Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 464: Chapter 433 Expel Him from Chongshan Pass_2

Fortunately, she had a son, which prevented their family from being wiped out.

In fact, the Zhen family of Ping Yuan was a large influential clan in Ping Yuan Province, with its branches almost spread throughout all the State Mansions in the province, arguably the largest clan in Ping Yuan Province.

Zhen Yang represented just a small branch of the Ping Yuan Zhen family, more precisely, she represented the Zhen family from Yan State.

Zhen Yang was able to keep the family property largely thanks to the protection of Tenglong Guard. When Tenglong Guard initially developed maritime trade, it attracted many merchants including Zhen Yang.

At that time, her husband had just suffered a disaster, and many clan members coveted the property of the widow and orphan; to escape their greed, she had to give up most of her property to the Direct Lineage to ensure the safety of her young son.

Although protected by the Direct Lineage, those clan members didn’t dare to rob them openly anymore, but there were still many who wanted to seize their remaining property.

Some wanted to marry her, some wanted to adopt her son, some wanted to tarnish her reputation; in summary, various insidious schemes were directed at her, leaving her exhausted from dealing with them.

As a result, she had to leave Yan State; coincidentally, at that time Tenglong Guard needed a large number of merchants, so she bought a courtyard and started doing business in Tenglong Guard.

Although officially, Tenglong Guard did not enlist these merchants under their command, they indeed provided them with much protection and convenience.

Zhen Yang had a peaceful life thanks to the protection of Tenglong Guard, and she herself was an extraordinary woman who was no less capable in business than men.

Within just five years, Zhen Yang had earned hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in Tenglong Guard. She bought ships and built a fleet, making the Yan State Zhen family one of the leading merchants within Tenglong Guard.

With silver, she could hire more people, employ numerous Martial Artists, and ensure her own safety.

Thus, when Yang Zhenshan went to campaign in Qinghua Prefecture, Zhen Yang took her son back to Yan State, and since then, no one dared to covet her family property again.

Therefore, she felt grateful towards Tenglong Guard and Yang Zhenshan. Yang Zhenshan needed only to produce a document, and she would offer fifty thousand taels of silver.

Yang Zhenshan, dressed in a loose blue robe, entered the hall with hands clasped behind his back. Several people in the hall quickly stood up and bowed, saying, ”Greetings, Marquis!”

Yang Zhenshan smiled and nodded, saying, ”Everyone here is an acquaintance, no need for formalities, sit down and let’s talk!”

”Thank you, Marquis!”

Everyone waited for Yang Zhenshan to sit down in the main seat before they themselves sat.

Yang Zhenshan just tasted a sip of tea and was ready to speak when a Personal Follower suddenly came to his side and whispered, ”Marquis, Zhang Sui Nian is outside asking for an audience!”

Zhang Sui Nian is the Family Head of the Zhang family in Jing’an.

Yang Zhenshan naturally knew why Zhang Sui Nian had come.

What else could it be for, if not for the business of the Zhang family?

During this period, the Zhang family suffered tremendously; their fleet went out to sea and never returned, and all their shops and residences in Tenglong Guard were requisitioned by the Guardian Department.

Wu Chongzhe blatantly showed his intent to obliterate the Zhang family.

Thus, the Jing’an Zhang family suffered colossal losses, almost as if they had gone back to the pre-liberation period.

All the businesses they operated in Tenglong Guard over the years were lost, now only the properties in Jing’an Prefecture remained.

However, if without the support of Tenglong Guard, their properties in Jing’an Prefecture would also be hard to maintain.

Although Tenglong Guard could not reach into Jing’an Prefecture, a single word from Wu Chongzhe would be enough for the merchants there to squeeze out the Zhang family, and Wu Chongzhe might not even need to speak; a mere expression of his stance would suffice.

Now that Wu Chongzhe had made his stance clear, it placed the Zhang family in a life or death situation.

As to why Wu Chongzhe did this, it was not difficult to understand.

Although Tenglong Guard was divided into Four Guards, it was still unified, and since Yang Zhenshan had entrusted him with Guard City, he naturally had to maintain its prosperity.

And what happened?

He had just taken office, and the Jing’an Zhang family had turned to support the Liaodong Ship Department. If he ignored this, wouldn’t other merchants of Tenglong Guard follow the Zhang family to join the Liaodong Ship Department?

And once all the merchants moved to Liao’an, how could the prosperity of Tenglong Guard continue?

Thus, to protect Tenglong Guard, Wu Chongzhe must kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.

This was not only his stance but also the stance of Yu Tonghai, Han Cheng, and Zhang Yuanwu.

As for whether acting this way would make him appear ruthless and heartless!

Don’t joke about it.

Wu Chongzhe has never been a good person.

Not just him, Yu Tonghai, Han Cheng, Zhang Yuanwu, and others like Xie Yuan, Song Dashan, are all literal killing gods on the battlefield; saying they are ruthless is actually a compliment to them.

Don’t be fooled by their utterly respectful and compliant demeanor in front of Yang Zhenshan; in reality, each one of them is like a ferocious deity.

”Drive him out of Chongshan Pass.” Yang Zhenshan said indifferently.

Zhang Sui Nian’s brain really isn’t working; does he think he can meet the Marquis Jing’an whenever he wishes?

A county magistrate whose family is ruined, a magistrate whose house is destroyed.

In Chongshan Town, Yang Zhenshan dares to exterminate the families of magistrates and county magistrates.

A merchant really isn’t worth Yang Zhenshan’s concern.

He is kind to people and never looks down on merchants, but he will not indulge a merchant like the Zhang family who does not appreciate what’s good for them.

”Yes!” the personal follower answered, then withdrew from the hall.

The few people in the hall exchanged looks, holding their breath in concentration, not daring to ask further.

Being able to sit here proves their minds are sound; the one with the unsound mind is currently being gagged and thrown out of Chongshan Pass.

”Gentlemen, I invite you here today because I would like to conduct business with you!” Yang Zhenshan said cheerfully.

”Marquis is willing to patronize us; it’s our fortune!” Wang Zhenze said, his face full of flattery.

The last time when issuing bonds, Yang Zhenshan also mentioned doing business with them.

At that time, some of them were skeptical about the bonds, but later they found the bonds to be an excellent asset, warmly welcomed by the officials and soldiers within Chongshan Pass.

Some were even willing to pay extra to purchase them, with the highest offering a ten percent markup.

Because of this, they regretted not buying more bonds at that time.

In just a few days, they could make a profit of ten percent by simply reselling, without any cost or risk; they couldn’t help but regret missing such a good deal.

Now that Yang Zhenshan wants to do business with them again, they immediately perked up, waiting for his proposition.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and called towards the door, ”Bring them in!”

Subsequently, several personal followers carried in piece by piece of glass ornaments into the hall.

Seeing piece by piece of exquisite glass ornaments, Wang Zhenze and others all revealed astonished expressions.

Yang Zhenshan ignored their astonishment and casually picked up a foot-long paperweight.

This paperweight was crystal clear, almost flawless, adorned with a plum blossom pattern, and it even had a poem engraved on it.

”These are glass products, paperweights, water bowls, pen holders, pen racks, pen washes, flower vases, ornaments, etc!”

Yang Zhenshan, pointing at each glass product with the paperweight, said cheerfully: ”This paperweight in my hand, a pair costs only eighty taels of silver, this pen wash forty taels, this flower vase is a bit large, let’s say sixty taels, this pen rack is quite complex, one hundred and twenty taels isn’t too much, right?”

”And these ornaments, the large ones seven to eight hundred taels, the small ones thirty to fifty taels!”

”Gentlemen, do you think this business is doable?”

He didn’t play coy but directly stated the prices.

The pricing of these glass products is based on the difficulty level of their production.

Among them, ornaments are the most challenging to make as they involve figures of Buddha, Kwan-yin, auspicious animals, and other intricate items.

As for something like this paperweight, it’s straightforward internally, only having a pattern on the surface, and it’s also colorless; it can be completely produced using a mold.