Promise!

Chapter 163, Fire Dragon

The following day, a small internal meeting was held among the senior members of the Shen family.

When Zhuang Jin arrived, he saw the group of servants who had attended the banquet the day before. They had gotten to know each other somewhat after yesterday's events, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then, as it was almost time, they all took their places.

His position, naturally, is last.

This brought Zhuang Jin back to reality from yesterday's glory, but she didn't belittle herself: 'Among the honored guests present, including myself, there are only nineteen. Although I'm ranked last, I'm still the tail of a phoenix, far superior to the heads of chickens. I've truly stepped into the upper echelons!'

Besides, this is only temporary. Let's look back in a year, two, or three years!

"Furthermore, every event has two sides, and this might not be a bad thing. The situation in the east of the city is escalating, leading to factionalism... I'm neither insignificant nor in a crucial position where I could easily be dragged into it, nor am I particularly important, caught in the middle of a turbulent situation... This position—neither too big nor too small, neither too heavy nor too light, and not attracting attention—is the perfect spot to observe the drama unfold."

Thinking of this, Zhuang Jin leaned back tactically, resting lightly against the back of her chair.

It has to be said that the treatment of those at the rank of offering is indeed different. Each chair in this high-level meeting is covered with a tiger skin of the level of meat-refining beast. In this freezing weather, sitting on it is extremely warm and comfortable, so comfortable that it makes one drowsy. However, there is Cloud Hidden Tea in the teacup in front of you. Taking a sip makes one feel refreshed.

Comfortable, warm, not sleepy, and with a clear mind—this is the perfect state for... well, I mean, for attending a high-level meeting!

Just as Zhuang Jin and the other retainers took their seats, the patriarch Shen Xianhong arrived. Amidst the rising greetings of the retainers, he ascended to the head seat at the very front—

Shen Xianhong did not sit down directly, but looked straight at Zhuang Jin, who was in the last seat: "Today we have a happy occasion. Our Shen family's senior members have gained another member. Everyone welcomes Elder Zhuang!"

The worshippers smiled and bowed with goodwill.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Zhuang Jin respectfully returned the greeting.

After this exchange of greetings, Shen Xianhong sat down first, pressing his hands down, and Zhuang Jin and the other officials of the same rank took their seats again.

The high-level meeting began in this friendly atmosphere. First, it reviewed and summarized the major events of the month, and then it made arrangements for the next month. There were strategic and general instructions, as well as specific details, such as the management and in-depth development of the north of the city, and various battles on the front line in the south of the city...

Compared to those below them, these high-ranking members were the first to know about the Shen family's movements and decisions. Often, a single piece of information could bring them substantial benefits and allow their younger relatives and confidants to gain an advantage.

For the Shen family, this was a way to unify the positions of the worshippers and the higher-ups, as well as to identify and address any shortcomings. Those with objections could stop the discussion and gather their opinions. Since everyone present was an elite member of the Shen family, there was no one opposing for the sake of opposing, and the meeting proceeded very quickly.

Until the matter in the east of the city was mentioned—

Li Ping, the head of the Enforcement Division, said, “In the east of the city, it all started with the wrongful killing of Martial Master Pang Shusheng… We’ve been involved for the past few months, investigating all the lower-level martial artists from the first to the sixth level. The situation is shocking! My idea is to go deeper, expand the scope, relentlessly pursue the matter, and investigate to the very end!”

"Director Li is mistaken. The investigation has entered a critical phase, and we should proceed cautiously... Furthermore, the Medicine King Gang is a formidable enemy outside. Expanding the situation further would be detrimental to unity... I believe maintaining stability is paramount, so let's leave it at that for now!" said Wen Gongshou, Director of the Supervisory Department.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin glanced at the man and thought to himself, 'Is this person truly considering the bigger picture? Or has even this head of a department been won over and corrupted by those people in the east of the city?'

He personally leans towards the latter, after all, if the regulatory department hadn't had problems, those people in the east of the city wouldn't have been able to control things to such an extent.

As the two chief priests, Li Ping and Wen Gongshou, spoke up and expressed their opinions, the other priests also began to voice their views.

"The previous attack on the lower and middle-level martial artists from the first to sixth level had already caused widespread panic. If the scope is expanded to target the upper and middle-level martial artists above the seventh level, it will inevitably cause huge turmoil. If the Medicine King Gang takes advantage of this..."

"The Medicine King Gang is nothing to fear; my Shen family... the enemy is within!"

"Master Tao, there's a hidden meaning in your words, but I don't quite understand. Could you explain it more clearly?"

"Tao Gongfeng, Qiu Gongfeng, calm down. I think I have the right to speak on this issue in the east of the city... The higher-ups are good, but the lower-level implementation is flawed. Now, the middle and lower levels of the First to Sixth Classics have been investigated, and the internal corruption has been eliminated. Let's leave it at that!"

"Heh, the previous investigation revealed a complete rot at the bottom... If things are like this at the bottom, how can there not be problems at the top? In my opinion, at least part of the upper echelons are corrupt. It's absolutely necessary to investigate this thoroughly!"

……

In an instant, the huge conference room seemed to have turned into a marketplace, with the sounds of bickering and arguing like a cacophony of ducks quacking in your ears. Some, unable to win an argument, glared angrily and slammed their fists on the table… If the people below had witnessed this scene, their jaws would have dropped in astonishment…

This is completely different from the harmonious atmosphere at yesterday's grand banquet.

Zhuang Jin retracted his previous statement. The composure, open-mindedness, and relaxed attitude of these people were because they hadn't touched the core interests. When the core interests were truly touched, they were no different from the subordinates.

He kept his eyes down, focused on listening and observing without speaking, quietly enjoying the melon seeds.

These people, when they argue or bicker, don't act like country shrewish women. They have a great deal of linguistic skill, their words are full of hidden meanings and sharp wit... It's worth learning from them.

Also, it's quite interesting to watch these big shots tearing each other apart in the eyes of the lower classes!

……

However, it's enjoyable to be the one eating other people's gossip, but it's not so enjoyable to be the one being eaten by others.

Pang Shusheng is an unavoidable figure in the affairs of the eastern part of the city, and soon the topic came up again.

"The case of Master Pang is a great injustice throughout the ages. If we don't investigate it thoroughly, how can Master Pang rest in peace if he knows this in the afterlife?"

"Hehe, everyone says that Master Pang was wronged, but today I want to sing a different tune: before Master Pang, the garrison commander of Qingyuanfang was Zhuang Gongfeng. Zhuang Gongfeng was in the east of the city for half a year and he was fine, wasn't he? How come he was wrongfully killed as soon as Master Pang went there? Didn't this person have some problems himself?"

Upon hearing this, many of the servants stopped talking and looked at Zhuang Jin. Even the head of the family, Shen Xianhong, looked over to see how Zhuang Jin would respond.

Zhuang Jin was eating melon and drinking tea when he was inexplicably dragged into this. He glanced at Qiu Yizhi, who had said these words, and felt that there were bad people in the crowd who were trying to frame him!
"This person's words, seemingly praising me, are actually a trap. If I agree and admit it, it would be tantamount to dragging me into this mess and endorsing those people from the east of the city!"

He thought to himself, then said, "In the first half of this year, I served as the ward commander of Qingyuan Ward, but as you all know, that was because I was recuperating from injuries at the beginning of the year... I really don't know anything else..."

Just when the other worshippers thought that Zhuang Jin was just trying to smooth things over and would tolerate Qiu Yizhi's scheme, they heard Zhuang Jin say again: "However, I can tell you a couple of interesting things that happened in the east of the city... At the end of March this year, as the ward magistrate, I was reviewing and signing the accounts submitted by the street ward magistrates as usual... I saw a report on a street renovation plan, and when I looked at it, I was astonished: five taels of silver for a tree, one qian of silver for a bluestone slab..."

“I summoned Huang Jun... This man told me that the tree was transported from another prefecture, and the variety... I was quite ignorant.”

Zhuang Jin's words were amusing, and many of the worshippers laughed upon hearing them.

"Haha, a tree costs five taels of silver, and a bluestone slab costs one mao of silver... This Huang Jun is truly a talented man!"

"That report was mixed in with other accounts. Huang Jun's intentions are despicable. He's clearly trying to make Zhuang Gongfeng take the blame!"

"Master Zhuang, what happened after that?" ...

"Later? I sent the report back and ordered the town garrison commander to leave the east of the city as punishment... Unexpectedly, that very night, Huang Jun came to my door with his father, the garrison commander of Bajingfang. It really terrified me..."

This small case, seemingly saying nothing, actually says everything. From Huang Jun, the town magistrate, to his father, the ward magistrate of Bajing, from the lower to the upper middle classes, there are serious problems... This is Zhuang Jin's personal experience, verifiable and leaving no room for rebuttal.

"This is outrageous! At this point, how can Master Fu still claim that there are no problems among the upper and middle classes in the east of the city?" Li Ping, the head of the Enforcement Division, seized the opportunity to lash out.

"This..." Fu Shousong glanced at Qiu Yizhi subconsciously, and sighed helplessly in his heart. His old friend's martial arts talent was not commensurate with his scheming and strategy. He was more likely to ruin things than to accomplish anything. Just now, why did he drag Zhuang Jin into the mess for no reason? He was really asking for trouble!

At the same time, he also deeply hated the Huang family father and son that Zhuang Jin mentioned. He knew about this, and now that Zhuang Jin had said it in public, many of the worshippers' expressions changed slightly. Noticing this, they really wished they could kill the father and son... Oh, the Huang family father and son are already dead, so it's alright.

Many worshippers, while filled with righteous indignation, also secretly glanced at Zhuang Jin, recalling his intelligence: he wasn't one to provoke trouble, but neither was he one to swallow his pride and let others bully him. To put it bluntly, he was like a baboon; if you provoked him, he'd want to bite you two or three times, and he was even quite vengeful. Just think of Zhao Bin and Miao Shao's families now... This time, Qiu Yizhi's attempt to use Zhuang Jin to put down others backfired spectacularly.

……

Subsequently, the attendants debated again about the matter in the east of the city. Zhuang Jin's words were true and could not be refuted. Fu Shousong and others could only say that it was an isolated case and that such things happened everywhere. They also said that Huang Tianjun and his son had taken the initiative to handle the matter... The debate continued.

"Since there are disagreements on this matter, let's hold a vote first!"

Shen Xianhong stopped the argument and looked at them, saying, "Those who wish to temporarily stop supporting the cause in the east of the city... raise your hands!"

In silence, hands were raised.

Zhuang Jin glanced around and was surprised to find that as many as ten people had raised their hands, which meant that more than half of them had done so.

Among them, people like Fu Shousong, Qiu Yizhi, and Wen Gongshou, the head of the supervisory department, were not surprising to him, but some people... such as Zhong Yi...

When Zhong Yi met Zhuang Jin's surprised gaze, his old face flushed slightly, and he subconsciously touched the wine gourd at his waist.

Where did he get those bones from a Bone Forging Realm beast that he used to make medicinal wine? It's hard to repay a favor like that!

Besides, that was before. This time... those people in the east of the city have another price to offer!
There's no way around it; a little conscience can't compare to a thousand pounds of gold. Zhong Yi may sympathize with Pang Shusheng, but the man has given him far too much.

Of course, he still had his bottom line; he only voted in support, nothing more.

One leaf falling heralds the coming of autumn; it's easy to imagine that most of the other offerings were also bribed by people from the east side of the city.

'As expected, the bribery like last night wasn't just targeting me... Those rats in the east of the city have really gone all out this time! But will the outcome really be as they wish?'

Zhuang Jin picked up her teacup, took a sip, and continued watching the show and enjoying the gossip.

This result surprised not only Zhuang Jin, but also the other worshippers who hadn't raised their hands, and they all looked at Shen Xianhong.

"Are there more than half the people present?"

Shen Xianhong's gaze swept over the faces of the worshippers who had raised their hands: "In that case, let's continue investigating the matter in the east of the city!"

Fu Shousong, Qiu Yizhi, Wen Gongshou, and other stakeholders in the eastern part of the city, who had all been wearing victorious smiles, froze on their faces upon hearing the second half of the sentence. They stared blankly at Shen Xianhong, wondering if he had made a mistake.

"Enforcement Division, Li Sizheng, ... General Affairs Division, please cooperate fully... Establish a special task force..." Shen Xianhong gave the orders, bypassing the faction of those who had just raised their hands, clearly intending to investigate thoroughly.

Upon hearing this, Fu Shousong and the others looked extremely grim. By now, they understood that the previous show of hands vote was a ploy to bluff out those among the worshippers who had connections with stakeholders in the eastern part of the city, or those who might have had vested interests and could be bribed.

This time... they suffered a crushing defeat.

As for the voting results, Shen Xianhong did not listen.

At the level of offering, one only has the right to make suggestions regarding the Shen family's strategic decisions. Since it is a suggestion, one can listen to it or not. However, Shen Xianhong has always respected the voting process and has not acted arbitrarily or exercised the power of the family head to forcefully push things forward for a long time. So long that people like Fu Shousong have forgotten this point, or rather, they have been deceiving themselves and trying to restrain and kidnap Shen Xianhong with rules. Now they have been slapped awake.

For those who were bribed, such as Zhong Yi, it was an unexpected turn of events, but they secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They were paid to do things, and they did the work, but in the end, it didn't work out, so they couldn't be blamed.

Zhuang Jin was not surprised. Yesterday, the family head, Shen Xianhong, advised him to listen more and speak less, and he had already guessed this beforehand.

'As the saying goes, martial artists speak with their fists. Strength is the power of speech. Clan head Shen Xianhong is a supreme being, capable of suppressing the entire scene by himself. If he really makes up his mind to push something forward, there is nothing that can stop him!' he thought to himself.

……

After the high-level meeting concluded, there was another internal task to choose from within the Offering Department that day, and Zhuang Jin naturally chose to stay at the Shen family headquarters.

Hmm, does the Shen family headquarters need to be stationed there? That's a question.

With the head of the Shen family, Shen Xianhong, and other retainers above him, this job was more of a formality. He didn't have to do anything and it was practically like getting military merits for free.

Zhuang Jin himself was carefree, but he didn't forget Duan Tao, Lin Hong, Bi Kai and others. These guards couldn't just be left in the south of the city. He was eating meat, but he had to let his subordinates have some soup. He asked for their opinions. Some wanted to stay in the Shen family headquarters, some wanted to go to the medicinal fields outside the city, and some wanted to return to the north of the city in glory.

For him now, this was nothing more than a trivial matter. He instructed his attendant Yue Song to make all the necessary arrangements: if he wanted to stay at headquarters, he was appointed as the deputy director of a department; if he wanted to go to the medicinal fields outside the city, he was appointed as the garrison commander of the medicinal fields; if he wanted to go to the north of the city, he was appointed as the garrison commander of the north street... Everyone was happy.

With nothing much to do at headquarters and the reunion with Chen Yun, life suddenly became vibrant, lively, and lighthearted. There was only one minor annoyance: people with connections and acquaintances kept coming in. Ordinary people were fine; if you didn't want to see them, you could simply avoid them. But you couldn't turn away these gentlemen; you had to play it safe...

Zhuang Jin did not slack off in her martial arts practice. She began refining high-grade Black Yuan Powder and cultivating to the Meridian Opening Realm.

With his current wealth, he could easily afford the high-grade Black Yuan Powder, a cultivation resource. However, the beast meat that could help accelerate cultivation... the beast meat at the beginner level of the Tendon Transformation Realm was relatively weaker, not much better than the beast meat at the Perfected Meat Refining Realm. The most suitable was the Beast Tendon Paste at the beginner level of the Tendon Transformation Realm, which cost 1,000 battle merits per pound. With the remaining balance of the South City frontline, he could manage for the time being.

It's also worth mentioning that after Zhuang Jin obtained the "Green Wood Everlasting Skill," he had Chen Yun begin practicing martial arts as well.

Days passed peacefully, and ten days had flown by. On this day, Chang Suiyue came with news: "Master Zhuang, in the east of the city, they've been investigating further this month, haven't they? Even the ward and town officials have started... collecting accounts... those accounts that haven't been audited yet were all burned to ashes in an accident last night!"

"Tsk tsk, they've even started burning down warehouses with fire dragons! Some people are really being pushed to their limits!" Zhuang Jin's face showed an expression of amusement, knowing that there would be some excitement to watch in the coming days.

……

(End of this chapter)