"Su Liangchen, more than ten years ago, when you drove your own uncle out of the clan, did you ever think this day would come?" asked the old man opposite, who called himself Su Luo. He had gray hair and a lean figure, though his eyes still gleamed with vigor.
"Brother Liangchen, thanks to you, these past dozen years have been far from easy for us. From now on, whatever our family has lost, we will take back from you tenfold!"
"Su Changqing, it seems I was still too merciful to you back then. Had I known, I would have confiscated all your family property into the clan treasury—how would you have survived then?" Su Liangchen had truly tried to leave some shred of decency for his uncle's family, but unfortunately, they showed no gratitude at all and had actually returned to cause trouble for the clan.
"Hmph, being merciful to an enemy is cruelty to oneself, Su Liangchen, oh, Su Liangchen, how is it that you still don't understand this principle? Since you, along with several clan elders and other branches of the family, decided to banish our family back then, you should have wiped us out completely. But you grew soft, and now your retribution has come!" Su Changqing glared at Su Liangchen with a triumphant and venomous expression as he vented the hatred in his heart.
"Hmph, Su Luo, you old, undying pest! Back then you betrayed the clan and damaged its interests to fatten yourself, and now you still can't change your filthy habits! Since you've returned, you must have some backing—why don't you spit it all out?" Beside them, the white-bearded and white-haired clan elder Su Ming was trembling with rage, his beard bristling as he pointed straight at Su Luo's nose and cursed.
"Jie-jie, Su Ming, I see you don't have many years left to live either, so I might as well tell you. When I left Guining City back then, I took with me the Yin Jade Pendant from the Kunlun Yin-Yang Jade Pendants bestowed upon the clan by the Grand Ancestor."
"I have already presented this Yin Jade Pendant to Lord Liu Su, who is about to take office as the new Governor of Jiyun Province. He was very fond of it upon receiving it, and has decided to help me take back what rightfully belongs to me, such as the Su Clan's properties in Guining City."
"Surely you promised him more than just this one jade pendant?" Su Liangchen sneered. How could Governor Liu Su, notorious for his greed and lust, be brushed off with a single jade pendant? Who was he trying to fool?
Su Luo held up three fingers with a smug look on his face. "Thirty percent. Thirty percent of the entire Su Clan's estate."
"Thirty percent?! You actually promised thirty percent of our properties to that Governor? You really are generous!" Su Ming pointed a trembling finger at Su Luo, grinding his teeth in fury, itching to lunge forward and give him a thrashing.
"Ha?"
Su Luo froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Thirty percent? Thirty percent is mine, and seventy percent is his! I, Su Luo, have lived my whole life and understand one fundamental truth: a man must not be too greedy!"
"You! You...!"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Su Ming was so furious he couldn't even speak. If a younger generation member hadn't rushed to pound his back and help him catch his breath, he would have collapsed right there on the ground.
"Hmph, what bad luck! You'd better not drop dead right now, or you won't live to see the day the Su Clan declines and falls apart—wouldn't that make all our efforts go to waste?" Su Changqing didn't care about Su Ming's condition at all and continued to mock them from the side.
"Enjoy your final good days while you can, we'll take our leave for now!"
"Oh, and by the way, Su Liangchen."
As if suddenly remembering something just as he was about to leave, Su Changqing turned back with a mocking smirk and said, "I hear you've raised a rather fine daughter. I've offered your daughter to the Governor as well. His Excellency officially takes office in Jiyun Province at the end of the year for a ten-year term—by then, letting her be a concubine to the Governor might just save your family's lives?"
"You showed mercy once back then, and this time I, Su Changqing, am giving you a chance as well. Don't waste my good intentions... Hahaha..."
The surrounding members of the Su Clan watched the arrogant and overbearing display of Su Luo's family, itching to keep them here forever on the spot. It was a pity the visitors had arrived escorted by government soldiers; otherwise, how could they have so smoothly entered the clan's Ancestral Land?
"Abominable! These despicable villains—I should never have spared their lives back then, only to bring about this day!" Su Liangchen gazed at their departing backs, filled with bitter resentment.
"The only course of action now is to secretly transfer a portion of the Su Clan's properties and people down to the south. Vast is this realm, and though Governor Liu Su holds great power, he cannot casually stick his hands into other regions." Su Ming finally caught his breath, and burdened with deep anxiety, his thoughts immediately turned to relocating the family's assets.
In this era, major clans everywhere never placed all their family assets in a single city; instead, their properties spanned multiple major cities across a province or commandery. Guining City was simply the Su Clan's foundational base, not to be lightly abandoned unless absolutely forced by dire circumstances.
As for transferring assets to the south, that involved crossing multiple provinces and commanderies. To expand a family's properties across provinces and commanderies—aside from imperial relatives and those backed by special influences—it was exceedingly difficult for ordinary local clans to project their power and assets to such distant places. Yet this newly appointed Governor was clearly determined to drive the Su Clan to utter ruin. Even if they wanted to counter-bribe the Governor, how heavy a price could they afford to pay, and how would the clan members survive after paying such a price?
"Even if we move as quickly as possible, successfully transferring a portion of our manpower and wealth and gaining a firm foothold elsewhere will take at least three to five years. If we transfer too little, or remain too close to Jiyun Province, it will lose all meaning."
"We must still try to know for sure. Do not fret over what the future holds; let us begin making preparations first."
...
"Hmm... So there was such hidden history within the clan back then. Now that this Su Luo has returned seeking revenge against the Su Clan, though I have no interest in these struggles, I will never allow them to ruin the peaceful life I have here."
"Especially that Su Changqing, daring to set his sights on me, Su Yu. When the right moment arrives, I will surely make him regret everything he has done today."
Given Su Yu's current strength, to put it bluntly, she could eliminate every single person in Guining City one by one. One had to realize that the largest cities in the entire realm at this time only held a population of around two million, and Guining City, with its population of seven to eight hundred thousand, already counted as a major city of considerable standing.
At this moment, Su Yu naturally had the ability to keep Su Luo and the crowd of government soldiers he brought with him here permanently. But doing so would not only panic the clan members but also hinder subsequent law enforcement through fishing tactics. Therefore, Su Yu decided to observe in secret for a little longer, waiting until everything became crystal clear before taking action.
This year's winter ancestral sacrifices of the Su Clan ultimately cast an ominous shadow. Although the clan elders suppressed the impact of the incident as much as possible, those in the clan who heard of it were filled with unease and panic, not to mention that Su Luo and his party had swaggered in and out freely that day, and many clan members had seen them and learned what happened through private whispers.
Yet on the way back to their manor, Su Liangchen still put on an act as if nothing had happened, behaving completely as usual in front of Su Yu. He had no wish to tell Su Yu about today's events, terrified that she would worry over such matters.