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Five years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and the story of Great Tang Double Dragons officially began. Song Yuzhi traveled to the Central Plains and encountered Kou Zhong.
Song Lu and Song Zhi had a good impression of Kou Zhong, believing that Song Shidao's gentle personality was not suited for competition. They harbored thoughts of marrying him, supporting his ambitions. Little did they know that the quiet dog is the one that bites; Song Shidao was the most concealed of all, and even these two old foxes failed to see through him. Only Song Que sensed something amiss, but as a father, how could he undermine his son's plans?
The Song Family controlled the shipping industry in the south and the nationwide trade network. Within this framework, Song Shidao had long arranged for his own people to secure control over the entire economic lifeline of the Song Family. Additionally, there were also Song Shidao's people within the Song Family's military; these young men mostly served as deputies to various generals, monitoring them closely. If in the end these generals listened to Kou Zhong and abandoned their rivalry with the Li Family, their deputies would remove them from command and take control of the troops themselves. The only overt action taken by Song Shidao was his engagement to Shang Xiuxun of Pegasus Ranch, allowing her to stay by his side openly and support the Song Family with horses from Pegasus Ranch.
Duzun Fortress was located on the southern bank of Wansui Pool in the northern suburbs of Chengdu, facing north like a scaled-down imperial city. The entire fortress was built of stone bricks, giving it an impregnable appearance.
Song Shidao and Shang Xiuxun nodded at Duzun Fortress; although it couldn't compare to Song Family Mountain City, it was still quite impressive. After crossing the suspension bridge, the fortress gate opened. A richly dressed man with a robust build awaited them behind the door, accompanied by several subordinates. The man appeared to be in his forties, courteous and respectful; he was Fang Yimin, the steward of Duzun Fortress.
"Young Master Song, Miss Shang, Young Master and Young Mistress are already waiting for you in Flower Hall. Please follow me."
Song Shidao asked, "Is Uncle Jie at home?"
Fang Yimin replied, "The lord of the fortress is indeed here. He is very pleased to hear that Young Master Song has come and has instructed us to prepare fine wine and food for your welcome tonight."
Song Shidao snorted coldly; Jie Hui was naturally pleased. He had already received a letter from Fan Qinghui and was contemplating betraying the Song Family. With the young master of the Song Family delivering himself right to his doorstep, it provided him with another card to threaten the Song Family. However, who was prey and who was hunter was not for him to decide. Even if Song Yuhua forgot she belonged to the Song Family and favored her in-laws, both he and Shang Xiuxun possessed Great Master-level strength; he wasn't worried about taking down Jie Hui and Duzun Fortress.
Fang Yimin led Song Shidao and Shang Xiuxun to Flower Hall, where Hanno greeted them with a smile: "Shidao, long time no see! You've become even more handsome."
"Sister is becoming more beautiful by the day; it's all thanks to Brother-in-law," he teased while glancing at Li Wei Feng.
Li Wei Feng chuckled: "Miss Shang is also becoming more beautiful."
Tit for tat.
The four sat around a table chatting casually while all servants from the Jie family were dismissed from Flower Hall.
"Now you can share your purpose for coming to Duzun Fortress," Hanno spoke up.
Song Shidao glanced at Li Wei Feng beside Hanno.
"Don't worry about your brother-in-law; he listens to me on everything. Even if my intentions completely differ from Jie Hui's, he will only heed my words."
She actually called her father-in-law by name. Song Shidao felt half relieved; it seemed his sister still sided with him. As for his brother-in-law—oh dear—there was a sense of shared fate.
"Sister, recently Father received a letter from Fan Qinghui."
"Then what happened?"
"My father simply put the letter away and continued with his business. As for what was written in the letter, I can guess. The Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode has already chosen the Li Clan, and this letter from Fan Qinghui is a test. If the Song Clan does not support the Li Clan, she will find someone to act against them. The person she intends to find, after much thought, should be Jie Hui," Song Shidao said.
Hanno nodded, "Jie Hui indeed received a letter a couple of days ago, and then he started jumping around trying to contact people from Chuan Gang and Bamen. Unfortunately, those two families did not give him any face."
The three major powers in Sichuan are Duzun Fortress, Chuan Gang, and Bamen. Duzun Fortress holds the upper hand because the other two families have been reluctant to confront Jie Hui due to his connection with Song Que, who is a sworn brother of theirs. As a result, over the years, Jie Hui has come to see himself as the boss of Sichuan, believing he has the qualifications to rival the Song Family.
Song Shidao showed an expression of realization and said, "If Jie Hui stubbornly opposes us for Fan Qinghui's sake, it will be a problem!"
"Don't worry; he won't succeed," Li Wei Feng interjected. "Neither my mother nor I will allow him to use all of Duzun Fortress to support that woman Fan Qinghui. After receiving her letter, my mother and I contacted other high-ranking officials in Duzun Fortress. Everyone agrees that opposing the Song Family would be tantamount to seeking death; no one will follow him in this."
"What if he insists on doing it anyway?" Shang Xiuxun asked. In the original story, Jie Hui did successfully rebel against the Song Family, although he was easily crushed later on. Still, having such a rebellious figure emerge within the Song Family's territory was not only irritating but also a slap in their face.
Hanno and Elder Brother Li exchanged knowing smiles. "Don't worry; neither we nor our mothers would allow it."
Song Shidao and Shang Xiuxun instantly understood; Madam Xie and Madam Song shared a similar plight. Madam Song was fortunate; Song Que respected her greatly. Although there wasn't much affection between them as a couple, she was honored as Madam Song. Madam Xie's situation was far worse; Jie Hui had become infatuated with Fan Qinghui and treated Madam Xie as mere decoration. Jie Wenlong was born before they encountered Fan Qinghui. How deep must Madam Xie's resentment be after all these years? She resented not only Fan Qinghui but also Jie Hui, who had been blinded by beauty. This time, Jie Hui was willing to put all of Duzun Fortress at risk for Fan Qinghui and threatened the Song Clan using his daughter-in-law; how could Madam Xie endure that?
"In fact, my mother has already taken action," Li Wei Feng said lightly to the two of them. "You arrived just in time; there might be results tonight."
Indeed, results came that very night. Jie Hui was elated by his schemes and welcomed the arrival of Song Shidao and Shang Xiuxun—after all, Song Que had only one son, and now he had control over Song Shidao. The Song Clan would surely hesitate to act against him, allowing him to swallow them whole—thinking about how Fan Qinghui would look at him differently made Jie Hui so happy that he drank too much.
The next day, Jie Hui did not get up again; having drunk excessively and exposed himself to cold air led to a stroke! Paralyzed in bed and unable to speak or move, the once heroic leader of Duzun Fortress became useless just like that. Li Wei Feng quickly took over all affairs of Duzun Fortress and expelled everyone who had been following Jie Hui in opposition to the Song Family, including the former chief steward Fang Yimin.
Fang Yimin was unwilling to accept this outcome; having spent decades in Duzun Fortress building connections and gathering followers, he attempted to resist but was easily subdued by Elder Brother Li.
"I've been waiting for you to make this move. Otherwise, how could I have a legitimate reason to deal with you?" Elder Brother Li mocked.
Fang Yimin was talented but still refused to give up at this point; he tried to tarnish Jie Wenlong's reputation along with that of Duzun Fortress through words.
"I have worked diligently for Duzun Fortress for decades, loyal to both it and its leader! Jie Wenlong, how could you treat me this way? You just took over Duzun Fortress and are already throwing me under the bus—aren't you afraid your subordinates will laugh at you?" Fang Yimin shouted.
"Loyal to Duzun Fortress? Loyal to my father?" Elder Brother Li sneered. "You mean loyal to Fan Qinghui!"
Elder Brother Li tossed the secret letter he had found in Fang Yimin's room onto the table in front of him, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Fan Qinghui is afraid that my father might act against Yu Hua because of his bond with Song Que and our relationship, so she had you advise my father to stir up trouble with the Song Family. Ha, Fan Qinghui really has good taste; she can even entice someone like you!"
"Don't you dare slander the Immortal!" Fang Yimin shouted. Like other men attracted to the women of Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode, he had become infatuated and could not tolerate any insult directed at their goddess.
"Immortal?" Elder Brother Li scoffed. "An immortal who seduces other people's husbands? I think 'Seductress' would be more fitting. She's not even as good as the Seductress from Demon Gate; at least they are open about their intentions and don't pretend to be virtuous while acting like a harlot."
"Well said!" Song Shidao clapped in appreciation, feeling that Elder Brother Li was truly expressing his thoughts. In the original story of the Great Tang, only Jie Wenlong's name was mentioned, and he had little impression of him. However, at this moment, he felt that this was a rare person who understood things, at least better than the two protagonists of the Great Tang.
"How dare you insult my Sect!" A clear voice rang out, followed by a flash of sword light aimed directly at Elder Brother Li.
Elder Brother Li smiled and did not move; he believed that Song Shidao would not allow him to be harmed by Shifeixuan's sword. Sure enough, Song Shidao made his move but did not display the full strength of a Great Master. He held back and only used slightly more power than Shifeixuan to injure her.
Xu Ziling supported the injured Shifeixuan and disapprovingly addressed Elder Brother Li and Song Shidao. "You two are speaking ill of Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode behind their backs; isn't that unbecoming of gentlemen?"
Elder Brother Li coldly snorted. "Behind their backs? Even in front of them, I would say the same. What? It's fine for Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode to plot against me and Duzun Fortress, but I can't say a couple of words about them?"
Elder Brother Li felt slightly displeased with Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling for having recognized women from Stick Nation as their mothers.
Xu Ziling and Shifeixuan had just arrived and were unaware of Fan Qinghui's secret letter to Fang Yimin. Hearing Elder Brother Li's words now, they turned their puzzled gazes toward Song Shidao, hoping that this relatively friendly Young Master of the Song Family could explain what had happened that led Jie Shaobao to insult Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode. Wasn't their Immortal supported by Duzun Fortress alongside Li Clan?
Song Shidao had a decent impression of the two protagonists and picked up the letter in front of Fang Yimin, handing it to Xu Ziling. "Here, take a look!"
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