Chapter 298 - 296: The Matter is Settled

Chapter 298: Chapter 296: The Matter is Settled

A heavy snow was falling over the Capital City that night, and it wasn’t long before the entire city was cloaked in a blanket of silver. A warm, orange light shone from Zhou Lian’s study. It was the middle of the night, but Zhou Lian was still waiting in the study with Ping Jing and the Eldest Young Madam.

"Sister-in-law, are you sure we’ll get news tonight?" It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Zhou Lian, but a prominent family, one from the upper echelons of the Capital City’s society, wasn’t so easily toppled. The Eldest Young Madam asked, her voice tinged with impatience.

Zhou Lian smiled and said softly, "Sister-in-law, sometimes, waiting can be a wonderful experience. Don’t be anxious. After all, if you don’t pull out the roots, the weeds will grow back in the spring."

"Wait a minute, Sister-in-law, you’re going to eradicate them root and stem?" Ping Jing looked at Zhou Lian in shock. That wasn’t what he had discussed with Li Xiu. The plan was just to topple them. Why had it become a complete eradication?

Looking at Ping Jing with an unruffled expression, Zhou Lian said with a half-smile, "Brother, Jin Chen isn’t here. Right now, everyone listens to me. Why would you think I would leave any loose ends? After all, any discerning person knows Jin Chen is the one pulling the strings behind this. Why else do you think I sent him back to our hometown? If it were just a matter of stripping them of their official posts, would I really have them—the three men of our family—go back now? There’s still almost a month until the end of the year!"

"So be it. Some scourges really do need to be uprooted. This is the reality of our world—full of schemes and deception. How can you let a tiger back into the mountains just because your heart goes soft?" The Eldest Young Madam had her suspicions, but she hadn’t expected Zhou Lian to actually be this ruthless.

With a light laugh, Zhou Lian looked at Ping Jing and said nonchalantly, "Brother, have you forgotten these words? ’Mercy does not command soldiers. Righteousness does not foster talent. Kindness does not suit an official. Emotion does not build endeavors. Benevolence does not belong in politics.’"

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Ping Jing’s back. ’That’s right... Mercy does not command soldiers. Righteousness does not foster talent. Kindness does not suit an official. Emotion does not build endeavors. Benevolence does not belong in politics. I learned that as a child, how could I have forgotten it so completely? I’ve been wallowing in despair for over a decade. Did I almost destroy myself? If I keep this up, forget about me... I’m afraid I’ll drag down Ping’an, and drag down the entire Ping Family!’

’How could I have forgotten what made me so dejected in the first place? I experienced the cruelty of a political struggle firsthand. And yet, here I am, feeling pity for others? Did I leave my brain behind in that battle? I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of what happened back then. The small fry ended up dead or missing, but all the suspicious points remain. The methods they used... they weren’t something a few lackeys could pull off. I know that, don’t I?’

"Ping Jing, are you all right?" the Eldest Young Madam asked with concern, seeing the dreadful look on his face. They had been childhood sweethearts who grew up together; how could she not understand what he was feeling now? She just had never been willing to push him, had never had the heart to.

Glancing at the worried Eldest Young Madam, Zhou Lian said calmly, "Sister-in-law, don’t blame me. It’s time for Brother to wake up. Is the great Eldest Young Master of the Ping Family, who once took the Capital City by storm, going to continue to cower and run away like this? Elder Ping and Aunt Zhou have lived their lives with unbending integrity and selflessness. Are you just going to let the Ping Family fall into ruin, or let Ping’an support it all by himself? Brother, it’s time to pull yourself together—for Ping’an, for the Ping Family, and for all those who have been struggling to support you from behind the scenes!"

The Eldest Young Madam fell silent at her words. ’Yes, my husband needs to pull himself together. He was never meant to be a man of mediocrity. It’s time for him to shoulder the responsibilities of the eldest son of the Ping Family!’

After a long moment, Ping Jing looked up at his wife, whose worry was plain to see, then glanced at the calm Zhou Lian. He gave a bitter smile and said, "You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, Sister-in-law. I’ve been in a daze for over a decade. It’s time I pulled myself together. If not for anyone else, then for my wife, who has endured so much hardship with me. It’s time I woke up!"

Hearing his words, the Eldest Young Madam burst into tears. ’My husband, the man who was once the talk of the Capital City, is back!’

Watching the husband and wife embrace and cry in each other’s arms, Zhou Lian felt a bit helpless. ’Is this really the time for this? Is this forty-something couple engaging in a public display of affection right now?’

A soft knock came from the door. Zhou Lian instantly sat up straight. ’It’s here. Has the news finally arrived?’ she thought, then raised her voice and called toward the door, "Come in!"

Seeing the couple across from her also sit up straight, Zhou Lian turned her gaze to the man who had just entered and taken off his hat. She asked softly, "Is it over?"

"Yes, Madam. I monitored the entire operation. Three different agencies moved at once. Not a single person got away. The head of the Zhang Family led a team personally. All the evidence is conclusive. He sent a message: you can rest assured," the captain of the bodyguard team said with a serious expression.

The corners of Zhou Lian’s mouth lifted slightly. She said gently, "Good. You’ve worked hard. Go and get some rest."

Watching him exit the room, Zhou Lian slowly turned to Ping Jing and the Eldest Young Madam and said in a lighthearted tone, "It’s over. With the head of the Zhang Family involved, this matter is now settled."

"Sister-in-law, this operation... it wasn’t just targeting the Sun Family, was it?" Ping Jing asked softly after a moment of thought, looking at Zhou Lian’s calm face. To eradicate something root and stem, he feared, would involve more than just the Sun Family.

Her eyebrow twitched. Zhou Lian’s wicked smile was almost identical to Li Xiu’s as she looked at Ping Jing teasingly. "Clever, Brother. A storm is brewing in the Capital City right now. A few of the old masters have cast a big net to catch a big fish. Since we’re fishing in troubled waters with our little net, we can’t just catch one fish, can we?"

"Neither Jin Chen nor I are as greedy as you!" Having cleared his mind, Ping Jing shook his head and looked at Zhou Lian helplessly. ’Jin Chen’s wife is truly ruthless,’ he thought. ’This isn’t something an ordinary woman could do!’

Zhou Lian laughed and said nonchalantly, "Brother, Jin Chen can only net one fish. After all, he doesn’t have the proper standing. But if *you* cast the net... hehe, for the great Eldest Young Master of the Ping Family to personally cast the net, no catch would be considered too big!"

"Sister-in-law, you did all of this in my name?" Ping Jing stared at Zhou Lian’s nonchalant expression, utterly astonished. ’She’s truly ruthless!’

The Eldest Young Madam also understood the full scope of the situation now. She tried to hold her tongue, but couldn’t help retorting to Zhou Lian, "Couldn’t you have a little pity on your brother and take things a bit slower?"

"He’s not my man, why should I pity him? It’s enough that Brother has you to pity him!" Zhou Lian retorted irritably, looking at the Eldest Young Madam’s fierce protectiveness of her husband.

Pointing a finger at Zhou Lian from across the room, the Eldest Young Madam, who truly had no way of dealing with her, said helplessly, "Sister-in-law, you sure do know how to dote on Li Jincheng!"

"Well, that can’t be helped. A woman has to dote on her own man! You’re allowed to dote on your husband, so why can’t I dote on mine?" Zhou Lian said casually.

Seeing the couple looking at her helplessly, Zhou Lian said with a mischievous grin, "All right, you two should head back and get some rest. I’ll give the order that from now on, Brother will be temporarily handling all these matters."

Seeing Ping Jing about to speak, Zhou Lian quickly cut in, "You have to do it whether you want to or not. If you really can’t handle it, then wait for Jin Chen to return and you two can discuss it. You can’t seriously expect me, someone who knows nothing about these things, to keep managing it all, can you?"