Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Part 13: Review (1)
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Luoyang Sword Clan,
Fourth Young Master's office.
Even late into the night, the Fourth Young Master's office blazed with light.
Yet inside the office, not a single word of conversation could be heard—just the regular rustle of turning pages and the steady thuds of approval stamps echoing through the room.
At the Red Poison Spider Chief's desk, documents awaiting approval towered like a mountain. Across from her, at the Fourth Young Master's seat, an even larger pile loomed.
A sheet of paper flipped over, and a stamp thudded down.
Another sheet flipped, another stamp thudded.
Every so often, a hollow-eyed clerk would enter with another armful of documents to add to the stacks.
"...."
"...."
Crack. The stamp in the Red Poison Spider Chief's hand snapped in two.
The Fourth Young Master looked up blankly at the sight and muttered,
"...That stamp was ridiculously expensive."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Red Poison Spider Chief slammed her desk.
"Gyaargh!"
The towers of documents collapsed, papers raining down from the sky like confetti.
"Oh dear!"
The Fourth Young Master's head maid, dozing in the corner, jolted awake in surprise.
"I must have nodded off for a second."
The Fourth Young Master shot a reproachful glare at the Red Poison Spider Chief, but she had already begun rolling on the floor.
"I can't do this anymore! I just can't!"
Watching the middle-aged woman flail about pitifully, the Fourth Young Master clapped his hands lightly.
Attendant maids entered at once and began tidying up the papers the Red Poison Spider Chief had scattered.
They swiftly rebuilt the towers, as if this were a routine occurrence.
"Send me home! I miss my babies! I want to go home! I miss my husband!"
The Fourth Young Master made a face like he was witnessing something unseemly.
"...Even if you go home, no one's there. Your twin sons are already married and living independently, and your husband is away on a business trip."
"Send me anyway! Please, just send me! My family is waiting for me, pining away at home!"
The head maid coaxed the now-begging Red Poison Spider Chief (a twin mom) back into her seat.
"There, there. Just a little more and it'll be done. Not much left now."
The head maid opened a drawer, revealing a fresh set of stamps.
Beside them lay the remnants of the ones the Red Poison Spider Chief had previously broken.
"Kieeeee!"
It used to work when they soothed her like this, but she had clearly reached her limit now.
The Red Poison Spider Chief shouted at the Fourth Young Master.
"Why?! How?! Why won't this work ever end?! You promised three days ago you'd send me home!"
Her unwashed hair was matted with grease, and her heavy makeup had devolved into something more akin to camouflage than cosmetics.
"...I'll definitely send you home tomorrow."
The Red Poison Spider Chief clutched her head and screamed at his utterly unconvincing words.
"Liar! You lying liar!"
She sprang to her feet and clambered onto her own desk.
"You definitely said it before, my lord!"
She put on a stern expression, mimicking the Fourth Young Master.
"I am the rightful heir of the most ruthless clan! I am the direct descendant of a great house!"
The Fourth Young Master's face flushed red, and he bowed his head.
"Now this Sword Clan can no longer ignore our existence!"
The head maid hugged the Fourth Young Master tightly and patted his back.
"It's all right, young master. At that age, people act on impulse."
"...That doesn't comfort me at all."
The Red Poison Spider Chief pointed around the room and yelled.
"Back then, I thought you'd storm in on the Second or Third Young Master and turn the place into a bloodbath, but what's this endless parade of documents?! Are you training in some martial art that kills enemies by stamping them to death?!"
Of course, she, of all people—a brilliant and capable talent—knew full well the importance of the work they were doing.
"Kieeeee!"
...Probably.
The Fourth Young Master and head maid sighed as she let out a primal shriek, threatening them like some shaman from a primitive tribe in Sichuan's dense jungles.
"Just last week, you were tearing your hair out over the lack of progress on the business plan because the Luoyang administration wouldn't cooperate at all...."
The Red Poison Spider Chief, still shrieking, jabbed a finger at the Fourth Young Master.
"That's exactly it! And that makes no sense at all!"
She vaulted over the documents and landed on the floor.
"The Luoyang authorities threw every administrative obstacle they could at our business plan! They even dredged up ridiculously inventive regulations that left us in awe!"
After successfully securing the new business site, what awaited them was an blatant feast of bureaucratic red tape.
They couldn't even break ground, let alone get the plan approved—a full-blown crisis.
"But then the Eldest Young Master—somehow, who knows what sorcery he worked—suddenly got every procedure moving all at once!"
The result was this mountain range of approval documents before them.
The Fourth Young Master grinned ear to ear at the mention of his beloved and revered eldest brother.
"Haha. See? You get it. Big Brother is amazing."
"That's not what I meant!"
The Red Poison Spider Chief trembled with rage.
"From the start, all those Luoyang administrative offices ganging up on one business plan means massive external pressure was at play!"
Her eyes rolled back, whites showing.
"So how the hell did the Eldest Young Master move those high-ranking officials?!"
The Fourth Young Master chuckled as if she should know better.
"That's why he's Big Brother."
"So how did he...?!"
"I don't know."
The Fourth Young Master stroked his smooth, beardless chin.
"But if I had to guess...."
Just then, the door opened, revealing a sturdy-built elderly woman.
"It was something Elder Yeom pulled off using the guests she brought in."
She was an old lady with striking features, her long white hair cascading down her back.
Though wrinkles traced the passage of time, her beauty had not faded.
The Red Poison Spider Chief quickly clasped her hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Elder Yu!"
The elderly woman called Elder Yu clicked her tongue mercilessly at the woman's rigidly disciplined posture.
"You... about to see your grandkids soon, and you're still throwing tantrums at the Fourth Young Master?"
"...."
The Red Poison Spider Chief could only hang her head in shame, too embarrassed to reply.
Normally, the Fourth Young Master would have watched her getting scolded like it was a tasty snack, but curiosity took precedence now.
"Elder Yu. If that's the case, does that mean my guess was right? Big Brother and Elder Yeom?"
The old woman nodded.
"Yes. The Eldest Young Master seems to have met those on the political cliff's edge through Elder Yeom."
She took a cigarette from her robe and lit it.
"At first, it was just a few such cases...."
The unlit cigarette suddenly ignited, smoke trailing upward in a long plume.
"But once trust built up in the 'Eldest Young Master's deals,' the numbers grew substantial. Passing one business plan became trivial."
Knowing her personality—she never jumped to conclusions without certainty—the Fourth Young Master voiced his doubt.
"How did you confirm all this, Elder Yu?"
Elder Yu exhaled a long stream of smoke toward the ceiling and spat out her words like they were chew.
"Because that mad Eldest Young Master turned the elders' meeting upside down today."
"Pardon?"
* * *
Rewind to late afternoon.
Elders' Hall, Grand Assembly Chamber.
It had been an unusually long and tedious meeting.
With closing time approaching, the elders were slyly packing up.
"Now, now, last item on the agenda. Stay focused until the end."
The diminutive giant—the Hall Master himself—looked the most bored of all.
"Let's see...."
The elder assigned to moderate had called in sick, forcing the Hall Master to handle it all day.
"Last one's nothing major. Meeting adjourned."
The Hall Master tossed his documents aside.
"You madman. Even if you're annoyed...."
The Vice Hall Master sighed, picked up the papers, shoved the Hall Master aside, and took the podium.
"Last item...."
He scratched his thinning hair.
"This doesn't require a vote. Still, I'll read it out."
Jeers flew from all sides at the nitpicky Vice Hall Master.
"Come on, procedures are procedures, aren't they?"
The Vice Hall Master forced a smile to placate them.
"Uh... so, this is regarding an emergency order from the Supreme Operations Council."
Everyone sighed.
Emergency orders for that Eldest Young Master had bypassed votes for a ton of agenda items.
In that moment, even the finicky elders sympathized with the Hall Master's document toss.
Undeterred by the jeers, packing, chatter, or standers-up, Vice Hall Master Ham steadfastly read on.
"Thus, the Inner Hall must pay the Eldest Young Master all outstanding operational funds. To expedite, the Sword Clan Treasury will cover the amount, holding equivalent claims against the Inner Hall."
It was straightforward.
Just the Sword Clan Treasury covering what the Inner Hall had previously failed to pay—nothing special.
"Uh, per emergency order procedures, this passes without debate...."
But.
"Hold on."
The elders, faces relaxing at last, turned toward the one raising his hand.
Ignoring the lightning-like glares, that elder stood ramrod straight and spoke.
"Those who committed irregularities in the Inner Hall were punished, but the Hall Chief and Inner Hall itself—who bear managerial responsibility—faced no punishment whatsoever."
The air froze.
From meeting's start to now, the silent Inner Hall Chief's gaze fixed on that elder.
An elder who would normally shrink from such a look pressed on doggedly.
"At the very least, compensation befitting acknowledgment of that responsibility is due to the Eldest Young Master and the First Elder."
The elders stared at him like he was a lunatic.
No one could fathom touching that terrifying Inner Hall Chief over a done deal.
But that was just the beginning.
"...I agree."
One bowed-headed elder raised his hand in agreement.
"I agree."
"I agree as well."
Hands began rising steadily.
Those not raising theirs looked around in confusion.
"Even so, letting it slide feels off. Didn't the Inner Hall Chief basically sit back while others wiped his nose for him?"
"Yeah. And now all the troublemakers in the Inner Hall are gone because of it...."
The Inner Hall Chief's face twisted demonically, but over half had already raised hands.
"Uh, then... this now becomes a motion for punitive compensation from the Inner Hall to the Eldest Young Master."
The Vice Hall Master grinned.
His gold tooth gleamed especially bright.
* * *
"Over half?!"
The Red Poison Spider Chief jumped up.
Elder Yu shook her head with a sigh at the imprudent display.
"In reality, only a few actually promised votes through deals with the Eldest Young Master—probably those who raised hands early. The rest...."
The Fourth Young Master nodded.
"The rest wanted to check the Inner Hall Chief. Elders like them wouldn't pass up a chance to bite at such a powerhouse."
The Red Poison Spider Chief cut in again.
"Wait, so how much was the compensation?"
Elder Yu exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"Four times the unpaid amount."
"Four times?!"