knife

Chapter 657 Several Heads Betting
In turbulent times, an individual's fate can sometimes be like a roller coaster ride, with dramatic ups and downs and no general pattern to follow.

Today you may be a high-ranking, noble, and respectable person, but tomorrow you might be dragged to the execution ground, and one stroke of the knife will end everything.

The same principle applies to families; they are not necessarily more resilient than individuals.

When the times are about to abandon you, they won't give you a heads-up.

He will suddenly unleash a storm, then launch a devastating attack, crushing you before you can even fully react.

It is said that dynasties last for a hundred years, and families last for a thousand.
But no one expected that the Xiang family, a thousand-year-old clan, would be swept away by wind and rain in just a few months, turning into dust in the blink of an eye.

The real reason for their downfall, if revealed, would probably be unbelievable to most people.

It's because they are too rich and too powerful.

When a whale falls, everything comes alive!

Eliminating the Xiang clan would enrich many people and also solve many problems currently facing the Great Chu court.

With Xiang Ying around before, no one dared to make a move.

Once Xiang Ying was gone, the vultures, who had been eyeing him covetously, swarmed over to devour the fallen, massive body, their mouths greasy with food.

Leaving aside Na Wei, the current de facto ruler of Danyang City, the one who ate the most was naturally Zhu Chi, the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue who presided over this operation.

Speaking of the Zhu family, they are truly a typical example of great ups and downs, great sorrow and great joy.

Jiang Qian nearly killed him, and he had to sacrifice most of the Zhu family's fortune just to ensure the family's safety.
A few months ago, Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi rebelled, and the Zhu family chose not to follow them, even at the cost of Old Master Zhu's life. With the success of Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi, everyone is mocking the Zhu family for being so afraid of Jiang Qian, that they are timid and hesitant, causing them to once again choose the wrong side in a crucial decision.

But now it seems that fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and no one can say for sure whether their choice was right or wrong until the very last moment.

"Brother, shall we continue?" Zhu Cheng placed a thick stack of documents in front of Zhu Chi. These documents were all confiscated from the Xiang family, including money, house deeds, land deeds, and so on.

In a short period of time, the Zhu family's strength has surged to an unprecedented level, even surpassing their strength before Jiang Qian's reprimand.

“Of course we must continue!” Zhu Chi said.

“But He Zheng and the others are already questioning it!” Zhu Cheng said in a low voice. “They feel that we have fought enough. If we continue, the Xiang family will no longer have the strength to cause any more trouble. This is not in line with the strategy of Protector Li and his men.”

He Zheng came from outside the Great Wall and belonged to the Zhi Qiu Academy.

In fact, Zhu Chi has maintained close ties with the Beiting Protectorate outside the pass in the past two years. Through Zhu Chi, the Zhi Qiu Academy has sent a lot of people to the Chu Kingdom. People like He Zheng, the original backbone of the Qinglong Brigade, were sent to make up for Zhu Chi's own lack of strength in this operation.

"Then let's not let them get involved anymore!" Zhu Chi said casually.

Zhu Cheng was startled: "Elder brother, if that's really the case, wouldn't it upset Protector Li?" Zhu Chi put down his pen, looked at Zhu Cheng, and said: "Second brother, we cooperate with Protector Li, and it has always been so. We are not his subordinates. You need to understand this!"

Seeing Zhu Cheng open his mouth but remain silent, Zhu Chi couldn't help but laugh: "Are you trying to say that Protector Li is too powerful, and it seems that he has a great chance of conquering the world? Will my actions offend him and cause some consequences? Isn't that a bit short-sighted?"

Zhu Cheng chuckled. "Big brother, I do have some concerns about that!"

"You're overthinking it!" Zhu Chi said, "From the beginning until now, have we done everything that Protector Li asked us to do?"

"Yes!"

"Have the effects already been observed?"

"Out!"

"What is it that Protector Li is dissatisfied with?" Zhu Chi spread his hands: "As for how badly to defeat the Xiang clan, He Zheng and the others have their opinions, and we have ours. They come from beyond the Great Wall and don't know much about the Great Chu, so their opinions can only be used as a reference. We, the locals, have more say. We believe that we are still far from the limit of the Xiang clan! So when opinions differ, we should naturally take our side. He Zheng and the others are only here to assist us. If we let them take over, it will only make Protector Li look down on us."

Zhu Cheng blinked, seemingly understanding.

"So even if I were to stand before Protector Li in the future, I would tell him without batting an eye that I have a clear conscience and have always worked diligently for Protector Li's great cause!" Zhu Chi said with a smile.

"Big Brother really sees things clearly!" Zhu Cheng was truly impressed; Big Brother is still Big Brother after all. "So, in that case, we can get a little more!"

Zhu Cheng smiled slightly and said, "We must never put all our eggs in one basket! This is a principle that the old master has been teaching us all these years. We must leave ourselves several options, so that even if we make a mistake in judgment, we won't be crushed and unable to recover. Haven't you seen what we've been through all these years? Our Zhu family has experienced many ups and downs. Even when we made a major misjudgment, we still managed to survive. And with that last bit of life, we have a chance to make a comeback."

"But this time, it was the old master who paid the price with his life!" Zhu Cheng said sadly.

"This is the responsibility of the head of the family. I will do the same next time such a choice arises!" Zhu Chi said, "If you want to wear the crown, you must first bear its weight!"

“I understand. In other words, we must now prepare for the possibility that Li Dachui will not be able to defeat Linghu Ye and unify the Qin Kingdom!” Zhu Cheng said.

"Yes! If Li Dachui cannot defeat Linghu Ye, then Qin will be unable to attack Chu from the south, and everything will remain the same. Qin will split, and Chu will also fall into division. Therefore, we must have enough strength to protect ourselves and strive to elevate our family to a higher level in such a situation!"

“Na Wei’s foundation in Danyang is unstable, and he doesn’t dare to rely too much on others, so he has to rely more on allies like us!” Zhu Cheng said, “This is our opportunity. Brother, does that mean that if Protector Li fails and this generation remains in this state of division, it will be most beneficial for families like ours?”

Zhu Chi laughed: "That's right! For a family like ours, this is the ideal situation, allowing us to reap the greatest benefits. Now you understand why I wanted to wipe out the Xiang family, right?"

"Understood!" Zhu Cheng said excitedly. "I'll make the arrangements right away and search for that guy Xiang Zhuang with all our might!"

"We won't touch Xiang Zhuang. If there's any news, we'll inform the Jiang family that we're no match for him and are willing to give the credit to them!" Zhu Chi said, "Killing Xiang Zhuang will really anger Protector Li!"

(End of this chapter)