221: Chapter 221 Weakness is the Original Sin

Jinhuai Prefecture.

At the Qian Clan main residence, Ninghe Cottage.

Father and son Qian Ninghe and Qian Handong were playing chess intently when an urgent voice broke the silence.

"Family Head, there is a letter from Liuhe Town."

Upon hearing this, the two lost all interest in their game and set down their chess pieces.

After reading the contents of the letter, the expression on Qian Ninghe's face could no longer be maintained, replaced by a livid complexion.

Seeing this, Qian Handong dared not ask any questions. He set aside his curiosity and stood to the side, remaining silent.

He did not want to court disaster at such a time. He was certainly not going to get scolded.

Unfortunately, his wishful thinking failed him this time.

The next instant, Qian Ninghe threw the letter in his hand directly in front of Qian Handong and roared furiously, "Look at the good work you have done!"

Qian Handong's body trembled instinctively; it was the fear of his father ingrained in his bones.

However, when he finished reading the contents of the letter, a look of disbelief appeared in his eyes. "This... this is impossible... he was clearly dead!"

"If he was dead! Then tell me, why is he in the hands of Prefect Pang Bo? Could this matter possibly be fake!" Qian Ninghe's eyes widened, and he slammed his palm onto the stone table beneath him. The immense force nearly shattered the table, causing the surface to tremble violently.

"This..." Qian Handong wanted to retort, but the words were stuck in his throat.

This matter was executed entirely by him, though the body had been confirmed by his subordinates. Ultimately, however, the mistake happened under his watch.

Looking at the enraged Qian Ninghe, he lowered his head powerlessly.

Seeing this, a trace of disappointment flashed in Qian Ninghe's eyes.

The air pressure between the two seemed to stagnate in that instant.

After a long silence, Qian Ninghe finally spoke. After all, this was his son; no matter how big the mistake or how disappointing he was, he still had to cover for him.

He sighed and said in a deep voice, "Things have reached this point, and I hope you remember this lesson. In the afternoon, go find Pang Yan and probe for information. I want to see what that old thing, Prefect Pang Bo, wants."

"As for the Elder council, you need not worry about it; I will handle it."

"Yes." Qian Handong dared not look up. He knew very well that he had caused big trouble this time. Even for his father, suppressing this matter would not be easy.

Although Qian Ninghe was the Family Head of the Qian Clan, he was not the strongest person in the Family. There were still clan Elders above him, and to a certain extent, he was also subject to the checks and balances of the Elder council.

The next day.

Jinhuai Prefecture, Mingshui Street.

A team of armored soldiers wielding long blades surrounded the Yin Clan compound.

The leader was a captain, his body exuding a murderous aura. His gloomy eyes swept over the members of the Yin Clan.

Everyone he swept his gaze over could feel a powerful sense of oppression. This was the unique aura of a Five-Viscera Martial Artist.

The members of the Yin Clan dared not meet his gaze and lowered their heads one after another. Only one middle-aged man walked out from among them.

The middle-aged man wore a plain robe of dark-patterned cloud brocade, his black hair tied with a jade hairpin, his brows knitted firmly, giving him an air of luxury and elegance. The person who came was none other than the Yin Clan Family Head, Yin Zhengyuan.

Upon learning that they were surrounded by government soldiers, Yin Zhengyuan had rushed out from the inner courtyard. When he saw that the leader was a captain, his heart sank halfway. But as the Yin Clan Family Head, he had to come forward at this time.

"My Lord, may I ask how to address you? If someone in my compound has committed an offense, my Yin Clan will certainly cooperate fully," Yin Zhengyuan said respectfully.

However, just as his voice fell, the captain did not even look at him. Only a voice like a demon's rang in his ears, "The Yin Clan has privately detained contraband. Take them all away, leave none behind. Those who resist will be executed on the spot."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhengyuan's expression changed drastically. Although the matter of the contraband had not caused a city-wide uproar, every wealthy Family and merchant with even a little status or background had heard of it.

He had thought that the government soldiers were coming with ill intent, but he never expected that they would be implicated in this.

He screamed in terror, "My Lord, you cannot do this. My Yin Clan is innocent; we did not participate in this matter."

"No, you cannot do this."

"My Lord, spare us! We are innocent."

"I am innocent..."

"I will not go, I will not go..."

"Run, run..."

For a time, desperate and sorrowful cries rang out within the Yin Clan compound, and bright red blood stained the ground. Witnessing all this, Yin Zhengyuan felt a wave of sorrow in his heart; his hair disheveled, he screamed frantically.

Meanwhile, the official document lifting the ban on the Jinhuai Branch was formally issued from the government office. The news of the Jinhuai Branch being unsealed spread through the city with lightning speed.

"Have you heard? The Yuanhang Trade Caravan has been unsealed. The matter of transporting contraband has nothing to do with the Pei Clan; it was a private operation by a small Family."

"It was unsealed so quickly. I thought this matter would take some time. This Pei Clan truly has some methods."

"That is natural. On the day of the opening, all the Great Families came to show their support. Based on this alone, the Pei Clan's influence is not simple. It is just unexpected that there are still small families daring to do such things under the nose of the Pei Clan. Their guts are simply too big. Now, they can be considered to be reaping what they sowed."

"Keep your voice down. However, I heard there is an inside story to this."

As the matter fermented, it became a topic of conversation for some people during their leisure time. From then on, the matter of the contraband officially came to an end.

Pei Clan Estate.

Not long after Pei Tianrong left, Pei Qingyun received a letter from the prefectural city. The letter was written personally by Pei Tianquan, and its contents were about the government office's handling of the contraband matter.

Just as Pei Qingyun had expected, Prefect Pang Bo lifted the ban on the Yuanhang Trade Caravan that very day and did not delve into the Qian Clan involved behind Yin He.

The case was ultimately characterized as Yin He and his Yin Clan being the masterminds of this case. From a moral standpoint, the Yin Clan had suffered an undeserved disaster. Yin He was merely a remote branch of the Yin Clan, a distant relative with no real connection.

However, this matter required a scapegoat. The Qian Clan could not be touched, so naturally, the Yin Clan became the scapegoat.

This result slightly surprised Pei Qingyun. He had thought the government office would only deal with Yin He. He did not expect such a large-scale action. Perhaps there was the Qian Clan pushing this behind the scenes.

In this case, the Qian Clan's schemes failed, so naturally, they had to pay a price. It is possible the government office took the opportunity to profit immensely. For so many years, the Qian Clan had never suffered such indignation. Since they could not make the Pei Clan suffer, they needed a punching bag. And the Yin Clan became that punching bag.

At the same time, it was also a show of strength to the Pei Clan. This matter was not over; having offended the Qian Clan, they would sooner or later retaliate. In the end, the Yin Clan was simply too weak, not even reaching the level of a third-rate family. The collision between Great Families, even just the aftermath, was enough to annihilate such an insignificant Family.