Protect Our Clan Leader

It was then that Wang Shouzhe noticed a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl not far away.

She was at the age when a girl first blossoms into a woman, and her hair was neatly braided into two small plaits. She had an oval face, was pretty, and looked very clean and refreshing. She was blinking her clear, big eyes, taking a keen interest in Wang Shouzhe.

“You must be sister Ruolei?” Wang Shouzhe greeted with a respectful bow.

He was aware that the Liu Family’s direct line was thriving in this generation, with Clan Leader Liu Gaowang having two sons and two daughters. His fiancee, Liu Ruolan, was the eldest daughter, and she had a younger direct sister, Liu Ruolei.

What he hadn’t anticipated, though, was that Liu Ruolei would also make the trip this time.

Well, he had recently indulged himself as a junior brother-in-law in front of Chen Fangjie, making Chen Fangjie experience what it feels like to tread on thin ice.

Now, his future brother-in-law and future sister-in-law had both come, it was his turn to tremble in fear.

“Ruolei pays her respects to brother Shouzhe,” Liu Ruolei also promptly responded with an appropriate salute. Her composure was graceful, hinting at the bearing of a lady from a prestigious family she might become in the future.

For now, ‘brother-in-law’ was merely an affectionate term. Wang Shouzhe couldn’t officially be addressed as such by Liu Ruolan until they were married. As the greetings and small talk went on, the housekeeper of the Liu Family led the horses and carriages off the ferry.

Only then did Wang Shouzhe lead them out of Dingpu Ferry.

“Brother, let’s ride in brother Shouzhe’s carriage. This will give us the chance to listen as he introduces us to the local customs and characteristics of Ping’an Town,” Liu Ruolei, tugging at Liu Yuanrui’s sleeve, proposed.

It was quite apparent that Liu Ruolei had a great interest in Wang Shouzhe, her future brother-in-law, and wanted to get to know him better.

Although Liu Yuanrui was not yet sixteen, and still somewhat boyish-looking, he acted maturely for his age. He shook his head and smiled wryly, apologizing to Wang Shouzhe, “Brother Shouzhe, please don’t blame us. My sister, Ruolei, has been spoiled since she was a child.”

“It’s alright. Sister Ruolei’s vivacity is very endearing. Yuanrui, if you don’t mind, why not ride in my carriage along with sister Ruolei?” Wang Shouzhe proposed with a smile. “It’d be good for us to catch up, it’s been a while since we last met.”

“That would be great, I’m also interested in learning some things from brother Shouzhe.”

Afterward, the three of them rode back to the Wang Family’s main residence. The housekeepers from the Liu and Wang families rode their horses, guarding them along the way.

Throughout the journey, the three of them casually chatted while enjoying the scenery outside the carriage, as they snacked on fruits.

Liu Yuanrui was also quite talkative, beginning with the recent pest epidemic and then switching to the relief efforts, and finally, the possible long-term effects it may cause in the future. From the conversation, it was evident that his knowledge and understanding in many areas were quite solid.

There were a few ideas Wang Shouzhe disagreed with, but that didn’t prevent him from forming a good impression of his future brother-in-law. He thought the Liu Family had brought him up well, something that couldn’t be compared with families like the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan.

Meanwhile, Liu Yuanrui was astounded. He had interacted with Wang Shouzhe before, and back then, Wang Shouzhe was a reserved character, not very talkative, and his only respectable quality was his cultivation.

This was also why Liu Yuanrui was initially somewhat dissatisfied with this arranged marriage. He always felt that, considering Wang Shouzhe’s abilities and academic performance, even if he, Liu Yuanrui, couldn’t match Wang Shouzhe, how could Wang Shouzhe be worthy of his sister Liu Ruolan?

But this arranged marriage was set by their Old Ancestor, and as a junior of their family, Liu Yuanrui had no say whatsoever, no matter how dissatisfied he was.

To his surprise, Wang Shouzhe, his future brother-in-law, had undergone an earth-shaking transformation after just one or two years. His behaviors and speeches showed maturity and steadiness, and his demeanor exuded an immense sense of self-confidence.

During discussions around some of the current political issues, he was always insightful, with a clear and quick logic, and he could often pinpoint the essence of the issue and hit the nail on the head. Liu Yuanrui found it enlightening and refreshing just to listen to him.

“I admire brother Shouzhe’s insights,” Liu Yuanrui said during the conversation. “But I disagree with your viewpoint that we should not liberalize grain prices. It is evident from the current pestilence that the drawbacks of this policy are significant. How can merchants be motivated to transport grain from afar for sale if there is no profit? As I see it, half of this disaster seems to be a natural one, but the Purple Abode should take responsibility for it, and the other half is due to the wrong policy. I believe that the policy on grain prices may change soon.”

“It’s possible that the policy on grain prices might change, but it would only adjust slightly,” Wang Shouzhe responded, shaking his head. “Yuanrui, you only see the advantages of liberalizing grain prices. For instance, quickly mobilizing grain supplies to settle the disaster during the famine years, but overlook the greed of human nature. Once grain prices are fully liberalized, big sharks will surely enter the game, monopolizing grain production, and manipulating the prices of grains. By then, our small prominent family, countless farmers, and millions of commoners will be played at their mercy, and we will have no control over our own fate.”

“Natural disasters may not happen every year, but man-made disasters can happen all the time,” said Wang Shouzhe, his face showing extreme seriousness. “When handling state affairs and national policies, we can’t just look at some of the drawbacks. Besides, even during the famine years, liberalizing grain prices is also a great disaster. Greedy merchants would ruthlessly strip the last shilling from the commoners’ pockets, and might even force them into selling their property and children.”

“This…” Liu Yuanrui appeared skeptical, but he did not want to continue this debate. So, he shifted the topic. “Brother Shouzhe, is the body of water up ahead Zhuwei Lake? It’s my first time in Ping’an Town. You must take me for a tour of the lake.”

Liu Ruolei had been quiet all along, but as she observed the conversation between her brother and Wang Shouzhe, she could feel the latter’s increased confidence, calmness, and maturity. Most likely, he was right about everything he said.

It seemed that Brother Shouzhe was even more impressive than the rumors portrayed him to be.

However, Ruolei also had an interest in Zhuwei Lake: “I want to go to Zhuwei Lake as well.”

Hearing that both siblings wanted to visit Zhuwei Lake, it dawned upon Wang Shouzhe that the Liu direct line had a unique sentiment towards it.

The second-generation successor daughter of the Wang family – Wang Zhuwei, was married into the direct line of the Liu family, and had two sons and a daughter. Currently, the direct line all descended from her bloodline.

The reason for her elevated status in the Liu family was mainly due to her connections with the three living Spirit Platform Realm Ancestors. One being her son, another her grandson.

Notably, her daughter was even more impressive.

That was – Liu Xuanfu, one of Changning’s renowned beauties, and someone who was said to rival Elder Longyan herself.

According to everyone’s speculation, Liu Xuanfu had progressed smoothly in the Purple Abode Academic Palace and had likely reached the advanced stage of the Spirit Platform Realm. The development of the Liu Clan over these years was profoundly linked to her discreet guidance and support.

Consequently, Grand Aunt Zhuwei had lived a life of luxury and glory in the Liu family. Regrettably, in 3095 Changlong Year, upon hearing the news of Elder Zhou Xuan’s death, Zhuwei was stricken with grief and eventually followed Elder Zhou Xuan in death at the age of 87.

Setting the idle talk aside for a moment.

The carriage proceeded, and they could see the bustling construction site on the shores of Zhuwei Lake.

Liu Yuanrui was getting enthusiastic again: “Brother Shouzhe, you have built so many work sheds, are you planning to construct a fancy villa by the lake?”

Wang Shouzhe chuckled. It was far from possible to build a villa. Although the financial situation of the Wang family had improved recently, spending money on a villa for no reason was simply absurd.

“Our Wang family is preparing for dredging and landfill,” Wang Shouzhe roughly explained the plan. A project of such magnitude couldn’t be concealed, and there was no need to hide it either.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanrui was stunned. He quickly calculated the costs involved and was taken aback, “Brother Shouzhe, are you joking? This grand project would demand no less than thirty thousand Qian Gold, not to mention the vast amount of labor and resources required, you, you, you…”

It was no surprise. Such a colossal project could be compared to the remarkable achievements of their ancestors when they were developing new territories. Some Profound Martial families would organize tenant farmers to dredge rivers and fill land in their spare time, expanding the farmstead’s territory.

But all these were minor efforts with limited scales. If a farmstead could extend by dozens or hundreds of acres in a year, that was already considered pretty good.

“For such matters, do you think I would joke? ” Wang Shouzhe’s expression was solemn.

Liu Yuanrui felt a shiver running through his body and his expression turned complex. Even though he maintained a humble demeanor, deep down, he harbored some sense of superiority. He had always thought his sister, Liu Ruolan, was sure to marry down to Wang Shouzhe.

However, to his surprise, Wang Shouzhe unintentionally shattered his sense of pride bit by bit. Whether it was in personal talent and vision, behavior and conduct, or thinking ability, he felt somewhat inferior.

On the other hand, the power of Liu family was a source of his superiority.

Unexpectedly, the Wang family had embarked on such a large-scale development plan. Such a massive project, involving thousands of people and costing tens of thousands of Qian Gold, was not something even the Liu family could undertake easily.

“Brother Shouzhe is only two or three years older than me,” Liu Yuanrui felt a mixed sense of admiration and bitterness. Having taken control of the family business at such a young age, initiated such a massive project, and laying a solid foundation for the family, he was on a whole different level compared to Liu Yuanrui.

Not to mention Yuanrui, even if it were his brother, Liu Yuanhui, the current Young Clan Leader, it would be hard to measure up to him.

“Brother Shouzhe is so impressive,” Liu Ruolei was all bright eyes and admiration, “You are indeed much stronger than my little brother who only knows armchair strategizing.”

Liu Yuanrui’s face darkened. Although Brother Shouzhe was indeed extraordinary, Ruolei, you didn’t need to belittle your own brother, did you?