Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Bamboozling Northern Du Branch

That day, Du Yi Zhi stayed in Zhao De Lane for a long time. In the end, Du Heng personally escorted Du Yi Zhi out.

After Du Yi Zhi left, the usually low-profile Clan Chief of the Northern Du Branch, Du Heng, summoned the section chiefs of all eighteen branches and spoke with them in secret until deep into the night.

Yes, eighteen branches. The Northern Du Branch could not compare to the Southern Du Branch in every way, except for one thing – the Northern Du Branch had people. A lot of people.

That was probably why their already limited resources got split even thinner. Each household had too many mouths, and no one’s heart was truly aligned. That was how the Northern Du Branch ended up this down-and-out.

But Du Heng wanted to seize this chance.

He could not help it. Du Yi Zhi’s offer was too tempting. Du Yi Zhi would bring down the Southern Du Branch, and the Northern Du Branch would take charge. Du Yi Zhi only wanted the Du Clan Chief title in name, and control over the Du Clan’s future direction. The one who truly managed everything would still be Du Heng.

More importantly, Du Yi Zhi promised that if this succeeded, Du Heng’s son, Du Yan Shen, would become a Fourth Rank Prefect for the next two years, just like Du Ming Yi.

A Fourth Rank Prefect…

Du Heng was not stupid. After the first rush of excitement, Du Heng thought it through. How could Du Yi Zhi, someone working for the Princess, possibly pull that off?

Then Du Yi Zhi revealed something. Du Yi Zhi was not working for the Princess. Du Yi Zhi was actually working for His Majesty.

His Majesty had long known that the Southern Du Branch had colluded with a certain Prince. This time, Du Yi Zhi was told to use the excuse of delivering donated supplies for the Princess, and make an example out of them.

The Southern Du Branch was finished.

As for the Prince who had colluded with them, he was still His Majesty’s son. The Emperor could not punish him too severely.

This was meant to show the other Princes what happened when they got too deeply tangled with powerful aristocratic clans.

Du Heng broke out in cold sweat after Du Yi Zhi’s half-true, half-false words.

At the same time, Du Heng felt secretly grateful. Back when the Southern Du Branch latched onto the Capital’s noble ladies, the Northern Du Branch had already fallen so low that the Southern Du Branch did not even want to drag them along.

Otherwise…

In the end, Du Heng believed Du Yi Zhi.

That night, after Du Heng’s secret talk with the other eighteen section chiefs, the other eighteen branches also believed.

Overnight, the entire Northern Du Branch went from a fallen clan to a place valued by His Majesty and entrusted with an important task. Everyone felt a surge of pride, like they were finally going to do something big.

So the next day, the Northern Du Branch threw itself into work. They prepared Sheng Shi Hall’s branch shops in the counties under Ji Zhou, and they moved and escorted the cotton.

The Northern Du Branch’s academy even urged students to go to every county in Ji Zhou and spread the news of cheap cotton.

The Du Clan’s younger men from the Northern Du Branch’s eighteen branches personally went to receive and escort the next batch of cotton that was about to arrive in Ji Zhou.

This, more than anything, was why Du Heng was willing to believe Du Yi Zhi. If Du Yi Zhi was not working for His Majesty, then how could there be so much cotton sold at such a low price? A single Princess could not do this.

What donation cotton?

This was clearly disaster relief cotton.

The Northern Du Branch’s commotion soon reached the Southern Du Branch.

Second Lord Du, Third Lord Du, and several of the Eldest Masters of the next generation could not sit still. They all went to Old Madam Du’s courtyard to complain.

“Has Du Heng gone mad? Did Du Heng even know what Du Heng was doing?”

“Everyone else in the Du Family was also following Du Heng into this nonsense.”

“I think the Northern Du Branch had fallen so far that they did not even have a shred of backbone left. Who knew what benefits Du Yi Zhi gave them, how much silver, for them to work for a merchant like him!”

Third Master Du was especially furious.

Third Master Du’s son, Du Cheng, had his horse beheaded in the street by Du Yi Zhi. Du Cheng’s fever had only just gone down, and Du Cheng had lost several jin of weight.

Third Master Du only had that one precious son. Third Master Du wanted nothing more than to kill Du Yi Zhi, yet the Northern Du Branch was actually helping Du Yi Zhi like this.

“All right, listen to me-” Old Madam Du was a woman, but she always acted steadily. She had even raised a son like Du Ming Yi, so everyone in the Du Family respected her. The moment Old Madam Du spoke, everyone fell silent.

Old Madam Du looked satisfied. “You don’t need to worry about this. I already sent word to Prefect Yan. At the latest, by tomorrow, Du Yi Zhi will be rolling out of Ji Zhou with his tail between his legs.”

As for whether Du Yi Zhi could really leave…

Old Madam Du snorted in Old Madam Du’s heart.

After Old Madam Du spoke, everyone exchanged looks.

Prefect Yan and Du Ming Yi were on good terms. Over the years, with the Southern Du Branch’s help, Prefect Yan had made quite a few achievements in the Ji Zhou prefecture office.

Of course, Prefect Yan had also taken plenty of benefits. Prefect Yan’s position was tied to the Southern Du Branch.

Since Old Madam Du said Prefect Yan would act, they really did not need to worry.

Only Third Master Du still simmered. “Why let Du Yi Zhi leave so easily? Du Yi Zhi was born rotten. Du Yi Zhi’s father was utterly immoral, and Du Yi Zhi was the same as Du Yi Zhi’s father-”

Third Master Du stopped.

Second Lord Du coughed once. Everyone else looked strange.

Third Master Du awkwardly shut his mouth.

Back then, everyone here knew exactly why Du Ming Hao died. But after repeating certain lies too many times, sometimes even the culprit started believing them.

“All right. All of you, leave.” Old Madam Du’s voice turned unpleasant as Old Madam Du drove them out.

Du Ming Yi was the biggest beneficiary of that old incident.

Bringing it up in front of Old Madam Du – did they expect Old Madam Du to share the benefits with them?

Du Yi Zhi did not know what Old Madam Du was planning.

After Du Yi Zhi returned to the residence, Du Yi Zhi told A’Jian to go to the pharmacy and buy fifty jin of medicinal ingredients for treating frostbite sores, and another fifty jin of lard. Du Yi Zhi told A’Jian to distribute them to the newly recruited brothers.

In the past few days, Du Yi Zhi had recruited dozens more people.

Most were hunters from the Ji Zhou prefecture. They did not know martial arts, but they could fight, and they were strong. They were useful.

Du Yi Zhi understood it clearly. Once the big cotton merchants realized the cotton in Du Yi Zhi’s hands was endless, they would not keep waiting patiently.

When that time came, Du Yi Zhi would need these men to guard the cotton.

Du Yi Zhi just did not expect that before the big cotton merchants lost patience, on the very next day, while everyone was bringing new cotton to Sheng Shi Hall, they would run into a group of bandits who did not care about their lives.

“Boss Du, stand behind me!” A’Jian stepped forward first and blocked the way.

“Protect the cotton!” Du Yi Zhi shouted.

But those men were not even here for the cotton. The leader wore a face covering that only showed two eyes. He raised his arm, and a crossbow bolt shot straight at Du Yi Zhi.

A’Jian did not expect the other side to have a weapon like that. By the time A’Jian reacted, the bolt was already right in front of Du Yi Zhi.

“Boss Du-”

A figure suddenly rushed in from the side. The man twisted his body and yanked Du Yi Zhi toward him.

The bolt sank into that man’s back.

Du Yi Zhi froze.

Du Yi Zhi met a pair of honest, simple eyes. “Boss Du was a good man. A good man couldn’t die!”

The thick cotton coat was pierced through. Half the bolt disappeared into the man’s back, and the other half stuck out from his chest.

Du Yi Zhi reached out and touched something sticky. In the next instant, the blood froze onto Du Yi Zhi’s hand in the bitter cold.

By then, A’Jian was already fighting the crossbowman. Everyone else was tangled up in combat too.

Not far away, people from the Northern Du Branch noticed what was happening.

There were also many commoner. When they heard Sheng Shi Hall’s boss was being assassinated, they picked up chunks of snow from the ground and threw them at the bandits.

It did not really injure anyone, but it caused plenty of trouble for the attackers.

With everyone adding fuel to the fire, the bandits were quickly subdued. Some died, some were injured.

A’Jian pinned the bandit leader down, forced him to his knees, and ripped off his face covering with one hand.

A few commoner nearby saw his face and could not help shouting, “H-he wasn’t he one of those horse bandits the prefecture yamen put on the wanted list a few days ago? How did he get out?!”