The system only arrives when you're old? Then let's create a super-rich family!

The next day at dawn, the sun rose in the east.

The overnight sensation of Qingshui County on social media did not subside; instead, it exploded across the entire internet as dawn broke, spreading to the top echelons of the Chinese wealthy and the core of power.

In various top private groups and elite forums, countless tycoons with net worths in the tens or hundreds of billions gathered to discuss the sudden trillion-dollar investment trending last night.

The focus of everyone's attention is not on the gimmicks of Qingshui County's sudden wealth and county-level upgrading, but on the core of the underlying power struggle:

Why did the Qin family suddenly decide to fight a deadly battle in a remote small county town, openly confronting the Shi family of Qingshui County?

"Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual. The Qin family is ignoring the abundance of high-quality first-tier cities available for investment, and instead they're throwing trillions of dollars at the Shi family in Qingshui County. This feud is completely inexplicable."

"I suspect it's not just a simple grudge. You've all heard about the Qin family being summoned for questioning by the Weiheng Supervision Bureau a while back, right?"

A pinned comment instantly piqued everyone's curiosity, and the discussion within the circle heated up immediately.

Many people followed this line of reasoning and made guesses.

"I understand! The Qin family is probably trying to protect themselves! The recent meeting incident caused quite a stir, and there are rumors that the Qin family is likely to be reshuffled and removed from the top."

"Their current aggressive nationwide investment strategy, including pouring money into supporting border regions, Yunnan Province, and southern provinces, as well as their relentless pursuit of Shijia in Qingshui County, likely indicates a secret agreement with higher authorities."

"By actively contributing funds and effort to implement livelihood projects and revitalize the local economy, we can secure our survival and, incidentally, help the central government eradicate this stubborn cancer rooted in the local area, Shijiazhuang!"

This speculation was immediately accepted by most people, but soon someone raised even bigger questions.

"But there's still something that doesn't make sense. The key points along the route of a national-level, multinational core project like 'The Road to the East' are top secret, known only to the core circle of the central government in advance. How could the Qin family, a mere business tycoon, have accurately targeted Qingshui County in advance?"

"Could it be that the Qin family also obtained access to that top-secret internal meeting a while ago and was invited to participate in the discussions?"

This guess was extremely bold, and it was immediately refuted by countless people in the industry as soon as it appeared in the group.

"This is absurd! You probably don't understand the threshold for being invited to the Central Conference. Only the four most powerful families—Wang, Bai, Li, and Xie—are qualified to be invited. Although the Qin family has some resources, it is far from being comparable to these four families."

"You overestimate the Qin family. To put it bluntly, the Qin family is just a newly risen wealthy family with shallow foundations and insufficient resources. Do you think they deserve to step into the core meetings of the central government? Do you think they deserve to be involved in national-level project planning? It's a complete joke!"

"You're going to make me laugh to death, upstairs..."

These words immediately resonated with the wealthy elite, who reached a complete consensus.

"Indeed, the gap between the Qin family and the top-tier families is enormous; they are not even in the same league."

"So, the inclusion of Qingshui County as a transit point for international projects was just a publicity stunt orchestrated by the Qin family, a complete fabrication to force the Shi family into disarray?"

"I knew it was absurd. How could such a poor, remote mountain town, with no transportation, no resources, and no location, possibly become a core node of a national-level transnational project? This trending topic is too fake."

What followed was a collective pessimism about the Qin family's scheme.

"No matter what the Qin family's purpose is, they have definitely bitten off more than they can chew this time, and they will most likely lose everything."

"The Shi family in Qingshui County is the strongest county-level Brahman in the Dragon Kingdom. They have been entrenched in Qingshui County for half a year and have already made it as impregnable as an iron fortress. It is not so easy to break the local pattern."

"Moreover, the Shi family's record is still fresh in our minds. Three successive county party secretaries were sent out to reorganize Qingshui County and break the solidified pattern, but they all failed here and met a tragic end. In the end, the whole case was left unresolved, and the higher authorities were unable to hold the Shi family accountable in the slightest."

"Even the authorities themselves were helpless against the Shi family, and could only end up hastily dealing with it. How could the Qin family, with just one investment, possibly bring down the Shi family? Are they more powerful than the authorities? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

"The outcome is obvious without even thinking about it. This trillion-dollar investment is destined to go down the drain; it's a complete waste of effort!"

Public opinion across the internet was overwhelmingly against the Qin family; no one had any confidence in them, and everyone believed that the Qin family was doomed to lose this contest from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, in the private residences of the four top families—Wang, Bai, Li, and Xie—the core leaders of the four families watched the heated online discussions with indifferent expressions, none of them stepping forward to explain or clarify anything.

They knew perfectly well that the Qin family had indeed obtained the qualification to attend the top-secret central meeting some time ago, and were one of the very few non-top-tier aristocratic forces that were exceptionally invited.

But they tacitly chose to remain silent.

In the eyes of the four top families, the Qin family, with its shallow foundation and short history of rise, is still an insignificant new force, not worthy of sitting on the same level as them, let alone having them personally step in to prove their identity.

Silence is their final act of pride and condescension.

Moreover, the four great families believed they had already guessed the intentions of the top leadership.

"The Qin family's meeting with us a while ago caused a lot of panic. Everyone thought the Qin family was going to be completely destroyed. Now, several days have passed and everything is calm. There has been no action from above."

"It seems that the Qin family's continuous investment in core projects in the border areas, Yunnan Province, and Jiangnan Province has genuinely contributed to the country and stabilized the economy and people's livelihoods, which has moved the central government to take pity on them and decide to give them a way out."

"The Shi family of Qingshui County is most likely the final test left to the Qin family by the central government. If they pass, the Qin family can continue to develop in the Dragon Kingdom; otherwise, all the Qin family's previous efforts will be in vain, and they will still be unable to escape the choice of going to sea."

"However, the Qin family is being too arrogant to think they can break the pattern of Qingshui County with just a huge investment. The Shi family is not so easy to deal with."

With the situation becoming clear, the four great families remained indifferent, waiting for a good show, and had no intention of intervening.

...

The central top-floor conference room.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, yet the atmosphere inside was unusually somber and solemn.

Zeng Yunqi and other senior officials sat around the conference table, all looking surprised and with furrowed brows. On the table was the public opinion report on the trillion-yuan investment in Qingshui County that had gone viral online.

The Shi family is a local ailment and a thorny cancer that everyone in the central government knows about.

Those in such high positions have their every word and action affecting the national landscape, and they cannot afford to make the slightest mistake.

Either don't take action at all, or when you do, you must be absolutely certain of victory. If you fail, not only will your credibility be damaged, but you will also have to bear the corresponding responsibility, which will be a huge blow to your career.

For this reason, even though everyone knew that the Shi family had entrenched themselves in the area, monopolized local affairs, stifled development, and harbored hidden resentment among the people, no one dared to propose any further action to rectify the situation.

This idea was proposed more than a decade ago, but it failed, and they have seen the consequences.

No one was confident they could break the Shi family's monopoly over Qingshui County, so they decided to keep the blockade in place and let it run its course.

"How did the Qin family end up at odds with the Shi family?" one of the elders asked, puzzled.

Lu Zhou replied immediately.

"Esteemed ministers, the conflict between the Qin and Shi families is not accidental; its root lies in the Kong family."

"The incident began when the Qin family planned to cultivate Chen Jun and sent him to Ma'an County in Hubei Province. Then someone transferred Chen Jun to Qingshui County. Subsequently, the Qin family planned to give Chen Jun 100 billion yuan to make him a political achievement, but the Shi family embezzled it."

"The reason why Chen Jun was deliberately transferred to Qingshui County and pushed into this predicament was because the Kong family used the connections and resources of the Central Group."

These words shocked everyone present.

Zeng Yunqi's brows furrowed suddenly, his eyes filled with confusion, and he asked again:

"The work of the Kong family? Did the Kong family and the Qin family have a grudge?"

The other elders also turned their heads, their faces showing doubt.

Previously, the central government conducted a special investigation into the Qin family's background and found that the only hostile forces were the Xie family and the Yuan family. The Kong family of Shandong Province had never had any conflict of interest with the Qin family, so this move was indeed suspicious.

Lu Zhou nodded slightly and continued to explain clearly:

"Kong Tingjun, the second son of the Kong family, married the younger sister of Yuan Chongkai from the Yuan family. The two families are related by marriage."

"At the Qin family banquet, after the Yuan family was humiliated by the Qin family and had that batch of military projects snatched away, they contacted the Kong family for help. But coincidentally, at that time, the Xie family made their move. The Kong family then wanted to use the Shi family to take action against the Qin family's grandson-in-law, which led to the conflict in Qingshui County."

Upon hearing this, the group of elders suddenly realized what was going on, and then they all shook their heads and sighed.

"So that's how it is. It turns out the Kong family is targeting the Qin family."

"However, even we can't remove the Shi family, so what makes the Qin family think they can shake us?"

"In the early years, the central government tried to transform Qingshui County by investing in and empowering industries, and even piloted the program on a small scale, but all of them failed in the end."

"The Shi family is ruthless and domineering. Whenever a project is launched, they secretly send people to cause trouble, obstruct and sabotage it at every turn, making it impossible for the project to proceed smoothly."

"In the most extreme cases, they would even dare to use human lives to cover up the situation. Once a human life can be exchanged for millions in compensation, the situation will completely get out of control, and the project will be delayed indefinitely."

Another senior official echoed in a deep voice, his tone resolute:

"That's right. As long as the Shi family occupies Qingshui County, all the renovation plans are just empty talk."

"The only way to completely change Qingshui County is to obtain solid evidence of the core illegal and criminal activities of the Shi family and eradicate them completely. Otherwise, no matter how many trillions of yuan are invested or how many projects benefit the people, they will only be wasted on feeding the Shi family and fattening up the local cancer."

Everyone present was deeply moved.

Those who hold positions of power have witnessed countless thorny dilemmas and understand one principle most deeply:

Many problems in the world cannot be solved simply by throwing money at them.

A deadlock woven from power, social standing, personal connections, and deep-rooted influences may not be able to be broken even with hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars.

Zeng Yunqi pondered for a long time, his eyes filled with helplessness, and he had already determined that the Qin family's move was futile.

He looked up at Lu Zhou and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Contact Qin Zheng immediately and give him a heads-up."

"Tell him that the official plan to change the landscape of Qingshui County and break the Shi family's monopoly by relying on investment has been tried for many years and is completely unworkable. There is no need to waste this trillion-yuan sum. Even if the funds were invested in other blank areas of your province, it would be more valuable than fighting tooth and nail in Qingshui County."

This persuasion can be seen as the central government giving face to the Qin family.

Considering the Qin family's recent strong support for border regions, Yunnan Province, and the Jiangnan region in relieving the country's difficulties and helping people's livelihoods, Zeng Yunqi was willing to take the initiative to offer advice to prevent the other party's huge sum of money from going down the drain.

"Yes!" Lu Zhou nodded solemnly, immediately took out his phone, and dialed Qin Zheng's number.

beep - beep -

The call was answered quickly.

Lu Zhou didn't waste any pleasantries, his tone direct and serious, getting straight to the point:

"Mr. Qin, this is Lu Zhou. I have seen your actions online. The elders asked me to tell you something: the plan to change the landscape of Qingshui County and break the Shi family's monopoly through investment was tried by the government many years ago, but it simply didn't work."

"The Shi family will continue to cause trouble and obstruct construction, creating various obstacles. In extreme cases, they will not hesitate to sacrifice lives to disrupt the project and ruin all projects. We hope you can stop the damage in time."

Qin Zheng, upon hearing Lu Zhou's words, simply chuckled and replied:

"Speaker Lu, thank you for the reminder. But you can rest assured that the Shi family has no chance to obstruct any project from being implemented."

"Before my investment was officially implemented in Qingshui County, Shijia was already gone."

Qin Zheng's words were calm yet domineering, exuding absolute confidence.

The phone was on speakerphone, and all the elders heard Qin Zheng's words clearly.

Instantly, the entire room erupted in uproar, and disbelief was written on everyone's face.

They have cultivated deep roots in the core of power for decades, and the government has been powerless against this thousand-year-old local family. How dare Qin Zheng utter such arrogant words, claiming that he would directly destroy the Shi family?

That's far too arrogant and conceited!

Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow, suppressing his surprise, and followed up with another question:

"Mr. Qin, I'm very curious, how exactly do you plan to bring down the Shi family?"

Qin Zheng chuckled lightly, his tone enigmatic:

"You will naturally understand why the Shi family fell from power within seven days."

"Mr. Qin, it's good to be confident, but blind confidence will only lead to more harm than good," Lu Zhou patiently advised again. "I don't want to see your trillions of dollars go down the drain and all your efforts be in vain."

"Speaker Lu is overthinking it," Qin Zheng said, his tone still calm and confident.

"The Shi family is nothing special. I can easily crush them within seven days, even without showing my face."

"Seven days?" Lu Zhou chuckled and shook his head, full of helplessness. "Mr. Qin is far too optimistic. The official plan has been in place for years and has not been able to shake the Shi family in the slightest. You say you can destroy the Shi family in seven days? Forgive my bluntness, but it is absolutely impossible."

"If Speaker Lu doesn't believe me, then wait and see the results in a week." Qin Zheng didn't intend to persuade them; facts were more convincing than words.

After saying that, the phone was immediately disconnected.

Hearing the busy tone from the receiver, Lu Zhou put down his phone, turned helplessly to look at the group of solemn-looking elders, and gently shook his head.

Several disdainful snorts suddenly rang out in the conference room.

"Hmph, as expected, having too much money makes one arrogant and complacent, thinking that money can grant them access to everything and make them omnipotent."

"Mr. Qin, what's gotten into you? How dare you be so arrogant? If Qingshui County were so easily provoked, would we have had to wait until today?"

"I even suspect there might be something wrong with him; he speaks and acts without thinking at all," one of the elders said, pointing to his head.

Zeng Yunqi sat upright in the main seat, exhaled a deep breath, and said helplessly:

"Never mind, let him be."

"Qin Zheng is now stubborn and willful, and he won't listen to any advice from others."

"After seven days, when he has fully come to terms with reality, we will step in and try to persuade him again."