Promise!

Chapter 164, Two Months

Just as Zhuang Jin had predicted, things got quite lively in the days that followed. After Shen Xianhong proposed the slogan of "investigating the accounts of the East City for the past thirty years," the people in the East City were very obliging and immediately set fire to the warehouses, burning all the accounts to the ground. Enraged, Shen Xianhong changed his approach. No matter how many groups came, he would go one by one, investigating the relationships behind each shop in every street. The accounts could be burned, but the assets could not be abandoned. These shops were all managed by certain people's front men and could not withstand close scrutiny.

If these front men are targeted, and some individuals don't step forward, the front men will be dismantled and the assets lost; if they do step forward, the source of the huge amount of assets is unclear, violating the Shen family's rules, wouldn't that be tantamount to voluntarily admitting guilt?
The forces in the east of the city were cornered and caught in a dilemma. Under such a blatant scheme, it was impossible to stop them unless they were determined to rebel.

Under Shen Xianhong's firm stance, the investigation into the eastern part of the city proceeded steadily, bit by bit. The assets that the forces in the eastern part of the city had seized from the Shen family, as well as the parts that had been exploited and plundered from the people, were now being brought to the Shen family's benefit and returned to the public treasury...

With his coffers full, Shen Jiagong used a portion of the profits to unite various factions within the Shen family and outside the forces in the eastern part of the city, making many friends and quickly turning the investigation of the eastern part of the city into a popular and unstoppable movement.

Originally, the forces in the east of the city were planning to use the Medicine King Gang, an external enemy, to create turmoil and reduce pressure... However, after Shen Xianhong united other parties within the city to monitor and suppress various places, this plan was nipped in the bud and died before it even started.

At this point, the forces in the eastern part of the city had exhausted all their options and could only lie low and wait for a change in the situation, hoping that the task force would act rashly and make mistakes. However, under Shen Xianhong's leadership, the investigation was carried out steadily and methodically, without the group's wishes being fulfilled. Instead, the investigation uncovered various shady dealings, implicating many middle and upper-level figures in the eastern part of the city who were brought down and exiled to the southern part of the city.

Amidst the back-and-forth battles and the chaos of war, the year draws to a close.

Compared to the forces in the east of the city, this Spring Festival was not easy for them. It was tasteless and uneventful. All the other factions of the Shen family had a prosperous year. Zhuang Jin was no exception. Although he did not contribute much, he received a considerable share based on his own rank of offering and his value in uniting the people. He received assets of nearly 100,000 taels of silver, which greatly enriched his pockets.

……

At the start of the year, the investigation in the eastern part of the city continued, and Zhuang Jin continued to choose the Shen family headquarters, living a leisurely and carefree life.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning that last month, under Zhuang Jin's guidance, Chen Yun began practicing the "Green Wood Everlasting Spring Technique" and became a formal martial artist in twenty-six days.

This timing... is alright!

He has above-average talent, much better than those who can't even get started in a month, but still quite a bit worse than those who are truly talented, like him who only took seventeen days.

To be honest, Chen Yun was quite interested in cultivation, mainly because she cultivated with Zhuang Jin, keeping each other company and progressing together.

However, while Chen Yun cared deeply for Zhuang Jin, she still prioritized him. She prepared all the food herself and took care of all the necessities herself.

She wasn't a cultivation fanatic, and she didn't neglect other things either. For example, once the new year started and spring arrived, her home became more vibrant and colorful.

Trees and bonsai have disappeared, but various bottled flowers have reappeared.
There are also ingenious methods: thinning both ends of the flower seeds, embedding them in eggs, placing them in a chicken coop, and letting the hen incubate them... After the chicks hatch, take out the raw eggs, mix them with swallow nest mud, plant them, irrigate them with river water, let them bask in the sun, and the flower seeds will hatch... The flowers bloom in miniature, the size of a wine glass, with leaves the size of a bowl, standing gracefully and lovely.

And: Spray cold rice water and sweet flag seeds together on charcoal, place it in a cool and damp place, and wait for small sweet flag to grow on the charcoal. Then transplant it into a bowl. It looks like a lush green sky, which is very beautiful.
……

This is one of the few moments of leisure and refined pleasure during that time.

During this time, Zhuang Jin never slacked off in his cultivation, practicing for at least five hours every day... With such diligence and hard work, in just over a month, the more than 40,000 battle merits in his account were exhausted, and he had to stop practicing the Beast Tendon Ointment at the beginner level of Yi Jin. Fortunately, he still had that pound of Cloud Hidden Tea, so his cultivation speed did not slow down.

Nearly two months passed in the blink of an eye, and by the end of January, Zhuang Jin had completed about 70% of the accumulation of the Meridian Opening Realm.

On January 28th, Yue Song, the servant, came to inform him: "Master Zhuang, the head of the family requests your presence!"

……

This meeting wasn't held in a plum garden or anything like that, but in a living room. Shen Xianhong was reviewing documents, having been extremely busy these past two months due to matters in the east of the city.

When he saw Zhuang Jin enter, he put down the documents in his hand, invited Zhuang Jin to sit down, and instructed the servants to serve tea.

"Master, what brings you here?" Zhuang Jin sat down on one side, looked at him respectfully, and took the initiative to speak.

For someone of Shen Xianhong's higher status and martial arts prowess, it was impossible to treat him with the same leisurely tea and quiet waiting for his words as one would with a peer. Shen Xianhong didn't get straight to the point; instead, he spoke of the recent situation in the east of the city: "An investigation in the east of the city…the confiscated properties…during the investigation, various filthy acts were discovered. Some martial artists at the level of guards of the seventh to ninth level of the martial arts school, and even those at the level of guards of the tenth to twelfth level, have been exiled to the south of the city…"

The eastern part of the city is prosperous and wealthy, but unlike the northern and southern parts of the city, it was once a battleground. It is managed in a fragmented manner and does not have a "capital". However, there are ten to twelve martial arts experts who serve as wardens in some of the larger wards, which can be considered low-level positions.

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this, and roughly understood how the Shen family had dealt with the forces in the eastern part of the city.

Those who are offered sacrifices are given a certain level of respect, but seven or eight tenths of their profits are cut off, allowing them to land smoothly. Those in the middle to upper ranks of the seventh to twelfth rank have all their illegal assets confiscated, and are punished differently depending on the severity of the offense, but they can generally still save their lives.

After explaining the current situation in the eastern part of the city, Shen Xianhong continued, "Master Pang Shusheng is Shen'er's martial arts mentor. The three culprits who directly attacked Master Pang have never forgotten him... They have obtained evidence themselves and are currently gathering manpower to prepare to arrest him..."

The internal law enforcement department was debating whether to execute these three individuals or, like the other martial artists of the seventh to twelfth level, send them to the southern part of the city. Those in favor of execution argued that killing them would serve as a warning to others; those in favor of sending them to the southern part of the city argued that execution would be too wasteful and cruel, and would be easily misinterpreted, causing fear among the upper and middle classes in the eastern part of the city.

Shen Xuchen knew that if the argument continued, it would most likely come to nothing, so he took the initiative to take action. And the fact that he was able to accomplish this was also related to Zhuang Jin.

Back then, because of the Zhao Bin and Miao Shao incident, Mu Mingxi from the General Affairs Department and Li Ping from the Law Enforcement Department owed Shen Xuchen a favor, which is why they were willing to do him a favor and let him obtain enough evidence to condemn the three culprits to death.

"One of these three culprits is Qiu Tongxiang, the third son of Qiu Yizhi, the eunuch..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin understood that Qiu Yizhi dared not lay a hand on Shen Xuchen, but he still had the guts to obstruct or harbor him in this matter... He was being asked to help Shen Xuchen accomplish this task.

As expected, after Shen Xianhong pointed this out, he added, "This matter is not official business, and I am not issuing orders in my capacity as the head of the family; it is more of a request from me as a father..."

As the head of the Shen family, his every move is under scrutiny. It's not advisable for him to act openly, otherwise it could be interpreted as a desperate attempt to wipe him out. So he can only entrust the matter to others in a roundabout way.

"What are you saying, Patriarch? Putting aside the kindness Eighth Young Master has shown me, I, too, have a duty to eliminate evil and uphold justice!" Zhuang Jin said firmly.

Indeed, although the cases involving Zhao Bin and Miao Shao, and that top-grade Xuan-level beast hide armor, have long been returned, the bond between them cannot be erased.

Even putting all that aside, Shen Xianhong has already approached him and brought up the matter. Can he refuse? If he does refuse, what kind of impression will it give? It would be as if he doesn't know what's good for him.

Since you know you can't refuse, you should naturally adopt a positive attitude to make a good impression and earn full marks.

Looking at Zhuang Jin's upright and righteous demeanor, Shen Xianhong raised his white eyebrows. If he hadn't read about Zhuang Jin's various deeds and knew his character, he probably would have believed it too. He thought Zhuang Jin was quite an interesting person.

"Then I'll leave this matter to you, Venerable Zhuang!"

……

The matter was urgent, so Zhuang Jin didn't linger. As she went out, she saw the head steward of the family come up to her with a smile and offer her a pound of Yunyin tea that had been prepared.

Now he understands the significance of this item. It can replace the Beast Tendon Ointment for beginners in the Yi Jin Jing realm, accelerating cultivation... One pound of Cloud Hidden Tea can supply his needs for almost a month, and is worth at least 30,000 battle merits.

'The head of the family is a kind and honest man!'

Zhuang Jin knew that this was her reward for what she had done.

……

(End of this chapter)