Chapter Twenty-One Aftermath

  Fang Ming returned to the crossroads, heard the yinbing report, and learned that no one was going out. After all, it's a stormy day, who would go out now? Sending someone to guard is just in case!

  Before long, Wang Liu came to report back, Fang Ming was overjoyed, and looked back at Qingxi Village, saying: "Not long from now, we will move here..."

  This is what he has accumulated in the ancestral hall for many years, and the incense wish power is swept away. Even if the village wants to establish an altar, it must start from scratch, which is a lot of trouble. Moreover, the newly established altar can have how much auspiciousness, Zhang Huai Zheng has been destroyed, and for the time being, he cannot find the ancestral spirit to worship.

  The lonely ghosts and wild devils around the village will definitely take action when they get the chance. If Fang Ming withdraws his dark troops from each village, the village will immediately become a chaotic dance of demons. At that time, apart from worshiping the land god, is there any other way out?

  His subordinates didn't understand his intention for a moment, but still congratulated him: "Congratulations, sir!"

  Fang Ming looked at the respectful appearance of his subordinates, and thought that this trip was going smoothly, and the county's reaction had also been prepared. For a moment, he felt a great sense of relief, looking into the distance, muttering to himself: "It's just a little wind and rain!"

  Inside the temple, Zhang San knew nothing about what had happened. The heavy rain poured down, and naturally no one would come to worship. He also stole a leisurely half-day life, bought some small wine and snacks, went back to his own room to drink alone, and soon became drunk, stumbled back to the bedside and fell asleep.

  At the moment when Po Village was broken, he also felt flustered, but with the intoxication still not cleared, he lay down for a while again. When Zhang Qingyun was killed, Zhang San often worshiped and recited incantations, feeling sympathetic. At this time, his heart was in turmoil, and he couldn't lie down anymore. Without even putting on clothes, he rushed to the main house with half of his chest exposed.

  This sight was like a basin of cold water poured over his head, making him break out in a cold sweat and losing all interest in the wine. He saw that Zhang Qingyun's ancestral tablet on the offering table had cracked more than halfway through. As soon as he came in, a gust of wind blew up, causing the tablet to shatter completely and fall to the ground.

  Zhang San's legs went soft at this time, he had been in charge of the ancestral hall for many years and knew what it meant. He was stunned for half a day before finally jumping up, not caring about the heavy rain outside, stumbling and staggering towards Zhang's house, muttering to himself: "Disaster, disaster..."

  Arrived at the Zhang's house, he found it was also in a state of chaos. Many people were not wearing rain gear and were rushing in and out of the gate with anxious expressions. He reported his intention to see the master, but after waiting for a long time, there was still no response. Finally, he grabbed hold of a familiar servant and asked: "I have an urgent matter, I request to see the master, why is it taking so long without any response?"

  That little fellow wiped his rain-soaked face and saw that it was familiar Zhang San, so he whispered: "What else do you want to see? The old master is gone!"

  "Ah!" Zhang San was shocked, having just seen the old master a few days ago, how could he be gone so suddenly.

  The young servant looked around, seeing no one was paying attention, and continued: "I heard it was a sudden illness, he collapsed in the study and died on the spot. They just called Dr. Chen, who said it was a heart attack, and he had been dead for some time..."

  Zhang San was taken aback for a moment, but still said: "Who's in charge? I want to see the lady!"

  The little servant hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Is there anyone else? Zhang the housekeeper, that is! It's you, what's going on, tell me, I'll also report to him. If it's something minor, then go back early, the mansion is in chaos, who will care about you?"

  Zhang San whispered a sentence in Xiao Shun's ear, and at first, Xiao Shun didn't quite catch it. He said: "What... speak louder, the rain is so heavy!"

  He said it twice, and finally heard clearly. The little servant's face also turned pale, which was not the fake one he showed to others earlier, but a genuine fear from the heart. He stuttered: "Don't deceive me, this is...this is...a great disaster!"

  Zhang San's face turned stern as he said, "Who would dare to disturb you at this time? Go and report quickly!"

  The little servant's soul was not at peace, and he responded with a single sound, walking towards the house.

  At this time, Zhang Huai's bedroom was also in a mess. Mrs. Zhang was holding two young children and crying bitterly. Several concubines around her were also gathered together, wailing and weeping. Zhang the steward had just finished dealing with the matters at hand and seeing Mrs. Zhang like this, suddenly felt a headache.

  "However, I must say: 'Madam, please take care of your body. There are many things to attend to inside and out, and they all require your supervision! Especially the young master and miss, they still need your care!"

  Zhang and Zhang Huai Zheng were engaged since childhood, after marriage, although not perfect, but also a harmonious couple with some true feelings, so she cried bitterly. At this time, hearing this sentence, looking at the child in her arms, she was also in tears, frightened and uneasy, then calmed down, stopped crying, and comforted: "Child, don't be afraid, Mom is here!"

  With a surge of energy, her body straightened up and regained some color. Her eyes scanned the room, lingering for a moment on the young concubine who was holding the boy, causing the concubine's body to shudder as she cried even louder.

  "Wait here with the old master," said Zhang, "I'll take these two children to the side hall!" She then dragged the two kids and Zhang the housekeeper to the side hall. "What's going on now?" she asked.

  "Madam, for now, we should first hold the funeral rites for Master, then purchase a coffin, set up a mourning hall, send out obituaries, and after the grand funeral, select a good burial site and choose an auspicious day for the interment."

  Zhang's face flashed with a cold glint, and he said in a chilly tone: "The old master has always been healthy and never had any illness, you also know this. Now that he's gone so suddenly, you're advocating for a quick burial. What is your true intention?" The voice itself carried a chill.

  Zhang Guan's family suddenly knelt down, his forehead knocking against the ground until it was black and blue, saying: "Madam! Lao Niu also knows that Master left in a suspicious manner, fearing that someone had secretly harmed him. But now there is no real suspect. If we report to the county government, Madam, do you know what consequences will follow?"

  Without waiting for the lady to ask, he continued: "When the county officials come down to investigate, if they find that the old master was murdered, the most likely culprit is still someone from the Zhang family. At that time, they will randomly arrest a few people and put them in prison, including you, madam, and young master, who will also be suspected!"

  Seeing the lady's cold smile, he said: "Of course, it must not be done by the young master of the lady. Even if the county doesn't arrest anyone, they have to go through the motions. Once they do, everything has to be settled with a bribe. If the old master were here, it would be fine, but since he's not, the connections in the county aren't very useful either. On the other hand, the Zhang family has been taken care of by the old master and has prospered over the years, so no one in the county is jealous?"

  At this point, Zhang's expression turned contemplative, and a chill crept into the voice of Zhang Guan's household: "Over the years, Master has also made some enemies. Who knows when someone might take advantage of our vulnerable situation as a lone child and widow to strike? If we were to encounter an unscrupulous county magistrate who accuses us of murdering the master of the house, seizes our property, that would be the end of our family! Although County Magistrate Wei has a decent reputation, it's still better to be cautious..."

  "Then, this matter cannot be reported to the authorities and must be privately investigated. I swear that I will definitely get to the bottom of it and avenge my master!" He knocked his head on the ground again, making a loud thudding sound.

  Zhang's eyes sparkled as she thought for a moment, her voice softened and said: "It was I who wronged you earlier, get up!"

  Zhang Guan's family thanked him and stood up, saying: "At present, apart from this matter, there is another important thing, that is the position of the old master! This is the foundation of the Zhang family."

  Zhang's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked: "Isn't this Youyun? Could it be that someone has taken a liking to her?"

  Zhang Guan's family forced a smile and said: "The young master is only eleven years old, according to ancient customs, he will not come of age until fifteen, which is still four years away. This position cannot be left vacant, and there are many people in the Zhang clan!"

  Zhang bit her teeth and said: "Can't we go to the county to smooth things out, spend some more money, let Yun'er take over, at worst, I'll manage it for him first!"

  Zhang Guan's bitter smile grew thicker as he said, "Although the village head is just a low-ranking official, he still governs an entire village, and his position is crucial. If it weren't for Taizu being afraid that officials would become too powerful and uncontrollable, the county government would have to promote him further. How could such an important position be given to the current young master? Aren't you worried about what happened with He Jia's Dian Shi in the past? As for Madame taking charge, to speak bluntly, this isn't a matter of the imperial throne, and there's no precedent for a regent empress dowager..."

  Zhang was startled and knew he had gone too far, so he said: "What do you think we should do?"

  Zhang Guan lowered his head for a moment, then raised it again and had an idea: "Still have to use silver, but not asking the young master to inherit, but want a promise, the new steward is just acting as a substitute, until the young master comes of age, and then return it to the young master. This matter is best put in writing."

  Of course, having swallowed the meat in their mouths, Zhang and Guan didn't have the heart to spit it out again. But with this promise, they had a reputation and a sense of justice. Later on, when competing for this position, it would be straightforward and wouldn't cause much trouble.

  Mr. Zhang nodded, suddenly feeling a bit tired, but still forcing himself to say: "What you said is right, let's do it this way..."

  Just as he was about to say something else, a young servant came in half-rolling and half-crawling, muttering to himself: "Disaster, disaster..."

  Zhang's housekeeper frowned and was about to drive him out, but the little servant saw the lady and the housekeeper, rushed forward, knelt on the ground, and stuttered: "Lady, it's...it's not good, disaster...has happened..." Zhang's housekeeper kicked him and scolded: "You blind thing, what could be bigger than Master's affairs? Get out of here quickly!"

  The little servant was beaten and scolded, but he spoke more fluently, yet his face was still pale as he said: "Madam, housekeeper, Zhang San, who is in charge of the ancestral temple, has come to report that the spirit tablet of our ancestor Zhang Qingyun has shattered without reason. He's afraid...he's afraid something terrible has happened..."

  "What?" Zhang was shocked, feeling a bit dizzy, and rubbed his temples hard before having the strength to say: "You... repeat that..."

  The little servant knocked his head and said: "The ancestral tablet of our ancestor Zhang Qingyun... is gone... Zhang San is outside, madam can go ask him!"

  "I, I want to go and see for myself..." Zhang Shi strongly stood up, the steward who was already stunned beside him also came to his senses, hastily calling over a few maidservants to support him, and sending someone to hold an umbrella. When they arrived at the gate, Zhang San knelt down, crying as he reported: "It was fine yesterday, but when I went to look just now... it's shattered."

  At this time, Zhang also didn't have the heart to listen, and was supported by Zhang Guan's family to arrive at the ancestral hall, entering the main house, only to see that the god tablet in the middle had shattered all over the floor, suddenly everything went black before her eyes, and she fainted.