Chapter 168 The Second Room is Bustling
But leave? Leaving also means death. It doesn't matter if he dies alone, but how many people in the Fang family are willing to die with him?
The children are still so young.
Fang Xun urged anxiously, "Grandfather, we absolutely cannot leave. We are in the city, with the City Lord here, so the people sent by Zhou Heng may be wary. But if we leave Lan County, no one in our family will survive. The most urgent things are, first, to report this to the City Lord and ask her to help find the real culprit; second, we must find a permanent solution. I don't want to have to be on guard against someone plotting against me every night in my sleep."
As for a method that would solve the problem once and for all, Fang Xun did not mention rebellion. His grandfather was still loyal to the court, and if he was forced to rebel against the court at his old age, he would probably refuse no matter what.
Fang Xun left some room for maneuver, and sure enough, Old Man Fang's expression eased slightly. He looked up and saw that all the Fang family members were looking at him with hope. He also knew that the situation was hopeless. If he had used his prestige to suppress and force them to leave before, then what happened tonight had pushed all the frightened Fang family members to the opposite side of him.
If he insisted on leaving again, I'm afraid no one would agree.
Forget it, a forced melon is not sweet. These people followed Xu Zhenying loyally, so what will be their future outcome? Let's see what their fate will be!
Old Master Fang couldn't help feeling desperate.
After a long while, he finally nodded. Everyone in the Fang family felt relieved, their faces filled with joy. Someone immediately said, "Hurry, hurry, tell the city lord that we're not leaving! I need to continue helping with the land distribution. They're working very hard in Ye County, and we can't fall behind if we follow Master Xiao Shuang!"
"Yes, yes, yes. And the chickens I raise are growing bigger day by day. The feed records I made are not yet complete. I will report to the chicken coop tomorrow!"
Looking at the smiling faces of the Fang family, Old Man Fang felt for the first time that he was being isolated.
He is already in the twilight of his life and is destined to decline.
From the beginning of her exile, Xu Zhenying had been quietly gathering everyone around her, making people willing to serve her. Now, if she raised her arms and called for a rebellion, these people would support her without hesitation.
Xu Zhenying... Such a way of controlling people, such a cautious mindset, such ambition and aspirations, made Mr. Fang feel indescribable.
Old Master Fang closed his eyes in despair, silently repeating in his heart what Xu Zhenying said: The wheel of history rolls forward and will never change because of personal will.
Xu Zhenying handed Xu Lezhi's affairs over to Xu Yinxi and turned to leave. Xu Lezhi's affairs were all trivial matters, and she didn't have time to pretend to be young and nitpicky with a little girl. As long as Xu Lezhi was obedient in the future and didn't cause her any big trouble, she wouldn't let Xu Lezhi be too sad for the sake of her relatives.
When the group arrived at the gate of the county government office, Xu Zhenying dismissed everyone and walked to the small study of the county government office. The plaque had been replaced with the word "Office". The room was not big, only about ten square meters, just enough to place a long table and a few chairs.
Xu Zhenying also ordered people to reinforce the perimeter of the study so that voices could not be heard outside, making this an ideal place for holding a mysterious meeting.
Xu Zhenying sat down first, then looked up at Jiang Yongkang, pointed at a spot of dust on his collar, and said with a smile: "Be more careful next time. If I see dust on your collar, I will definitely be suspicious."
Jiang Yongkang, the army's head coach, rarely showed a trace of embarrassment on his face. This young man was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he already had a calm and experienced demeanor.
Xu Zhenying continued, "What happened tonight must be kept absolutely confidential. Although no one in the Fang family was hurt, if Fang Xun and Fang Ningmo knew about it, they would inevitably feel alienated from me."
He gently pushed away the dust with his fingers and nodded in agreement. "The Fang family members are already like frightened birds. We will set them on fire once and for all. They are now irreconcilable with the Zhou family court. I'm sure they will soon be used by the city lord. Even if the city lord says he wants to rebel in the future, they will stand on our side without hesitation."
Xu Zhenying sighed, "If possible, I don't want to use this method to keep them. But I still have great use for Fang Xun and Fang Ningmo, so I can't let them leave for the time being."
Xu Zhenying rubbed his temples tiredly, then heard Jiang Yongkang say, "I think everyone in the Fang family, except for Old Man Fang, wants to stay in Lan County. Our fire tonight also gives them an excuse to stay. Who knows, Fang Xun and Fang Ningmo will even thank the City Lord for this."
"There's no need to sugarcoat yourself. Deception is deception. How to deal with the condemnation in my heart is something I should deal with." Xu Zhenying knocked on the table, as if he didn't want to talk about this anymore. "What about you? When are you going to leave?"
"Tomorrow." Jiang Yongkang was very decisive. If refugees had not rushed into Lan County today, Jiang Yongkang would have left long ago.
"Very good." There was no reluctance between the two. Jiang Yongkang and Xu Zhenying were true comrades in the same trench. She simply gave a few instructions, "From now on, we will split up into two teams, one on the front line and the other on the back line. You go out and get a mask to avoid being recognized. I'll be in the front line, taking in refugees from around Jinzhou Prefecture. You'll be in the back line, clearing out the bandits in Jinzhou Prefecture. I'll provide you with food and weapons, and you'll be responsible for secret training. If necessary, I'll send a few trusted confidants over to reform their minds. I want a group of capable soldiers, not a bunch of bandits."
Jiang Yongkang nodded repeatedly.
"Also, the others don't know what we're doing yet. Once I've taken over Lan County, Ye County, and several other cities, I'll definitely occupy Jinzhou Prefecture. If there's anything I find inconvenient, I'll write to you. You should first cooperate with me as a bandit. Once I occupy Jinzhou Prefecture, I'm sure they'll understand."
Jiang Yongkang bowed and said, "I understand. After I take in the bandits, I will immediately raise the banner of rebellion to attract firepower for Lan County and buy time for Lan County to develop."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Then let me ask you, if the imperial army attacks, what will you do?"
Jiang Yongkang tilted his head, but the young man's eyes were full of determination. "Of course, the priority is to conserve our forces. If they come, we will run away. We will fight them once and then move to another place. The main purpose is to harass Jinzhou Prefecture."
Xu Zhenying smiled with satisfaction and gave him a thumbs-up. "You're absolutely right. There's no need for you brothers to risk your lives. You also need to develop and bring out another team of elite soldiers to supplement our combat power. You can lead the brothers in guerrilla warfare, and by the way, promote our Lan County, so that the people of Jinzhou Prefecture will also know that there is a paradise here. We must occupy the high ground of public opinion at all costs."
"Okay." Jiang Yongkang responded.
He is leaving again tomorrow, and I don’t know how long he will be gone this time.
Although he had been wandering around since the timber case, he finally had a little sense of belonging in Lan County, but now he had to embark on a journey again.
But this journey is for a better tomorrow.
Jiang Yongkang looked at the girl under the light. She was dressed like a man, with her hair tied up high, revealing her full forehead.
Her skin is very white, unlike any other woman in the world. Her eyes are sharp, firm and calm, as peaceful and tolerant as the sea. It seems that only by being with her can one withstand the ups and downs of the outside world.
The man raised his eyes and stared at him, seemingly puzzled: "What else?"
Jiang Yongkang said truthfully: "I am a little reluctant."
Any other woman would have been a little shy, or at least a little uneasy. But Xu Zhenying simply smiled. "No one wants to leave the land they know and love, but for our shared career and dreams, not only you, but I, too, will be constantly on the move. Get used to it, young man. If you have anything, write to me."
Jiang Yongkang also smiled slightly, with a little light in his eyes, and murmured repeatedly: "That's right, for our common cause and dream——"
As for the Xu family, things were obviously in chaos.
The two people sent by Jiang Yongkang strictly followed the order and actually escorted Xu Lezhi to Xu Deyuan.
Because of the fire at the Fang family's, the city was already very busy tonight, and naturally, no one in the Xu family wanted to sleep. In addition, the two soldiers knocked on the door very loudly, which naturally attracted all the Xu family members to come out.
Then, the soldier handed Xu Lezhi over to Xu Deyuan in front of everyone, and said expressionlessly, "Second Master Xu, the City Lord has ordered us to hand over Miss Xu Qi to you in person. Miss Xu Qi sneaked into the room of the second son of the Fang family at night, intending to commit a crime. She was trapped inside due to a fire at the Fang family and was later rescued by soldiers. The City Lord has ordered us to inform the second branch of the Xu family that it is inappropriate for a woman like Miss Xu Qi to enter the room of a single man without informing the master of the house. Fortunately, the Fang family did not pursue her responsibility, otherwise the Xu family would be disgraced. The City Lord asks you two to keep a close watch on her and do not embarrass the Fang family or the City Lord."
Perhaps considering that this was a private matter of the Xu family, the two soldiers conveyed Xu Zhenying's intentions and then left on their own. Xu Yinxi saw that everyone in the Xu family was looking at her with confused faces. She looked very embarrassed and could only say, "Dad..."
Even someone as smart as Xu Yinxi didn't know what to say in this situation.
Xu Lezhi was already trembling with fear and hurriedly defended himself, "Dad, that's not the case. I saw the fire and rushed in to save Miss Fang. I...I couldn't find my way in, so I went to Master Fang's room! Xu Qingying wanted to harm me. She deliberately dragged me out in front of everyone just to deal with our second branch!"
Xu Yinxi frowned, a trace of anger on her face. "Xu Lezhi, that's enough! Even now, you are still full of lies! Ever since Miss Fang was confined, you have never visited her. Don't you think it's ridiculous to say that you and Miss Fang are like sisters now? I said that in front of others just now, just to save your face. I never thought you would repent and even lied to your father! Tell the truth now, why did you sneak into Fang Xun's room? What are you planning to do?!"
Xu Lezhi hesitated and naturally didn't dare to say anything.
Aunt Mei chuckled at this moment, "Seventh Miss, it's so late at night, a man and a woman alone, you are not rushing to have a tryst, are you?"
Lian was furious with Xu Lezhi, and even more furious with Concubine Mei, and immediately scolded her, "Stop talking nonsense! The City Lord said that when a man and a woman are together in the same room, is there nothing else to do except a tryst?"
Aunt Mei sneered, "Xu Lezhi is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the city lord? What's more, she's just an idler, what official business does she have on hand? Madam, you're just deceiving yourself. There are so many eyes here, and everyone knows that Xu Lezhi, a girl, is trying to curry favor with someone who doesn't care. Fang Xunli ignores her, yet she's the one who's so eager to do the job, and she's not ashamed!"
At this point, even if Xu Deyuan was slow-witted, he understood. His face turned pale and blue, and he felt that he had never been so humiliated in his life. Xu Zhenying sending the person over so openly was like a slap in the face, making him ashamed and angry, and he hated Xu Lezhi even more.
"Flirtatious, shameless! You've brought disgrace upon my Xu family! Today I must teach you a lesson, or you'll stop seducing men and ruining the Xu family's reputation!"
This was a very vicious remark, but Xu Deyuan didn't notice it and kept shouting: "Someone, bring me my whip——"
Since Xu Deyuan injured his right hand, he lost all his prestige in the family. Therefore, for a while, everyone was watching the fun and no one paid any attention to him.
Xu Deyuan was even more furious. "Well, you all have rebelled, haven't you? You're just standing there doing nothing? Where's my whip?"
Only Aunt Mei moved and took the whip with a little eagerness.
As soon as Xu Lezhi saw the long whip, she naturally had to hide. She had seen how cruelly Xu Deyuan beat people before. At this moment, she went straight behind Lian.
Lian was furious and resentful this time. She was angry at Xu Lezhi's incompetence and hated her ignorance. Seeing that she was still hiding, Xu Deyuan was even more furious. "Xu Lezhi, come here! Today I must let you experience the family rules of my Xu family, so that you won't be pointed at and scolded for being uneducated!"
This time, Xu Lezhi didn't dare to hide or run, and let Xu Deyuan whip him. Xu Lezhi was grimacing under the beating. Seeing this, Lian Shi felt very distressed. She grabbed Xu Deyuan's whip and said, "That's enough. Go and teach your son a lesson. It's not your turn to take care of my daughter!"
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Xu Yinxi had no choice but to pull Xu Deyuan aside and said, "Father, the elders from other families are here. Don't let outsiders laugh at you. Let's go inside and talk."
Only then did Xu Deyuan see that the people from the big house were surrounding them. Huang Cui'e even grabbed a handful of peanuts and leaned against the wall to watch the fight, her eyes full of excitement.
His eyebrows twitched, and he turned around angrily, "Xu Lezhi, get in here!"
Xu Lezhi entered the house and knew that he had caused a big trouble this time, so he had to kneel down as soon as he entered the house.
For a moment, only Xu Deyuan, Lian and Xu Yinxi were left in the room.
Xu Deyuan was so angry that his face turned blue. He covered his chest with his hands and stared at Xu Lezhi with his eyes, as if he was going to tear her to pieces in the next second.
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