Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

"Yes, of course we'll count it."

Wu Feng found it somewhat amusing to see General Xu wringing his hands and looking on expectantly.

The reason he promised the Ming family one-third of their wealth was to ensure that the Suzhou garrison would exert all their strength.

After all, based solely on the princess's jade token and the imperial decree, they could only ask the Suzhou camp to cooperate. As for the extent of their cooperation, that depended entirely on the other party's mood.

Looking at the efficiency now, the money was well spent.

"That's good! That's good!" General Xu's face lit up with a smile, a huge weight lifted from his heart. "Lord Wu, please don't take offense. Our Suzhou camp... it's tough! Suzhou is such a peaceful place, there are no battles to fight, no merits to earn, and with just the meager military pay allocated by the imperial court, the brothers can't even afford a decent meal..."

"General Xu," Wu Feng quickly raised his hand to interrupt him.

If we keep listening, we're afraid we'll hear that the entire army is starving.

"It's no use telling me this. One-third is already the limit of what I can decide. We have to leave some for the higher-ups, don't we?"

He looked at Xu Jingyuan, then changed the subject: "Besides, this third isn't given to the Suzhou camp for nothing. In the future, the goods from the three major workshops will need General Xu's help to travel within the Suzhou area."

Xu Jingyuan immediately thumped his chest loudly, his thick-browed, large-eyed face full of sincerity:

"I understand! Don't worry, Lord Wu. From now on in Suzhou, if anyone dares to touch a hair on the heads of the three major cargo ships and convoys, I, Xu Jingyuan, will be the first to lead troops to wipe them out!"

He was just complaining about being poor because he was afraid that the final amount he would receive would be reduced.

Now that I've received a positive response, I feel relieved.

As for protecting the goods from the three major workshops?

That would be doing a favor. In Suzhou, with the Suzhou Camp protecting them, he didn't believe anyone would dare to ask for help!

As the two were talking, another series of rapid hoofbeats and footsteps came from the street corner.

Just then, Xie Yu, the prefect of Suzhou, rode up on a horse. His official robes were hastily draped over his shoulders, his hair was disheveled, and he looked anxious as he hurried over.

He was followed by two teams of more than thirty yamen runners, who were panting heavily as they ran.

Xie Yu was truly anxious.

He was awakened from his sleep by his confidant. Upon hearing that an army had surrounded the Ming family's ancestral home, he was so shocked that he jumped out of bed. Without even washing his face, he hastily put on his official robes and rushed over with his men.

Seeing the soldiers filling the streets and the broken gate of the Ming family, and then realizing that it was Xu Jingyuan's Suzhou camp, he was even more shocked.

He handed the evidence to Wu Feng last night, and originally thought it would take several days to plan and even wait for a response from Kyoto.

Who would have thought that just one night later, before dawn, the Ming family's property would be ransacked!

What alarmed him even more was that Wu Feng was able to persuade Xu Jingyuan to personally lead his troops into action.

Who is Xu Jingyuan?

Xu Maocai, the naval commander of Jiaozhou, is the son of a veteran general. He has a strong military background in Jiangnan and cannot be easily manipulated by any "imperial envoy".

"General Xu, Lord Wu!" Xie Yu dismounted and strode over, his face still showing lingering surprise and weariness as he cupped his hands in greeting. "You two acted far too quickly! We didn't have a single moment to prepare!"

His words carried a hint of helpless headache.

The confiscation of a powerful family that had been entrenched in Suzhou for many years, the subsequent liquidation, resettlement, distribution of benefits, and potential backlash—in the end, it was none other than the local official who had to clean up the mess.

He originally thought that Wu Feng would wait at least a few days and make more thorough arrangements before taking action.

Wu Feng and Xu Jingyuan exchanged a glance and both smiled. One smiled calmly, the other smiled heartily.

"Prefect Xie, you're too kind," Wu Feng laughed. "With the Ming family, this cancerous growth, you'll face at least half the obstacles in governing Suzhou. I bet you're secretly pleased."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled.

Wu Feng's words struck a chord with him.

Even a powerful family like the Ming clan collapsed overnight.

After this incident, the other families in Suzhou will probably no longer dare to secretly hinder him as they did in the past.

In the long run, this is indeed a major benefit for his governance of Suzhou.

At that moment, a suppressed cry and curse came from afar.

The soldiers escorted over a hundred members of the Ming family over.

Leading the group was Madam Ming, who was being supported by two burly female servants, and behind her was Ming Qingda, whose face was ashen.

The rest of the Ming family, regardless of age or gender, were all disheveled and looked terrified and indignant.

Madam Ming straightened her back a little, her slightly cloudy but still sharp eyes fixed on Wu Feng.

"Young man..." Her voice carried a forced ruthlessness, "I've lived most of my life and I pride myself on my methods, but compared to what you've done today, I'm nothing."

Wu Feng met that gaze:

"Madam Ming, you flatter me. My methods were, to put it mildly, quite efficient. At least..."

"If I were you, I wouldn't do something like conspiring with outsiders to murder my husband in order to gain power."

"So when it comes to ruthlessness and decisiveness, Old Madam Ming is still the better one."

"What?!"

"The old patriarch..."

Upon hearing this, not only were the members of the Ming family instantly in an uproar, but their shocked and incredulous gazes all turned towards Old Madam Ming.

Madam Ming swayed violently, her face drained of color, but she quickly regained her balance.

A twisted, cold smile appeared on his wrinkled face, seemingly oblivious to the gazes of his clansmen around him.

"Sharp-tongued!" she gritted her teeth. "Today, the Ming family has fallen into your hands. It's either my bad luck or the end of the Ming family's destiny!"

"But don't forget, in the Qing Kingdom, there are many families like my Ming family that are deeply rooted in their local communities!"

"If you can use such ruthless methods to deal with my Ming family today, you can use the same methods to deal with them tomorrow!"

"I refuse to believe that they...wouldn't be worried or afraid!"

She was making a last-ditch effort, trying to stir up the emotions of those bystanders who felt a sense of unease about being spared death, hoping to leave the Ming family with a sliver of hope, even if it was just to create some trouble.

The smile on Wu Feng's face faded, and his eyes became calm and profound.

He looked at Madam Ming and said slowly:

"Eminent families have their own rules, and there are certain bottom lines that even they dare not cross."

"Touching it means certain death."

"And your Ming family, of all people, has reached out, and gone far too far. Tell me, if you don't die, who will?"

When Madam Ming heard Wu Feng's words, it was as if the last bit of strength had been drained from her ears.

The last glimmer of light in his eyes quickly faded, and he seemed to have aged ten years, leaving only endless dejection and despair.

The Ming family's reach was indeed a bit too far, but there were many others who reached even further. It was just that the Ming family was unlucky enough to encounter Wu Feng.

In the end, he became the monkey used as a warning to others.

Wu Feng stopped looking at her, turned to Xu Jingyuan, and nodded slightly.

Xu Jingyuan understood, waved his hand, and shouted in a booming voice, "Take them all to the prefectural government office!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately began shoving and pushing the Ming family members.

Cries and curses rang out again.

The crowd, like a dying snake, was dragged away from the gates of this mansion that once symbolized power and wealth, heading towards the prefectural government office.

The onlookers stood at a distance, pointing and whispering, their faces showing a variety of expressions, including pleasure, fear, and deep shock.