Su Qingzhi and the other two's brilliant idea of "reporting to the authorities" was really beyond Chu Lu's expectations.
After discovering that the rumors about bandits in the teahouse had been completely suppressed, Chu Lu knew that his plan would probably not go as he expected.
But for now, the situation is not bad. After all, with Qin Bi in charge and the elite troops of the Northern Army guarding, let alone a small group sent by King Jingning to search for treasure, even if they really confronted King Jingning's main force of rebellion, it is still uncertain who would win or lose. In fact, now he didn't even have to use the terrain advantage he designed earlier, and the risk was reduced by several levels.
…But that’s mostly true for most people.
But for Chu Lu, the situation is just the opposite.
Ever since Kuang Xi started checking the unfamiliar faces coming and going, Chu Lu knew that Qin Bi must have noticed the trick of the rumor.
With such a face, no matter whether it was related to the rumors or not, it would be troublesome if he ran into Qin Bi.
Although reducing the number of times he went out and changing his appearance were both ways, the former was inconvenient and the latter was not very safe. Chu Lu directly chose the third option. He accepted Su Li's invitation and went to the academy with them. Of course, it was not for admission, but just an invitation from an ordinary friend to visit.
…………
…
Perhaps the people who built it were not very attentive. This academy near Kuangxi City does not even have a proper name. There is a simple plaque with the word "Academy" hanging on it. Because this academy is located on a small hill called "Chenshan" outside Kuangxi City, it is called "Chenshan Academy" by the outside world.
Su and Li led the way, passing through the scattered bamboo forest and entering a hall.
The first thing you see is a framed piece of large characters that reads "Calm your mind and clarify your ambition."
After all, it was a college, and it was very common to use calligraphy and paintings as decorations. There was nothing unusual about it, except for this word...
...looks a little familiar.
Even so, Chu Lu's gaze did not stay on the words for long. He just glanced at them for a moment and then looked away. However, this slight pause still caught the attention of Su and Li.
Chu Lu was sure that his actions were nothing special in the eyes of ordinary people, but the other two people who were traveling with him this time showed a sharpness that was completely inconsistent with their usual level.
Su Qingzhi: "Brother Yan also thinks this word is excellent, right?"
Chu Lu: "..."
If I strongly deny it at this time, it would seem a bit strange.
He paused for a moment, then followed the normal reaction of people in this situation and agreed to what the other party said, his tone full of polite greetings.
But this time Su Qingzhi regained his usual nerves, as if he didn't notice the politeness in the words at all, and continued: "This word has the momentum of a dragon and a snake, and it is also gentle and smooth..."
"From the handwriting, we can see that the person who writes is, after all, a noble gentleman who is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside and sticks to his original intention... His handwriting can be used as a model, and he must be a person who is worthy of imitation..."
Chu Lu: "..."
My friend, your remarks are a bit dangerous.
Although he is the actor, but according to the original character script, if there is another corrupt official like "Huo Lu" who abuses power... there is no need to say anything else, the world will be over.
At the same time, on the other side, in Kuangxi City.
Qin Bi was also respectfully brought to the mansion by the frightened prefect Liu, who was afraid that his previous disrespect would bring him disaster.
Prefect Liu now wished he could strangle himself to death for what he had done a few days ago, as he actually arrested the Northern Army, who were acting in secret according to secret orders, as bandits.
There were indeed reasons why Prefect Liu was so afraid of Qin Bi. First, Qin Bi's reputation as a killer was not only for the barbarians, but his bloody and murderous aura made people tremble from the bottom of their hearts. Second, Prefect Liu saw the gorgeous sword hanging on his waist, which was incompatible with the black clothes and armor. It was... the Imperial Sword, right? The Imperial Sword that could kill first and report later.
Prefect Liu thought about the word "thief" he had cursed at earlier, and then touched his neck, feeling a chill that was creepy.
Qin Bi certainly noticed what Governor Liu was thinking, but to be honest, he didn't care.
Since the soldiers who surrounded them that day had been discovered in advance by scouts, and Qin Bi wanted to hide away, he naturally did not reveal his whereabouts that day.
However, Liu Zhifu's abnormal behavior made Qin Bi realize that something was wrong. Why did Kuang Xi send people to investigate the surrounding area for no reason? Combined with the rumors of bandits he had heard in the city a few days ago, which seemed to be true but were not taken seriously, Qin Bi always had a bad feeling, so he stayed in the area for a few more days and indeed found some interesting traces.
This is also why he was not in a hurry to go to Yangye, but stayed in Kuangxi temporarily.
Kuang Wei Valley?
It was inconvenient for Qin Bi to disclose his whereabouts on this trip so as not to alert the enemy. Although he revealed his identity to Prefect Liu, he did not go to the government office. Instead, he temporarily stayed at Prefect Liu's house as a distant cousin and occupied the main seat in his study without any hesitation.
Inside the study, Qin Bi looked at the results of the investigation in his hand, tapped his knuckles on the table twice, and then looked thoughtfully at Prefect Liu who was standing beside him.
The middle-aged man was sweating profusely when being looked at, and subconsciously straightened his body. He wanted to ask "What do you want, General?", but he saw that the other party was just frowning and thinking deeply. He didn't dare to interrupt for a moment, and didn't even dare to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and stood stiffly in the same place.
Qin Bi was indeed thinking that since the other party had set up their base in Kuang Wei Valley, even Kuang Xi's soldiers, who were not well-trained and almost vulnerable in his opinion, could handle it. From this point of view, the man seemed to have no ill intentions and even seemed to be offering to help.
Then... who is it? And what is the purpose?
Qin Bi frowned unconsciously as he thought, and Prefect Liu, who was facing this evil god head-on, could hardly bear the pressure. His calves twitched and he began to shake. He leaned to the side tremblingly, but accidentally knocked over a porcelain vase on the shelf next to him.
With a crisp sound, broken porcelain pieces scattered all over the ground. Prefect Liu also trembled and almost knelt down to Qin Bi.
He didn't even dare to raise his head, and said tremblingly: "I, your subordinate will go, go...ask someone to clean up."
Qin Bi was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost forgot there was a living person in the room. He came to his senses when he heard the noise and nodded slightly.
After receiving the approval, Prefect Liu rushed out as if he was escaping for his life. He even found a reason and decided to say that he had something to do and would not come back soon. He was also determined that he would never step into the study room on his own initiative before this evil god left.
…
Qin Bi didn't care about the other party's whereabouts. He thought for a while, raised his hand and unfolded the map beside him. He pointed at a few places on it with his fingertips and had rehearsed dozens of situations in his mind.
...No matter which one it is, the chances of winning are on our side.
It went so smoothly.
It was too smooth...it made him feel uneasy, and it even made him feel a little familiar with it, causing him to subconsciously avoid delving into it further.
Just as he was lost in thought, there was a gentle knock on the study door, and a soldier came in holding a sealed lacquered bamboo tube.
Qin Bi shifted his eyes away from the map, took the secret letter and unfolded it. After reading its contents, his expression suddenly changed, and his originally frowned brows relaxed.
Yan Jie.
It turned out to be him, no wonder...
Chenshan Academy.
What made Chu Lu feel somewhat relieved was that the discussion about the calligraphy did not last too long. With the reminder of Li Bojin's light cough, Su Qingzhi finally realized that his behavior was inappropriate. He stopped with a lingering feeling and turned to introduce the general layout of the academy to Chu Lu.
Actually, there is nothing to introduce. The layout inside is very simple. When "Prime Minister Huo" built this academy, he really didn't have much money. At that time, Yuzhou was hit by a snowstorm. The prefect of Yuzhou concealed the news for his own future. When Chu Lu's intelligence network found out, the situation was already quite serious. But it happened that the emperor loved a noble lady named Wu, the prefect's sister, and even obeyed her and wanted to establish the queen. At that time, anyone who touched the prefect Wu would be severely punished, otherwise he would not have been so bold.
Impeachment can be done slowly, but human life is at stake and cannot be delayed. Chu Lu spent almost all his family's money that time, but it was still not enough. It happened that he took on the task of establishing the academy. Prime Minister Huo went around several families in the capital under this name and extorted a lot of money before he was able to collect about 70% of the money.
Of course, the Magistrate Wu was also held accountable afterwards, and all the money he had looted over the years was returned without any loss.
You have to know that the emperor was a love-struck person, but he had too many objects of love and changed them too quickly. Before the new year had passed, Concubine Wu had been banished to the cold palace because she had offended the emperor's "true love", a maid in the Hanfu Palace who had been canonized as a beauty.
This kind of thing happened every year and was no longer uncommon. If there was anything special about it, it was because Prime Minister Huo had clearly made a fortune under the guise of "repairing an academy", but the academy he built was in this state, which made people in the court have a new understanding of the extent of Prime Minister Huo's "cruelness and ruthlessness".
After this, whenever something happened to Huo Xianglan, everyone in the court was in danger and trembling with fear, fearing that the prime minister would come to visit them the next day. Some people even claimed to be sick and left the capital overnight to recuperate. From this glimpse, we can see the reputation of "Huo Baipi".
Chu Lu was in a real hurry at the time and had to resort to this last resort, but he never thought that this move would directly stabilize his image.
After all, to be honest, he really didn't deserve the blame. He used the money allocated by the government to build academies in various places. After all, this was a major event concerning the future of the country. He was so busy at the time that he had no time to spare, but he still managed to take the time to focus on it. In the end, he was evaluated like this.
At once……
It was quite a pleasant surprise.
In short, facing this academy with a simple structure that can be said to provide shelter from wind and rain, even Chu Lu could not find anything else to praise.
The academy had obviously been renovated more than once over the years, but I don't know what the people who renovated it were thinking. Although the outside had been expanded by several floors, the original few dilapidated houses were preserved intact. In contrast, the center looked even more desolate and dilapidated, which made Chu Lu feel a little guilty. Maybe those people were right, and he should have really put more money into it.
so……
Did the person who was renovating the house still keep these old houses to remind himself not to forget the old grudges?
Tsk.
Are you so vindictive?
Chu Lu thought for a moment, but he didn't show it on the surface. After all, he remembered that he was a "guest" now. Since the other party didn't show any special attitude, it was not easy for him to express any opinion.
Chu Lu could only smile and say, "It is simple and natural, with a subtle and beautiful scenery."
He was taking the young people's feelings into consideration. After all, this was their own academy. No matter how dissatisfied they were, it was not the turn of outsiders to say anything.
Unexpectedly…
Su Qingzhi, who was introducing the topic to Chu Lu, paused and turned to look at him. That look in his eyes... made Chu Lu want to turn around and leave.
But he failed to leave as Su Qingzhi patted him on the shoulder.
The young man nodded three times in agreement, not even bothering to be polite and courteous among scholars, and said bluntly: "Brother Yan has good taste."
Chu Lu: "..."
He couldn't help but look at the roof that was obviously weathered and had been repaired countless times.
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