Chapter 71

  On this day, before dawn broke, a thick fog shrouded the outside, and a swift horse galloped down the deserted streets towards the Jin family's old mansion. At that moment, the gatekeeper was still asleep, but upon hearing someone knocking on the door, and knocking loudly and urgently at that, he nearly fell off his bed, thinking of all the rumors he had heard in recent days, fearing that the person knocking on the door might be a bandit. However, duty-bound, the gatekeeper hastily ran to ask questions, and as soon as the person outside responded, he quickly opened the large gate, saying: "Second young master, why have you returned at this hour?"

  He didn't say much either, just had someone lead the horse to the stable and hurriedly ran towards the third house.

  So after Xianyi and Jinfenghua got up, the person outside informed them that the second young master of the main house had returned.

  The Second Young Master is the son of the eldest branch, and Jin Fenghua cannot help but see him. After finishing his early meal, he went down the mountain to the third branch. At this time, the third branch was very lively. Although the people from the first branch had not arrived yet, all the old and young people in the third branch were gathered in the hall. The younger generation chattered and talked, while the older generation looked somewhat uneasy. Jin Fenghua entered the door and took a look at the second son of the eldest branch. He appeared to be older than his actual age, with a dark bronze complexion and a slightly pale face, indicating that he had suffered a lot from the sun and rain over the years. The Second Young Master wore short clothes made of durable material, without any fancy decorations. However, wherever he stood, Jin Fenghua could see that this person's foundation was extremely stable, and his eyes were bright and piercing. Even if his internal strength was insufficient, he should still be a good fighter in the army camp. After all, in this era, it was rare for someone to have a complete set of skills from inside out. Most people, like the Second Young Master, relied on brute force and technique to kill. Thinking about the Second Young Master's situation in the first branch, Jin Fenghua understood it well. His older brother was a sickly person with a bad temper, and almost everyone in the family revolved around him. Although the second son had a good body and could inherit the family business, almost everyone in the first branch thought that if the eldest son were not weak, the second son would not be able to take over as the head of the household. Everything in the first branch seemed to have been obtained by the second son for free, so naturally, everyone felt that the eldest son was being wronged, and the second son should respect and protect him. It was likely that even the eldest son himself thought this way, feeling that his younger brother had taken everything away from him. In this case, if the Second Young Master did not leave home to create a career for himself, he would probably not have the heart of a man.

  Xianyi and Second Young Master exchanged a courtesy, thinking that this was actually a good thing. At least the main house had Second Young Master now, so he wouldn't go to the ditch again.

  Jin Chengye also looked at Jin Fenghua, and for this adopted younger brother, he had long heard of him. However, in the military, orders were like mountains, and he was different from his father and uncle, not going to lead idle troops. Whoever wanted to be a real soldier would have to endure winter training in the bitter cold and summer training in the scorching heat. If they slacked off even a little, when the day came to go into battle, they would likely pay the price with their own lives.

  Looking at the young man before him with brows like paintings, Jin Chengye felt that it was somewhat jarring for a big, grown man to look so refined. However, after exchanging a few words with Jin Fenghua, he thought that this adopted younger brother wasn't bad at all. Not only did he have his own thoughts on the current situation, but also had ideas about the people's livelihoods. If he were to enter the imperial court and become an official in the Hanlin Academy, it was hard to say whether he would achieve great things in the future.

  Jin Chengye was different from his family members who didn't understand these things. He had long since realized that if he wanted to stand out, then his family background was only one factor, and the most important thing was himself. Just like in the military camp, because of his family connections, he would have an advantage over ordinary soldiers when it came to good opportunities. But if he took a position but couldn't accomplish anything, then his superiors would absolutely not let him get away with being idle. In the military, you couldn't just pretend to do things; if everyone was slacking off, even the lightest punishment would be severe.

  With the same ambition, both are clever people. Jin Chengye quickly got along with Jin Fenghua, and Jin Fenghua also understood his purpose for coming back. The bandits will probably besiege the city soon, so it's better to take advantage of the military general's kindness and go home early to say something.

  When the people from the main house came over, Third Master let the servants take Big Sister away. The young girls were not allowed to enter; neither was Xian Yi, and even Jiang Shi had to wait in the main house for news.

  "This time the horse thieves, you are also aware of it. Brother Ye took a risk to return early and report back, also wanting our family to make an early plan." The Third Old Master is already quite old, naturally not wanting to leave Heng City, but if he doesn't leave, what if something really happens? How can he be accountable to the two deceased brothers and the ancestors of the Jin family.

  "That's for sure, what if something happens while staying here?" The old lady shouted out first, fearing nothing else but death.

  Mrs. Zhang thought more, looking at the third old man and said: "What about the family business? If we hide for a while, it's okay, but if it takes a long time, let alone the ancestral house, even the things left by our ancestors, we can't take them all with us."

  "Those are just external things, our house is so big, there's always a place to put them. From what I've seen before, bandits usually rob and leave, they won't stay for too long." The old man couldn't help but feel distressed, thinking about those bandits setting foot in his home, he wished he could chop them off, let alone letting these people into the house to take things.

  "Father, Eldest Brother's wife, the others are easy to talk about, but the key is how we will leave." The Second Master stepped forward and said: "Our Jin family has been a prominent clan in Heng City for hundreds of years. If our whole family runs away, it would be impossible for others not to notice. Who knows if there's already someone keeping an eye on us now? If we run, Heng City will likely fall into chaos."

  Jin Chengye actually thought so too, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to come back at this time.

  "Never mind, these days everyone sweeps the snow in front of their own door. What I'm worried about is my shop and the mine at home." Having said this, the old master couldn't sit still anymore, immediately stood up and wanted to go out.

  "Sit down!" Old Lady Zhang scolded, her heart aching for this only son who didn't take after his father. After her husband's tragic death, she was so shocked that she spoiled her son excessively, and by the time she realized she needed to discipline him, he had already grown up. With Second Master also gone, she became even more timid, forbidding him from practicing martial arts and keeping him at home to manage the family's wealth, or playing with the maids in the mansion. As a result, he developed his current spendthrift habits. Fortunately, everything was done within the household, and he hadn't made any mistakes in business outside, but his vision was narrow and he wasn't steady in his dealings, far inferior to Second Master. But what could be done? The young master had lost his father at a tender age.

  The old master clenched his fists and sat back down, after all. The prestige of Old Lady Zhang in the main house was unchallengeable, not even by her own son.

  "There are still many old servants at home, and there are also many years of supporting partners in the store. We can leave, but what about them? Even the slaves in the mine cannot be abandoned, this is the responsibility of the Jin family." The second master saw that the first master had sat down and continued: "Father, our masters are few, but the servants and workers are really not a small number."

  "Then we can only send the women and children away first." The old man looked at Jinfenghua and his own grandson, his son was right, the Jin family in Heng City had been standing for hundreds of years, not just relying on the blood and lives left by their ancestors on the battlefield, but also on the trust and righteousness towards the people. If the bandits surrounded the city, the Jin family would be gone without a fight, which would make others look down on them, how could they face their ancestors? That would be a shame to their ancestors' graves.

  Zhu didn't want to leave her husband, but looking at her young son and the daughter who had just been sent away, she swallowed her words. She was a wife and a daughter-in-law, but more importantly, she was a mother.

  Jin Fenghua didn't think it was a big deal, and the Jin family in Heng City was just for his own convenience. In the future, he would have some help, and besides, he found that Jin Chengye was a good young man to befriend, with a promising future. If Jin Chengye had the intention, Jin Fenghua wouldn't mind mutually benefiting each other.

  However, it was unknown whether Zheng Yixuan would come to Heng City or not. To say that Jin Fenghua didn't want to kill him was impossible - he had imagined himself breaking into the Zheng Guo Gong Fu and tearing him apart many times. But he was also very clear-headed about the fact that this was just a beautiful wish, and it wouldn't be possible.

  Not to mention that his power at this time couldn't surface yet, even if in his past life he controlled everything of Cui Gonggong's, being the second most powerful person under heaven. At that time, he hadn't even fought against Zheng Yixuan, let alone now.

  Now, Jin Fenghua could only endure and wait for the day when he would rise to power, with a legitimate claim to the throne. Even if the Emperor couldn't take down Zheng Yixuan, Jin Fenghua would make sure that Zheng Yixuan would be infamous for generations to come, just like in his past life.

  At that time, he wanted to see how Zheng Yixuan would still dare to wave the flag of justice and usurp the throne of the Sutu family. For this, Jin Fenghua had long been prepared. This dynasty had belonged to the Sutu family for several hundred years, with loyalty to the emperor deeply ingrained in people's hearts. If it weren't for the fact that everyone from the previous generation of the Sutu family was eliminated, Zheng Yixuan wouldn't have been able to sit securely on the throne.

  "It's just that people have to go, and others have to make arrangements, there must be a procedure." Jin Chengye replied: "I am definitely not going, the Horizontal City Garrison is here, military orders are like mountains."

  Thinking of the large camp in Heng City, San Lao Tai Ye also gained confidence. Although there were not many people and horses in the camp, it was still better than having no resistance at all. However, he feared that there would be no orders from above, leaving the people of Heng City staring blankly as the soldiers of Pei Guo arrived, yet no one came to their rescue.

  "Third Uncle, don't worry, General said that even if we risk our lives, we cannot let the bandits take another step forward." Jin Chengye seemed to have noticed Third Old Master's concern and said.

  Mrs. Zhang frowned as she listened, she was absolutely unwilling to let her second grandson take risks, even if she usually spoiled her eldest grandson, the second grandson was still the heir of the main house. As she looked at Jin Fenghua, she felt even more unhappy, why could an adopted son safely leave at this time?