Chapter 338 Only Advance, No Retreat (Happy New Year)
The Emperor's decree arrived in Shu Prefecture on September 29th.
There is only one day left until the annual exam.
Tomorrow, students from the prefectural city and surrounding counties and towns will gather at the examination hall—a large courtyard located between the Provincial Administration Commission and the Prefectural Government.
It will last for two days.
Students enter the examination hall at dawn (卯时), the exam begins at 1-3 PM (未时), and ends at noon on the following day.
Originally, Ma Shuhan, the educational official of Shuzhou, set the annual examination for the 28th, but for some unspeakable reason, he postponed it by two days.
The scholars in the prefectural city not only understood and agreed with this, but they simply didn't have time to pay attention to it.
The reasons for Liu Hong's death have already spread: colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, manipulating grain prices, and attempting to spread the plague, etc.
The crimes were posted one by one on the notice board outside the Provincial Administration Office.
He was accompanied by the others who had been taken away by the Criminal Investigation Department.
Ye Jingxiao, the deputy commissioner of the Provincial Surveillance Commission, colluded with the Lin family's grain business to frame loyal officials.
Mr. Lingchuan of Guiyun Academy secretly sold ironware to the Kingdom of Vaishsa for the sake of Commander Zhu Hao.
Sun Wutong of the Sun family...
Apart from a few exiled individuals, the rest, such as Ye Jingxiao and Zhu Lingchuan, were to be escorted to the capital city to await execution in the autumn.
These events quickly spread like wildfire throughout Shu Prefecture.
The people cursed and swore.
Although the rise in grain prices in the prefectural city did not lead to starvation, the people will never forget the chaos of those days.
This applies to both those who can buy food and those who cannot.
"I thought Liu Hong was a good official, but I never expected him to be so despicable behind the scenes."
"I had previously been grateful to him for opening the granaries to distribute grain, stabilizing grain prices, and providing relief to disaster victims, but none of these were his original intentions."
"Now I realize that the only family in this Shu Prefecture that has ever been good to us ordinary people is the Xiao family."
"If it weren't for Lord Xiao's inability to stand by and reason with Liu Hong, grain prices would still be high today, and many people would have died then."
"Don't forget, it was also Marquis Xiao who first discovered the epidemic and immediately ordered the government offices and doctors to rush to the city and surrounding areas to investigate."
"Lord Xiao and the Xiao family have protected Shu Prefecture for many years. We are truly ashamed before him."
"And there's General Jinghong; she's the one who killed the commander who tried to escape this time..."
The common people harbored deep resentment towards Liu Hong and his associates, and the scholars were no less so.
It's probably because when they think about what they did to save Mr. Lingchuan, the more ashamed they feel, the more they'll write articles to criticize him.
Sayings like "you can know a person's face but not their heart" have been circulated countless times.
Even some of the teachers at Guiyun Academy said a few bad things about Zhu Lingchuan.
With the annual examinations approaching, Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, and others could only try to find ways to force the many scholars to focus on their studies.
However, it obviously didn't have much effect.
"Dean, let them be."
"Liu Gongmo committed such a serious crime this time that even I want to scold him."
Mr. Yue Ming understood this principle perfectly well, and sighed, saying, "Don't make things worse."
Mr. Zhuo Ying raised an eyebrow. "Adding to the chaos? Isn't what we've done enough?"
"Before the Emperor's decree arrived, the Provincial Administration Commission was leaderless, and Yang Ye was already finding it difficult to manage on his own."
"The situation in the Provincial Surveillance Commission is better, but I heard that the Provincial Military Commission has been greatly affected."
"Although the people in Guangyuan County didn't do much, the powerful families caused a lot of trouble, mostly people from Zhu Hao's group."
“The Commander-in-Chief’s Office raided one or two large clans almost every day, killing some and exiling others, dealing with salt, tea, grain transport, carriages, and so on.”
At this point, he pointed mysteriously in the direction of the Xiao family and said, "I heard from people in Guangyuan that Commander Li's actions were because of Xiao Jinghong."
Mr. Yue Ming frowned slightly, "Xiao Jinghong?"
After a moment's thought, his brows relaxed: "It must be because she put pressure on the Commander's Division after she killed Zhu Hao last time."
Mr. Zhuo Ying smiled and nodded: "Although that girl is a woman, she is decisive and efficient in her actions, and has some of the style of Xiao Fengchun."
"On the contrary, Lord Xiao... Dean, have you heard about the Xiao family's recent actions?"
"You should know something about it, after all, you and Marquis Xiao are close friends."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Yue Ming glared at him and said, "I am not familiar with him!"
However, he did hear about the current situation of the Xiao family.
Since Liu Hong's death, several families in the prefecture have sent people to visit the Xiao family, each bringing a large number of gifts.
For example, the Wan family not only gave the Xiao family the medicinal herbs from their own pharmacy, but also received ten thousand taels of silver.
The same applies to the other companies.
It was as if the attacks on the Xiao family by various powerful families in Shu Prefecture had never happened.
A moment of silence.
Mr. Yue Ming began by saying, "Liu Hong is dead, and the Liu family of Jingzhou behind him has also fallen. Anyone with eyes can see that it was the Xiao family who did it."
"At this time, their trip to the Xiao family was simply to reconcile with them."
Mr. Zhuo Ying sneered, "A bunch of opportunists. Even if they weren't implicated by Liu Hong, they would have been dealt with by Lord Xiao sooner or later."
He fiddled with the teacup in his hand, then changed the subject, saying, "But I'm still not used to Qingzhou not coming to the academy these past few days."
"With the annual examination approaching, it's normal for Qingzhou to study harder."
"If even Qingzhou, with his knowledge, can't make it into the top three in the annual examination, who else can?"
"It's hard to say."
Mr. Yue Ming, thinking of the educational official who was not influenced by Liu Hong, said with a slight sigh:
"If Ma Shuhan doesn't cheat, Qingzhou will be among the top even if he's not in the top three. The problem is that Ma Shuhan doesn't follow the usual rules."
Mr. Zhuo Ying scoffed, "He dares?"
"Previously, Liu Hong had his backing, but now that Liu Hong is dead and the Provincial Administration Commission is controlled by Lord Yang, how can we let him run rampant?"
"I hope so..."
Just as Mr. Yueming was struggling with how to appease the students of the academy and get them to focus on preparing for the annual examination, footsteps came from outside the door.
Ma Guan appeared shortly afterward, panting, and said, "Dean, Dean, Mr. Zhuo Ying, His Majesty, His Majesty's decree has arrived in Shu Prefecture."
"Quick, tell me."
"The eunuch Feng, who came a few days ago, went to the Provincial Administration Commission first."
Ma Guan took a breath and calmed down before saying, "Lord Yang will temporarily assume the position of Provincial Treasurer."
Mr. Yue Ming and Mr. Zhuo Ying exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dean, with Elder Yang overseeing the Provincial Administration Commission, the annual examinations should be handled more properly."
Mr. Yue Ming nodded slightly and said, "If Ma Shuhan dares to go his own way, I will go and reason with him."
He had previously approached Yang Ye about Ma Shuhan's invitation to serve as the assistant examiner, and their personal relationship was fairly good.
He then looked at Ma Guan: "Where did that Eunuch Feng go after leaving the Provincial Administration Commission?"
Ma Guan shook his head and continued, "Dean, Eunuch Feng is still at the Provincial Administration Commission."
"oh?"
"Besides Lord Yang, there is another person in the Provincial Administration Commission who received a reward from the Emperor, namely Chen Yunfan, the top scholar in the imperial examination."
"It is said that he discovered the iron trade between Commander Zhu Hao and the Kingdom of Vaishsa and handed the evidence over to Inspector Tang Zixin."
"And then there's Lü Jiunan..."
Ma Guan looked puzzled and said, "I don't know why, but the Emperor's decree said that Councilor Chen killed Lü Jiunan."
Mr. Yue Ming had heard of Lü Jiunan's name before, and recalled: "If I remember correctly, it is said that Lü Jiunan was killed by 'Dragon Tiger' Liu Wu."
He looked at Mr. Zhuo Ying, "Isn't that right?"
Mr. Zhuo Ying nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Could it be that Chen Yunfan is the famous Liu Wu of Shu Prefecture?"
"he?"
"That's somewhat possible..."
Absolutely not!
Chen Yunfan, who was in the Provincial Administration Commission, was truly speechless.
He had previously thought that taking credit for Lü Jiunan's corpse would invite ridicule from Chen Yi, but he forgot about something else entirely.
— "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu is hiding his true strength!
Now, not only outsiders are speculating that he is Liu Wu, but even some people within the Provincial Administration Commission think so.
Li Huaigu was one of them.
After Feng Erbao and the others left the Provincial Administration Office and went to the Xiao family, Li Huaigu came to their door, looked him over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:
"My apologies, I never imagined that you, the Councilor, possessed such profound martial arts skills."
Chen Yunfan rolled his eyes, threw down the imperial edict in his hand, and said, "Get out... don't bring up things you shouldn't talk about."
"Anyone with eyes can see that I, the councilor, could not possibly be that 'Dragon Tiger,' and only fools would think that way."
Li Huaigu asked with a smile, "Then why does the imperial edict say that you killed Lü Jiunan?"
"I……"
Chen Yunfan leaned back in his chair, waving his hand listlessly and saying, "Forget it, forget it, just think of me as that damn Liu Wu."
He couldn't very well say that Lü Jiunan's body was found.
Saying that would not only make him lose face, but even the emperor would have to punish him for deceiving the emperor.
Seeing this, Li Huaigu sat down opposite him and roughly realized that there was more to the story.
After thinking for a moment, a hint of doubt appeared on his face: "Logically speaking, Brother Yunfan has made such a great contribution, so he should be rewarded even more."
"Bigger?"
Chen Yunfan said irritably, "Brother Huaigu, do you want His Majesty to appoint me as the Right Envoy of the Provincial Administration Commission right now? Or to replace Zhu Hao's position?"
Even so, he was still somewhat puzzled.
When Chen Yi handed over Zhu Hao's incriminating evidence to him on behalf of the White Tiger Guard, he thought that the credit would allow him to advance further.
Even if he didn't advance one rank to the third grade, he should at least reach the fourth grade.
But the truth is that he only received a few words of praise from the emperor, as well as some gold and silver treasures.
Let's chat for a bit.
Li Huaigu got up and left.
Chen Yunfan sat quietly in the chair, looking at the bright sunshine outside the window, his expression complex.
"I wonder how Yi-di will make fun of me now..."
Damn it, it's all Lin Zhong's fault for meddling in other people's business.
...
The Xiao family.
In the Spring Lotus Garden.
Chen Yi had heard about what happened inside the Provincial Administration Commission and also knew about Chen Yunfan taking credit for Lü Jiunan's corpse.
It must have been done by Lin Zhong, the commander of the Chen family's guards.
That's fine too.
Lu Jiunan is nothing more than a corpse destined to become dust if he stays with him; it would be better to let Chen Yunfan gain some merit.
Moreover, there was an unexpected surprise—the people of Shuzhou deduced that Chen Yunfan was "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu, which was exactly what Chen Yi wanted to hear.
He had already managed to clear himself of the virus by claiming to be infected, and now with Chen Yunfan's incident, it's estimated that no one will associate "Liu Wu" with him anymore.
Just laugh it off.
Chen Yi then focused his attention on the quiet house in the middle courtyard.
"...Merits and demerits cancel each other out; a three-year salary deduction shall be imposed. So be it!"
"Xiao Yuan thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
"Lord Xiao, His Majesty also asked me to pass on a message to you."
"Please speak, Eunuch Feng."
"His Majesty said that from now on you can only advance and not retreat, otherwise if chaos breaks out in Shu Prefecture, you will be held responsible."
"Please, sir, convey my thanks to His Majesty on my behalf..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi activated the Xuanwu Concealing Breath Technique, suppressing his aura to prevent it from leaking out.
He flipped through the book in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.
Just as he thought.
The current emperor did not punish the old master too harshly, but only fined him a little and let the matter drop.
However, that imperial edict was quite interesting.
"His Majesty's attention has always been on Shu Prefecture, and he is well aware of what the old master has been doing lately."
"On the contrary, the old master is a bit like a frightened bird, and he is putting all his effort into restoring the Xiao family's prestige."
This is not difficult to deduce.
If His Majesty wanted to use swift and decisive measures against the Xiao family, he would not have allowed Chen Yunfan and Chen Yunfan to come to Shu Prefecture.
Previously, this wouldn't have happened, and now that the Xiao family's situation has improved, it's even less likely.
I'm guessing...
The chessboard in Chen Yi's mind stirred slightly, with several chess pieces jumping around. As the game changed, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Chen Yunfan has made enough contributions, but he lacks seniority. Once the year is over, the capital prefecture will issue a new decree for him."
"So...it's my turn next?"
The game in Shuzhou is already gaining momentum, at least for Chen Yunfan.
If Chen Yi were the one who orchestrated the plan, then to conclude the game, he would have to work together to advance the entire game.
In other words, this "young bird" must make a difference in the Xiao family.
"It seems that after this son-in-law's annual examination, I'll also need to make some moves."
Chen Yi was thinking of getting up to stretch his muscles and was about to tidy up the study when he heard a shout from outside the courtyard.
"Brother-in-law, I'm back, brother-in-law..."
A series of jingling sounds followed.
Chen Yi looked in the direction of the sound and saw Pei Guanli skipping and hopping towards him.
A pair of delicate white feet stepped on the bluestone slabs without leaving a single footprint, while a large bell in front of her bobbed up and down, swaying gently.
She first saw Xiaodie sweeping outside the wooden building and chuckled, "Sister Xiaodie, where's your husband?"
Xiaodie responded with a smile, "The young master is reading in the study. The annual examination is tomorrow, so please don't..."
"Don't say anything else," he said, without even finishing his sentence.
Pei Guanli bypassed her and went straight to the study, calling out "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law."
Xiao Die hurriedly followed behind her, "Miss Pei, you, you shouldn't disturb the young master's reading."
"It's alright, it's fine, I'll go find..."
Pei Guanli arrived at the study as she spoke, and immediately saw Chen Yi standing in front of the table. A look of joy appeared on her face.
"Brother-in-law! I'm back!"
Pei Guanli took a step and leaped into the air.
Chen Yi looked helpless, subtly stepped aside, and cleverly pulled her back, saying:
"I am neither deaf nor blind."
Pei Guanli held his hand and chuckled, her eyes filled with his image.
After laughing for a while, she pouted and complained, "You're one to talk! My brother-in-law promised me he'd pick me up after he finished his work, but I've been waiting for ages and you still haven't come."
As Chen Yi gestured for Xiao Die to prepare lunch, he glanced sideways at Pei Guanli and said:
"I heard you're currently in seclusion, cultivating your skills."
Pei Guanli's eyes darted around twice, a slight smile playing on her lips, and she stammered as she pulled him along:
"It's all my third uncle's fault, he insisted on teaching me some witchcraft, hehe..."
Seeing that Xiaodie had walked away, Chen Yi pushed Pei Guanli aside, sat down in a chair, and asked with a smile:
"Have your brothers gone back?"
Pei Guanli leaned against him, looked up at him, nodded, and said, "Grandma sent a letter, asking them to go back."
"Why the rush? Has something happened to the mountain tribe?"
“It’s not from the clan. My brother said that the Wushan trade market is about to be completed, and my grandmother asked him to go back and prepare mountain goods.”
Chen Yi suddenly realized that Xiao Jinghong had mentioned the border trade before he left, and now it was finally about to be completed.
This is one of the few pieces of good news the Xiao family has received recently.
Pei Guanli didn't think about that much, and chattered on about what she had heard during her seclusion.
"Brother-in-law, do you know that something big is about to happen in the martial arts world?"
(End of this chapter)
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