Chapter 532: 486 Grand Steward

After a period of chaos at the entrance, led by Lao Xingcang, they ushered the Young Master into the backyard of the dye house.

The backyard of the dye house was not small, consisting of three courtyards plus side wings. Since the Xingshao had returned, he naturally stayed in the main hall of the backyard; the courtyard had long been covered with bright carpets, and they invited the Young Master to enter the back hall and take the seat of honor.

As for the others, Tang Zhao and Fang Weiran, being Sword Guests, could naturally follow them into the hall, while the green-clad servants like Weise could only drive the carriages and horses to the stables first and wait for the Master's orders for placement; as for the young slaves, there was no need to even mention them.

Zheng Yun sat in the hall, and a group of white-haired people and a few half-white-haired people swarmed up again to pay their respects. That Lao Xingcang bowed while weeping, saying, "Ten years have passed, and the Young Master is so handsome and imposing. If the old Master knew, how happy he would be."

Zheng Yun swept his gaze over the crowd; apart from Lao Xingcang, he did not recognize a single person. He could only roughly tell that there were two Sword Guests among them, and the rest, even if they had white hair, were not Sword Guests.

There were actually three Sword Guests who came down to welcome the Xingshao back to the mountain, and there were even more on the mountain, which showed that the Manor's strength could not be underestimated. The strength of the entire Wangliang Mountain was even more unfathomable.

Wangliang Mountain had produced a large number of sword slaves, and from them, they had created quite a few Sword Guests. They suffered greatly in Wangliang Mountain, yet in the end, they became a part of Wangliang Mountain's strength.

Seeing Zheng Yun sizing up the two Sword Guests, Xing Cang introduced, "This is Xing Wu, and this is Xing Twelve. Both are newly promoted Sword Guests of the family, whom the Young Master has not met."

Most of the Sword Guests who emerged from Wangliang Mountain, except for those who were truly persistent, changed their surnames to Xing, because it was truly by luck that they survived; their names were all given haphazardly, like in Changfa Manor, where they were simply ordered by numbers.

In fact, some manors might also use ordering, each following its own logic; only within Wangliang Mountain, there might not be just one or two Xing Wus.

As for the others, no one introduced them. Because there was no need for introductions, and the Young Master did not need to know everyone; he should care about what he ought to care about right before him.

Therefore, he said directly, "How is the old man? Where is he being kept?"

Xing Cang bowed and said, "He is being kept secretly in the Manor, and no one knows. The Young Master will be able to see him when he returns."

Zheng Yun sighed with feigned emotion, "This old man, he didn't even wait for me, just went off on his own. How is the Manor? Are there any unusual movements inside or out now?"

Xing Cang said, "Our Manor is an iron-clad empire left behind by the old Master; who would dare to have any unusual movements? Before the old Master left, he took away those few who were disobedient. The old Master was wise; once these troublemakers were gone, there was not a single person left below who would act out."

Zheng Yun glanced at this Grand Steward and sneered, saying, "Took them away? The old man had controlled the Manor for ten years, yet there were still troublemakers who needed to be taken away on his deathbed. It is not easy for him to have lived in Wangliang Mountain for so many years, is it?"

Xing Cang bowed his waist and said, "Young Master, the old Master indeed had supreme authority when he was here, but at the very last moment, some people revealed their wolfish ambitions, which is why the old Master made such a decision. For example, that thief Xing Li, relying on his years of service..."

Zheng Yun interrupted him, saying, "Enough, I have no interest in listening. Dead is dead; I have no interest in the past of the dead. According to you, is Changfa Manor now an iron-clad block?"

Xing Cang lowered his head, his white beard and hair covering all his expressions, and said, "All are as loyal as iron to the Xingshao."

Zheng Yun smiled and said, "Whether it is iron or gold, I will only know when I see it with my own eyes. Tell me about the situation outside."

Tang Zhao watched with cold eyes and praised inwardly: Zheng Yun is also quite convincing at playing this kind of Young Master who wields power and is sharp-witted; there is not a trace of his own self in it. Although it relies on prior preparation, his ability to improvise is also excellent. Could it be that his acting talent was delayed by Caiyungui?

Coming up and drawing the bow and string with this Grand Steward Xing Cang was also arranged in advance. According to the information, this Grand Steward is the biggest stumbling block in controlling the Manor; regardless of whether he is loyal or treacherous, he must definitely be kicked away. Moreover, time is limited, so one must cut the Gordian knot quickly; with strength as a foundation, using the method of beating the grass to startle the snake is more efficient.

Xing Cang lowered his head and said, "The outside is still considered stable now, but according to my observations, at least two manors have malicious intentions. One is Changxiu Manor, and the other is Geyi Manor..."

When he spoke of external enemies, he seemed to suddenly gain spirit, his wrinkles smoothed out, and he began to talk incessantly.

At first, it was quite calm, but by the end, his anger rose; he gritted his teeth, harboring a hatred that made him wish he could eat their flesh and sleep on their skin. He described the two forces as more powerful and more detestable than the other, as if they were about to bully their way to the door at any moment, kick over the old Manor Master's coffin, and grind the old man's bones to dust.

Zheng Yun listened lazily, and only after he caught his breath a little did he say, "Only two enemies? Much fewer than I imagined. The old man wasn't as tough as he claimed to be. Understood, I will eradicate these two manors."

Although this was the effect Xing Cang wanted to achieve by saying so much, he was still startled by Zheng Yun's declaration and hurriedly said, "Xingshao, these are figures who were mentioned in the same breath as the old Master; their strength cannot be underestimated. It is better to plan slowly. Fortunately, the Young Master has returned, so Changfa Manor has a backbone, and we need not fear even more powerful enemies."

Zheng Yun hummed, "You have followed the old man for many years, so I don't blame you for thinking this way, but now is no longer his era. By the way, you said the old man took a few people away? That means there are vacancies in the Manor's positions?"

Xing Cang said, "Uh... yes..."

Zheng Yun asked back, "What, have you taken it upon yourself to fill the vacant positions?"

Xing Cang hurriedly said, "No, there are still vacancies for stewards..."

Zheng Yun said, "The Sword Guests I brought will serve as stewards, and the two young servants will serve as personal attendants, but with the treatment of managers. The two girls, Zisu and Bai Zhi, will be internal managers, in charge of my money. Hmm... Old Seven—" he pointed at Tang Zhao, "He has served me quite well along the way; promote him by one rank."

Xing Cang hurriedly said, "Old Seven is already a First-rank Steward, he..."

Above him is me.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Zheng Yun understood and said, "Is the Grand Steward above the steward? Is there no Deputy Grand Steward?"

Xing Cang said, "It has never been established..."

Zheng Yun waved his hand and said, "Then from now on, a Deputy Grand Steward will be established; let him be your deputy. Increase his treatment by one rank, the same as yours. When you die, he will take your position."

Xing Cang froze for a moment, opening his mouth to speak, but Zheng Yun stretched and said, "Alright, I'm tired, let me rest for a while. We'll talk about other things when I wake up. After a long journey, I am truly fucking tired." After speaking, he beckoned, and the two enchanting women named "Zisu" and "Bai Zhi" flanked him and ushered him into the room.

The two Sword Guests, Xing Wu and Xing Twelve, did not get to say a word to the Young Master and were left hanging, feeling somewhat awkward. But the Manor's system of hierarchy was extremely clear; apart from Xing Cang, no one dared to complain, and they all looked at Xing Cang in silence.

Xing Cang waved his hand and said, "The Xingshao has dismissed us; you go back to work first, and remember to settle the people the Young Master brought."

After everyone dispersed, Xing Cang called out, "Old Seven, come here, let's chat."

Tang Zhao thought: Here it comes.

Just now it was Zheng Yun's hurdle, and now it was his turn.

Zheng Yun, after all, had his status; he took full advantage of the title of Xingshao, whereas his side required more caution.

As for the relationship between the original Xing Qi and Xing Cang, if not intimate, it could at least be said they were in the same boat.

Just consider one point: the old Manor Master died suddenly. Therefore, who was sent to pick up the Young Master was actually decided by Xing Cang.

The task of picking up the next master, although carrying certain risks, was definitely a lucrative one. If one could serve the Young Master well, it would count as being a minister who followed the dragon. Among the four First-rank Stewards in the Manor, if Xing Qi could not curry favor with Xing Cang, how could it be his turn to go on this errand? He should have stayed behind and been taken away by Xing Cang along with the other stewards.

But that was before.

Since Zheng Yun spoke of promotion, making Xing Qi almost equal in rank to Xing Cang, plus the vacancies of stewards and the filling of new positions, the relationship between the two became subtle in an instant.

Tang Zhao needed to grasp this subtlety; the top priority was to ensure Xing Cang could not see any flaws.

If he saw through it, then he would have to let him ascend to heaven here and replace him with someone else to be Xing Cang.

That action would be a bit too big; in order to successfully grasp the power of the Manor, it would be best to have the original Grand Steward hand over, and he hoped Xing Cang would not be unappreciative.

So when everyone left, Xing Cang let him into another hall, and after isolating the doors and windows, he immediately said humbly, "Grand Steward, this was just the Young Master's whim to promote me; your subordinate has absolutely no two hearts toward you!"

Xing Cang glared at him and said, "Nonsense. This 'no two hearts' can only be said to the Master; how can you say it to me?"

Tang Zhao immediately said, "It is different; my loyalty to the Master is duty, and my feeling toward you is filial piety; neither has two hearts!"

Xing Cang waved his hand and said, "You served the Xingshao all the way; what do you think of the Xingshao?"

Tang Zhao pondered and said, "The Xingshao... is indeed like the old Master."

This was Jian Chenglong's personality, and also Xing Qi's evaluation of Jian Chenglong.

Hmm, that is the evaluation of the real Jian Chenglong by the real Xing Qi.

Tang Zhao and the others had done very solid homework to prepare for this mission; many questions that might be asked had been asked to the original person in advance. This question was one of the ones they had bet on.

By the way, among the group he had detained, Xing Qi was the most "cooperative" one; after learning the identity of the person who had come, he did not resist at all, saying whatever he was told to say, at most declaring that he had never done anything bad and was innocent from beginning to end. The information obtained from him all matched the intelligence reports, so it was clear he was playing no tricks.

In a sense, Xing Qi was exactly like Zheng Yun.

Xing Cang was silent; he understood this assessment better than Tang Zhao. He slowly shook his head and said, "I can see it. Ten years... has nothing changed? Changing masters is just like not changing at all."

Tang Zhao kept feeling that he was about to say, "Then isn't that a wasted change?"

Of course, Xing Cang did not say it out loud, and instead asked, "How is the Young Master's strength?"

Tang Zhao said, "I have never seen the Young Master make a move, but I have seen his Sword Image once; it was a fox, very solid, which does not seem to be the work of a single day. At the very least, it is not below mine."

Xing Cang pondered secretly and said, "How are those trusted aides he brought back?"

Tang Zhao said, "That Sword Guest is surnamed Fang and is very compatible with the Young Master; their temperaments are similar, and his strength is valued by the Young Master, so it shouldn't be bad, right? Those few male and female servants of his are also like hedgehogs; they don't look like servants, but rather like secondary masters. Only one called 'Wei Se' is relatively honest; I haven't seen any craftiness in him yet."

Xing Cang said, "They are young, and haven't seen much of the world, so their temperaments will naturally be a bit intense. Once they have seen more, they will naturally know their own weight. I watched the YoungMaster grow up from a young age; if there are bad people around him, they should be cleared out. This is the responsibility of you and me as manor stewards."