HBWMA -Chapter 174 Does the Shen Family Have a Traitor?

Shen Lanxi’s eyes flickered with a hint of light as he turned sideways to glance at Jiang Huashan.

“The saying ‘A house of a hundred chariots does not keep officials who hoard wealth’—and the next line is, ‘Rather than officials who hoard wealth, it is better to have thieves among them; this means a state does not value profit as its true benefit, but values righteousness as its benefit.’”

It means that for those in governing positions, moral cultivation is crucial. Material gain is not a nation’s greatest wealth—“benevolence and righteousness” are. Just like high-ranking nobles who possess a hundred war chariots would rather spend their own resources to support their retainers than allow those retainers to go out and exploit the people.

“Those who keep horses and carriages do not concern themselves with chickens and pigs; those who cut ice for noble households do not raise cattle and sheep”—all of these follow the same principle.

But Xiao Lanlan had stepped directly on the family’s red line. She used power only to oppress those below her, losing all sense of righteousness. One day, this would turn the Shen family into a public target, condemned as a parasite of the nation.

Shen Zhuang had seen the warning signs and acted in time to cut it off—but Shen Lanxi never expected that among them, Jiang Huashan would be the first to understand its deeper meaning.

The young man’s thoughts grew complicated, and he couldn’t help but look at her again.

He had originally thought his grandfather acted out of favoritism in rushing to handle the matter. Now it seemed he had been too narrow-minded.

Suddenly, Fu Sui’er’s eyes lit up. “Grandpa, I know this one! ‘Those who keep horses and carriages do not concern themselves with chickens and pigs; those who cut ice for noble households do not raise cattle and sheep’—it means that those who hold national power should value benevolence and righteousness over profit.”

Everyone paused slightly. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the principle—it was just unexpected that Fu Sui’er, usually the most carefree and unruly one, could suddenly speak such Confucian wisdom.

Even Shen Mianzhi failed to hide her disbelief in time.

Shen Zhuang nodded in satisfaction, then looked at everyone gravely.

“Remember this: a knight’s sword may slay dragons, but it must not be used to kill chickens. A king’s scepter may command war, but it must not be used to strike down an old woman. Once power is directed downward in the wrong way, glory will inevitably be trampled into the ground.”

The six of them wore solemn expressions. “Yes, Grandpa.”

“The Shen family can give you power, but if you misuse it, the family can take it back at any time—no exceptions.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

Shen Zhuang’s expression softened slightly. “That’s enough. I hope none of you disappoint me. Everyone else, leave. Xiaohua stays.”

“Yes.”

The five of them exchanged glances at Jiang Huashan, then silently exited the tea room.

Outside the tea room, Fu Sui’er suddenly changed expression. She rushed forward and shoved Shen Mianzhi hard. Shen Mianzhi barely steadied herself, her face turning extremely ugly.

Shen Lanxi paused slightly, his gaze calm. “Sui’er.”

Fu Sui’er, restrained by the presence of others, pointed at Shen Mianzhi. “Don’t expect me to ever trust you again.” With that, she ignored her completely and stormed off.

Shen Mianzhi stood frozen in place, her face pale, not moving for a long time.

Shen Lanxi hesitated briefly and stepped forward. “Go back and rest. Don’t take Sui’er’s words to heart.”

“Heh.” Shen Qingyu let out a cold laugh and leaned closer to Shen Mianzhi. “What, are you trying to be a Bodhisattva? So compassionate?”

Shen Mianzhi looked up in confusion.

With Jiang Huashan’s evidence, not only was Xiao Lanlan’s wrongdoing exposed, but Shen Mianzhi’s own foolishness was also confirmed. Although no one said it outright, everyone understood clearly.

“Shen Qingyu.” Shen Lanxi’s tone was calm, but clearly carried warning.

Shen Qingyu lazily straightened up and glanced at him. “Brother Lanxi, just a reminder—Grandpa said ‘benevolence and righteousness,’ not fake benevolence and hypocrisy.”

Shen Mianzhi’s face turned as pale as paper.

Shen Guiling gave a slight nod and walked past the crowd without saying a word.

Shen Qingyu narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Shen Guiling’s back. If not for him, this matter would likely have already been suppressed by Shen Lanxi in the name of the bigger picture. Shen Guiling almost never openly offended Shen Lanxi—so why this time?

Was he so certain that Grandpa would definitely intervene? Or had he already seen through the essence of this matter?

Tea room.

“Xiao Hua, come with me.” Shen Zhuang stood up and led Jiang Huashan behind the screen.

Jiang Huashan glanced at the tea set on the table and sat down in Shen Qingyu’s original seat.

“Grandpa, do you have something to tell me?”

Shen Zhuang nodded. He did have something to say, but when he met Jiang Huashan’s peach-blossom eyes, he suddenly didn’t know where to begin.

Jiang Huashan was puzzled. “What is it, Grandpa?”

After several moments of silence, Shen Zhuang abandoned the words he had prepared and asked seriously, “Shanshan, do you want to be Grandpa’s granddaughter?”

Jiang Huashan froze for a moment, then immediately nodded. “Grandpa, why are you asking this? Of course I do.”

A faint trace of guilt appeared in Shen Zhuang’s eyes. “Then do you know why Grandpa still hasn’t entered you into the family registry?”

Jiang Huashan hesitated slightly. She had already figured out this question in her previous life, but at that time, she no longer had the chance to confirm it with Grandpa.

After a brief hesitation, she said, “Is Grandpa afraid I’ll be in danger? Does Grandpa want to protect me?”

Her hesitation wasn’t due to uncertainty in her answer—she just wasn’t sure whether she should say it now.

Shen Zhuang paused slightly, his expression both relieved and regretful. “You’re a good child.”

Jiang Huashan smiled in understanding.

She had indeed guessed correctly.

Once entered into the Shen family registry, she would gain rights to the family’s assets. In the face of enormous wealth, human nature could not be tested. Without the ability to protect herself, she could very likely be assassinated without even realizing it—Shen Lanxi was the best example.

The Shen family was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface, and the old master knew it well; otherwise, he would not have hidden Shen Lanxi in Qingxu Temple for seven years.

Shen Zhuang silently took an earpiece from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Jiang Huashan’s expression turned serious. This was… the earpiece she had taken off a hitman during the Xiangying incident?

Shen Zhuang said, “Grandpa investigated. This group of assassins illegally entered Country A. The one who died was the organization’s most skilled sniper. After the Xiangying incident, they disappeared. Their last recorded transaction was the purchase of a batch of weapons in Country A. To avoid tracking, they used dark web cryptocurrency. However… coincidentally, a Shen family overseas charity foundation recently purchased a large batch of medical supplies, and the accounting discrepancy is not far from the amount involved in the dark web transaction.”

Jiang Huashan’s eyes darkened slightly as she looked at Shen Zhuang without showing any reaction. Could it be that Grandpa has discovered… there is a traitor in the Shen family?

【Ding——】

A familiar electronic voice rang in her mind at the right moment.

【Warning! World Script Rule 1: The existence of the scripted world must not be disclosed to outsiders. If violated, the person who leaks it will randomly receive a negative character label, and the person exposed to it will be immediately eliminated.】

Seeing that she remained silent, Shen Zhuang continued, “Grandpa guesses… you want to tell Grandpa that there is a traitor in the Shen family, is that right?”