Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Wealthy and Boorish

Lang Zhen’s words were not a threat. There were truly too many examples of runners who had committed wrongful acts being killed outright by others.

What does “imperial authority does not extend past the county” mean? This is precisely it. In the regions below the county level, aristocratic families hold significant sway over discourse.

Many clans could directly decide the life and death of their own members, and even that of their neighbors, forcibly if necessary.

If runners were dispatched and the locals had no choice but to flatter them, they would generally do so. However, if the runners overstepped, the locals might kill them, hide the bodies, and still might not necessarily face any consequences.

If the officials must pursue the matter, what if it provokes a backlash from the local populace? Whose fault would that be?

The face of the intermediate level martial master went through a series of colors – green, red, white, and purple – before he finally, reluctantly turned his horse around and sped away.

But before leaving, he still gritted his teeth and uttered a famous line akin to that of the wolf of fables, “I will be back!”

The response to his words was a chorus of boos and whistles.

Seeing several riders depart into the distance, Feng Jun gave a bow to the Mi family and said with a smile, “Many thanks, Shopkeeper Mi, for your righteous words.”

Shopkeeper Mi was the high-rank martial master; he had brought along two attendants in a hurried arrival.

Shopkeeper Mi waved off Feng Jun’s gratitude with indifference, then quickly said, “I wonder if Mr. Feng is currently available. I’d like to have a private word.”

Feng Jun had always been lukewarm toward the Mi family, but since they had just helped clear the encirclement around him — though he didn’t mind flexing his muscles against the people from the prefectural city, less trouble was of course preferable — he invited Shopkeeper Mi into his courtyard for a detailed talk, and even welcomed him into the living room.

In his living room, there weren’t many sensitive items, but generally, he rarely invited people in for a chat.

He believed it was not about putting on airs; it was simply that there were too many things in his rooms that couldn’t stand the light of day and must not be seen by others.

For that reason, he had to nip such customs in the bud. Therefore, the first to be impacted was his living room, which he did not casually open to guests, to prevent them from getting too accustomed to it and making it hard to control later on.

As for the impression of arrogance this might leave, Feng Jun couldn’t worry about that. To him, establishing and maintaining rules was the most important thing.

However, this time, he felt that the other party must have important matters to discuss with him, so he had invited them into the living room.

Shopkeeper Mi had not interacted much with him, but a casual inquiry revealed how difficult it was to gain entry to Feng Jun’s rooms.

Thus, he was indeed somewhat taken aback by the honor, but fortunately, he did come bearing important news.

The Mi family was in the commerce trade with their main stronghold in Yuanguang Prefecture, but they also had influence in the surrounding areas, including a considerable network in Qingning Prefecture, otherwise, they would not have rushed over immediately after the Soul Capture Spike incident.

Because Feng Jun had refused the one hundred taels of gold from the Mi family, they had been gathering information on all the Gu Family’s businesses in Yangshan.

In truth, the vast majority of the Gu Family’s enterprises were not difficult to investigate as these businesses generally flagged their affiliation with the Gu Family publicly. This was a warning to those who might be looking for trouble: better to conduct business honestly and not covet what should not be coveted.

However, when the Mi family gathered intelligence, they wouldn’t be so superficial. Intending to reciprocate Feng Jun’s kindness, they definitely sought detailed information.

They needed to understand the location, size, profit mechanism, and earnings of each enterprise, and they also inquired about the person in charge, protection forces, personal preferences, social relationships, and so forth…

In short, the Mi family intended to compile a summary of information on the Gu Family’s businesses to present to Feng Jun, with as much detail as possible.

In the course of such investigations, it was discovered that a rice shop belonging to the Gu family in Xiyin City had been in frequent contact with county soldiers and the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office, recently even entering the Magistrate’s residence.

Then news came from the Prefectural Government Office that the Gu Family was willing to offer some funds and provisions to reward the troops, and the Magistrate was very pleased.

Voluntary contributions for military rewards are classic examples of positive energy. Usually, at year’s end, officials would have to gather local big households and try to reason with them, sometimes even resorting to threats and intimidation, to convince them to donate.

The Yangshan Gu Family, being a large clan with innate talents, didn’t care for such coercion — the end-of-year military rewards consisted of one hundred silver yuan, ten stones of grain, and two pigs, whether you asked for it or not.

The fact that the Gu Family was now proactively offering military rewards ahead of schedule delighted the Magistrate. As a major force in Qingning Prefecture, the Gu Family’s initiative set a great example for others.

The Mi family, coming from a mercantile background, understood perfectly that there was no such thing as free love in this world. The Gu Family’s actions must have a purpose, hence they intensified their inquiries.

In fact, collecting various messages from the Prefectural Government Office wasn’t very difficult. Scatter enough silver around, and plenty of people would race to reveal secrets — using government information to make a little extra money was much too lucrative.

So, in the end, the Mi family learned that the Gu Family had reported to the Magistrate that a group of fraudsters was gathering in Zhige County with intentions against the Gu Family’s interests, hoping that the government would intervene to punish the evil-doers and maintain peace and clarity in Qingning Prefecture.

After receiving this information, the Mi family took extra steps to verify its accuracy — passing on false information to Feng Jun would bring disgrace down upon their house.

However, it was precisely because they needed to verify information that they were a half-step slow, and despite hurrying, they still fell behind the Prefectural Government Office by half a step.

The Mi Family could have anticipated that the Magistrate would agree to the Gu Family’s request, but for them to take action so quickly was indeed somewhat unexpected.

In short, Shopkeeper Mi and his group returned a bit late, but he pointed out the main instigator behind the scenes: the Yangshan Gu Family!

After hearing this, Feng Jun lit a cigarette, “Using Official Government to pressure me? Large clans really do have their own ways of playing the game.”

He wasn’t surprised by this situation at all, it was nothing more than collusion between officials and businesses, with each taking what they needed. In the Earth Realm, such things were as common as dirt.

However, the Gu Family, with a thousand years of survival to their name, was capable of utilizing such a tactic, which naturally had its merits.

Feng Jun smoked half a cigarette before speaking up, “Will there be any problems if I kill the Gu Family’s people in the Wonderful Hand Pavilion?”

Feeling regret now? Shopkeeper Mi felt a bit emotional inside: Young and impetuous after all!

But after all, it wasn’t anything serious, and he answered gravely, “There’s no need to worry about this. The Wonderful Hand Pavilion is being suppressed by the government office. As long as you have concrete evidence, the Magistrate won’t be able to say anything. The Gu Family offering some wealth as military provisions wouldn’t be enough to overturn the conclusion.”

However, after a pause, he added, “Actually, sometimes the government doesn’t reason either. It’s best if you get the Tian Family to also contribute more wealth as military provisions to better make your case… It’s just a pity that my Mi Family belongs to the Yuanguang Prefecture, and it’s not suitable for us to get involved in this matter.”

The Mi Family had a branch in Qingning Prefecture, but it was clear that as an agency from another region, they could only symbolically provide some wealth for the occasion. They couldn’t lavish money on military provisions, otherwise, how would they explain it to Yuanguang Prefecture?

“This really is…” Feng Jun felt somewhat speechless, an Otherworld version of a money-driven governance?

If the Tian Family were to lavish military provisions, the bulk of the wealth would, of course, have to come from him. A man must take responsibility for his own actions, and he couldn’t impose any excessive demands on his partners.

But on second thought, a cold smile appeared on Feng Jun’s lips, “Interesting, does the Gu Family really think they can outspend me?”

The Gu Family was considered one of the top clans in Qingning Prefecture because they possessed Innate talents. Not only were their martial strength values extremely high, but their wealth had also reached a staggering level.

With Feng Jun’s current assets, he really didn’t compare with them. A clan of thousands needed to take care of the basic necessities of eating, drinking, defecating, sleeping, while supporting the Martial Artists’ cultivation and the growth and expansion of the clan.

To a similar enterprise in the Earth Realm, they would need assets worth at least tens or even hundreds of billions. The problem of food and shelter was easy to solve, but to develop, to grow, and not to be eliminated by the times, they really needed this much capital.

Feng Jun’s assets had not yet reached ten billion, and compared with the Gu Family, they were not on the same level.

Moreover, the Gu Family had a major advantage: a larger population!

What is the most valuable thing in the 21st century? Talent!

Even if we don’t discuss talent, people are a valuable asset.

In the massive Imperial Capital, once the “sectored” population was expelled, the entire city would be buried in trash. Want to order takeout? Sorry, but the delivery guys are gone, even the restaurants have closed, better stay home and eat instant noodles—if the corner store hasn’t closed down.

This was an even bigger shortcoming for Feng Jun, who was not only severely lacking in manpower but whose paid employees also couldn’t compare in loyalty to clan members.

He had many weaknesses, but regardless, relying on one strength alone, he dared to clash head-on with the other side—behind him stood the support of an entire plane!

When he thought about competing with the other side financially, he really felt no pressure—Let you see how an economic battle is fought!

After thanking Shopkeeper Mi, he called over Tian Yangni and repeated the situation to him.

Upon hearing about “military provisions,” Tian Yangni also felt a bit troubled. As an elder of a clan, he understood more clearly than Feng Jun that a bad start must be nipped in the bud, “The Tian Family can’t splurge on military provisions this year; even if it’s your money being spent… next year will be tough too.”

Feng Jun stroked his chin and looked thoughtfully at him, “Then I’ll ask the head of the Deng Escort Bureau.”

He wasn’t without alternatives. The Deng Family Brothers’ father, before he retired from the Escort Bureau, was also a significant figure and didn’t have too many assets. If one year he whimsically splurged on military provisions, it wouldn’t be indefensible.

And the next year? Sorry, no more! The Deng Family didn’t have much money to begin with.

How could Tian Yangni dare agree to the Divine Doctor acting this way? If he did, wouldn’t all their previous hard work have been in vain?

All he could do was reply with a wry smile, “There’s still some time before the end of the year, we’re not in a hurry. Let’s first observe how the Magistrate plans to handle this. I don’t believe that the Gu Family can afford to be generous with military provisions year after year… we’ll just wait and see.”

Feng Jun thought it over and felt the same, not wanting to lose his composure before anything even happened.

So he scoffed, “When it’s time for military provisions, I will make the Gu Family regret not dealing with me directly!”