Chapter 208 - 153: Seeing the Guests Out
"You ungrateful boy! Have you forgotten who you have to thank for the life you’re living now?"
"Your brother has been gone for nearly three months. The New Year is almost here, and we still don’t know when he’ll be back, yet you still have the appetite to eat!"
Seeing this, Ms. Chen chided him irritably.
"Hehe..."
Fang Cheng rubbed his hands together and said with a broad smile, "Mother, you go back and eat. I’ll keep watch here. If Zhi comes back, I’ll be the first to let you know."
Fang Cheng thumped his chest, making a promise.
In the past, whenever Ms. Chen scolded him, Fang Cheng would just respond with a silly grin.
But now, it seemed his recent trials had toughened him up, and he could handle it with ease.
Hearing this, Ms. Chen finally gave up on scolding Fang Cheng. She sighed and turned to go back inside.
~~~~~~~
「Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard of the Xiahe County Magistrate’s Office.」
"So, you’re saying the Bai Family and Fang Yue have had a falling out?"
Liu Zheng sipped his tea, his gaze falling upon the subordinate below who had brought him the news, he asked.
Kneeling before him was Liu Zheng’s confidant, a man named Wang Zhong. He nodded in confirmation.
"Heh."
Liu Zheng nodded and sneered, "Without the Bai Family’s support, let’s see how a minor Martial Scholar like you plans to fight me!"
He was thinking of the time he had tried to seize those tea gardens, only to be thoroughly humiliated by the young master of the Bai Family.
It had been a considerable blow to his pride.
’He couldn’t afford to provoke the Bai Family’s young master, but was he supposed to be unable to handle a mere Martial Scholar?!’
Now that Fang Yue and the Bai Family were at odds, he no longer had to hold back.
"But, my lord, it seems Fang Yue previously went to the Prefecture City to take the Prefecture Examination. We don’t know if he will pass the assessment, do we?" Wang Zhong asked cautiously.
Liu Zheng was in a good mood, and by bringing this up, he risked ruining it.
Liu Zheng’s brow furrowed. He shot Wang Zhong a cold glare and said, "That is not for you to worry about. I have my own plans for this matter."
"Hmph. The Prefecture Examination is not so easily passed. How many Martial Scholars are there in all of Shanyang Prefecture? How many will take the examination? What does a single Fang Yue amount to among so many of them? He will certainly fail!"
Liu Zheng declared with conviction.
"Yes, yes," Wang Zhong quickly agreed.
"Alright, go make the arrangements. In a little while, take a few government constables and pay a visit to the Fang Family."
Liu Zheng blew lightly on his tea, sending a wisp of steam into the air. He then waved his hand, dismissing Wang Zhong.
’Hmph. The Fang Family’s tea gardens are as good as mine. No one will stand in my way!’ Liu Zheng snorted.
He had actually been keeping a close watch on the Fang Family all this time, so he was well aware of how astonishingly profitable their Tea Garden had become.
It was outrageously profitable—and not just a one-time deal. It could bring in tens of thousands, or even over one hundred thousand taels of silver every single year.
’With that kind of earning potential, it would be a crime against the money itself if he didn’t seize it.’
~~~~~~
「A quarter of an hour later.」
Wang Gui arrived at the mouth of the alley outside the Fang Family estate, a few government constables in tow.
"The Fang Family is really something else," Wang Gui couldn’t help but remark as he gazed at the mansion with the large black gate down the alley. "In such a short time, they’ve practically become one of the most powerful families in the county."
The Fang Family’s residence had originally been purchased from that Master Liu, and it was just a two-courtyard house.
The courtyard was of a decent size and had a pleasant environment, but it was nothing special in the grand scheme of Xiahe County.
But in the last two years, as the Fang Family grew, they had bought up several surrounding properties, knocked down the walls, and joined them together. The estate had become what it was today, rivaling even the century-old great clans in the county seat.
Looking at the black-lacquered main gate, ten feet high and nearly twenty feet wide, and the sturdy guards standing beside it.
It only made Wang Gui resent Fang Yue all the more.
’Hmph, they’re spending my silver!’
Wang Gui snorted inwardly. ’After today, all of this will belong to the Lord County Magistrate, Lord Liu. And when that time comes, I’ll be able to get a taste of the broth, too.’
He then strode forward, swaggering toward the gate.
"Who are you? Have you presented a calling card?!"
Seeing his approach, a guard immediately stepped forward to block Wang Gui’s path and ask.
Wang Gui snorted at the question. "Are you blind? I am the steward of Lord Liu’s household! I am here today on Lord Liu’s orders to visit your master. Open the gate at once!"
he roared menacingly.
The moment these words left his mouth, the guards’ faces changed instantly. They hurriedly knelt and cried out in unison, "This humble one greets Steward Wang!"
They were just common folk; how could they dare to offend the steward of the Lord County Magistrate’s household?
Now, seeing Wang Gui and the government constables with him, they knew immediately that he wasn’t lying.
For a moment, they were so frightened they trembled uncontrollably.
"You bunch of good-for-nothings! Get up at once and open the central gate."
Seeing this, Wang Gui barked the order, cursing under his breath.
"Y-Yes, as you command. This way, sir."
The guards scrambled to their feet, bowing low as they invited Wang Gui and his men inside, without any thought of announcing them to the master of the house first.
"Well, if it isn’t Steward Wang Gui! A distinguished guest, truly a distinguished guest." The moment the central gate was opened, Fang Cheng came forward to greet them.
He had just rushed off to the latrine and hadn’t expected to return to such a scene.
’He immediately took note of how Wang Gui had arrived uninvited and without a shred of courtesy. This is not a friendly visit.’
At the same time, he made a mental note of the household servants at the gate.
’Opening the central gate and letting people in without an order from the master... These guards can’t be kept on.’
"Steward Wang, please come in for some tea."
But regardless of Wang Gui’s purpose or why he had come,
Fang Cheng decided it was best to be polite. That couldn’t be a mistake.
Soon, they reached the main hall. Fang Cheng invited Wang Gui to take a seat, and a servant naturally brought over a pot of freshly brewed hot tea.
"Steward Wang, your visit honors our humble home. Please forgive us for not greeting you sooner."
"No matter," Wang Gui said politely.
"If I may ask, Steward Wang, what guidance might you have for my Fang Family today?"
Fang Cheng asked, looking at Wang Gui with a smile.
"Fang Cheng, my visit today concerns your family’s Tea Garden," Wang Gui said, not beating around the bush and getting straight to the point.
"Oh? What do you mean by that, Steward Wang?"
Fang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. ’Could it be that Liu Zheng is after our Tea Garden again? Is that why he sent this Wang Gui?’
Father Fang and Ms. Chen didn’t know that Liu Zheng had tried to seize the Tea Garden before, but Fang Cheng had heard rumors about it.
Therefore, deep down, he held a very poor opinion of this County Venerable Master, Liu Zheng. Likewise, he had no fondness for Liu Zheng’s steward.
He wanted to question him right then and there, but he didn’t dare cause a scene, intimidated by the man’s power and status.
"Hehe, I just saw that your esteemed family’s Tea Garden is getting bigger and bigger. A garden that large must be difficult to manage, so I came by specially to see if there’s any way I can help," Wang Gui said with a thin smile.
The words were polite, but his tone was forceful, leaving no room for refusal.
Just then, Wang Gui chuckled and took a document from his robes. "Landlord Fang, take a look at this. How about we manage your family’s Tea Garden according to this method from now on?"
Before coming, Liu Zheng had instructed Wang Zhong to prepare a document.
He planned to use his power today to force the Fang Family to bow their heads and hand over the Tea Garden. This was nothing short of seizure by force and trickery.
This wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this; he was exceedingly familiar with the process.
"This is..."
Fang Cheng glanced at the document. Seeing just a few words was enough to make his blood boil. He was filled with such rage that he wanted to tear Liu Zheng to pieces.
’This is blatant robbery!’
’That’s his little brother’s Tea Garden! Why should they just hand it over for someone else to profit from?!’
’No, absolutely not!’
In that moment, he even forgot Wang Gui’s status and glared at him.
"My younger brother isn’t back yet. I can’t make the decision on this matter! Please leave, Wang Gui. When my brother returns, I will tell him about this!" Fang Cheng said in a low voice, barely managing to suppress his anger.
"Heh, you disagree? Do you have any idea what you’re saying? I suggest you think carefully before you speak again. If you change your mind now, the Lord County Magistrate might still forgive your disrespect. Otherwise..." Hearing this, Wang Gui’s eyebrows shot up as he made his threat.
At these words, Fang Cheng’s expression turned grim, but he just shook his head firmly.
"Someone, see our guest out!"