Chapter 35.1: The Means Are Simple and Rough

"Lang'er you won't be able to do it. Times have changed and under the New Deal, we old aristocratic n.o.bles live in fear that one day we'll be caught in the wrong. Over the last three years, three aristocrats lost their enclaves; one even lost his life." The Count's eyes softened, voice and tone both earnest.

He was downtrodden.

Was he in the wrong for holding Shen Lang back? He's only trying to hold on to the last vestige of his ancestor's heritage. Was that so bad?

"If it were anything like the past, I'd be able to take care of people like Tian Heng easily, but now, it's no longer so. I can't simply get rid of him with the snap of my fingers. After all, he belongs to the new powers and we old n.o.bles aren't allowed to interfere with the local government. Ah… once we've caused a foul, the consequences are unthinkable."

At this moment, Shen Lang felt a deep sense of helplessness in the Count's heart.

The New Deal is neither good or bad, least that's what Shen Lang thought, but it seems it goes against his sole interest.

"Shen Lang, I, your father-in-law do promise you that I'll make sure to bring down Tian Heng in half a year at most and give you justice!" Count Jin said seriously.

With the Count's power, it's not a difficult feat to destroy Tian Heng.

But what is difficult is complying with the laws of the empire. Not getting caught, that is difficult.

But the Count promised Shen Lang.

Shen Lang worse a serious expression, eyes soft and sincere. "Father-in-law, Tian Heng, the Xu Family, and the Lin Family, they and I have a crude past. I must avenge the revenge myself, or I won't be able to lift my head for the rest of my life. The three families are taking advantage of the mere fact that they dare not make a move after entering the Count's Palace."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I've not done anything for the Count's Palace to warrant your help, nor am I ent.i.tled to waste father-in-law's resources, especially the political resources. If you father-in-law only wants to avenge my vengeance, then I don't deserve to be Mulan's husband. What I'm doing instead is just eating soft rice."

The smiled, pleased of what he'd heard.

He felt that he and Shen Lang finally understood one another for the first time.

"I appreciate your thoughts, but you really can't fight them," he sighed, "Son, Xuanwu City no longer belongs to us. It belongs to the government; it belongs to Liu Wuyan and Zhang Jin's family. These two people are Tian Heng's backer. You can't fight them."

"Do they dare to kill me?" Shen Lang retorted. "Do they dare to hit me?"

"Who dares?" Count Jin scoffed. "But we cannot cause trouble now. Our Count's Palace still has two or three thousand troops, after all. If they dare hurt the even the hairs from the people from my House of Jin, I'll be sure to wipe them out!"

Shen Lang smiled softly. "Father-in-law, I a.s.sure you here that I will make sure Tiang Heng breaks Tian Thirteen's legs while having him lose his dignity under the circ.u.mstances of the law and won't leave any holes. Please believe me."

"What is your plan?"

"I can't say. I don't know how it'll turn out. There are some things that can only be done, not said."

In fact, he's afraid to say it, afraid that if he speaks of it into existence, his father-in-law would beat him to death before he'd the chance to exact his vengeance.

"Do you know what will happen if you lose?"

"My reputation will be discredited. I'll be laughed at whenever I step foot into Xuanwu City in the future."

The Count hesitated for a long while, then he clenched his teeth and sighed. "You are a thoughtful man. Go, as a father, I won't be able to stop you even if I try."

Shen Lang bowed. "Thank you, father-in-law."

"But you must remember to never violate the laws of this continent. Don't worry about winning or losing. It doesn't matter if you lose once at a young age. It's okay to lose face once in a while and learn from it."

Shen Lang bowed again. "Yes, I will follow father-in-law's instructions, but… I will win. Even if Tian Heng has the backing of those two powerhouses, I'll certainly bring him down!"

He paused, then bowed again. "Father-in-law, I'll be going now…"

As the sun rose, Shen Lang left the Count's Palace in a carriage and journeyed to Xuanwu City.