Chapter 597 - 336: Mountains and Rivers Ask Not of the Four Seasons!

Not to mention "sheltering" him and letting him be an idle live-in son-in-law.

The result was obvious. Elder Master Xiao had fallen for Liu Hong’s provocation and killed Liu Hong with his own hands, placing the Xiao Family in an awkward situation. With things as they were, even if he wanted to endure silently, others would no longer give him the chance. He had only one path left: to strengthen the Xiao Family, and to do so by any means necessary. At the very least, he had to return the Xiao Family to the prestige it held five years ago, so that those prying eyes would hesitate before making a move against them.

Since Chen Yi had made his choice, he would also work towards this goal. Thinking of this, Chen Yi slightly raised his head and looked out the window.

The rain formed a dense curtain. Vaguely, a figure sat upright amidst the clouds, holding a Heizi in his hand, about to make a move. Although his face could not be seen clearly, his composed demeanor made it impossible to underestimate him. If Chen Yi’s Chess Dao had not reached Perfection, merely looking directly at that figure might have made his heart grow heavy and his moves hesitant.

Chen Yi wondered, "I don’t know who ’he’ is. The Holy Emperor, or one of his confidants?" He had no way of knowing. He only knew that the opponent held countless chess pieces in his hand. Backed by the Holy Emperor, they also had Court Officials, Noble Families, Jianghu Sects, and more at their disposal. The strength of the two sides was fundamentally unequal.

But Chen Yi simply refused to believe in the impossible—whoever made his life uncomfortable, he would skin them alive.

He thought, "I’d like to see if I, this newly minted Chess Master, can win this game with the half-crippled Xiao Family." Pausing for a moment, Chen Yi withdrew his gaze, put down the book in his hand, and sat cross-legged on the Grandmaster’s Chair to cultivate the Four Symbols Skill. "A Lower Fourth Grade Cultivation is ultimately a bit too weak. I need to break through to the Upper Three Grades Realm as soon as possible..." he mused.

News of Liu Hong’s death smashed into the Prefecture City like an earth-shattering boulder.

At the Governor’s Office.

Upon returning, Li Huai’gu immediately found Yang Ye to inform him of the matter. Mr. Yue Ming and Chen Yunfan, who had not yet left, were also made aware. Their expressions varied, but all were somewhat conflicted. Yang Ye had been an official for many years, so he naturally understood what Liu Hong’s strange behavior over the past few days signified and had formed his own speculations. He just hadn’t expected Liu Hong to die in such a manner.

Mr. Yue Ming felt much the same. Only Chen Yunfan’s complicated feelings stemmed not from Liu Hong, but from Chen Yi.

Chen Yunfan thought, "Brother Yi’s scheme succeeded in the end. Liu Hong... why bother?" Although he had long known how capable Chen Yi was, when the result truly unfolded as he had predicted, he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Had he been in Chen Yi’s position, let alone bringing down Liu Hong, merely tracing the clues back to him would have been an impressive feat.

"Father, since you’re coming to Shu State this time, you must clear Brother Yi’s name. At the very least... at the very least, we can’t let him hold a grudge against our Chen Family..." he added mentally. He had some confidence in Chen Yi, but the five years Chen Yi had been imprisoned previously were far too miserable. Let alone a peerless genius like Chen Yi, even an ordinary commoner locked up for five years would harbor resentment.

After a moment of silence, Mr. Yue Ming was the first to stand up. "Since things have come to this, I now understand the root of the matter. I will take my students back to the academy."

Yang Ye forced a smile. "Mr. Yue Ming, I hope you can keep this a secret for now, lest it cause upheaval in Shu State."

Mr. Yue Ming nodded, then shook his head. "Don’t worry, I know what’s at stake." He couldn’t possibly tell too many people about such a matter; at most, he would inform a few teachers at the academy. However, he also knew that an incident of this magnitude couldn’t remain hidden forever. In a day or two at most, everyone in Shu State who needed to know would know.

Glancing around, Mr. Yue Ming sighed. "Fortunately, the Governor’s Office has you holding the fort, old friend."

Yang Ye smiled bitterly. "These old bones will just have to hold out for now."

After Mr. Yue Ming left, Yang Ye looked at Chen Yunfan and Li Huai’gu in the hall. He sighed and said, "Although this matter is significant, it does not affect us."

Li Huai’gu glanced at Chen Yunfan. Seeing the latter nodding with an unfazed expression, he hesitated before asking, "Lord Yang, shall we proceed as usual from now on?"

"Proceed as usual," Yang Ye nodded. "That stubborn Old Xiao killing Liu Gongmo indeed has a huge impact. But then again, with people coming from the Capital Prefecture to arrest Liu Gongmo, the outcome is the same for us. The Governor’s Office is destined to be leaderless. For now, let everyone perform their own duties and wait for the Holy Emperor’s decree."

Li Huai’gu nodded silently in agreement, the scene he had witnessed at the Qingjing Residence once again surfacing in his mind. He slowly realized the truth—Liu Hong had actively sought death. Li Huai’gu couldn’t help but recall the words Liu Hong had spoken to him on the way to the Xiao Family’s home. After a moment of thought, he recounted the conversation, asking at the end, "Lord Yang, why do you think Lord... Lord Liu would..."

Before he could continue, Yang Ye raised a hand to interrupt him, his tone serious. "Liu Gongmo colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. In his vain attempt to poison the commoners and plunge Shu State into chaos, he had already become a madman. The thoughts and actions of such a person are different from ordinary people. Huai’gu, what use is there in figuring out his reasons?"

Chen Yunfan sneered from the side. "Brother Huai’gu, surely you don’t want the world to fall into chaos as well?"

Li Huai’gu lowered his head with an awkward smile. "Lord Yang, Lord Chen, please forgive me. I have no such thoughts. I just don’t understand why Lord Liu wanted to die at Marquis Xiao’s hands."

Chen Yunfan shook his head. "He just wanted to cause trouble for the Xiao Family before his death, nothing more."

Yang Ye glanced at him with approval. "Liu Gongmo knew he would die. Enraging Old Xiao into killing him was nothing more than an attempt to have the Holy Emperor punish the Xiao Family. As for whether the result will go as he wished... that remains unknown."

He didn’t state it as a certainty, but inwardly, he hoped the Holy Emperor would be lenient and minimize the matter. Otherwise, if Marquis Xiao were punished, not only would Liu Hong’s dying wish be fulfilled, but it would also cause an uproar among the people of the world. With this in mind, Yang Ye waved his hand. "Go back to your work."

"Yes, I will take my leave..."

Just as Mr. Yue Ming had anticipated, news of Liu Hong dying at Elder Master Xiao’s hands quickly reached the ears of those paying attention. For a time, the Prefecture City was in constant upheaval.

Naturally, the Xiao Family reacted the fastest. Led by Xiao Shen and Xiao Xuanshuo, several core members of the Xiao Family were instructed by the Elder Master to leave the Marquis’s Mansion. They successively visited several Noble Families within the Prefecture City, such as the Wan Family, the Sun Family, and the Tang Family.

Although Elder Master Xiao was pedantic, he could still distinguish between what was urgent and what was not. Moreover, since he had been forced to make a choice, he began to act with resolute vigor once again, just as he had when facing the armies of the Barbarian Race and the Poshisu Country. Since someone didn’t want him to continue enduring in silence, his only option was to fight back with all his might. The backup plans and idle chess pieces he had arranged in the past, along with the close associates he had previously ordered to remain silent, all needed to make their moves. He strove to help his Xiao Family recover some of its prestige in a short period of time.

Upon receiving the news, Inspector General Tang Zixing of the Inspectorate Office immediately wrote a memorial and dispatched it to the Capital Prefecture. He didn’t even have time to track down Feng Erbao and the others to finalize the handling of Zhu Hao.

The White Tiger Guard was among the first to learn that something was going to happen to Liu Hong. This outcome naturally surprised General. However, regardless of his own thoughts, this matter needed to be relayed to the Lord Pavilion Master as soon as possible. He quickly wrote a secret letter and dispatched a falcon to fly to the Capital Prefecture.

At the same time, he found Lou Yuxue and Cui Qingwu at the Imprisonment Department and informed them of the situation. "Liu Hong died unexpectedly. His accomplices must be interrogated and have their confessions signed and thumbprinted as soon as possible. The Pavilion Master needs results."

Lou Yuxue readily agreed, knowing in her heart that the dust had finally settled on this matter.

Cui Qingwu, however, frowned and asked, "What impact will Liu Hong’s death have on Shu State?" Such an inquiry hit the nail on the head, though deep down, she was merely worried it might affect Chen Yunfan.

General had a rough idea of what was on her mind and shook his head. "It’s hard to say for now. Let’s wait for the Pavilion Master’s instructions." Based on his understanding of the situation in Shu State, he reckoned the Holy Emperor wouldn’t do anything to the Xiao Family. It was just that he couldn’t fathom the Lord Pavilion Master’s intentions. If that man had other schemes, the Xiao Family’s fate would be somewhat miserable.

"Alright, tell the subordinate Iron Banner Officers to keep a close watch on their respective areas and observe the movements within Shu State."

When the waters run shallow, all sorts of unsavory characters reveal themselves. The more chaotic the times, the better the White Tiger Guard could see through an individual, a clan, or a faction. This could also be considered a good thing.

Meanwhile, on the official road in the North City.

Feng Erbao and his entourage, having recently left the city, stopped at a post station to rest. However, Feng Erbao did not stay in his carriage; instead, he ventured alone into the dense forest not far from the station. Looking into the depths of the woods, where only the noisy sound of rain could be heard, he asked in a feminine voice, "Song Jinjian, did Lord Cui send you here to find me?"