Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

This man was none other than Zhang Yuanshao, an elder of the Zhang family and the pillar of the Zhang family. He usually did not concern himself with affairs and focused solely on martial arts training.

This time, he was invited to take charge because of the power struggle between the eldest and second branches of the Zhang family.

"In particular, they take 60,000 taels of silver from my Zhang family every year to hire a servant who is not even thirteen years old."

If this gets out, it will be a disgrace to my Zhang family.

You Rong is getting on in years and it's time for her to get married. How can someone who acts solely based on personal whims be qualified to lead the Qinglong Chamber of Commerce?

As soon as he spoke, everyone in the council hall understood what Zhang Yuanshao meant.

In his view, the Qinglong Chamber of Commerce was a business owned by the Zhang family.

Over the years, he has been highly valued and favored by the royal family, and has been able to run many businesses.

However, in recent days, the business of the royal treasury has also been affected by the power struggle between the two palaces.

One side is determined to reform, while the other wants to maintain the status quo; there is an irreconcilable contradiction between the two sides.

The Zhang family is at a crossroads, and the question is: what should they do?

But no matter what choice he makes, Zhang Yuanshao doesn't want the control of the Qinglong Chamber of Commerce to fall into the hands of a granddaughter.

Women, once they grow up, are expected to get married and naturally become outsiders.

God knows where she will ultimately end up with this family business.

If she were to take control of the Zhang family for too long, it's uncertain whether the Qinglong Chamber of Commerce would still belong to the Zhang family.

"What my second great-uncle said is absolutely right. I will definitely strive to make my Zhang family business even more prosperous."

As for my cousin You Rong, she is well past the age of marriage, yet she is reluctant to discuss marriage, which is really inappropriate.

Therefore, her grandson lent her a helping hand.

"Now that the capital is in turmoil, the Qinglong Chamber of Commerce must take the initiative to go out and explore, rather than sticking to this small piece of land."

The grandson has formed an alliance with the Wang family of Guangping, the Li family of Hejian, and the Lu family of Xuanhua, and is about to open up the north-south passage and the sea route.

If this succeeds, it wouldn't be impossible to use this opportunity to break free from the constraints of the inner palace. From then on, the sky's the limit, and the sea's the freedom to leap.

Zhang Changzhi, the eldest grandson of the second wife, was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and had an extremely handsome face.

Standing tall and elegant, he spoke eloquently about the future development of the Zhang family.

The uncles and elders in the hall nodded in agreement.

The Wang family of Guangping he mentioned started out as a salt merchant and now, with the support of the United States, they have set sail with large ships and are enjoying great power and influence.

The Li family of Hejian, on the other hand, specialized in the North-South Canal, and their business was very prosperous.

As for the Lu family of Xuanhua, they were a powerful force in a key border town.

By cultivating good relations with them, we can gain access to the northern Mongolian market.

In this way, the Zhang family can attack or defend as they please, and will no longer be subject to the control of the capital.

Even if we lose the exclusive right to manage the medicines in the Imperial Household Department, it's still better than the result of working hard all the time and having 90% of the medicines end up in the Imperial Household Department's hands.

This is truly our own business.

"Absolutely not."

A red-faced old man sitting next to Zhang Yuanshao suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, "The second branch's actions are extremely inappropriate. Having lost the royal monopoly, why should my Zhang family be able to occupy such a large share of medicinal herbs?"

How could families like the Wang, Li, and Lu be considered virtuous?

If we rashly cooperate with them, how can we be sure they aren't plotting against us?

Besides, Yongwen had only been gone a short time before he was plotting to seize control of the eldest son's household.

If word gets out, the Zhang family's reputation will be completely ruined. If they are so cruel and ruthless to their own family, how will they treat outsiders?

“That’s right, Third Brother is absolutely right. You Rong once said that she would never marry in order to uphold the family’s reputation.”

At this point, why should Second Brother show favoritism towards the second wife's family just because she is a woman? No matter what you say, I will not accept this.

Zhang Changzhi smiled and said, "Third Grandfather and Fifth Grandfather are getting old, so it's inevitable that their eyesight is failing."

"Master Tang, please help us get these two elders home to rest."

A middle-aged man with a horse-like face and a long beard opened his eyes slightly, his eyes gleaming, and laughed: "I am supported by your family, but I only receive 30,000 taels of silver a year, which is not as much as that young man."

But this is a small matter, and it can be done.

He spoke in a long voice.

Without any visible movement, he simply made an arc with one hand, like a floating cloud skimming the sky, or like catching fish in deep water, lightly patting Zhang Yuanfeng and Zhang Yuanzhen's shoulders.

The two men were furious and stood up to block them.

But with a gentle twist of his hand, all his strength was dissipated.

clap clap...

The two old men had only gotten halfway up when they were simultaneously struck on the shoulder.

His body was stiff and he could not move.

Seeing the terrified looks in the eyes of the two elders, Master Tang smiled nonchalantly: "Don't worry, my Meridian Blood-Cutting Technique will not harm the body."

Recovery can be achieved simply by resting for an hour.

Tang's actions were unavoidable; he only wanted to calm the two of them down and prevent any conflict.

"Haha, Master Tang, the young master, is a direct disciple of a grandmaster. His Tai Chi soft power has reached perfection."

He rarely takes action, not because he is less skilled than others, but because he is indifferent to fame and fortune.

I know, Third Grandfather and Fifth Grandfather, you are worried about that Bagua Master Cheng Yuanhua.

Not to mention whether that gossipy Cheng would be able to lower himself to interfere in the Zhang family's internal affairs over such a trivial matter.

Even if he came here in person, he might not necessarily get the better of Master Tang.

Not to mention that damned [Nezha, the Third Prince].

Wearing a theatrical mask, he looked like a clown. What could a thirteen-year-old accomplish? Truly, in times without heroes, even a mere child can gain fame.

Zhang Changzhi chuckled lightly: "Zhang Yourong is generous, and I, Zhang Changzhi, am not a stingy person either."

Master Tang, from today onwards, when I take charge of the Zhang family, I will surely satisfy you.

I know you don't care about money; you're just trying to show some respect to the Grandmaster.

"As long as my Zhang family is safe, I'd give you anything, not just 60,000 taels, but even 100,000 taels."

Upon hearing this, Tang Shaofu stroked his beard and laughed, "I am deeply grateful for such kindness from my master. Rest assured, if Li Xin comes, I will naturally have a word with him."

His eyes were full of indifference.

A teenager actually tried to send out smear messages.

Is it just because they can run fast and fight or escape?

Some of the most powerful masters in the martial arts world simply ignored him out of respect for Cheng Yuanhua.

They really think they're so great.

If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off.

If any random young person could dominate the capital, then my master wouldn't have had the chance to earn the title of invincible.

Wen has no first, Wu has no second.

When it comes to martial arts, don't listen to what others say about it.

If a real fight breaks out, you'll find that all those famous figures are nothing but weaklings.

"But what about Miss You Rong?"

"Don't worry, it's just an internal conflict after all. Although my cousin doesn't understand the bigger picture, I can't go too far."

If my uncle could know this from beyond the grave, he would surely be very worried about his only daughter's marriage.

Therefore, as her older brother, I had to put in extra effort to help her find a perfect match.

……

In Zhang Yourong's room in the backyard of the Zhang family, everything was in complete chaos.

Tables and chairs overturned, dressing table collapsed, and Xiao Cui, the personal maid, fainted on the ground with her right cheek swollen.

Zhang Yourong's eyes were glazed over, her face flushed, and she swayed as she angrily shouted, "Wang Leshui, you actually used a sleeping potion! Do you think my Zhang family has no one left?"

Leave quickly; I can still be lenient with you for today's matter.

Otherwise, not only you, but even your Wang family, cannot bear the consequences.

"Haha, do you really think you're in charge of the Zhang family? Zhang Yourong, you probably don't know, but our marriage was personally arranged by your second great-uncle."

Even when we come to your courtyard, it's your eldest son, Zhang, who sends someone to lead the way.

Guess why that old fellow Zhang Youde has disappeared? And why have all your personal guards vanished?

Enough, why bother telling you all this? The night is too short; let's cherish our time together...

Let this young master taste the flavors of one of the eight beauties of the capital, Yang Guifei.

He approached slowly, a frivolous smile on his face.

Looking at the beauty under the lamplight, he was more and more fond of her, and couldn't help but say softly, "Once we get together, with the help of my Wang family, it's not impossible to help you take back the Zhang family."

As he spoke, he began to undress.

"Wang Leshui, have you thought this through? If you really dare to make a move, I'm afraid the moon will never be full again."

You must have heard that my Zhang family worships Li Xin, the Eight Trigrams Master. If you don't know who Li Xin is, just think of the fame of Nezha, the Third Prince.

And then consider the fate of Gao Tianyun, the notorious bandit leader of Wohu Village in Beijing.

"He's just a little brat, why are you taking this so seriously?"

"Haha, Elder Sun, why don't you let this young lady from the capital show me, Honglian's, skills?"

As soon as he finished speaking...

The curtains moved without any wind, and a figure flashed into the room.

The newcomer was an old man with a face covered in goosebumps and a fierce expression, who rolled his eyes.

He stared intently at Zhang Yourong, nodded, and turned to smile, "Master Wang, if you keep dragging your feet, I'll personally take over."

These words startled Zhang Yourong so much that she took several steps back.

Then you see this old man with the white eyes stretch out his palm, and a blood-red flame appears on his palm.

As he pressed down with his palm, a charred palm print appeared on the heavy solid wood desk, piercing a deep hole.

"I've heard that your master Bagua Cheng, who worships Li Xin, created the extremely powerful [Qian Yuan Blazing Fire Palm]. I wonder how it compares to my [Red Lotus Karmic Fire Palm]?"

The meaning of this is quite clear: even if Li Xin, the master you rely on, came in person, he would still find it difficult to do anything to you, let alone that guy.

After saying this, the old man gave Wang Leshui a deep look.

Then I saw that this person had taken off all but his underwear.

He cursed under his breath and strode out of the house.

He thought to himself, if it weren't for important matters within the sect, how could he, a filthy and good-for-nothing playboy, have the chance to enjoy such a beauty?

Master, bah!

Forget it, as long as the money is there, everything is negotiable.

"My beauty, are you finally convinced now? Don't worry, I'll be very gentle."

Wang Leshui pounced on him.

"Don't think about it."

Zhang Yourong dodged sideways, her beautiful face turning pale.

The veins on his palms bulged slightly as he turned the dagger around and plunged it into his own neck.

……