Chapter 361: The Changes That Followed

"For me to marry into the Zhao family and then manage the Xu family would be an unjustified and irregular claim to authority. But Young Master Zhao's blade and spear can silence those malcontents and keep them in line. For these twelve years, Young Master Zhao must take charge. Otherwise, my father and younger brother will surely be deceived and ruined by others. After twelve years, I ask that Young Master Zhao step aside. I know what I am asking is excessive, but I still beg Young Master Zhao to agree."

Hearing Xu Zhenzhen finish, the smile faded from Zhao Jin's face. He slowly shook his head and said, "In twelve years, there will be far too many variables. How can you be so certain I will step aside?"

"I believe Young Master Zhao is a man of his word, a true hero!" Xu Zhenzhen said firmly.

A playful smile returned to Zhao Jin's face. He teased, "You've misjudged me. Trying to bind me with such words is useless. When that time comes, you will have no say, and your Xu family will be powerless. Whether I step aside or not will no longer be up to you!"

"That you can speak to me this way shows Young Master Zhao's heart is open and honest." Though a light gauze veil separated them, Zhao Jin could feel her staring directly at him.

Zhao Jin stood up as well. Xu Zhenzhen seemed startled, retreating two steps before steadying herself. Zhao Jin looked at her and said, "Rules set before marriage will bind you to some degree after. You are not wrong in your thinking. Our marriage is not one of mutual affection; it is more like forming an alliance. So it is only right to set terms and conditions beforehand. In this, you are also not wrong. But have you considered this: if I decide to go back on my word when the time comes, what recourse will you have? Don't speak of useless formalities. Think carefully."

Xu Zhenzhen lowered her head. Zhao Jin continued, "However, you can rest easy. I agree to this. Even after twelve years, I will not play tricks or go back on my word. Whether you believe it or not, I make this promise now!"

At these words, Xu Zhenzhen subconsciously lifted the light gauze from her bamboo hat, revealing a delicate, scholarly face. She looked at Zhao Jin with some confusion, as if the veil had still clouded her vision.

"Do you find it too easy that I agreed, and now you doubt me instead?" Zhao Jin asked. Xu Zhenzhen nodded gently.

At that moment, a smile surfaced on Zhao Jin's face. He declared loudly, "Your family's estate is simply too small for me. That is all."

The confusion on Xu Zhenzhen's face faded. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhao Jin. After gazing at him for a moment, a blush rose on her cheeks, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. She curtsied there and said softly, "Then I shall take my leave first and await your arrangements."

Whether she forgot or for some other reason, the light gauze hanging from Xu Zhenzhen's bamboo hat was never lowered again.

When Xu Zhenzhen left, she departed in a sedan chair. Many people in He Village saw this, including the spies planted by various factions, but no one realized it was Xu Zhenzhen.

Dong Bingfeng's father, Dong Jike, went to the Xu family in Jingshan on the seventeenth day of the seventh month to propose marriage. The Xu family entertained him warmly, but gave no response to his proposal.

Of course, when a marriage proposal was made, Xu Zhenzhen, being the person involved and a young woman, did not appear to receive the guest. The one who met him was the Xu family clan head, Xu Benrong, along with a group of elders. Dong Jike was determined to make this matter succeed and was exceedingly warm, even obsequious.

In the end, Xu Benrong's expression was hesitant, and the group of elders all spoke at once, saying nothing more than that Zhao Jin was crude, that he had taken advantage of the Xu family's crisis to coerce them, and that Kong Family Manor was now destroyed, the situation had changed, and the decision made back then should change as well.

During the meeting, someone also brought up a certain scholar-gentry son from a prominent household, or some young talent from Nanjing, all saying these would be a far better match.

By the end, Dong Jike also turned hostile. He naturally knew he represented the Zhao camp. Since you are so blind to the situation, then there is nothing more to discuss. The various Xu family elders were all arrogant and reserved, utterly unafraid of Dong Jike's anger. Only Xu Bende desperately tried to keep him there, but his voice was completely ignored.

Dong Jike stormed out the door in a huff. Outside the Xu family manor gates, someone caught up to him. The servant boy simply said, "Please, honored guest, stay one more day. There will be an answer tomorrow."

"After the attitude I saw today, stay to be sneered at?" Dong Jike's reply was equally unpleasant. The servant boy merely said, "I am not sent by those people."

Dong Jike stayed the night at an inn. The Xu family had been so discourteous they did not even let such an honored guest stay in their home.

The innkeeper had received instructions and was very attentive to Dong Jike. He also mentioned that just the day before the marriage proposal, a prominent figure from Kong Family Manor had hanged himself in this very inn. He added with feigned secrecy that everyone knew the Young Miss had sent people to eliminate evil. Though no one spoke of it openly, everyone felt a sense of satisfaction in their hearts. The man dealt with, surnamed Fu, was said to be a strategist of sorts for Kong Jiuying.

Dong Jike had indeed heard that name before and naturally understood what had happened. By now, he had also figured things out. Zhao Jin's prestige had reached such heights; if these Xu family members still didn't know their place, they would have a bitter lesson to learn.

The next day, there was indeed an answer. Several of the Xu family elders had suddenly fallen gravely ill during the night. Some did not survive; others could only seclude themselves for quiet recuperation. A few more, worn out from managing household affairs, needed to return to the countryside to rest for a while.

Then the Xu family sent someone to invite Dong Jike back. This time, only Xu Benrong and Xu Bende received him. Both men looked grim, but their agreement was crisp and decisive. The Xu family agreed to everything and asked the Zhao family to send the betrothal gifts according to proper rites and customs.

Though Dong Jike was surprised, he was naturally delighted that his matchmaking had succeeded. It was only on his return journey that he heard of these upheavals within the Xu family's inner compound. Anyone with half a brain could guess what had happened. Dong Jike was greatly astonished and sighed to himself, "They truly are a match made in heaven!"

During these days, the residents of He Village all received an offer. For the houses and farmland they owned, the Zhao Camp would pay twice the market price. The market and merchant areas, however, would not be interfered with.

Attachment to one's native soil, love for one's hometown — all of it meant nothing in the face of double the price. Everyone could do the math. With that money, they could build better houses and buy better land elsewhere. And with the markets in He Village booming as they were, using this as capital to start a business would surely be a good move.

The price made everyone willing. Those who were unwilling also feared the might of the Zhao Camp and obediently moved. However, many people relocated to the nearby Little Stone Village, buying houses and land there, then coming to He Village to work and do business.

By now, Shi Manqiang's father was a household name in Xuzhou city and the surrounding areas. This was not because his son was one of the leading figures of the Zhao Camp, but because everyone who worked for a living knew that Boss Shi had jobs to offer, paid wages on time, and paid well. Because of this, labor foremen sent people to wait at the Shi household year-round, ready to rush over the moment any news came.

While Dong Jike was across the river matchmaking, Shi Manqiang's father had another big job to do. Bricks, tiles, timber, stone, all kinds of materials, craftsmen to build houses and courtyards, laborers to haul and dig — every kind was needed. Though the demand was enormous, the craftsmen and materials could be gathered quickly, causing no delays.

This big job was the renovation of He Village. The Zhao Camp was currently garrisoned in the He Family Compound, and it was already getting cramped. After expanding their numbers, whether it was barracks, storehouses, or training grounds, everything needed large-scale expansion. Moreover, He Village was still laid out like an ordinary village. This time, the plan was to turn He Village into a military camp and fortress. Zhao Jin did not want to repeat the mistakes He Weiyuan and Kong Jiuying had made.

Now, with He Village as the center and the allied villages and mutual-defense groups as the outer perimeter, a layered defensive system could be built from the outside in. It would not be like Kong Family Manor, which relied on its fearsome reputation to intimidate everyone and had virtually no defenses, allowing Zhao Jin to drive straight in with ease.

Dong Jike returned, and the Zhao family formally sent someone to deliver the betrothal gifts. The marriage between Zhao Jin and Xu Zhenzhen began to proceed in an orderly fashion.

Around this same time, the news that Kong Family Manor had been burned to the ground and that Kong Jiuying had been assassinated by a formidable foe in front of his concubine's room began to spread throughout Xuzhou. Just as Zhao Jin had predicted, the remaining forces of Kong Family Manor did not unite for self-preservation or revenge. Their first move was to start fighting among themselves — over the gold and silver Kong Jiuying had left behind, over the position of overlord of the tri-province border region.

Kong Family Manor had run rampant for so long that those who remained believed they could simply fight it out among themselves to claim the overlord's seat, as if the outside world had nothing to do with it.

But at this moment, Kong Family Manor was a piece of fat meat. Kong Jiuying was dead, and his core cavalry unit had been thoroughly shattered. Who would still hold such a Kong Family Manor in awe?

Several bandit gangs from Henan and mounted brigands from Shandong all pounced. The various factions fought a vicious battle. Then, because the chaos grew too great, the authorities of Yanzhou Prefecture in Shandong, Guide Prefecture in Henan, and Xuzhou jointly decided to launch a coordinated military suppression.

In the end, the Duke of Yansheng's Kong Manor in Qufu sent a steward, who declared that Kong Jiuying had colluded with bandits and disgraced the noble name of the Kong Manor's sacred lineage. Therefore, the affairs of Kong Family Manor had nothing to do with the Kong Manor. They requested the local authorities to exterminate the bandits, after which the Kong family would send someone to take over the manor.

Without the nominal protection of the Duke of Yansheng's Kong Manor, all sides acted with even less restraint. Even government troops had their eyes on the Kong family's wealth. Kong Jiuying's several sons all died violently, and the remaining forces scattered like smoke within a month.

Aside from Liang San and the others who had guided the Xu family, no other party could prove Zhao Jin had done this. Yet everyone knew it was Zhao Jin's doing.

Everyone knew, but no one spoke of it. For several days, silence reigned everywhere. Aside from those reckless fools courting death, the outlaws and the city folk of Xuzhou's underworld all kept their heads down, cautiously trying to gather whatever information they could.

Only over at Kong Family Manor did the suicidal slaughter continue. But the few leading figures there all received warnings or advice from familiar connections: even if they gained something, they must ask Master Jin before deciding how to handle it. Otherwise, one morning or evening, their entire family and manor might be wiped clean.

Xuzhou city showed no reaction, because outside the government offices, everyone from top to bottom answered to Zhao Jin and his father, Zhao Zhentang. So nothing changed for them. The first to react was Feng County, then Pei County, followed by Dangshan and Xiao County. This reaction was tied to their distance from Kong Family Manor — the closer they were, the faster they responded.