188: Chapter 188 Zhang Clan Ancestral Hall

On a winter night, inside the back hall of the Heishui Village ancestral hall, incense smoke curled in the air.

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi's withered fingers held three incense sticks. After lighting them with the candle flame, he bowed and respectfully inserted the incense into the burner.

He raised his head and cast his gaze upon the five or six rows of mottled wooden spirit tablets above the offering table.

The ancestors of the Zhang Clan had fled disaster at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, wandering until they settled in this remote wilderness. After hundreds of years of multiplying and thriving, their roots had long since intertwined and coexisted with this land.

"Ancestors above."

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi murmured.

"Protect my Zhang descendants and help us pass this tribulation. It won't be that easy for outsiders to touch the Zhang family's foundation."

The curtain was pulled halfway open, and Zhang Xing's cousin, Zhang Yue, stepped into the room.

"Seventh Uncle, the members of the main branch have all arrived in the front hall."

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi adjusted the hem of his padded cotton jacket. Without a word, he stepped toward the front hall.

Unlike yesterday's passionate and bustling scene, the front hall of the ancestral hall tonight was nearly half empty.

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi walked to the grand armchair in the very center and sat down steadily.

Dozens of people cupped their fists in unison and greeted him, "Seventh Uncle."

"Calling everyone here so late at night is for only one thing." Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi took the mahogany cane leaning against the corner of the table.

"Tomorrow's action is canceled. There is no need to go to the Town Government."

The front hall erupted into a buzz of commotion.

Zhang Yue was the first who couldn't hold back and jumped out. "Seventh Uncle, why aren't we going? Didn't we just plan out the strategy yesterday? The megaphones and the banners with black characters on a white background—I had a graphic design shop in the county make them overnight, and the deposit has already been paid! I even went to the homes of all those elderly folks who agreed to block the gates to notify them. Now we're suddenly not going? How are we going to settle the promised compensation for their lost wages?"

His words stirred up a storm, and the men below chimed in one after another.

With the New Year approaching, in this village that relied on the weather for food, who didn't hope to make some extra pocket money on the side to enjoy a prosperous year?

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi rested both hands on his cane and closed his eyes to rest. Only when the clamor below had exhausted itself did he slowly open his eyes.

"Money is not something the Zhang family lacks. Your lost wages, as well as those miscellaneous expenses paid in advance, will be settled in full tonight, not a single penny short."

He called toward the side door, "Accountant Zhang Cai."

A hunched little old man emerged in response. This man was the accountant of the Zhang Clan. He had stood by Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi through thick and thin for decades and was extremely shrewd.

"Patriarch, what are your orders?" Accountant Zhang Cai bowed his head with cupped hands.

"Go open the inner treasury's accounting room," Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi laid down the rules. "Distribute the money per capita. Only give it to the descendants of the main branch. Remember this clearly: don't give a single penny to those from the second and third branches who are playing deaf and dumb. They don't deserve a share of this meal."

Accountant Zhang Cai nodded to accept the order, stepping aside to prepare his wooden abacus and ledger.

With money to be had, the atmosphere in the front hall livened up considerably.

This was exactly the effect Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi wanted. Only by buying people's hearts and stabilizing his base could he deploy his forces effectively.

"Tonight's matter is rather fishy," Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi raised a question. "Those police officers from the Town Police Station snuck into the village in the middle of the night and found their targets with perfect accuracy. They specifically went to popularize the law to households with high schoolers preparing to join the military in the spring. How on earth did the police know everything so clearly?"

Zhang Biao slapped the edge of the table. "Seventh Uncle, is there even a need to think? There is a hundred percent chance we have a mole!"

He looked around. "We brothers of the main branch are of one heart and mind; we wouldn't do something so treacherous. It must be those jealous folks from the second and third branches. Seeing us living well, they must have secretly handed incriminating materials to the Police Station!"

Zhang Yue chimed in, "Seventh Uncle, Brother Biao is right. Take Zhang Yuanhang from the second branch, for instance. Relying on the fact that he was a scout for a few years, that kid is full of rebellion. During last night's meeting, I saw him acting suspiciously; he went out to pee and didn't return for ages. He and Zhang Xing have always been at odds, and they even had a grudge over contracting the fish pond the year before last. It must be him who sold us out!"

Everyone eagerly pointed out a few suspicious individuals.

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi toyed with the walnuts in his hand, calculating the stakes. He was used to being tyrannical in the village and could not tolerate even a shred of disloyalty.

"Zhang Biao, pick a few quick-handed brothers from the main branch. Over the next few days, keep a day-and-night eye on those instigators from the second and third branches. If anyone dares to betray us, they will be dealt with according to ancestral clan laws."

Zhang Biao cupped his fists to accept the order.

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi ordered Accountant Zhang Cai, "Accountant Zhang Cai, go draft a petition. Write a joint letter of accusation. List the atrocities of that Deputy Secretary surnamed Zhu, such as coming to the countryside to lord over us, condoning his police officers to beat up villagers, and plundering the people's wealth. Write it in tragic and severe terms, and have everyone in the village, big and small, sign and leave their thumbprints on it."

Accountant Zhang Cai asked, "Patriarch, should we send it to the County Petitions Office once it's written?"

"Stupid," Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi scolded. "The County Petitions Office is just a showpiece. I heard that there's a Director surnamed Li from the County Commission for Discipline Inspection who is leading a team stationed in the Town Government compound under the banner of rectifying work styles."

"This is like a pillow arriving just as one is getting sleepy," Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi tapped his fingers on the table. "Once the letter of accusation is written, have every man, woman, and child in the village press their red thumbprints on it. The main branch members will lead the signing. Once it's compiled properly, send a few clever women. Do not disturb Zhu Wenhao; go straight to the town guesthouse and stuff the materials into the hands of Director Li from the County Commission for Discipline Inspection."

In local power struggles, using an opponent's own strength against them is the best strategy. Having lived in the countryside for a long time, Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi knew this way of thinking inside out.

"Furthermore," Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi added another bargaining chip, "Zhang Xing is locked up, and Dahai is also in jail. The Zhang family has suffered a major blow. Boss Ma Yunlong from the mine can't just stand by and watch from behind. When does his transport fleet not pass through our Heishui Village's territory? We can't always have the Zhang family charging at the front. Now that something has happened, it's time to make him bleed a little. Zhang Yue, go to the mining area tomorrow morning and tell Ma Yunlong to pull some strings in the county and muddy the waters for us."

"Understood," Zhang Yue accepted the order.

With all matters discussed and decided, the members of the main branch took their compensation and dispersed.

Outside the ancestral hall, behind a half-collapsed loess wall, Zhang Yuanhang hid in a dark corner sheltered from the wind.

His background as a scout allowed him to keep even his breathing extremely steady and quiet.

Every word and every deployment made inside the ancestral hall fell into his ears.

Zhang Yuanhang had witnessed everything Secretary Zhu had investigated and handled over the past few days. It was a genuine effort to give the ordinary people a way to survive, to eradicate the tumor pressing down on the villagers, and to lead the people onto the right path.

He pulled his phone from his inner pocket, shielded the faint light of the screen, and typed blindly on the keys from memory.

"Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi has canceled the blockade. They are changing to a village-wide joint letter of accusation, planning to submit it to Director Li Qiang of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection stationed in town. Also, they will send someone to contact mine owner Ma Yunlong tomorrow morning, intending to use the mining power to apply pressure."

Click, send.

Recipient: Police Chief Zhao Gang.

After the message was sent, Zhang Yuanhang turned off his phone.

Hunching over, he slipped silently back to his grocery store along the village's cluttered alleys.

In the duty room of the Heishi Town Police Station, Police Chief Zhao Gang finished reading the text message and forwarded it directly to Zhu Wenhao's number.

In his single dormitory, Zhu Wenhao sat quietly before his desk. His phone lit up; after reading those few words, he placed the device face down on the desk.

Those who govern a country care about employing the right people; those who strategize a game care about judging the trend.

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi's move of submitting a joint letter of accusation was precisely an attempt to borrow the blade of Director Li Qiang from the County Commission for Discipline Inspection to kill.

As for the mining tyrant, Ma Yunlong.

Zhu Wenhao wrote down these three characters on a piece of paper.

Heishi Mining was the pillar of Heishi Town's economy, as well as the root of its cancer. Since they had taken the initiative to jump out, he would root them out entirely, ensuring that the wealth of this land would truly be used to build bridges, pave roads, and benefit the livelihood of the people, rather than being pocketed into private purses.

The next day, the morning sun rose.

The Heishi Town Government compound was calm and peaceful. There were no white banners, no megaphones, and no crowds of crying old women.

On the second floor, in the Town Party Committee Secretary's office.

Secretary Qiu Dehai stood by the window, holding a stainless steel thermos. Except for a few agricultural vehicles delivering vegetables, the front of the compound was as quiet as usual.

He returned to his desk and sat down.

As early as the night before last, Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi had tipped him off, deciding on the plan for the elderly and women to blockade the town gates. Secretary Qiu Dehai had even drafted his speech in his mind, waiting only for the situation to spiral out of control so he could make a call to Secretary Lu Guoliang of the County Party Committee, bitterly complaining that the parachuted deputy secretary's rough working style and lack of empathy for the people had intensified conflicts between the cadres and the masses.

Once this accusation was established, Zhu Wenhao's prestige in Heishi Town would vanish into thin air.

But now, there wasn't even a ghost of a shadow outside the gate.

Secretary Qiu Dehai swallowed a mouthful of tea. There was no smoke without fire, and things were highly abnormal.

The only explanation was that last night, Zhu Wenhao had silently and forcibly dismantled this mass incident, which was enough to overturn the Town Government.

He hadn't even alerted him, the Town Party Committee Secretary, nor had he deployed a large number of police forces with sirens blaring; he had simply defused this mine in silence.

Secretary Qiu Dehai had to reassess his opponent's weight. He had originally thought that with his foundation of over ten years in Heishi Town, he could easily use some tai chi-like buck-passing tactics to sideline Zhu Wenhao into a clay Buddha who only knew how to read newspapers and drink tea.

Looking at it now, he was utterly mistaken.