Chapter 90: 090. Didn’t you send someone to ask me to come home? (First update)
Translator: 549690339
After Lin Shuzhi sent away the master from the government office, he closed the door and asked Su Liang what she thought of the matter about the “three members of the Xiao Family committing suicide for fear of being punished for their crimes. ”
“Someone probably took matters into their own hands and the government played along, benefitting from the outcome.” Su Liang said.
Upon hearing Su Liang’s words, Lin Shuzhi understood who was behind it. He sighed but didn’t say anything more.
Having decided to leave the academy for the capital city yesterday and witnessing the darkness of the official circles in Pingbei City again today, Lin Shuzhi lost his last hesitation. He wrote another letter to his two sons, asking them to send someone to pick them up.
In the letter, he didn’t mention much about the poisoning case at the academy, fearing that they would worry and that the letter might be lost and seen by others. He only wrote that he was getting old, increasingly tired, and running out of energy, so it was time to let go of the matters of the academy and reunite with his family.
In both letters sent to the capital city, one after the assassination attempt and one this time, Lin Shuzhi never mentioned Ning Jing and Su Liang.
The first time he only mentioned being saved by a skilled master.
Su Liang also wrote a letter, asking someone to send it back to Bei’an County. The recipient was Hu Er.
There were two letters hidden inside the letter to Hu Er, one for County
Magistrate Mu Fei, and one for “Su Jiujiu.”
She only informed them that she was delayed and would return half a month later than expected.
A day later, Lin Shuzhi intended to go to the government office to announce his intention to resign as the dean of Qianshan Academy and that he had chosen a reliable successor within the academy.
Su Liang was worried that he might encounter trouble along the way, but she couldn’t leave Lin Xueqing alone at the academy. So, the three of them went down the mountain together, and found a tea house for Su Liang and Lin Xueqing to wait for Lin Shuzhi’s return.
Sitting in the elegant room on the second floor overlooking the street, as Lin Shuzhi walked alone towards the Government Office, Lin Xueqing clasped her hands together and prayed earnestly, “I hope everything goes smoothly, and there won’t be any more problems.”
“Master is not a government official and doesn’t even receive a salary. It’s just that the government has relied on Qianshan Academy to achieve their political merits in recent years, so they’ve been getting more and more involved.” Su Liang said, “Although Master’s talents are irreplaceable, I think his resignation will go smoothly.”
Given the fame of Qianshan Academy, there were probably many people who wanted to take the dean’s position.
However, the successor chosen by Lin Shuzhi might not necessarily have the opportunity to take over the position.
From where they were sitting, they could hear the voices of the people on the street below and the conversations of other guests in the tea house.
Everyone was talking about the same thing – the poisoning case at the academy.
At first, when Ma Yaozu was sentenced, everyone thought the truth had been revealed.
Unexpectedly, after a night, the case took a shocking twist.
It wasn’t quite a reversal since the fact that Ma Yaozu had poisoned the academy himself was not overturned; still, he was not the real mastermind, but someone who had been threatened and lured into doing it.
The mastermind was the Xiao Family of Pingbei City, while the Ning Family of Xunyang City was the instigator.
Ning Jing, who had already been expelled from the Ning Family, still couldn’t break free from their persecution and entanglement.
His elder brother from the same father but different mother, Ning Yao, had secretly provided benefits to the Xiao Family, asking them to help ensure Ning Jing’s death in Pingbei City.
After many twists and turns, and with no lives lost in the academy, the “truth” became clear at this point, and people were condemning Ning Yao’s shamelessness and cruelty, condemning the Xiao Family for their unscrupulousness, and condemning Ma Yaozu.
There were also those who condemned Ning Jing as a bad luck star without knowing right from wrong.
However, since the three main members of the Xiao Family had already met Yama King and could no longer slander Ning Jing, those voices would soon disappear.
The government officials showed no intention of asking Ning Jing to cooperate in the investigation. Because their self-directed and self-acted “truth” had already come to an end.
As for the second master of the Xiao Family who was still away on business and had not returned, the Pingbei City government office issued a warrant for his arrest. As long as he returned, he could not escape death. Only when he died could those who got the Xiao Family’s property finally sleep peacefully.
Lin Xueqing listened to the mixed opinions around her and looked at the clear sky outside, sighing softly, “The sky in Pingbei City is getting darker.”
She knew that Lin Shuzhi was planning to go to the capital city for another purpose – to expose the corruption and bribery in Pingbei City to the court.
This would be a risky move, and it could only be done after leaving this place.
Yonglong Embroidery Workshop was right across the street, and the manager looked up in surprise when he saw Su Liang. He had thought that Su Liang and Ning Jing would leave after the exams were over.
When he shifted his gaze away, the manager ordered his clerk to remove the newly-arrived Yanluo silk from the shelf and take it to the back, not for sale.
However, as soon as the clerk took the valuable fabric from the most conspicuous spot, someone said, “That fabric, I want to buy it!”
Seeing that it was the daughter of Master Mao from the government office, the manager didn’t dare to offend her and motioned for the clerk to bring the Yanluo silk to Miss Mao.
Miss Mao liked it very much and immediately said she wanted to buy it.
The manager quoted the price with a smile, explaining that this was a new fabric launched by the Yang Family this year for the new tribute items, with only a few items released to test the market response.
Hearing this, Miss Mao became more determined to buy it, but she cut the price by more than half, asking that it be sold at a lower price.
Miss Mao’s face darkened, “You dare not recognize my father’s authority while doing business in Pingbei City? Do you know who my father is?”
Soon a crowd gathered to watch the commotion.
Yonglong Embroidery Workshop was doing legitimate business, backed by one of Qian Country’s four major businesses, the Yang Family. They had never skimped on giving the government its share of benefits.
The manager knew that if he gave in to Miss Mao today, she would only become more demanding, fearing that in the future, all the good things in the Embroidery Workshop would be taken by those ladies and madams from the officials’ families.
The manager tried to appease Miss Mao to no avail. She insisted on buying the Yanluo silk at the price she had named.
With so much commotion, it was hard for Su Liang not to notice.
Lin Xueqing looked outside for a while, not knowing what had happened, and had no intention of joining the excitement. However, she saw Su Liang stand up.
“Where are you going, Sister Su? Is my father back?” Lin Xueqing looked down, but she didn’t see Lin Shuzhi.
Su Liang shook her head, “My master won’t be back so soon. I’m going to the embroidery workshop across the street to buy some things.”
“Wait a little longer, and I’ll go with you.” Lin Xueqing tried to hold Su Liang back.
Su Liang smiled, “It’s okay. You stay here and wait. I’m going by myself, and I’ll be back soon.’
Before Lin Xueqing could say anything more, Su Liang had already hurried downstairs.
A crowd had gathered in front of the Embroidery Workshop, Little Miss Mao’s maid accused the manager of outrageous pricing.
There was a lot of debate among the crowd, some saying that Little Miss Mao bullied others, while others said that the workshop manager was being unreasonable. Offending Master Mao over a piece of cloth would lead to no good consequences.
Su Liang pushed through the crowd and walked in, “How much is it? I’ll buy it.” The manager looked astonished, not expecting Su Liang to show up.
Little Miss Mao was infuriated, “Who are you? I’ve already bought the cloth!”
Su Liang looked innocent, “If the payment has already been made, why argue? Since you don’t have enough money, maybe look at something else? To force others to sell at a loss, how is this any different from daylight robbery?” “You dare to insult me?” Little Miss Mao’s face turned green with anger.
Su Liang smiled, “I didn’t use any foul language; everyone here heard. I heard that this miss is Master Mao’s daughter? I’ve met Master Mao before, he’s a frugal and honest person. Does he know that his daughter is bullying people in broad daylight?”
Little Miss Mao’s face stiffened!
Su Liang asked the manager again, “How much is it?”
The manager quoted the original price, and Su Liang handed over a silver note,
“I’ll buy. Keep the change.”
Someone with sharp eyes saw it and exclaimed, “One thousand taels! ”
The cloth was already 500 taels, which was considered a sky-high price in the fabric market. Yet Su Liang paid 1000 taels for it.
“Who are you?” Little Miss Mao asked coldly.
“Do I need to verify my identity to buy a piece of cloth?” Su Liang snorted lightly.
Little Miss Mao stared at her but didn’t dare to be arrogant anymore, afraid of being scolded by Master Mao when she returned home.
The manager insisted on only taking 500 taels, and Su Liang left the
Embroidery Workshop while holding the cloth.
Feeling humiliated, Little Miss Mao quickly left as well but ordered her maid to follow Su Liang to see where she went, clearly not intending to swallow this humiliation.
The manager knew Su Liang wasn’t just buying the cloth but was helping the Embroidery Workshop; he felt gratitude but also worried that Su Liang might run into trouble.
However, after leaving the Embroidery Workshop, Su Liang turned into an alley and quickly disappeared from sight.
Lin Xueqing was confused, not knowing what was going on.
When Su Liang returned, she had changed into men’s clothing, and the cloth was nowhere to be seen.
“I went back home for a while,” Su Liang sat down opposite Lin Xueqing, “That cloth is really nice. When you go to the capital city, take it with you. See what the popular styles are there and make two new dresses.”
Lin Xueqing was still puzzled, “Sister Su, you didn’t go there just to buy cloth, right?”
Su Liang chuckled softly, “I couldn’t stand the injustice.”
Seeing Lin Xueqing’s disbelief, Su Liang closed the window and began to tell her about the Yang Family.
She began with how Yang Yu was betrayed and sold by her cousin who lived with her, Lin Xueqing looked anxious, “Was she alright in the end?”
“It was a close call.” Su Liang talked about her first encounter with Yang Yu.
She skipped the part when Ning Jing accidentally discovered a black mist in the center of Yang Yu’s eyebrows, which led to their interaction.
As Lin Xueqing listened to the thrilling stories of Yang Yu’s rescue and Yang
Feng barely escaping an assassination by his father’s illegitimate child, Yang Wu, only to become Ning Jing’s scapegoat shortly afterward, she couldn’t help but feel shocked and excited.
“Miss Yang is amazing, carrying the weight of such a big family at such a young age.” Lin Xueqing finally sighed.
“You have a good relationship with your siblings. Cherish that. But for relatives and friends, be more cautious, especially with people like me.” Su Liang advised Lin Xueqing.
Lin Xueqing shook her head, “Sister Su is so nice, there’s no way you would harm me.”
“But when you arrive in the capital city, not all the ‘friends’ you meet might have good intentions. Better be cautious.” Su Liang said.
Lin Xueqing nodded, “I will.”
Su Liang also mentioned Liu Xiaoyue, whom she sent to Yang Yu’s side.
Upon hearing Liu Xiaoyue’s tragic experience, Lin Xueqing was shocked, “Such a thing happened to her, yet she still managed to live on, she’s so brave! I really want to meet Yang Yu and Xiaoyue!”
“You’ll have a chance to meet them in the future.” Su Liang said.
She wasn’t trying to tell stories or brag about the people she saved, but rather to let Lin Xueqing know that as a woman in this world, survival was already difficult. Caution was necessary, and in times of hardship, one must be brave and strive to live on.
Lin Xueqing would soon leave Qianshan Academy in Pingbei City and live in the capital city, where the environment would change drastically. She couldn’t avoid going out, so protecting herself was essential.
There was a knock on the door, Lin Xueqing rushed over excitedly, “Father is back!”
Lin Shuzhi entered, his face heavy.
“Did they refuse to let Father leave?” Lin Xueqing frowned.
Lin Shuzhi shook his head, “I can leave, but for the new academy dean, they don’t accept the person I nominated and said they have other arrangements.” Su Liang had guessed right.
With Su Liang’s remark, the overwhelmed Lin Shuzhi became enlightened. He clapped his hands and stared intently, “That’s right! I have to go to the capital city as soon as possible!”
The Ning Family residence in Xunyang City.
It was late at night, and Ning Yao was still checking account books under the lamplight, completely focused.
A gust of wind blew, and suddenly the lamp went out. Ning Yao frowned and stood up, only to see a dark figure in the distance behind him, not knowing when it had appeared.
Ning Yao looked horrified, “Who is it?”
“Didn’t you send someone to ask me to come home soon?” Ning Jing’s icy voice sounded..
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