Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 470 Lin Chen from Linhu Village Comes to Offer Condolences

Quzhou Prefecture.

The Li residence was shrouded in a solemn white hue, with two white gauze lanterns hanging high above the gate.

The gates were wide open, and many guests entered with solemn expressions.

The Li family was a prominent family in Quzhou. When Elder Li passed away, many families throughout Quzhou sent people to pay their respects.

However, when the guests from each family saw the two figures sitting in the front hall, they all had their own plans.

The prefect of Quzhou and the military administration both sent people, but only their deputies came.

Lord Li served as the Military Administration Commissioner of Quzhou Prefecture and the Prefect of Quzhou Prefecture. He also held a temporary post in the Military Administration Commission of Jiangnan Circuit. Logically, when the old man passed away, both the Prefect of Quzhou Prefecture and the Director of the Military Administration Commission should have come to attend.

But now two deputies have arrived, which is quite intriguing.

"The Li family has no successor. Li An does not have the talent and methods of the old master. The Li family is obviously going to decline. Those two probably know this, which is why they did not come to pay their respects."

“Things are different now. When Master Li was alive, he was only at the sixth rank. Now, the prefects and directors of military administration in various prefectures are at least at the fifth rank, and many are at the fourth rank. Our prefect and director of military administration in Quzhou Prefecture are at the fourth rank.”

Jiangnan Dao is a special Dao in Daliang. Most of the officials in Jiangnan Dao have been replaced. In the entire Daliang official system, its importance is comparable to that of the capital. The new Dao Lord of Jiangnan Dao is at the first rank.

Why should a powerful fourth-rank expert offer condolences to a retired sixth-rank old man who had been in office for many years?
Having learned about the attitudes of the two officials of Quzhou Prefecture towards the Li family, many families present also began to have their own ideas. The competition within Daliang was also fierce. The Li family had a lot of business in Quzhou Prefecture. Now that the old master Li had passed away, it was obvious that Li An could not hold on to it. If they acted sooner, they would seize the Li family's business. If they acted later, they might not even get a sip of soup.

……

In front of the mourning hall.

Li Qi knelt on the ground, dressed in plain clothes, her face streaked with tears. Her beloved grandfather had passed away peacefully, a happy occasion, but she was still deeply saddened.

Seeing his daughter crying, Li An's face darkened, and he said to a young man beside him, "Xiao Han, help Qi'er up."

"Ah."

Sheng Han nodded and stepped forward to help Li Qi up by the arm: "Qi'er, get up. The old man passed away peacefully, so don't be too sad."

Li Qi did not get up, but turned her head to look at Sheng Han: "Brother Han, didn't your grandfather come?"

Upon hearing Li Qi's question, Sheng Han's expression became slightly unnatural as he explained, "Grandfather has caught a cold and is bedridden, so he probably won't be able to come."

Is Mr. Sheng sick?

Upon hearing Sheng Han's reply, Li An looked surprised and asked with concern, "Is Lord Sheng's illness serious?"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. The doctor said I just need to rest for half a month."

"That's good."

Li An breathed a sigh of relief. The Sheng family's influence in Quzhou was not as great as that of the Li family, but his daughter had taken a liking to Sheng Han, and he also thought Sheng Han was quite good. At such a young age, he was already an eighth-rank official, and with the support of the Li and Sheng families, it was not impossible for him to break through to the fifth rank in the future. At that time, the Li family would no longer be afraid of being targeted in Quzhou.

Li Qi glanced at her father's expression, but her mind was filled with the words her grandfather had said to her by the bedside three days ago.

"Qi'er, when you took a fancy to Sheng Han, I, your grandfather, did not agree. But you are a stubborn girl, so I had no choice but to go along with you. But do you know why I did not agree to your marriage with Sheng Han?"

“Grandfather, if you don’t like me being with Sheng Han, I will break off the engagement, as long as you are well.”

“Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? Once an engagement is made, how can it be easily broken off? The reason I disagree is because the Sheng family’s rise to power is not honorable. Before entering the martial arts school, Sheng Han’s grandfather was engaged to a wealthy young lady. With the money given by this young lady, he purchased martial arts resources, which made him rank among the top in the martial arts school and received attention from the Martial Affairs Department. However, after he broke off the engagement with that woman after breaking through to the ninth rank, he married his mentor’s daughter instead.”

"There's such a thing? Why didn't you tell me, Grandfather?"

“Grandfather, I only found out after sending someone to investigate. Grandfather Sheng Han took a total of three thousand taels of silver from the woman's family back then, and finally gave her six thousand taels of silver to break off the engagement. It seems that he did not owe her anything, but how can three thousand taels of silver when he was poor be compared to six thousand taels after he became rich? The Sheng family is not kind, and their family tradition is like this. I am worried that if the upper class is corrupt, the lower class will be corrupt as well.”

“Grandfather, Brother Han shouldn’t be that kind of person.”

"Qi'er, your grandfather is asking you, did you tell Sheng Han about your relationship with Lin Chen back then?"

“No…Grandfather, you instructed me not to tell anyone. I didn’t tell Brother Han.”

"It's good that he didn't say anything. I hope he's not like his grandfather. Your grandfather told you all this to tell you something. After I'm gone, see if Grandfather Sheng Han comes to pay his respects. If he does, then everything is fine. If he doesn't... I'm afraid the Sheng family thinks the Li family is going to decline and has other ideas."

……

"Qi'er, what are you thinking about?"

Pulled back to reality, Li Qi felt inexplicably nauseous looking at Sheng Han's concerned expression, but she suppressed her emotions and asked, "Brother Han, did you tell your grandfather about his passing?"

“This… The doctor said that Grandfather is currently weak and cannot withstand stimulation or sadness. My father and I have kept this from Grandfather because we are afraid that hearing about this will cause him too much grief and worsen his health.”

Hearing Sheng Han's answer, Li Qi's last glimmer of hope vanished.

Grandfather was right, the Sheng family really wanted to change their minds, and Sheng Han must have known about it.

"Qi'er, Sheng Han is right. Lord Sheng is over eighty years old and his health is not good, so he cannot be subjected to any more stimulation. You must understand."

Hearing his daughter's reproachful and questioning tone, Ang Lee stepped in to help Sheng Han out of the predicament.

"Father, let's break off the engagement with the Sheng family."

Li Qi looked at her father and said something that stunned both Li An and Sheng Han. The difference was that after Sheng Han reacted, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. Li An failed to catch this joy, but Li Qi saw it clearly.

"Nonsense, Qi'er, what nonsense are you talking about? This engagement was arranged by both families. How can it be dissolved without reason? How can your grandfather leave in peace?"

Li An scolded, "I know you are saddened by your grandfather's passing, but you shouldn't act impulsively. Sheng Han also said that Lord Sheng is unwell and cannot come, so we should understand."

“I don’t understand, Father… I’m definitely breaking off this engagement.”

"Qi'er, I know you're angry right now. Let's put the matter of annulling the engagement aside for now and talk about it after your grandfather's funeral, okay?"

Sheng Han spoke up from the side, looking all understanding, but Li Qi saw it as incredibly hypocritical. She could only blame herself for being blinded by greed and failing to see Sheng Han's true colors.

“Father, this is what my grandfather told me before he passed away. If Shenghan’s grandfather does not come to pay his respects, then my engagement with Shenghan will be called off.”

Seeing that her father was still trying to persuade her, Li Qi directly brought up her grandfather, which immediately shut up Li An's words.

"Qi'er!"

Sheng Han raised his voice, his face turning cold: "I know you are saddened by your grandfather's passing, but you shouldn't be making such a fuss. My grandfather is ill and bedridden. If I were to ask him to come to the funeral in his sick body just for the sake of our engagement, wouldn't that be unfilial?"

"Therefore, our engagement is dissolved, and you no longer need to be unfilial. You can continue to be a dutiful grandson of the Sheng family." Li Qi looked at Sheng Han with no emotion whatsoever, only disgust.

"You...you're simply unreasonable, Uncle. I'm leaving now."

Sheng Han threw down these words and stormed off in a huff. This time, Li An didn't stop him, but looked at his daughter and asked, "Qi'er, did your grandfather really say these things?"

"Yes, how could I lie in front of my grandfather's spirit?"

As Li Qi answered, her mind drifted to her grandfather's words.

“Your father is not very bright and is timid and afraid of trouble, but he has one good point: he is very filial to his grandfather. As long as you tell your father that these words were told to you by your grandfather, your father will not stop you.”

Seeing her father muttering to himself, Li Qi looked at the coffin in front of the spirit tablet and whispered in her heart, "Grandfather, you have a very good eye for people."

……

In the lobby, when Sheng Han stormed out, many guests who were resting there looked puzzled. What had happened?

The engagement between Li Qi, the eldest daughter of the Li family, and Sheng Han was no secret in Quzhou Prefecture. A son-in-law is like half a son, and Li Qi was the only daughter of the third generation of the Li family. As the grandson-in-law of the Li family, it was normal for Sheng Han to observe mourning at the funeral.

Why did he suddenly turn and leave?
"Shenghan, what's wrong?"

In the lobby, someone who knew Sheng Han couldn't help but ask a question.

Sheng Han stopped, a helpless expression on his face: "After Lord Li passed away, Qi'er was so heartbroken that she lost control of her emotions and even said that she wanted me to force my sick grandfather to come and pay his respects in person, or else she would break off the engagement."

Upon hearing Sheng Han's words, many guests at the scene were in an uproar. Li Qi's request was indeed a bit too much. However, many guests also showed amused expressions. The passing of the old master Li and the illness of the old master of the Sheng family were such a coincidence.
Sheng Han's gaze swept over the expressions of the guests present. His face showed helplessness, but he was secretly pleased. He deliberately made Li Qi's request public to spread the word that as long as his grandfather did not come to offer condolences, the marriage would be called off.

A few days ago, he learned from Li Qi that the old master Li was unable to get out of bed due to leg problems. He then told his grandfather and father about this. After his grandfather and father analyzed the various forces in Quzhou Prefecture, they concluded that after the old master Li passed away, Li An would be incompetent and unable to shoulder the responsibility, and the Li family would inevitably decline.

Of course, the Li family still has its foundation, and he can marry Li Qi and take over the Li family's resources for himself. However, in doing so, he will have to face the families in Quzhou Prefecture who are eyeing the Li family with covetous eyes.

Ultimately, both the grandfather and father felt that the disadvantages outweighed the advantages, and that annuling the engagement was the best solution. However, there had to be a reasonable reason for annulment in order to preserve the reputation of the Sheng family and allow him to pursue the daughters of other prominent families in Quzhou Prefecture.

He hadn't figured out what reason to use yet, but Li Qi offered it to him on her own initiative. If there weren't outsiders present, he would have loved to burst into laughter.

The reason he approached Li Qi in the first place was only for the Li family's resources. There were rumors that the patriarch of the Li family had extensive connections, but unexpectedly, after he and Li Qi got engaged, the patriarch of the Li family refused to use the Li family's resources on him.

It now seems that the rumors were completely unreliable. There were very few important guests at the funeral, so severing ties with the Li family is the best course of action.

Sheng Han left in anger, and the atmosphere in the front hall of the Li family was strange. However, at this moment, the gatekeeper suddenly announced loudly: Yue Zhiyuan, the director of the Military Affairs Department of Qingzhou Prefecture, has come to offer condolences.

Upon hearing the gatekeeper's announcement, the guests in the front hall were taken aback. Qingzhou Prefecture was not part of Jiangnan Circuit. What was the relationship between this Director of the Military Affairs Department of Qingzhou Prefecture and the Li family?
However, the guests' shock was not over yet.

"Prefect Jiang Zheng of Jizhou Prefecture has come to offer his condolences."

"Zhang Liang, the prefect of Anqing Prefecture, came to offer his condolences."

Qiu Rufeng, Deputy Director of the Military Affairs Department of Jiannan Circuit, came to offer condolences.

……

The series of announcements made the guests in the front hall restless.

"These... these adults seem to have all been the directors of the Military and Political Affairs Department of Jiangnan Circuit."

Some guests remembered the identities of these officials; they were all former directors of the Military Affairs Division of the Seven Prefectures of Jiangnan Circuit, but they had all been promoted and transferred to other departments.

"That's not right. When Lord Li was the Director of the Military Affairs Department, none of these officials were in that position."

It's clearly impossible for them to have a working relationship like colleagues.

The guests present were still filled with doubts. When Lord Li was the director, these directors had probably only just started practicing martial arts and had little interaction with each other.

At the funeral hall, Li An, who had also heard the gatekeeper announce the news loudly, was equally puzzled. He had not informed these adults of his father's passing, nor had his father mentioned having any connection with them.

For these adults to travel such a long distance, it takes more than just a close relationship.

Of those present, only Li Qi knew perfectly well what her grandfather had told her by his bedside.

Back then, when Lin Chen and Li Zhe were vying for the title of model student in Jiangnan Province, my grandfather went to the Military Affairs Department and, while the department was holding a meeting with the directors, he slammed his fist on the table to fight for Lin Chen to become a model student.

There were rumors about this, but since my grandfather was a retired official, it was too far-fetched for him to go to the Military Affairs Hall and slam the table in front of several second- and third-rank officials. Many people just listened to it as a rumor and did not take it seriously.

Outsiders may not take it seriously, but these directors were firsthand witnesses at the time, and their visit to pay their respects was due to their grandfather's relationship with Lin Chen.

As these officials entered, the guests in the hall exchanged bewildered glances, while the two deputies of Quzhou Prefecture and the Military Affairs Department could no longer sit still. The arrival of so many officials must have a special reason, and they needed to report this matter to their superiors as soon as possible.

……

Sheng Han, who had just stepped out of the Li residence, heard the loud announcement from the gatekeeper and froze instantly.

This...what's going on?

While he stood there stunned, he saw two figures walking towards the Li residence from another direction of the street.

A young man and a middle-aged man saw the young man's face and felt a sense of familiarity, as if they had seen the face somewhere before. However, due to their shock and surprise, they couldn't remember where they had seen it.

Soon, he noticed something unusual about the Li family's gatekeeper.

No one knows what the middle-aged man said, but the Li family gatekeeper's entire body trembled, and even from a distance of more than ten feet, the extent of the trembling was clearly visible.

The next moment, the stammering voice of the Li family gatekeeper echoed throughout the entire street.

"Lin...Lin Chen from Linhu Village came to offer condolences."

Snapped!
Sheng Han's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.

He remembered; he realized why that face looked so familiar.

Back when Lin Chen started his winning streak challenge at Martial Dao Mountain, he was in Hongdu Prefecture at the time. He was fortunate enough to see Lin Chen defeat his opponent at Martial Dao Mountain from a distance of several dozen feet away through a light screen revealed by the martial arts seal of a martial artist from the Yan Dynasty.

The Li family is actually related to this person. Some outrageous rumors circulating in the streets are actually true.

(End of this chapter)