"Let them have their mont of triumph across the street for a few days. Don’t worry, after Mr. Shen is buried, once the Big Boss gives the word, all the business they’ve taken will have to be returned obediently! In Jianning Prefecture, we are..."
As he boasted, suddenly there was shouting from the street. A large group of Cao Soldiers, dressed in uniform, ard with swords and spears, marched in formation. The leader pointed down the long street:
"Any door with a white lantern hanging outside, seal it imdiately! All accounts are to be sealed and sent to the governnt office for the Master to inspect!"
The foreign Cao Soldiers responded in unison, "Yes!"
Then, like fierce wolves, they burst forth in groups, charging into the shops under the Shen family banner with white cloth, under the surprised gaze of the populace, and violently smashed and expelled people.
"What do you plan on doing?" The shopkeeper of the silk shop was stunned when a group of Cao Soldiers charged in:
"Do you know who our Big Boss is? Who dares to act in such a way?"
Throughout history, rchants have feared soldiers, but with the backing of the Shen family, the shopkeeper had the confidence to reprimand this group of soldiers.
The commanding Cao Soldier swaggered in, sneering as he kicked the shopkeeper hard to the ground, spitting:
"What Shen family? It’s none of our concern; we only obey the orders of the Governor! The Governor received reports of rchants hoarding goods and disrupting market prices in the city. Anyone who gets in the way, throw them out!"
The shopkeeper scread as he and a group of staff were thrown outside, watching helplessly as the Cao Soldiers locked the shop doors and affixed crossed seals stamped with the governnt office’s red seals.
He was both shocked and angry, looking up amid the pointing and murmuring of the crowd on the street, only to see that all the shops belonging to the Shen family on both sides of the prosperous street were sealed, while other shops remained untouched.
Similar scenes played out throughout Jianning Prefecture during this dayti.
...
...
"Snap!"
The Shen family mansion, inside a study.
The current Family Head of the Shen family, the biological father of the deceased "Shen Er," angrily threw another "rescue letter" he had received on the table.
He lifted his head, glaring like a lion at the family mbers standing in a line, heads bowed, roaring:
"You’re all just going to watch those soldiers wreak havoc?!"
The group of family mbers trembled; one mustered the courage to say, "Family Head, by the ti we received news from the people below, the situation had already occurred; there wasn’t ti to stop it."
Another one also protested: "Yes, Family Head. Besides, those people are ultimately Cao Soldiers; although they are a group of commoners, wearing those uniforms, we don’t dare act rashly, fearing it would bring trouble to the family."
The Shen family is a large clan; the shopkeepers of the ordinary businesses below do not even have the qualification to step into the Shen family mansion.
Upon receiving the news, they could only report up layer by layer to the Eastern Bosses, and then to the Big Boss, accumulating in the Shen family’s various descendants’ hands.
Therefore, by the ti the Family Head found out, the matter had already transpired for quite so ti.
"In a single day, not only have all the city’s shops been sealed, but even the tenant farrs on the farms have found excuses to be arrested, and even the rchant goods that were supposed to be shipped have been held back..."
The Family Head’s face was grim: "Ning Zechen... now that he has Zhao’s backing, he’s finally showing his fangs."
No one dared to make a sound.
With a gloomy face, he waved his hand, and the group of clan mbers escaped as if pardoned, leaving him alone as he stepped out of the study and headed towards the Mourning Hall.
...
Inside the Mourning Hall.
The black coffin still lay in the hall, not yet buried.
Today, only the Old Dowager and her personal maid, Miss Hong, were present.
Petite and dressed in pure black mourning clothes, her hair completely white, the Old Dowager sat on a prayer mat, with the Dragon Head Walking Stick placed beside her on the ground.
In front of the Old Dowager was a bronze basin in which she was solemnly placing morsels of paper money into the flas.
The paper money was consud by fire, transforming into white ash. In the past few days, the quantity burnt through the night was enough to fill five large rooms.
Just because of the Old Dowager’s words: "Our Shen family descendants should not be lacking money to spend in the Earthly Realm."
At that mont, Miss Hong led the Family Head to the mourning hall’s entrance, saying to the Old Dowager’s back, "Old Madam, the Elder Master is here."
Earlier like a lion, the Family Head was now as gentle as a kitten, bowing and saluting: "Son has important matters to report."
The Old Dowager did not turn her head, continuing to burn paper money: "Speak."
"The people below reported that yesterday, Ning Zechen was almost assassinated... that Zhao Douan initially stayed in the Jing Garden, seemingly also encountering an assassination by the Oiran, and then rushed to the Cao Transport Office at night to rescue Ning Zechen..."
"And since dawn today, Ning Zechen has sent out a large number of Cao Soldiers, sealing and confiscating many of our shops’ goods..."
The Family Head detailed the information obtained.
As the Old Dowager listened, her act of feeding the paper money ceased, and upon hearing about the nurous aid requests from the family’s various industries, she montarily lost herself, and her hand was almost licked by the flas.
Recoiling in pain, the elderly woman ca back to her senses and asked: "Those assassins, were they sent by our Shen family?"
The Family Head replied: "Mother, without your word, who dares to act rashly? Indeed, so of the juniors like Wuji had thoughts of taking action yesterday, but none were executed, let alone... even if soone acted secretly, it couldn’t have been so quick, so thodical, dual-line assassinations."
Hearing this, the Old Dowager murmured softly: "Indeed, too fast, too thodical, it’s no spur-of-the-mont decision but clearly long preditated."
The Family Head gritted his teeth and said: "Mother! I’m afraid this was done by Prince Jing Mansion intending to fra us, and that Ning Zechen now with Zhao’s backing is practically declaring war. We..."
The Old Dowager, without turning her head, raised her right hand to interrupt, softly saying: "The intentions of Prince Jing Mansion are obvious to everyone; it’s not surprising."
Pausing, she said: "We could guess it, so could that Zhao and Ning people not guess? "
The Family Head was taken aback: "You an to say they intentionally used this excuse to..."
The Old Dowager calmly stated:
"Whether or not there’s Prince Jing Mansion, this battle must be fought; the Zhao boy has many experts around him. If they wished to forcibly capture you and and throw us into prison, no one could stop them, not even Xu Jinglong. But they didn’t do so, not out of kindness, but because of their ruthlessness.
They know capturing you and would instead cause great scholarly families to fear, rebel, and turn to the Eight Princes... On the contrary, this current thod is more brilliant and deadly."
She slowly stood up, and Miss Hong quickly stepped forward to pick up the Dragon Head Walking Stick for her.
The Old Dowager turned around in the Mourning Hall, gazing coldly down at her listening eldest son. Her wrinkled face was expressionless:
"This battle, it will be fought. If the Zhao wishes to fight, this old body will accompany him in the fight, so what?"
The Family Head lifted his head abruptly: "Mother..."
The Old Dowager issued her command with authority: "Order a counterattack. Till death, no retreat!"
...
Please help catch any typos.
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