CHAPTER 346: CHAPTER 346: TAKING ACTION

In the end, Meng Yao did not accept Niu Ruosu’s suggestion, which left her a bit disappointed.

However, she put those thoughts away; she didn’t plan on opposing Meng Yao in the future, so naturally, she couldn’t have designs on Meng Yao’s man.

Of course, if Meng Yao gets tired of him in the future, that would be a different matter.

Overall, this meeting achieved all the intended goals.

Niu Ruosu took her leave, and Meng Yao personally saw her off.

Once at home, Niu Ruosu claimed illness and shut herself in, refusing to see any visitors.

She has always been a decisive person. Now that she has chosen to stand with Meng Yao and the Court, she naturally wouldn’t pretend to be friendly with the Zhu and Yang families.

Zhao Ting returned from next door, carrying a pile of dossiers, all related to the Zhu, Niu, and Yang families.

Meng Yao handed over a stack of dossiers given by Niu Ruosu to Zhao Ting—

"These were collected by the Niu Family, related to the Zhu and Yang families; see if they are of any help?"

Zhao Ting took them, "It seems you and Niu Ruosu have reached an agreement?"

"That woman has a very keen sense of smell and can make decisions quickly and decisively," Meng Yao stated, "No wonder she can stay strong between the Zhu and Yang families."

"The wish of the Niu Family ancestors was to be gloriously accepted again by the Western Qin Country," Zhao Ting said.

"You found out about the Niu Family’s background so quickly?"

"Credit for this doesn’t belong to me, it’s Qi Yunye," Zhao Ting said. "Qi Yunye has someone under him in the Western Qin Country."

Meng Yao couldn’t help but feel some admiration; who would have thought that Qi Yunye, who seemed inconspicuous on the surface, was so formidable behind the scenes.

Rather than a skilled businessman, he’s more of a bigwig in intelligence.

"If we can help her fulfill her wish, Niu Ruosu will surely remain loyal in the future," Zhao Ting stated.

"What did the Niu family do back then?" Meng Yao asked.

"Even Qi Yunye couldn’t find out what happened, but, no matter what the offense was in the past, many years have passed and the queen of the Western Qin Country at that time is long gone," Zhao Ting said. "The Western Qin Country has always been friendly with our Zhou Country, and this year, during the Grand Meeting, Western Qin Country will send a delegation to our Zhou Country."

"So, do you have a way to help the Niu family?" Meng Yao asked.

Zhao Ting nodded, "Although I don’t have any ideas at the moment, you can let Niu Ruosu know, which would reassure her. Aligning with the Court is only beneficial and not harmful for the Niu family."

"Alright," Meng Yao agreed.

——

Zhu Dewang personally went to the Yang Family, spending half a day with Yang Zhuge in the study, yet they couldn’t figure out what Niu Ruosu was up to.

Why was she suddenly avoiding them?

They questioned the relatives married into the Niu family but didn’t get any useful information.

Asking the kinsmen working in the Government Office yielded nothing either; the County Magistrate wasn’t making any moves.

The more it was like this, the more uneasy they felt.

They came to Le’an grandly and caused trouble right away; being so well-behaved now was simply too strange.

"How about we abduct the County Princess?" Zhu Dewang suggested.

Under torture, wouldn’t everything they wanted to know come out?

"What kind of woman do you think the head of the Niu family is?" Yang Zhuge inquired.

"A beautiful and seductive woman," Zhu Dewang replied.

Most Niu family women were robust; someone like Niu Ruosu was a rare gem.

Her every move was vibrant and alluring.

Zhu Dewang was a simple man; if Niu Ruosu weren’t the head of the Niu family, he would definitely keep such a woman cherished in his backyard.

Yang Zhuge glared at Zhu Dewang, "You think she’s just a pretty face?"

Zhu Dewang chuckled awkwardly, "I wasn’t thinking much just now; of course not."

If it were only about beauty, the Niu family would have collapsed long ago.

"So, she plays sick and shuts herself in; she must have known something you and I don’t, avoiding us and restraining her kinsmen to distance herself from us," Yang Zhuge said.

Zhu Dewang frowned, "Brother Yang, do you mean?"

"There’s definitely something brewing at the County Government," Yang Zhuge stated.

"Then what do we do? I suggested abducting the County Princess, but you didn’t agree," Zhu Dewang still leaned towards solving the problem with force.

"Do you really think the County Princess is some naive woman?" Yang Zhuge scoffed, "If that were so, would Feng Zhiyuan rashly step in? Feng Zhiyuan has always maintained a self-preserving stance; now that he’s stepping in, it indicates the County Princess is no easy target."

"Brother Yang, just tell me what we should do!" Zhu Dewang insisted.

"The County Government’s lack of action is on purpose. It’s to throw us off balance!" Yang Zhuge said. "The more it’s like this, the more we need to stay calm, restrain our kinsmen, and behave."

We won’t move until the enemy does; let’s see who breaks first.

"Alright, I’ll listen to Brother Yang and tell our kinsmen about it," Zhu Dewang agreed.

They went their separate ways, each with their own thoughts.

All the talk from Zhu Dewang about abducting Meng Yao was merely for Yang Zhuge’s ears. Until a reply from the Capital City arrived, he definitely wouldn’t do anything rash.

To avoid a situation he couldn’t control.

He still had to make a trip beyond the frontier to discuss with the Zhu family members out there and keep a fallback plan.

Yes, the Zhu family always had a fallback plan, which was to retreat beyond the frontier.

Though being a desert bandit wasn’t as comfortable as being a local tyrant in Le’an City, it was more carefree. The vast wilderness beyond the frontier was their Zhu family’s domain.

Of course, if he could avoid reaching that point, he certainly wished to avoid it.

After all, the kinsmen rooted in Le’an, having shed their banditry, might not adapt to returning beyond the frontier.

Three more days passed.

Feng Zhiyuan, accompanied by Government Officials, went out and arrested over a dozen people from the Zhu and Yang families.

They were directly thrown into prison, with no visitation allowed.

This time, those arrested were almost all of the most favored juniors from these two families.

The heads of both families quickly questioned their kinsmen working in the Government Office, but these kinsmen all responded with anguished faces, claiming they knew nothing.

Those people Feng Zhiyuan brought weren’t even from the Government Office.

They had no idea where they came from and were absolutely brutal. Merely questioning had almost gotten them thrown into prison too.

Once the accountant who used to work with Feng Zhiyuan was forced to ask Feng Zhiyuan for information, but he didn’t even get to see Feng Zhiyuan. Feng Zhiyuan said that he no longer needed an accountant by his side.

This alarmed the members of the Zhu and Yang families, who went crying to Zhu Dewang and Yang Zhuge, pleading for them to find ways to get the children out first.

With no other options, Zhu Dewang and Yang Zhuge had to personally visit the Government Office.

Feng Zhiyuan directly threw the listed charges in front of them, detailing who committed what crime, when, and where. Based on these charges, all of their juniors from both families would end up imprisoned.

What ensures a family’s development? Isn’t it the next generation?

If this entire generation is gone, wouldn’t the family decline?