Chapter 126: Nurturing

Yangzhou, Wang Family Fort.

The night was as black as ink, yet the study deep within the fort glowed with a dim yellow fire, casting a warm red outline on the window lattice.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) pressed a wax‑sealed letter between his fingertips, lowered his eyes, and read word by word the news Wang Meng had sent back from East Town, the firelight flickering in his eyes, reflecting a bottomless stillness.

Wang Tian stood beside the desk, his dark robe making his figure even more upright, yet his brows bore an unshakable gravity.

He had read the letter's contents half an hour earlier, and now his chest still churned with unsettled emotions—excitement at Wang Meng's daring, and a hint of hidden worry.

He couldn't help but step forward half a pace, his voice a shade lower: "Head of Family, that Wang Meng kid really has guts! The Court's envoy told us to turn back, and now, with this, our Wang Family has completely torn the face of the Wa Country's Court!"

Wang Po heard this, slowly lifted his eyes, and gently placed the letter on the desk, producing a soft sound.

He reached for a pre‑prepared celadon tea cup, a faint white vapor swirling around its rim, brought it to his lips, gave a gentle blow, moving leisurely as if Wang Tian's words about "tearing the face" meant nothing to him.

The warm tea slid down his throat, dispelling some night chill; he set the cup down, his gaze landing on Wang Tian, his tone as flat as if discussing a trivial matter: "Tear the face? No, that's called flipping the table."

His tone held no hint of deference to the Wa Country Court, as if the other side were merely a dispensable decoration at a banquet, and flipping a table was nothing to fear.

At that moment, Wang Xiu's consciousness, residing within Wang Po's body, heard these words and felt a wave of exhilaration spread from his heart through his veins to every limb. What he desired had never been the conciliatory "not tearing the face," but the clean, decisive "flipping the table"! Emperors, courts—before the Wang Family he had painstakingly built over the years, they were merely hollow chickens and dogs. As long as the Wang Family's strength was sufficient, the so‑called imperial authority was just a bubble that could be burst with a poke.

"Uncle, think about it. Why are we going to Wa Country? To be friends, to reason with them?" Wang Po asked Wang Tian.

Wang Tian paused, then shook his head: "Of course not. We're after gold and silver, minerals, land, and the everlasting legacy of the Wang Family."

"Exactly," Wang Po nodded. "Since our goal from the start has been plunder and colonization, why care about their face?"

That so‑called Court of theirs has long rotted to the core, losing control over the regions. If we give it face, it can't hold onto anything. If we deny it face, the local rats will see clearly who the new masters of this land are.

Wang Xiu added in his mind: Order has always been defined by the strong. Now, the Wang Family is the strongest in Nine Provinces.

"The Head of Family says it," Wang Tian, prompted by Wang Po, suddenly had a revelation. "I was the one who imagined it. I always thought, as a Celestial Empire, we must uphold propriety..."

"Propriety rests on absolute strength," Wang Po interrupted. "When our fleet can blockade all their ports, when our cannons can blast open any of their cities, then our words are propriety. What we do is the rule."

Wang Tian felt his heart surge, nodding heavily: "I understand. As for what Wang Meng mentioned in his letter—the Nine Provinces Heroes Association and the matter of selecting an agent..."

"That's a good idea," a smile finally appeared on Wang Po's face. "That Wang Meng kid is getting more savvy. He knows brute force alone won't work; he must learn to use his mind, to manipulate hearts."

He picked up a brush and began sketching on the paper.

"Supporting an agent is the right direction. Yet we must not let his family dominate, nor let him think the Wang Family is indispensable," Wang Xiu's mind conjured the failed balance tactics of later colonial empires.

"Uncle, note this: the reply must clarify a few points to Wang Meng."

"The Nine Provinces Heroes Association must be held spectacularly, showcasing our Wang Family's wealth and strength before those country bumpkins, driving them mad!"

"As for the agent, we should choose the one called Pinebay Town. Why? Because he was the first to defect to us; supporting him sets an example for later ones—following the Wang Family brings meat. Moreover, his roots are shallow, his dependence deep, making him easiest to control."

As for Wang Meng's many schemings, that's no issue; having scheming thoughts leads to calculating the Wang Family's strength and knowing which side to stand on is the right choice.

"But!" Wang Po's tone hardened, "We must constantly remind him that his power is granted by us, and we can withdraw it at any time. We must frequently hammer him, making him understand his status."

"How to hammer?" Wang Tian stepped half a pace forward, his eyes full of inquiry, clearly wanting to know what hidden method lay behind this seemingly gentle approach.

Wang Po tapped his fingertip lightly on the desk, his gaze sweeping the heavy night outside, his tone carrying undeniable certainty: "Have him send his eldest son to the Wang Clan Academy in East Town to study."

He paused, a faint smile curling his mouth, adding: "Doesn't he always use 'old age' as an excuse to stall politics? Tell him this is to let his son receive the Celestial Empire's advanced education, learning practical skills so he can later inherit his estate steadily."

At that point, Wang Po lifted his tea cup and took another sip, his eyes now clearer: "If he's clever, he'll see the meaning behind this 'schooling'—it gives him a stepping stone and delineates our bottom line. If he pretends ignorance while understanding, then the son is far from just coming to study."

"Send his son to study?"

Wang Tian's heart lurched; his hand gripping his sleeve tightened involuntarily. He looked up at Wang Po, seeing his expression still calm, yet the deeper meaning of the previous words was precisely to have the other side send a hostage!

"The Wang Clan Academy? The Celestial Empire's advanced education? Those are merely a façade placed on the surface."

That old fox has been operating locally for years, always slick; how could he not see the weight behind this 'studying'? Sending his prized eldest son to East Town, ostensibly to learn skills, actually hands a soft spot to the Wang Family. If he later shows any disobedience, the son at the academy becomes the most concrete leverage.

"Also," Wang Po continued, "once we support Pinebay Town, we must suppress others, but not kill them all. Keep a few troublemakers, like that Shimazu clan, the Otomo clan. Occasionally let them clash with Pinebay Town."

Thus, Pinebay Town will forever feel its position insecure and constantly need our support. A dog that is too comfortable will forget its master.

"Tell Wang Meng to expand the Wang Clan Academy! As long as they're children, regardless of gender, tuition is free, and we provide food and lodging!"

"I will, in Wa Country, create an entirely new class—a new Wa people class, cultivated by us, speaking Chinese, learning our knowledge, bearing our Chinese surnames."

Wang Xiu's words thundered in Wang Tian's mind like a sudden lightning strike.

"I... I understand," Wang Tian's voice trembled slightly. He solemnly took the letter Wang Po had written and carefully stored it.

"Head of Family, rest assured! In the reply, I will convey every word you said to Wang Meng, word for word, clear and precise, with no omission or deviation."

Wang Po heard this, merely nodded slowly, then lightly waved his hand, indicating he could step back.

Wang Tian, seeing this, said no more, respectfully bowed his hands, turned and stepped lightly out of the study, even closing the door so gently as to avoid disturbing the deep‑minded Head of Family.

In the study, Wang Xiu's consciousness felt a hint of fatigue. Worrying over these matters truly drained his spirit.

He walked to the window, looking at the prosperous land beyond the fort. The fort's scale, compared to when Wang Po first took over, had expanded severalfold. The wealth of the Jiangnan region, under the Wang Family's governance, had reached an unprecedented pinnacle.

Now Wang Po was no longer young.

The white hair at his temples was no longer just a few strands. Though his body remained fairly robust, he knew he could not forever command this vast family.

It was time to consider the issue of an heir.

In his mind, his son's face floated up.

His eldest son, named Wang Zhen, was now twenty‑five. He had been by his side since childhood, absorbing everything. Calm in temperament and fairly thorough in action. Over the years, he had gradually entrusted him with various family enterprises and affairs, all of which he managed orderly, without any major mishaps.

He was good material for maintaining the status quo.

But merely preserving was not enough.

The Wang Family's future needed an heir who could both safeguard the inheritance and possess enough boldness to continue expanding.

"Seems we still need to further temper him," Wang Po muttered to himself.

He turned back to the desk, lifted his brush, and wrote a decree.

"Effective immediately, Wang Zhen is appointed to the Overseas Strategy Bureau as Deputy Chief, assisting Chief Wang Tian in handling affairs concerning Wa Country and the South Seas."

He intended to thrust his son into the forefront of the family business, the most perilous cutting edge.

Whether dragon or worm, a quick test will reveal it.

Wang Xiu knew this was one of the last major deeds he, as Wang Po, would do for the Wang Family; cultivating the next Head of Family was his final responsibility to the clan.