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"That old man finally agreed to loosen up..."

"Silence!"

"Brother, what are you afraid of? After today, our Wei Family may not necessarily have to look at the Weichi Clan’s face."

"Today is not over yet!" The tall man’s face was stern as he warned the several youths beside him, "Don’t get too ahead of yourselves. The opening of the Ghost Temple requires the consent of several priests. There aren’t many in the Capital City with this much clout, and without Patriarch Weichi, there would be no chance. .."

"If not for the old man’s stubbornness, why would we fall behind by a year?" A cold female voice said from the side, "Big brother, do you really not harbor any resentment in your heart? Why be so serious? It was only right and expected for him to seek this opportunity for us today."

The big man fell silent for a few breaths, and his face, which bore a resemblance to Wei Gongcheng, turned unsightly and somber.

He was none other than Wei Gongyu, the designated heir of the Wei Family!

As the designated heir of the Wei Family, he had undergone the most changes these past few years following the Weichi Family Head.

Originally, the old Patriarch Weichi was the Leader of the Imperial Army, and he had also served as the Imperial Army Deputy General alongside the old man, a person of status in the Capital City.

But since the rise of the Ghost Temple, Patriarch Weichi was unwilling to receive blessings and was dragged further and further behind by other families.

Now, not only dwellings like the Duke’s Mansion but even some second- and third-rate families strut before them with arrogance.

If things continued this way, following the Weichi Clan would leave them with nothing to drink...

"Back then, when Wei Gongcheng’s bastard was thriving in Jiangnan, the Family Head should have arranged for most of our Wei Family youths to go there.

What happened? The old Family Head insisted that moving so many people there would arouse the Emperor’s suspicion and forcibly kept us here.

We let a great opportunity in Jiangnan slip by because of a single word from him. What has he given us in return?"

"Exactly!" Another Wei Family youth quickly agreed, "A single word from the old Family Head allowed that bastard to monopolize such great benefits on his own. How much did our Wei Family sacrifice? How much disdain have we faced this past year? Now he’s finally willing to let us participate in the Ghost Temple, I think he’s just senile. .."

"Enough! We’re outside, it’s not good for others to overhear..." Wei Gongyu glared at them and said.

The youths fell silent, but their eyes showed their disagreement, waiting for the Wei Family to receive the blessings. If the Weichi Clan remained stubborn, they naturally wouldn’t hang their hopes on a single Weichi branch.

Wei Gongyu knew what his cousins were thinking, but in his heart, he agreed with them.

Originally, when Wei Gongcheng, that bastard, had climbed to success by associating with Chen Qing, he definitely should have sought great benefits for the family.

They had inquired a lot about Jiangnan, and that lowly bastard was no small fry now; in Jiangnan, he was one of the six major city’s Ghost Generals, with a standing that even exceeded the millennia-old Shen Family.

Moreover, the position of Ghost General was incredibly magical, wielding immense power.

Not only respected in the living world but also able to secure huge benefits for the family in the underworld.

With proper management, it could completely transform the Wei Family, elevating them to a true top-tier clan rather than a mere vassal.

However, such an opportunity was thwarted by the old head of the Weichi Clan, nearly infuriating several Wei Family Elders to death.

Nowadays, repeatedly rejecting the blessings from the Ghost General bestowed by Your Majesty was like watching others eat succulent meat while doing nothing. It was incomprehensible how the Wei Family’s ancestors were blinded to choose such a clan to depend on.

If it weren’t for the combined pressure from several vassal families, that old Family Head would probably continue to clutch his useless integrity and proceed with his folly. By then, the Wei Family might have had to lead other families in breaking away from the Weichi Clan.

"Regardless, let’s first secure this wave of blessings. We have already fallen a year behind, and can’t afford to slack..."

"Hmph... all because of that old man..."

"Enough, less complaining..." Wei Gongyu scolded again, "As long as we enter the temple, there will be plenty of opportunities ahead..."

Hearing this, the others pursed their lips, unable to refute their big brother’s lofty words.

Where were these plenty of opportunities?

They were a whole year late; certainly, they wouldn’t catch up with the spring campaign to conquer the north.

Without military achievements, they would likely continue to fall behind and could only watch from the sidelines.

If there was a conflict with Jiangnan in the future, depending on Wei Gongcheng’s standing there, the Wei Family might be taken seriously.

Among the crowd, a tall, thin man kept his head low and remained silent from the beginning to the end. Looking at his brothers of the same blood, he felt nothing but overwhelming shame.

The Wei Family’s traditions have fallen to such a state, completely losing the backbone once held when the old Family Head Wei was alive.

They are nothing but a bunch of despicable and ignorant fools.

The main matrons of the Wei Family really failed to raise the next generation properly after the older generation perished in battle.

Not to mention that the current status of the Wei Family is all thanks to the support of the Weichi Clan. Without the Weichi Clan speaking up this time, which one of you could have enjoyed the privilege of opening the Ghost Temple just once by yourselves?

Patriarch Weichi worries about the side effects after the Ghost General possesses one, yet no one appreciates it. Instead, they blame the old Family Head for not letting them go to Jiangnan?

It’s laughable. Originally, Wei Gongcheng was promoted by the old Family Head himself.

During his youth, he nearly perished from the persecution by one of those matrons and was subjected to all sorts of mockery and humiliation by the Wei Family after becoming disabled.

If it weren’t for that, why would he have sought refuge with Chen Qing, a poor Scholar?

Now that he has risen to success, you all think that upon going to Jiangnan, he will unquestionably support the Wei Family?

He doesn’t understand how his brothers could think such a way?

Sighing to himself, the old Family Head was right.

The main matrons of the Wei Family have a despicable character, no different from shrewish women.

The offspring they raised are all shortsighted and foolish.

If he should take a wife in the future, he must marry a girl from a Scholarly Family with proper upbringing.

Of course, that’s assuming the covert mission the old Family Head has given him...

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"Are the people arranged by the old general reliable?"

Inside the main hall of the Weichi Clan, Mu Hongqing looked at the arrangements made by Patriarch Weichi and furrowed his brows slightly. Such a significant affair was entrusted to a bunch of young people; the old Family Head surely had guts.

According to their guess, if there were to be a rebellion, it would inevitably start from within.

It wouldn’t be the Duke of Ying’s Zhang Family, then certainly another family with actual control over the troops, one of the deputy generals.

They would place people from their vassal families into the suspect family and then approach them under the pretense of switching allegiance to glean information covertly.

From Mu Hongqing’s perspective, this method was barely proper.

The dissatisfaction of the Weichi Clan’s vassal families toward the Weichi Clan had already spread throughout the Capital City.

From a common person’s viewpoint, the Weichi Clan’s actions were indeed foolish enough, and it’s normal for their subordinates to seek other prospects.

At this time, pledging allegiance to other families was quite reasonable. In past years, families that could not stand on their own always wavered between the major clans, aligning with the strongest at the time; it had always been this way.

Using this as a reason to approach those families wouldn’t raise suspicions easily, and it might even be possible to be seduced by hidden forces.

The reason is simple: the Weichi Clan’s vassal families, especially the Wei Family, are impatient for quick results and are extremely shortsighted; it would be easy for them to fall for the bait. The probability of spies planted by the Patriarch Weichi mixing in with them was high.

All in all, the method didn’t have any major issues, but the key was whether the people involved were trustworthy.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Mu..." Patriarch Weichi said with a smile, stroking his beard: "In this lifetime, in terms of talent, compared to people like Lumings and Your Majesty, I fall far behind.

In terms of scheming, compared to people like Lord Duke of Song or Siao Mingyue, I am completely outclassed.

But when it comes to judging character, I still have some confidence. "

This statement left Mu Hongqing slightly startled.

Come to think of it, this old fellow of the Weichi Clan, despite being mediocre in other aspects and far less distinguished than previous Patriarch Weichis, was quite shrewd in the aspect of judging and using people.

Back then, he boldly employed Weichi Feihong, an illegitimate son, and also discovered and brought up Wei Gongcheng, who was only eight years old, into the fold.

Moreover, the Weichi Clan later pledged allegiance to Emperor Siao—this old fellow seemed quite exceptional at assessing and selecting people.

"Those vassal families are currently disgraceful in every respect, but there are still a few promising young individuals among the younger generation, especially in the Wei Family. Aside from Wei Gongcheng, there is another whom I value no less," the old Family Head said.

"Oh?" Seeing the other party’s confidence, Mu Hongqing’s eyes flashed with a glint of intrigue: "In that case, I shall await the good news!"