Zhou Residence

The atmosphere in the main hall was so heavy it felt suffocating.

Zhou Fengchun sat in the seat of honor, holding a teacup in his hands, but he hadn’t taken a single sip. Below him, several local gentry all wore ugly expressions, none willing to speak first.

This scheme had suffered a disastrous setback.

More than thirty men sent from the gangs—none returned. Every one of them had been thrown into prison.

The dark-faced man slammed the table suddenly. “Is this Xu fellow insane?! How dare he deploy armed officers? This is local governance—what right does he have to move troops?!”

The fat, greasy-faced gentry member beside him sneered. “Why are you shouting here? If you’ve got the ability, go confront him yourself.”

The dark-faced man glared at him. “Don’t gloat! Today my men fell—tomorrow it’ll be yours!”

“Enough!”

Zhou Fengchun slammed his teacup down on the table. The two immediately fell silent.

He swept his gaze across the group and said coldly, “It’s only a few men arrested. At most they’ll be held for a few days. What is there to panic about?”

He paused, then added, “And stop talking nonsense—what troops did he deploy? Did any of you actually see armored soldiers with weapons? If he truly used military force against bandits, what would that make us?”

The dark-faced man was unconvinced. “Lord Zhou, that’s over thirty men! The entire gang was taken. How am I supposed to run things now?”

Zhou Fengchun glanced at him. “No enforcers? Then recruit more. There are plenty of idle drifters in the county. If you have money, are you afraid of finding people?”

He paused again. “From now on, make them smarter. No more large gatherings or open destruction—send them out in groups of two or three, stirring trouble in different places every day. Let’s see how many men he has to keep track of that.”

The dark-faced man fell silent.

The fat gentry member asked, “Then should we continue with the grain price plan?”

“Continue,” Zhou Fengchun said firmly. “Not only continue—you must raise prices even higher. Within three days, all grain shops under your name will increase prices. Let’s see what he uses to explain it to the people.”

Just as the fat man was about to respond, panicked cries came from outside.

“Big brother! Big brother, something’s wrong!”

A man covered in blood stumbled into the hall and dropped to his knees before the dark-faced man, grabbing his leg and wailing:

“Big brother, our place… our place has been wiped out by officials! They stormed in like a flood, beating everyone in sight! All the brothers have been arrested! If I hadn’t sensed something wrong and escaped through a dog hole, I wouldn’t even be here to see you!”

The hall fell completely silent.

The dark-faced man froze, the flesh on his face twitching violently. He couldn’t speak for a long time.

Zhou Fengchun’s teacup tilted, spilling tea across the table.

After a long pause, he finally set the cup down and took a deep breath.

“Since things have come to this,” he said slowly, “lay low for now. Don’t show yourself for the next few days. Wait until the storm passes.”

The dark-faced man opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end said nothing.

Zhou Fengchun turned to the fat gentry member. “Don’t mess up your end.”

The man’s face turned pale and he nodded repeatedly.

“Leave,” Zhou Fengchun said.

The group dispersed, leaving him alone in the hall.

He sat there, staring out at the pitch-black night outside the window, his expression shifting unpredictably.

The steward cautiously approached. “Master, don’t worry too much. Those gang men are just lowly rabble—not worth much. You still hold the grain supply card. Can he conjure grain out of thin air?”

Zhou Fengchun’s expression eased slightly. He snorted. “I’m not afraid of a direct contest. It’s just that this man acts without pattern. He’s hard to read.”

The steward smiled ingratiatingly. “No matter how clever a fox is after a thousand years of cultivation, can it surpass you, Master?”

Zhou Fengchun said nothing, narrowing his eyes as he sipped his tea.

The steward rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. “Master, Madam Zhou Shun’s wife… sent someone again today asking. She’s still in mourning, so she must be feeling lonely. Perhaps you should go comfort her?”

Zhou Fengchun remained half-lidded, neither nodding nor shaking his head, only waving his hand.

The steward understood and withdrew respectfully.

The hall was left in silence.

The tea in his cup had already gone cold, but he did not call for it to be replaced.

Outside, the night was deep and heavy. In the distance, in the direction of the county yamen, faint lights could still be seen.

Zhou Fengchun stared in that direction for a long time, a cold smile slowly forming on his lips.

The matter of grain—let’s see how you respond.

Unfortunately for Zhou Fengchun, he did not get to see Xu Ke panic or lose composure.

Over the next two days, Xu Ke behaved as usual—attending court when needed, resting when not. Inside the city, grain prices soared and unrest grew louder, but no more crowds gathered at the yamen gates.

Seeing Xu Ke remain so calm and indifferent, Zhou Fengchun and the others instead grew uneasy, unable to discern his true intentions.

Unwilling to give up, they sent people into the streets to spread rumors—that the magistrate’s promises were empty words meant only to temporarily placate the people. His claim of “three days for resolution” was just a delay tactic. Inside the yamen, it was said, he was spending his nights in indulgence and merrymaking, ignoring the suffering of the people.

As rumors spread back and forth, by the third day, another large group of citizens indeed came to the yamen gate, kneeling densely and begging the magistrate to act.

Xu Ke had no choice but to appear and comfort them again, promising once more that there would be an answer by the next day. He said loudly:

“Everyone, please return. If there is still no result tomorrow, you may simply come to the yamen for meals.”

Only then did the crowd disperse uneasily.

Zhou Fengchun and the fat gentry member met again several times in secret, and even sent men outside the city to investigate whether any grain convoys were approaching.

The investigation came up with nothing.

With no choice, they could only wait for the next day in frustration.

While Xu Ke himself appeared to be living leisurely, his subordinates were already completely overwhelmed.

Xu Fu had barely slept in two days, running around with Jia Yun to coordinate and rush through all the assigned tasks.

Qin Zhong, together with Ni Er, had set up a new gang organization. They thoroughly reorganized all the scattered gangs in the county—those guilty of serious crimes were dealt with directly, with door-breaking arrests and immediate shackling and imprisonment. The rest, the smaller fry who were relatively obedient, were all absorbed into the newly formed organization.

Ni Er was now enjoying a second spring in his “career,” living freely and happily.

By noon, Xu Ke felt preparations were about ready. He called Xu Fu over and handed him a list.

“Go and invite all the gentry on this list. Tell them I am hosting a banquet today, at the valley in the eastern outskirts.” He paused. “Everything prepared?”

Xu Fu nodded. “Everything is ready, sir. I checked it thoroughly several times with Jia Yun.”

“Good. I trust your work.”

Xu Ke added, “Also prepare some food and wine to bring over—keep it simple. Plain food and strong liquor will do.”

“Understood.”

“Oh right, assign Qin Zhong and the others properly,” Xu Ke said, glancing at him. “For today’s occasion, I want a more imposing presence.”

Xu Fu grinned. “Got it!”

He didn’t ask further and immediately left.

The gentry on the list had all been carefully selected by Xu Ke over the past two days.

Although Zhou Fengchun had long been entrenched in Shenjing County, he was not all-powerful. Only about thirty to forty percent of the gentry were firmly aligned with him. The rest either refused to get involved, stayed neutral, or even had some friction with him. These were the people Xu Ke wanted to win over.

There were even a few nominally in Zhou Fengchun’s camp, but without strong hostility—they were included as well.

To get things done, you needed more allies.

By afternoon, Xu Fu returned to report.

“Sir, about half of them confirmed they will come,” he said. “Among them are a few from County Magistrate Zhou’s side.”

Xu Ke nodded, but was not entirely satisfied.

“Go invite them again,” he ordered. “Take five of the Jia family’s private guards with you this time.”

Xu Fu paused, then understood and smiled. “Yes, sir.”

After giving instructions, Xu Ke no longer dwelled on it. He picked up a booklet on the table and began carefully reviewing it.

Tonight would depend on this.

He had to memorize it thoroughly.

Eastern Outskirts

At nightfall, a convoy moved quietly along a rugged mountain path. Most of the group was made up of luxurious carriages, with a few riders among them—young men dressed in fine silk robes.

When they arrived, the scene ahead suddenly opened up.

In a small valley stood several crude large buildings. The construction was strange—surrounding walls made of yellow brick mixed with stone, tall and boxy, while the roofs were completely open to the sky.

A ring of wooden fencing enclosed the buildings, forming something like a small village. At the entrance stood several burly men holding wooden staffs, wearing strange armor, standing rigidly like statues.

The convoy stirred with unease. After a brief hesitation, everyone dismounted and walked forward.

Passing through the gate, they were led by guards into the central area. The same style of building stood there again—walls but no roof—with two rows of fierce-looking guards outside, eyes wide and hands resting on their waists.

The gentry began to murmur in agitation.

“What does this Xu fellow mean? Does he really dare to use force against us?”

“Even the Jia family wouldn’t act this recklessly!”

Just then, Xu Fu walked out smiling and greeted them with a series of bows.

“Honored guests, my master is delighted by your arrival. I came quickly to welcome you.”

Seeing their unpleasant expressions, he remained calm and spoke leisurely, “Please don’t misunderstand. The county is currently unstable, as you all know. It is only natural to have guards stationed in such a remote place. My lord the magistrate has been waiting for you for some time. Please, come inside.”

The gentry exchanged looks and had no choice but to follow him in.

Inside, the space was large. Four square wooden tables had been set up, with dishes and wine placed on top—simple in style.

Xu Ke stood up from the central table and cupped his hands with a smile.

“I am honored that all of you could come today. Xu is deeply grateful. Please, be seated.”

The guests were guided to their seats by soldiers. Even seating was arranged deliberately—those friendly to Xu Ke were grouped together, while the others were mixed in among them. At Xu Ke’s own table sat a few with backgrounds, including some aligned with the county magistrate’s faction.

Once everyone was seated, Xu Ke stood again and raised his cup.

“As I said before, I am grateful that you all came. Let me drink first as a toast.”

Everyone stood and raised their cups in return.

Someone glanced at the coarse food and rough wine on the table and sneered quietly, muttering, “All showmanship. This is no proper banquet.”

Xu Ke pretended not to hear and gestured for everyone to sit.

“I have been here for over a month without the chance to properly meet you all. I have only heard your names, never met you in person.” He smiled slightly. “So today, let us use this modest wine to get acquainted. It will also help me match names to faces. Who will go first?”

“I will!”

The first to stand was from the “friendly” table. Xu Ke raised his cup in acknowledgment.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ge Datong of Ge Family Village. My family has a few mu of farmland and does some fishery business.”

Xu Ke applauded warmly.

“I know of you—the Ge family, located by the Tonghui River. A large freshwater fish business, if I’m not mistaken. A pleasure to meet you!”

Ge Datong excitedly drank his wine in one gulp and sat down.

The atmosphere immediately loosened.

At the next table, someone also stood up. “Mei Chengsi from Xiaodong Mountain in the eastern outskirts. I deal in mountain goods.” As he spoke, he looked at Xu Ke expectantly.

As usual, Xu Ke applauded. “The Mei family of Xiaodong Mountain is well known. In fact, the place where we are drinking today falls within Xiaodong Mountain’s territory. A pleasure to meet you!”

The mood gradually warmed up, and one after another people stood to introduce themselves. However, a small portion remained silent, simply watching.

Xu Ke didn’t mind. He raised his hand slightly, and the room immediately fell quiet.

“All of you have built quite substantial businesses,” he said.

He paused, slowly sweeping his gaze across the crowd, a faint smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

“However, in my opinion, your so-called livelihoods are nothing more than that.”

The hall went completely silent.

Xu Ke continued unhurriedly, “Inheriting from your fathers, you spend your days extracting from the common people—feeding on their flesh and blood. Your enterprises are weak and limited; you cannot even step beyond the county gates. You remain confined to this small corner of the county, fixated on petty profits, scrambling and tearing at each other. How are you any different from wild dogs?”

He smiled as he looked at the assembled gentry. The meaning in his eyes was unmistakable—everyone here is worthless.

The hall was so silent that even a pin drop could be heard.

“You tell me—am I wrong?”