The old Guardian expressionlessly nodded towards the outside of the ancestral hall.
The mahjong game in the ancestral hall continued. As Tang Thirty-Six drew, played, ate, and touched his cards, he constantly talked.
Out of every two or three sentences, one would be an order, an order to the entire Tang clan.
His orders were extremely clear and precise, so clear that even the stupidest of subordinates knew what their mission was, down to which table and which drawer in which room.
As his voice echoed through the ancestral hall, the other three people at the table grew more and more solemn, the old Guardian narrowing his eyes. Whether it was the old Guardian, the other three people at the mahjong table, or the steward waiting outside the ancestral hall, none of them had expected that Tang Thirty-Six, who had been imprisoned in the ancestral hall for half a year and cut off from the clan's business by the Old Master for three years, would still have such a clear understanding of the Tang clan's internal affairs.
What surprised the old Guardian the most was that Tang Thirty-Six had a deep understanding of the Tang Old Master's methods of managing the Tang clan, even the most secretive ones.
The Cloud Group, River Hall, and Maple Hall, these administrative divisions of the Tang clan were one thing, but how did he know that the Pine Thirteen Medicine Hall was one of the old estate's Law Halls?
The old Guardian glanced at the three people at the table and suddenly felt that today's matter was rather troublesome.
It seemed like Tang Thirty-Six had randomly chosen three elders from each branch, but the old Guardian naturally understood the deeper meaning.
These three people were not the Tang Second Master's subordinates to manage the Tang clan's affairs, but they privately played an even more important role, as they were the methods used to restrain those managers.
The Tang Old Master had the old Guardian come to the ancestral hall to ensure that in these two hours, if the second branch could no longer endure the pressure and began to counterattack, they could only use other methods, not forceful methods, to deal with Tang Thirty-Six.
Only this way could Tang Thirty-Six act freely.
The old Guardian suddenly realized that both he and the Tang Old Master had somewhat underestimated Tang Thirty-Six.
If Tang Thirty-Six was truly allowed to act without restraint, given his current understanding of the Tang clan, he might not even need two hours to sweep clean the second branch's strength.
When the time came, even if they couldn't find evidence that the Tang Second Master had poisoned Tang Thirty-Six or colluded with the demons, so what?
"You can't kill," the old Guardian warned Tang Thirty-Six. "This is the Old Master's order."
Tang Thirty-Six held a card in his hand and was about to throw it out. He couldn't help but shake his head and say, "How unlucky. Coffin."
With a clatter, the mahjong tile fell onto the shiny black table. It turned out to be an octagonal tile.
Seventh Uncle squeezed out a smile on his face and said, "I won."
Tang Thirty-Six was not dejected at all. He looked at the old consecrator and said, "If we can't kill them, we can torture them, right?"
Hearing the word 'punishment', the faces of the people around the table turned pale.
Seventh Uncle stretched out his hand to pick up the octahedron, but upon hearing this, he froze in midair, looking very awkward.
…
…
In the snowstorm, Wenshui City was still very quiet. All the merchants and ordinary people followed the orders of their clans and hid in their homes.
At some point, many men in the Tang Clan's steward robes began to leave the old mansion, the medicine shop, and many other places. Braving the wind and snow, they headed in a certain direction.
The Bamboo Garden, the Quiet Residence, Hesi, and even the estate of the second branch by the Wenshui River were all surrounded. Countless account books were dug out of chests and cabinets while several dozen stewards and shopkeepers were driven out into the snow. Their hands were tied with very thin straw ropes, waiting to be interrogated or released.
The places being raided were all core businesses of the Tang clan. In the last few years, the Tang Second Master had basically personally managed them, and they had long since been replaced by stewards and shopkeepers who were loyal and devoted to him. These people had very high statuses in Wenshui City, so when had they ever received such treatment? They very naturally began to make a ruckus.
The most intense conflict took place in the estate of the second branch by the Wenshui River.
Even through the fierce snowstorm, stewards and shopkeepers could see the heads of those people sticking out from the other side of the river.
They were probably people from the chief branch.
When they thought about how they had been seen today, the stewards and shopkeepers felt even more humiliated and angry. They began to curse and curse the people who had come to raid their properties.
Under normal circumstances, whether it was the people of the Feng Group or those stewards from the Thirteen Pine Drug Company, which they had only just learned was owned by the old estate, they would never dare to treat them so rudely. At the very least, they would give an explanation. But today, these people seemed to have completely changed their faces, as if they didn't recognize them.
In a certain part of the estate less than two li from the raided study, there was an even more secluded and secluded study.
The windows of the study were made of the most transparent glass. Even though the winter sun was hidden behind the clouds of snow, the room was still filled with light and did not feel gloomy at all.
The Tang Second Master stood in front of the window, gazing at the dancing snowflakes. He slowly opened his mouth and silently laughed.
The recent chaos had caused all of Wenshui City to feel nervous and uneasy, much less the people of the second branch. But he was very calm. Because he had managed the Tang clan for three years, he knew many things, including the two conversations in the old estate and the specific contents of the agreement between his father and Chen Changsheng.
Poison? As long as Chusu could not be caught, there was no evidence, and the Longevity Sect's ten thousand years of resources was only left with this monster of the Yellow Springs, so how could it be so easy to catch? He knew that his father had only been forced by Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy to put on a show.
The truly troublesome thing was that shout piercing through the wind and snow.
I'm colluding with the demons? The Tang Second Master's soundless smile gradually turned cold as he thought to himself, this is truly the greatest humiliation, but also the dirty water that is difficult to wash clean. The Mount Li Sword Sect has actually gotten involved in this matter. Qiushan Jun's shout is truly vicious to the extreme.
"You truly raised a good son," he said to the wind and snow outside the window.
As it turned out, there had always been someone in the study.
The Qiushan clan head had secretly come to Wenshui City a few days ago and had been living in the estate of the Tang clan's second branch.
"To be able to force Second Master to this extent, that son of mine is naturally not bad."
He looked at the Tang Second Master's back, an undisguised gratified smile on his face, utterly devoid of shame or apology.
The Tang Second Master did not turn around, but his voice grew cold. "The matters of your own clan, take care of them yourself."
The Qiushan clan head stood up and smiled. "My Qiushan clan is different from your Tang clan. Although I'm the clan head, my son's words carry more weight than mine. Alas, I originally wanted to help him, but it seems like I've caused him more trouble. It's best if I leave quickly."
After saying this, he really did leave.
As he gazed at the clear footprints in the snow outside the window, the Tang Second Master gradually narrowed his eyes.
He was keenly aware that with the departure of the Qiushan clan head, the so-called alliance of the Four Great Clans had also come to an end.
Truly an old fox.
He was not afraid of old foxes. As a child, he had interacted with all sorts of old foxes.
The problem was that this was the first time he had encountered an old fox as shameless as the Qiushan clan head.
The steward hurriedly entered the study and reported the situation in front of the estate. Then he hesitantly asked, "Should we hide the important things?"
The Tang Second Master replied, "It seems that my eldest nephew has not wasted these past three years. He's already grasped many things. This being the case, how can we hide them? Let them make a ruckus. In the end, it'll just be a farce."
The steward was startled by these words, and then he became extremely confused.
In the view of him and many other members of the Tang clan, even if Tang Thirty-Six was in charge of this search, it would ultimately fail to obtain any evidence. However, this search itself had already illustrated a few very important problems.
The Tang Old Master's trust in the Second Master had already been shaken. And it was very obvious that even though the Second Master had managed the affairs of the Tang clan for three years and appeared to be the master of the Tang clan on the surface, in reality, the Old Master only needed to say the word and some people from the old estate to leave. Wenshui City and the entire Tang clan would still belong to the Old Master.
The Tang Second Master knew what the steward was thinking, knew what everyone else was thinking.
But he did not explain, nor did he feel like explaining.
He only calmly gazed out the window at the snowstorm, silently smiling.
This smile contained indescribable mockery.
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