Chapter 889: Summary of News

"This is extortion." He He Lingchuan stroked his chin in thought. With such a malicious neighbor, Does Bailie's fate was truly grim. "Once there is a first and a second, there will be a third. Once the Ya Kingdom gets a taste of the sweetness, Does Bailie will have no peace."

"Currently, the leader of the Does Bailie tribe is Lu Lu Zhensheng. The direct line of the Lu clan died out long ago, and Lu Lu Zhensheng, who came from a collateral branch, was elected as the clan head."

"It seems Lu Lu Zhensheng negotiated with the Qing Kingdom, wanting to take back Blade Harbor, but he failed."

"However, the Does Bailie territory itself seems to have developed quite well over the last dozen years or so."

Lu Lu Zhensheng? He He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. This was the cousin of his original body's mother, Lu Lu Xiaoyun, the very person who forced her to give up her inheritance and flee to the Yuan Kingdom, and who later, as expected, succeeded in sitting on the position of clan head.

He was also the supreme leader of the Does Bailie territory.

Six hundred years ago, after the Does Bailie Kingdom was defeated by Between Beijia and its territory seized, the Lu family led the Does Bailie people to migrate here to continue their lives, but they never re-established the kingdom.

This place was merely the Lu family's territory.

Against the backdrop of the daily weakening of spiritual energy, few great aristocratic families could span six hundred years of time; usually, they would fade into obscurity within one or two hundred years. The Lu family was the same; they had experienced several revivals and several periods of glory, but in the end, they still fell into the long river of time. It was no easy feat to have maintained it until now.

In the current world, the Lu family was already an ancient clan.

It was a pity, though, that being "old" did not guarantee respect.

Ding Ding Zuodong also spoke up: "Lu Lu Zhensheng has two sons. The eldest, Lu Qing'an, is thirty-one and has always stayed within the clan. The second son, Lu Qing'an, is twenty-seven and has studied at Ganyuan Valley since childhood; this is one of the largest and oldest Daoist sects in the Mou Kingdom, its predecessor being an ancient immortal sect. Later, Lu Lu Qinglin was recommended by Ganyuan Valley to join the Mou Kingdom's military, where he quickly rose to the rank of Captain. It seems he recently distinguished himself in the western front battles and was granted the title of General Xu. The Mou Kingdom is full of talent and competition is fierce; this speed of promotion is already extraordinary."

"Xu?" He He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "That's a good title. It seems his contributions were not small, and the Mou Kingdom also intends to promote him."

Some miscellaneous general titles were like child's play, such as 'Tower Ship General' or 'Timber Officer General,' all related to the troops they commanded.

The implication of the character "Xu" was excellent; this Lu Lu Qinglin appeared to be a talent. He He Lingchuan had heard of Ganyuan Valley; this long-standing Daoist sect had very strict standards for selecting talent and maintained an exceptionally close connection with the Great Mou Royal Court. Wealthy families couldn't get in just by spending money.

Qiu Hu also asked: "The western front? Is that fighting against Between Beijia?"

"I hear so. There is no shortage of merchants coming from the west at Blade Harbor, and they all say Between Beijia is frequently launching fierce attacks, and the Mou Kingdom is rising up to fight back."

He He Lingchuan swept a glance at Dong Rui and saw him wink at him. The meaning was obvious:

The culprit was right here.

If He He Lingchuan hadn't released the Zu Ju, nearly blowing the Star-Plucking Tower to the sky and igniting the fuse for the chaos in Lingxu City, Between Beijia wouldn't be so exasperated.

When the Son of Heaven is angry, blood flows and oars drift. The dignity of a powerful nation cannot be offended.

But chaotic times produce heroes; such an era of war is the easiest time for ambitious leaders and extraordinary talents to emerge.

Lu Lu Qinglin was also taking the opportunity to accumulate military merit.

"But his greatest ability isn't winning battles, but marrying Xia Xia Lishang, the daughter of General General Yutian and Crown Prince's Guardian Xia Pei. Legend has it that as soon as Lu Lu Qinglin entered the capital, he was spotted by Xia Xia Lishang at first sight." Ding Ding Zuodong laughed. "What circulates most widely outside is the romantic gossip between Lu Lu Qinglin and the Xia family daughter."

"Xia Pei is currently leading troops on the western front; he can be said to be a pivotal figure in the Royal Court."

"The Lu family has certainly found themselves a good marriage alliance." As soon as He He Lingchuan heard this, he knew this would likely be a difficult point in his future recovery of the Does Bailie territory.

When he was investigating the Immortality Pill case in Between Beijia, he followed the clues to Cen Boqing, and then the trail went cold. Cen Boqing couldn't be considered top-tier power in the noble-crowded Lingxu City, but he married the daughter of the Grand Minister of Agriculture, so no one dared to touch him—including the Crown Prince of Chiyan, Fushan Yue, who had arrived in person.

He He Lingchuan had used every means possible to trick Cen Boqing into confessing.

The Lu family was the same. Lu Lu Zhensheng found a high-ranking general of the Mou Kingdom to be his in-law, which added no small amount of difficulty to He He Lingchuan's plan.

Imperial relatives are the hardest to deal with and the most troublesome. With Xia Pei's prestige in the Mou Kingdom, it was about the same.

Sure enough, Ding Ding Zuodong nodded and said: "That's right. Ever since Lu Lu Qinglin married the Xia family daughter, the Lu family's prestige has been rising steadily. Except for the Ya Kingdom, which doesn't buy this and continues to threaten them with troops, the surrounding forces have been much more polite to them. I hear people outside saying that if Lu Lu Qinglin can earn a few more military merits, he will be a rising star in the Mou Kingdom's officialdom."

He He Lingchuan gave a hum.

While there was certainly an element of exaggeration released by the Lu family themselves, war was indeed the best path for a military officer to rise, especially since Lu Lu Qinglin had found himself a major backer; General General Yutian should be very happy to promote his son-in-law.

Nepotism is not avoided; both Between Beijia and the Mou Kingdom were like this.

Tao Ran interjected: "Oh, by the way, the Does Bailie people's Niushan mine had an accident a year ago. A tunnel collapsed, burying over two hundred people; fewer were injured, only about eighty. I don't know if this casualty figure was exaggerated, but I heard the aftermath and compensation for this mining disaster still haven't been completed to this day."

Everyone exclaimed: "That's a serious accident."

"The mine owner is going to have to pay a lot of money."

Tao Ran continued: "The mine owner is the Lu family. The compensation they offered was eighty taels for the dead, fifty taels for those permanently disabled, and only five to ten taels for minor injuries. The families were not satisfied and gathered to protest several times; the local jails are already full."

"The dead only got eighty thousand coins in compensation?"

The permanently disabled are the real trouble, as they still have the rest of their lives to live. Most of those who go to the mines to dig are the strong laborers of the family; now, not only can they not support the household, but they also have to burn money on medicine and treatment, becoming a burden instead.

No wonder the families were dissatisfied.

Everyone chimed in: "The Lu family is stingy. Sitting on such fertile land, with their own mountains, forests, and mines, they can't even bear to pay those twenty or thirty thousand taels."

Ding Ding Zuodong laughed: "You don't know, the money of these great aristocratic families is all circulating in their industries. If there is a sudden emergency requiring gold and silver, they usually have to rob Peter to pay Paul; they aren't as well-off as they appear on the surface."

He had been a steward for a wealthy family for over a dozen years, handling everything inside and out, so he understood the ins and outs best.

Tao Ran didn't believe it: "Even if they aren't well-off, even if they need to rotate funds, they could have squeezed it out in a year, right?"

"That's right, so the Lu family's accounts should have some problems." Ding Ding Zuodong mused. "The Does Bailie people's settlement is the Lu family's fief; they should want to manage it well and earn a good reputation."

No lord wants their fief to be in misery and filled with complaints.

Did the Lu family have some unavoidable hardship? "Perhaps the battle with the Ya Kingdom consumed too much? Didn't they pay a huge sum of money after losing at the end of last year?"

If you lose a war, you pay reparations; it's an international convention.

The Ya Kingdom was also leeching off Does Bailie; whenever they lacked money, they would come to knock, treating the once-wealthy Does Bailie as a cash cow.

Upon hearing this, He He Lingchuan said: "There is plenty of time, no need to rush. I'm giving you all a long vacation, plus half a month's extra salary, so you can spend about ten days playing in Blade Harbor and the Does Bailie territory."

"The boss is generous!" Everyone cheered when they heard the boss was giving paid leave. They had been on a boat for two months, tossed by the wind and waves for two months; although no one was delicate, who wouldn't be happy about a surprise long vacation with good food and fun? "Don't just be happy; you know what you're supposed to do, right?"

"We know, we know, just go to the pleasure houses to dig up some information!" Tao Ran said solemnly. "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub?"

Everyone clapped and laughed.

He He Lingchuan paid the salaries readily and waved his hand: "Get lost!"

After the Other Rongshan men left with their arms around each other's shoulders, He He Lingchuan called Ding Ding Zuodong over.

"It wasn't easy for you to follow me here, unlike these bachelors who have no worries?" He He Lingchuan took out fifty taels of silver and stuffed them into his hand. "Take your wife to get some new clothes and go to a few good restaurants to make her happy."

Ding Ding Zuodong's family had had major disagreements about this trip east. His children and grandchildren refused to come, so Ding Ding Zuodong had to take his wife south to Baishawan.

The cabin walls were thin; He He Lingchuan could even hear Ding Ding Zuodong and his wife arguing, his wife crying a mess and scolding him for abandoning his family.

People cling to their homeland mostly because they cling to their relatives and friends. He He Lingchuan understood his state of mind.

"That old woman..." Ding Ding Zuodong remembered his wife still had a long face when they got off the boat; the boss must have seen it.

Sigh, how embarrassing. The boss is truly as meticulous as a hair.

He originally wanted to decline, but the words shrank back when they reached his lips. "Sigh, I've caused the boss trouble."

"It's nothing more than human nature." He He Lingchuan didn't mind and patted his shoulder. "Go on."

Tao Ran waited on the side and only stepped forward after Ding Ding Zuodong left: "Young Master, what task do you have for me?"

He had seen He He Lingchuan wink at him earlier, so he had stayed behind on purpose.

He He Lingchuan nodded inwardly. This kid really had a sharp eye.

Qiu Hu was fierce and tough, while Tao Ran was clever and cunning, and he knew how to handle boundaries well.

"You go to the Does Bailie territory and try to see if you can infiltrate the Lu residence." He He Lingchuan instructed him. "Just scouting for information outside is not enough."

Information passed outside the residence is often exaggerated and distorted; a family's true conflicts are usually hidden at the core.

In the past, outsiders looked at him and his father and saw a harmonious scene. Only He He Chunhua and He He Lingchuan himself knew that this was called 'appearing together but being apart at heart.'

"Yes." Tao Ran was about to move, but suddenly turned back. "Could I ask your physician to prepare a prescription for me?"

Ling Guang was eating melon on the side and looked up upon hearing this: "Where are you uncomfortable?"

He He Lingchuan laughed: "He wants to prepare a harmful medicine, just one that won't take a life; you just go ahead and refine it."

Tao Ran admired: "Young Master is amazing!" He saw through his trick at a glance.

After everything was settled, He He Lingchuan also left the inn to go to the seaside to catch some fresh air.

(End of chapter)