Chapter 190
Chapter 190
“News will arrive any moment!”
“We are about to become witnesses to history. To witness the fall of a century-old noble house… it’s truly a moving experience.”
“This time, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate will not only lose Rage Tide Island but also tens of thousands of acres of their finest lands. In the end, they won't even be able to hold onto their family fortress.”
“Everyone must adhere to the distribution we agreed upon beforehand. There will be no changes.”
“The Jin Clan's farmlands will be returned to the local prefectures, the fortress to the Sixth Prince, all workshops to the Count of Jing'an's Estate, the mining rights on Rage Tide Island to the Count of Jinhai's Estate, and the management of the salt fields to…”
They had already reached an agreement, dividing all the assets of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. The Hidden Yuan Society would take Rage Tide Island, but they wouldn't mine the iron or produce salt themselves. Instead, they would lease out the management rights to the mines and salt fields, intending to extract the majority of the profits annually.
“He's here, he's here! Young Master Wu Yuanhua has arrived!”
Someone shouted, and all the powerful figures present swarmed forward like bees. Most of those gathered here today were not qualified to enter the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate to witness its final moments themselves. That was why Wu Yuanhua of the Count of Jing'an’s Estate had used Lin Mo's promissory note to gain entry. In an instant, Wu Yuanhua was surrounded by dozens of influential men.
“Young Master Wu, what happened? Tell us!”
“Is Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, still alive?”
“Shen Lang must have coughed up blood, right?”
“Did they willingly surrender Rage Tide Island, or did the Governor-General have to dispatch troops to seize it?”
“For how much did the Jin Clan sell their tens of thousands of acres of land?”
“Did Jin Mulan put up a fight? Did His Highness the Crown Prince send men to take her to the capital?”
At that, everyone grew envious of the Crown Prince.
‘Jin Mulan, a peerless beauty. I've never seen a figure as explosive as hers anywhere. For such a rare beauty to become the Crown Prince's plaything.’
“Is Shen Lang dead?”
“He’s a dead man walking, isn’t he? The day Jin Mulan enters the capital will be the day of Shen Lang’s memorial service.”
“Young Master Wu, what did it feel like to witness the fall of a century-old noble house firsthand? Wasn't it thrilling?”
Everyone was buzzing with excitement. They were the ones who stood to gain much from the Jin Clan's demise. The fall of the Jin Clan would leave behind a massive carcass. After the high and mighty had carved off all the meat to make their stew, these men would grow fat just by sipping the leftover broth. But then, someone noticed that Wu Yuanhua’s expression was grim.
“Young Master Wu, you don't look well. Are you perhaps dissatisfied with the distribution? Your family is gaining quite a bit, and it's not as if you exerted much effort in the Jin Clan’s downfall!”
Wu Yuanhua, the heir to the Count of Jing'an's Estate, raised a hand to speak. Only then did the crowd fall silent, their eyes fixed on his face. He finally spoke.
“Stop dreaming. We lost. Shen Lang won. He paid back all the money. Not just seven hundred thousand gold coins, but a staggering eight hundred thousand! He poured an endless stream of gold over our heads, burying us in eight hundred thousand gold coins!”
A dead silence fell over the crowd at his words.
‘How is that possible? Shen Lang isn't some celestial being. How could he produce eight hundred thousand gold coins in just a month? It's impossible even in a dream.’
“Young Master Wu Yuanhua! That's a cruel joke. This is no time for jests!”
“Indeed! How could a weakling like Shen Lang come up with that kind of money? That's double the tax revenue of the entire Tiannan Province.”
Wu Yuanhua said flatly, “Do you think I'm in any mood to joke right now? All of you, go home. Something big is about to happen. No, not just big—something monumental.”
With those words, Wu Yuanhua immediately left, rushing toward Jing'an City.
***
Inside a lavish mansion in Xuanwu City.
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, was drinking incessantly, savoring the feeling of his blood boiling with the thought that the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was finished by now.
“Hahahaha, what a glorious day! I must drink my fill! Our family's old enemy is finally finished. Jin Zhuo will be dead soon. He won't last the year. Do you hear that? I can already hear the crumbling of the Jin Clan. What does it matter if Jin Zhou was a hero for the ages, a man of world-shaking talent? In the end, his incompetent descendants have ruined everything. If Jin Zhou could see the fall of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate today, he would be turning in his grave, seething with rage. Hahahaha!”
His heir, Tang Yun, said to him, “Father, according to the agreement, we will manage the iron mines on Rage Tide Island on behalf of the Hidden Yuan Society and receive thirty percent of the net profit. We will also manage half of the salt fields on Rage Tide Island, but we must surrender seventy percent of those profits to the Hidden Yuan Society. From Gold Mountain Island, our family will also receive thirty percent of the profits. But when you calculate everything, our family is essentially taking a loss.”
The Count of Jinhai laughed loudly.
“It's true our family is taking a loss, but compared to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, we've still profited greatly. The Jin Clan is about to be destroyed, isn't it? If paying a certain price ensures the fall of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, I will gladly, joyfully accept it!
Jin Zhou, listen to me even from hell! The one who destroyed the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is me, Tang Lun! Ancestors of the Tang Clan, are you all watching from the heavens? Today, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate falls. I, Tang Lun, have personally buried it.”
There was some truth to Tang Lun's words. It was he who had gifted Gold Mountain Island to the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei, dealing a fatal blow to the Jin Clan. Just then, the young pirate king, Qiu Xiao, entered the room and said coldly, “Tang Lun, don't be so smug. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate has not fallen. Shen Lang paid the debt himself. And it wasn't seven hundred thousand gold coins, but eight hundred thousand. The Jin Clan has managed to keep both their tens of thousands of acres of land and Rage Tide Island. Their family has a countless fortune in gold, so it's too soon for you to celebrate!”
Hearing this, the Count of Jinhai felt as if thunder had struck his head, and the blood that had been boiling with excitement just moments before turned to ice.
‘H-how is that possible! Seven hundred thousand gold coins? Impossible, that's an astronomical sum.’
Even the Tang Clan, a wealthy family in their own right, could not produce such a large sum. So how on earth had Shen Lang managed it? Thanks to their management of Gold Mountain Island, the Tang Clan possessed far more wealth than the Jin Clan. But even they couldn't produce seven hundred thousand gold coins at once; they couldn't even come up with half of that.
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, spoke with a trembling voice.
“Impossible, that's impossible… If Shen Lang could come up with that money, why was Count Xuanwu lying on his deathbed? Why did that little brat travel a thousand miles to borrow money? Didn't she suffer the ridicule of the entire world just to borrow a mere thousand gold coins?”
The pirate heir Qiu Xiao said, “It was all a lie, all an act. It was all Shen Lang's scheme.”
“Impossible. That's impossible…!”
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, screamed. A thunderous roar echoed in his ears. The pleasant buzz from the alcohol quickly morphed into a splitting headache. Nausea rose in his throat, and he felt utterly wretched. The price the Tang Clan had paid for the destruction of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was far too great.
Tang Lun had practically handed over Gold Mountain Island to the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei for free. If he had thought the Jin Clan would not fall, he would never have given up the island. He had made such a great sacrifice solely to destroy the Jin Clan. And despite all that effort and sacrifice, the Jin Clan was unharmed?
“No, no, no…”
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, let out a cry, and then something erupted violently from his mouth. He was retching. What he vomited was not just the wine he had drunk earlier, but also bloody foam.
***
Inside the old residence of the Zhang Clan.
Prefect Zhang Chong had long since vanished from the public eye. He had clearly been at the forefront of the campaign to destroy the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, an instrument in the King's hand. But for the past few months, he had not made a single move. While everyone else was attacking the Jin Clan and pressuring them to repay their debts, he remained silent. He hadn't even submitted a single memorial to the King. Even when everyone was pressing the Jin Clan to give up Rage Tide Island, he expressed no opinion.
The Lord Prefect had suddenly become like an invisible man. No one knew where he was, and he hadn't appeared at the prefectural office for a long time. A month ago, he had submitted a memorial stating that he was gravely ill and needed several months to recuperate, a request the King had granted. And so, Zhang Chong had quietly returned to his old residence.
Everyone whispered that Zhang Chong, a great star in the political world of Yue, had fallen from his high perch. They thought this was the limit of his capabilities.
‘After losing the Gold Mountain Island dispute, you just collapsed and haven't moved since. From the looks of it, we don't need you, Zhang Chong, to eliminate the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, made a brilliant move by gifting Gold Mountain Island to the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei. What a proactive and sharp judgment. Tang Lun has driven the Jin Clan into a corner. So, Zhang Chong, you just stay quiet. Stop your scheming and pretending to be some kind of mastermind.’
Chi Yu returned, her face pale. She bowed to Zhang Chong and spoke.
“Father, we have lost. Shen Lang produced seven hundred thousand gold coins—no, to be precise, eight hundred thousand. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate has managed to keep both Rage Tide Island and their tens of thousands of acres of land.”
At her words, Zhang Chong shot up from his sickbed and asked in a startled voice, “Is that truly so? Impossible, that is absolutely impossible!”
Then, Zhang Chong pressed a hand to his forehead as if struck by a dizzy spell.
“Seven hundred thousand gold coins. How did Shen Lang acquire that much money in just over a month? What on earth happened?”
“I do not know. No one could figure out how Shen Lang obtained the money.”
Zhang Chong said, his body trembling, “I never imagined Shen Lang was this capable. My child, I am sorry. I failed to secure the farmlands for you. I must apologize to your father.”
Chi Yu quickly bowed and said, “You mustn't say that! I will return home at once and report everything to my father. Please, Father, rest and recuperate.”
“Don't forget to apologize to your father on my behalf. Tell him it is because of my incompetence that I could not deliver what I promised.”
“I could never do that. I shall take my leave now.”
“Zhang Jin, see Lady Chi out!”
After escorting Chi Yu, Zhang Jin returned to the room. He could no longer hide the tremor in his heart.
“Father, I never thought Shen Lang would actually do it. It's astonishing that he produced seven hundred thousand gold coins, just as you predicted. How on earth did he manage it?”
When Zhang Chong rose from the bed, he showed no signs of illness. His expression was not the least bit surprised.
“How he acquired seven hundred thousand gold coins is not important. The crucial point is that Shen Lang had planned everything even before the Gold Mountain Island dispute began, and he has been playing everyone like puppets in the palm of his hand! To take one step while preparing for the third and fourth—astounding! Truly astounding! Shen Lang is a genius Go master, a maestro of stratagem. To be able to play a game against such an opponent is the greatest joy of my life!
Shen Lang is about to shock the world, and Rage Tide Island will astonish the heavens! If my predictions are correct, Qiu Xiao will die a most miserable death! That man committed numerous inhuman acts to harm the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. The fact that Shen Lang has not retaliated against him is highly abnormal.
Shen Lang must have kept that beast alive until now to serve his plan. But the time has come. He's about to slaughter that fatted pig, Qiu Xiao! Every step has a purpose, and he has the ability to overturn the entire board. Shen Lang possesses truly brilliant wisdom! Just you watch. This is only the beginning of the conspiracy he has designed. He will cast an even larger net and ensnare countless people. Who knows how many will die in his trap. How many families will be destroyed, how many people will perish this time. Countless people are about to lose their lives, caught in Shen Lang's scheme.
I can already hear the drums of war and see the scenes of bloodshed. I have seen the destruction of the maritime empire built by the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei, and I have seen the fall of the century-old Tang Clan! Jin, prepare yourself. A war is about to begin. A great war! Corpses will cover the fields, and the blood of many will flow like a river!”