Chapter 606: The Simplest

Dusk fell, several carriages headed for the outskirts, breaking the night's tranquility.

Afterwards, more people surged toward an inconspicuous, remote manor in the outskirts.

The manor looked ordinary, but its perimeter was heavily guarded; anyone wishing to enter would be searched down to the last needle, which was not allowed to be brought inside.

Moreover, the guards stationed outside the manor appeared to be martial arts masters; even just standing there, they could match the imperial guards.

Yet inside the manor lay another world; the main hall was built quite grandly, capable of accommodating over a hundred people.

Though the main hall appeared spacious, it was now crowded with people, packed tightly everywhere, making the hall feel somewhat cramped.

Seated in the center were several venerable elders; those seated in the secondary positions wore fine robes and were of noble status.

Among them, several embroidered-clothed youths rose, their faces flushed, and shouted loudly: "Xiao Yin that dog thief clearly intends to wipe out our Eight Great Families."

"The Duan Clan earlier, the Cao Clan later, and even the Jiangnan Li and Lin clans—were they not all victims of his poisonous hand?"

"Think back to the Qi Sha Gu case—our Eight Great Families all had a share; who didn't contribute?"

"Now, with life and death before our eyes, have you all gone timid?"

"Yes!" another middle-aged man stood up, his expression solemn and his voice raised a few notches.

"Now that everyone has come here, it is to share the same boat and weather the storm together."

"We are all grasshoppers on the same rope; none should despise another. Back when Qi Sha Gu killed so many, none of our hands were clean."

"Now, an impostor prince who sprang from nowhere has ordered a reinvestigation of the Qi Sha Gu case; behind it must be Xiao Yin seeking to investigate!"

"If they really find it on any of you, none of the lot will escape."

"Cough, cough! Quiet down!" an elder seated at the head coughed, then turned his face respectfully toward the masked person sitting in the center and whispered: "Prince Rui may not give us a way out; you, at least, give us a final idea."

This mysterious figure seated in the center wore a black robe from head to toe, completely covering head and face, making his features indistinguishable.

Moreover, he wore a mask, sealing his face shut.

The surrounding younger generation even wondered whether those clan elders had gone mad.

These clan elders were venerable figures of the Eight Great Families; any one of them stepping forward could stand alone.

This time, the Eight Great Families gathered at the manor in the outskirts, yet so many clan elders showed extraordinary enthusiasm for this nameless, thin figure who refused to reveal his true face.

Even now, when deciding the fate of the Eight Great Families, they must first seek this person's opinion; if not for the elders' status and dignity, how could this person command obedience?

The black-robed figure seated in the center slowly rose, gazing at several clan elders; having swallowed a voice-altering pill, his voice sounded somewhat strange.

"As for that Qi Sha Gu case, you surely know it—its cause was land clearance."

As soon as the words "land clearance" left the black-robed person's mouth, the faces of those around froze.

The Eight Great Families occupy eighty percent of Southern Qi's land; if this time, using the pretext of overturning the Qi Sha Gu case, they continue to investigate the fields.

The fields the Great Families have occupied these years were obtained through various extraordinary means; once an investigation begins, everyone will find their backsides unclean.

Land is the last foundation for the Great Families' survival; if Xiao Yin wipes them out in one sweep, thereafter the Great Families will be utterly erased from Southern Qi's land.

"How should we respond?" a Duan Clan elder flicked a cold glint in his eyes.

Xiao Yin originally set a trap to kill the Third Prince; the Duan Clan almost died out, with only a few elders escaping to linger on.

Having come to this point, the Duan and Cao clans hate Xiao Yin the most; if given a chance to deal with him, they will surely be the most eager.

The black-robed person chuckled softly: "Xiao Yin seized Southern Qi's realm with a false prince, unaware that once one sits in that position, who could bear to surrender a thousand miles of land and mountains?"

"The view from a high position is still not bad."

The Duan and Cao clan elders were instantly stunned; his words were as if he had said nothing.

"What, then, should we do?" a Cao Clan elder grew anxious, his voice rising considerably.

"Are we supposed to rely on that powerless fool Bai Xiaosheng? How are we to win him over?"

The black-robed person gave a cold snort: "No need for complexity; sometimes the deadliest move is also the simplest."

This person slowly raised his hand; his withered fingers stretched out, like a ghost.

The General's Manor on the west side of Chongwen Street in Jing Cheng was bathed in soft moonlight, and from the inner court's warm pavilion came a series of ragged breaths.

"My love! Gentle… gentle…"

Zhao Lang, bruised all over, lay upon the soft bed; he never imagined that after knocking his wife unconscious and rolling over an iron nail in her stead, it would leave the usually good-tempered Jinzhi glaring at him to this day.

Zhao Lang could only resort to such a lowly trick.

Indeed, Jinzhi's eyes reddened slightly, and she could not hold back her tears.

Zhao Lang instantly felt his heart ache to death; a single tear from Jinzhi was like reopening a deep wound down to the bone on his body.

Zhao Lang hastily scrambled up from the bed, tugging at his wound on his back, gritting his teeth, yet he still grabbed Jinzhi's hand.

"Hit me, I admit it's my fault; I was worried you'd fall again for Xiao Yin's schemes."

"Every time that scoundrel moves his lips, you have to risk your life for him; I fear you'll come to harm, though I'm thick-skinned and it's nothing to me."

"All right, don't cry; the more you cry, the more my heart panics."

"How about this: you beat me to vent your anger, and I'll never dare again."

Zhao Lang flusteredly seized Jinzhi's slightly trembling hand and repeatedly slapped his own handsome cheek.

Jinzhi could no longer hold back; she flung herself into Zhao Lang's embrace, clinging to him as she burst into tears.

"If you keep harming yourself like this in the future, I… I… I will…"

Jinzhi, who had always been kind to others since childhood, had never learned a single harsh word; having held back for half a day, she could not utter a single sentence, her sobs growing ever more intense.

She buried her whole face in Zhao Lang's chest, muffled, and said: "I will no longer pay you any heed."

That single sentence—"I will no longer pay you any heed"—is probably the harshest thing Jinzhi could think of.

Zhao Lang, hearing that, felt both angry and pained, and pulled Jinzhi tightly into his embrace; this woman's obedience made her pitiable.

Zhao Lang drew a deep breath and held his wife tightly.

"Enough, these days have been nothing but misfortune; now we husband and wife have already fulfilled benevolence and duty to the utmost."

"The Qi Sha Gu case will soon go to trial before the Three Ministries, and a result will come quickly; your father's old grievance can be cleared, these days we've all lived too repressed—good thing next month's first is the Spring Sacrifice; I'll take you on a spring outing then, how about that?"

Jinzhi nodded: "When the time comes, we'll call Yun Duo and the others from Rui Wang Fu to go together."