CHAPTER 330: CHAPTER 330: THE THREE CLANS OF LE’AN

After a comfortable bath, Meng Yao felt as if she had come back to life.

It wasn’t that she was pretentious; it’s just that it was inconvenient on the road, and the closer they got to Le’an, the wind and sand became more severe.

Bai Su was not as particular as she was. As Bai Su put it, she often stayed in the woods for more than ten days and was used to not bathing.

So while Meng Yao was washing up, Zhao Ting stood guard outside the door, while Bai Su couldn’t wait to go out and get familiar with the surroundings.

To be precise, she went to search for something delicious.

Zhao Ting personally carried Meng Yao’s bathwater to the backyard and poured it into the inn’s vegetable garden, rather than letting someone else handle it.

"Aren’t we going to the County Government?" Meng Yao asked Zhao Ting.

"It’s been quite a while since I last came here, so I need to first gather some information. It’s not wise to rush to the county seat," Zhao Ting replied.

Le’an County is a remote place beyond the reach of the Court, and because it’s a crossroads with outside regions, it’s a mixed bag. The County Government here does not represent absolute authority like elsewhere.

In other words, no County Magistrate in Le’an County has ever been able to serve consecutive terms.

They’re always looking for ways to leave after three years.

If they have no connections, they simply keep a low profile and hope to leave safely.

When he used to come to Le’an, the area was divided among three factions.

The Zhu family, the Niu family, and the Yang family.

The locals privately referred to them as the "three beasts."

The Zhu family supposedly started as sand bandits and later moved to Le’an, where they ran several merchant caravans, doing legitimate business. However, they had close ties with sand bandits outside the region. At one point, someone crossed the Zhu family, and within days, they died outside the border, their bodies discovered emaciated. The Government Office claimed they starved to death.

The Niu family is native to Le’an, having entrenched themselves there for decades.

The Niu family is run by women, and the men of the Niu family are the most servile in Le’an.

As for the Yang family, they run a goods escort service. Anything leaving Le’an is escorted by the Yang family. If the Yang family agrees, your goods leave; if not, you’re stuck.

Meng Yao listened, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

So, although this is the territory of the Great Zhou, because of its proximity to the border and the Court’s inability to exert control here, does it mean this place has developed freely?

"You rest for a while, and I’ll go inquire with the shopkeeper," Zhao Ting said.

Zhao Ting returned quickly, "The three families still control Le’an, and the County Magistrate and County Government are just for show. Or rather, they are lackeys of those three families because most of the Government Officials come from those three families!"

"What should we do then?" Meng Yao asked.

"We’ll find an opportunity to meet with the County Magistrate. After all, taxes and the like still need to be officially handled through the County Government, and we also need to find a place for the County Lord Mansion." Zhao Ting said, "As for those three families, since we’ve come to Le’an, we can’t avoid them. Moreover, if you want to reform Le’an, you’ll have to confront those three families first."

Although Emperor Jing granted this place to Meng Yao, he also had the intention of using Meng Yao to bring Le’an under the Court’s control?

"I’ll follow your lead."

A clamor arose from the main hall, mixed with Bai Su’s voice.

Meng Yao and Zhao Ting opened the door and looked down from the second floor to see a burly man pinned on the ground by Bai Su.

A crowd gathered around, cheering.

"Zhu Erhei, can’t you even move when pinned by a little lass? And you still want to take this lass home to warm your bed, what a joke!"

"I like this feisty lass! All of you, don’t fight me for her later!"

"Yang Sanmie, didn’t you just get married this year?"

"Can’t I take a concubine?"

"Go for it!"

The crowd roared with laughter.

Bai Su gave them a cold glance and exerted pressure with her foot, causing Zhu Erhei to scream in agony.

The sound was sharp and shrill.

In truth, Bai Su didn’t seem to be exerting that much force.

Zhu Erhei screamed because the Cannibal Gu was biting him.

The crowd saw that Zhu Erhei wasn’t faking it, and they edged forward.

"Where did this little lass come from, causing trouble in our Le’an!"

"Brothers, go show this little lass the power of Le’an men!"

Leading the charge were people from the Zhu, Niu, and Yang families.

Bai Su released her foot from Zhu Erhei, leaned back to dodge several fists, then hooked a chair with her foot, grabbed the chair’s leg, and swung it from left to right with full force.

The ones at the front were directly knocked away by the chair.

Blood spurted from their noses.

"If you don’t want him to die, you’d better back off," Bai Su coldly warned.

Zhu Erhei howled even more miserably, the burly man rolling on the ground.

Someone was skeptical, thinking they had the numbers; how could they not handle one girl?

As a result, no one saw what Bai Su did, but the person who charged up ended up like Zhu Erhei, rolling on the ground.

This moment stunned the crowd, but no one left, as two men had fallen at the hands of this little lass.

Bai Su wasn’t in a hurry; she hooked another chair nearer, sat down, then took out an oil-paper package from her bosom, opened it, releasing a mouthwatering aroma.

Bai Su took a deep breath, then began to feast openly in front of them.

It was worth coming just to eat something this delicious.

"Sister Meng, aren’t you eating? I brought some for you too!" Bai Su had already noticed Meng Yao and Zhao Ting watching the commotion.

"I’m just getting hungry and was wondering what to eat!" Meng Yao calmly went downstairs.

Judging by their complexion, it was clear these three weren’t locals of Le’an.

Even surrounded by so many, they didn’t appear flustered, indicating they had backing.

Meng Yao sat beside Bai Su, and Bai Su handed her another oil-paper package.

Zhao Ting looked at Bai Su without speaking, the meaning was clear: Where’s mine?

"Brother-in-law, sorry, I didn’t have enough money, so I only bought two servings. Unless... you see if my sister can’t finish hers and you can have what’s left?"

Though she said she was sorry, she didn’t mean it at all.

Zhao Ting even felt that this girl did it on purpose.

Meng Yao tore off a big piece of roast meat and stuffed it into Zhao Ting’s mouth, "This piece is too big for me. Bai Su knows my appetite; this piece was meant for the two of us."

The three continued to eat the roast meat nonchalantly.

A thin man pushed his way through the crowd and came forward, "Dear esteemed guests, these wild monkeys have untamed personalities and have offended your grace. On their behalf, I apologize to you three. Please, for the sake of your magnanimity, don’t take it to heart."

As he spoke, his sharp eyes constantly assessed Zhao Ting and the others.

"Oh, so they are monkeys, not humans! In that case, we really shouldn’t be concerned. After all, how can a person take offense from a beast?" Zhao Ting said leisurely.

"You!"

Several people angrily pointed at Zhao Ting.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Zhao Ting looked puzzled.

The thin man laughed awkwardly, though his eyes betrayed a cold gleam, "Sir, you are amusing. As newcomers to this land, you must need someone who knows the customs to guide you. I am but a humble man, a native of the Niu family for thirty-six years—I know this place best! How about I be your guide?"

"Madam, do you think we need such a guide?" Zhao Ting asked Meng Yao.

"He doesn’t look impressive enough!" Meng Yao didn’t even give the self-recommended person a second glance.

The Niu family was known for their robustness. Niu Wu, the speaker, was an exception, being skinny and ugly from birth, and not well-liked. However, he had a good brain and had caught the attention of those in charge of the Niu family. Nowadays, he was someone of note within the Niu family.

He was usually flattered, and no one dared comment on his appearance. Now, with Meng Yao straightforwardly calling him ugly, it stirred the anger in Niu Wu’s heart.