Category: The Big Landlord

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Chapter 131.3 – Nomads

In contrast to Shao Fei, Guan Su was calm and composed. “What is there to be angry about? That old codger is just trying the strategy of retreating to advance.”

“Hmph, all these old guys are so self-righteous. It wasn’t easy to get rid of Xu Wei Ye, and now there is this Ha Si Mu. Why didn’t he stand up [and do something] when Xu Wei Ye was causing trouble in Ali Xiang, huh?” Shao Fei looked unhappy.

“When Xu Wei Ye was still in power, he didn’t have the courage at all. The nomads’ schemes weren’t good enough, so they weren’t Xu Wei Ye’s opponents at all.”

“Nomads?”

“Yes, there are actually two big ethnicities in Ali Xiang. You should have noticed that there are some people with special names and surnames. They are nomads. Since a long time ago, they have lived in Ali Xiang and survived by roaming to wherever there was a water source and grass. Later, a large number of outsiders flooded into Ali Xiang. This resulted in fewer and fewer nomads, and thus they’ve been in a disadvantaged position all this time.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“Then what do we do next? I heard that some people are dissatisfied with wangfei’s decision and plan to leave with Ha Si Mu.”

Guan Su said, “If they want to leave, let them leave. It’s not like Ali Xiang can’t function without them. Just take this opportunity to clear them out. Furthermore, use your stupid head to think about it. Do you really think that there are that many people on Ha Si Mu’s side?”

“Isn’t it?” Shao Fei blinked.

Guan Su helplessly explained: “What is the name of the new mayor?”

“Ta Li!” Shao Fei immediately gave him a look of ‘how are you dumber than me?’

Guan Su did not get angry. “Ta Li’s father and mother are both purely of the nomadic race. If the mayor is an foreigner, then the nomads would stand on Ha Si Mu’s side for sure, but Ta Li is not only a nomad, he also has a good reputation among the nomads. It’s not easy for a mayor to come from the nomadic race, so why would they oppose? Just wait and see. In a few days, the opposition will definitely be suppressed.”

Hearing how solemnly Guan Su was talking as if he were making a vow, Shao Fei also started to become skeptical.

Bailian Xiang

The peasant woman returned home angrily and yelled: “It’s too much, how could they talk like that?”

“What’s the matter?” Ta Li’s father walked out of the kitchen, saw his wife’s angry expression, and immediately asked with concern.

“It’s those people, they’re saying that Ta Li is bad, that he would squeeze out his elder [from the position of mayor]. Clearly Ha Si Mu resigned from the position of deputy mayor himself. How dare they blame Ta Li?” The peasant woman expressed her anger. She was very upset that people were talking bad about her son.

Ta Li’s father sighed, “The mouth is on their face. We can’t stop them [from talking].”

“Well, I’m not happy about it.”

After the peasant woman finished shouting these words, Ta Li just so happened to come back home. The peasant woman turned around when she heard the sounds, she saw her son, and her expression became even more aggrieved.

“Ta Li…”

Ta Li supported his forehead with his hand, “Mom, there really isn’t anything to be angry about.”

“I just want to be angry.”

“Then what if I tell you that very soon they won’t be able to say such things anymore, then you shouldn’t be angry, right?”

The peasant woman’s eyes lit up, “Why is that?”

Ta Li shrugged, “You’ll know in a few days anyway.”

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Her son didn’t want to say, and the peasant woman knew that no matter how she asked him, he wouldn’t say it, so she had to give up. But in order to verify her son’s words, she paid attention for the next two days, and then she discovered that the elder of the clan invited Ha Si Mu over [for a talk].

On the third day, the rumors slowly subsided.

The peasant woman finally knew what her son meant.

The nomads were a united ethnic group. They have never been about the individual. When internal conflicts arise, they would choose whatever was more beneficial to the group as a whole. Ha Si Mu was a deputy mayor, but Ta Li was the new mayor of Ali Xiang. Which one was better was obvious at a glance.

The appointment of Ta Li as the mayor was a good opportunity for them to develop the nomads, so the elders of the clan would never side with Ha Si Mu. This was why Guan Su and Ta Li were so confident.

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Chapter 131.2 – Nomads

Ha Si Mu’s smile instantly froze. He abruptly realized that it was all his own wishful thinking. The so-called help was to give that brat Ta Li guidance?

“Wangfei, did you make a mistake?” Ha Si Mu asked dryly, looking at him.

An Zi Ran shook his head and said, “Nothing is wrong.”

Ha Si Mu steadied himself. This time he stopped beating around the bush and said straightforwardly: “As wangfei said, Ta Li is still young, isn’t it too careless to let him be the mayor?”

“Not careless. Ta Li is very smart, thoughtful, and he is not hesitant when completing tasks. The most important thing is that he has vision and foresight that others don’t have. This is indispensible as a leader. On the contrary, being stubbornly complacent will hinder the development of Ali Xiang, don’t you think?” An Zi Ran asked calmly.

If you flipped it around, this meant that Ha Si Mu has no vision and was stagnant.

Hu Si Mu smiled, “But young people are too impulsive. They tend to look forward and forget the things behind them. And it’s hard to convince the masses with lack of experience and seniority.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“That’s why the deputy mayor’s help is necessary. Ta Li is a smart person. He can understand things with just a little hint. With deputy mayor by his side guiding him, I believe he will become qualified for his post very quickly.”

Ha Si Mu finally understood. What they wanted was for Ta Li to be the mayor of Ali Xiang. No matter how he hinted, they would not change their minds. Knowing this, he could not help but have a thought. He wanted them to experience the taste of “if you ignore your elders words, then you will suffer in the future*.”

[*T/N: 不听老人言，吃亏在眼前 idiom for “ignore your elders at your peril”]

“Thank you, wangye, wangfei, for your belief [in me], but Ha Si Mu feels that I am getting on in age, and I’m afraid that I don’t have much mental and physical strength to guide Ta Li. I am really ashamed.”

Fu Wu Tian opened his mouth and said: “Deputy mayor is hale and hearty despite the years, no need to be this way. This prince and wangfei will be leaving Ali Xiang very soon. At that time, Ali Xiang will depend on you and Ta Li. With the two you here, we can rest assured.”

Ha Si Mu secretly rejoiced in his heart. He just knew that they could not do without him, but in order to let them know how important he is, he still shook his head, “No, no, wangfei is right, Ta Li is very smart. With him present, wangye and wangfei can rest assured.”

“The deputy mayor is also very important to this prince and wangfei.”

Ha Si Mu sighed heavily and resolutely said: “This old one is already old. It is time to give up his position to the young people. Asking wangye and wangfei to allow Ha Si Mu to resign as deputy mayor of Ali Xiang.”

An Zi Ran wore the expression of one put in a difficult spot.

“Please allow it, wangye, wangfei!”

“All right, but if one day the deputy mayor wants to come back, the wangfu’s doors will open for you at any time.”

“Thank you, wangye, wangfei!”

When Ha Si Mu left the wangfu, he was still ecstatic. He thought that An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian were really reluctant to let him go, and would definitely invite him back in the future.

Inside the house, An Zi Ran chuckled in a low voice.

“No wonder he was suppressed by Xu Wei Ye for so long.”

He actually wanted to take this opportunity to replace all the important officials in Ali Xiang. It turned out that there were still many people who were Xu Wei Ye’s subordinates. With Xu Wei Ye dead now, they couldn’t make any big waves, but keeping them around would still be a hidden danger.

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But Ha Si Mu was right about one thing.

Young people tend to be impulsive in doing things, and trouble may arise if they don’t think things over carefully, but everyone has their first times. If he wanted to cultivate a group of people of his own, then taking these risks were nothing.

Moreover, this was also a test for Ta Li.

Ta Li officially took office as the mayor of Ali Xiang. This news soon spread throughout Ali Xiang. Some people were happy for Ta Li, and of course there were also some people who felt that it was a shame for Ha Si Mu.

Ha Si Mu worked hard for Ali Xiang for decades, and now a kid who came from behind was squeezing him down. Regarding his resignation, many people thought that the Fu wangfu had fired him. Although Ha Si Mu explained to everyone in person, not many people believed him.

“Since this Ha Si Mu wants to explain, then why does he wear an expression as if he was forced to leave his post? I think he is clearly deliberately leading everyone to think that is the truth.” When Shao Fei came back from outside, his indignant expression seemed to imply that he have heard a lot of rumors.

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T/N 1: Sorry for being a day late with this update. Had to do overtime last night. (>_<) Luckily I have a day off today, but I had to run some much neglected errands first before sitting down to translate this.

T/N 2: Change in translation… I was translating 傅王府 fu wang fu (Fu Wu Tian’s residence) as the Imperial Fu Palace, but now I feel like the “palace” part might be confusing. So I’m going to translate it as Fu wangfu from now on.

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Chapter 131.1 – Nomads

Two days later, news of Ta Li becoming the mayor of Ali Xiang spread.

After Xu Wei Ye’s death, some people with high seniority and ambition in Ali Xiang were staring at the mayor position with covetous eyes. They weren’t trying to be like Xu Wei Ye, wanting to hide the sky with one hand*.

[*T/N: to hide the sky with one hand – Chinese idiom meaning to hide the truth from the masses]

After all, it was because Xu Wei Ye was too full of himself and he also took the Fu wangfu* too lightly, that he ended up dying like that.

[*T/N: 王府 wang fu – prince’s mansion]

They just yearned for the power that the position would give them, and nothing more.

But who would have thought that the post of mayor would eventually fall into the hands of a thirteen-year-old boy? Many people have heard of Ta Li’s name. He was indeed a rare talent, but that didn’t mean that everyone agreed with him being the mayor. Many people still felt that he was too young and that he did not have enough life experience.

One of the representatives of this group of people was the deputy mayor, Ha Si Mu.

Ha Si Mu was already in his fifties, and has always been working under Xu Wei Ye. Because Xu Wei Ye was a strong and vigilant person, he has always been excluded. But he has never given up aiming for the post of mayor. Originally he thought that the position of mayor would definitely be his, but in the end the post went to Ta Li.

At first, he thought that it was merely a rumor, until the day that the rumor was confirmed to be the truth. Ha Si Mu finally couldn’t sit still anymore, and went in search of the Fu wangfu.

“The deputy mayor wants to see this prince?”

The person speaking this time was Fu Wu Tian. It was rare for someone to not be looking for An Zi Ran.

Zhong Yue said: “Yes, he said that he has important matters to discuss with wangye, and that he must meet with wangye.”

“You go out and tell him, have him wait.”

Zhong Yue nodded and went off. Just before she walked out of the room, she subconsciously glanced at An Zi Ran. Her gaze no longer contained so many complicated thoughts as they did before.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Fu Wu Tian walked up to An Zi Ran and placed his hands on his shoulders without actually exerting any force, “What are your thoughts?”

“People in their fifties should retire. It’s time for the young people to step up to the plate.” An Zi Ran’s deep tone, matched with his face, gave off the aura of someone that was proud of his age and experience.

Fu Wu Tian could not help but squeeze his cheek once.

An Zi Ran sensed his intention and wanted to avoid it but couldn’t.

“Don’t pinch my face.”

“Okay.”

When he said this, Fu Wu Tian changed pinching into touching. He let out a soft sigh as if he had touched the finest silk. With a “pa” sound, An Zi Ran mercilessly swatted his hand away.

By the time they arrived at the main hall, it was a quarter of an hour later. It actually wasn’t that long, but Ha Si Mu’s impression of the two wasn’t good. He was very upset in his heart, but he didn’t dare to lose his temper in front of them. He did not forget how Xu Wei Ye had ended up.

Ha Si Mu expressed his thoughts euphemistically. He did not directly speak out against Ta Li taking office. Instead, he adopted a roundabout method, believing that Fu Wu Tian must be able to read between the lines.

“The prosperity of Ali Xiang today depends entirely on the wangye and wangfei. Without you, Xu Wei Ye would have hollowed out Ali Xiang long ago. On behalf of all the villagers in Ali Xiang, Ha Si Mu would like to sincerely express thanks to the two of you.”

“The deputy mayor speaks too heavily. Ali Xiang is the territory of Fu wangfu after all. This prince and wangfei should naturally work hard for Ali Xiang.” Fu Wu Tian spoke with his hands crossed behind his back.

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Ha Si Mu touched his salt and pepper beard and nodded. “No matter how you say it, Ha Si Mu still wants to thank wangye and wangfei. Now Ali Xiang is getting better and better. This is precisely when a large number of talented people are needed. This old one is willing to contribute his efforts for wangye and wangfei.”

This hint was certainly obvious enough, right?

His current position was the deputy mayor of Ali Xiang. The post above that would be the mayor.

“For the deputy mayor to have this willingness, this prince and wangfei are very touched.” Fu Wu Tian said with satisfaction. “Don’t worry, deputy mayor. We do indeed need your help next.”

Hearing these words, Ha Si Mu smiled with satisfaction.

An Zi Ran said suddenly: “Ta Li will take office in two days time. He is still young, so we will have to trouble deputy mayor to give him more guidance.”

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As selected by VIP Choice, this chapter is for you Chi! ^-^

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Chapter 130.2 – The New Mayor

The gears in An Zi Ran’s brain turned rapidly.

The Chang Province’s human population was highly mobile, especially before and after natural disasters. But it was close to several provinces with even greater population mobility; so locking down a labor force was not a problem.

The most important thing was that Chang Province was close to the capital, so if a problem arises it would not be beyond their sphere of influence.

“Let’s go with that. After going back, you send someone out to do a survey for me to see where is more suitable…”

When An Zi Ran was almost done talking, Fu Wu Tian opened his mouth and asked, “Wangfei, the matters in Ali Xiang are almost hone, when do you plan to go back?”

An Zi Ran thought for a while and replied: “When Xu Wei Ye died, the mayor position was vacated. I need to find someone who can take on this important task without being like Xu Wei Ye.”

Zhong Yue has been helping during this period, but she couldn’t stay here forever, and he didn’t plan to leaver her in Ali Xiang, otherwise Ge Qian An’s heart would be stuck in Ali Xiang, and he would no longer have the mood to help him do things.

“Doesn’t wangfei already have a candidate in mind?”

Fu Wu Tian’s gaze shifted to a person who just passed by outside the window. That person was only thirteen years old this year, but he was very tall, nearly 1.8 meters tall. No one would think that he was only thirteen years old.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

An Zi Ran noticed his gaze and followed it downwards. His eyes immediately landed on the self-confident Ta Li. Last time he heard the two women talking, so he had someone go and investigate Ta Li. The results were that Ta Li was indeed as his mother had said, he was a rare genius and he has a good reputation. He has been very warmhearted since he was a child. All the people around him liked him and had nothing but praises for him whenever his name was brought up.

Although Ta Li was mentally prepared, he was still surprised when he heard that people from the Imperial Fu Palace were looking for him. This was much faster than he had expected.

Xu Manor. Right now, it has already been changed into the Fu Manor.

Xu Wei Ye probably never expected that he would toil for ten years, but in the end, all of his things would fall into the hands of Fu-wangye, including the Xu Manor, which he had used a lot of money to build.

“Ta Li-gongzi, the wangfei invites you in.”

Zhong Yue was ordered to bring Ta Li inside.

Ta Li has seen her around before.

When he came back out it was an hour later. Although Ta Li had the mentality of an adult, he was still a thirteen-year-old boy after all, and the sudden good news made him overjoyed. His face showed unconcealed joy.

“Ta Li.”

Seeing him come back, the crowd gathered around him with strong curiosity. They all heard it when someone from the Imperial Fu Palace came to summon Ta Li.

“Ta Li, what did the people from the Imperial Fu Palace want from you? Seeing your happy appearance, it’s a good thing, isn’t it?” A woman couldn’t wait to ask. If it were a good thing, she would be happy too. She saw Ta Li grew up with her own eyes after all.

Ta Li nodded heartily, “It is indeed a good thing.”

Everyone would know sooner or later anyways, and he had nothing to hide.

“What kind of good thing, tell us so that we can be happy [for you] too. By the way, have you seen the wangye and wangfei? Word has it that they’re good looking.”

Ta Li smiled and said: “I saw them. They’re both good looking.”

At that moment, a cold snort suddenly sounded from outside the perimeter of the crowd.

The lively atmosphere suddenly became quieter. This voice was no stranger to the crowd. In fact, it was even very familiar.

They worked at the herbal hall. The herbal hall was a distinguishing feature of Ali Xiang, because Ali Xiang was abundant in wild medicinal plants.

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Some time ago, the Imperial Fu Palace opened several herbal halls. Each herbal hall recruited nearly twenty workers, and Ta Li worked in one of those herbal halls. However, he was very good in all aspects of his work, so there were people who thought that he was fully capable of being the head of the herbal hall. Therefore, it inevitably aroused some people’s jealousy.

“Ta Li, ignore them. Quickly, tell us, what did the Imperial Fu Palace summon you for?”

The woman was worried that those jealous people would ruin his mood, so she quickly changed the subject.

Ta Li was not an impulsive kid, so of course he would not fuss with those people too much. If he were narrow-minded, he would’ve long started a fight with them.

“Actually, it’s not a particularly big thing. They just asked me if I have the confidence to be the mayor of Ali Xiang.”

When they heard the first sentence, everyone thought that it really wasn’t some big thing, but then in the next sentence he said the word “mayor.” Outside of the Imperial Fu Palace, the mayor was the highest official rank. If the people of the Imperial Fu Palace left in the future, then the mayor would be the biggest official in Ali Xiang. How could this not be a big deal?

Even the envious people in the herbal hall showed expressions of astonishment, as if they were pinched by their throats.

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Chapter 130.1 – The New Mayor

An Zi Ran sat by the window on the second floor of the only restaurant in Xinhe, opposite Fu Wu Tian with a calm face.

It has been five days since Xu Wei Ye and Zhou Shan were sentenced to death. Without them, Xinhe’s development has been smooth.

An Zi Ran’s initial purpose for coming here was only for obtaining land that was suitable for growing cotton, but since he accepted Ali Xiang, he did not intend to give up.

Ali Xiang was the property of the Imperial Fu Palace.

If there were no mishaps, then Ali Xiang would become their base camp in the future.

Just like An Yuan County, An Zi Ran also hoped that Ali Xiang could become prosperous, so while having the villagers grow cotton, they would also help them develop other resource advantages.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Xinhe’s terrain was flat and it was particularly rich in natural resources. It was said that there used to be an ancient nomadic area here, but it has developed until there were fewer and fewer nomads. However, Xinhe’s water sources and grasslands were abundant, and it had dense forests. The natural resources have yet to be damaged like they would be in future generations, so it was very suitable for the development of animal husbandry.

Growing cotton was relatively simple in the early stages, but got troublesome towards the later stages, so An Zi Ran’s main focus now was on animal husbandry for Ali Xiang.

Unexpectedly, this focus of his allowed him to discovered something interesting.

When Xu Wei Ye was still alive, he also paid close attention to the animal husbandry industry in Ali Xiang.

Xu Wei Ye had established several pastoral areas in several areas with rich and fertile grasses in Ali Xiang, where a certain number of livestock were raised.

Although due to cutting corners, the number of livestock produced in each pastoral area each year was not large, and the meat quality was not good enough, the combined number of several pastoral areas was not small.

An Zi Ran discovered that, except for some of these livestock which were sold outside of Ali Xiang, the rest were gone, as if they had disappeared into thin air. After investigating, it was discovered that Xu Wei Ye actually had secret dealings with the people of Gaoze Country.

Ali Xiang bordered Gaoze Country, but because there was a huge mountain range between the two territories, which formed a natural barrier, even if the relationship between Gaoze and Da Ya was not very good, Gaoze never thought of going over this mountain range in a sneak attack, and Da Ya was also the same.

However, there would always be come outlandish things in life.

Although Ali Xiang was remote, Xu Wei Ye could not guarantee that his large accumulation of wealth would not attract the notice of others, so he turned his attention to the Gaoze Country beyond the mountain range.

Xu Wei Ye had conspired with the one0eyed man. The two dug a passage in the weakest part of the mountain. Word has it that it took five years to dig this passageway. It was wide and flat. It could be seen that the layout was thoughtful and intended for long-term development. With this passage, it didn’t even take hald an hour to travel between the two countries.

The full name of the one-eyed man was Gao Long. He was from Gaoze. His ancestors have been robbers for generations. He and Xu Wei Ye met by accident one day and they hit it off right away. Henceforth, they worked hand in glove to nefarious ends.

Gao Long, a Gaoze person, stood for Xu Wei Ye as a proxy in Gaoze Country, thus, smoothly selling off meat and other foodstuff. This helped them earn a lot of money.

In order to earn money, Xu Wei Ye did everything possible. The only good thing was that Xu Wei Ye and Gao Long were also worried about others finding out about the existence of this secret tunnel through the mountains, so they only told their cronies, and those people have already gone to see the King of Hell, so now only a few people left knew about thus passageway.

Due to territorial issues between the two countries, Fu Wu Tian immediately ordered people to close off the secret passage in order to prevent any side issues from cropping up, and he also ordered everyone who knew about the secret road to keep their mouths shut and not disclose a word to anyone, otherwise they would face the consequences.

“What are you thinking about?”

Fu Wu Tian’s low, mellow voice called his attention back.

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An Zi Ran withdrew his gaze from the window and said, “For the follow-up development of cotton, the procedures for this thing are more troublesome than for ramie.”

“That’s next year’s matter.”

“Early planning will prevent a rush job later, and I haven’t figured out where to set up the workshop yet, so I must do it as soon as possible.”

“What do you need?”

“Not much, but a place with a large labor force is needed.”

Fu Wu Tian smiled softly, “What does wangfei think about the Chang Province?”

An Zi Ran was startled.

Cotton was not like other domestic crops, such as coriander and cucumber, which must be sent to the market immediately after they’re picked, and sold in the freshest manner possible. Even if the delivery of cotton got delayed, there would be no problem with the product, so transporting it long distance was not a concern.

Due to natural disasters in Chang Province, the people’s lives were worse than that of An Yuan County. Although things have improved by a lot since then, there were still a lot of land that was seriously damaged and it was no longer suitable for planting crops. These places could be used to build workshops.

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Chapter 129.3 – Conclusion

Xu Wei Ye, who was once so content with his achievements, now looked like death warmed over. Beside him was his accomplice Zhou Shan. His crimes were not as heavy as Xu Wei Ye’s, but just his intent to murder Fu Wu Tian and An Zi Ran was enough to sentence him to the death penalty.

In the crowd, a beautiful young woman supported two elderly people and looked at Zhou Shan sadly.

These people were the two elders of the Zhou family and Zhou Ling Long. After Xu Wei Ye’s house was searched and seized, all those involved in his plan were arrested, and those who knew nothing of the situation were sent home, compensated with money given by the Imperial Fu Palace.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

An Zi Ran fulfilled his promise. He rescued Zhou Ling Long from the Xu Manor and gave her family one thousand taels of silver. It was thanks to them that the account book was retrieved. And that account book was very helpful in the confiscation of the Xu Manor. Otherwise, if there were someone trying to hide things, they would not know.

“Ling Long, don’t be sad for your brother. He is reaping what he has sown.”

Old woman Zhou calmly patted Zhou Ling Long’s hand. She knew that her daughter was a kind person. Although her brother sold her off to Xu Wei Ye, she never hated A-Shan in her heart. After all, he was her biological brother, and there was no longstanding enmity between family members*.

[*T/N: 亲人之间没有隔夜仇 Not exactly an idiom, but it’s kind of a Chinese saying that’s supposed to support harmony within the family. A more direct translation is “between one’s close relatives there is no overnight animosity,” meaning you can hate them today but reconcile the next day. Personally, I think it’s BS in this case, but it’s a concept that exists.]

Now that Zhou Shan has fallen into this plight, there was no need for Zhou Ling Long to hate him anymore. The past has become a cloud a smoke.

Although Zhou Shan was arrested, his family was innocent.

Zhou Shan was older than Zhou Ling Long. When he forced her to marry Xu Wei Ye, he was already married himself. Furthermore, he had a son and two daughters. His oldest child was already eleven years old.

Perhaps Zhou Shan still had a bit of conscience. He never dragged his wife and children down with him.

Zhou Ling Long spoke in sign language to Zhou Shan’s back, “Brother, I will take care of my sister-in-law and your three children on your behalf. You don’t have to worry.”

“Let’s go, Ling Long.”

As they turned and plunged into the crowd, Zhou Shan seemed to have felt something and looked back, but he was a step late, because the three of them had already disappeared.

Zhou Shan shed two lines of manly tears. He already knew that he was wrong, but it was too late for regrets now. He would never be able to re-do things in this life, but he felt relieved because he knew that his sister would finally be able to escape from the sea of suffering and reconnect with their dad and mom, and live together. That was enough!

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An Zi Ran considered the fact that killing a dozen people in public would be too bloody of a scene and might traumatize some people, so in the end he decided to deal with Xu Wei Ye’s group in private and then announce their death to the public.

The day after Xu Wei Ye was paraded through the streets as a criminal, news of his execution spread. Although some people regretted not being able to see the scene of his death with their own eyes, the biggest tumor in Ali Xiang was finally removed, and the villagers were very happy.

The once closed off and backward Ali Xiang finally ushered in psring in the truest sense.

“Son, Son, what you said really turned out to be true!”

The peasant woman who had talked about Zhou Shan’s younger sister that day, ran to her son in excitement when he came back. The peasant woman admired her son more and more. Not too long ago, her son had said that the Imperial Fu Palace was going to take care of Xu Wei Ye. And his prophecy really came true in under a month.

Ta Li was somewhat exasperated, “Mom, this news has been circulating for a few days already, what’s so exciting?”

The peasant woman raised her chin proudly, “Your mom is just happy. My son is so smart. He can even predict this. You don’t know but A-Na Er’s mother has been sorely envious of me all morning. Oh, that’s right, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“…What is it?”

“Last time, two strange men asked your mom about Zhou Shan’s younger sister. And not long after that, something happened to Zhou Shan and Xu Wei Ye. Would you say that they did it?” The peasant woman asked enthusiastically. She has been suspicious of this all along.

Ta Li squinted, “Why are you asking these things?”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The peasant woman didn’t notice her son’s expression, so she spilled the beans. “They came over suddenly when I was talking about you with A-Na Er’s mother.”

“Mom, I told you not to tell others. You’re taking my words as wind past your ears again*.”

[*T/N: wind past your ear – Chinese idiom for in one ear and out the other]

The soaring expression on the peasant woman’s face went stiff in a split second. When she turned her head to looks she saw that her son’s face had turned black. So scary!

“My child’s dad, quick, come and save me!”

[*T/N: 孩子他爹 – it sounds clunky in English but it’s literally “(my) child’s dad.” The “my” is derived from context clues, but can also be replaced with “this/the.”]

Inside the house, the child’s dad shook his head.

You reap what you sow.

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Chapter 129.2 – Conclusion

The one-eyed man drew the blade he carried and rushed towards Fu Wu Tian with a roar.

On the other side, Xu Wei Ye rushed towards An Zi Ran at the same time. His martial arts were mediocre, but he thought that he was more than enough to deal with a young master with delicate skin and tender flesh. So when An Zi Ran sent him flying with one kick, Xu Wei Ye’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and an expression of absolute disbelief painted his face.

That nimble kick was clearly the work of someone who practiced martial arts.

Xu Wei Ye fell upon the threshold of the main hall while screaming miserably. His back slammed against the elevated threshold. The cracking sound that resulted was evidently very painful.

[T/N: Back then, houses had an elevated threshold at the doorway that you had to step over in order to enter the house. Don’t quote me on this, but it’s something about keeping out the dust and dirt from outside, and apparently the higher the threshold, the wealthier the house. So yes, falling on that would be absolutely painful.]

Very soon, the one-eyed man followed in Xu Wei Ye’s footsteps.

One could almost feel the shattering of bones from the echoing of cracking sounds.

Xu Wei Ye looked over with a face contorted in pain. What he saw was so frightening that he nearly lost control of his bladder, because the one-eyed man looked extremely wretched. He was several dozen times worse off than Xu Wei Ye. Both his hands and legs were badly twisted, especially his legs, they were forcefully folded forward in two. Xu Wei Ye was so scared that his entire body went soft.

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The screams of the one-eyed man were too tragic. It was a miserable scene. The one-eyed man’s subordinates were so scared that they did not dare to move forward. They stared at Fu Wu Tian in horror and backed away one by one.

At this moment, the people outside finally rushed in. Guan Su and Shao Fei were in the lead. Behind them were a group of people dressed in peasant attire, but they were in fact soldiers.

They quickly took care of the people that Xu Wei Ye and the one-eyed man had stationed outside. When the others in the main hall saw this, they threw away the blades in their hands and took the initiative to surrender.

Guan Su had people take Xu Wei Ye and the one-eyed man away.

“Wangye, all of Xu Wei Ye’s people have been taken care of.”

Shao Fei suddenly jabbed him in the arm and motioned for him to look over at a certain corner, “There is another one over there!”

Guan Su followed his gaze and saw Zhou Shan hiding behind a pillar while shaking all over, but because he was too fat, most of his body was exposed.

“Take him away too.” Fu Wu Tian tossed these words over his shoulder and left Landlord Zhou’s house with An Zi Ran first. Now, all the pests in Ali Xiang could be considered taken care of.

What happened inside Landlord Zhou’s house was not hidden from the nearby farmers, but when they saw the corpses, they immediately hid inside their houses and did not dare to come out again. They have never seen people being killed before. Only after everyone has left Landlord Zhou’s house did they dare to come out again. The dead people have been removed, but the bloodstains on the ground told them that the scene they had seen before was not an illusion.

News of what happened in Landlord Zhou’s house spread like wildfire in Bailian Xiang.

Some people recognized that the one who took the lead, Guan Su, was Fu Wu Tian’s subordinate, but right now everyone had a good impression of the Imperial Fu Palace, so they were only confused as to why the people of the Imperial Fu Palace would have conflict with the people of Landlord Zhou’s house.

The next days, news of Xu Wei Ye and Zhou Shan conspiring together to commit corruption spread. And their crimes were not limited to just one thing. When everyone heard this information, they were all shocked.

An Zi Ran listed Xu Wei Ye’s top ten crimes, from small to large. The smaller crimes could be ignored, but the large crimes were enough to warrant taking his life, including the Xu Manor incident.

The villagers in Ali Xiang now knew that Xu Wei Ye, who had never committed a serious crime in their eyes, turned out to be a wicked person. He had really pulled the wool over their eyes.

“Heavens, I only know know that Xu Wei Ye is such a person!”

“Fortunately, the gods are watching over us. If it weren’t for the Imperial Fu Palace, we would have been kept in the dark for the rest of our lives!”

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“I told you so. Back then, how could Zhou Shan get rich overnight and contracted so many acres of land at once? His family was obviously very poor. Where did the money come from? It turned out that Xu Wei Ye used his power and deliberately allocated it to him. Retribution is finally here!”

“He cheated us for so long. He is truly getting his just deserts!”

……

Almost everyone in Ali Xiang shared these sentiments. They were especially salty over the fact that Ali Xiang was not suitable for large-scale rice production, yet Xu Wei Ye knew about it and still had them grow it. This made them even angrier because he was incompetent. This was why Ali Xiang was so poor.

Two days later, Xu Wei Ye and his accomplices were pulled out of confinement and paraded through the streets. One after another, the villagers threw rotten and smelly vegetables at them while condemning them incessantly.

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Chapter 129.1 – Conclusion

“Well, that would depend on whether you’re still alive by then.”

Xu Wei Ye did not take to heart the threat in Fu Wu Tian’s words. So what if he was a wangye? So what if he was the god of war? He only brought a dozen soldiers with him. Did he think that would be enough to deal with Xu Wei Ye? Keep on dreaming!

As the saying goes, even a strong dragon cannot beat the local snake.

Xu Wei Ye has been living in Ali Xiang since he was a child. By now he has over thirty years of experience as a local, and he has been planning for this moment for ten years, whereas Fu Wu Tian hasn’t even been here for two months yet. And he thought he could beat Xu Wei Ye? Without soldiers, the so-called god of war was nothing to be afraid of!

There was no need for superfluous words.

Xu Wei Ye motioned to the one-eyed man. The one-eyed man immediately raised his hands and clapped twice. In an instant, a group of murderers wielding sharp blades rushed in from outside and surrounded the main hall.

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These people were the one-eyed man’s subordinates, and killing people was just commonplace for them.

Zhou Shan had snuck up to Xu Wei Ye’s side whilst they were talking.

Xu Wei Ye looked at them with dark and ruthless eyes. His expression was clearly smug. “Now the entire place is surrounded by my people. You can’t escape. If you want to live then obediently give yourselves up, and I might consider not killing you. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next. Your lives are worth much more than mine.”

“Mayor Xu is indeed very confident!”

Like Fu Wu Tian, An Zi Ran’s complexion was placid all throughout this hullabaloo. His indifferent gaze made them seem like clowns.

An Zi Ran’s apathetic expression caused Xu Wei Ye to frown.

“It’s useless to say more. It seems like you don’t want to surrender. In that case…”

Before he could finish speaking, Fu Wu Tian abruptly let out a loud and unrestrained laugh. The laughter was deafening. The expression in his eyes also changed. Just now, his face still carried a bit of softness, but in the blink of an eye it changed into something merciless. His black eyes were dark and shadowed. This was the true god of war!

Fu Wu Tian didn’t get the title god of war just for protecting the people of Da Ya. It also represented what a nightmare he was in the eyes of the enemy, one that they could never defeat. Anyone deceived by appearances would definitely regret it.

Xu Wei Ye and the one-eyed man were still shocked by his abrupt change. Suddenly, there were endless wailing and screams outside. It was the sounds of the one-eyed man’s subordinates. Just from listening to the noise alone, one could imagine how horrific and tragic the scene must be.

The one-eyed man finally knew why he got a strange feeling from Fu Wu Tian just now. It turned out to be a premonition of this.

He was definitely not given the title god of war in vain. The one-eyed man couldn’t help but want to retreat. The opponent was obviously also prepared ahead of time. The odds of them escaping from here was not big.

Xu Wei Ye realized what the one-eyed man was thinking and yelled at him with a black face: “If you don’t want to die, then capture them together with me. Only then can we break through this.”

The one-eyed man was shocked by Xu Wei Ye’s howl. By the time he reacted, he was already drenched in cold sweat. He was so affected just now that he almost gave up on any chances of survival. This Fu Tuan was truly terrifying!

“You help me stall Fu Wu Tian first, and I will catch An Zi Ran. As long as he is in my hands, Fu Wu Tian will not attack for fear of hurting him. That will stop him from acting recklessly.”

Xu Wei Ye spoke in a low voice, so that only the one-eyed man could hear.

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The one-eyed man glanced at him with a frown and gritted his teeth. In the end, he did not refute. He knew that he was not Fu Wu Tian’s opponent, but Xu Wei Ye’s words made sense, and Xu Wei Ye’s martial arts was worse than his, so they could only divide the labor in this way.

The two people’s abacus clicked and clacked*, but they ignored a fact.

[*T/N: An abacus is used for calculating, so it represents them calculating a plan.]

Fu Wu Tian’s strength was not only higher than that of the one-eyed man, it was by more than just one or two levels higher. Very few people could last more than five moves against him, because he had a characteristic that was absolutely fatal to the enemy.

Fu Wu Tian was accustomed to using lethal attacks. If he had a blade in hand, he would split the opponent in half with one swing. Unless the opponent was skilled enough to avoid the blade, in which case they could live for a few more rounds of attack. If Fu Wu Tian was not in possession of a blade, then congratulations to the enemy, they wouldn’t die a super miserable death, but it wouldn’t be that much better either.

But the one-eyed man was not aware of this truth yet.

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Chapter 128.2 – To Shed All Pretenses

On the other side, Xu Wei Ye didn’t know that his death was near at hand, and was currently plotting how to destroy An Zi Ran’s plans.

“Mayor Xu, everyone is ready, we can take action at any time.”

A man with one eye and a fierce-looking knife scar across his face said to Xu Wei Ye. His entire person exuded an air of arrogance, and one could tell that this person had taken a lot of lives with his hands. He was evidently a recidivist who committed murder without blinking an eye.

Hearing the man’s words, a ruthless darkness flashed through Xu Wei Ye’s eyes, “Very good, but you have to remember, I don’t want a single person left alive.”

The one-eyed man looked him up and down once and suddenly burst into laughter, “Mayor Xu, you’re suddenly rushing forward the plan, did something big happen? Also, if you kill all of them, aren’t you afraid of Da Ya’s imperial family finding out? After all, that wangye with the surname Fu is still a member of the imperial family.”

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He had always known that Xu Wei Ye was a bold and ambitious person, but he did not expect that he would dare to kill a member of the imperial family.

“Even if I don’t make a move, it’s not like they will let me go. So why not strike first and gain the upper hand? As for the imperial family, if the emperor finds out about this, he might even thank me for removing a thorn from his side.” Xu Wei Ye was confident. He had made inquires ahead of time, otherwise he would not dare to take such a big risk.

“Why do you say this?”

The one-eyed man was curious. He didn’t know about the goings-on in the far away capital, but shouldn’t they be blood-related uncle and nephew. How could the emperor regard his nephew as a thorn in his side?

Su Wei Ye gleefully said: “You think the relationship between an uncle and his nephew must be harmonious? Fu Wu Tian holds Da Ya’s military power, but he is not on the side of the emperor. Of course he would regard his nephew as a thorn in his side. Moreover, I don’t necessarily need to take their lives, I only need control over them, and then Ali Xiang will always belong to me.”

However, due to Ali Xiang being too far away from the capital, Xu Wei Ye had no idea that Fu Wu Tian had already handed his military power to the emperor.

“Hope your plan succeeds. When shall we start?”

“The morning after tomorrow. I have already spoken with Landlord Zhou to have him set up an appointment with An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian at the Zhou family manor the day after tomorrow. The other side has already agreed. On the day of, we will go early and lie in wait for them.”

“Okay.”

In the blink of an eye, the appointed day dawned.

Early in the morning, An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian left the house without bringing anyone with them.

Uncharacteristically, Landlord Zhou changed his tune yesterday and said that he would sell the remaining time on the deed of Bailian Xiang to them. So he asked to meet with them in the Zhou family manor to talk about remuneration.

An Zi Ran agreed.

Landlord Zhou welcomed them warmly, “Please sit down. My home is simple and crude. It cannot compare to the houses in the capital. Asking wangye and wangfei to please bear with it.” Then he had the servant serve up two cups of hot tea.

An Zi Ran glanced at the steaming tea. He didn’t touch it. Instead, he said straightforwardly: “There’s no need for formalities. How about we get straight to business?”

Landlord Zhou laughed, “Wangfei is indeed a really busy person. He doesn’t even have time to drink a cup of tea.”

“Since you know that I am busy, then let’s get this done quickly.” An Zi Ran gave the outside of the main hall a meaningful glance. He really was busy, so he wasn’t interested in dragging things out with the other party.

“Hahaha!”

A familiar laugh suddenly echoed in from outside. An Zi Ran looked over and was not surprised to see Xu Wei Ye walking in with an extremely proud expression on his face. Behind him was a one-eyed man with an expression full of ill intentions.

“It seems like the wangfei has already realized that I was outside. Since you guys want a quick fight and fast resolution, then I can only risk my life to accompany the noblemen.”

The two husbands’ keen gazes fell upon Xu Wei Ye.

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Xu Wei Ye gained confidence this time and looked at them with an unflinching and self-confident gaze. He said coldly: “An Zi Ran, Fu Wu Tian, today is your death day.”

“Xu Wei Ye, you have a lot of guts.”

Fu Wu Tian looked at him calmly.

Xu Wei Ye patted the clothes on his body, not taking him seriously. “It’s not like the wangye does not know, I, Xu Wei Ye, have always had a lot of guts.”

If he did not have the guts, would he dare scheme to seize Ali Xiang from the imperial family of Da Ya?

“It seems that you are also not afraid of death. So even if this prince kills your entire family, you would not bat an eye.” From start to finish, Fu Wu Tian’s bearing was understated, as if he would not flinch even if the heavens were to come crashing down.

The one-eyed man’s eyelid suddenly jumped. He didn’t know why, but his eyelid has been jumping this whole time. Especially after he laid eye on Fu Wu Tian, his eyelid has been twitching even more. This rumored man deserved to be called Da Ya’s god of war. Right now, they were merely face to face, not even crossing swords, yet he already exuded a faint aura that frightened him.

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Chapter 128.1 – To Shed All Pretenses

Five days later, the two elders of the Zhou family came to the Xu Manor again.

At first, Xu Wei Ye wondered if they were planning something. Coincidentally, Zhou Ling Long did not sleep for the past two days in order to look for the account book, causing her appearance to look very haggard, which deepened his suspicions, so he had Ling Zhi monitor Zhou Ling Long strictly in the coming days.

But not even two days later, he dismissed this conjecture, because Zhou Ling Long was very obedient afterwards, and stayed quietly within her room.

Ling Zhi figured that Zhou Ling Long probably couldn’t fall asleep at night because she was missing her father and mother. From outside the door, she could hear the sounds of Zhou Ling Long tossing and turning sleeplessly over and over again.

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Xu Wei Ye also thought that this was the reason, so he temporarily banished his suspicions of them. He thought that the two elders were here only because they missed Zhou Ling Long, and this time An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian were not present, so he agreed to let them meet without much thought.

This time, Xu Wei Ye did not allow them to talk in private.

The two elders also did not insist. They spoke with their daughter for half an incense stick of time before Xu Wei Ye separated them.

They left the Xu Manor with reluctance and returned home straightaway without making any pit stops. Guan Su and Shao Fei were already waiting for them inside.

“Are you really going to help us get Ling Long out of the Xu Manor, and make it so that he will never trouble us again?” Elder Zhou asked, still uneasy. This matter was very important. If it failed, Xu Wei Ye would definitely come make trouble for them, and at that time, the one who would suffer the most would definitely be Ling Long. Their daughter has already suffered enough.

Guan Su said: “We have already reached this point. What is there left for you to doubt? Since our wangye and wangfei have already promised the two of you, then it will definitely be done.”

Elder Zhou did not say anything more.

Then old woman Zhou hesitantly asked: “This gongzi, if, that is, if you get the account book, then A’Shan, he…”

[T/N: A’Shan is a nickname for Zhou Shan, who is their son and also Landlord Zhou.]

“My wife.” Elder Zhou said a word of warning.

Guan Su knew at a glance what they were worried about, and said truthfully: “Zhou Shan and Xu Wei Ye have done so many bad things. He can’t escape responsibility for this.”

Shao Fei suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

Guan Su replied with a look that told him to keep calm.

The expressions of the two elders couldn’t help but become gloomy. Although they had guessed that things would not end well for A’Shan, it was still their son whom they were personally sending off to death. It was hard to take for the both of them, but then they thought of Ling Long, who was still suffering inside the Xu Manor, and the two elders had to force themselves to harden their hearts.

A’Shan has already enjoyed blessings that shouldn’t have been his for so many years. He should be content.

After all, it was he who had personally sent Ling Long to Xu Wei Ye. He must take responsibility for the disgraceful things that he did back then. This was what he owed Ling Long.

“Ling Long said she has already found the account book.”

Guan Su and Shao Fei returned to the Xu Manor. At the door, they ran into Xu Wei Ye, who was about to leave the manor. The latter saw that their complexions were not good, but he only snorted once, and then hurried out.

Shao Fei made a rude gesture towards Xu Wei Ye’s back. “You only have a few days left to be happy. After two days, you won’t even be able cry even if you want to.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Guan Su dragged him inside.

The two went straight to the rooms of An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian. The latter two had been waiting for news for a while now. Guan Su and Shao Fei recounted all the information about the account book in detail.

A surprised expression bloomed across An Zi Ran’s face after listening to their findings.

“You said Xu Wei Ye hid the account book in Zhou Ling Long’s room?”

He did not expect Xu Wei Ye to be so bold.

Shao Fei grinned: “Exactly, I heard that he had put the account book into a box that he openly gave to Zhou Ling Long. The box was filled with new clothes that Xu Wei Ye had ordered to be made for her, but because Zhou Ling Long hated him, she never touched that box. Apparently there are several layers of dust on that box.”

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Zhou Ling Long was a stubborn and resolute girl. If she said she wouldn’t touch something then she really wouldn’t touch it. Likely, Xu Wei Ye had anticipated this point, and was therefore bold enough to put his things in there. This was not only brazen, but also very clever.

Zhou Ling Long was not able to find the account book before because she thought that it was impossible for Xu Wei Ye to put the account book in her room. This was a subconscious act, furthermore, Xu Wei Ye likely added to this misconception. The two may be husband and wife, but the number of times that they did married couple stuff was not much.

Xu Wei Ye disliked how she was motionless in bed, just like a corpse, so he would leave in the middle of the night after finishing up the accounts, and he seldom set foot into her room.

That night, Guan Su sneaked into Zhou Ling Long’s residence, and even retrieved the account book very smoothly without disturbing Zhou Ling Long. With the account book in hand, Xu Wei Ye would not be able to escape. Even though he couldn’t escape in the first place.

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