Scheming

Next day.

Early in the morning, the patriarch of the Wang family and his grandson, Wang Du, were escorted by a group of estate guards to the nearby township, where the local magistrate would further transfer them to the county magistrate's office.

Zhou Ping knew well that this trip would not cause them fatal harm. However, even if the old Wang patriarch managed to return safely, he would no longer possess the standing or qualification to remain as the head of his clan.

After all, misappropriating clan property was an act of rank injustice toward his own kinsmen, and the various branches and houses vying for dominance amounted to a brutal power struggle. How could the clan members possibly tolerate his continued rule?

Furthermore, given the grueling fatigue of travel on top of his current illness, whether the old fellow could even return alive remained a serious question.

Meanwhile, the Zhou family home received two separate parties of visitors.

Inside the eastern wing, the patriarch of the Sun family had adopted an exceptionally humble posture, smiling warmly as he chatted with Zhou Ping about the mundane, everyday affairs of Baixi Village.

Zhou Ping spoke in a measured tone. "Uncle Sun, I cannot help but feel that our Baixi Village is simply too impoverished. The villagers lead such harsh lives, and as the Village Head, I feel a deep sense of guilt in my heart."

The Sun patriarch cursed inwardly, completely taken aback by how impatient Zhou Ping was. To think the man was already scheming to draw out benefits after a single night! Yet, he could only force a deferential smile. "Second Young Master speaks the truth, but there is little we can do. The foundation of Baixi Village is simply too poor. Moreover, we sit right against the great mountains, where the earth is far less fertile than in other regions. No matter how hard the villagers toil, they can never harvest much grain."

"Uncle Sun, I must disagree. While our village may be lacking, we still possess over a thousand mu of arable fields, capable of yielding several thousand shi of grain each year." Zhou Ping shook his head slightly. "In years of abundance, there is always a considerable surplus saved."

"Regrettably, our village is far too isolated from the county seat. Even when the villagers wish to sell their surplus grain to earn some coin, they have no avenue to do so," Zhou Ping lamented with a sorrowful sigh.

Sitting beside him, the Sun patriarch was furious to the point of silent raging. He finally understood Zhou Ping's true motive-the man was targeting the grain supply of the entire village.

In the past, due to various restrictions, whenever ordinary villagers managed to accumulate surplus grain and wished to trade it for coin, they had no choice but to sell it to the four great families.

After all, even if a common villager wished to sell directly to the rice shops in the county seat, they would first have to contend with dozens of li of treacherous, bumpy mountain roads. Furthermore, a single household could only offer a few dozen to a hundred jin of grain at most; the large rice shops would hardly spare them a glance and would surely suppress the prices mercilessly.

This reality forced the commoners to sell to the four great families. Even though the four families also suppressed the prices, it was at least within a range the villagers could endure.

Consequently, eighty to ninety percent of Baixi Village's grain flowed directly into the granaries of the four great families. This allowed them to not only reap immense profits through reselling but also construct solid relationships with the prominent merchant houses in the county seat.

The Qian family, for instance, had used this leverage to board the grand vessel of the noble Bai family, though they ultimately shared in the Bai family's ruinous downfall.

In truth, had Zhou Ping not relied on the Mountain Clear Qi, it would have been exceedingly difficult for the Zhou family to establish a connection with Li Mu and break free from the economic blockade imposed by the other three families.

After all, the Zhou family's initial scale had been far too small. The mere cost of transporting grain to the county seat was prohibitive, and they would have faced severe suppression from the entrenched merchant houses and rice shops, forcing them to seek alternative paths.

Sometimes, Zhou Ping could not help but reflect on how advantageous it was to hold a secure position within the county seat. Internally, one could aggregate the wealth of eight townships and over a hundred villages; externally, one could establish trade paths with neighboring counties and prefectures.

Yet he was also well aware that the county seat had long been carved up and divided among the deeply rooted factions. Attempting to force one's way in would inevitably invite grave peril.

Qingshui County was vast. How could there be a shortage of returning Spirit Awakening cultivators each year? Yet, why did only a handful of factions manage to control the county seat?

It was because their roots ran deep, with merchants and officials inextricably intertwined. Their influence was immense, and they ordered more than a single cultivator within their ranks.

As a result, any cultivator who chose to return to the mortal world was left with only two choices: either submit to one of these factions as a guest elder, or return to a rural village to live out their days as a local landlord. There had been no shortage of hot-blooded cultivators who tried to claim a piece of the county seat for themselves, only to end up dead, their bones lost to the wind.

"May I ask what arrangements Second Young Master intends to make?" The Sun patriarch offered a soft sigh. Following the events of the previous evening, he had completely resigned himself to the reality of the Sun family becoming a vassal to the Zhou family.

After all, the Zhou family now possessed two immortal masters who wielded genuine immortal methods. How could mere mortal gentry hope to contend with such power?

"I intend for our three families to join forces and establish a dedicated transport caravan. We shall purchase all grain and mountain goods from the villagers at a fair, standardized price, and then market them as a single entity," Zhou Ping declared. "In this manner, the villagers will receive more coin for their labor, and Baixi Village as a whole will prosper."

"Rest assured, I maintain a close relationship with the Li family. The final selling price will ensure that neither of your families suffers a loss."

The Sun patriarch let out a bitter, internal smile. It was framed as a joint venture between three families, but when the goods were brought to market, would they not be sold entirely under the banner of the Zhou family? What actual leverage or benefit would the other two families retain?

Furthermore, this arrangement meant that from this day forward, the Sun and Wang families would completely lose their independent trade channels. Stripped of their commercial paths and left with nothing but their agricultural land, they would be entirely at the mercy of the Zhou family.

"Second Young Master speaks with profound wisdom. I believe we should proceed precisely as you have outlined, nephew."

Zhou Ping smiled warmly. "Uncle Sun flatters me. I shall certainly devote my utmost efforts to leading our elders and fellow villagers toward prosperity."

After the two exchanged a few more rounds of polite courtesies, Zhou Changhe walked into the room from the courtyard, bowing respectfully to both men. "Uncle, Grandfather."

His wedded wife was a daughter of the Sun family. By blood, she belonged to the granddaughter generation of the Sun patriarch, so it was only proper for Zhou Changhe to address him as Grandfather.

The Sun patriarch gazed at Zhou Changhe with an expression of grandfatherly warmth, asking in a gentle tone, "It has been nearly half a year since you wedded my granddaughter, He'er. Why is there no word of a child yet?"

Although he was fully aware that Zhou Ping's eldest son, Zhou Minghu, was an immortal master, his observations over the years told him that the next true master of the Zhou family estate would be none other than his grandson-in-law. The rise of the Zhou family was already an irreversible trend; if Zhou Changhe's lineage flourished, the Sun family, as the maternal clan, would certainly share in the glory.

Zhou Changhe's face flushed red with embarrassment, and he could only stand respectfully to the side without speaking.

"Changhe, you have arrived at the perfect moment. Stay here and keep Uncle Sun company. I still have some family matters that require my attention," Zhou Ping said, a subtle shift in his expression.

"Haha, then Second Young Master must not let me delay you. Go attend to your business. What need is there to keep company for an old sack of bones whose feet are already in the grave?" The Sun patriarch laughed heartily, though a trace of profound desolation flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Zhou Ping smiled politely and took his leave. The bloodstains that had stained the courtyard the night before had already been scrubbed thoroughly clean. A moment later, he stepped into the western wing of the estate.

There, Chen Nianqiu was engaged in a casual, warm conversation with Old Man Chen and his wife. Nearby, Zhou Minghu and Zhou Xuanya were entertaining a young child of only a few years.

"Second Young Master is here." The moment Old Man Chen caught sight of Zhou Ping, he hurriedly rose to his feet.

Chen Nianqiu turned her gaze toward her husband, her eyes filled with gentle affection, while the other village woman sat stiffly, looking utterly restless and ill at ease.

A short distance away, Zhou Xuanya could not conceal the lingering fear in his heart. He shrank back slightly, hiding behind Zhou Minghu's shadow. The young child, Chen Fusheng, merely stared at Zhou Ping with wide, curious eyes, completely devoid of the terror that gripped the older boy.

Zhou Ping gave a gentle nod of acknowledgment. "Elder, is your health faring well?"

"This old man's body is still as sturdy as an ox!" Old Man Chen replied with a bright laugh.

"That is well," Zhou Ping said softly. "In the future, you should stop accompanying the herb-gathering teams into the deep mountains."

The expressions of Old Man Chen and his wife stiffened instantly. The old man pressed anxiously, "Second Young Master, my body is truly fine! Climbing the peaks is nothing to me, it causes no strain at all!"

He was deeply terrified that Zhou Ping intended to expel him from the herb-gathering operations. One had to understand that ever since they began cultivating medicinal herbs within the specific mountain regions Zhou Ping had marked, the so-called "herb gathering" had effectively transformed into a systematic harvest. It was a venture of immense, staggering profit, one that filled the entire region with burning envy.

He, along with the remnants of the Qian and Lin families, had gathered immense wealth from this trade. Now that the Zhou family was on the verge of total dominance, he was naturally unwilling to relinquish his share.

"Elder, you have misunderstood my intent. Trekking up and down the mountain trails is simply too exhausting. You are advanced in years, and your body should not be subjected to such grueling labor," Zhou Ping explained with a reassuring smile. "Just now, I concluded an agreement with the Wang and Sun families to establish a unified grain transport caravan. The moment the matter was settled, I immediately thought of placing you in charge."

Old Man Chen froze in astonishment, and then an expression of sheer ecstasy washed over his face.

Not only was Zhou Ping refraining from casting him aside, but by the looks of it, he was assigning him a position of immense authority!

"Second Young Master, this old man still possesses ample strength! I can handle any task you set before me!" Old Man Chen declared, his voice trembling with joy.

Zhou Ping offered a faint smile and nodded along. His decision to elevate Old Man Chen was born of careful, pragmatic calculation.

Although the Wang and Sun families currently lacked the courage to engage in any further clandestine schemes, their clans still physically existed within the village. Even the ruined Qian family still had dozens of members scraping a living.

On the other hand, the core members of the Zhou family were simply too few. Now that their hold over the village had stabilized, Zhou Ping would certainly encourage Changhe and the others to take wives and expand the lineage, but raising a new generation required years.

Therefore, his immediate priority was to elevate trustworthy individuals who were easily controlled, placing them in pivotal positions to gradually erode and sap the residual influence of the Wang, Sun, and Qian families.

Old Man Chen was the ideal candidate. He belonged to Minghu's maternal lineage, and his only true descendant at present was a mere toddler of two or three years, making him incredibly easy to manage. Even if his branch grew powerful in the decades to come, the Zhou family would have already ascended to heights unimaginable-there would be no question of their ability to keep him in check.

After a lengthy and nostalgic conversation, Zhou Ping finally escorted Old Man Chen and his family out of the estate.

Back inside the room, Zhou Xuanya stared timidly at his father. He took several halting steps forward, as if wanting to speak, but each time he was driven back by an overwhelming sense of dread. Just as he finally summoned the courage to approach and reveal the extraordinary secret he held, he watched as his elder brother stepped directly to his father's side. The boy's spirit collapsed, and he lowered his head in dejected silence.

Zhou Minghu leaned in close to Zhou Ping, whispering in a low, reverent voice, "Father... Chen Fusheng possesses the spiritual root required for cultivation."

Zhou Ping was momentarily startled, but his countenance quickly smoothed over into a mask of absolute calm. He simply peered through the doorway, his eyes tracing the distant, receding figures of the Chen family as he began to calculate intensely in his mind.

88.181.249.5

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