Chapter 1372 - 44: The Great Emperor’s Complete Defeat

Emperor Longchang and Jiang Zhencang naturally were in disguise, making themselves look as much like ordinary old men as possible.

Especially Emperor Longchang, who had a wealth of experience causing trouble over the years, naturally had rich experience in disguise, and his appearance was indeed quite different from usual.

As for Wang Ansong, who had been stationed in Xinping Town for many years, he had few chances to meet Emperor Longchang; therefore, he did not recognize him for a while.

"That young lad Wang Ansong!"

These words nearly made Emperor Longchang jump up in anger.

What do you mean by "an old hand at causing trouble"? I’m just embodying a "Justice Envoy" to help the Wang Family fill in the gaps!

Besides, I escaped successfully several times before; when has Wang Ansong caught me? Only once was I cornered and too embarrassed to tear space and reveal my identity...

Emperor Longchang was very angry inside, but thinking about the "big picture", he decided to endure.

Once he successfully grabbed hold of Wang Shouzhe’s little secret this time, he would then reveal his identity for a moment of joy. At that time, Wang Ansong, that lad, would surely be scared pale, kneeling and begging for forgiveness.

And that lad Wang Shouzhe would also be frightened into a cold sweat, admitting his mistakes and shortcomings.

This feeling of satisfaction brought by revealing one’s identity at the last moment, Emperor Longchang had tasted it many times outside. Yet, on the Wang Family’s territory, he’d never had the chance to fulfill this wish even once.

This had seemingly become an obsession for Emperor Longchang.

Obviously, he had smoothly executed his routine in other counties over the years. The powerful families there were basically caught one by one, but he felt no sense of achievement and more of a dull taste.

Indeed.

If he couldn’t catch Wang Shouzhe’s little secret, what sense of achievement was there in catching the little secrets of more people?

Thinking so, Emperor Longchang immediately blew his beard and glared at Wang Ansong, saying: "Young fellow, the old man only came out to manage because he heard of such an injustice. I can’t let your Wang Family dominate locally, oppressing men and bullying women, can I?"

"Old man." Wang Ansong looked him up and down, frowning deeply, "Xinping Town has a Guardian’s Mansion. If anyone is suspected of violating the law, they can go to the Guardian’s Mansion to report and seek justice, rather than disrupt public order like this."

"Report? The Guardian’s Mansion is run by your Wang Family; you Wang Family are a Heaven Covering power. Does reporting your clan Wang Shouzhe work?" Emperor Longchang snorted, saying, "You might even take the whistleblower out and bury them."

"Old man, don’t be troublesome!" Wang Ansong’s face immediately turned unsightly upon hearing this, and a tinge of anger stained his visage, "Our fourth patriarch is always upright, most law-abiding. How dare you slander him with such redmouth and white teeth?"

Within the Wang Family, younger generation members like Wang Ansong always revered Ancestor Shouzhe as if he were a god.

With Wang Shouzhe leading the Wang Family’s rise, his past had already become a legend for other noble families, and the younger members of the Wang Family grew up listening to his stories. Their reverence and admiration were etched into their bones, making them intolerant of even a slight disparagement against him.

Wang Ansong was naturally irate, coldly snorting and saying, "Such unreasonable antics, this old thief must be a spy sent by an enemy force! Men, take him back for a thorough interrogation."

"Yes, Grand Commander An Song."

All the subordinates responded loudly, immediately preparing to swarm and capture that vile old thief.

"Wait!" Jiang Zhencang saw things weren’t right and hurriedly said, "Grand Commander An Song, please hold on, perhaps it’s better to hear from Zhao Family people before deciding. Maybe they truly have some injustice."

Jiang Zhencang also felt the situation seemed a bit off.

"Grand Commander." Zhuge Liangcai also whispered in persuasion beside him, "There are too many onlookers now. If we just take people away like this, even if we Wang Family have the right on our side, it may be hard to explain later. I believe our Wang Family is clear internally, why not question clearly right in public view."

"Alright then." Wang Ansong nodded, confidently saying, "In that case, let’s talk clearly with witnesses around. If you have grievances, feel free to express them publicly. If it’s truly our Wang Family’s fault, we won’t deny it."

The onlookers saw Wang Ansong’s open manner and instantly cheered loudly.

After all, it’s the Changning Wang Family, straightforward in dealing with matters, with excellent reputation. Changing to other noble families, they might not have such confidence. After all, most noble families rely on privilege, and there are always some injustices.

The twists and turns in the situation left the Zhao Family in the private box stunned.

They just came out for a meal and casually mentioned their family’s current plight, never expecting to be caught in such a peculiar affair?

"Ahem ahem~ I’m Zhao Mingzhi, the Patriarch of Celestial Mansion Zhao Family, and this is Ancestor Zhi Jing from our Zhao Family." When the crowd focused on the Zhao Family, a calm-faced middle-aged man stepped forward from among the Zhao Family members, bowing respectfully to everyone and saying politely, "Although we don’t quite understand what happened, there’s nothing to conceal at this point."

Zhao Mingzhi, being the patriarch, had dealt with people frequently and reacted faster than the others in his family.

He sighed and started to explain: "We Celestial Mansion Zhao Family are a branch of the Daqian Zhao Family. Due to various reasons before, our family’s fortunes declined. Over the years, to redeem the family’s declining state, we’ve been seeking business opportunities all around. Later, through Ancestor Xiqing’s introduction and persuasion, we established some connections with the Wang Family, using our family’s reputation as collateral to undertake the Wang Family’s iron pot sales in Celestial County."