With ample resources, humans multiply quickly.
For a wealthy family like the Zhou clan, many men have multiple wives and concubines, producing heaps of children.
In just a few decades, two brothers could give rise to a family of over a hundred people.
The Zhou clan, with nearly two centuries of history, must have an enormous family, with numerous collateral branches scattered across Dakang.
At this point, the main line where the clan resides is most important, while the collateral branches matter less.
Take Liu Bei from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in my previous life. His ancestors were royalty, but after generations of demotions, by Liu Bei’s time, he was a commoner, reduced to selling straw sandals to survive.
If even royalty could fall so far, the Zhou clan is no exception.
If Master Zhou is just one of many collateral branches, the Bianjing Zhou family might not even know he exists, so Jin Feng could deal with him without too many concerns.
“This Master Zhou secretly controls the Jinchuan county magistrate and is a key figure my brother has been monitoring in Jinchuan. We’ve already investigated him thoroughly,” Qing Mulang said with a smile. “Rest assured, sir, the information is absolutely reliable.”
“If he’s just a collateral branch, where does he get the power to control a county magistrate?” Jin Feng asked.
“It’s not Master Zhou who propped up Magistrate Zhang; it’s his cousin, Zhou Changlin from the prefectural city,” Qing Mulang explained.
“Zhou Changlin…”
Jin Feng felt the name sounded familiar.
Right, Tang Dongdong had mentioned that her enemy was Zhou Changlin from the prefectural city.
“Is Zhou Changlin the biggest cloth merchant in the prefectural city?” Jin Feng asked.
“Yes,” Qing Mulang nodded. “Did you hear it from Dongdong, sir?”
“You know Dongdong’s background?” Jin Feng looked at Qing Mulang, surprised.
“Not before, but since we investigated Zhou Changlin, we naturally learned about the feud between the Zhou and Tang families,” Qing Mulang said with a sigh. “I always thought Dongdong had an extraordinary manner and presence. I never imagined she had such a story.”
Tang Dongdong had aspired to be a cloth merchant greater than her father since childhood, secretly studying the textile trade.
But, like Qing Mulang, she faced the same constraints Dakang imposed on women.
Even though her father recognized her management talent early on, he never let her get involved in the family’s textile workshop.
After her family fell on hard times, Tang Dongdong was stuck in the small Guanjiawan, like a dragon stranded in a shallow pond, unable to use her great abilities.
Fortunately, she met Jin Feng.
Jin Feng wanted to be a hands-off boss, while Tang Dongdong wanted to prove herself. They hit it off instantly.
Once the textile factory was on track, Jin Feng largely stepped back, leaving it entirely to Tang Dongdong.
Tang Dongdong didn’t disappoint. Since taking over, she quickly organized the factory of hundreds into a well-run operation.
Seeing a strong woman like her was rare these days. After learning Tang Dongdong was the factory manager, Qing Mulang felt a sense of camaraderie, like heroes recognizing each other.
But Tang Dongdong was always swamped with work, and Qing Mulang’s training schedule was packed. They rarely had chances to talk, only occasionally nodding to each other at Jin Feng’s house.
It was only through this investigation into the Zhou family, which involved the Tang family, that Qing Mulang gained a deeper understanding of Tang Dongdong.
“Let’s not talk about Dongdong. Back to Zhou Changlin and Master Zhou,” Jin Feng redirected the conversation.
“Zhou Changlin and Master Zhou’s father were full brothers, but Zhou Changlin is far more successful. He’s the biggest cloth merchant in Guangyuan Prefecture and has reconnected with the Bianjing Zhou family. He’s quite resourceful,” Qing Mulang said. “Interestingly, while Zhou Changlin outshines Master Zhou’s father, his three sons are all useless dandies, lacking Master Zhou’s vision, cunning, and tactics. Jinchuan is a key hemp-producing area in Xichuan Circuit, and Zhou Changlin put in a lot of effort to back Magistrate Zhang, but he entrusted this place to Master Zhou, not his own sons.”
“This is too complicated…” Jin Feng scratched his head, annoyed.
He had thought Master Zhou was just a minor collateral branch he could easily deal with, but now he knew Zhou Changlin stood behind him.
The prefectural city was like a modern-day prefecture-level city. Jinchuan County was under Guangyuan Prefecture, which was under Xichuan Circuit.
As the biggest cloth merchant in the prefecture, Zhou Changlin’s influence, while not as vast as the Bianjing Zhou family, was still a formidable force Jin Feng couldn’t afford to provoke.
Otherwise, Tang Dongdong would have already acted against him.
“You’re overthinking, sir. Actually, Zhou Changlin and Master Zhou don’t get along,” Qing Mulang said. “Zhou Changlin doesn’t trust Master Zhou, using him only as a tool to control Magistrate Zhang. Except for twelve years ago, when the Bianjing Zhou family held a grand sacrificial ceremony requiring all clan members to attend, Zhou Changlin has never given Master Zhou a chance to connect with the Bianjing family. He even forbids Master Zhou from leaving Jinchuan, effectively cutting off his path to advancement. Master Zhou knows this and has been looking for a way to break free from Zhou Changlin. His interest in your spinning wheel and inciting the bandits to provoke you stem from this. The Zhou family’s core business is textiles. If he offered your spinning wheel to the Bianjing Zhou family, the benefits they could gain… I can’t even imagine how great they’d be. Such a contribution would be enough for Master Zhou to escape Zhou Changlin and join the Bianjing Zhou family. He definitely wouldn’t tell Zhou Changlin. In fact, Zhou Changlin has grown increasingly dissatisfied with Master Zhou. With your noble title, if you can find evidence of Master Zhou colluding with bandits, even if you kill him, Zhou Changlin won’t stand up for him.”
“This…” Jin Feng’s eyes lit up.
He wasn’t surprised Qing Mulang knew about the bandits’ provocation.
If Qing Mulang could uncover the Tang family’s affairs, it would be odd if she didn’t know about this.
Jin Feng’s mind raced.
Many knew that large bandit groups often had officials backing them, but this was an unspoken rule, not something that could be openly proven.
Colluding with and fostering bandits was, under Dakang law, a crime equivalent to being a bandit. The punishment ranged from exile to the vanguard camp to extermination of nine generations of the family.
Given the Iron Can Mountain bandits’ crimes, beheading would be a light sentence.
The Jinchuan county authorities had been offering bounties for Iron Can Mountain and other bandit groups. The reward for an ordinary bandit was half that for killing a tiger, with higher rewards for mid-level leaders and three hundred taels for the bandit chief.
But everyone knew the real situation. They’d rather hunt tigers in the mountains than take an Iron Can Mountain bandit’s head to the yamen for the reward.
“Mulang, is this your speculation, or do you have solid intelligence?” Jin Feng asked solemnly.
