Chapter 124: Should I Avoid His Sharp Edge First?

The Mu Family.

Commander Mu is currently feeling very conflicted.

He never imagined that simply stopping Wen Gu at the entrance of Zhao Fu to ask a few questions would lead to such rumors spreading overnight!

First, he was stunned.

Then, angry.

Following that, contemplative.

Actually... if the fake were to become real, it would be quite good.

Wen Gu is now a new noble in Xinzhou, and his status and abilities are both very satisfactory.

Their Mu Family has only one girl of suitable age—his youngest sister, the late Old Master Mu's daughter born in his old age.

It is just that when Commander Mu brought the first group of people north, he did not bring many family members; he is still waiting for the rest of the family to arrive, so he cannot have the two parties meet for an inspection right now.

"Commander, how should we respond to the rumors outside?" a personal attendant nearby asked.

"Wait and see for now, observe what moves Wen Gu makes," Commander Mu said, hesitating.

"I just don't know what the person pushing these rumors behind the scenes is actually intending," the attendant said, very worried.

Ordinary commoners cannot even afford to eat and are hungry all day long; seeing the weather getting hotter by the day, they are fearful and anxious—how could they have the heart to focus on Wen Gu and spread such rumors?

It must be someone with an agenda pushing this.

"This kind of matter is definitely targeting Wen Gu's side. Our Mu Family is purely a matter of luck..."

Commander Mu had wanted to say bad luck, but then he thought, it is not necessarily a bad thing; if it could be turned from fake to real...

"Ahem, our Mu Family is purely caught up in this. First, investigate who is pushing the rumors."

If this kind of rumor were placed in a time of peace, one would certainly have to find a way to resolve it quickly. Marriages between great families usually involve complex interests and must never be disturbed by rumors.

But in these troubled times, it is not that critical; there is time to wait and see, to control movement with stillness.

Commander Mu now wants to see what kind of reaction will come from Wen Gu's side.

It is rare for Xinzhou City to have gossip news again; there are many people watching the spectacle, and the anxious, tense mood triggered by the gradually warming weather has relaxed just a little.

They just want to see what the reaction of the two parties in the rumors is, and whether the rumors are true.

However, there is no movement from either the Mu Family side or Jingxing Fang!

Commander Mu is carrying out patrol duties every day as usual.

Jingxing Fang also has no major actions.

Zhao Shaozhu, who is busy with affairs, is also guessing in his spare time: could it be that they intend to engage in "argument without debating, the pure remain pure," and "rumors stop with the wise"?

Or perhaps... the rumors are true?

Jingqing Public Office.

Wen Gu looks at the new information in his hand.

The source of the rumors has already been found; it is the He Daye, which only recently arrived in Xinzhou City.

It was not difficult to investigate; the other party did not hide or cover anything up, maintaining an entirely fearless attitude.

"He Daye."

Once a famous noble family in Huangcheng, they were relatives of the emperor granted titles. Although they are not as prominent as before, after generations of accumulation, they still possess a massive network of relationships and enormous wealth.

When He Daye first arrived in Xinzhou, they offered a large batch of grain and goods; combined with their existing reputation, they certainly have the confidence.

While investigating the source of the rumors, some hearsay was also uncovered: it is said that He Daye wanted to marry into a certain family in the city, but that family had their eye on Wen Gu, and in a fit of rage, He Daye spread the rumors.

Wen Gu looked at the information recorded on the paper and tossed it aside.

This kind of privileged, wealthy clan that has accumulated power over several generations would certainly not make such a big scene just for this bit of petty trouble.

The key point is not the rumor itself, but what move the other party will make next.

During this period, the Shen brothers came by and mentioned this matter jokingly; upon learning that Wen Gu already had arrangements, they thought, fine, although they did not understand, they just needed to follow along.

Zhao Mu and the others, who are planning to build storefronts, also came to ask, and upon receiving the same reply, they decided to wait and see for the time being.

Wen Gu called He Da and Tao San over and gave them some instructions.

He then asked: "Still no movement from the Mu Family side?"

Tao San replied: "I heard that Commander Mu was very angry at first, and when he heard the rumors while on patrol, he scolded them loudly... other than that, there has been no other indication."

Commander Mu's attitude in refuting the rumors does not seem firm or intense enough.

"Hmm, there is no need to pay attention to the Mu Family side for now," Wen Gu said, "You all get ready."

At the same time, in the district within Xinzhou City where the powerful and wealthy gather.

The He Daye mansion.

An attendant walked quickly into the room and bowed respectfully to the person sitting in the seat in front: "Master, everything has been arranged!"

Master He lazily narrowed his eyes, leisurely tasting tea. Hearing the subordinate's words, he gave a nonchalant "Hmm."

The rumors in the city this time were stirred up by them.

He did indeed want to marry into a certain family, and that family did indeed favor Wen Gu more, but choosing to take action against Wen Gu was not the main reason.

Some time ago, when their family first arrived, they complained that the residence here was too small and dilapidated, and they needed to get a batch of building materials.

But building materials are currently scarce supplies; with the weather about to get hot, every district is urgently building isolation and defense facilities, and bricks, tiles, and timber are all hard to come by.

After looking around, he intercepted several pre-orders based on his connections and reputation, but it was still far from enough.

Thus, he set his sights on the building materials being sent to Jingxing Fang.

The next several batches of building materials were all headed toward Jingxing Fang; some belonged to the Zhao Family, some to the Shen Family, and others belonged to the Jingqing Public Office.

Compared to the Zhao Family and the Shen Family, the Jingqing Public Office is naturally easier to manipulate.

A friend who was tasting tea with him even advised him: "Wen Gu is a new noble here, and both the Zhao and Shen families value him highly. You should avoid his sharp edge for now; it would be better to pick someone else to target."

Master He laughed in anger at the time: "I should avoid his sharp edge first?"

Hilarious!

Not only will I not avoid it, I will meet the challenge head-on!

Friends tried to dissuade him many times to no avail, shaking their heads and sighing as they took their leave.

He Daye, however, sat alone by the table, deep in thought for a long time.

Old acquaintances and friends understood his temper, but what kind of decent person steps exactly on landmines when offering advice??

Still, the timing this time was quite good.

He appeared to be easily provoked and arrogant, but He Daye had his own logic and goals.

That is, by using the provocation, he wanted to stir up some trouble to make a name for himself in Xinzhou.

One certainly couldn't pick a target that was too weak, as that wouldn't demonstrate the capabilities of the He Daye. But one that was too strong would be hard to chew, resulting in more loss than gain. It would be better to pick someone like Wen Gu, an upstart who was neither here nor there.

Wen Gu had no massive family backing and was isolated and weak.

The Shen Family?

But Wen Gu's surname is not Shen!

The fact that there was a layer of separation was true; the Shen Family was not always convenient to get involved. And once the Shen Family took action, it would prove that Wen Gu's ability was not as strong as boasted.

Besides, was the Wen a great family? Even taking a step back, even if it were, those alive today were only Wen Gu and his cousin... or one and a half, if you count that fool as half.

He Daye looked down on them.

In short, the advantage is mine!

As for the He Daye, counting back three generations, they were all titled—a genuine family of dukes and marquises!

Although the titles were granted through marriage and held little political power, they were truly the elite!

After generations of management, it is no exaggeration to say that nearly half of the nobles in this city are related to the He Daye by blood or marriage!

Recalling the glory of the past, He Daye sighed heavily again.

Unfortunately, by his generation, luck was not so good; he was not as prominent as his ancestors and encountered a bizarre, chaotic world.

Actually, at first, they did not favor the Zhao Family, but the several great families with whom they had good relations all ran to Xinzhou to place their bets. After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, He Daye still brought his family over.

He also brought over quite a lot of grain and supplies.

In the past, they had always maintained a high standard of living; their manors and villas in the suburbs of the capital had warehouses piled full.

This time, they brought a batch of supplies during the northern migration. They couldn't manage the rest, but they informed the Zhao Family of the exact location, and this coming winter, the Xianshou Army would go to bring the goods over.

These supplies were enough for the He Daye to stand tall and receive preferential treatment in Xinzhou.

The supplies offered as tribute were only what he had declared. Like most wealthy households and nobles, they had goods hidden away privately.

When it comes to strategies for avoiding disaster, the people of the great families understand best.

Unless they are willing to bring them out, they would rather let those things rot than reveal a single word!

Therefore, He Daye was very confident this time.

With grain and goods in hand, plus powerful connections and networks, what do you, a "new noble" who has just emerged and lacks family support, have to fight me with?!

(End of this chapter)