The male supporting character was actually myself.

The eldest young master has always presented himself as a refined, gentle, and knowledgeable person. Who would have thought that when he gets angry, he is no less powerful than the second young master? So much so that the news that the butler sent someone to tell him early this morning has not yet reached him.

"Congratulations, young master! Congratulations, young master!" The two servants, after he had applied his medicine, dressed, washed, and sat down at the dining table to eat, exchanged a glance and, with ingratiating smiles, congratulated him in unison, "Great joy! Great joy!"

The old woman was setting out exquisite dishes on the dining table. Although it was just breakfast, which was close to noon, the eldest son, who was the most favored legitimate son, was naturally treated with the best treatment except for the marshal. There were as many as eight dishes, both hot and cold.

Li Dongchen felt a little better when he saw that the table was full of his favorite foods.

After all, the fact that the kitchen still remembers my preferences after four years speaks volumes about its prestigious status. Aside from being unprepared for being tricked by my younger brother who had been plotting for four years since returning home, as long as I stay calm for the next few days and get into the zone, I'm sure I can win with an overwhelming advantage.

After all, he was the eldest son of the Marshal's Mansion, the true heir, and the young marshal with both talent and good looks!

Who does Li Jiangchen think he is, daring to compare himself to me? Ha, he was born a loser, and no amount of trying to make up for it later will help. My immediate priority is to get an advance on next month's wages from the bank, to see if I can offer any assistance to the Ruan siblings. I hope the gentle, considerate, and understanding Xiangqin won't hate me…

"What's there to celebrate?" Li Dongchen, who was preoccupied with how to win Ruan Xiangqin's heart, frowned slightly and asked, "I've had the worst luck since I got back yesterday, what's there to celebrate?"

The servant hurriedly replied, "Young Master, of course it's your wedding! The Commander sent out wedding invitations early this morning. You will be marrying the Zhang family's daughter in seven days. It's naturally a joyous occasion to celebrate that the lovers have finally become a couple..."

Before he could finish asking for a reward, Li Dongchen's expression changed drastically. "What did you say? Who's getting married?"

"You and Miss Zhang Ziqiu, the daughter of the Zhang family, have been engaged for nearly four years. Now that you've finally returned from studying abroad, it's only natural that you should get married soon." The servant sensed something was amiss. The young master's expression didn't seem like that of a groom. After he finished speaking, he instinctively took two steps back.

Li Dongchen: ∑('△｀)？ !

Am I dreaming and still asleep?

I'm marrying Zhang Ziqiu? What the hell is this?!

"Sir, please eat first, we'll go downstairs." The servant turned to run away when he saw that something was wrong, but was stopped by him, "Wait! Tell me everything, word for word, who said I was engaged to Zhang Ziqiu?"

The two servants looked at each other, and after a few seconds of silence, one of them stammered, "Last night, rumors suddenly spread from the brothels of Yucheng..."

The secret rendezvous at the Zhang family's villa has become the talk of the town, known to everyone?!

When Li Dongchen heard the servants' words, which included both insults and curses directed at the rumor-mongers, he was as shocked as if struck by lightning.

Who? Who did it? Who would leak the information?

The next second he thought of Zhang Ziqiu, who had a criminal record.

Rumors are rampant in Yucheng. It is said that his future brother-in-law forced his fiancée out of jealousy. If the news gets out, where will the Marshal's Mansion put its face?

So, the father improvised and sent out wedding invitations, changing the engagement to himself and Zhang Ziqiu, and then clamored to severely punish the rumor-mongers, all in order to quickly shift the topic and put an end to the gossip...

What a clever trick to achieve one's objective while concealing another!

Li Dongchen immediately understood the intricacies of the situation, and became even more convinced that Zhang Ziqiu had leaked the secret meeting! She wanted to use this to force him to marry her! And sure enough... by following the situation, that bitch actually succeeded!

"Get out! All of you, get out!" He stood up angrily, overturned the table, and threw whatever he could grab at the servants to vent his anger.

Seeing this, the servants hurriedly ran out of the room, then immediately grabbed the maids and servants who had heard the commotion and wanted to go forward to check the situation, waving their hands and whispering, "Don't provoke the young master, he's in a bad mood and will beat anyone he sees!"

"Foreign countries are really not good places. Look at how this once-good young master has come back and he's become a completely different person."

"Shh! Keep your voice down, the young master can be quite fierce when he's cursing and hitting people!"

"I used to think it was good to work for the good-tempered and gentle master, but who knew it was not as good as the second master. Although he had a bit of a temper, he never beat or scolded the servants. When he was in a good mood, he was also quick to give them rewards."

"What's wrong with the young master? Wouldn't it be better to move the wedding date forward and marry his beautiful bride sooner? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Haven't you heard? Last night, the eldest young master went to Qinya Manor and heard from the clerk at the money exchange that he has taken a liking to Ruan Fannan's eldest daughter, Ruan Xiangqin. So he doesn't want to marry the Zhang family's daughter anymore."

"What's so special about the daughter of a deadbeat? If she's pretty, she can just be carried in through the side gate as a concubine. How can the young master be so insensible..."

…………

Outside the courtyard, the maids, servants, and young men whispered among themselves in small groups, none daring to enter the courtyard to invite bad luck.

Li Dongchen threw a tantrum for a while before realizing he had to go to his father to cancel the marriage!

Why should I marry Zhang Ziqiu, that promiscuous slut, and make her my mistress? On the contrary, Li Jiangchen... how could that kid agree to give away his woman so easily?

Dad must have promised him something!

Damn it, I almost ruined my reputation because of this, but Li Jiangchen got benefits and avoided a vicious slut!

The wedding invitations were sent out early in the morning and spread throughout the city. Did Xiangqin know about it too?

The thought of his dream girl made Li Dongchen restless for even a second. He had to go to his father to cancel the engagement! He had to marry Ruan Xiangqin! Only such a stunning beauty was worthy of being the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marshal's Mansion!

"Young Master, please wait." However, he was stopped by several burly servants as soon as he rushed to the courtyard gate. "The Commander has ordered that you are not allowed to leave the courtyard before your wedding, and you are not allowed to see anyone outside the Commander's Mansion. We are just servants, please don't make things difficult for us, Young Master."

"I want to see my father! Don't stop me, I want to see my father!"

"Father! Father, I will not marry Zhang Ziqiu! I would rather die than let that slut enter my family!"

"Zhang Ziqiu, that kind of lewd woman who deserves to be drowned in a pig cage, doesn't deserve to be the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marshal's Mansion..."

Li Dongchen's screams went unnoticed in the vast mansion. The guards, in their duty, even locked all the gates inside and outside the courtyard. The young master, who was too weak to even kill a chicken and couldn't even climb a tree, had no chance of escaping except to jump up and down and shout.

"How dare the eldest brother cause trouble?" When Li Tianxing heard the steward's report, his face immediately darkened. He slammed down the teacup in his hand and cursed angrily, "If he didn't do something shameful and despicable, how could he cause such a stir in the city?"

Jiang Chen, being sensible and yielding at every turn, showed no mercy to Dong Chen, the eldest son, who had taken advantage of the situation and still dared to cause trouble. He ordered the steward to tell the etiquette instructor that anyone who disobeyed should be severely beaten! As long as he wasn't slapped and could be seen in public in seven days, they could do whatever they wanted with him!

After the steward left to carry out his orders, he was still so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged.

"Dad, I've found a way to make a fortune!" Jiang Chen rushed in excitedly, holding a stack of ledgers. He said to himself, "If we can pull off this big heist, we can buy guns and cannons, assemble an army, and strive to launch a surprise attack on Qin Laoxi to reclaim our territory!"

Seeing his youngest son, full of vigor and enthusiasm, Li Tianxing's anger immediately dissipated. This was what a magnanimous man should do! Developing and expanding to seize territory was far better than arguing with a few women over love and affection.

A rare expression of tenderness appeared on his face as he feigned anger, saying, "What kind of behavior is this, rushing around recklessly? A man who is destined for great things must be able to remain calm and composed. Even if the sky were to fall, he would not act rashly and shout loudly."

Despite grumbling, Li Tianxing gestured for him to sit down and said with a smile, "Tell me, what money-making scheme has my youngest son discovered?"

Jiang Chen spread a stack of accounts on the table. "Take over Santu City! It's a no-man's-land bordering three provinces, a chaotic area, and a vital transportation hub. Once we control Santu City, all caravans and smuggling ships passing through here will be under our control."

In the future, this will allow us to occupy the best positions for military operations, and once captured, the territory can be directly incorporated into our own. This will not only allow us to amass a huge sum of money to expand our military resources but also give us a significant advantage in military operations!

Chapter Seventeen: The Covert War on Public Opinion

"Sigh... I thought you were talking about some good business, and this is it?"

Li Tianxing poured himself a cup of tea, took a slow sip, and said quietly, "Santu City is a good place, who doesn't know that? The problem is that you have to be able to take it and hold it to make it your own. There are three forces at the intersection of three provinces. Besides our Li family army, there are also Qin Laoxi's and Mu Laohu's teams."

We've been fighting a protracted war for years, with neither side gaining an advantage, so we've just left it hanging. I've calculated it out: taking a hit would be incredibly costly, and we'd have to do everything we can to hold it. The effort isn't worth the reward; it's simply not worth it.

Instead of wasting time figuring out how to collect more taxes, our Li family army occupies quite a bit of territory; we could make a fortune by creating a pretext for taxation.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly and refused righteously, saying, "Increasing taxes is absolutely unacceptable. Not only should taxes not be increased, but I also intend to suggest to Father that taxes be reduced or exempted. Zhang Mingyuan once said something that I think makes a lot of sense—'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it…'"

"Water can be used to cook porridge, what nonsense is this?" Li Tianxing clearly didn't understand and muttered something.

The fluffy little dumpling rolled its eyes with a look of disdain. "Tch~ You're not as cultured as my soft and cute little white one. I know what that sentence means."

Jiang Chen flicked it on the forehead and patiently explained, "The people are like water, and our Marshal's Mansion is like a boat. If we can ensure that the people under our rule live and work in peace and contentment, they will support the Li Family Army even more. This is like using water to carry a boat forward smoothly."

If taxes are too heavy, even survival will be difficult. We may occupy territory but lack popular support, and trouble could easily erupt from within. Aren't all the incompetent rulers in history who were overthrown like this?

"Come on, Qin Laoxi collects taxes much more ruthlessly than I do, but I haven't seen any trouble in his own backyard. What use are unarmed, starving people if a war really breaks out?"

"That's because we're maintaining a delicate balance and haven't really started a war yet. We're reducing taxes and not squeezing the meager profits from the people, and then we're letting the news out."

Whether it's Qin Laoxi or Mu Laohu, the people under their rule will definitely feel envious and jealous. When they compare this to the unfair treatment they have suffered, they will naturally hate them.

When we attack Qin Laoxi, the people will be hoping he loses soon so we can enjoy a peaceful life with less taxation. They might even secretly open the city gates to welcome our Li family army into the city.”

Li Tianxing looked incredulous. "The common people will open the city gates to welcome us? You idiot, you're dreaming! Where will the money come from if we don't plunder the people? Without money, all ideals and ambitions are just bullshit! We can't take Santu City. You'd better think about how to continue collecting debts. Once we've collected all the debts from the money shops, I'll give you a 10% commission!"

"How about we make a bet?" Jiang Chen didn't back down at all. Instead, he took a sip of tea with a slight smile and looked at the other person with a provocative gaze.

Li Tianxing was a little confused by his youngest son's gaze. "What kind of bet?"

"You let me select a hundred-man squad from the army. If I can successfully take over Santu City and hold onto and control the high profits from the transportation hub within half a month, you can let me go and do big things!"

First, reduce taxes; I guarantee that the Marshal's Mansion's revenue will increase year after year.

Secondly, I personally procured firearms and ammunition and assembled the army;

Finally, I will implement military reforms to guarantee you an elite army that is invincible in every battle!

"Oh, so you've gotten too big for your britches and want to seize power?" Li Tianxing wasn't angry. He looked him up and down and shook his head. "It's not that I'm unwilling to relinquish power, and I won't bet with you. It's good for young people to have ideals, ambitions, and drive, but being too reckless will only cost them their lives. I only have two sons... In any case, I won't allow either of you to suffer any mishap!"

Even in times of turmoil, if war breaks out, I'm only forty-five and not old yet. With me there to support you, even if we're defeated, you two brothers can escape safely and live a wealthy life wherever you are for the rest of your lives.

My dear child, there's no need for fighting and killing if you just behave. It's not worth getting yourself into trouble!

"Your father is a veteran, someone who's crawled out of piles of corpses countless times. I know how difficult those precarious days are. I'm willing to toughen you up because I believe a real man needs to endure some hardship to make a good life anywhere, but there's really no need to risk your lives. Alright, no tax increase then. There's a wedding in the manor in a few days; if you don't want to stay home, go out and have some fun."

The fluffy little thing nestled on its host's shoulder and murmured, "This old man is actually quite nice, huh? In the original story, he was a bit biased, but in the end, he led the army to fight for his son's chance to escape. Now that his bias has been corrected a bit, I hope things will turn out well for him in the future."

"Hmm... As expected, the old man still has too few offspring." Jiang Chen glanced at the script, which hadn't been updated yet, and strolled down the street, fiddling with his riding crop and his hands behind his back, wondering if he should find a good doctor to take a look at him.

At only forty-five years old, as long as he doesn't have any major health problems and has so many concubines and mistresses, having a few more children wouldn't be a problem!

Fluffy dumpling: ⊙(?◇?)？

Meow meow meow?

Suddenly I can't follow the host's train of thought anymore. What does the plot have to do with how many offspring the old man's son has? I really don't understand...

Li Tianxing did not agree to his plan. The entire marshal's mansion was busy preparing for the wedding. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Jiang Chen went to the garrison and took the opportunity to find the reliable Long Er and rewarded him with some money to continue spreading the news.

Meanwhile, at the foot of Yuqin Mountain, in a desolate valley, the Ruan siblings, dressed in mourning clothes, hurriedly buried their father's body with the help of the residents at the foot of the mountain, using a rolled-up straw mat.

"Big sister, I'm hungry!" Little brother Ruan Yunfei tugged at her clothes, sobbing. "Last night, Li Yexiao threw away such a big bag of money, why didn't you take it? With money, you can buy delicious food and not go hungry!"

Ruan Xiangqin wiped away her tears, put her hand on her younger brother's shoulder and said seriously, "Afei, you are the only male heir and the only hope of our Ruan family. You must know that a person must have backbone and not accept charity! Li Yexiao is our father's killer. Not only can we not take his money, but you must also practice martial arts well so that you can kill Li Yexiao in the future and avenge our father!"

Ruan Yunfei's stomach was growling with hunger. She grumbled and continued to whine, "Big sister, our house was burned down and looted, and Dad is dead. What are we going to do now?"

The remaining family of four—three women and one man—lacked a leader. In turbulent times, they were often subjected to various forms of humiliation and had nowhere to turn. They might even encounter villains who bullied men and women, forcibly taking them as concubines or selling them to human slave traders.

However, being surrounded by the protagonist's halo, they couldn't be so miserable, so they encountered an unprecedentedly kind neighbor.

A group of elderly women and men dressed in patched clothes not only pooled their money to help with the funeral arrangements and bury Ruan Fannan, but also warmly invited them to stay in their homes, saving some of their already meager food rations to feed and house the female protagonist and her party for free.

"Heaven may be heartless, but people are compassionate. We, the four siblings, thank you all!" Having no food, drink, or shelter, Ruan Xiangqin didn't refuse. Wiping away her tears, she accepted the invitations from others. Ignoring all taboos, she wailed a couple of times at the grave and followed an elderly woman to her home.

The old woman brought out the last dish of cornbread and sighed, "That man surnamed Li is truly despicable. He set fires and killed people without showing any mercy. What a pity for so many houses and such fine furniture and utensils! My old man even helped carry timber when the manor was built. Your parents used the best materials to build the manor!"

The four siblings, having been hungry for most of the day, wolfed down their cornbread, their eyes filled with tears, looking utterly miserable.

Ruan Xiangyun said fiercely, "We will definitely avenge this! Qinya Manor will be rebuilt, and it will be as beautiful and peaceful as before. We will never allow anyone to set foot in our manor again!"

Just as they were about to lie down and rest after eating and drinking their fill, a teenager suddenly peeked into the dilapidated yard, picked up a stone, and started throwing it into the yard. "A bunch of little rascals! They killed their own fathers and are still freeloading at other people's houses!"

Qinya Manor has lived a prosperous life for so many years, never even lending a needle to its neighbors down the mountain. Now that they're in trouble, they shamelessly stay in their homes and eat all the food. Did you pay them?