Chapter 533 - 310: Elder Brother Is Too Hardworking
Chapter 533: Chapter 310: Elder Brother Is Too Hardworking
RING, RING, RING.
Three crisp chimes echoed in the Quiet Chamber. Soon, a figure dressed in a large red robe and wearing a white mask hurried in.
"Xuan Xing greets the Pavilion Master."
"Is there a reply from Shu State?"
"Yes."
Xuan Xing rose, kept his posture low, and presented a secret letter with both hands.
Chen Xuanji took it, his gaze narrowing slightly as he read:
[’Dragon Spear’ Liu Wu killed ’Jackal’ Du Cang of the Peacock King Banner and rescued Miss Xiao Wan’er of the Xiao family.]
[In this battle, Liu Wu displayed a Perfect Realm Gun Dao and a Great Success Realm Fist Dao. His aptitude parallels that of Xiao Jinghong, known for his ’Spear and Sword Dual Mastery’, earning him the title of ’Dragon Tiger’.]
[The plot of the Ji State Trading Company was defeated, entirely due to ’Dragon Tiger’s’ intervention. With the help of Miss Cui Qingwu of the Cui family...]
Reaching the end, Chen Xuanji laughed. "Good, good, good!"
Although the red-robed Xuan Xing wanted to ask what was so good, he felt as if a massive mountain was pressing down on him, rendering him entirely immobile. Cold sweat instantly soaked his robe.
After a long silence, Chen Xuanji crushed the secret letter he had read multiple times into ash. His voice still carried a smile as he instructed, "Pass the order to General. Tell him to pull the net in as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
Feeling as if he had been granted amnesty, Xuan Xing hastily bowed and retreated from the Quiet Chamber.
Once everything quieted down, the amusement in Chen Xuanji’s eyes slowly dissipated. He rested his hands on the desk and tapped lightly.
TAP, TAP, TAP...
The interval between each tap was identical, as was the volume. Before the echo of one tap faded, the next began.
Suddenly, the tapping stopped.
"My son, don’t let your father down..."
...
Mid-afternoon. Shu State Prefecture City.
The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky. The streets and alleys of the prefecture city remained bustling and noisy. This was due to both the death of "Jackal" Du Cang and the continuing rise in grain prices at the grain stores.
The price of one stone of refined grain had soared to twenty-one taels of silver. As a result, the commoners who had heard that the Governor’s Office was about to stabilize grain prices couldn’t help but grow anxious.
"Didn’t they say Lord Liu Hong summoned the people from Lin’s Grain Store and others to discuss matters and order them to lower the grain prices?"
"Why did it rise instead of falling today?"
"It’s only the first day. Those grain stores probably want to make one last massive profit."
"Just a dying struggle."
"I heard they’ve hoarded no less than half a million stones of grain. Once the prices are stabilized, they’ll likely lose everything."
"Every single one of these unscrupulous merchants deserves to die!"
While some comforted others and reassured themselves, others were quick to dampen their spirits. A sudden rumor began spreading, sweeping through the streets and alleys of the prefecture city in an incredibly short amount of time.
"You all shouldn’t celebrate too early.
"’Jackal’ Du Cang died in Shu State, and so did Lv Jiunan. Do you really think King Landu of the Peacock King Banner will act as if nothing happened?"
"Are you saying he’ll actually lead an army here?"
"Not ’he will’—he’s already here. I heard something went wrong over at the Ancient Tea-Horse Road."
"How could this be?"
"Then... then doesn’t that mean the government’s price stabilization is only temporary? Once the old grain is exhausted, we will still..."
What would happen to them went without saying.
Chen Yi listened to the surrounding discussions as he calmly walked through the crowd. He had long known that the Ji State Trading Company wouldn’t just sit still and await their doom. Even with Elder Master Xiao and Xiao Jinghong stepping in, they could only temporarily force the grain stores to bow their heads.
As long as they still held the grain, they could eventually sell it, and whatever silver they lost wouldn’t be enough to cripple them. Just like now. By spreading rumors in the streets to fool the commoners, they could drive up the grain prices again and sell off as much as possible.
As for the rest... they were presumably waiting for Li Sanyuan’s reply. However, with Madam stepping in, how could Li Sanyuan possibly escape?
Chen Yi’s thoughts briefly touched upon this before returning to his recent meeting with General. The White Tiger Guard’s renewed invitation. The unfathomable Pavilion Master’s schemes against him and his older brother, Chen Yunfan. And Zhu Hao!
Chen Yi remembered the hint he had received when he first met Chen Yunfan—his brother desired to walk a grand and righteous path of rapid promotion. Since it was a path of rapid promotion, based on his brother’s position in the Governor’s Office, eliminating Liu Hong was clearly the most suitable way to advance further.
Yet, the White Tiger Guard had produced evidence of the crimes committed by Zhu Hao, the Deputy Commander of the Shu State Capital Commandery. Was there a deeper meaning to this?
The chessboard in Chen Yi’s mind trembled. Chen Yunfan, this half-black, half-white chess piece, made him hesitant about his next move. If placed in the corner representing the Governor’s Office, Chen Yunfan could succeed Yang Ye as the Right Governor of Shu State. He would hold greater power, a higher rank, and be able to fully showcase his abilities.
But if the piece were placed in the Capital Commandery... to check and balance the Xiao family? Or perhaps...
After pondering for a moment, the chess piece held by the giant hand in Chen Yi’s mind turned white and landed precisely in the center among several pieces belonging to the Shu State Capital Commandery.
"The White Tiger Guard’s plot is traceable. Whether it’s me or Chen Yunfan, the ultimate target points straight at the Xiao family, or rather, the Dingyuan Army under their control.
"However, the current situation has changed. Behind Zhu Hao stands another giant Buddha—Liu Hong.
"Presumably, Liu Hong wasn’t part of the White Tiger Guard’s original plan. It’s just that he and the Jing State Liu Family have been interfering too much in Shu State recently, so... the Liu family is doomed."
Although Chen Yi couldn’t foresee the entirety of the White Tiger Guard’s schemes, understanding one corner allowed him to grasp the general direction. At least within Shu State, he could deduce the approximate outcome.
Therefore, whether it was the Jing State Liu Family or the Shu State Liu Family, anyone who dared to lay hands on the Xiao family would become a thorn in the White Tiger Guard’s side. Even if Chen Yi didn’t inform Elder Master Xiao of everything, the Liu family would still perish.
"In half a month at the earliest, or two months at the latest, the Liu family will undoubtedly fall.
"As for my brother... estimating at the fastest pace, he might skyrocket up the ranks within a year. Third Grade? Even Junior Second Grade is possible..."
It was nothing short of an exaggeration. Such a speed of promotion was rare not only in the Great Wei Dynasty but likely unseen even looking back a thousand or eight hundred years.
Having figured this out, Chen Yi knew how to handle the hot potato in his hands. His brother takes down Zhu Hao, and the Xiao family destroys Liu Hong—fair and just.
"Let’s hope the White Tiger Guard doesn’t come out to be an eyesore..."
Chen Yi glanced back before swiftly heading toward Tingyu Pavilion. With his current hearing, since he hadn’t heard Chen Yunfan’s voice at the Governor’s Office, the only remaining possibility was Tingyu Pavilion.
Fifteen minutes later.
Chen Yi arrived outside Tingyu Pavilion. Tilting his bamboo hat slightly to observe his surroundings, he caught the faint sounds coming from inside. Xiao Wan’er, Cui Qingwu, Xie Tingyun, Shen Huatang, Huan’er... Chen Yunfan, Ning Yu, Niu Shan, and... huh?
Chen Yi turned his head toward the eaves of another courtyard at the alley’s entrance. There, a man sat leaning carelessly against the flying eaves, staring straight at him. The man was dressed in a short tunic, appearing to be middle-aged with a face full of thick beard. Seeing Chen Yi appear here, he asked in mild surprise, "’Dragon Tiger’ Liu Wu?"
Chen Yi didn’t respond; he simply activated his Qi Observation Skill and looked at him. He felt like he had seen that face somewhere before. Where... The Chen family! He was the Guard Commander of the Chen family—Lin Zhong!
Realizing this, Chen Yi had a sudden epiphany. "The Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family truly hides crouching tigers and hidden dragons. A mere guard commander possesses an Upper Three Grades Cultivation..."
With his thoughts spinning rapidly, Chen Yi calmly cupped his hands and said, "Excuse me, I have urgent matters and request an audience with Assistant Governor Chen."
"You wish to see my young master?" Lin Zhong looked him up and down, his expression slightly guarded. He wondered inwardly, "Did he discover that I picked up Lv Jiunan’s corpse?"
"May I ask what business Your Excellency ’Dragon Tiger’ has with my young master?"
"I have been entrusted by someone. Forgive me, but I cannot disclose the details."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Lin Zhong relaxed slightly. As long as it wasn’t about Lv Jiunan, everything was fine. After a moment of thought, he stood up and said, "Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. I will go and inform my young master."
Chen Yi nodded, calmly watching his figure vanish, but raised an eyebrow inwardly. "A Great Success level of Martial Arts·Step? Or perhaps... Perfection? Tsk, not to be underestimated."
As the saying goes, "All martial arts in the world can be broken, except for speed." If a Body Technique was cultivated to the Perfection Realm, its power would be no less formidable than Du Cang’s Black Magic Secret Skill. If one lacked a method to overcome the enemy, defeat and death would only be a matter of time.
While Chen Yi muttered to himself, his Heart Spirit followed Lin Zhong into the middle courtyard of Tingyu Pavilion.
Amidst the SWISH SWISH of ringing swords, it felt as though wisps of sharp Sword Intent were tearing through the air. Looking at the Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Mechanism being stirred up around him, a small smile touched the corners of Chen Yi’s mouth.
"My brother is truly hardworking. He didn’t go to the Government Office to work today, choosing instead to stay in Tingyu Pavilion to practice Martial Arts."
However, before his smile could fade, a crystalline, shining light suddenly materialized before his eyes, accompanied by a frantic, urgent voice shouting, "Young Master, don’t!"
The light coalesced into a delicate short sword, shooting fiercely toward Chen Yi. Wherever it passed, its brilliance shone like a rainbow. It wasn’t blindingly bright, yet it carried an awe-inspiring might.
Chen Yi chuckled in exasperation. Facing the incoming sword light, he pointed out with One Finger.
A flash of Jin Guang appeared and vanished. Along with it, the sword light dissipated entirely, as if it had never existed at all.
"Assistant Governor Chen, what magnificent Swordsmanship..."