“When Qi Bainian was still alive, he served as a mediator between me and the Tu and Lu families. Now that he has fallen, that mediator has disappeared. Judging from the actions of the Tu and Lu families towards the Miao family, they have not yielded because of Qi Bainian’s death.”

Zhao Cheng solemnly said, "Lord Deng, there is no possibility of cooperation between the Tu and Lu families. It can only be a fight to the death."

Deng Fugui said, "Lu Yuan is arrogant and domineering, and he preys on the people. Even if the young prime minister hadn't given the order, I would still have dealt with him."

Zhao Cheng reminded them, "The Tu family and the Lu family are now in cahoots."

Deng Fugui nodded and said, "I know what to do. Don't worry, young prime minister, all future decrees issued by the prefectural governor's office will be detrimental to the Tu and Lu families."

Zhao Cheng cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Deng."

Deng Fugui thought for a moment and said seriously, "I can openly target them and I'm not afraid to break ties with them. But even so, it won't be easy to really bring them down. If you're in a hurry to open up the Jiangcheng market, you might have to think of a way."

"I understand that."

Zhao Cheng nodded and said, "Lord Deng, just focus on your own business."

Deng Fugui immediately raised his cup and said, "I am able to make a comeback at this age and realize my ambitions entirely thanks to the young prime minister's support. I will do my best in everything concerning the young prime minister!"

...

early morning.

Jiangcheng, North Gate.

Zhao Cheng led Yuan Yun out of the carriage and turned to her, saying, "It's windy this morning, so please don't get out of the carriage, let's go home."

Yuan Yun nodded, clutching her stomach, and said, "You need to come back soon so you can see Changli being born."

Zhao Cheng said, "Think of another name for a girl. If it's a daughter, you can name her."

"Didn't you firmly believe it was a son?"

"It's never a bad idea to have one in advance."

Zhao Cheng laughed and said, "This time it's a boy, but we want to have girls in the future."

"I don't want to be a sow," Yuan Yun said, pursing her lips.

Zhao Cheng hugged Yuan Yun and said softly, "You've worked hard, my wife. I'll go back as soon as I've taken care of things in Jiangyang County and Yunjing County."

Yuan Yun said, "You'd better keep your word. Don't let the thought of going to Nan Zhou come to mind when you're in Yun Jing City, since it's close to Nan Zhou."

"I wouldn't dare!"

Zhao Cheng immediately said, "Don't forget I'm the Southern Spy Star. The people of Southern Zhou hate me to the core. I won't walk into their trap."

Yuan Yun nodded and said, "Heng Wenhao will stay with you, Gan Lang will stay by your side, and A Tao can come back with me."

"I need people, so I won't refuse."

"They're gone."

As she spoke, Yuan Yun climbed into the carriage and pulled down the curtain.

The carriage slowly moved forward, and Zhao Cheng stood still, watching his wife leave.

With only a few months left before Yuan Yun's delivery, Zhao Cheng sensed he wouldn't be able to get back in time, so he wanted to see his wife a few more times.

When they meet again, Yuan Yun will not only be his wife, but also someone else's mother.

Outside the north gate is a wooded area where birds sing merrily in the early morning.

The sound is lively and crisp.

It was as if they were singing a song to send Yuan Yun off.

Only after Yuan Yun disappeared down the official road through the woods did Zhao Cheng turn around, glance at Yuan Fei and Gan Lang, and ask, "How did your matter go?"

Yuan Fei said, "Thanks to the information provided by Gan Lang, we found the private property that Qi Bainian had hidden."

"How many?" Zhao Cheng felt his heart race.

"There are over 100,000 taels of silver alone, plus some antiques and calligraphy and paintings, which add up to an estimated two or three million."

"That's more like it!" Zhao Cheng grinned from ear to ear, clapped his hands, and said, "That's more in line with Qi Bainian's status!"

Gan Lang said, "I never expected him to be so rich..."

Zhao Cheng shook his head and said, "Although it's quite a lot, it's actually not as much as I expected. Compared to Su Wansan, it's nothing. This shows that the Tu and Lu families are not generous to Qi Bainian."

Speaking of Su Wansan, Xu An became interested and interjected, "Of course, we can't compare to Su Wansan. Su Wansan played a crucial role in the success of our Great Jing's Northern Expedition!"

Despite having avenged himself, Yuan Fei still felt uneasy hearing the name Su Wansan. He asked suspiciously, "Su Wansan's silver..."

Zhao Cheng waved his hand and said, "His family was raided by the imperial court; I didn't benefit from it."

Xu An asked, "Then this time..."

"We've got this one!" Zhao Cheng said confidently. "How much effort have we put in to take down this corrupt official?!"

"At the Emperor's place..."

"It was Deng Fugui who ransacked our house, not us."

Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "I've already spoken with the Princess. After all, Qi Bainian is an official of our Great Jing, and I won't be stingy with what I owe the palace. The Princess understands us too. Fighting the Tu and Lu families requires money, and we'll also need money to go to Yun Jing County in the future. Isn't expanding our business ultimately to earn more money for the Emperor?"

"The eldest princess will help us deal with the emperor."

"Old Xu, you handle this matter. Take half of Qi Bainian's silver and belongings and send it to Deng Fugui. Lord Deng is a new official, so let him use this as an opportunity to present this generous gift to the emperor."

Xu An gave a thumbs up and laughed, "We're happy, the Emperor is happy, and Lord Deng is happy too. It's a win-win-win situation!"

"Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone!" Zhao Cheng chuckled mischievously.

After Zhao Cheng and Xu An had been laughing for a while, Yuan Fei came over and said, "There's one more thing."

Zhao Cheng immediately realized what was going on and asked, "Has Shang Dongyang made a move?"

Yuan Fei nodded.

...

Shang Dongyang's residence.

Compared to Zeng Peng and Liu Ying, who were also sitting in the room, Shang Dongyang was the youngest, not yet forty. Zeng Peng and Liu Ying were a bit older, both in their early forties.

The two men looked like scholars, unlike Shang Dongyang, who had a full beard.

“Prefect Zeng, Registrar Liu, in just a few days, hundreds of officials in Jiangcheng have been arrested by Deng Fugui, including about thirty officials from the Prefectural Governor’s Office alone. If this continues, it will be our turn sooner or later. Can you two still sit idly by?”

Zeng Peng calmly said, "Commander Shang, you must remain calm. Given the status of the three of us, he probably doesn't have the guts or the confidence to attack us all at once."

Shang Dongyang shook his head and said, "When he first arrived, Deng Fugui might not have had this confidence, but now? His fires are burning brighter and brighter; he even ransacked Lord Qi's house. Now, he's clearly helping the Miao family deal with the Tu and Lu families. If he dares to touch the Tu and Lu families, why wouldn't he dare to touch us?"

"Besides, he's a smart man; there's no need for him to attack us all at once. What if he tries to take us down one by one? Who among us could stop him?"

"Brothers, we can't just sit here and wait to die any longer!"

"I regret it now. I shouldn't have listened to you back then. You told me to suppress my urge to avenge Lord Qi and let the Tu and Lu families deal with Deng Fugui while we waited for the right moment to finish him off."

"But now it's clear that Deng Fugui's position is becoming more and more secure!"

"Let's do it! If we don't act now, we might not even have the chance to raise our knives!"