Chapter 149: Brother-in-Law, Who Are These Sisters...

Chapter 149: Brother-in-law, these few sisters-in-law are—

As the patriarch's anger flared, Huang Zhuo's face turned ashen, and Liu Si and Fang Hongxiu's expressions also shifted slightly.

Even Xiao Wang, seated quietly to the side, was also taken aback.

He had always assumed the patriarch would merely dismiss the matter calmly, as before.

Yet he never anticipated such a reaction.

Huang Zhuo wiped the sweat from his brow and stammered, "My lord, the matter... the matter is unclear to me. It is my fault for not investigating properly. I beg your forgiveness."

The patriarch fixed his gaze on him and pressed, "Tell me, who gave you the audacity?"

"Was it the Liu family of Jingzhou who sent you?"

"Or the Governor's Office of Shu Province?"

Huang Zhuo immediately knelt, his face paling further.

"My lord, forgive me. No one instructed me. It is entirely my fault. I beg you to investigate thoroughly."

"One fault and you think that settles it? Do you take me for old? Can I not even lift a sword anymore?"

"N-no—"

In that moment, Xiao Wang furrowed his brow and glanced toward the lower level, his eyes flicking briefly at the patriarch, clearly unprepared for this turn of events.

What was the eldest brother planning to do?

Was he truly going to consign the Execution Bureau's hundreds of households to ruin?

Liu Si, seeing Huang Zhuo bent in apology, hesitated and then ventured to speak:

"My lord, forgive Huang Zhuo. His hasty judgment without proper inquiry—"

The patriarch glanced at him and coldly interrupted, "Liu, the Prefect, didn't you know earlier about the Execution Bureau's investigation progress?"

Liu Si broke into sweat, already blaming Huang Zhuo to his own sorrow.

The patriarch's words, though simple in tone, left no room for a proper answer.

As the Prefect of Shu Province, overseeing all civil and judicial matters, the Execution Bureau naturally fell under his jurisdiction.

To claim ignorance would make him appear negligent.

Yet to admit knowledge…

The two evils, Liu Si could only grimace and say, "My lord, forgive me. Huang Zhuo failed to inform his superiors in time."

"Indeed?"

"Indeed, my lord, the Prefect's affairs are countless. He surely did not know."

Upon hearing this, Liu Si immediately knelt beside Huang Zhuo, bowing his head in apology: "My lord, forgive me."

When both superiors had knelt, Fang Hongxiu followed suit, kneeling behind them.

The patriarch sneered, "A Prefect, a Execution Bureau chief—unable to uncover even such a minor matter, they'd laugh themselves to death if the tale spread."

"Lucky for you, you're not part of the Dingyuan Army. Otherwise, I'd have had your heads chopped off today."

Upon hearing this, Liu Si and Huang Zhuo did not relax their posture one bit; they were even more terrified.

Or rather, Liu Si was.

Not part of the Dingyuan Army, naturally not comrades accepted by the patriarch.

"My lord, I swear on my life in Shu Province, I will never forget my duty!"

Huang Zhuo looked like a withered leaf, his head pressed to the floor, daring not utter a word.

He had been so thoroughly duped, daring to speak carelessly before the patriarch.

Fang Hongxiu, however, remained oblivious, clearly not catching the subtext.

At this point, Xiao Wang swept his gaze around and suddenly spoke, "Eldest, in my view, perhaps we should let the Prefect return first to investigate thoroughly?"

The patriarch glanced at him, "What? You think I'm going to let them go?"

"Me—"

Before he could finish, the patriarch waved his hand toward Liu Si and the others, "Go back and investigate thoroughly before returning."

"If it were me, Xiao family, truly responsible, I'd cut off their heads myself!"

Xiao Wang staggered slightly, then his face darkened, saying no more.

The accusation was so blatant, he naturally understood.

Yet compared to this, the patriarch's actions and words today troubled him far more.

Something felt odd.

Meanwhile, Liu Si and his companions immediately bowed respectfully and hurriedly departed.

After everyone had left, Xiao Wang rose to leave as well.

At that moment, the patriarch called out, "Younger brother, tell me—if I were to take a leap tomorrow, who could hold up this vast Xiao family?"

Xiao Wang's steps faltered, turning his head to meet the patriarch's gaze, his heart quickening.

"You think so?"

"You."

"I—"

Just as he was about to speak, the patriarch shook his head and said, "You don't measure up."

"Younger brother, don't blame me for speaking plainly."

"Though your martial arts are passable, warfare and commanding armies aren't solitary battles. Directing tens of thousands—surely not something a mere Execution Bureau official can manage."

Xiao Wang's face darkened further, "I have no such ambitions."

"The heir of Xiao family—there is but one, and that is Wei!"

With that, he strode out of the Pure Mansion.

The patriarch watched him depart, a look of weariness crossing his face, and let out a deep sigh.

You say he's inadequate, and indeed he is.

Even binding Dongcheng and Qiuyun to him wouldn't sustain the Xiao family's foundation.

"If Wei had not been young, I would have—"

…

At that moment, outside the Hou Mansion.

Liu Si looked the most haggard, and quietly said to Huang Zhuo, "If only I had known you were so reckless, I'd have assumed someone else had instructed you."

Huang Zhuo mumbled and grumbled, gripping the hilt of his knife, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

“Your Excellency the Prefect, forgive me, I shall uncover the truth in due time and give you an answer!”

“An answer? You’d better think carefully how to resolve this before you face the Prince’s wrath.”

Just as he was about to say more, a carriage bearing the Xiao family’s red banner arrived, and several people quickly stepped aside.

When the carriage entered the Xiao mansion, Liu Si reminded Huang Zhuo a few more things, then climbed aboard and prepared to leave.

At that moment, an excited execution officer ran up:

“Your Excellency the Prefect, the Duke and the Count have found the killer!”

The three men paused, “What killer?”

“The one who killed Liu Jing.”

Huang Zhuo beamed with joy, “Quickly, who was so bold as to do this?”

“A guard from the Forest of Souls Hall—he was lurking outside the Hall of Meeting the Immortals today, and when we questioned him, he tried to flee. But we caught him, thanks to our numbers.”

“Only after questioning him did we learn that he was behind it all.”

After hearing this, Liu Si mused, “So the Forest of Souls Hall is an enterprise of the ten families?”

Huang Zhuo nodded, smiling, “Indeed, it belongs to the ten families. We never thought—”

His smile vanished then.

If it was the ten families, then everything he’d just said at the Prince’s mansion was mere nonsense.

Liu Si nodded, climbed into the carriage, and said in a strange tone, “When the interrogation is complete, attend the ceremony tomorrow.”

Huang Zhuo bowed respectfully, then hurriedly boarded the carriage and left.

When the carriage had faded into the distance, the beside man, Fang Hongxi, found the matter rather peculiar.

“What say you? How powerful are the ten families compared to the Xiao and Liu clans?”

The reporting execution officer thought a moment and said, “Not a bit weaker.”

“Could he have done this to frame the Xiao family?”

“Your Grace, we—”

Seeing the Xiao family’s plaque across the street, Fang Hongxi nodded, “Tell him to report back.”

After all, this matter had hidden depths.

When the outside had quieted, Chen Yi, lingering outside the Prince’s mansion all day, finally dismounted.

He glanced at the outside corridor, then turned toward the courtyard without a trace of change in his expression.

“The killer found? A man from the ten families?”

“Another major clan from Shuzhou?”

After a brief consideration, Chen Yi’s gaze settled on the clear courtyard, and he suddenly understood.

This was undoubtedly the Patriarch’s doing.

Chen Yi saw the scroll’s contents and felt even more certain this was the Patriarch’s plan.

“The previous scheme to frame Xiao had failed, but the Patriarch turned it around.”

“What kind of trick is this? A reversal of blame?”

“Alas, though we hurried and rushed, we still missed the timing. I wonder how the Patriarch managed to pull off such a feat.”

Chen Yi muttered to himself, yet he grasped the Patriarch’s intent.

It was meant to give Xiao and Liu a way out.

Of course, it also meant the Xiao mansion had taken a step back.

“A retreat?”

“It seems the Patriarch still hopes to resolve this as a minor matter.”

“If the Liu family accepts this outcome, each side stepping back would be most welcome.”

Chen Yi thought this, and his heart lightened somewhat.

The Patriarch, so clear-sighted, no longer needed this useless son-in-law to “make things worse.”

“This is one of the few good news in recent times.”

Not long after, Chen Yi returned to the Spring Lotus Garden.

He found Xiao Wanyu sitting with several older women in a pavilion, chatting and laughing.

Only Xiao’s young maids, Xiao Diao and Cui Er, served tea and snacks, like a tea gathering, pouring drinks and offering delicacies.

Seeing him return, Xiao Wanyu rose and gave him a subtle wink:

“Brother-in-law, these ladies came to the mansion for lunch, saying they’d like to meet the scholar who teaches the arts and could become a true master.”

“This must be Master Qin Zhou, right?”

“Indeed, a talented fellow. No wonder my son said earlier that Master Qin Zhou had arrived at the academy, and he’s quite accomplished in literature and arts.”

Chen Yi: “….”

My goodness, the news traveled so fast!

(Chapter Complete)