Protect Our Clan Leader

Under a cloud of gloom,

a young man named Yan Xiang Da, without much to say, addressed his direct-line younger sister, Yan Shuang Er, "Sister Shuang Er, you mentioned earlier that the Old Ancestor Shouzhe gave you a red envelope. Why don't we open it and have a look?"

"This..." Yan Shuang Er hesitated, "isn't it inappropriate?"

"Sister Shuang Er, let us witness it for once. I bet it contains five thousand Qian Gold."

"I bet there's ten thousand Qian Gold. It's said that Old Ancestor Shouzhe really likes to support outstanding young people. After all, our sister Shuang Er is blessed with Heavenly Chosen Talent, Old Ancestor Shouzhe must be pleased to see it."

Unable to withstand the pleading of her brothers and sisters, Yan Shuang Er finally opened the red envelope, which contained only one gold note, a purple gold note.

"Purple Gold Note!"

The shiny purple color nearly blinded the eyes of all the young people from the Yan Family.

They had never imagined the Old Ancestor Shouzhe, whom they had never met, could be so generous, to give a Purple Gold Note just like that. This was a Purple Gold Note, worth a hundred thousand Qian Gold!

Wang Shi Feng said with a smile, "Congratulations, Miss Shuang Er. My grandfather usually carries many red envelopes with him, but a Purple Gold Note is indeed the biggest one. It seems my grandfather really likes you."

The other young members of the Wang family also offered their congratulations.

"This... this is too much..." Yan Shuang Er was somewhat stunned, "Brother Shi Feng, could you return it to grandfather—or rather, to Old Ancestor Shouzhe for me?"

The Yan family is now so down on their luck, all their family resources are invested in cultivating Purple Abode Seeds, how could a child ever come across a Purple Gold Note?

"Sister Shuang Er, just keep it," Wang JingLei said with a laugh, "There's no precedent of taking back a red envelope once the fourth elder has given it out."

"Besides, the fourth elder hands out red envelopes to the family's children every New Year. If someone shows they're truly outstanding, they too can receive a Purple Gold Note. I did extremely well on my graduation exams last year, so the fourth elder gave me a Purple Gold Note red envelope, as a kind of support and indirect resources subsidy."

In that moment, including Yan Shuang Er, all the young Yan family members' gazes became somewhat dazed, full of envy as they looked toward Wang JingLei and the others.

This Wang family is too extravagant, giving out Purple Gold Notes to the children's red envelopes...

How wonderful it would be to be a child of the Wang family?

This sentiment uncontrollably lingered in the young Yan family members' minds.

...

Wang Shouzhe's small courtyard.

The moon shone brightly, and the aroma of flowers was intoxicating.

Wang Shouzhe and Taishi Ankang were leisurely drinking the Wild Spirit Tea that Wang Anye had respectfully provided.

"Excellent tea, truly excellent. This tea has a sweet and bitter taste with a prolonged aftertaste," Taishi Ankang praised, "It's even better than the tribute Spirit Tea I've had before."

"If the Prefectural Governor likes it, I'll share two grams with you," Wang Shouzhe leisurely sipped his tea.

"It's a deal," Taishi Ankang's eyes lit up. But then he sighed and said, "Shouzhe, is there really no chance for the Yan Family? If you refuse to intervene, I doubt any other Prominent Families in Longzuo County will want to get involved. And the Yan Family wouldn't dare seek help from outside counties, as it would provoke a general outcry, with even less chance of a favorable outcome."

"Your Excellency, the Yan Family's problem lies at the root," Wang Shouzhe sighed, "When they rose to wealth, it was by pioneering land in the early days. But their descendants were not enterprising, gradually losing their industrial edge, relying solely on the accumulated prestige of a Purple Abode Prominent Family to avoid a sudden downfall. Even the successful Purple Abode transition more than a hundred years ago merely delayed their inevitable elimination."

"A thousand-year Prominent Family... such families are not so easily sustained for a millennium. If they do not change their mindset, it would be better to demote themselves sooner rather than later, discarding part of their wealth, clinging to survival by severing their own tail."

"Are you angry because you feel pity for Shuang Er? The Yan Family's desperate efforts to elevate Shuang Er to a Heavenly Chosen Talent were aimed at auctioning off the child for strong support for the family, which you find distasteful?"

Taishi Ankang, astute as ever, understood clearly.

He lamented, "This reminds you of the most difficult times for the Wang family, doesn't it? When your Ancestor Longyan had no choice but to send a direct-line child to be wed to the Xu Family in Changning for protection."

Taking a sip of the Spirit Tea, Wang Shouzhe gave him a sidelong glance and said, "A high-ranking Prefectural Governor troubling himself over the thoughts of a 'small fry' like me? Aren't you embarrassed?"

"A 'small fry'?" Taishi Ankang's mouth twitched in frustration as he emphatically drank his tea, "If Wang Shouzhe counts as a 'small fry,' then who in Longzuo County can be considered a big shot?"

"With just a whim, you can determine the life and death of a Purple Abode Prominent Family. Doesn't that make you a big shot?"

"Your mere displeasure can make someone like Yan Yufei, a Purple Abode elder, become extremely anxious, constantly wondering what could have possibly upset you. Doesn't that make you a big shot?"

"Moreover, His Majesty issued a decree taxing me with increasing Longzuo County's revenue by another fifty percent within ten years. Eunuch Yao, the announcer of the decree, revealed privately that this was because His Majesty was greatly irritated by you, Wang Shouzhe, and was inventing ways to make you uncomfortable. But I don't get it—if His Majesty wants to pick on you and is unhappy with you, why drag me into it?" Taishi Ankang complained with a troubled face, "I'm just an ordinary, pitiful Prefectural Governor. Oh, Great Master Wang Shouzhe, when you're at odds with His Majesty, could you perhaps avoid dragging me into it recklessly?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible," said Wang Shouzhe, lightly sipping his tea, "For in the eyes of His Majesty, in the eyes of Kang Commandery Prince's crowd, in the eyes of the many prestigious families in Return to Dragon City,"

"Prefectural Governor, you've long been hand-in-glove with me, Wang Shouzhe, in disrepute."

"I instigated the rumor, and since we are all one of our own, there's no need for thanks, Prefectural Governor."

"I..." Taishi Ankang's face twitched involuntarily, feeling a sudden urge to smash the scene before him.

...