At that moment, a guard rushed in to report.

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhenchuan suddenly stood up from his chair. "What did you say? The Fan family's granary was bombed?"

"The commotion over there was huge; half the city's population heard it, and half of the granaries were burned down."

"How's the food inside?"

"I was unaware; the Fan family sent people to block the news," the guard said, trembling as he spoke.

Yun Zhenchuan waved for the guards to leave, his mind racing as he looked at Yun Mo, who was calmly sipping his tea. "Does the Fan family's granary have anything to do with you?"

Yun Mo blew on the tea in the cup to cool it down and handed it to Lin Yinan. He raised his eyes and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. "That's right, we robbed the Fan family's granary!"

Yun Zhenchuan's hand trembled, knocking over the teacup on the table. The scalding tea spilled onto the back of his hand, but he seemed oblivious.

Are they bandits? They've only been in Nanzhou Prefecture for two days and they've already done this.

"What about Fan Xueli?"

Yun Zhenchuan's lips trembled uncontrollably. Just this afternoon, Fan Xueli, along with the five experts he was with, was silently killed on the road he usually took to the government office.

"We killed him," Yun Ye said casually, as if they had killed not the head of the most powerful family in the South, but some nobody.

"Insolence!" Yun Zhentian roared, then slumped into a chair, his face ashen. "The Fan family has stood firm in Nanzhou Prefecture for a century, deeply rooted and with intricate kinship ties. How dare you provoke us?"

Yun Mo's face was full of arrogance, "There's nothing in this world we wouldn't dare to do!"

Yun Ye took a deep breath and said, "Second Uncle, the Yun family in the capital and the Yun family in the south, all of this was earned by my grandfather, my father, and my elder brother with their lives. The two Yun families are all the same. You really don't need to use our Yun family's main branch and five hundred secret guards to curry favor with those dirty aristocratic families. Isn't it better to be straightforward like this?"

The flickering candlelight illuminated Yun Zhenchuan's face, revealing a deep sense of helplessness and confusion in his eyes.

Was he really wrong to do that?

The study fell silent for a long time before Yun Mo finally spoke, “Second Uncle, you’ve been through so much in the South, and it’s true that you’re cautious, but there’s no need for you to crawl on the ground and let others trample on you. Now that we brothers are here, instead of cooperating with the Fan family, why don’t you try to trust us and consider us your strongest support? No matter what, we brothers will never stab you in the back.”

Yun Zhenchuan looked at him with complicated eyes. He was truly a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers. He had thought the same way when he came to the South, but in the end he was battered and bruised everywhere and had to bow to reality.

The eldest branch of the Yun family is now penniless; how can they be compared to the century-old Fan family? They are still too young!

The three brothers from the second branch looked at each other, shocked by the strength of the eldest brother. Their hearts were filled with excitement, as their father always hesitated and was indecisive in his actions.

Having said what needed to be said, Yunye didn't want to argue with him anymore and just wanted to leave quickly, as they were in a hurry to clear land and plant crops!

"The Fan family has lost its patriarch, so things will be chaotic for a while. We'll set off for Nanman Prefecture tomorrow. From now on, Nanzhou Prefecture will be yours, and Nanman Prefecture will be ours, brothers."

"The Southern Barbarian Prefecture is frequently infested with Japanese pirates, how can we..."

Yun Mo interrupted him, "If you can't handle someone, can't we, the two brothers, kill them? We don't expect your help, just please don't stab us in the back later."

"A family should stay together. You two brothers should stay in Nanzhou Prefecture so that you can take care of each other."

Yunye's attitude was firm: "We are determined to leave, Second Uncle, please don't try to persuade us anymore. I believe that besides the Fan family, there are quite a few others who want to bring us brothers under their control. If we stay, we will surely turn Nanzhou Prefecture upside down."

When do you plan to leave?

"We'll leave the city early tomorrow morning and head back to the estate to meet up with the others."

After all, they were family, bound by blood and kinship. If the eldest branch of the family recovered, he would also benefit. Thinking of this, Yun Zhenchuan felt much calmer.

"Since you have made up your minds, I will not try to stop you. You can rest at the manor for two days. I will send you some things later. If you have any difficulties, just let me know. I will do my best to help."

The Yun brothers stood up and bowed to Yun Zhenchuan, saying, "Thank you so much for your trouble, Second Uncle!"

After the Yun brothers and Lin Yinan left, Yun Zhenchuan and his two sons remained in the study.

"Father, I didn't expect my second and third cousins ​​to be so capable. They've accomplished two great things in just a few days," Yun Jing said, unable to contain his excitement.

Yun Zhenchuan picked up the teacup, refilled it with tea, and took a sip. This winter tea, after being exposed to low temperatures, had a sweeter and richer flavor and was more resistant to multiple infusions.

After savoring the taste for a long time, he slowly swallowed, put down his teacup, smiled slightly, and looked into the distance. “The two of them were trained by your grandfather. They learned all of your grandfather’s skills. No one can match them in leading troops and fighting battles. Even their strategic thinking is superior. I underestimated their strength.”

Recalling the guard's report and his second cousin's own admission, a light suddenly lit up in Yun Yu's eyes. He clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and mustered up great courage to say to Yun Zhenchuan, "Father, I want to go to the Southern Barbarian Prefecture with my second cousin and the others!"

"Second brother, are you confused?" Yun Jing hurriedly scolded.

Yunyu said, "Big brother, my mind is made up. You and third brother will help Father at home, while I will stay in Nanman Prefecture with my cousins. Maybe I can make a name for myself there."

Ultimately, it's because of his background.

He was born to a concubine and was not as good at studying as his elder brother and younger brother. His greatest future was to manage the shops and land for the family. When his father passed away and the family divided the property, he and his younger brother would at most be given a small house and some money to get rid of. As for the shops and land, he could forget about them. He had to plan for his two sons.

My younger brother, Yun Kang, is fifteen this year, and it's time for him to be married.

Yun Zhenchuan glanced at Yun Yu, who was always obedient, and after pondering for a while, said, "This matter is not urgent, let me think about it."

Lin Yinan was leaving the next morning, so she went back to wash up and went to bed early. She didn't even know when Yun Mo returned to his room.

By the candlelight, Yun Mo carefully examined her complexion. He was worried that collecting so much grain into her treasure bag today would deplete her energy. But seeing that her complexion was rosy and the baby in her womb was still moving quite well, he figured she was probably alright.

He lay down on the bed, gently put his arm around her neck, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Upon learning that the eldest branch of the family was leaving, Madam Wang flipped through the account books, writing and drawing, and stayed up all night. Yun Zhenchuan told her to give a portion of the valuables in the storeroom to the eldest branch of the Yun family. Although she had objections, she had no choice but to comply.

Inside the Kong family's house, candlelight shone brightly. Yunyu knelt before the Kong family, his back straight, just like his determination.

The eastern sky was tinged with the pale light of dawn, tinged with a faint blush of red. A gentle morning breeze stirred, and the gates of the Yun Mansion creaked open, breaking the silence of the dawn.

Several carriages slowly drove out of the Yun residence, and Yun Zhenchuan and Madam Wang stood at the gate.

Wang smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, take care on your journey! I'll definitely come visit you more often when I have time."

I'll write to you again once things have stabilized.

Mica poked her head out of the carriage and waved to her.