Chapter 1005: Chapter 56: The Wang Family’s “Unseemly Customs” Sweep Through the Upper Capital

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And right as Emperor Longchang was muttering about Wang Shouzhe, Wang Shouzhe and his group, under the lead of Patriarch Yuchang and his entourage, finally arrived at the Daqian Wang Family’s Main Residence.

As one of the three Noble Families with the longest history in the Daqian Kingdom, the Daqian Wang Family’s Main Residence itself has already stood for more than seven thousand years.

Just from the sheer size of this main compound, and the imposing grandeur that seeped out from between its brick walls and roof tiles, one could faintly glimpse the former glory of the Daqian Wang Family.

If this were placed on Earth, it would be a bona fide historical relic.

Of course, the Materials used in the Wang Family’s Main Residence were no ordinary Materials, otherwise after several thousand years they would have long since rotted away.

Even so, it still had to be maintained regularly. No matter how good the timber, it could not withstand the corrosion of time. On average, the Wang Family spent a huge sum every year just on maintaining the Main Residence.

And at the very front of this magnificent architectural complex stood a gigantic memorial archway.

The archway was over seven zhang tall, carved entirely from White Jade, and at its top hung a plaque made from Golden Thread ironwood. On the plaque, the four large characters "Meritorious Deeds Passed Down Through the Ages" were written in bold, vigorous strokes.

It was said that this plaque was personally inscribed by the founding Emperor, Emperor Ziwei Xuandu, and represented the former Emperor’s regard for the Daqian Wang Family, as well as a commendation for the merits rendered by the Daqian Wang Family.

A similar archway and plaque existed, apart from the Daqian Wang Family, only in the Daqian Zhao Family.

This plaque alone was enough to make other Noble Families green with envy, especially the rising Gongye Family and Chen Family that seemed poised to overtake the old powers.

After passing through the archway and entering the main-residence area of the Daqian Wang Family, Wang Shouzhe clearly felt the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air rise sharply.

It was obvious that a Spirit Gathering Array had been set up within the Daqian Wang Family’s Main Residence.

It was most likely something left behind by the ancestral founders of the Daqian Wang Family. In such an environment, let alone cultivating—simply living here would strengthen the body and prolong one’s lifespan.

"Shouzhe, over there is the council hall, where the Elder Council is convened regularly to discuss and decide all matters, great and small, within the clan."

"That area is the main Martial Arts Arena. The training of Clan Soldiers and Household Generals, as well as the hosting of some major events, are all conducted over there."

"Do you see that towering building a hundred zhang high? That is our Wang Family’s Nine-Layered Profound Origin Tower. It is the Inheritance Land of our clan’s foundation, jointly constructed by architectural masters and Array Masters invited at a high price from the Immortal Court by our Ancestor. It is also the core formation node of the Spirit Gathering Array within our Wang Family."

Patriarch Yuchang led Wang Shouzhe and the others on a tour around the interior of the Wang Family’s Main Residence, carefully introducing the more important buildings within the compound and the history related to each of them.

Listening to all this, Wang Shouzhe could not help but feel a surge of emotion.

This truly deserved to be called a Noble Family that had endured for more than seven thousand years; its heritage was incomparably profound. Even some ordinary Spirit Seed saplings, after being tempered by such a long passage of time, had all grown into towering trees brimming with Spiritual Qi.

The bricks casually trodden underfoot might well have been laid down by the ancestors thousands of years ago, carrying a thick sense of historical vicissitudes.

In comparison, the Changning Wang Family’s foundation was far too shallow.

However, the Changning Wang Family also had its own advantage now, namely youth and overflowing vitality. Unlike the Daqian Wang Family, which had become bloated and ponderous, with countless clansmen whose roots and branches were entangled in an exceedingly complex web of relations. There were truly not that many who amounted to something; the vast majority were mediocre, only thinking of living out their lives in comfort.

Duke Dingguo’s Mansion was extremely large, comparable in scale to a Guardian City if placed in the provinces. Just within the Main Residence, the population of the Main Vein alone exceeded ten thousand, and the number of servants, household servants, and Household Generals added together reached tens of thousands.

And this was only those permanently residing in the Main Residence. The clansmen, Clan Soldiers, and Household Generals scattered outside were likewise extremely numerous. In Gui Long City and the surrounding suburbs of Gui Long City, there were many branch families of Duke Dingguo’s Mansion, as well as a very large number of collateral lines.

Throughout history, no small number of branches had split off from Duke Dingguo’s Mansion. It was just that in the long flow of time, the vast majority had either vanished, or already lost contact with the Main Vein.

Among them, the Southern Desert Wang Family, the Longzuo Wang Family, and another Celestial Mansion Wang Family had all been split off back then by Purple Mansion Elders of the Daqian Wang Family. That was why they were relatively strong overall.

Even so, the Longzuo Wang Family had almost fallen into the dust.

Seeing everything within the Wang Family’s Main Residence, even though they had been mentally prepared, Wang Shouzhe and the others still felt waves of emotion and surging feelings in their hearts.

However, the Wang Family’s Main Residence was too large. It was impossible for Wang Shouzhe and the others to finish touring it in a short time. Therefore, after only a rough look around, Patriarch Yuchang led Wang Shouzhe and the others to the guest banquet hall to host a reception banquet for them.

The bustling liveliness during the banquet, as well as the enthusiasm of the Main Vein, need not be described in detail one by one.

At the end, Patriarch Yuchang even secretly slipped a red packet each to Wang Yingxuan and Wang Lilong. As for the contents, there was no need to say more—each received fifteen Purple Gold Tickets.

This showed how highly Patriarch Yuchang regarded both Wang Yingxuan and Wang Lilong. He believed that both the girl and the dragon had tremendous potential in the future. It was the sort of affection, expectation, and support that Noble Families extended toward their juniors.

Wang Shouzhe was quite clear about the Daqian Wang Family’s current situation. He knew that because Emperor Longchang had, for several thousand years, intentionally or unintentionally suppressed and pressured them, although the Daqian Wang Family had not truly declined yet, the clan heritage accumulated in the early years was being gradually worn away. Many external industries had, without anyone quite noticing, slowly disappeared—some had gone bankrupt, others had been sold off.