Chapter 84: Plan
The patriarch of the Ding Clan was an old man in his seventies named Ding Zhize. At that moment, he was resting on a reclining chair in his study with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
Standing before him were Ding Daoxiao and Li Changqing.
Ding Zhize was a fifth-state martial artist. However, due to his advanced age, his combat prowess had fallen far below its peak. Even so, neither Ding Daoxiao nor Li Changqing dared to look down on him in the slightest.
Ding Zhize had once been the left-hand minister of the Ministry of War, and only three or four years had passed since his retirement, so he still held significant influence in the officialdom. In fact, most of the generals in the three military bases north of Spirit Province had been promoted by him.
"How was he captured?" Ding Zhize asked.
"We don't know," Ding Daoxiao replied with a shake of his head. "The followers of the Immortal Dao are usually very elusive and difficult to find, but the Wu and Hao Clans were somehow able to track him down."
"He didn't reveal anything detrimental to us, did he?" Ding Zhize asked.
"I asked him, and he said he didn't say anything about the Ding Clan. However, as a safety precaution, I still demonified him," Li Changqing replied.
"You did well, Changqing," Ding Zhize praised. "Daoxiao, go to Plum Mountain right away and dispose of all the living corpses working in the mines."
"Surely there's no need for that," Ding Daoxiao exclaimed. "The investigation still hasn't reached Plum Mountain yet, and it would be a massive loss if we—"
"You're far too naive!" Ding Zhize reprimanded, cutting him off mid-sentence. "If you think this is the end of the matter, then you're completely underestimating His Majesty and the Demon Vanquishing Department. A follower of the Immortal Dao has just undergone demonification during an interrogation. This incident will surely reach His Majesty's ears, and it won't be long before the Demon Vanquishing Department sends people to investigate.
“He Wenyan needs to hurry up, and you have to assist him. We must dig up all the dirt on Wu Wei and Hao Wen before the Demon Vanquishing Department launches their investigation. All the land they illegally seized, the money they embezzled, the tax and forced labor that they've evaded, the bribes they've given and received... All of their shady dealings must be unearthed. Only then will the grand secretary have grounds to impeach Wu Siqi."
"What about Chu Qiguang?" Ding Daoxiao asked.
"Let the followers of the Immortal Dao deal with him," Ding Zhize replied. "There's no need for us to dirty our hands by getting rid of him ourselves."
"Wu Wei says the grand secretariat has already decided to negotiate a truce and establish trade relations with the wolf fiends. What should we do about that?" Ding Daoxiao asked.
"The grand secretariat can say whatever it wants, but ultimately, trade relations with the wolf fiends can only be established with the approval of the border military bases," Ding Zhize said. "His Majesty is too young and ambitious, so he's easily swayed by these grand and impractical ideas. Smuggling goods across the borders is one of the key economic pillars for the border military bases.
"Without illegal trade, how are the northern military bases supposed to sustain themselves? How could we possibly have nurtured two Dao Comprehension-state martial gods? Right now, the imperial court is trying to take what rightfully belongs to the people. That's a foolish approach, and it will only doom both the people and the empire."
***
Wu Wei, Hao Wen, Hao Yongtai, and Chu Qiguang were in the main hall of the Wu Manor.
"The timing is way too suspicious to be a coincidence!" Hao Wen exclaimed. "They expect us to believe that he just so happened to undergo demonification in the middle of an interrogation? Li Changqing has taken so many bribes from us, yet now he's completely screwing us over!"
"I don't think it would make a difference no matter how much money we give him," Wu Wei sighed. "My fear is that he's already allied himself with He Wenyan and the Ding Clan."
The thought of that three-way alliance left both Wu Wei and Hao Wen deeply concerned. The Demon Vanquishing Department had a fearsome reputation for bringing down powerful clans and officials, and the Wu and Hao Clans certainly didn't have the power to oppose them.
"The Demon Vanquishing Department isn't going to turn a blind eye to this incident," Chu Qiguang said. "They'll definitely send people to investigate how Master Heavenly Secrets just so happened to undergo demonification mid-interrogation. Master Wu, I suggest you send a letter to Secretary Wu, requesting him to apply some pressure on the Demon Vanquishing Department and make sure the people they send won't also be aligned with the Ding Clan."
Wu Wei and Hao Wen nodded in response, but they were still deeply concerned about Li Changqing.
Right at that moment, the steward of the Wu Clan rushed into the room in a panic and yelled, "Master! The Demon Vanquishing Department has detained Young Master Bing!"
"What?!"
"They said that they received a report claiming that Young Master Bing spent money to rally people against the county office, so they detained him for questioning!" the steward frantically explained.
"That's utter nonsense! Bing'er is only twelve!" Wu Wei snapped.
However, that was only the beginning of the bad news that would arrive over the next few days.
He Wenyan continued to send people to remeasure the land belonging to the Wu and Hao Clans, and more and more tenant farmers began demanding justice.
The loudest among them were the tenant farmers who had changed their names and handed over their land to the Wu and Hao Clans in order to evade tax and forced labor. Under He Wenyan's proposed reforms, they would have to pay far less tax than before, so they immediately began fighting to reclaim their original names and recover their land from the Wu and Hao Clans.
To make matters worse, the Ding Clan had already returned all their land. Granted, they didn't have much land to begin with as most of their wealth and labor resources were dedicated to their mines and shops, but nevertheless, this was seen as a significant move by the people of the county.
The tenant farmers became so disgruntled that they surrounded the Wu and Hao Manors. When the two clans sent out their guards to disperse the tenant farmers, the Demon Vanquishing Department swooped in to capture a total of fifteen people from the two clans, including young masters, stewards, accountants, and servants. They claimed that these people were being detained for questioning in relation to the ongoing investigation.
Wu Wei and Hao Wen were also detained by the county office for questioning, and they had only just been sent home when the Demon Vanquishing Department took them in for questioning as well.
On top of that, all the businesses belonging to the two clans in the county town also came under investigation, making it impossible for them to operate as normal.
With the Demon Vanquishing Department, the county office, and the Ding Clan working together, Wu Wei and Hao Wen were reduced to mere playthings, completely unable to resist.
The fiend tax case had also died down as all of the rabble-rousers had already been taken in by the Demon Vanquishing Department.
***
"He Wenyan's doing whatever he wants now because he has the backing of the Demon Vanquishing Department!" Hao Wen yelled furiously.
"The people we sent to appease the tenant farmers have been captured, the people we sent to investigate the Ding Clan have been captured, and even the messengers we sent to the capital have been captured! They're not even trying to hide their intentions anymore!" Wu Wei sighed.
At the moment, the Wu and Hao Clans were completely at the mercy of the Demon Vanquishing Department.
"How about we apologize to He Wenyan and return our land?" Hao Wen suggested.
"That's definitely an option," Wu Wei replied with concern. "We can send people to approach them and gauge their attitude."
