Chapter 260: Chapter 205: There Must Be a Master in the Xiao Family
"In any case, just keep a close eye on him for me. Report to me the moment you discover anything."
"Alright, I’ll go investigate further."
"But this time, Miss Zhaoxue can’t stop me from testing him."
"Suit yourself..."
...
「The next morning.」
The sky was bright.
Chen Yi got up and dressed, only learning from Xiaodie that it was already past seven.
"It’s that late already?"
After learning that Xiao Jinghong had left Shu State yesterday, he had gone to bed early.
He had been so busy and mentally drained over the past few days. Now that he could finally relax, a wave of exhaustion was inevitable.
Xiaodie helped him adjust his collar and said with a smile, "Young Master, I saw you were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t have the heart to wake you."
Chen Yi nodded. He glanced at the overcast, rainy sky outside and asked, "Any news in the mansion today?"
Xiaodie knew what he was really asking. As if she had been waiting for this, she began to chirp excitedly.
"Young Master, you’ll never guess what happened!"
"First thing this morning, the Old Master left the mansion with a group of men. He said he was going to the Governor’s Office to see Lord Governor Liu."
Chen Yi nodded slightly. ’That’s not exactly surprising,’ he thought.
Xiao Dongchen was dead, and Xiao Jinghong had swept away both the Bright Moon Building and the West City Evil Demon. Of the "masterminds" behind the burning of the Three Towns, the only one the Xiao Family knew about—apart from the still-unidentified Financiers—was the Liu Family of Jing State.
It wasn’t strange for the Old Master to go and have a showdown with Liu Hong now.
Then he heard Xiaodie add, "And do you know what else? The Old Master put on that suit of Armor before he left."
Chen Yi froze. "What Armor?"
"The Battle Armor he wore during the southern campaign against Poshisu Country, when he drove out the Barbarian Race! It’s a shame I went out too late. I didn’t get to see how magnificent the Old Master looked wearing it."
Heh.
Chen Yi chuckled to himself. ’The old man must have been holding that in for far too long.’
’To go confront the Liu Family with such a grand display... he’s clearly planning to intimidate them right from the start.’
’I reckon that when a Second-Grade Officer like Liu Hong sees this display, he’ll lose a good thirty percent of his nerve.’
Fortunately, the Xiao Family was in the right this time. They had Liu Wen’s body, the three hundred thousand silver coins, and the letter signed and fingerprinted by Xiao Dongchen. It should be enough to force the Liu Family to yield.
As he was thinking this, Chen Yi was about to make some small talk when two lines of large text floated before his eyes:
[Opportunity +4.]
[Assessment: Duke Dingyuan Xiao Yuan confronts the Governor of Shu State, Liu Hong, compelling an apology and a joint petition for the Holy Emperor’s judgment. To not be present, to not hear, to not witness—to let a heaven-sent Opportunity pass you by is the mark of a truly lazy man.]
Chen Yi’s eyes narrowed. "..."
He really had gone to bed too early last night. He’d missed a great show.
But on second thought, ’Even if I had seen this information ahead of time, it would have been difficult to accompany the Old Master to the Governor’s Office anyway.’
’Oh well. The matter’s concluded, and the outcome was good. That’s what counts.’
Although there was still a "Financier" to deal with, the summer grain in the Three Towns hadn’t suffered much of a loss. For the time being, the Xiao Family’s predicament had been alleviated.
With that, Chen Yi took Xiaodie to the study. He instructed her to have a carriage brought around while he gathered up his calligraphy practice sheets.
"Also, on your way back, stop by and ask Big Sister which elders we need to prepare festival gifts for."
Xiaodie acknowledged the order and left.
After packing up the practice sheets, Chen Yi considered his list. ’The masters at Guiyun Academy should also get gifts... Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, and the others.’
He then took out a brush and paper to write a list, intending to purchase everything at once when he prepared the festival gifts on Xiao Jinghong’s behalf.
But not long after...
...not only did Xiaodie return, but Xiao Wan’er also came, having heard the news. She was holding a blue-covered booklet.
Chen Yi glanced at her. Her expression was normal; she clearly wasn’t affected by the news of Xiao Dongchen’s death yesterday.
"Big Sister, what brings you here?"
Xiao Wan’er’s smile was as gentle as ever. "I heard you were going to buy festival gifts, brother-in-law?"
Chen Yi said with a smile, "My wife gave me instructions before she left yesterday. She asked me to prepare them for her."
Xiao Wan’er’s smile faltered for a moment before she nodded. "I need to prepare some as well. Let’s go together."
Chen Yi, of course, didn’t refuse. He picked up the stack of calligraphy sheets and followed her out of the Spring Lotus Garden.
After instructing Xiaodie and the others to watch over Xiao Wuge, Xiao Wan’er and Chen Yi boarded the carriage.
The carriage was once again driven by the martial sisters, Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang.
Once the carriage had left the Xiao Mansion, Xiao Wan’er finally spoke. "Brother-in-law, did you hear about what happened in the mansion yesterday?"
Chen Yi grunted in acknowledgment. "I did. It’s a shame."
Perhaps because his tone was too casual, Xiao Wan’er couldn’t help but ask, "What exactly do you find to be a shame, brother-in-law?"
"A shame... a shame that Uncle Dongchen got exactly the death he deserved."
Xiao Wan’er froze for a second. When she realized what he meant, she shot him a reproachful look.
"He was an elder, after all. You shouldn’t speak of him that way."
Chen Yi simply nodded, then changed the subject. "Such a major incident occurred yesterday. What are your thoughts on it, Big Sister?"
At his words, a strange expression crossed Xiao Wan’er’s face. "I... all I can do is comfort Second Grand-uncle’s family."
"Them?"
"Yes. Yesterday, Grandfather told them to leave Shu State. He... he also said he was going to remove Uncle Dongchen’s name from the family registry. Second Grand-uncle collapsed from illness."
Chen Yi’s first reaction was, ’Serves him right.’ But seeing Xiao Wan’er’s expression, he adopted a more serious tone.
"Life and death are determined by fate. I’m sure that wherever Uncle Dongchen is now, he would understand the Old Master’s decision."
Xiao Wan’er nodded faintly. "Matters of military and state are for Grandfather and Jinghong to decide. Besides, he did do those terrible things."
"I just can’t help but feel a little sad. When my father was still alive, Second Uncle and Uncle Dongchen were on good terms, and so was the whole family."
"I never thought..."
Listening to her reminisce, Chen Yi could somewhat understand how she felt.
It wasn’t about right or wrong, or even about the betrayal. Purely in terms of family ties, Xiao Dongchen and the second branch still had the blood of the Xiao Family flowing through their veins.
It was inevitable that Xiao Wan’er would feel some sadness seeing them fall to such a plight.
As for Chen Yi...
He had personally engineered this outcome, so naturally, he felt nothing.
In fact, if he had known the identity of the other Financier sooner, he might have been able to play this game of chess for even higher stakes.
Just as he was about to offer a few words of comfort, Chen Yi suddenly heard a deep, hoarse voice from outside the carriage:
"Shu State... It’s still the same as ever."
"I remember the last time I was here... it was for General Jinghong’s wedding..."
