Chapter 334: Ruling and Dominating (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 334: Claiming Kingship and Hegemony (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Xiao Diao arrived breathless, announcing that the princess had already prepared the meal. Chen Yi nodded, gesturing for her to proceed first, then turned his gaze to Ma Guan and the others seated before him, smiling gently.

"As for Lord Longchuan's matter, I truly don't know," he said.

Ma Guan hesitated, about to press further, when Chen Yi interrupted: "But there's no need to rush either."

"Perhaps after you return to the Academy, Yue Ming and Zhuo Ying, along with others, will have brought word."

Tang Ye, seated beside Ma Guan, ventured: "Sir, do you think the prefecture office might have wrongfully detained Lord Longchuan?"

Chen Yi let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. "I've been occupied with preparing for the imperial examinations lately—have little time for such thoughts."

Seeing Ma Guan and Tang Ye poised to speak but holding back, he stood and said: "Some people cannot be judged by appearances alone, nor can some matters be settled by mere right or wrong."

"As for Lord Longchuan himself, and whether he has broken the law—I shall not pass judgment. But I trust the prefecture office in Shu Zhou will not act without purpose."

"Especially regarding your esteemed instructor here at the Cloud Academy."

Ma Guan opened his mouth, "Sir, you speak of Lord Longchuan—"

Chen Yi shot him a sharp glance, cutting him off. "Perhaps the officials there merely invited Lord Longchuan to come for questioning."

That was as dismissive as it got.

He harbored no particular fondness for Zhu Longchuan—after all, what was there to say about someone allied with Liu Hong?

Yet Ma Guan and Tang Ye had come with earnest hearts, and he could not simply lay bare the truth to these students, nor could he reveal the true nature of Zhu Longchuan.

To draw a line between appearance and reality, between right and wrong—that was the limit.

Chen Yi said no more, then waved for Ma Guan and Tang Ye to follow him as he exited the wooden pavilion.

"Near the examinations, lest these matters affect your scores. Should you miss the provincial exams afterward, Lord Longchuan would surely regret it upon hearing of it."

Ma Guan and Tang Ye exchanged a glance, then bowed respectfully: "We apologize for troubling you, Sir. We shall take our leave now."

Chen Yi nodded once, watching them depart until they were out of sight. His gaze then traveled a hundred li away, settling on the Clear Residence.

There, Liu Hong and Li Huaiyu had already been led inside by Lu Guan, entering the main hall.

Rain pattered steadily, splashing onto the courtyard's stone slabs.

The collected rainwater carried fallen leaves and petals, flowing toward the low gutter and into the pond beyond.

The sound was crisp and chaotic, disturbing the surrounding quiet.

Chen Yi checked the time—three o'clock in the afternoon—and eased the restrictions of the Xuanwu Suppression Technique.

A single strand of spiritual energy stirred the fabric of heaven and earth, reaching his ears.

Xiao Fu's voice rang clear as a bell:

"Liu Hong, before you sought me out one last time, did you have something to say?"

Chen Yi's lips curved slightly. The old master had long since restrained his irritation.

Such pestering was unbecoming of one who had gained the upper hand—instead, he resembled a man still seething with resentment, unable to let go of his grievance.

As for Liu Hong—

He had likely anticipated Xiao Fu's discovery of this matter, and so sat casually on the imperial seat beside the old master.

Then, gesturing to the bewildered Li Huaiyu to take a seat, he nodded and said:

"Some words are best left unspoken; I pray the Marquis will understand."

Xiao Fu said nothing, resting his hands on the armrest, his staff—used for five years—leaning against his leg. He glanced at Li Huaiyu and scoffed:

"I thought you, Liu Hong, capable of such deeds, would have shown some regard for the Xiao family."

Li Huaiyu, seeing the two prominent officials of Shu Zhou, broke into a cold sweat and hastily shifted to a seat near the hall's entrance.

He could not help but be stunned.

Liu Hong—dead?

A provincial deputy premier of such stature—how could he simply vanish without a trace?

Li Huaiyu recalled the earlier events, the words Liu Hong had spoken as he wandered the streets, and began to grasp the truth.

Xiao Fu spoke truly—Liu Hong, the Deputy Commissioner, was indeed doomed.

The reason... perhaps tied to Liu Hong's earlier words...

Was he attempting to become a righteous minister who could "arrest the falling tower and save the people from fire and water"?

No.

He was a tyrant of chaos.

If so, Liu Hong could not have escaped death.

A moment of silence passed.

Xiao Fu glanced at the sky beyond the door and sneered: "Fellow Liu, your time is running short."

Xiao Zhenghong had visited him the night before, saying that Feng Erbao would arrive with imperial edicts soon.

Calculating the hour, they were nearly upon the prefecture city.

Though Liu Hong did not know when the imperial envoys would reach the prefecture, he had deduced from the arrest of Zhu Longchuan and others the previous night.

It would not be today, nor tomorrow—when the imperial decree arrived, he would be taken to the capital prefecture.

And he knew, with certainty, that he would never return to the capital prefecture unharmed.

These people would not let him live.

Liu Hong's face remained serene, his eyes drifting to the staff, and he smiled: "Congratulations, Marquis."

"Congratulations?"

"Your health is a blessing of Shu Zhou, a fortune of Great Wei. How could I not offer my congratulations?"

Xiao Fu turned his head slightly, "You've got a point."

He had no desire to speak with someone on the brink of death, nor did he wish to feign respect.

Yet seeing Liu Hong's hair, as white as snow in a single night, and his face aged beyond his years, he restrained the surge of anger within.

Liu Hong smiled again and said: "You misunderstand, Marquis."

"This time I come with words to speak plainly, but Marquis, do you have any questions for me?"

Xiao Fu furrowed his brows, his thick fists clenched, clearly seething with rage.

"You think, after all these deeds, that I don't know?"

"Colluding with barbarian tribes, conspiring with merchants in Ji Zhou to sell iron, commanding the Five Poison Sect to poison the starving—"

"Dozens of such acts, enough to move the heads of your entire Xiao clan and the nine branches of Liu's family in Jingzhou!"

Li Huaiyu gasped, his eyes wide with shock.

What had he just heard?

They all doubted whether their ears had gone wrong.

Colluding with the barbarian tribes, trafficking in arms, spreading plague toxins… these deeds were all the work of Liu Hong?

The governor of Shu Zhou, doing such things?

Liu Hong’s expression remained unchanged, nodding and shaking his head. “Lord Xiao speaks truly, yet there are omissions.”

“The ones trafficking iron weapons and ores were the commandant’s office official Zhu Hao. I merely stoked the flames and fanned the sparks.”

“Colluding with the barbarian tribes… if Lord Xiao refers to Asu-ti, the young son of the left king of the barbarians, then you should be grateful to me.”

Old Master Xiao laughed, his anger boiling over. “You let him go, and expect me to thank you?”

“A jest! A complete farce!”

Liu Hong bowed his head solemnly. “The one who released him was not I, but another.”

“Who?”

“The so-called Long Hu, Liu Wu.”

“Indeed, the one who has repeatedly aided your Xiao family—Liu Wu.”

Old Master Xiao’s brow furrowed, his gaze icy as he fixed Liu Hong with a chilling stare. “You, are you seeking your own doom?”

Seeing the change in Liu Hong’s expression, he realized the governor believed he was sowing discord. Liu Hong spoke calmly.

“Indeed, it was Long Hu’s doing.”

“After the uprising of the southern market’s slave revolt, my subordinates did take Asu-ti. But before they could move him, Liu Wu had already seized him first.”

“Only after a long time—until the day before your daughter’s incident—did he bring Asu-ti to me.”

When Liu Hong saw Old Master Xiao did not interject, he continued. “When Liu Wu went to rescue Lady Wan, he also took Lü Jiān along.”

“At that time, Lü Jiān was still alive.”

Hearing this, Old Master Xiao was overcome with memories of that fateful night when Liu Wu had appeared at the Xiao family’s mansion to aid them.

That day, Liu Wu presented evidence pointing directly at Liu Hong—accusing him of colluding with the barbarians and seducing the King of Wa.

So all these things were extracted from Asu-ti and Lü Jiān through interrogation?

Why then did he let Asu-ti go?

Liu Hong seemed to anticipate his thoughts. He smiled. “Why do you think Liu Wu returned Asu-ti to me?”

“The reason is simple.”

“He sought to implicate me in the barbarian conspiracy, forcing me to take risks.” After a pause, a bitter edge crept into Liu Hong’s voice. “As he calculated, I did grow desperate.”

“Desperate to finish the task, desperate to cover my tracks, and just then, refugees from the disaster in Guangdian County arrived. I had the Poison Sect strike them.”

“But the outcome… was the opposite of what we planned.”

“Not only was the plague toxin exposed by Liu Wu, but my schemes with the Jizhou merchants were also uncovered, leading to a complete defeat.”

These days, Liu Hong had neglected his duties in the administration, fixated on uncovering the cause of his failures. Where had things gone wrong? Where had others found gaps to exploit?

After thinking it through, he realized the turning point came after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The situation had plummeted rapidly.

More precisely, after Lü Jiān arrived in Shu Zhou, Liu Tao fell victim to a scheme by Lin Hua’an of the Jizhou merchants.

At that time, it was the first time in years Liu Hong had disregarded the greater good, acting to clear a path for his son.

But in doing so, he had left a fatal flaw for himself.

Lin Hua’an’s death directly disrupted Zhu Hao and Wang Ruo’s dealings, causing internal strife in the Jizhou merchants.

The replacement, Lin Zheng-hong, lacked the intellect, skill, and experience to sustain Shu Zhou’s stability, allowing Liu Wu to exploit the weakness.

Then Lü Jiān, Asu-ti, Du Cang, Ceng Zhi-feng, and the Poison Sect all began to surface in succession, until the once-favorable situation collapsed entirely.

As Liu Hong pieced these things together, he lamented his own lack of ruthlessness, yet also acknowledged the Xiao family’s fortunate destiny.

Had it not been for Liu Wu’s interference, how could his schemes of years have failed?

What of the tea-horse road bandits, who caused more trouble than they resolved?

Had they not abducted Asu-ti to Shu Zhou, forcing Lü Jiān to come personally, none of this would have happened.

Li Hua-zu, listening to Liu Hong’s words, had ceased to show surprise, now replaced by utter horror.

He stared at Liu Hong in disbelief, never imagining that the governor of Shu Zhou—a towering figure in the court—would commit such atrocities.

Li Hua-zu suddenly stood, his voice trembling with fury. “Why, why? Do you know what you’ve done? Do you realize how many lives you’ve doomed?”

Liu Hong paused, turning his head. “Have you forgotten what I just told you?”

“We who are born into chaos and strife, if we don’t seize the moment, spend our lives as mere dogs in peaceful times.”

“What I’ve done… merely added fuel to Shu Zhou, carving a path so that those outside enemies might find opportunity.”

“In doing so, I, Lord Xiao, too, have found my purpose.”

When Liu Hong finished, his smile was neither fully present nor absent as he regarded Li Hua-zu. “You, this princely candidate, now have your chance to prove your worth, do you not?”

Li Hua-zu’s face flushed crimson. “N-no, that’s not… it’s not right!”

“This is sheer absurdity!”

“You, traitorous fool!”

“Even you, a scholar, dare speak thus? I scorn your company!”

After hurling insults, Liu Hong’s expression grew more composed, yet offered no further explanation. He turned his gaze to Old Master Xiao.

“In addition to these matters, I have also accomplished other great deeds.”

Old Master Xiao’s face darkened to an extreme, his eyes seeming to regard Liu Hong as a madman.

Old Master Xiao had no intention of wasting more words, letting him go to his doom.

Yet Liu Hong’s next words shattered his composure once more.

“The most satisfying of my endeavors was five years ago, when the barbarians launched an incursion.”

Liu Hong fixed Old Master Xiao with a proud smile. “I informed the barbarians of Xiao Fengchun’s whereabouts.”

Old Master Xiao staggered, his fury ebbing. “You… you’re saying what?”

“Did Lord Xiao not hear? I’ll say it again.”

“When Xiao Fengchun led a charge of iron cavalry to raid the barbarian supply lines, I relayed his position to them…”

Before Liu Hong could finish, a fist the size of a large bowl slammed into his face.

A thunderous crack.

Liu Hong was sent flying by the hammer blows, crashing against the wall.

Before he could even react, fists smashed across his face and body, punch after punch raining down upon him.

Had it not been for the faint glimmer of clarity still lingering in Xiao Boss’s heart, not even the use of spiritual energy would have been necessary—these few blows alone would have shattered Liu Hong’s skull.

“Why!?”

“Why would you do such a thing!?”

“Tell me!”

Li Huagu sat helpless, unable to step forward and intervene, forced to watch in silence as Xiao Boss continued to unleash punch after punch upon Liu Hong.

In that moment, Xiao Shen arrived.

Seeing the scene before him, he hastened forward to shield Xiao Boss, “Brother, brother, stop—please, stop!”

“Get out!”

Xiao Boss thrust Xiao Shen aside with a flick of his hand, preparing to resume his assault—when Xiao Shen cried out in pain:

“Brother, envoys from the capital have arrived!”

“Zhang Peng and his men came, claiming they’ve come to issue a decree and reduce Liu Hong’s punishment, brother—you—you cannot hit him anymore!”

“If we kill him, then we’ll… we’ll…”

Xiao Boss delivered two more blows, his eyes bloodshot, his face a mask of fury. His left hand still clenched Liu Hong’s throat, pinning him to the wall.

“Tell me—who ordered you to do this?!”

Liu Hong’s ancient face, already worn thin, bore no semblance of its former self. Blood trickled from his mouth and nose, his eyes swollen and bruised, his entire visage swollen and distorted.

Yet he still smiled, coughing a few times before speaking: “N-no one ordered me… hehe…”

“Lord Xiao, you are Lord Xiao, heh—your son is also Lord Xiao, and I, Liu Hong, am merely the third wife of the Liu family in Jingzhou…”

“If not for Liu, Liu has studied diligently, he’ll never be able to set foot before your family’s ancestral hall in his lifetime.”

“Since arriving in Shu, Liu has always known—this land of Shu belongs to your Xiao family. Had Xiao Fengchun been alive, Liu would have taken the position of Pacifying Commissioner, still needing to heed your family’s wishes and decisions…”

Xiao Boss labored for breath, his fists clenched and unclenched.

He could not fathom that his own son would meet such a death over such a trivial pretext.

What did it mean for Shu to belong to the Xiao family?

What did it mean to heed the Xiao family’s wishes?

The Xiao family had guarded the borderlands of Dali for two hundred years, every generation having perished on the battlefield, never once dreaming of ruling Shu as kings.

Yet here was Liu Hong, in his twisted mind, blaming the Xiao family for their very existence.

No matter how furious Xiao Boss raged, the envoys from the capital had restrained him from executing Liu Hong.

“Liu the Scholar, you and your Liu family will pay the price for what you’ve done!”

As Xiao Boss prepared to release his grip, Liu Hong seized his hand, whispering softly, “Lord Xiao, do you know—do you know that General Fu… that she…”

Xiao Boss’s eyes widened in terror. He struck Liu Hong in the abdomen, silencing him.

“Be silent!”

“If you breathe a single word, I’ll kill you!”

Liu Hong clutched his midsection, coughing repeatedly, his face flushing red, yet struggling to speak:

“Hehe, Lord Xiao knows about the barbarians, hehe… Fu, General Fu…”

Xiao Boss struck him again.

But Liu Hong continued speaking.

At that moment, footsteps echoed from outside the Clear Residence. Among them was Xiao Jinghong.

“Lord Xiao, Fu…”

Before the words could finish, a thunderous crash sounded.

Blood erupted in a crimson spray.

Unable to endure it any longer, Xiao Boss delivered a final punch, his fist piercing Liu Hong’s chest, driving him into the wall. Blood painted the surface crimson.

In such a state, Liu Hong did not exhibit the anguish of a dying man—instead, a twisted smile crept across his lips, as though some cunning plan had come to fruition.

“Hah, hah, hah—many thanks, thanks to Lord Xiao…”

Blood gushed from his mouth, robbing him of the ability to speak, yet he summoned his last strength to carve characters upon Xiao Boss’s wrist.

Xiao Boss stared at the words, his expression darkening further. He clenched his fists and struck again.

And from behind, another voice echoed:

“Lord Xiao, wait a moment…”

(Chapter Complete)