Chapter 330: 323 has secured a place in the Black Tiger Gang_1

In ancient times, some noble scions, upon taking a fancy to a beauty or a treasure, would directly slaughter an entire family, and in the end, there’d be no repercussions.

It’s not that these young nobles lacked brains, but rather, they were aware of their status and the privileges it conferred.

Even if they killed an entire family, it wouldn’t matter.

When Qin Niu was initially ennobled as a first-class noble, he had no intention of killing anyone. However, the He Family failed to see the situation clearly, thinking that a first-class noble was a mere figurehead, someone they could control, which was almost like forcing Qin Niu into annihilating them completely.

“Qin Niu, fully aware of the strict laws, why did you still slaughter the entire He Family? Did you commit murder to plunder the He Family’s wealth?”

As soon as the City Commandant spoke, he immediately dug several pits for Qin Niu.

This was somewhat akin to setting a trap and waiting for someone to fall into it.

“Please, the three seniors must see clearly, I was granted a hundred mu of fertile land as a reward, and being well aware of the He Family’s considerable influence, I deliberately delayed for two days before going to take possession of the land. Who knew the He Family would try to swap my prime fertile land with their flood-prone low-lying fields? When I refused, He Sire the Fourth let his servants curse at me.

If it were an ordinary time, I would have endured it in fear of the He Family’s deep roots and extensive influence.

But on the day I was ennobled as a first-class noble, the City Commandant himself told me that in the entire Black Tiger Gang, only about two hundred people were ennobled as first-class nobles. Being insulted was one thing, but I couldn’t disgrace the other first-class nobles.

If the coachman of a local family clan dared to freely curse at a first-class noble, then what dignity would we first-class nobles have left to speak of?

Unable to tolerate it any longer, I killed this extremely arrogant coachman.

I originally left room for maneuver, hoping that after seeing my strength, the He Family would restrain themselves.

Yet to my surprise, upon his return home, He Sire the Fourth, relying on the He Family’s several Innate Realm experts and their status as one of the oldest local families, took advantage of my absence while I was working on the mountain. Not only did they beat up my future father-in-law, but they also kidnapped my fiancée, and in public they uttered obscene words, saying that they wanted to take my fiancée back to the He Family to properly “train” her.

I ask, what man could tolerate such humiliation?

There was no choice, I had to kill He Sire the Fourth.

The following events you can probably guess, upon seeing that a member of their direct lineage was killed, the entire He Family was infuriated. The He Family Elder led the family’s strongmen, vowing to fight me to the death.

For self-preservation, I had no choice but to counterattack, and as luck would have it, I won the battle.

Afterward, I even paid to hire the He Family’s servants to bury the bodies of their people. All the blame lies with the He Family, not me.”

Qin Niu pushed his sophistry to the extreme.

He, a murderer, had now turned into the one with grievance.

Gongsun Jin and Elder Wen both nodded in succession, only stopping short of giving a high-five and praising, “Well killed.”

“He Second lambasted you for robbing the He Family of all their wealth; how do you explain this?”

The City Commandant inquired.

“Upon my conscience, I did not take any of the He Family’s possessions. Call out He Second to confront me; the deeds to the fields and houses, and all other properties, are all in the possession of He Second. He did indeed propose to give them to me as a gift and also wanted me to help him climb to the position of the He Family’s patriarch.”

Qin Niu protested his innocence repeatedly.

“Bring He Second here.”

“Reporting to the City Commandant, He Second collapsed and died on the spot, suspected of having committed suicide by poison.”

A guard came in and reported.

The City Commandant’s expression darkened; this was indeed a case without a witness.

He Second had been in good health all along; why did he suddenly die?

The situation was highly suspicious.

“City Commandant, forgive my frankness, He Second harbored evil intentions, always plotting to put me to death. Malicious slander, pinning blame on me, is also very likely. Now that he is called forth for a confrontation, his plot is about to be exposed, so he therefore took his own life out of fear of his crimes. I suggest immediately bringing up He Second’s body, search his person, and the truth will naturally come to light for all to see.”

Qin Niu spoke nonsense confidently, feeling a sense of relief in his heart upon hearing of He Second’s death.

Now with no one to confront, he could say whatever he wanted.

“What Master Qin suggested seems reasonable. Bring up the body for examination on the spot.”

Elder Wen agreed to Qin Niu’s proposal.

The body was quickly brought up.

He Second had blood flowing from all seven orifices, his expression hideous.

The guards indeed found a large number of property deeds and house deeds on his body, along with a small amount of silver notes and other items.

“Brother Lu, I think there’s no need to continue this trial. What Qin Niu said, even if somewhat exaggerated, basically corresponds with the facts. The He Family was lawless, acting without any regard for others, relying on the numerous strongmen in their family to even covet the lands of a first-class noble, and moreover, they sought to desecrate someone’s fiancée; they deserved to be killed.”

Elder Wen rendered his judgement on the trial.

“Indeed, the He Family truly deserves contempt. The title of a first-class noble is not an empty honor but represents status and authority. Today, the He Family dared to ignore Qin Niu, a newly conferred first-class noble, and in the future, they might dare to disregard us, the established first-class nobles. Qin Niu’s successful counter-slaughter of the He Family serves as a stern warning to other local families, making clear who truly commands the heavens.”

Gongsun Jin seemed to be particularly friendly towards Qin Niu.

He kept finding ways to extricate Qin Niu from blame.

“Since the opinions of the two gentlemen are in agreement, Lu does not have any objections. Our trial is concluded, and we can now post notices everywhere, declaring the He Family’s crimes and deterring the local families. At present, our Black Tiger Gang is at war with two other major gangs, and this cleansing of social order is indeed a good thing.”

Seeing that there was nothing he could do about Qin Niu, the City Commandant simply decided to go with the flow and do Qin Niu a favor.

As a result, the joint trial by the three departments not only failed to do anything to Qin Niu but instead turned into a court session that acquitted him of his charges.

If the departed souls of the He Family had spirits in heaven, they would likely be angered back to life.

“Thank you, esteemed lords, for your discerning eyes which cleared my name. If there is nothing else, this junior will take his leave.”

In terms of status, Qin Niu was on par with the three of them.

He was now a top noble of the Black Tiger Gang.

After offering thanks with clasped hands, he walked out of the public hall.

Looking up at the stars in the sky, he could truly feel that he had grown from a ‘small sapling’ in this world into a tree capable of withstanding ordinary storms.

After this battle, within the territory of the Black Tiger Gang, he had genuinely secured a place for himself.

“Master Qin, congratulations on your successful acquittal.”

Tang Yan, however, was anxiously waiting outside with his people.

He was very aware that Qin Niu was now powerful enough to annihilate the entire He Family by himself and had been appointed a first-class noble. If he survived this ordeal, Qin Niu would become a towering tree for the Tang Family.

As the saying goes, it’s good to seek shade under a big tree.

Although the Tang Family was showing signs of initial prosperity, they were still far from becoming a powerful local clan.

They were leagues behind the Yan, He, and Pang Families.

But if Tang Caixian married Qin Niu, even if only as a concubine, the Tang Family’s status would immediately change.

Tang Yan, who campaigned in the city, knew the importance of having a powerful family behind him.

With Qin Niu’s help, he believed that it wouldn’t be long before he could rapidly rise through the ranks.

The Tang Family would also become one of the powerful local clans.

Capable of holding their own against the Yan and Pang Families.

This reliance was intangible, just like Wang Haikun could be a bully in Shuangfeng Village, oppressing the villagers because he relied on his brother, Wang Yue’s influence.

But the Tang Family’s reliance on Qin Niu was a thousand times, even a million times stronger than Wang Yue.

“We are all family here; there’s no need for formalities. If there’s ever anything you need in the future, feel free to come to me. Now, I must visit your home for tea.”

Having successfully turned the tide in his favor, Qin Niu was in an excellent mood.

He took the initiative to go to Tang Yan’s home for tea.

This essentially announced to everyone his very close relationship with Tang Yan.

“Haha, Master Qin, your consideration is thorough, please!”

Tang Yan, having navigated the official circles for many years, was a cunning one.

He immediately grasped Qin Niu’s intentions.

He happily led Qin Niu towards his home.

Although it was not yet dawn, a case that alarmed the joint trial shuttles would have undoubtedly attracted quiet attention from many in the city.

The news would spread quickly, and everyone would know of Qin Niu’s relationship with Tang Yan.

After staying at Tang Yan’s home for nearly an hour, the sky had already brightened.

The two of them had their first in-depth discussion.

Because of the connection through Tang Caixian, neither regarded the other as an outsider.

Tang Yan shared some of his challenges and aspirations. Qin Niu told Tang Yan that when dealing with others in the future, he could use his name as a stepping stone.