Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

After winter sets in, Blackwater Lake is often cloudy and rainy, with few sunny days, and small sampans can be seen everywhere on the water.

The fishermen dared not go into the deep waters, so they gathered in the shallow waters.

Looking at the three or four fish of moderate size in the bucket, Wang Erlang's dark face broke into a slight smile.

"Our food supplies are running low, but at least we caught some fish today. I'll treat my wife and daughter to a good meal when we get home."

He looked up at the distant county town, thinking, "I wonder how Ah Qu is doing these days?"

Bu Qu's rise to power seems like yesterday, but since he entered the city, there has been no news of him.

Wang Erlang's life continued as before...

"Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang!" A voice he loathed came from the water.

Without even looking, it was obvious that the person rowing the boat was that shameless Chen Qing.

After losing to Bu Qu in the rowing competition, Chen Qing disappeared for a period of time, not daring to show his face in public.

However, as the storm subsided, his behavior returned to normal, or even worse.

Chen Qing rowed the small boat next to Wang Erlang, picked up the wooden bucket, and smiled at Wang Erlang, saying, "Uncle Wang, look, I caught a rippled fish today!"

Wang Erlang glanced into the wooden tub and saw a blue crucian carp lying upright; it really was a water-patterned fish.

He knew Chen Qing was showing off, and thought disdainfully, "A-Qu can catch a fish like this every day!"

Chen Qing picked up the rippled fish and smiled at Wang Erlang, "Uncle Wang, the price of a precious fish at the fish market is as high as five taels these days. I'll offer this rippled fish as betrothal money. I wonder if Uncle Wang would be willing to give me the girl?"

"Five taels? Only Ah Qu would dare sell it for that much. Who else would dare sell such a precious fish right in front of the fish market?"

Anyway, Wang Erlang knew he wouldn't dare sell it like that.

For him, a rippled fish was worth only one or two taels of silver.

Wang Erlang was naturally unwilling to accept a mere tael of silver in exchange for his own daughter.

"Aqing, how many times have I told you? Xiaoya has no feelings for you. You should find another girl."

Chen Qing, only referring to the previous boat race, shamelessly said, "Uncle Wang, it's all a misunderstanding. You should talk to Xiao Ya properly, and she'll change her mind."

He put the rippled fish back into the bucket: "Uncle Wang, don't worry. As long as Xiaoya stays with me, I'll take good care of her. If she gives birth to a big, healthy boy next year, I'll invite Uncle Wang to celebrate with us!"

Wang Erlang had never liked Chen Qing, but Wang Xiaoya had previously sided with him, so he patiently spoke to him.

Now that Wang Xiaoya also dislikes him quite a bit, Wang Erlang simply laid his cards on the table:

"Aqing, you've come to see me so many times, so I'll be frank with you. Xiaoya doesn't like you, I don't like you, and Xiaoya's mother doesn't like you either. You'd better give up now."

Having said that, Wang Erlang turned the boat around, preparing to go home.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing's face turned cold, then he chuckled and grabbed the side of the sampan: "Uncle Wang, I've already investigated your family's situation. I know you're close to that kid surnamed Bu. He does have some skills, after all."

He glanced into the depths of Blackwater Lake and sneered, "Anyone who thinks they have some skill is mostly arrogant and incompetent, looking down on everyone. I heard he rowed out to the deep water a few days ago, and now ten days or half a month have passed without a word. He's probably dead in there."

Seeing Wang Erlang's face darken, Chen Qing smiled smugly: "Uncle Wang, do you know this Mei Mu?"

"Mei Mu, that fishing tyrant?" When Wang Erlang heard Chen Qing mention this person, a chill ran down his spine.

"Hey." Chen Qing shook his head. "I don't know what got into him. Instead of keeping the Blackwater Lake clean, he ran off to another county a few days ago."

"Uncle Wang, you probably don't know this. Manager Xu was short-handed, so he picked me to fill his position." Chen Qing leaned back slightly, a smug look on his face. "We're all fishermen by trade. So what if we have some skills? If we want to gain power, we need a backer. Going it alone is a dead end."

Wang Erlang's eyes were wary, and he felt a little flustered: "What exactly do you want?"

Chen Qing sneered, "Uncle Wang, my feelings for Xiaoya are genuine. If you agree, we'll be in-laws; if you don't..."

He stretched one hand into the water: "The water in this Blackwater Lake is very deep."

Wang Erlang gritted his teeth: "Chen Qing, I only have one daughter, and I'm determined to find her a good family. How could someone like you possibly treat her well, how could you possibly give her a good life?"

"Other people's daughters are so popular they'd be happy to get rid of them like the plague. But you, as their father, are quite stubborn." Chen Qing shook his head and sighed. "Since you're unwilling, then I'll just have to let you know just how deep the waters of Blackwater Lake really are."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Qing suddenly stood up, jumped onto Wang Erlang's sampan, and began to fight with him.

In a contest of strength, how could Wang Erlang be a match for Chen Qing?

Before long, Chen Qing pushed him into the water.

Wang Erlang struggled to raise his head: "I only have one daughter. Even if I die, I will never marry her to you!"

"Ha, you'd rather die than marry me, quite the backbone, huh?" Chen Qing's lips curled into a cold smile. "Once you're dead, you won't have a say in anything! Xiao Ya is mine, and I'll take good care of her mother for you!"

Seeing Wang Erlang's head bobbing up and down in the water, Chen Qing's smugness grew even stronger.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences. I'm going to propose marriage politely, and you won't agree, so don't blame me for just taking you by force! And it'll save you money!"

Small sampans on the lake gathered in twos and threes, chatting animatedly.

"What's going on? It looks like a fight has broken out over there?"

"Isn't that Chen Qing? I heard that he recently recognized Xu Kezhou as his godfather and started working as a fishing tyrant."

"Damn it! We finally got rid of those plagues like Li Xian, Yan Song, and Mei Mu, and now a new fishing tyrant has appeared. Why is life so hard?"

The fishermen cursed and swore, but none of them dared to step forward and stop them.

They could subdue Chen Qing by working together.

However, Chen Qing has the backing of the fish market, and if you offend him, the retaliation will be relentless.

The small boats began to move away one by one, not daring to linger and watch any longer, for fear of getting into trouble.

Knowing that Chen Qing was determined to kill him this time, Wang Erlang was also willing to risk his life.

He grabbed the wooden bucket next to him and hurled it at Chen Qing.

Chen Qing was inexperienced, being a fishing tyrant for the first time. Wang Erlang struck with all his might, managing to free him from Wang Erlang's grasp.

The two started fighting again on the sampan.

Chen Qing was young and strong, and soon he subdued Wang Erlang.

He gave Wang Erlang a severe beating and said fiercely, "Old man, you actually dare to fight back?"

As he spoke, Chen Qing kicked Wang Erlang again. Seeing that he was panting heavily and knew he wouldn't live much longer, he coldly smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll sink you to the bottom of the lake to feed the fish!"

He returned to his sampan and picked up the three-pronged harpoon from the deck.

Looking at the three sharp prongs, Chen Qing revealed a sinister smile.

His gaze fell on Wang Erlang on the sampan, and he thought to himself, "As long as I stab him, the little girl will be mine!"

Just as they were about to take action, they heard the sound of rushing water coming from afar.

Looking up, I saw a ship sailing on the waves.

When I first heard the sound, we were still two or three miles away by water. But in a moment, the boat was right in front of me.

Upon seeing the covered boat and the canal at its stern, Chen Qing's pupils constricted sharply. He no longer cared about Wang Erlang beside him and hurriedly turned the boat around, intending to escape.

The awning boat leaped out of the water and landed firmly in front of Chen Qing's sampan.

Suddenly, a whirlpool formed by three streams of water appeared from the side of the boat, pulling Chen Qingsheng from the boat into the water!