Chapter 312 The Madam is Too Kind-Hearted (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
How will Chen Yunfan choose?
Chen Yi did not calculate in detail; there were only two possible outcomes.
He could either take the evidence of Zhu Hao's crimes to the imperial court and exchange it for a meteoric rise in rank.
Either turn a blind eye and become a top scholar who regards power and influence as dirt.
Chen Yi can accept either outcome.
He will have to work harder in the future—if Chen Yunfan becomes the sword that the court uses to strike at the Xiao family, he will kill the one who wields the sword.
As for who that person was... Chen Yi had his own guesses.
It could be the White Tiger Guard Master, the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture, or even the Emperor sitting on the throne.
Fortunately, there is still time, and he is still in Shuzhou.
Once the game of chess in his mind takes shape, the land of Shu will not only be an impenetrable wall, but it will also leave no place for anyone who wants to covet Shu.
After going around in circles.
Sunset.
Chen Yi then leisurely returned to the Xiao family.
As they approached the gate, Xiao Wan'er's carriage drove into the mansion.
When Chen Yi saw that Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang were driving, he stopped and stood to the side.
While waiting for Xiao Wan'er to return to the inner quarters together, he glanced in the direction of the gatehouse and, feigning ignorance, asked the third steward, Lu Guan, Wang Lixing, and the others:
"I haven't seen Uncle Gui for several days. Is he not at home?"
Lu Guan gave a wry smile and replied, "Second son-in-law, you may not know this, but on the day the eldest young lady had her accident, Uncle Gui disappeared after returning to the mansion."
Wang Lixing nodded and said, "We searched every corner of the mansion, but we still couldn't find any trace of him."
"All I know is that after he returned to the manor that day, he went to the backyard..."
Liu Si'er, standing to the side, glanced at the group, his gaze settling on Chen Yi, and chimed in:
"We even went to his home to look for him, but we still couldn't find him and we don't know where he went."
"Perhaps, perhaps he also ran into Du Cang..."
Liu Si'er considered himself the one among them who knew Gui Shu's identity best, and couldn't help but guess that the White Tiger Guard had made new arrangements for Gui Shu.
So he said that to try and make amends for Uncle Gui.
Chen Yi shook his head regretfully, "Uncle Gui is also a pitiful man."
There's always a reason why someone is pitiful.
Ignoring the old man's kindness, Uncle Gui became Du Cang's puppet and was shot to pieces by Chen Yi.
His death was truly tragic.
Upon hearing this, Liu Si'er felt a pang of sympathy, experiencing the feeling of "the rabbit being killed and the hound being cooked."
Just a few months ago, the Xiao family had two Silver Flag officers and several Iron Flag officers.
Now, however, some are dead and others have left.
Who knows when he'll follow in his footsteps?
Let's chat for a bit.
After Xiao Wan'er stepped off the carriage, Chen Yi greeted Lu Guan and the others, then quickly walked a few steps to the carriage.
"Elder sister, did your discussion with Miss Cui go smoothly today?"
Seeing him smiling gently as usual, Xiao Wan'er gave him a reproachful glare.
I'd like to ask: You were also at Tingyuxuan this afternoon, so you must know that, right?
Fortunately, Xiao Wan'er only thought about these things in her heart, and she still had to cover for Chen Yi.
"It went fairly smoothly."
"Sister Qingwu will soon find several doctors. Right now, apart from the fact that the choice of the hospital director has not yet been made, everything else can be started."
Chen Yi understood her gaze and smiled knowingly.
"With Uncle Kang overseeing things at the academy, all that's left is to start drafting the academy's 'Medical Canon' and 'Regulations'."
Xiao Wan'er nodded gently and walked ahead.
"According to Sister Qingwu, those physicians are of excellent character, but they are not capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of compiling the 'Medical Canon'..."
Chen Yi was well aware of this.
Medicine, unlike martial arts, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, aims to heal the sick and save lives, and cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness.
The same applies to the Academy's Medical Canon.
Rigor is of paramount importance.
Secondly, we should consider integrating the strengths of various schools of thought and compiling information such as prescriptions, medicinal materials, pharmacology, and case studies.
Even a medical master at the minor completion level would probably find it difficult to serve as the dean of the academy.
As Chen Yi pondered these things, he muttered to himself that he would probably have to do it himself in the end.
“I had already asked Ma Liangcai before, and he could go there to teach once the academy is completed.”
"Miracle Doctor Ma?"
Xiao Wan'er smiled gently, turned her head to look at him and said, "It's best that Doctor Ma can come."
She knew that Chen Yi was behind Ma Liangcai, and Ma Liangcai's visit to the Medical Academy meant that Chen Yi would also be involved in the academy's affairs.
To be honest.
Xiao Wan'er's ideal candidate for dean of the academy was Chen Yi.
But she knew that Chen Yi did not intend to reveal his true abilities in the short term; a secret is a secret after all.
As a second-best option, Ma Liangcai becoming a teacher at the academy was the best outcome.
However, Xiao Wan'er couldn't help feeling somewhat embarrassed.
For her sake, Chen Yi first established Baicaotang and later devised the plan to propose the Medical Academy.
With the dean's appointment still undecided, Chen Yi's secret assistance is still needed.
Xiao Wan'er felt relieved and was also very grateful to Chen Yi.
"Thank you...brother-in-law."
Chen Yi glanced at her sideways, guessed what she was thinking, and shook his head with a smile, saying:
"We're all family, so let's not speak like strangers."
"Besides, Ma Liangcai is a physician in a pharmacy. It is truly a blessing for him that you agreed to let him serve as an instructor at the Medical Academy."
Xiao Wan'er realized she had lost her composure, so she hummed in response and then half-hid her face inside her cloak.
A warmth flowed from her chest throughout her body, not only dispelling the extreme cold but also bringing two rosy blushes to her face.
Finally, you meet your perfect match; that's generally how it goes.
Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang followed behind them, and no matter how suspicious they were, they found nothing at this moment.
How could they have imagined that a medical academy would be so complicated and complicated?
Before long, the four of them walked through the central garden and passed by the quiet house.
Xiao Wan'er was hesitating whether to go and pay her respects to the old master when she saw Chen Yi stop beside her.
She paused, then said, "Brother-in-law, you have to come with me to find Grandpa..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang suddenly looked up at the sky and whispered a reminder:
"Young Miss, the Second Young Miss is back."
"Second sister?"
Xiao Wan'er was slightly taken aback, and both she and Chen Yi looked up.
Xiao Jinghong stood on a long sword, carrying a person whose head was covered with a cloth, and landed directly in the central courtyard.
Xiao Jinghong had already seen them. After landing, she nodded to them and said, "Eldest sister, husband."
Xiao Wan'er asked in surprise, "Second Sister?"
Chen Yi feigned surprise, "Madam, why are you back so soon?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept intentionally or unintentionally over the person whose head was covered.
No need to guess—it must be Li Sanyuan of the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
Xiao Jinghong replied, "I'm going to the Guangyuan Military Commandery. I'll stop here for a while."
Then she tossed the person in her arms to Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang, and gave the order:
"Take him to the inner prison of the punishment hall and guard him strictly. Without my and my grandfather's orders, no one is allowed to visit or interrogate him."
"yes."
After Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang left.
A slight smile finally appeared beneath Xiao Jinghong's half-mask as he looked at Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er and said:
"Elder sister, husband, I'm going to see grandfather. Would you like to come with me?"
Upon hearing this...
Xiao Wan'er suppressed the ripples in her heart and said with a gentle smile, "Business is important. I will come to pay my respects to Grandpa again tomorrow."
Chen Yi also said, "Madam, I still need to study some books to prepare for the annual examination."
Xiao Jinghong glanced at the two of them, then didn't insist any further. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she went to the quiet house alone.
After Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er saw her disappear, they exchanged a glance and then silently returned to the backyard.
Xiao Wan'er felt a little guilty.
If her body hadn't been so cold, the deathly pallor on her face would have been noticed earlier.
Chen Yi remained calm and composed. He first escorted Xiao Wan'er to Jiaxing Garden before returning to Chunhe Garden.
It was roughly in line with his expectations.
Xiao Jinghong successfully met with Li Sanyuan and should have obtained evidence of the illegal transactions between Jizhou Merchant Guild and King Landu.
Whether the evidence can implicate Liu Hong depends on Xiao Jinghong and the old master's abilities.
However, there were two things that Chen Yi hadn't expected.
First, Xiao Jinghong just mentioned Guangyuan County—his purpose could only be Zhu Hao, the deputy commander of the Capital Military Command.
This aligns with the objective of the "evidence" that Chen Yunfan obtained.
If Xiao Jinghong goes directly to Guangyuan County to capture Zhu Hao, the White Tiger Guard's plan to have Chen Yunfan climb the ranks by stepping on Zhu Hao will likely fall through.
The outcome depends on who goes first and who goes last.
As for the second discrepancy...
Chen Yi turned his head to look at the location of the punishment hall and sighed inwardly: "Madam, you are still too kind-hearted."
For someone like Li Sanyuan, simply getting him to reveal the inside story of the Jizhou Merchant Guild and pinpoint Liu Hong or Zhu Hao isn't enough.
It's good to make use of waste.
Those grain shops didn't have much money, but they had plenty of grain.
It would be such a waste to let such a good opportunity slip by.
He pondered for a moment.
Chen Yi smiled and said, "You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you're in charge of the household."
"Madam is kind-hearted, but I am not."
Having made his decision, Chen Yi gave Xiao Die a few instructions to prepare dinner, while he took Xiao Wuge to the study to read.
"Brother-in-law, is Second Sister back?"
"Yes, I replied."
"She's not going to leave again, is she?"
"It shouldn't be... right?"
Chen Yi said he couldn't say for sure.
Given Xiao Jinghong's temperament, he might have left the prefectural city that very night and headed to Guangyuan County.
"Just wait patiently..."
...
Clean house.
Old Master Xiao, Xiao Jinghong, and Xiao Jing sat upright in the hall.
After hearing Xiao Jinghong's words, the old man at the head of the table was filled with rage, even though he already knew what Liu Hong and Zhu Hao had done.
"How dare they commit such a heinous act?"
"Do they live up to the expectations of the millions of people in Shu Prefecture, and to the official robes they wear?"
The old man roared furiously, "That Liu Gongmo... almost died at Mengshui Pass back then."
"It was the soldiers who risked their lives to save him, and this is how he repays the people of Shu Prefecture?"
"And Zhu Hao! That bastard!"
"He embezzled the Dingyuan Army's money, provisions, and supplies, but behind the scenes... but... he deserves to die!"
Xiao Jinghong lowered her eyes slightly, listening silently as he vented his anger.
Xiao Jing was the same.
a long time.
Old Master Xiao stopped speaking, slammed his hand on the table beside him, shattering it. He gasped for breath, staring at Xiao Jinghong with bloodshot eyes.
What are your plans next?
Xiao Jinghong was prepared and calmly said, "Liu Hong is very well hidden."
"Even if Li Sanyuan is confident that he can implicate the two sons of the Liu family, it would be difficult to find direct evidence to bring down Liu Hong."
"Unless the message from 'Dragon Tiger' is true, Zhu Lingchuan does indeed have evidence of Liu Hong's treason."
"So the granddaughter plans to go to Guangyuan first to prevent Zhu Hao from resorting to desperate measures."
Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao's expression softened slightly. After pondering for a moment, he instructed Xiao Jing:
"Recently, the secret guards have been keeping a close eye on those powerful families and government officials who are on good terms with Liu Hong."
Xiao Jing bowed and said, "Recently, because of the annual examination, all the prominent families and officials who are close to Liu Hong have been recorded."
He paused, then asked, "What about Liu Hong?"
Old Master Xiao looked pained and shook his head, saying, "He is a very shrewd man, he must have been on guard."
"With Jinghong absent, it's inconvenient for the secret guards to take action."
Xiao Jinghong nodded: "Granddaughter is not taking any action against Zhu Lingchuan for the time being, in order to avoid alerting him."
Old Master Xiao sighed, calming himself down.
"Once Jinghong returns, I will petition the court. This time... even if the situation in Shu Prefecture changes drastically, I will still make sure Liu Hong dies!"
Xiao Jinghong understood what he meant by "change of the world".
Once Liu Hong is proven guilty, the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shu Prefecture will be vacant, and the court will naturally make new arrangements.
Whether the situation was good or bad at that time was still unknown.
“Grandpa, I think what ‘Dragon Tiger’ said earlier was right—there’s no such thing as a thousand days of being a thief, but a thousand days of guarding against thieves.”
"If the Xiao family is too weak in dealing with outsiders, they will only think that we are easy to bully."
Old Master Xiao paused upon hearing this, "What do you plan to do?"
"The strength of the guards in the manor is ultimately too low, especially after what happened to my sister the other day."
"So my granddaughter has thought it over carefully and wants to recruit some people to join us."
Xiao Jinghong glanced at Xiao Jing, who looked embarrassed, and said in the same tone, "I'm not targeting the secret guards, the same goes for the personal guards in the manor."
She had been thinking about this matter ever since Chen Yi mentioned the poor security at the manor.
After much thought, there are only two ways to quickly fill the vacancy of experts in the manor.
One was to select elite troops from the Dingyuan Army.
Secondly, it attracts some people from the martial arts world.
For example, the Tianshan Sect, and the Fengyulou.
Or perhaps they were the servants of her master, Li Wudang.
After a moment's thought, Old Master Xiao felt somewhat saddened, but he still nodded.
"If that's the case, then let's do as you say."
Xiao Jinghong stood up and bowed, "Granddaughter understands the importance of this matter, and will now head to Guangyuan County."
"how?"
"You've finally come back, aren't you going to go back and have a simple meal with Qingzhou?"
"this……"
Without waiting for a reply, Old Master Xiao waved his hand and said, "It won't make a difference if you wait another half a day or two. Go back now."
Xiao Jinghong hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Granddaughter will go now."
After she left the quiet house.
Old Master Xiao looked at Xiao Jing and said, "Go down and make the arrangements too, but remember to be careful."
"Yes, my lord!"
Soon, the quiet house became completely silent.
Old Master Xiao sat quietly for a moment, looked at the shattered table beside him, sighed, and stood up.
"Shuzhou...Shuzhou..."
"His Majesty is quite wary of my Xiao family..."
...
Xiao Jinghong's return to Chunhe Garden delighted Xiao Wuge, who kept talking to her about it.
One moment he was talking about the interesting things he did while practicing martial arts, and the next he was asking Xiao Jinghong for pointers on his recent progress.
It was lively and bustling, filled with laughter and joy.
Although Xiao Jinghong didn't show it, Chen Yi could tell that she was in a good mood.
However, pleasant times are always short-lived.
After dinner, Xiao Jinghong had Xiao Die help her change into some comfortable clothes and pack her bags.
Seeing this, Chen Yi understood her plan.
"Madam, please remember to be careful when you are out and about."
Xiao Jinghong looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, then removed the half-armor from her face, revealing her stunningly beautiful face without any makeup.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Lao."
Chen Yi met her gaze, a gentle smile appearing on his face: "It's alright, Madam is the commander of the Dingyuan Army, so it's only right that she's busy."
"Um……"
Just a taste.
After a few brief words, Xiao Jinghong put his mask back on, said goodbye, and then truly left.
Chen Yi watched her disappear into the night sky. "Madam... life must be very tiring, right?"
"As a husband, I should share some of the burden."
Chen Yi chuckled to himself, glanced at the sky, stretched, and turned to return to his room.
"Time to go cultivate..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com