“We had an agreement, a clear agreement before! My entire merchant guild, hundreds of lives, depend on it! How can you simply disregard it!”

“The Marquis’s House changes its mind at a whim, how can it command respect!”

“Are you aware of this bullying, Marquis Weining?!”

“Master Jiao, Master Jiao, please, please don’t be like this. If I’ve done something wrong, please tell me. I’ll change, I’ll apologize, I’ll kneel before you! Will that suffice?”

The pleading man was kicked a great distance, rolling several times on the ground before stopping.

He continued to mutter in anguish, “It can’t be like this, it can’t be like this…”

“Get lost!” A burly man in tight-fitting attire stood before the Marquis’s gate, likely a household soldier, pointing his halberd at the man, his voice fierce: “Come to cause trouble again, and I’ll slaughter your entire family!”

The begging ceased abruptly. The man on the ground endured for a moment, regained his breath, and slowly got up and walked away.

Jiang Wang watched from afar and recognized the man.

At the Grand Birthday Banquet in the inner courtyard, when Marquis Wugong suddenly arrived, everyone stood up to greet him, some guests even rushing out the door. This man was one of them.

It must have been that act that offended Marquis Weining, causing something that had been agreed upon earlier to fall through.

The specifics were unknown, but it was likely a matter of life and death for the man’s merchant guild. But to the wealthy and powerful Marquis Weining’s House, it was perhaps like chasing away a stray dog, inconsequential and insignificant.

Jiang Wang remained silent, quietly moving further back into the darkness.

Could one say the man who was driven away deserved it? Could one say he was foolish for not seeing the situation clearly? He represented a merchant guild of several hundred people, and among ordinary people, he would be considered to have some wealth. But in front of two meritorious Marquises, what did he amount to?

Upon suddenly hearing Marquis Wugong’s name, how could he not rush to greet him?

And Marquis Weining’s House would oppress him so thoroughly for this little thing.

The burly man who issued the threat was likely a household soldier of Marquis Weining’s House. Jiang Wang could tell that the words “slaughter your entire family” were not an empty threat, but carried genuine murderous intent.

Just by looking at how frightened the threatened man was, one could know the persuasiveness of those words.

Anyone from Marquis Weining’s House could casually threaten to slaughter an entire family?

From this incident, it was clear that to Marquis Weining’s House, the laws of Yong Country were simply a joke!

A force where rules are not upheld is chaotic, terrifying, and unstable. This is true for both countries and sects.

Jiang Wang then thought of Feng Yue, who had brought generous gifts to offer congratulations and apologize, but was suddenly detained.

He certainly didn’t have any affection for Feng Yue, nor did he understand his character. But based solely on this matter, Marquis Weining’s House framed Green Cloud Pavilion, the strongest sect within Shunan Prefecture, without hesitation. They weren’t even willing to fabricate a better reason, to put it bluntly, they weren’t even willing to forge any evidence!

Thinking back to Chiyun Mountain, the secret land of Green Cloud Pavilion’s historical inheritance, Jiao Xiong participated as he pleased, even becoming the leader. Regardless of what happened in the shadows, on the surface, Chi Yue still had to fawn over Jiao Xiong. Even though Chi Yue’s true strength was clearly greater than Jiao Xiong’s!

Green Cloud Pavilion was not some insignificant entity. In Shunan Prefecture, it was a well-known name, yet it had to face such oppression. The situation for others, for other forces, was even more imaginable.

Marquis Weining’s contempt for the laws of Yong Country had permeated to the bone.

Just as Yong Country had suffered a defeat and barely escaped the crisis of national subjugation, Marquis Weining’s birthday banquet was so extravagant and wasteful.

It wasn’t to say that Yong Country lacked this little bit of wealth, nor was it to say that Marquis Weining had to tighten his belt and live frugally. Rather, in such difficult times, as one of the most powerful figures in Yong Country, shouldn’t he lead by example and overcome difficulties together?

Even a cold-hearted person like Zhuang Gaoxian could be diligent and thrifty. Since ascending the throne, he had not added a single tile to the palace.

In the end, Jiao Wu wasn’t even willing to put on a show.

These things were not just a momentary attitude. They were habits left over from past years, historical malpractices.

This wasn’t just Jiao Wu’s problem.

The key to the problem wasn’t why Jiao Wu was like this, but why Jiao Wu *could* be like this.

At this moment, witnessing everything, Jiang Wang suddenly understood why Han Xu wanted to reform the government. Why, at the very moment of emerging from the crisis of national subjugation, he launched such a fierce reform.

It was because the past Yong Country had decayed to the extreme. This country with a long history had rotted in the long past. Beneath its gaudy surface was the unbearable decay of flesh and blood. Every day that Han Yin controlled the government, Yong Country slid further into that bottomless abyss.

Understanding this point, Jiang Wang suddenly broadened his vision. Many things he couldn’t understand before suddenly became clear. From the perspective of the overall trend of Yong’s political reform, everything had a new explanation.

Jiao Wu’s birthday banquet and Mo Jingyu’s visit could perhaps be seen as the conservative forces of Yong Country trying to win over the Mo Sect. Of course, from the Mo Sect’s perspective, it might be another force within the Mo Sect dissatisfied with Han Xu, extending an invitation to the conservative forces of Yong Country.

And Marquis Wugong’s sudden visit was to break this connection.

The great battle had already ended, and a reckoning could have been done long ago, but Han Xu had been biding his time until today, when he finally rooted out the spies from Jiao Country.

The confrontation at the birthday banquet was Marquis Wugong Xue Mingyi, representing Yong’s ruler Han Xu, pressing Marquis Weining Jiao Wu. Jiao Wu was thus forced to make a statement and take a clear stance. Otherwise, a charge of treason would likely be unavoidable.

Marquis Weining’s statement was to cut ties with the faction of the Mo Sect that opposed Han Xu.

The reason why Mo Jingyu was later so disheartened was perhaps because of this. His trip was for nothing.

As for detaining Feng Yue later, Jiao Wu might have been doing it to vent his anger, perhaps he was just continuing his pre-arranged plan, perhaps… he wanted to make one last grab before the reform was completely completed.

The information obtained from Marquis Weining’s House was insufficient to make an accurate judgment. But regardless of the reason, his appetite would be astonishing.

Fortunately, Jiang Wang had already explained the dangers to Feng Ming. If he was smart enough, he should know what to do.

Even if he didn’t understand or was unwilling, Jiang Wang wouldn’t suffer any loss. He was just watching the fire from across the river. Whether it was magnificent or tragic, it was someone else’s business.

Of course, the better Feng Yue’s situation was, the more convenient it would be for him to get on this line. So Feng Ming had better be smart.

The night quietly flowed by.

Just as dawn was breaking, a massive caravan drove in from afar, like a long snake slowly swimming closer to Marquis Weining’s House. Just from the deep ruts left by the wheels, one could see how much the carriages were carrying.

Feng Chi rode a tall horse at the head of the caravan.

In just half a night, he had become much more haggard, with a kind of undisguised fatigue that shouldn’t appear on a Transcendent cultivator. But perhaps because he had accomplished something important, his eyes were very bright.

He glanced at Jiang Wang by the roadside, made eye contact, confirmed that there were no unexpected changes, then leaped off his horse and strode to the plaque of Marquis Weining’s House and knocked on the door knocker.

His steps were firm and his hands were steady.

It showed that he had made up his mind.

Butler Jiao, who had already received the news, opened the door in a timely manner, looking at Feng Chi with some surprise: “What’s this?”

Today’s Feng Ming bowed deeply, completely different from yesterday’s rage and arrogance.

His voice was loud and sincere: “Hearing that a Jiao Country spy disrupted Marquis Weining, the people of Shunan Prefecture deeply hate it! Although Green Cloud Pavilion is small and poor, it also has a patriotic heart. My father, Feng Yue, is the Sect Protector of Green Cloud Pavilion, receiving imperial grace and national favor. He is willing to give up all his family wealth to help the Marquis send troops to Jiao Country and pacify the western border of our great Yong!”

It was unknown whether these words were his own or had been polished by someone else, but in any case, they were spoken with passionate generosity and heartfelt sincerity.

Butler Jiao looked at him deeply, without the previous contempt.

“Young Master Feng, please wait a moment, let me go and report.” After saying this, he turned and went back into the house.

Many people know the principle of “If you preserve the land and lose the people, you lose both people and land. If you preserve the people and lose the land, you gain both people and land,” but not everyone has the courage to give up all their family wealth.

Just from this encounter today, Butler Jiao’s evaluation of Feng Ming was vastly different.

Marquis Weining’s House was like a giant beast with a gaping maw, swallowing all the wealth carried by an entire long caravan, devouring the Feng family whole, and in the end only spitting out Feng Yue.

In the past history, beneath the gaudy exterior of Yong Country, how many such giant beasts were silently gnawing at the country’s flesh and blood? Those standing at the top of this country couldn’t possibly not see it, couldn’t possibly not know. Even every one of them was deeply involved.

But Han Yin didn’t care, and Han Xu couldn’t endure it.

Yong Country might be reborn from the ashes, or it might collapse from disease. Before that moment truly arrived, no one knew. Perhaps national affairs cannot be measured by simple right and wrong, perhaps any decision can find many supports, many reasons. But perhaps, right and wrong are in everyone’s heart.

It may be simple, but it is not thin.

Just thinking about it, one could know how tormented Feng Yue must have been that night. The smarter a person is, the more tormented they are. With life and death completely controlled by others, he was detained within, unable to control himself, only able to wait for the arrival of fate.

That kind of pain could almost drive a person mad.

But at this moment, Feng Yue, walking out of the Marquis’s House, was full of energy and smiling, addressing Butler Jiao as brother and saying goodbye warmly. It was as if he had just been warmly invited by Marquis Weining’s House to stay for the night. His wealth, accumulated over half a lifetime, had passed by him like a breeze.

Just this kind of composure was worth Feng Ming learning for decades.

The gate of the Marquis’s House slowly closed, and Feng Ming stepped forward to meet his father. Jiang Wang silently followed. Now was the time to occupy a core position by the Feng family father and son, and of course he wouldn’t miss it, but he wouldn’t overstep either.

Coming with a full caravan, leaving empty-handed. The Feng family’s years of accumulation were wiped clean overnight.

Feng Ming felt a surge of sorrow and said in a sad voice, “We have nothing left.”

“No, we have everything.”

Feng Yue turned his head and patted Feng Ming’s shoulder hard: “Ming’er, I always thought you were immature. Now I know that I, as a father, overlooked it. You have already grown into an adult! You did very well this time! Your filial piety is commendable, and your sharp wit is even more commendable!”

Feng Ming’s gaze swept over Jiang Wang for a moment, but in the end, he accepted it silently.

“This is the duty of a son!” he said.