose of his visit this time:

“Young lord, I have prepared the memorial for the higher authorities…”

Zhang Zhiji suddenly brightened but did not rush to speak. Instead, he turned to Li Yuanjing.

When Li Yuanjing nodded at him, Zhang Zhiji felt reassured and said:

“Lord Zhao, I admit I was angry earlier, but I am satisfied with your performance in this matter.”

“Thank you, young lord!” Zhao Bingchun cursed Zhang Zhiji quietly but couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief.

Up to this point, things had finally reached an acceptable conclusion.

…

After seeing Zhao Bingchun off, Li Yuanjing busied himself at the ruined inn until noon. Zhang Zhiji, having also wrapped up his affairs, sent someone to summon Li Yuanjing for lunch.

However, despite Zhang Zhiji’s continued desire to catch the assassin, he was unaware that Li Yuanjing and Zhao Bingchun—two powerful local forces in Feng City—had already reached an agreement. Where, then, could he find any assassin?

On the surface, Li Yuanjing showed no sign of this alliance and followed Zhang Zhiji’s lead.

After all, Zhang Zhiji tightening the grip on Feng City only served Li Yuanjing’s interests better!

When lunch was nearly finished, Zhang Zhiji, somewhat concerned for Li Yuanjing, suggested he go rest, noting that Li had gone more than a day and night without sleep.

Just as Li Yuanjing was about to take his leave, he suddenly remembered something and said:

“Young lord, your idea is not bad, but I just recalled what you mentioned earlier. Perhaps this afternoon, you could meet with Vice General Wang.”

“Ah…” Zhang Zhiji was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with delight.

“Sir, you are truly a gift from heaven!”

…

Back at his inn, Li Yuanjing shook his head and smiled wryly.

He wasn’t truly playing Zhang Zhiji.

Because the matter of Vice General Wang was Zhang Zhiji’s own arrangement.

The main issue was that Zhang Zhiji was still too young and naive, far from understanding the complexities of grassroots work.

His idealism made any real gain impossible.

But now, the fire in Feng City had been ignited.

As one of the biggest beneficiaries, Li Yuanjing felt it was time to take a larger slice of the pie.

Without overthinking, he enjoyed a refreshing bath and lay down to rest.

…

While Li Yuanjing slept peacefully, the Qiu family was in total chaos—wives crying, children screaming, as if facing an imminent threat.

There was no choice.

With both young lord Zhang Zhiji and county magistrate Zhao Bingchun pressing down, even the well-established Qiu family in Feng City could not withstand the terrible accusation of colluding with assassins.

The key was that the venerable Qiu patriarch had just passed away a year ago.

The current head, Qiu Zehai, was respectable in appearance and had a respectable son-in-law, Xue Dashan, doing business in Qizhou City, but he lacked even the modest rank of a scholar.

Normally, with no hard opposition, no one in Feng City dared to provoke him.

However, now thrust into the eye of the storm, he instantly felt the iron fist of political power.

“Master, master, what are we to do… those damn officials have sealed off our home. I wanted to get some clothes, but they wouldn’t let me in. I’m so thin, I’m freezing. You have to help me…”

“Master, I still have many valuables not packed, but they won’t let me in either…”

“Master, that official even pinched my bottom…”

Inside the main hall of the Qiu residence, the once delicate and charming concubines now resembled a flock of noisy sparrows, crying so loudly Qiu Zehai felt his head might explode.

Even with Xue Dashan present, he had lost patience and shouted:

“Enough noise! Get out! Out of my sight! Send all these wretched women to the kitchen to rest!”

“Yes, sir!”

The servants hurriedly escorted the concubines out.

With the noise finally gone, tears streamed down Qiu Zehai’s face as he turned to Xue Dashan.

“Son-in-law, what am I to do now? I can’t just watch the century-old foundation of the Qiu family crumble under my hands…”

Xue Dashan was even more frustrated.

Who could have guessed?

That wise old patriarch had begotten such a useless fool.

The worst part was that Xue had once been fooled by his imposing demeanor.

The old man could see clearly into others’ affairs but was utterly useless when it came to his own.

Yet, as Qiu Zehai’s son-in-law, and given the intertwined interests of their families, Xue Dashan could not simply abandon him.

They had to find a solution.

He soothed:

“Father-in-law, please don’t worry or stress yourself. I’ve already sent Brother Gongming to investigate. I believe we’ll have news soon.”

“Brother Gongming?”

Qiu Zehai lit up, as if clutching a last straw.

“Son-in-law, you mean Zhao Qian, who married into the Wang mansion?”

“Exactly.”

Pride showed on Xue Dashan’s face.

“Father-in-law, I have a close friendship with Brother Gongming. I’m confident good news will come soon.”

“Master, son-in-law, Mr. Zhao Qian is here to see you.”

As they spoke, a servant reported from outside.

Qiu Zehai and Xue Dashan exchanged a knowing glance.

“He’s here.”

Xue Dashan hurriedly said:

“Father-in-law, please wait. I’ll bring Brother Gongming in.”

“Good, good. Thank you, son-in-law…”

Soon, a man in a fur coat, a middle-aged scholar-looking fellow of about forty, was ushered inside, shaking his head repeatedly.

“Brother Gongming, what’s the situation? Speak plainly…”

Seeing Zhao Qian’s expression, Xue Dashan grew anxious and urged him to speak.

Zhao Qian smiled wryly and said:

“Brother Xue, you’re sharp. I’m sure you’ve already realized that our young lord’s ambitions are considerable. The key is he has a rock-solid foundation. And with the Wang mansion backing me, I’m powerless to intervene…”

“Then what…”

Both Xue Dashan and Qiu Zehai felt themselves sinking into an abyss and knelt, begging Zhao Qian desperately:

“Brother Gongming, for the sake of our longstanding friendship, please save the Qiu family…”

Sighing, Zhao Qian said:

“Uncle Qiu, Brother Xue, it’s not that I don’t want to help; I truly can’t. However, I can point you toward a clear path.”

“Please, Brother Gongming, speak freely. The Qiu family will reward you handsomely!”

Desperate, they kowtowed again and again.

Zhao Qian smiled and uttered two words:

“Liu Yun.”

“Liu Yun?”

“Brother Gongming, what do you mean?”

Xue Dashan suddenly caught a clue but was missing one link.

Qiu Zehai looked at Zhao Qian, puzzled.

Zhao Qian, confident and in control, explained:

“Uncle Qiu, Brother Xue, you must have heard about the first fire our young lord set in Feng City—it was aimed at that man, Liu Yun.”

“Indeed.”

“Have you ever wondered why Liu Yun managed to get through unharmed?”

Hearing this, Xue Dashan and Qiu Zehai exchanged a meaningful glance, finally grasping the key to the mystery.