The old steward, Qingbo, said, "Thank you for your trust, young mistress. Although I haven't been involved in matters of our hometown for many years, I still remember many things from our hometown in order to prove my innocence. Ever since Second Master Rong took Second Mistress Rong back to their ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors, no one in our household has ever returned to our ancestral land. The clan head's lineage really has absolute power in Anping County."

Xu Zhi listened with great interest and asked, "Uncle Qing, isn't there a county magistrate in Anping County? How come those people from our hometown can control everything? There are laws in Daliang."

The old steward sighed and said, "When the old Marquis was alive, he was very strict with the clansmen in his hometown. He was afraid that they would take advantage of the power of the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion to bully and oppress the people. At that time, the clansmen in his hometown were very law-abiding. It's just a pity that after the old Marquis passed away, our Marquis didn't care much about the affairs of his hometown. Especially after his second wife married into our mansion, she was very lenient with the clansmen in his hometown. Gradually, the clansmen in his hometown started to have all sorts of thoughts."

Xu Zhi nodded. The old steward said, "Back then, the clan leader wasn't the clan leader yet. I took advantage of his mistakes. He forcibly abducted a woman, and she had nowhere to turn for help. She came to me, and I was so angry that I was going to go to the capital to complain to the Marquis. Who knew that they found out in advance and accused me of embezzlement. The stepmother even spoke ill of me to the Marquis. When I returned to the Marquis's mansion, I didn't even get to see the Marquis. My whole family was kicked out. The old lady took pity on me and settled my whole family on an estate in the suburbs of the capital, asking me to help take care of the shop."

Xu Zhi asked, "So how have the clansmen been doing all these years?"

The old steward shook his head and said, "Those clansmen are arrogant and conceited. With the clan leader's indulgence, they have already committed many serious mistakes. Whenever someone wants to find fault with the Pingxi Marquis's mansion, these are always ready-made handles."

After listening, Xu Zhi pondered for a long time and said, "Uncle Qing, this matter is of great importance and should be discussed in detail. At present, all matters in the family are decided by Uncle and Aunt. Even if my husband and I want to, we are helpless. However, we cannot ignore these matters. You are right. If someone wants to find fault with the Pingxi Marquis's Mansion, these are ready-made handles."

Seeing that the eldest young mistress valued his opinion, Uncle Qing was greatly relieved and nodded, saying, "Eldest young mistress, as far as I know, the eldest young master was only able to be adopted into the second wife's family because the second wife bribed the clan chief's wife, and the clan elders made a suggestion to the Marquis, which is why the Marquis agreed. Now, the eldest young mistress is going to the ancestral land alone to pay respects to the ancestors; I'm afraid the clan chief might try to obstruct it."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "I want to let Uncle Qing know that my great-aunt said that whenever someone comes to our hometown, they should follow Uncle Qing's instructions in all matters. My husband is currently guarding the southeast. He cannot come because of the court and the emperor. Surely the clan members are not so unreasonable. Besides, I heard that in our clan, in addition to the clan leader, there are several elders."

Hearing Xu Zhi's words, Uncle Qing finally felt relieved. This young mistress was well-prepared and acted with composure; she was truly no ordinary person.

After pondering for a while, Qingbo said, "Speaking of the Zheng family, the most just person is none other than Third Uncle Zheng Shan. This Third Uncle is from the old Marquis's generation. He once followed our old Marquis to the battlefield, but he was injured and returned to his ancestral home. Third Uncle's health has never been very good, and he rarely interferes in the affairs of the clan. However, he is a person who hates evil as if it were his enemy. If the eldest young mistress has any difficulties, it would be best to go to Third Uncle."

Xu Zhi wrote it down and asked, "Uncle Qing, is there anything else?"

Qingbo said, "Besides Third Uncle, there is Fifth Uncle. However, this Fifth Uncle is not one to meddle in things. This old servant has not set foot in the ancestral land for many years, so I don't know much about many things. But I still admire Third Uncle's character the most."

Having learned of these matters, Xu Zhi felt that her trip to Zhengjia Town had not been without purpose. The clan leader was not a person who could distinguish right from wrong, and her purpose in coming here was simply to pay homage to the ancestors and have her name written into the Zheng family's genealogy. As for anything else, Xu Zhi had not thought of how to do it. After all, she had just married into the Zheng family, and there was a covetous young woman named Chen in the Marquis's mansion. Xu Zhi believed that she currently had the strength to fight Zheng Boyuan and the young woman Chen, so she had to develop her own power first before she could plan for the future.