Chapter 1728 Family Rules

Zhao Qiuwei said in a deep voice: "What Secretary Liu said is a bit sensational, isn't it?"

Liu Fusheng asked back: "Oh? Is there anything I said wrong? Uncle Qiu, please enlighten me."

Zhao Qiuwei said: "People with the same origin and surname are naturally united. The clan leader is elected by the clan members, and what he does will naturally be recognized by the clan members. Within the clan, the family tree is the bond, and it is human nature for the clan members to live in harmony."

"These are not the same as social groups, and they are very different from groups that come together to pursue profit."

Liu Fusheng laughed and said, "Don't clans have common interests?"

Zhao Qiuwei said: "Family ties are connected by blood, which far outweighs interests. When one side is in trouble, all sides come to its aid, which is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. In front of family ties, money is like dirt. As long as everyone abides by the laws of the country, there is nothing wrong with it."

Liu Fusheng said, "Uncle Qiu, don't misunderstand me. I know that the people of Song Village are all law-abiding citizens. What I said is just my personal opinion on clan relations... However, I would like to ask Uncle Qiu, if a resident of Song Village does something illegal, will the Zhao family deal with him according to clan rules, or hand him over to the government to deal with him according to national law?"

Zhao Qiuwei patted his chest and was about to speak when Liu Fusheng reminded him, "Uncle Qiu, this is the Zhao family ancestral hall. You have to speak the truth in front of our ancestors."

Zhao Qiuwei's face changed. Liu Fusheng's words made him hesitate.

He knew very well that his ancestors could not hear what he said, but what about the tribesmen around him? They could all hear him. If he said something against his will and it spread outside, it would be very detrimental to his personal reputation.

However, Zhao Qiuwei had been an official for many years, and it was impossible for him to be easily subdued by Liu Fusheng in this way.

He chuckled, "Secretary Liu, are you here in Song Village to investigate a case? If anyone in Song Village is involved in the arson case, just tell me directly. I will personally arrest him and send him to the special case team of the Ministry of Public Security. I will leave it to the state to decide. I will not hesitate."

Liu Fusheng shook his head and said, "Uncle Qiu, Song Village has nothing to do with the arson case. I just remembered that when we went to Hong Village before, it was because of the obstruction of the Hong family that the task force failed."

"To be honest, there was a moment when I even felt that my ability was indeed very limited. I should go back to Yanjing, admit my mistakes to the top leaders, and ask them to send an investigation team and armed police officers to completely solve the mess in Chaoshan."

In just a few words, the two men revealed their sharp wits and engaged in a fierce exchange.

Zhao Qiuwei narrowed his eyes and said, "Secretary Liu is a young talent, how can you belittle yourself? What you just said should be the incident of Hong Haotian committing suicide, right?"

Liu Fusheng said: "That's right, Hong Haotian was probably involved in the arson case. Even if he wasn't the mastermind, he could have provided important clues for the task force to solve the case. Unfortunately, in order to protect the interests of the clan, the people of Hong Village collectively obstructed the comrades of the Ministry of Public Security from handling the case, which eventually led to Hong Haotian's suicide out of fear of crime, cutting off the clues to solving the case."

After hearing this, Zhao Qiuwei's face darkened: "This Hong Chengli is too ridiculous. This matter concerns all the people in Chaojiang City. His decision was too hasty and he has no overall view! It's a pity that I'm not in Jiangtou City, otherwise I must ask him what he is thinking!"

Liu Fusheng said, "Uncle Qiu, don't be angry. I reflected that the main reason why I messed up this matter was that I didn't know enough about the clan rules in the Chaojiang area, so I ran to Song Village and wanted to talk to you."

"As far as I know, Hong Chengli and Hong Haotian are not very close. In other places, this situation is hard to imagine. But in Hong Village, not only Hong Chengli, but even passers-by will unconditionally support Hong Haotian. In this situation, it seems that the tribesmen love each other, but in fact they are hurting each other."

Zhao Qiuwei fell silent after hearing this.

The situation Liu Fusheng described is not unique to Hongcun, but all the clans in Chaojiang will not stand by and watch people from other villages bully their own people.

It was difficult for him to respond to this sentence, or he would get himself into trouble.

The atmosphere in the ancestral hall became very subtle.

Liu Fusheng nodded secretly. It turned out that Zhao Qiuwei had his own way to become the patriarch of the Zhao family. Such shrewdness and caution were something that ordinary people could never achieve.

Thinking of this, Liu Fusheng broke the awkward atmosphere and said, "Uncle Qiu, I came here today not to tell you any great truths, but just hope that you can come forward and help me stabilize the situation in Chaojiang."

Zhao Qiuwei smiled and said, "Secretary Liu, we have already discussed this issue in the telephone conference. I would like to reiterate that no matter what, I will wholeheartedly support your decision."

"My governing philosophy in Jiyang City is stability and convenience for the people. Although I haven't achieved any outstanding political achievements, I have brought some convenience to the people of Jiyang City. At the very least, under my governance, there have never been any conflicts between the clans, big or small, in Jiyang City."

Liu Fusheng smiled and said, "That's true. The Zhao family is the largest clan in Jiyang, and Uncle Qiu is the secretary of the Jiyang Municipal Party Committee. With you and the Zhao family as your deterrent, how can others dare to act rashly? However, Uncle Qiu, you can't always be the secretary of the municipal party committee. If someone else were to take over, and both clan power and public power were in their hands, I'm afraid they wouldn't have your kind of heart."

"For example, the Chen family in Jiangtou City has close ties with some leaders in East Guangdong Province. Uncle Qiu, you should know what I'm talking about, right?"

Zhao Qiuwei smiled bitterly and said, "Secretary Liu, all we can do is to have a clear conscience. For many things, we should not interfere in matters that are not within our power."

"Do you really have a clear conscience?"

Liu Fusheng said calmly, "I offer three cups of tea today, and I will name the tea Songzhong. Behind the ancestral temple is the Phoenix tea, and the three old fir trees are called Songzhong. Songzhong tea seeds are planted every year, and the descendants of Songzhong prosper from generation to generation. Songzhong contains great loyalty, Songzhong contains the love of a general. Songzhong contains great chivalry, and Songzhong contains true sincerity. Songzhong is not afraid of wind, frost and rain, and Songzhong's wisdom is passed on. The love of the ancestors of the black dragon and the phoenix, the kindness of the dragon and the phoenix is ​​clearly remembered. The three surnames and four relatives accompany the Songzhong, and the same blood and branches keep peace."

Zhao Qiuwei's face changed: "Secretary Liu, how do you know the clan rules of our Zhao family?"

Liu Fusheng smiled and said, "I also know that the Zhao family rose to prominence in the late Southern Song Dynasty. During the Jingyan period, they fought against the Yuan Dynasty and defended the city with loyalty and courage. In the third year of Jingyan, the Chaojiang Prefecture City was breached by the Yuan army. The Yuan soldiers massacred the city for three days, and blood flowed like a river, with millions of corpses floating on the water."

"Lu Xiufu took the little emperor and drowned himself in the sea. The surviving descendants of the Zhao family guarded the bird-beak-shaped leaves that the little emperor used to quench his thirst on Wudong Mountain. These were the three tea trees planted in the Song Dynasty."

"Today, the Song variety of Fenghuang Dancong has become famous all over the world. Everyone knows that great men love to drink this tea. So why do great men love to drink it? I think, in addition to the taste of this tea, it is also because it contains the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor and serving the country."

"The Zhao family's family rules require that future generations be loyal to the emperor and the country, and help the world and the people. They are not about being content with a small fortune and just doing good for yourself. Uncle Qiu, am I right?"