No Turning Back
Justin Zhao and Mrs. Margaret Qian stepped forward and exaggerated the story of how Alexander Hayes dealt with Justin Zhao, making it sound like the new Prince of Qin was determined to scorch the House of Zhao with his first act in office.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Charles Zhao Sr. was furious. "Hmph! That brat still reeks of mother's milk, and he dares to ignore the House of Zhao, the head of the Southeast Big Four Families? On his first day in Anchester, he drove the magistrate out of his own residence. Give him a few more days and he'll wipe out our family!"
Mrs. Margaret Qian chimed in, fanning the flames: "That's right, Father. I'm the eldest daughter of the Qian family, yet Alexander Hayes doesn't even respect us. If we let this go, the Southeast Big Four Families will be destroyed sooner or later!"
Mr. Charles Zhao Sr. nodded. "Exactly. We can't let that brat run wild, or none of us will have a good life. Hurry, summon the important elders of the House of Zhao for an emergency meeting. As for Justin Zhao's household, settle them in the rear quarters for now."
This was a matter of great importance. The people of Zhao Manor rushed out to notify the other families, and before dawn, all the key figures of the House of Zhao had gathered at Mr. Charles Zhao Sr.'s residence.
Mr. Charles Zhao Sr. was the current patriarch of the House of Zhao, and with a son serving as magistrate, his word carried tremendous weight in all family matters.
Justin Zhao and Mrs. Margaret Qian repeated their story to the assembled crowd, leaving the Zhao family members pale with anger and agitation.
"Our House of Zhao ruled Anchester long before that Alexander kid was out of diapers! How dare he seize our magistrate's residence the moment he arrives? Outrageous!" fumed a fifty-something member of the Zhao clan.
Justin Zhao said, "That Alexander brought thousands of black-armored cavalry and stormed the magistrate's residence, slaughtering all our guards. We were caught completely off guard!"
Mr. Charles Zhao Sr. snorted, "Hmph! A mere few thousand black-armored cavalry—what do they amount to? The various branches of our House of Zhao have sixty thousand guards in total. Why should we fear his paltry force?"
Justin Zhao's eyes darted about. "Father, why don't we rally our mansion guards right now and surround the Magistrate's Mansion? Catch him off guard! There are only a few thousand black-armored cavalry in there—they're no match for us. Let's go all in and finish that Alexander off. That way, we won't have a King of Qin hanging over our heads! It's suffocating!"
"Exactly, Justin is right. We must act decisively and catch him by surprise! Go back secretly and gather the mansion guards. At dawn, storm the Magistrate's Mansion and kill Alexander Hayes!" Mr. Charles Zhao Sr. ordered. The families quickly dispersed in secret, rallying their forces.
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Magistrate's Mansion
The soldiers busied themselves carrying boxes and luggage, helping settle the families who had come with the army.
The Yuan family, the eldest uncle's family, the Zhang and Wu families—all were busy but orderly, tidying up their new courtyards.
The Magistrate's Mansion was enormous, with many courtyards. There were dozens set aside for the magistrate's concubines alone, so now, giving each family their own courtyard still left plenty to spare.
Aside from Lily Evans's relatives, Sean Hayes assigned the remaining courtyards to the important generals and their families. The Magistrate's Mansion was suddenly transformed into King Alexander's temporary palace and military command center.
Sean Hayes wiped the sweat from his brow and said to Alexander Hayes, "Your Majesty, Justin Zhao is a petty man. Now that we've taken his mansion and driven him out, do you really think he'll just let it go?"