Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 170 Imagination is harmful!

Fifty li south of the capital, lies Jianjiazhuang.

As dusk fell, the number of people outside Jianjiazhuang increased. By twilight, forty strong men carrying two large sedan chairs slowly landed outside Jianjiazhuang.

After the first sedan chair stopped, Madam Mu, dressed in a magnificent gown, calmly stepped out. Next, Miss Mu also alighted from the second sedan chair. After getting out, she looked up at the manor in front of her and then stood silently behind her mother.

At the entrance of Jianjiazhuang, stood a man in his forties with a thick beard and a heroic appearance. He was waiting at the gate. When the mother and daughter got out of the sedan chair, the man came forward and clasped his hands in greeting to Madam Mu, who was at the head of the group, saying, "Greetings, Holy Mother!"

This middle-aged man was none other than Jian Jin, the head of Jian Family Village. He was a large landowner in the Jingzhao area, owning thousands of acres of fertile land. He also ran several security escort agencies in Zhili Province, and his business was quite large.

In this era, large landowners were generally local gentry, meaning they had family members or relatives who held official positions.

These aristocratic families belonged to the landlords of the "white path" (a term referring to the legitimate and righteous).

Just as there are landlords with righteous connections, there are also landlords with connections to the underworld. This Master Jian is a landlord with connections to the underworld. His family has been chivalrous for three generations. No matter where people from the martial arts world come from, as long as they are down on their luck, they can always find a meal at Jian Family Manor.

Over time, Jianjiazhuang became quite famous in the Zhili region.

Because of three generations of management and acts of kindness, many people in the martial arts world were willing to risk their lives for the Jian Family Manor, and the Jian Family Manor's reputation naturally grew.

Some time ago, the White Lotus Sect was suppressed by the imperial court. Bai Sanping was executed by slow slicing at Caishikou, and many other members were beheaded, some even cut in half at the waist. As a result, the White Lotus Sect in the north immediately became timid and dared not show its face easily.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mu Shengmu took control of almost all the believers in Jingzhao Prefecture within a few months, which naturally led to some unpleasantness between her and Master Yang.

Two groups of people who originally shared the same roots have become enemies. At this time, no matter where they meet, they will always worry that the other party will set up an ambush and that they will suffer a great loss in the event of a conflict.

In situations like these, it's necessary to have someone with a reputation in the martial arts world act as a mediator and mediate between the parties.

Today, the two groups agreed to meet at Jianjiazhuang, with the head of the village acting as the middleman. The meeting place was also arranged to be at Jianjiazhuang.

The identities of the Mu mother and daughter were a closely guarded secret to outsiders, but not a secret in the underworld. At least people like Master Jian knew about them, and he also knew who the real power behind the two women was. Therefore, he bowed directly to Madam Mu.

Madam Mu bowed in return and said with a smile, "You're too kind, Master. I'm grateful to have you provide this precious land today."

"You're too kind, Holy Mother."

Master Jian smiled and said, "Our Jian Family Village has a close relationship with the Holy Church. When Leader Luo came to the north to preach, he even stayed at our house for a long time."

Master Luo was the founder of the Luo Cult. He passed away more than fifty years ago and is now considered a patriarch-level figure in the south.

At this point, Master Jian glanced at the dozens of people behind Madam Mu and said with a smile, "The Holy Mother brought so many people; she doesn't trust me, Jian."

Madam Mu smiled and said, "This place was chosen by Master Yang. Can't we bring some people with us? Besides, my daughter now has tens of thousands of believers and several hundred followers. Bringing only these people is already giving face to the manor lord."

After thinking for a moment, Master Jian stepped aside and said, "Master Yang has been here for half an hour and is waiting for the Holy Mother inside. Please, Holy Mother."

"Master Yang only brought a dozen or so people. How about the Holy Mother brings fifteen people in?"

Madam Mu said with a smile, "Master Yang arrived first. It's hard to say how many people they brought in."

Upon hearing this, Master Jian sighed and said, "We share the same roots and origins. I've heard that the Holy Mother and Master Yang are like brother and sister. How could she be so wary of me? Don't you trust my reputation?"

Madam Mu looked up at Master Jian, her gaze shifting, and then slowly said, "Since we've chosen Master Jian as the middleman, we both trust him. So let's take fifteen people in."

"it is good."

Master Jian patted his chest, then looked at Miss Mu behind Madam Mu and said with a smile, "Then, my two holy ladies, please. Since we are from the same family, let's settle things today."

Madam Mu said with a smile, "After we go in, Master, you must keep a close watch and make sure the government officials don't find this place, otherwise they will really wipe us all out."

"rest assured."

Master Jian patted his chest and said, "These past few days, my men have been patrolling the area and haven't seen any government officials. Besides, my manor has secret rooms and passages; if the government officials come, I'll handle them."

Master Jian smiled and said, "Moreover, this place belongs to Daxing County, and I know many people in the Daxing County government, so nothing will happen."

It's perfectly natural for local powerful families to know local officials. If Jianjiazhuang weren't so close to the capital, the local magistrate wouldn't dare offend someone of his stature.

After all, if you offend someone like that, one night some wandering knight might scale the wall and break into your house, beheading you!

After entering Jian Family Manor, led by Manor Lord Jian, they soon arrived at the main hall of Jian Family Manor. Inside the main hall, Master Yang, dressed in black with a black cloth covering his head, had been waiting for a while.

Madam Mu turned to look at her daughter, gesturing for her to wait outside. Then she stepped inside, bowed slightly, and said with a smile, "Greetings, Senior Brother Yang."

The appearance of Sect Leader Yang was obscured by the black cloth, so it was impossible to see clearly. She simply looked up at Madam Mu and then slowly said, "Before the New Year, Junior Sister Mu wrote to say that she wanted her niece to come to the capital to take a look and broaden her horizons, and I immediately agreed." "Unexpectedly, it has brought trouble upon us. My niece is really something. In just a few months, she has completely ruined my business in Jingzhao Prefecture."

"and…"

He looked up at Madam Mu and said in a deep voice, "You still dare to collude with the government!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Mu's expression changed slightly, but she did not panic. She knew very well that if this Master Yang really knew about the relationship between her and her daughter and the Zhenfu Division, he would not dare to appear here today under any circumstances.

Right now, it must just be a bluff.

Madam Mu said calmly, "Brother, where is the evidence?"

"Humph."

Master Yang grunted: "After Bai Sanping and the others were arrested, the government found one of our branches and obtained the list. Afterwards, the government officials didn't come to our door, but your daughter actually came to our door one by one with the list!"

At this point, Leader Yang flew into a rage: "And what else did you say? You bribed a centurion of the Garrison Command, saying that as long as you cooperate with her, the Garrison Command won't cause trouble; otherwise, they'll come and arrest you immediately!"

"How many people were so terrified of her that they bowed their heads in submission?"

Leader Yang stood up, glared at Mu Xianniang, and said coldly, "Are the centurions of the Zhenfu Division so easy to bribe? I'm afraid that your daughter is already a plaything in the room of an official of the Zhenfu Division, isn't she?"

"Being taken as a mistress by that man, and having to help him recruit our Holy Church followers, I'm afraid in the end, not only will he take advantage of us, but he'll also take all the money we've gained!"

Information asymmetry leads to this result: the Zhenfu Division is quite secretive to the outside world, and this is all the information that Master Yang can receive.

No matter how much we speculate based on this information, we can probably only deduce this current result.

He could never have imagined that the court, which had labeled the White Lotus Sect a heretical sect and would kill anyone who showed their face, would produce someone like Chen Qing, who persuaded the emperor to change the White Lotus Sect from its very roots.

It was even more unimaginable that the Zhenfu Division and the Mu mother and daughter would have such a relationship.

Upon hearing this, Madam Mu looked somewhat annoyed and said coldly, "It's all because that hall master under my senior brother was too stupid. He let the Zhenfu Division come knocking on our door, and my daughter was also arrested by the Zhenfu Division. If my daughter hadn't submitted to that man, she would already be cold as a corpse by now!"

"Brother, you even said in your letter that you would take care of my daughter once she arrived in the capital, but what happened?"

"She almost died in the capital!"

Upon hearing this, Master Yang's eyes revealed a barely perceptible hint of smugness.

It seems he was absolutely right.

Thinking of this, Master Yang narrowed his eyes and said softly, "Bai Sanping deserves to die, but you and your mother have been preaching in the south. It's not right for you to take over the most lucrative land in Jingzhao Prefecture when you come to the north."

"Alright then."

Master Yang slowly said, "From now on, my junior sister's daughter will become the new head of my sect. We will split the profits from the Jingzhao Prefecture area 50/50. Whether you use your share for your own purposes or give it to the officials of the Zhenfu Division is none of my business."

"Bai Sanping brought about his own death, causing my senior brother to lose the capital prefecture. Now that my daughter has been captured, my senior brother is asking for half of her for no reason?"

At this point, Madam Mu turned to look outside, estimated the approximate time, and then said, "For the sake of our senior and junior siblings, we can give the senior brother 20%."

Leader Yang was somewhat annoyed. He lowered his voice and said, "If it weren't for the court's strict crackdown and your mother and daughter getting involved with the Zhenfu Division, my followers would have already marched into the capital by now!"

"Can we really talk to you like this?"

While secretly calculating the time, Madam Mu remained unyielding.

"Then my daughter and I will wait for our senior brother. If all else fails, I will transfer people from Yingtian to Jingzhao Prefecture!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a clap of thunder suddenly rang out outside, and both Master Yang and Madam Mu looked out at the same time.

After a clap of thunder, a light rain began to fall outside, and then the rain intensified.

At this moment, in the rainy night ten miles away from Jianjiazhuang, Chen Qing looked in the direction of Jianjiazhuang and slowly said, "There's still no news. It's about time."

He turned to look at Yan Hu.

Yan Hu turned around, waved his hand, and said in a low voice.

"Surround them!"

(End of this chapter)