Chapter 334 Becoming King and Dominator (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Just then, Xiaodie rushed over and said that the young lady had already prepared the meal.
Chen Yi nodded, gesturing for her to go first. He then turned his gaze to Ma Guan and the others sitting in front of him, and said with a smile:
"I truly know nothing about Mr. Lingchuan's matter."
Ma Guan hesitated to ask further, but then Chen Yi said, "But you don't need to rush."
"Perhaps after you return to the academy, Mr. Yue Ming and Mr. Zhuo Ying have already brought back the news."
Tang Ye, standing beside Ma Guan, asked, "Sir, do you think the yamen might have wrongly arrested Mr. Ling Chuan?"
Chen Yi chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I've been busy preparing for the annual examinations lately, I don't have time to think about so many things."
Seeing that Ma Guan, Tang Ye, and the others hesitated to speak, he stood up and said, "Some people cannot be judged by appearances alone, and some things cannot be judged by right or wrong alone."
"I will not comment on Mr. Lingchuan's character or whether he has violated the law, but I believe that the Shuzhou government would not make baseless accusations."
"Especially for the instructors at our Guiyun Academy."
Ma Guan opened his mouth, "Sir, you mean Lingchuan..."
Chen Yi glared at him and interrupted him, saying irritably, "Perhaps the people in the government just want to invite Mr. Lingchuan over to ask him some questions."
This was already an extremely perfunctory response.
He really didn't like Zhu Lingchuan—what was there to say about someone who associated with Liu Hong?
But since Ma Guan, Tang Ye, and the others came with sincere intentions, he couldn't tell them the truth and let these students see Zhu Lingchuan's true colors.
A simple distinction between truth and falsehood, right and wrong, is already the limit.
Chen Yi said no more and beckoned Ma Guan and Tang Ye to follow him out of the wooden building.
"With the annual examinations approaching, don't let these things affect your results. If you miss the subsequent prefectural examination because of this, I believe Mr. Lingchuan will regret it when he finds out."
Ma Guan and Tang Ye exchanged glances before bowing and saying, "We've troubled you, sir. We'll be leaving now."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement and quietly watched them walk away, his gaze then sweeping across a hundred feet to land on the tranquil house.
There, Liu Hong and Li Huaigu had already been led by Lu Guan into the quiet house and arrived at the main hall.
The rain pattered down, splashing water droplets on the bluestone slabs in the courtyard.
The accumulated rainwater carried fallen leaves and flowers, flowing towards the low-lying water channels and eventually into the pond.
The sounds were crisp and chaotic, disturbing the surrounding sounds.
Chen Yi calculated the time; it was noon. He then slightly relaxed the restrictions of the Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique.
Strands of true essence stirred the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, converging at his ear.
Old Master Xiao's voice could be heard clearly.
"Liu Gongmo, you came to see me before you died. Do you have something to say?"
Chen Yi's lips curled up slightly, but the old man could no longer suppress his anger.
Such aggressive behavior doesn't seem like that of a victor who has gained an advantage; rather, it seems like someone who is still angry and resentful, having suffered a loss in silence.
And Liu Hong...
He seemed to have anticipated that the old master would find out about this, and he sat down on the armchair next to the old master without a care.
Then, while gesturing for the somewhat stunned and surprised Li Huaigu to sit down, he nodded and said:
"There are some things I just have to say, and I hope Lord Xiao will forgive me."
Old Master Xiao remained noncommittal, his hands resting on the back of the chair, his five-year-old cane beside him. He glanced at Li Huaigu and snorted:
"I thought that with your great abilities and the great things you have done, Liu Gongmo, you no longer take my Xiao family seriously."
When Li Huaigu saw the two prominent figures from Shu Prefecture looking over, sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He quickly suppressed his shock and carefully sat down near the door of the hall.
He couldn't help but be shocked.
Is Liu Hong about to die?
How could the life of a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court just disappear like that?
Li Huaigu recalled Liu Hong's actions as he walked through the streets and alleys, and the words he had spoken, and a vague understanding dawned on him.
What Xiao Hou said must be true; Liu Hong, the Provincial Governor, must really be dying.
The reason... might be related to what Liu Hong said earlier...
He wanted to be a capable minister in troubled times who could "save the collapsing edifice and rescue the people from suffering."
No.
He should be a warlord in a chaotic era.
If that's the case, how could Liu Hong not have died?
A moment of silence.
Old Master Xiao glanced at the sky outside the door and said sarcastically, "Liu Gongmo, your time is running out."
Xiao Jinghong came to tell him last night that Feng Erbao would arrive in the prefectural city today with the Emperor's decree.
Judging by the time, they should be arriving in the prefectural city soon.
Although Liu Hong did not know when the people from Kyoto Prefecture would arrive, it was not difficult to deduce some results from the arrest of Zhu Lingchuan and others last night.
If not today, then tomorrow, when the Emperor's decree arrives, he will be taken to the capital.
Moreover, he knew that he could never return to Kyoto Prefecture unscathed.
Those people won't let him live.
Liu Hong's smile remained unchanged. He glanced at the cane out of the corner of his eye and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Marquis Xiao."
"Congratulations?"
"Lord Xiao's good health is a blessing for Shu Province and a boon for Wei. How could I not congratulate you?"
Old Master Xiao turned his head to look at him, "Spit it out if you have something to say."
He really didn't want to waste words on a dying man, and he disdained to pretend.
But when he saw Liu Hong's hair, which seemed to have turned white overnight, and his face, which looked much older, he suppressed his temper.
Liu Hong smiled and said, "Lord Xiao has misunderstood."
"It is true that I have some things to say this time, but Lord Xiao, is there nothing you would like to ask me?"
Old Master Xiao frowned and glared at him, his thick fists clenched, clearly showing his rising anger.
"Do you really think I don't know what you've done?"
"They colluded with barbarian tribes, conspired with merchants in Jizhou to sell ironware, and instructed the Five Poisons Sect to poison the disaster victims, intending to harm the region..."
“One incident after another, each and every one of them, is enough to take your head and the heads of the entire Liu family of Jingzhou!”
Li Huaigu was speechless.
What did he hear?
He even suspected there was something wrong with his ears.
Colluding with barbarians, illegally selling weapons, spreading disease... were all these things done by Liu Hong?
Was it made by the Provincial Governor of Shu Prefecture?
Liu Hong remained expressionless, nodded, then shook his head and said, "What Lord Xiao said is all correct, but there are also some errors and omissions."
"The one who privately sold ironware and ore was Zhu Hao, the Commander-in-Chief. I was just adding fuel to the fire."
"Colluding with the barbarians... If Lord Xiao is referring to Asutai, the youngest son of Muhag, the Left King of the barbarians, then you should be grateful to me."
Old Master Xiao laughed in fury, "You let them leave, and you expect me to be grateful to you?"
"That's a joke!"
Liu Hong nodded solemnly: "The person who let him go was not me, but someone else."
"who?"
"'Dragon Tiger' Liu Wu".
"It is Liu Wu, who has repeatedly helped the Xiao family."
Old Master Xiao frowned slightly, looking at him with icy eyes, "Are you courting death?"
Seeing his expression, Liu Hong knew he thought Liu Hong was trying to sow discord, so he patiently said:
“It was indeed the work of ‘Dragon and Tiger’.”
"In fact, after the Dongshi Mannuer riot, several of Liu's men did take Asutai away."
"But before we could move him out, Liu Wu had already kidnapped him."
“After that, a long time passed, until the day before your young lady had the accident, he sent Asutai to Liu.”
Seeing that Old Master Xiao did not stop him, Liu Hong continued, "Later, when Liu Wu went to rescue Miss Wan'er, he also took Lü Jiunan with him."
“At that time, Lü Jiunan was still alive.”
Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao couldn't help but recall the night Xiao Wan'er had her accident, when Liu Wu appeared at the Qingjing residence.
On that day, Liu Wu presented some evidence pointing directly at Liu Hong—saying that he colluded with barbarians, Vaishsa Kingdom, and others.
So, all of this was obtained by Liu Wu from interrogating Asutai and Lü Jiunan?
But why did he let Asutai go?
Liu Hong seemed to have guessed his thoughts and said with a smile, "Why did Liu Wu return the person to me?"
"The reason is simple."
"He wanted to use this to solidify the suspicion that Liu had ties with the barbarians, thereby forcing Liu to take a risk."
After a pause, a bitter look finally appeared on Liu Hong's face. "The facts are just as he planned. I'm getting anxious."
"Eager to get things done and to cover everything up, and just then, disaster victims from Guang'an County and other places arrived, so Liu had the Five Poisons Sect take action."
"But the result was... contrary to my expectations."
"Not only was the plague eradicated by Liu Wu, but Liu's arrangements for the Jizhou Merchant Guild were also exposed one by one, ultimately resulting in a complete defeat."
Liu Hong has not been dealing with government affairs these days, as he is single-mindedly trying to find out why his plans have failed.
Where did the problem occur, and where was the loophole exploited?
After much thought...
He was surprised to find that his situation took a sharp turn for the worse after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
More accurately, it began after Lü Jiunan arrived in Shuzhou, when Liu Taofang was framed by Lin Huai'an of the Jizhou merchant guild.
That was the first time in years that Liu Hong had disregarded the overall situation and taken action to eliminate potential threats to his son.
The result, ironically, left him with a fatal hidden danger.
Lin Huai'an's death directly affected Zhu Hao's transaction with King Landu, causing problems within the Jizhou Merchant Guild.
Lin Zhenghong, who replaced him, lacked the intelligence, skills, and experience to manage the situation in Shuzhou, which allowed Liu Wu to take advantage of the situation.
Then, Lü Jiunan, Asutai, Du Cang, Zeng Zhifeng, the Five Poisons Sect, and others encountered one after another, leading to the complete collapse of the promising situation.
When Liu Hong figured all this out, besides lamenting that he wasn't ruthless enough, he also thought that the Xiao family was just lucky.
If Liu Wu hadn't intervened, how could his plans over the years have failed?
And then there were those bandits on the Tea Horse Road who were more trouble than they were worth.
If they hadn't kidnapped Asutai and brought him to Shuzhou, forcing Lü Jiunan to come to Shuzhou in person, how could the following events have occurred?
Upon hearing Liu Hong's words, Li Huaigu's face was no longer filled with shock, but rather with extreme horror.
He stared at Liu Hong in disbelief, never imagining that this provincial governor—a powerful official in Shu Prefecture who held absolute power—would commit such heinous acts.
Li Huaigu suddenly stood up and demanded, "Why, why?"
"Liu, Liu Hong, Liu Gongmo, why, why did you do that!?"
"Do you know how many people you would kill if you did those things?!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong paused, turned his head to look at him, and said noncommittally, "Have you forgotten what I just told you?"
"People like us are made in times of chaos and turmoil; otherwise, we would just be ordinary dogs in times of peace, living a mediocre life."
"What I did was merely to add fuel to the fire in Shu Prefecture, to burn out a hole so that those foreign enemies could take advantage of it."
"In this way, both I and Lord Xiao will have a chance to use our talents."
After Liu Hong finished speaking, he paused, looked at Li Huaigu with a half-smile, and said, "You, the third-ranked scholar, also have the opportunity to show your talents, don't you?"
Li Huaigu's face flushed instantly. "No, no, that's not it!"
"That's utter nonsense!"
"You are utterly rebellious!"
"You call yourself a scholar? Bah! I... I'm ashamed to be associated with you!"
After being scolded a few times, Liu Hong's expression became even more composed, but he didn't explain further and instead looked at Old Master Xiao.
"In fact, besides these, Liu did several other major things."
Old Master Xiao's face was equally grim, and he looked at Liu Hong as if he were a madman.
Old Master Xiao had no intention of wasting any more words with him and would let him die.
But Liu Hong's next words made it impossible for the old man to remain calm.
"One of the things that Liu was most proud of was when the barbarians invaded five years ago."
Liu Hong looked at Old Master Xiao, a smug smile appearing on his face: "It was I, Liu, who conveyed Xiao Fengchun's whereabouts to the barbarians!"
Old Master Xiao was taken aback upon hearing this, and his anger subsided considerably. He seemed to doubt that he had misheard. "You, what did you say?"
"Didn't Lord Xiao hear me? I'll say it again."
"At that time, Xiao Fengchun's successful raid on the barbarian's supply lines with his iron cavalry was due to Liu tipping off the barbarians, which led to..."
Before Liu Hong could finish speaking, he saw a fist the size of a large bowl placed in front of him and then smash into his face.
With a bang.
Liu Hong was sent flying backward by the hammer, crashing into the wall.
Before he could react, fists rained down on his face and body, one after another.
If Old Master Xiao hadn't retained a sliver of clarity and hadn't used his true energy to amplify his power, those few punches alone would have been enough to smash Liu Hong's head.
Why!?
Why did you do this?!
"explain!"
Li Huaigu watched all this helplessly, unable to step forward to stop it, and could only watch as Old Master Xiao punched Liu Hong repeatedly.
Just then, Xiao Shen arrived.
Seeing the scene in the hall, he rushed forward to protect Old Master Xiao, "Brother, brother, stop, stop!"
"roll!"
Old Master Xiao flung Xiao Shen away, and was about to continue his attack when he heard Xiao Shen cry out in pain:
"Brother, someone from the imperial court has arrived!"
"Jinghong is leading them here, saying she's here to deliver an imperial edict to punish Liu Hong. Brother, you... you can't hit him anymore!"
"What if you kill him? You, you..."
Old Master Xiao punched twice more, his eyes bloodshot and his face full of anger, while one hand still tightly gripped Liu Hong's neck, pinning him against the wall.
"Tell me, who ordered you to do this?!"
Liu Hong's face, which was already much older, was unrecognizable. Blood was seeping from the corners of his mouth and the bridge of his nose, his eyes were bruised, and his entire face was swollen.
But he was still smiling, coughed a few times and said, "No, no one told me to, hehe..."
"Lord Xiao, you are Lord Xiao, cough... your son is also Lord Xiao, while I, Liu Hong, am merely... merely the third branch of the Liu family of Jingzhou..."
"If it weren't for Liu, and my diligent studies, I would never have been able to rival the Xiao family in this lifetime."
“Since arriving in Shu Prefecture, I, Liu, have known that this Shu Prefecture belongs to the Xiao family. Even if I, Liu, were to become the Provincial Governor, I would still have to defer to the whims of the Xiao family if Xiao Fengchun were still alive…”
Old Master Xiao was panting heavily, his fists clenching and unclenching.
He simply couldn't believe that his son would die for such a ridiculous reason.
What do you mean by saying that Shu Prefecture belongs to the Xiao family?
What does it mean to act according to the Xiao family's wishes?
The Xiao family has guarded the borders of the Great Wei for two hundred years, with members of each generation dying on the battlefield. They never thought of becoming kings or rulers in Shuzhou.
Why did it become the fault of the Xiao family in the eyes of people like Liu Hong?
No matter how furious Old Master Xiao was, the arrival of people from the capital city made him restrain his impulse to kill Liu Hong.
"Liu Gongmo, you and the Liu family will pay the price for what you've done!"
As he was about to let go, Old Master Xiao saw Liu Hong grasp his hand and softly say a name:
"Lord Xiao, do you know Fu, General Fu, she didn't..."
Old Master Xiao's eyes widened suddenly, and he punched him in the stomach, silencing him.
"Shut up!"
"If you dare utter another word, I'll kill you!"
Liu Hong clutched his stomach, coughing repeatedly, his face flushed, yet he struggled to say:
"Hehe, Lord Xiao knows about the barbarians... Fu, Fu..."
Old Master Xiao threw another punch.
But Liu Hong kept talking.
At the same time, several footsteps came from outside the quiet house behind them, and Xiao Jinghong was among them.
"Lord Xiao, Fu..."
Before he could finish speaking, there was a loud bang.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Old Master Xiao, unable to bear it any longer, punched Liu Hong through the chest, pinning him to the wall, his blood staining the wall red.
In this situation, Liu Hong not only did not suffer the pain of dying, but instead forced a smile as if his scheme had succeeded.
"Heh, heh heh, thank you, thank you Lord Xiao..."
Blood spilled out, and Liu Hong could no longer speak, but he still used his last bit of strength to write a few words on Old Master Xiao's wrist.
After reading it, Old Master Xiao's expression changed again, and he clenched his fist and punched out again.
And a voice came from behind him as well:
"Lord Xiao, wait..."
(End of this chapter)
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