Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 415: Chapter 401: Busy as a Marketplace

“Dad, I miss you so much!” Yang Yunxue’s eyes were slightly red as she looked at Yang Zhenshan with deep affection.

Yang Zhenshan laughed heartily, “You girl! Qingping is already so big, and you still act like a little daughter.”

Yang Yunxue also felt that she had acted a bit overly, her face blushing like a peach.

Afterward, the father and daughter exchanged some heartfelt words. Although they had not seen each other for several years, the family bond was ingrained in their blood, and there was no sense of strangeness upon meeting again.

Yang Yunxue seemed especially playful and naive in front of Yang Zhenshan, showing none of the demeanor expected of a mother.

Liang Jinyan sat next to her, maintaining a gentle smile, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at Yang Yunxue.

Little Qingping initially felt quite unfamiliar but soon became acquainted with Yang Zhenshan, sitting in his lap and asking various questions.

This little fellow’s curiosity seemed particularly strong, as he had endless questions.

However, being still young, he soon became sleepy after talking for a while, and Yang Yunxue could only take him to rest first, leaving only Yang Zhenshan and Liang Jinyan in the hall.

“How is your post at the Military Department of South City?” Yang Zhenshan seized a rare chance to chat leisurely with his son-in-law, inquiring about Liang Jinyan’s work.

Two years ago, Liang Chu had secured a position for Liang Jinyan at the Military Department of South City as vice Commander, a Standard Seventh Rank official post.

The Military Department was responsible for patrolling and catching thieves in the Capital City, managing streets, ditches, prisoners, fire bans, and other matters.

Traditionally, positions in the Military Department were held by sons of nobles.

These children of nobility, though born into wealth, often lacked hereditary titles, so they would seek unimportant positions.

The capable ones joined the army to build their achievements through their abilities.

Those less capable relied on their families to arrange a nominal position for them; though lacking real power, it was still considered a public office, ensuring they were not idle.

Among the nobility, positions in the Military Department were highly sought after; although Commanders of the Military Department were just Standard Fifth Rank, it was an influential government office within the Capital City.

Without Liang Chu commanding the imperial guard and the influence of the Changping Marquis Mansion, securing a position at the Military Department for Liang Jinyan would not have been certain.

In fact, Liang Jinyan was quite capable, excelling both in literature and martial arts. Presently at the Postnatal Second Layer, his cultivation placed him among the top of noble children.

“It’s okay, my daily routine is quite relaxed, aside from patrolling, there aren’t many official duties!” Liang Jinyan said.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly.

The Military Department had many responsibilities, but there were many government offices within the Capital City, with the imperial guard managing city defense and Shuntian Prefecture Government handling public security. Although the Military Department had various duties, it mainly served to plug gaps in collaboration with Shuntian Prefecture Government, lacking major official tasks.

Father and son-in-law chatted casually, and as evening approached, Yang Yunxue showed no intention of leaving but instead started arranging for the servants to cook.

“Don’t you plan to go home, girl?”

“Dad, this is my home!” Yang Yunxue said.

“Now you are a daughter-in-law of the Marquis Mansion!” Yang Zhenshan felt somewhat helpless.

He didn’t want to rush Yang Yunxue away, but a married daughter is like water thrown out; returning to her parental home had to be within the bounds of propriety, and the Marquis Mansion’s rules were strict, not allowing Yang Yunxue to act recklessly.

“Dad, it’s okay, my grandparents have already agreed to let Yunxue stay at the Yang family home for a few days!” Liang Jinyan helped Yang Yunxue out of the situation.

Hearing this, Yang Zhenshan did not say more.

Since both Liang Chu and Liang Lin Shi had agreed, he naturally had no reason to disagree.

With his daughter by his side to take care of him, Yang Zhenshan felt quite content.

The night passed without incident, and the next day the Yang Mansion was bustling.

Right after the morning court, Lu Wenquan came to visit.

Before Lu Wenquan had left, Zhao Yuan arrived.

Subsequently, Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, and other members of the Yang family came by one after another.

For a time, the originally quiet Yang Mansion became extraordinarily lively.

Lu Wenquan had changed quite a bit; the once immature young boy was now filled with the authority of a superior, not even thirty yet, but appearing exceptionally composed and substantial.

As for Yang Mingwu and the others, Yang Zhenshan had previously met them in Chongshan Town on the West Road, but at that time, he had only met Yang Mingwu and Yang Chengze.

Yang Chengxu and other members of the Yang family had tasks at the time, and Yang Zhenshan did not meet them.

Now that the imperial guard had returned to the Capital, and Yang Mingwu and others just returned from their deployment, they were at their leisure, 目前后天七层的修为immediately gathering to visit Yang Zhenshan upon learning of his return to the Capital.

Over the years, Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, and Yang Chengxu had good developments in the Fenwu Camp; Yang Mingwu being one of the three commanders in Fenwu Camp, commanding three thousand soldiers, while Yang Chengze and Yang Chengxu were thousand commanders.

From the rank of the post, the commanders of Fenwu Camp and the thousand commanders seemed not high, but the positions in the twelve group camps were actually two ranks higher than those in the border army.

Commander of Fenwu Camp was Standard Third Rank, and thousand commander was Standard Fourth Rank.

Compared to them, Zhao Yuan was somewhat behind; previously, he was already Commander at Jianning Guard, but after joining Fenwu Camp, he became an officer in the Central Army, shifting from a military officer leading troops to military administrative officer.

Although in rank, Zhao Yuan was Standard Third Rank like Yang Mingwu, he no longer commanded the troops.

The reasons were twofold: one, Zhao Yuan had always been skilled in military administration and logistics, and two, Zhao Yuan’s cultivation had lagged behind.

Up until now, Zhao Yuan was only at the Postnatal Fourth Layer, which made it impossible for him to hold significant military leadership positions within the imperial guard.

By contrast, Yang Mingwu now had the cultivation of the Postnatal Seventh Layer, and both Yang Chengze and Yang Chengxu had reached the Postnatal Sixth Layer.

Thus, Zhao Yuan’s falling behind was somewhat inevitable.

Reunited with Yang Zhenshan, Zhao Yuan appeared much more restrained.

Times had changed.

Previously, Yang Zhenshan and Zhao Yuan held similar official positions and always referred to each other as brothers.

However, now that Yang Zhenshan has become the General of Chongshan Town and is about to be ennobled, their statuses have become vastly different, making Zhao Yuan inevitably feel a greater sense of reverence towards Yang Zhenshan.

Nevertheless, Yang Zhenshan still showed great closeness to Zhao Yuan, who had helped him a lot and taken good care of him over the years.

Yang Zhenshan always remembered Zhao Yuan’s friendship and naturally did not put on airs of superiority.

After chatting casually for a while, they quickly became familiar with each other again.

“Haha, Brother Yang, I’ve heard of your military exploits, tsk, the battle at Ru River docks truly shocked the world!”

In the hall, Zhao Yuan excitedly said.

Lu Wenquan, Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, and others were also sitting in the hall, chatting leisurely with Yang Zhenshan.

“These were just some petty villains, nothing worth mentioning!” Yang Zhenshan modestly said.

However, his modesty was somewhat boastful.

People like Ye Changkai who are well-known experts in the worldly society are not mere small fries.

“Now everyone is saying that Brother Yang is the top figure below the Innate Realm,” Zhao Yuan said.

Yang Zhenshan slightly shook his head, “Such a title is not a good one at all; I really don’t care about these!”

“True, with your current cultivation and status, Brother Yang naturally wouldn’t take these empty titles to heart!” Zhao Yuan agreed.

As the two were speaking, Yang Mingwu suddenly asked, “General, will you stay in Chongshan Town in the future?”

Yang Zhenshan looked at him in surprise and thought for a moment before responding, “I should be staying in Chongshan Town for the next few years. As for the future, that depends on the needs of the court!”

Chongshan Town had just experienced turmoil, and it definitely required him to stabilize the town’s situation in the short term; the court probably wouldn’t reassign him at this time.

“Would this subordinate still be able to follow the General?” Yang Mingwu looked at Yang Zhenshan with eyes full of hope.

Not just him, Yang Chengze and Yang Chengxu also wore hopeful expressions.

Only after leaving Yang Zhenshan did they realize the benefits of being by his side.

Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu were among the earliest Yang family members who followed Yang Zhenshan, but as Yang Zhenshan got reassigned, they had all left him and followed Zhou Lan.

By now, although they held not insignificant official ranks and statuses within the imperial guard, deep down they felt that serving in the imperial guard was not as comfortable and promising as following Yang Zhenshan.

Their careers had stagnated after several years in the imperial guard.

Not only had their official ranks not improved, but their cultivation had also reached a standstill.

Take Yang Mingwu, for example; although he now possesses the cultivation of the Postnatal Seventh Layer, he can clearly feel the difficulty in advancing his cultivation.

Compared to him, Yang Mingcheng, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Mingzhen, among others, had all reached the Postnatal Seventh Layer.

Keep in mind he is five to six years older than Yang Mingcheng and even more than a decade older than Yang Mingzhen.

Now at thirty-seven, Yang Mingwu had only about six or seven years left in his prime cultivation years. If he couldn’t advance further, he would be stuck at the Postnatal Seventh Layer for life.

Naturally, Yang Mingwu and the others were not content with this outcome; they wanted to advance further, even break into the higher realms, and they had even aspired to reach the Innate Realm.

They clearly understood that if they relied only on themselves, they would likely only achieve the Postnatal Seventh or Eighth Layer in their lifetimes. Even reaching the ninth layer would depend on luck, not to mention the Innate Realm, which they dared not even contemplate.

Thus, they wanted to return to Yang Zhenshan’s side, hoping to continue receiving his guidance.

Well, actually, they needed the nourishment of the Spiritual Spring Water, they just didn’t know of its existence.

Yang Zhenshan wasn’t surprised by this.

In truth, the martial talents of Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, etc., were not high. Their achievements today were solely due to the nourishment provided by the Spiritual Spring Water, which had enhanced their potential and improved their aptitudes, allowing them their current successes.

If it were up to them alone, it was questionable if they could even become martial artists in their lifetimes.

Yang Zhenshan looked at Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, and Yang Chengxu, asking, “Do you wish to go to Chongshan Town?”

“We wish to follow by the General’s side!” Yang Mingwu said.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and responded, “I’ll keep this in mind, but whether it can be achieved, we need to plan carefully!”

Yang Zhenshan wasn’t surprised that the three wanted to stay by his side, nor was he opposed to the idea.

Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, Yang Chengche, and Yang Qinwu were some of the earliest Yang family members who had followed him.

He regarded these Yang family members as both teachers and seniors, with deep bonds formed between them.

Although they had been spread out in different places over the years, they still maintained a high level of respect for Yang Zhenshan.

If possible, Yang Zhenshan naturally wouldn’t mind continuing to support them.

However, times have changed; they were no longer the naive youths of the past but now the backbone of the imperial guard. Moving them from the imperial guard was not an easy matter, and reallocating them to Chongshan Town required thorough consideration.

Chongshan Town belongs to the court, not the Yang family alone; Yang Zhenshan must be mindful of this point.

If in the future, most of Chongshan Town’s high-ranking officials were Yang family members, then the demise of the Yang family might not be far off.

This is no joke.

Thus, Yang Zhenshan had to consider everything carefully.

If he could ensure more growth and strengthening for the Yang family members without arousing the Emperor’s and the court’s suspicions, that would be most important.

Blind expansion without considering the Emperor’s and the court’s stance was courting disaster.

Unless one day Yang Zhenshan could overpower the entire Da Rong with his own strength, he must remain cautious.