"The Overwatch Council broke into the garden like this today for Sir Zhou." Ming Qingda glanced at his elderly mother and said evenly, "Do you … want to …?"
The old Ming matriarch glanced at him coldly and knew what he meant. Housekeeper Zhou was the head housekeeper of the Ming family and the accountant of the Junshang Conference. This person was too important. If the Overwatch Council found him, many of the inside stories of the Junshang Conference would be grasped by Fan Xian and, indirectly, by the Emperor.
Regardless of whether it was for the sake of Ming Garden's self-protection or for the safety of the Junshang Conference, housekeeper Zhou would undoubtedly die. The problem was … the old Ming matriarch sighed gently and said, "It's not like you don't know that this Sir Zhou was sent to our home by the Eldest Princess. To kill or not to kill, we cannot make a decision."
"The search is about to reach the back," Ming Qingda said expressionlessly, but a glimmer of cold laughter flashed through his heart.
Junshang Conference? How could an organization of that level be something a wealthy merchant family like the Ming family should be involved in? As expected, they were now riding a tiger and couldn't escape even if they wanted to. He always had a deep prejudice against the old Ming matriarch and the Eldest Princess for tying them so tightly. As for the Junshang Conference, he avoided it even more.
The old Ming matriarch slowly closed her eyes and said, "Don't worry. Sir Zhou's safety should be no problem. " The old woman suddenly furrowed her brows and said hesitantly, "There is one thing I still don't understand. Why is the imperial envoy so sure that Sir Zhou is still hiding in Ming Garden? If he can't find him, how will he explain it to the people under heaven? "
Ming Qingda's heart thumped, but a similar expression of confusion floated to his face.
The old Ming matriarch thought for a bit and felt a bit tired. She shook her head weakly. Her white hair made her appear old.
"I'm tired," the old woman said with disgust. "Don't let those Overwatch Council dogs disturb my rest."
"Don't worry, mother." Ming Qingda walked to her side and placed his hands on her shoulders as if preparing to help her up. Evenly, he said, "In the future, no one will disturb your rest."
…
…
The old Ming matriarch turned her head in shock and saw the flash of guilt, fear, and ferocity in her son's eyes.
Then her mouth was covered, and a leather rope was tied tightly around her throat.
The old Ming matriarch wanted to cry out, but she couldn't. Her hands were held tightly by her own son. She could only kick her feet forcefully. That pair of small feet bounced randomly and made popping noises.
The old woman's eyes flashed with endless fear and resentment as she stared at the principal maid not far away from her.
She did not know how many trusted aides she had in the mansion, but at this moment, none of them were by her side. She did not know where they had died.
The servant girl glanced at the old Ming matriarch and slowly turned around.
The leather rope around her throat became tighter and tighter. The old Ming matriarch could not breathe. There was a burning pain in her chest, and her eyes began to blur. She knew that everyone had betrayed her. Compared to the betrayal, the strong and thick sense of regret and hatred was even harder to suppress. It flowed out with her tears and saliva from the corners of her mouth.
"You have to be more ruthless."
"Of course, sacrifices are needed to achieve great things."
All the words rang out again in that instant, accompanied by the ringing in her ears before death, striking the old woman's heart.
Her eyes bulged out and stared fixedly at her own son in front of her.
Ming Qingda lowered his head and grabbed her hands without making a sound.
Perhaps after a long time or perhaps it was only a short moment, the chest of the old woman sitting in the grand chair, the old Ming matriarch who had secretly influenced and controlled Jiangnan for a dozen years, made a muffled sound. Her body abruptly went limp. Her legs drooped weakly under the chair and no longer moved.
When one was old, one should rest.
— — —
The Overwatch Council's search of Ming Garden did not proceed smoothly. Although no one dared to stop him, Deng Zi Yue could already feel the anger in the eyes of the people in Ming Garden growing stronger and stronger. Furthermore, the guards and thugs watching him in the dark could pull out their weapons and charge at him at any moment.
Searching the house did not have any gentle methods. Along the way, they overturned chests and cabinets, shouted harshly, and entered people's boudoirs. This appearance indeed had the aura of a vicious wolf. At the same time, it aroused the hostility of everyone in Ming Garden.
However, Deng Zi Yue was not worried. Commissioner Fan had him enter the garden, so he must have been confident.
As expected, although the people in Ming Garden looked at him with loathing and hatred, no one dared to stop him. However, Ming Garden was too big. After searching for a long time, he had only searched half the area. He could not find any trace of housekeeper Zhou's whereabouts.
"I want to search the back garden," Deng Zi Yue said to the young master of the Ming family, Ming Lanshi, who had been by his side the entire time.
"No!" Ming Lanshi stared fixedly into his eyes and scolded, "What exactly do you want to do? Do you really think the Ming family is so easy to humiliate? "
There were women and relatives living in the back garden. How could it be easy to search? Ming Lanshi used this as a pretext and angrily scolded the Overwatch Council officials. However, Deng Zi Yue's face was heavy. He refused to back down even a step. In his hand, he held the official document personally written by Fan Xian. On it was the seal of the imperial envoy. There was sufficient reason to search.
Of course, he could not do it in the name of the Overwatch Council. He could only do it in the name of the Jiangnan Road imperial envoy.
It had to be known that the Overwatch Council could not interfere with local government affairs and, particularly, could not arbitrarily judge civil matters. Today, they were playing a trick of selling dog meat under the sheep's head. It could be said that Fan Xian had borrowed soldiers.
The two sides faced off at the door leading into the back garden. The servants and guards in Ming Garden had endured for a long time. At this time, they finally couldn't hold it in any longer. Profanities came out one after another and cursed endlessly. Under their agitated emotions, the thugs and private soldiers that should have been hidden to the side also appeared and surrounded the nearly 40 Overwatch Council officials in the center.
Deng Zi Yue's face darkened and he coldly said, "Young master Ming, are you going to continue searching … or are you going to defy the edict?"
The imperial envoy's journey represented the Emperor's edict. Who dared to defy it?
Ming Lanshi's face alternated between green and white. He gritted his teeth tightly and pretended to be humiliated and embarrassed. A moment later, he roared angrily, "Go search! The heavens have eyes! I don't believe that the Overwatch Council will not get retribution for bullying people with power! "
Deng Zi Yue did not care about all this. His hand grasping the hilt of the podao, he strode toward the back garden.
Unexpectedly, he had not gone more than 10 steps when a person charged out. Although the person was wearing the clothes of a serving girl, looking at the quality of her clothing and attire, she was also an important figure in Ming Garden. The serving girl's face was deathly pale, and her eyes were lifeless. It was as if she had seen a ghost. She crazily charged toward the crowd. As she charged, she yelled indistinctly, "Dead! Dead! Dead! "
Dead?
Deng Zi Yue's heart jumped. He felt some kind of inauspicious omen. He furrowed his brows and stopped the serving girl. In a stern voice, he asked, "What happened?"
The serving girl's face exuded the temperament of a noble family she usually cultivated. However, at this moment, she seemed to be in too much of a shock. It was completely miserable. She trembled for a long time and couldn't say a complete sentence. She could only tremble endlessly in front of Deng Zi Yue. If Deng Zi Yue had not held onto her arm, she would probably have collapsed to the ground long ago.
The people from the Overwatch Council searching the garden did not recognize this serving girl, but the people of the Ming family knew her identity. They knew that she was the old Ming matriarch's personal serving girl and one of her trusted aides. At this moment, the people of the sixth branch were all gathered here. Seeing her like this, they couldn't help but jump in fright. They wondered what had happened.
Ming Lanshi anxiously snatched the serving girl from Deng Zi Yue's hands and grabbed her by the collar. "What is it? Who died? "
Deng Zi Yue watched from the side with cold eyes. A strange light flashed through his eyes.
The serving girl was shaken by the young master and finally came to her senses. She opened her mouth but didn't have time to say anything. First, she wretchedly cried, "Wah … oh … young master, the old matriarch … the old matriarch … she …"
"What happened to the old matriarch?"
"The old matriarch … she's gone!" The serving girl struggled to finish this sentence. Her head tilted and she fainted in Ming Lanshi's arms.
It was like Ming Lanshi had been struck by lightning. He stood dumbstruck where he was. For a moment, he couldn't believe his ears.
The surrounding disciples of the sixth branch of the Ming family looked at each other with wide eyes and gaping mouths. They were frozen like countless frogs. It was as if they didn't know how to use a shocked expression to express the feelings in their hearts.
The old matriarch had gone?
The old matriarch had gone!
In the deathly silent garden, after an indeterminable amount of time, the first cry suddenly exploded out. Immediately after, the cries rose up like a grand chorus. The cries, wretched cries, and painful curses rose and fell. Many people fell to the ground in shock, unable to stand up no matter how hard they tried.
The entire Ming Garden was completely enveloped in shock, grief, and anger.
Other than the Fourth Ming master in the Suzhou government prison and the old Ming master at the old matriarch's side, there were also the masters of the fourth branch present. These four men cried and howled. They pushed aside Ming Lanshi's dazed body, lifted the robes in front of them, and charged toward the back garden.
At this time, no one cared about the rule that one could not enter the back garden without permission. Without anyone needing to shout, the hundreds of people who had appeared in Ming Garden rushed to the back garden with tears in their eyes as they followed the sound of crying like a cloud.
The Overwatch Council officials in the center looked at each other and became the most awkward group of people. Deng Zi Yue's pupils constricted slightly. He felt danger. He had come under orders to search the garden, but he had not thought that it would turn into such a situation.
Although it was not clear how the old Ming matriarch had died, Deng Zi Yue knew that her death was too clever and coincidental. It was so clever that the Overwatch Council had no choice but to take responsibility.
In that instant earlier, he had seen Ming Lanshi's expression out of the corner of his eye. It made a question grow in the depths of his heart.
The news of the old Ming matriarch's death shocked everyone in Ming Garden. The guards all charged out and rushed to the side of the Overwatch Council people and surrounded them. They held weapons and crossbows in their hands, and a hateful gaze flashed through their eyes.
Deng Zi Yue furrowed his brows slightly. He knew that if one of the measures was not taken properly, it would result in a fight between the two sides. However, the commissioner had told him very clearly that the matter … should not continue like this.
He made a prompt decision and ordered his subordinates, the Overwatch Council officials, to also enter the back garden. In any case, Ming Garden was in chaos. No one had time to worry about them. Furthermore, the Ming Garden private soldiers holding weapons and watching him could not immediately act where the old Ming matriarch was about to die.
…
…
After walking into the back garden for a long time, Deng Zi Yue followed the sound of crying. Outside a quiet and secluded courtyard, he looked at the kneeling people on the ground and couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Sweeping his gaze, he saw that in the large central room, under the thick beam, there was a person tied under a long white cloth.
It was an old woman.
The old woman's hands hung by her side with the tips of her feet pointing to the ground. Following the gentle spring wind, she floated in midair. This scene was as strange as it could be.
In particular, the pair of eyes that refused to close were protruding outwards. Her pupils were filled with the blood that had been forced out when she was dying. They were filled with hatred and unwillingness as they looked outside.
Coincidentally, they were looking at the Overwatch Council officials outside the courtyard.
Deng Zi Yue was shocked by the gaze of these two dead people. He hurriedly turned his neck and gave an order for his subordinates to be on guard and prepare to break out at any moment.
Crying filled the courtyard. The people on the ground knelt and cried blood as they kowtowed endlessly.
The old Ming matriarch was completely dead. Ming Garden would certainly hold this debt on the Overwatch Council. At such an impassioned time, no one knew what would happen.
However, the way out in the back had long been blocked by Ming Garden's private soldiers. Filled with hatred, it would be extremely difficult to kill their way out.
Not long after, Ming Qingda, whose forehead was already bleeding from kowtowing, and the brothers of the fourth branch untied the old matriarch's body from the beam. The current master of the Ming family forcefully suppressed his sorrow and made arrangements for the funeral. Only then did he lead the four brothers out of the courtyard.
No one dared to speak, but everyone stared at the Overwatch Council people outside the courtyard with that kind of gaze.
In Deng Zi Yue's life, he had never found so many people who wanted to eat his flesh. The gazes of the Ming family already displayed this kind of hatred.
He knew that this was not the time to retreat. Once he retreated and the news got out, it would bring great danger to the Overwatch Council. Once the old Ming matriarch died, the Overwatch Council people would retreat in fear. If this wasn't a guilty conscience, what was it?
Thus, he made his face heavy and narrowed his eyes. "The old Ming matriarch colluded with Dongyi and committed suicide to escape punishment … the funeral will be delayed for now. After the cause of death is investigated, we will deal with it."
From the Overwatch Council's point of view, he had to appear particularly unyielding at this time. For the Ming family, the old ancestor had just died and was about to be framed by the Overwatch Council with the crime of committing suicide to escape punishment. No one could endure this.
The Sixth master of the Ming family liked wrestling the most. He was born big and rough, and his personality was also rough. Additionally, he was the youngest son of the Ming family and had always been the favorite of the old matriarch. His feelings for the old matriarch were also the deepest. Today, his mother had suddenly passed away and he was feeling sad and indignant. When he heard Deng Zi Yue's words, he turned around and grabbed a chair and threw it at him!
Deng Zi Yue raised his podao and blocked the chair with a clatter.
The Sixth master's eyes were red, and the muscles on his face twisted. With a sharp howl, he said, "Someone, beat this group of heartless dogs to death!"
The guards and servants of the Ming family had been waiting for these words. During this half a year, they had been oppressed by the Overwatch Council until they could barely breathe. No matter how much they tried, they could not protect themselves. Today, even the old matriarch had been forced to death. Looking at the Overwatch Council officials present, it was like looking at evil dogs that had broken into their own home. They were afraid that they would not be ruthless. Everyone let out a cry, picked up their weapons, and charged forward, giving a flurry of attacks.
From the moment he learned of the old matriarch's death, Deng Zi Yue knew that the matter was about to get out of hand. He had his subordinates prepare for battle. Although the battle was sudden, they were not caught unprepared. The people around them formed a small defensive circle and pulled out the podao at their waists to fight.
For a moment, only the sound of wind could be heard, only the light of knives and the shadow of swords could be seen, and occasionally, a wretched cry accompanied by the terrified screams of the Ming family women. Ming Garden was very lively today.
There were many people in Ming Garden, and there were indeed a few ace instructors among the private soldiers. As soon as they met face to face, many people in the Overwatch Council were injured. Fresh blood sprayed out like it was free.
Although the Fourth Bureau was not the most powerful yamen of the Overwatch Council, they were, after all, people who had received professional training. Although there were people injured, there were immediately people from the inner circle who took over. With great difficulty, they maintained the defensive circle and successfully repelled the first wave of the Ming family's private soldiers' attack.
But … how long could they last? The Sixth master was about to go crazy and yelled with all his might.
A light slap rang out.
The Sixth master's face was slapped. He turned his head in shock and saw his older brother's face, which was still sorrowful but mostly angry.
Ming Qingda lowered his voice and gritted his teeth. "You want the entire clan to accompany you in death?"
Without waiting for the stunned Sixth master to reply, Ming Qingda's face darkened and he yelled, "All of you, stop!"
His voice was not very loud, so many people did not hear. An excited flush appeared on Ming Qingda's pale face. He raised his voice and yelled, "Do you want to rebel?"
…
…
After all, he was the nominal master of the Ming family. Particularly after the old Ming matriarch's death, the word "nominal" could be removed. Thus, with Ming Qingda's order, all of the Ming Garden thugs stopped and retreated.
The crowd opened up a path. Ming Qingda walked coldly along this path until he was in front of the people of the Overwatch Council.
The master of the Ming family looked coldly at Deng Zi Yue like he was looking at a vicious dog waiting to die.
Deng Zi Yue did not show any weakness. He smiled coldly and said, "Master Ming, you asked a good question … are you really preparing to rebel?"
Ming Qingda's gaze carried a glimmer of desolation and disdain, but he still did not say anything. How could the Ming family respond at this time? Kill the 40 Overwatch Council officials in front of them? Then, without waiting for an edict from Jingdou, Sir Fan junior, sitting in Suzhou, as well as Governor Xue, could mobilize troops at any time to destroy Ming Garden.
But … they had forced his mother to death!
All of this doubt and painful psychological struggle appeared on Ming Qingda's face and fell into the eyes of the Ming family and Overwatch Council officials.
"Big brother!" The Sixth master cried as he rushed to Ming Qingda's side. "Mother has been forced to death. We can't let these lackeys leave alive."
After the people in Ming Garden gradually calmed down, they seemed to be able to understand the sadness and struggle in the old master's heart. The Sixth master was no exception. However, the love between mother and son was deep. How could he endure this?
"The humiliation and pain you have inflicted on the Ming family …" Ming Qingda's lips trembled slightly. His face was pale. He stared into Deng Zi Yue's eyes and said, "The Ming family will return it tenfold … as for today, if you kneel and kowtow to the old matriarch to ask for forgiveness, I will let you leave the garden."
The Sixth master didn't quite believe his ears and anxiously said, "Big brother, we can't just let it go like this!"
On the contrary, it was Deng Zi Yue opposite him who narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. He then said, "Master Ming, you should know that the Overwatch Council kneels to the heavens, to the earth, and to the ruler. We will not kneel to anyone else."
Ming Qingda's brows furrowed. It seemed that his spirit had been greatly damaged by the repeated attacks today. He could not stand steadily. With great difficulty, he held onto the Sixth master's shoulder, but he also stopped the Sixth master's impulsiveness. In a raspy voice, he said, "Then … let us all perish together."
As he spoke, Deng Zi Yue felt that Ming Qingda's gaze on him seemed to be trying to express some hidden meaning, but he could not figure it out.
Ming Qingda sighed in his heart. He had not expected that the Overwatch Council would be so unyielding. In the face of such a dangerous situation, they were not even willing to make some superficial concessions.
The confrontation continued. The situation could explode at any moment.
There were always two clever people among the six masters of the Ming family. Seeing that the situation was not right and hearing their big brother's words of perishing together, they felt a glimmer of fear. As merchants, how could they have the right to perish together with the court? Throwing an egg at a rock, putting on such an appearance would not cause the rock to lose anything.
Furthermore, he was not the old Ming matriarch's own flesh and blood. Why should he pay with his life? Thus, the Second and Third Ming masters surrounded him with impassioned and sorrowful expressions on their faces. They leaned close to Ming Qingda's ear and spoke quietly. They advised the old master to prioritize the lives of tens of thousands of people in the family and to temporarily endure. When it came time to avenge the old matriarch, they had to plan slowly.
Ming Qingda had personally killed the old matriarch, so he already had a guilty conscience. The paleness on his face was not purposely faked. In such a situation, he had to act as if he had an irreconcilable enmity with the Overwatch Council and could not coexist. At this moment, with the Second and Third Ming masters coming out to persuade him, his heart felt slightly more at ease. He put on an expression of struggle and pain.
After an indeterminable amount of time, they suddenly heard a clamor outside the garden. Immediately following it was the sound of horse hooves. Countless people and horses had charged in.
Ming Qingda's heart trembled. He thought to himself that the Overwatch Council's Black Knights were clearly still in Jiangbei. It was impossible for them to have charged into the garden at this moment. Who were the newcomers?
…
…
Thousands of soldiers galloped in on horseback. Long spears stood in great numbers. The military might was impressive. Immediately, they separated the Ming Garden's private soldiers from the Overwatch Council officials. For a moment, dust gradually rose, and the atmosphere was imposing.
The people who came were the provincial soldiers the Jiangnan governor had sent over. Using an urgent order, they rushed quickly and finally arrived before the disaster happened. They stood between the two groups of people with swords drawn and bows drawn.
The leader was a general. He already knew what had happened. With a serious expression, he said something to Ming Qingda. He had wanted to go in and pay his respects to the old Ming matriarch, but he knew that Ming Garden had not been set up yet. Furthermore, the old Ming matriarch had died too … well, he could only give up.
Following the provincial soldiers into the garden was a member of the Qinian Unit of the Overwatch Council. He moved closer to Deng Zi Yue's side and told him the two sentences the commissioner had said.
Deng Zi Yue was startled for no reason. He thought that it would not be a problem to retreat. With thousands of provincial soldiers here, even if the Ming family wanted to act, they would not have the ability. The problem was, wouldn't this confirm the matter of the Overwatch Council hounding the old Ming matriarch to death? He didn't quite understand what Fan Xian was thinking. The best response right now was clearly to bring in the Black Knights and use this as an excuse to destroy the Ming family.
However, the arrival of the provincial soldiers protected the lives of the Overwatch Council officials and prevented the possibility of the Black Knights massacring the garden.
As for the cause of the old Ming matriarch's death that Deng Zi Yue had long suspected … only the Suzhou government had the right to investigate. The Overwatch Council did not have this right. Furthermore, the government officials in Jiangnan were all people of the Ming family, so it was impossible for them to find any problems. Thus, he became more and more confused. How exactly did the commissioner arrange this? Were they still going to capture housekeeper Zhou? Were they going to allow this matter to continue developing like this?
— — —
In the depths of spring, Suzhou was wrapped in silver.
It was not snow, but it was colder than snow.
Almost all of the Suzhou people wore mourning clothes. The snow-white strips of cloth were like icy imperial edicts, narrating the old Ming matriarch's benevolence and achievements toward the Jiangnan people.
The news of the old Ming matriarch's death spread throughout Jiangnan in almost a night. The specific circumstances of her death were passed around from different people's mouths and became more and more bizarre.
Regardless of which version of the news, the spearhead was pointed at the Overwatch Council. The anger of the people began to accumulate, but they could not find an outlet to vent it at the moment. The Overwatch Council yamen had always been secretive, so there was temporarily no heroic scene of tens of thousands of people closing their doors to demand justice. As for the Hua Garden where the imperial envoy was, there was a heavy guard. The people did not have the courage to demonstrate for now.
Thus, everyone could only wear mourning clothes and use the grief and anger on their faces and the bitter curses of the marketplace to express their silent protest. This was directed at the Overwatch Council and also at Sir Fan junior.
The old Ming matriarch's mourning hall had not yet opened, so the officials and nobles who had come from various places to offer their condolences were temporarily staying in Suzhou.
All of Suzhou was enveloped in a cold atmosphere, completely different from the spring scenery around it.
However, Fan Xian did not care about this. His skin was thick enough, his heart was black enough, and his spirit was strong enough to watch the scene of the city in mourning as if it were a movie from his previous life. As for the curses directed at him in the open and in the dark, he could completely ignore them.
He sat on the top floor of the Suzhou branch of Xinfeng Restaurant and was only worried about Haitang. That day, Haitang had gone to capture Mr. Zhou of the Junshang Conference for him and still hadn't returned. He didn't know if she was in any danger.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help smiling self-mockingly. The only people in this world who could harm Duoduo were those Great Grandmasters. He picked up his bowl and slurped down a few mouthfuls of noodles. He sighed with satisfaction and then said, "Master Ming, I've been tricked badly by you this time."
Ming Qingda knelt by his side and repeatedly kowtowed. In a fawning voice, he said, "Sir's thoughts are as agile as the long river, and your aura is as lofty as a mountain. How could you care about these little winds around you?"
…
…
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