Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

He looked at the memorial written by Wang Bin, "This memorial cannot be presented now!"

"Why?"

Yang Zhenshan said, "Without any solid evidence, I'm afraid a few dozen long knives can hardly prove anything!"

Impeaching Duan Qifeng is different from impeaching Zhou Yunsong. Zhou Yunsong is a Cabinet minister; when Yang Zhenshan impeaches him, he doesn't need evidence, he can just cause trouble.

But Duan Qifeng is not only the Princely Heir of Duke Rong but also in charge of Beiyuan Town. Without concrete evidence, how can one impeach a border town commander?

Moreover, even if there is solid evidence, one must consider the consequences of impeaching Duan Qifeng.

Even Emperor Yanping would have to carefully contemplate before dealing with Duan Qifeng.

While the two were talking, Ding Qiu arrived at the teahouse, "Marquis!"

"Go immediately to Iron Origin Guard in Beiyuan Town and check on the situation there. If Iron Origin Guard is all well, then go see General Wang. If there are any problems with Iron Origin Guard, come back immediately!"

"Going alone will be enough, be careful of being targeted on the road!"

Yang Zhenshan said.

If this matter is really related to Duan Qifeng, then he might very well silence people by killing them.

And once Duan Qifeng knows that Wang Sheng has entered the Capital City, he might do something desperate and unscrupulous out of urgency.

"Yes! This old servant is leaving immediately!" Ding Qiu didn't object and promptly took his leave.

Yang Zhenshan pondered for a moment before consoling Wang Sheng, "Don't worry too much, your Dad after all is the Deputy General of Beiyuan Town. Even if Duan Qifeng wishes to silence by killing, he would have to take on great risks!"

"He would not take action personally; he could only rely on the power of the Wuliang Hu Clan. Yet, if the Wuliang Hu Clan attacks Iron Origin Guard, your Dad still has a chance to escape!"

Wang Sheng nodded somewhat dispiritedly.

Iron Origin Guard housed not only his father but also his wife and children; asking him not to worry was impossible.

However, as matters stood, he had no choice but to wait.

"Stay at the Marquis Mansion for the New Year, Lu Shou, arrange a guest room for Wang Sheng and let them settle in first!"

"As for this memorial, leave it with me!"

Yang Zhenshan threw the letter into the fireplace, then collected the memorial written by Wang Bin.

If Wang Bin were indeed silenced, then this memorial would be his swan song. As for the letter, it is better not to let some of its contents get out.

Wang Bin's letter not only explained what happened at Iron Origin Guard but also expressed the intent of entrusting Wang Sheng to him, as well as some matters concerning the Wang family.

Wang Sheng temporarily stayed at the Marquis Mansion, and soon it was the seventh year of the Yanping era, the New Year festivities, and the Yang family was still bustling with noise and excitement.

Although Yang Zhenshan was also worried about Wang Bin's situation, he couldn't let it affect the Yang family's New Year atmosphere.

It's just that Wang Sheng was having a tough time, eating poorly, sleeping poorly, living in worry every day, in a daze, even repeated persuasions from Yang Zhenshan were of no avail.

He continued in this state until after the Lantern Festival when Ding Qiu hurried back from Beiyuan Town.

"How is it?"

In the study, Yang Zhenshan asked.

Ding Qiu replied, "Everything at Iron Origin Guard is fine. General Wang had already sent his family away to the east of Lu a long time ago!"

The east of Lu belongs to Shanhe Province; Wang Bin is from the Wang family of Lu. His ancestors had been military generals, especially Wang Bin's father, who once held the office of Deputy Magistrate of Secondary First rank.

"This is a letter from General Wang himself!" Ding Qiu handed over the letter to Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan opened it and quickly glanced through, instantly letting out a sigh of relief.

Iron Origin Guard had not been attacked, and there were no difficulties faced by Wang Bin in Beiyuan Town, seemingly an implication for Wang Bin to fend for himself at Iron Origin Guard.

"Give this letter to Wang Sheng!"

"Yes!" Ding Qiu responded.

After his departure, Yang Zhenshan sat in the study and reflected.

Those standard long knives couldn't be faked, indicating for sure that someone within Beiyuan Town was colluding with the Wuliang Hu Clan.

Was Duan Qifeng involved in it?

He seemingly had no reason to be involved, but with his control over Beiyuan Town, if someone were colluding with the Wuliang Hu Clan, how could he be unaware?

To know that Duan Qifeng's control over Beiyuan Town was in no way inferior to Yang Zhenshan's over Chongshan Town, in fact, it was even greater than Yang Zhenshan's control over Chongshan Town, after all, it had been many years since Yang Zhenshan last visited Chongshan Town.

There were many doubts and inexplicable aspects to this situation, and Yang Zhenshan couldn't figure it out for the time being.

Naturally, he couldn't figure it out because he didn't know about the involvement of the Divine Sun Sect.

Duan Qifeng provided all sorts of materials to the Wuliang Hu Clan, not for Silver Coin, but for hunting living creatures for blood and food.

He handed over some disobedient people to the Wuliang Hu Clan, and in turn, the Wuliang Hu Clan sent him some disobedient people.

The so-called small-scale battles were in fact Duan Qifeng's hunting grounds for killing for blood and food.

It was precisely because of this that Duan Qifeng was able to become an Innate Martial Artist through the Spirit Continuation Blood Refining Skill.

In terms of status, Duan Qifeng indeed had no reason to be in cahoots with the Wuliang Hu Clan, but for the sake of becoming an Innate Martial Artist and having stronger cultivation, he had reason to cooperate with the Wuliang Hu Clan.

Of course, his cooperation with the Wuliang Hu Clan was very fragile, as both sides had no trust to speak of, nor did they have common interests. On the contrary, they had irreconcilable contradictions, which is why both parties were actively preparing for war, gearing up for a major battle.

Yang Zhenshan was unaware of these details, so naturally, he couldn't understand them.

At this point, he even started to feel that maybe Duan Qifeng was not the problem; perhaps it was the officers under his command who were blinded by greed that made these foolish mistakes.

A moment later, Wang Sheng also arrived at the study.

"Marquis, I wish to return to Ludong!" Wang Sheng said impatiently.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, "Go ahead, I will write a letter to your father, asking him to resign from his duties and return to the Capital City as soon as possible!"

Wang Sheng, having received a letter from Wang Bin, felt his worries relieved and his spirit lifted considerably.

"I have troubled the Marquis with my affairs! Your nephew thanks you, Marquis!"

Yang Zhenshan supported him and said, "That's alright, there's no need for such formalities. Get your things ready and go see your family in Ludong first!"

After Wang Sheng left, Yang Zhenshan wrote another letter and dispatched several guards to the Iron Origin Guard.

Since Wang Bin was no longer in immediate danger, Yang Zhenshan was not in a hurry anymore.

As for the matter of someone in Beiyuan Town colluding with the Wuliang Hu Clan, after much thought, Yang Zhenshan wrote another letter to Lv Hua.

He was unable to investigate these matters himself, as he had no groundwork in Beiyuan Town and it was difficult to interfere with Beiyuan Town's affairs. To unravel this matter, the Secret Martial Guards would need to step in.

In fact, without the need for Yang Zhenshan's persuasion, Wang Bin had already submitted his resignation to the court.

And the Ministry of War approved his resignation very quickly, not because Duan Qifeng had instructed the Ministry of War to do so, but because Wang Bin was no longer young. Yang Zhenshan himself was fifty-eight years old, and Wang Bin was several years his senior. Coupled with Wang Bin's stated recurrence of internal injuries as a reason for resignation, the Ministry of War naturally did not refuse.

After reaching a certain age, border town officers either retired to secondary positions in the Governor's Office to fill garrison posts, or they directly resigned to take a sinecure and retire at home.

Yang Zhenshan had received news of Wang Bin's resignation in early February. He personally went to the Ministry of War to push things along and managed to secure a nominal position for Wang Bin as Deputy Magistrate at the Right Army Governor's Mansion.

By the end of February, Wang Bin had arrived in the Capital City.

In the Marquis Mansion, seeing Wang Bin with graying hair, Yang Zhenshan could not help but lament the unpredictability of life.

Back in the day, he and Wang Bin had fought together in the Northern territories, when Wang Bin was spirited and brimming with valor. Now, however, Wang Bin seemed to be a shadow of his former self, showing none of his past vivacity.

In the tea room of the Marquis Mansion, the two sat facing each other.

"You've aged a lot, elder brother," Yang Zhenshan said with a faint smile.

Wang Bin gave a helpless bitter smile, "There's no choice but to accept aging, ah..."

He was truly old, not just physically, but even mentally he felt aged.

After this ordeal, he no longer had any ambition for advancement.

Fame and wealth had all become fleeting clouds.

Even his Martial Arts cultivation had dissipated like smoke.

"If only I had stayed in Chongshan Town and never gone to Beiyuan Town," Wang Bin said morosely.

Yang Zhenshan shook his head slightly, "If you had stayed in Chongshan Town, you might well have been killed by Ji Feiyu!"

If Wang Bin had stayed in Chongshan Town, he would certainly have become the Vice General there, and he might have been the first one Ji Feiyu sought to eliminate when the rebellion took place.

Wang Bin smiled, "That's true."

While sipping tea and reminiscing, Wang Bin's mood gradually improved thanks to Yang Zhenshan's consolation. He was no longer dispirited, showing more ease and detachment.

Having had his fill of staying in Beiyuan Town, now returning to the Capital, he felt relieved of his official duties.