The next morning, Li Hei and Yan Shiwei arrived at Leader Wen's house. As Leader Wen's right-hand men, they didn't have to keep vigil for him at night, but it wouldn't be appropriate if they didn't do so during the day.
Today, many gangs who had just received the news or had been observing yesterday came to offer their condolences. Li Hei and Yan Shiwei accompanied Young Master Wen to greet them one by one.
Wen Bin also sensed that something was wrong with Li Hei and Yan Shiwei's strange actions after Wen Changxing's death. He did not insist on immediately retaliating against them, but in his silence, he maintained an obvious distance and vigilance towards Li Hei and Yan Shiwei, these two elders.
The three of them made arrangements for Wen Changxing's funeral while meeting with the stewards of the gang. A semi-public competition was quietly going on in front of the mourning hall.
In fact, Wen Bin didn't know what Li Hei and Yan Shiwei wanted to do. He couldn't guess it, but he had to be on guard. Therefore, after discovering that Li Hei and Yan Shiwei were working together, Wen Bin immediately strengthened his contact with the forces loyal to the Wen family.
However, the stewards loyal to the Wen family didn't care too much about these undercurrents. They were worried that the Flood Dragon Gang would lose the Caokou. There were very few people in the gang. There was only one person, but he had the power to compete with the Caoquan and become the gang leader's right-hand man. This was because he controlled a special resource — the power of the government.
The power of the government was indispensable to the gang. Without the support of the government, a gang like the Flood Dragon Gang, which had hundreds of boats and thousands of members, would have to spend more than double to transport grain from Yangzhou to Chang 'an. It would be difficult to maintain.
It was almost winter, and this year's transportation had basically ended. There would be a three-month rest period. During this period, there wouldn't be any problems. However, when they went to Yangzhou again in the spring of next year, if they still couldn't get in touch with the powerful figures of the government, the Flood Dragon Gang would be finished.
Perhaps the important figures in the gang knew who Jun Ruyan had connections with in the government, but this didn't mean that they had the right or ability to replace Jun Ruyan and directly establish contact with this person.
The biggest characteristic of unspoken rules was the word "unspoken". Those officials who were willing to open the door to them for personal benefits did not have to worry about not having a source of gray income. The first thing they needed was safety, absolute safety. Once something happened, they could not be implicated.
Therefore, there had to be someone they trusted to act as a go-between before they were willing to establish a relationship with them. People like Jun Ruyan were either schoolmates of those officials, disciples of the same master, or friends from the same hometown. In short, they were inextricably linked to each other.
It was hard to imagine that these Jianghu people did not go through these special "brokers", but directly brought a chest of gold and silver to visit, and those officials would be blinded by money and agree to be their protectors.
However, what Wen Bin was most worried about was that the position of the Union Leader would fall to someone else. Standing in different positions, one would consider different benefits. This was understandable. Wen Bin thought of his father-in-law, the leader of the Heavenly Eagle Gang, Wei Yongtang, when he noticed that the stewards were not in a good mood.
Wei Yongtang was a righteous man, not to mention that the person asking for help was his future son-in-law. Therefore, after receiving Wen Bin's request for help, Wei Yongtang immediately came to the Wen family.
Together with his daughter, Wei Yongtang respectfully offered a stick of incense to his old friend. Then, he said to Li Hei and Yan Shiwei, "Master Hei, Brother Yan, many things have happened on Murky in the past two days. Everyone in the Flood Dragon League is panicking. Originally, this was a matter of the Flood Dragon Society, and I shouldn't interfere. However, I'm good brothers with President Wen, and now that our two families are going to be married, I should help you out. I hope the two of you won't mind my presumptuousness. "
Yan Shiwei said, "You're too polite, Wei Yongtang. What do you mean?"
Wei Yongtang said seriously, "I think that we should help Nephew Wen ascend to the position of Union Leader as soon as possible to reassure everyone!"
Li Hei's face darkened. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Vice President Jun is bedridden and can't attend the meeting. As the helm of the Flood Dragon Union's Caokou, if he can't attend the inauguration ceremony, everyone in the gang will feel uneasy. Let's focus on the funeral for the president. We need to rest on the Cao River for two to three months, so there's no hurry to take over the position. "
Wei Yongtang narrowed his eyes and said with authority, "Master Hei, how many people can recover from a stroke? Even if Vice President Jun gradually recovers, he'll probably be unable to walk or speak clearly. The helm of the Caokou will change hands sooner or later. Master Hei still wants to wait for Vice President Jun to recover. Aren't you afraid of others gossiping? "
Yan Shiwei suddenly interrupted, "Master Hei's words make sense. Even if Vice President Jun can't recover, we should find another Caokou. Without the Caokou, Young Master will definitely be inferior when he ascends to the position. It'll be hard for him to win the loyalty of the gang's brothers, and he'll be laughed at by the other gangs."
Wei Yongtang's eyes narrowed. He knew that Li Hei and Yan Shiwei didn't get along. Now that the two of them were in the same boat, he couldn't help but shudder. Wei Yongtang pondered for a moment and asked, "Then, Master Hei and Brother Yan, do you have a candidate for the helm of the Caokou?"
Li Hei replied, "Both Vice President Yan and I are people of the pugilistic world. We don't have any connections in the government, so where can we find a Caokou?"
Wei Yongtang said, "Since that's the case, our Heavenly Eagle Gang's Caokou can help. As for the benefits, how about it?"
Yan Shiwei sneered, "If the helm of the Caokou becomes your Heavenly Eagle Gang's man and the president becomes your son-in-law, will the Flood Dragon Gang still exist? What a good plan, Boss Wei. Are you marrying off your daughter or looking for a son-in-law? Even the entire Flood Dragon Gang belongs to your Heavenly Eagle Gang? "
Wei Yongtang's expression changed, and he said, "Yan Shiwei, what do you mean by that? I helped the Flood Dragon Union out of goodwill because of my friendship with Union Master Wen and the fact that your Young Union Master is about to become my son-in-law. When have I ever had any selfish motives?"
Wen Bin interrupted, "Seniors, there's no need to argue. I'm willing to accept the help of my father-in-law!"
Li Hei glanced at him and said, "You're not the president yet, and you're already treating the Flood Dragon Gang as the family?"
This sentence was not loud, but the meaning behind it was as heavy as a mountain. Wen Bin's face turned red when he heard it, and for a moment, he could not say another word. There was only one thought ringing in his ears, "They really have ulterior motives, they really have ulterior motives."
Wei Xiaoxiao was both shocked and angry. "Li Hei, what are you talking about? Although Wen Bin wasn't the guild leader now, could the guild leader be replaced by someone else? You're committing treason, deceiving your master and destroying your ancestors! "
Li Hei glanced at her and said, "Treason and treason? Treason and treason? I don't have any other abilities, but my seniority is high enough! Even your father has to call me Grandpa Hei. How dare you call me Li Hei? You don't know your place and your seniority! You haven't even married into the Flood Dragon Gang. Even if you become the president's wife, what right do you have to criticize the gang's affairs? Get lost! "
He didn't give her any face at all. Wei Xiaoxiao's face turned red from his scolding. Wei Yongtang's face darkened, and he sneered. "Ever since Wen Changxing passed away, I've felt that something was wrong. Have you finally revealed your true intentions? Good! Li Hei, use whatever tricks you have. I'll take them all! "
Yan Shiwei rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Since when do we need you to take over the Flood Dragon Gang's matters?"
Wei Yongtang heavily patted Wen Bin's shoulder. Wen Bin's frail and small body was almost slapped to the ground. Wei Yongtang sternly said, "Just because he is my son-in-law. As a father-in-law, standing up for my son-in-law, is it in line with the rules of the underworld?"
Both parties argued in front of the coffin. At first, their voices were soft, so no one noticed it. Later on, when they saw their expressions change, they knew that something had happened. The surroundings were already silent. They could only see that both parties seemed to be arguing, but they couldn't hear what they were saying.
At this moment, Wei Yongtang's powerful words were heard clearly by everyone. They finally knew that something big had happened. The members of various gangs who came to pay their condolences immediately swarmed forward, while the stewards of the Flood Dragon Gang, who had been signaled by Li Hei, Yan Shiwei, or Wen Bin in advance, stood there with a gloomy face.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way. This is Wannian County's business. Unrelated people, please leave!"
Following a shout, the two sides in front of the mourning hall, who were at daggers drawn, looked over in surprise. They saw a group of bailiffs dressed in black, carrying chains and sabers on their waists, boldly barging in. For a moment, all the heroes in front of the mourning hall were dumbfounded.
Ba Excellency had always been the one to solve any problems on Ba. After years of special living conditions, Ba Excellency had developed this habit. Since when did he need the government to intervene? Whoever asked the government to intervene would be the public enemy of Ba. The weak did not dare to break this rule, and those who dared to break this rule did not need to break it themselves. But this rule was still broken today.
When the bailiffs arrived in front of the mourning hall, they parted to the left and right, and a person flashed out from the middle. Although the magistrate of Wannian County had not appeared on Ba for almost ten thousand years, they were no strangers to this person, because they would always pay their respects to him on New Year's Eve.
This person was the county magistrate of Wannian County. His surname was Lang, and his name was Wen. In the past, when they saw him on New Year's Eve, when he came with lavish gifts, County Magistrate Lang would always smile amiably. But today, County Magistrate Lang's face was frighteningly gloomy, causing those who wanted to come forward to pay their respects to shrink back.
County Magistrate Lang did not look sideways. He walked to the front of the mourning hall and stood still. With drooping eyelids, he asked, "Who is Wen Bin?"
This was not the first time Wen Bin had visited on behalf of his father to send gifts to Uncle Lang. Now that he saw Uncle Lang like this, he was at a loss. He hurried forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Uncle Lang, I …"
"Shut up! Who's your uncle? "
County Lieutenant Lang was full of righteousness and righteousness as he said, "Wenbin, your matter has been exposed. Men, take him down!"
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