Chapter 31

Jizi Qian left.

He came with boundless prospects but left with a disheveled appearance.

However, the anger of the Wei family's madam had just begun.

Sitting high in the hall, Zheng Shufeng coldly looked at a group of servants and said in an icy tone, "Speak, who incited the young master to go against his own cousin?"

Although Zheng Shufeng said in front of Wei Lanxin that she also intended to let Jizi Qian take on some miscellaneous tasks, it wasn't a lie, but the nature of her arrangement and the servants' arrangement was entirely different.

If she arranged it, she would first communicate with the Ji family, and many things could be forgiven. If the servants acted on their own, it would truly be a form of torment.

At this moment, when she asked, everyone trembled and dared not respond. Only Wei Tianchong raised his neck and said, "It was my own idea. Since I came to serve him..."

"Stop giving me that nonsense!" Zheng Shufeng slapped the back of her chair. "Jizi Qian is still your cousin. If it weren't for these servants inciting you, would you have gone after him just because you were full and had nothing better to do?"

As she spoke, she swept her gaze over the crowd and said with a sneer, "Don't think I don't know what you all are thinking. You all see the servant school as meat in your own bowls, right? When someone comes to take your bowl, you naturally fight for it... but this is the Wei family's quota, not yours!"

When Zheng Shufeng shouted this, the servants bowed their heads even lower, and even Tang Jie didn't dare to speak at this critical moment.

She was right.

This was the Wei family's wealth, and the Wei family could give it to whomever they wanted.

If they gave it to you, you should be grateful!

If they didn't give it to you, don't complain!

However, the greed in people's hearts always made them ignore all this. They tried every possible way to get things that didn't belong to them, even treating them as their own.

Thinking of this, Tang Jie couldn't help but sigh.

Xu Daxiong, you were right. My standards for being a person are indeed a bit low.

Well, well, this opportunity for cultivation is no longer just about my own dreams; it's also about Xu Muyang's blood feud!

To avenge Xu Muyang, even if it means losing my conscience, I must do it. If I succeed in the future, I will treat the Wei family even better.

Although my standards are low, I still have a bottom line. I will repay those who have done me a favor.

Tang Jie thought to himself.

In the hall, Zheng Shufeng was still scolding, "Speak, who gave you the idea?"

Wei Tianchong, however, stubbornly refused to answer.

Although this brat had many faults, he had one good quality: he was very loyal. After all, the era he lived in valued promises and trust.

In the present world, "deadbeats" could live carefree lives through shamelessness, but in this era, if you dared to do such things, once your reputation spread, even strangers passing by would spit at you.

In a world where an individual's strength could surpass thousands of soldiers, when ordinary martial power could no longer constrain these powerful beings, reputation became the only restraint.

Therefore, the educational system for thousands of years had always emphasized reputation and righteousness, making even powerful figures like those at the Immortal Platform level unwilling to bear the eternal curse.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Therefore, even the storytellers of the past would often tell stories of chivalry, keeping promises, and being willing to take a knife for a friend. Wei Tianchong, living in such an era, had the concept of righteousness deeply ingrained in his bones. No matter how much Zheng Shufeng scolded him, he refused to speak.

Unfortunately, Zheng Shufeng was extremely shrewd. She snorted and said, "Do you think I can't guess if you don't speak? Who was most affected by Jizi Qian's enrollment? Isn't it those few who thought they might succeed? Shimeng, Shimu, Tang Jie, Baoliang, the four of you, step forward!"

The four servants stepped forward simultaneously. Zheng Shufeng's piercing gaze swept over them and finally landed on Shimu. "Shimu, speak. Was it you who incited this?"

Shimu was startled, knowing he couldn't hide it from the madam. He could only step forward and say, "Madam, it was indeed my idea to have the young master teach the Ji family's young master, but I only suggested that the young master teach him some rules. After all, if I'm not by the young master's side in the future, Shimeng alone might not be able to serve two young masters. I didn't intend to torment anyone. If Madam doesn't believe me, you can ask..."

"No need to ask. I know you didn't particularly torment him. To deal with Jizi Qian, you don't need to be particularly cruel. Ordinary chores and a few cold words are enough to make him suffer. Do you think you can fool me with this?" Zheng Shufeng roared. "And don't think you can take all the blame alone. You alone couldn't have caused such a big mess!"

Shimu lowered his head and didn't speak.

Although he had promised Yan Zhi not to reveal her, he hoped the madam would see through it. He was unwilling to bear the responsibility alone.

This wasn't just about the pleasure of dragging others down; more importantly, it was about the idea that the law doesn't punish the masses. If most of the servants in the Wei family were involved, the madam would have to let it go.

After all, even the largest families couldn't function without the support of their servants. This was the basic support for his daring to speak up.

Seeing Shimu's attitude, Zheng Shufeng knew he was admitting it and was so angry that her whole body trembled. "Good, very good. A bunch of scoundrels, you all really think you can get away with anything. If you go to the academy and become immortals, who knows what you'll do to the Wei family in the future. Relying on you is worse than relying on the immortal teachers we hire with silver. I think none of you should go to the academy. The Wei family doesn't need its own immortal teachers!"

This was a heavy statement, and all the servants' faces changed. The chief steward, Qin, coughed lightly. "Madam, you shouldn't say such things..."

Rules that can be broken easily are not rules!

The spirit teachers cultivated by the family were very different from those hired from outside.

This difference wasn't just about loyalty.

Loyalty is actually the least reliable thing.

The development of the human world over thousands of years has proven that when the master's situation is good, even surrendered soldiers have loyalty; when the master's situation is dire, even family members have no loyalty.

Therefore, the high loyalty of one's own immortals is just a way to fool outsiders. In reality, this value is the lowest.

In terms of practical use, sometimes externally hired spirit teachers are even better than family spirit teachers. After all, they are paid monthly, and if they don't work well, they don't get paid.

The real difference between externally hired spirit teachers and family spirit teachers isn't loyalty but that no matter how much you pay, externally hired spirit teachers won't give you their immortal techniques.

Only family spirit teachers have the qualifications, willingness, and possibility to be allowed to teach immortal techniques, forming a true immortal family. These spirit teachers often have close ties to the original family, sometimes even through marriage.

For example, if Tang Jie wants to become a spirit teacher, continue cultivating, and repay the Wei family, the best way is to marry a Wei family woman and leave descendants here.

If the Wei family has no suitable women or the spirit teacher doesn't like any of them, they can find a maid and adopt her as a daughter, and the future descendants can still marry into the Wei family, forming various blood ties. Of course, this depends on the spirit teacher's future prospects. For example, if Tang Jie succeeds and likes Shiming, she can become a Wei family lady, and her status might even be higher than Wei Lanxin, with her descendants possibly inheriting the Wei family!

For a family to exist for hundreds or thousands of years, it relies on this lineage. Otherwise, loyalty alone—do you really think loyalty is worth millions of silver?

Moreover, the rules of the servant school have been passed down for hundreds of years. Servants are willing to take the lowest wages for this opportunity. The chain of interests among servants also means that a loyal servant can bring up a group of loyal servants, so this has a deep impact on the lower ranks. If the Wei family breaks this rule, the servants will rebel first, and even other families will advise against it.

The complex web of relationships among large families means that one person's affairs often involve a group of people, otherwise, Jizi Qian's arrival wouldn't have caused such strong resistance, and Xurugou wouldn't be so confident that the Heavenly Palace wouldn't destroy his family.

This complex network of relationships is always the most important guarantee.

The only difference is that mortals have mortal connections, and immortals have immortal connections.

Externally hired spirit teachers only benefit one person.

Family spirit teachers not only benefit one person but also the power of lineage and the network of relationships formed through a lifetime of interactions.

Therefore, Zheng Shufeng's words were just a moment of anger. She couldn't, dared not, and was not allowed to break such rules.

However, Zheng Shufeng's anger hadn't subsided, so although Qin's reminder was correct, she didn't want to listen and instead glared at him fiercely. "Don't think I can't see through it. Why did the plum and pine vase suddenly appear at the door? Why did we get the news about Jingxin Garden so quickly? Why did even the old master get the news so fast? And how convenient that just as we arrived, Wei Lanxin said such disgraceful things? I doubt these young ones could come up with such a devious plan. There must be some old foxes behind the scenes. Right, Qin Yuan, don't you think Qingyang轩 is too far from Jingxin Garden? I always thought you were honest and straightforward!"

Qin, the steward, was so shocked that he broke into a sweat. He could only smile and say, "Madam is always shrewd, but words come from the lady's mouth, and no one can interfere with what she says."

He didn't deny Zheng Shufeng's points.

A shrewd servant knows when to play dumb.

A shrewd master knows when to let go.

Zheng Shufeng was very shrewd, so she wouldn't pursue this matter to the end. By raising these questions, she was just warning the servants not to think they could fool her.

I'll play dumb and let you off, but you all better put away your schemes. This quota belongs to the Wei family, and who gets it is not up to you!

Therefore, Qin didn't argue but only criticized Wei Lanxin.

Qin Yuan was right; he had arranged Qingyang轩 to be far from Jingxin Garden, but it wasn't so far that he couldn't see Wei Tianchong. In reality, Wei Lanxin didn't take Wei Tianchong seriously; Wei Tianchong did make things difficult for Jizi Qian, but it was just the basic requirement of the servant school; the servants did plot against him, but they couldn't control what Wei Lanxin said, which was just her own fault.

Many things are ultimately one's own fault, and then they can be exploited by others.

Zheng Shufeng understood this. Anyway, she already disliked Wei Lanxin and her family, so she took the opportunity to drive them away.

Everyone reached an unspoken agreement. The servants helped Zheng Shufeng get rid of the Ji family's trouble, and they could enjoy the two quotas. Only with this tacit understanding could everyone live in harmony.

So, Zheng Shufeng vented her anger again but ultimately didn't punish anyone, truly raising the stick high and putting it down lightly.

The servants, relieved by Zheng Shufeng's "get out," left one by one. Qin and Tang Jie were the last to leave. On the way, neither of them spoke until they were almost out of the estate. Tang Jie then smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle Qin, for your help this time."

"I've boarded the pirate ship!" Qin sighed helplessly, but there was no regret in his eyes.

He looked at Tang Jie. "Although you did a great job, the impact was bad. Fortunately, Shimu took the blame. You don't need to worry too much. If nothing goes wrong, when the young master enters the academy, you will enter the academy, and I congratulate you in advance."

Tang Jie, however, said calmly, "I don't think so. Actually, Shimu still has a chance."

"Huh?" Qin was puzzled. "Last time something happened, you said he had no chance. Now, with such a big incident, how do you say he has a chance?"

"Because of this big incident, Shimu has a chance again," Tang Jie sighed.

"What chance?"

"Great Vow of Heart Demon!"

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