Chapter 404 - 240: Construction

Chapter 404: Chapter 240: Construction

"Are you sure you aren’t kidding?"

Fu Qingzhu was completely stunned. It felt like he was listening to a storyteller spin a yarn.

No, not even a storyteller’s tales were this incredible!

Fu Qingzhu even felt a pang of regret. Why did he have to arrive a step too late?

If he had been here just a little earlier, wouldn’t he have been able to witness that stunning reversal himself?

He had rushed here to back Su Mu up and keep those old geezers from going too far.

Even if a punishment was warranted, it was the Taiping Bureau’s place to discipline Su Mu internally. It wasn’t for those old men to overstep their authority.

But to his surprise, when he arrived, those same old men, usually so arrogant and domineering, were all as silent as winter cicadas.

It was only after hearing Yang Yungzhong recount the events that Fu Qingzhu finally understood what had transpired.

"It’s the absolute truth!"

Yang Yunzheng said with a serious expression, "These people are outer members of the Pure Land Sect. They were the ones who incited those scholars to storm the Songjiang Prefecture Taiping Government Office."

"And according to their confessions, there are many more Pure Land Sect members hidden throughout Songjiang Prefecture."

"Commander Yang, the second branch of the Lu Family is involved with the Pure Land Sect. The Lu Family isn’t in Songjiang Prefecture, but do you think you could send people to investigate them?"

"Leave it to me," Fu Qingzhu said without the slightest hesitation.

Though he was only a Governor, the Commander-in-Chief of the Xiangzhou Taiping Bureau, Li Tingkui, was away year-round. As a result, Fu Qingzhu was usually the one managing the affairs of the entire Xiangzhou Taiping Bureau.

"Junior Brother Su, you’ve performed another great service," Fu Qingzhu said to Su Mu, his voice filled with emotion.

He never expected this enormous crisis to end in such a fashion. It was completely beyond his expectations.

Fu Qingzhu had even sent a message asking Li Tingkui to return and save the day.

He had assumed that even if Su Mu managed to escape this unscathed, his position as Governor of Songjiang Prefecture was finished.

After all, stirring up this much trouble, even if the Bureau could protect him, they’d still have to make a show of punishing him to appease the wrath of the Civil Servants at court.

But now, with solid evidence, Su Mu was not only innocent of any wrongdoing but had actually performed a meritorious service.

Even the Civil Servants at court would be left speechless.

Hadn’t he seen how all those retired old officials from Xiangzhou were now silent?

It was now clear that the scholars had been incited by the Pure Land Sect. Any punishment Su Mu dealt them was perfectly reasonable.

Far from making trouble for Su Mu, they should be thanking him for disciplining their students and juniors.

Su Mu had saved them!

"It was just a coincidence."

Su Mu smiled faintly. "If the Pure Land Sect hadn’t jumped out to assassinate me, if they hadn’t been so intent on causing me trouble, I never would have had this opportunity."

’Why don’t you mention that you killed their Young Sect Leader?’

Fu Qingzhu thought to himself.

He knew about Su Mu’s accomplishments. If Su Mu hadn’t killed the Pure Land Sect’s Young Sect Leader, they wouldn’t be targeting him so relentlessly.

Of course, even if an opportunity presented itself, one still had to be capable of seizing it.

Had it been anyone else in the same situation, they might not have had the audacity to react as Su Mu had.

Putting hundreds of scholars in cangues for public humiliation... Fu Qingzhu knew he would never dare to do such a thing.

This all worked out because they had actually found Pure Land Sect members among the scholars. But what if they hadn’t?

If they hadn’t, that single act would have been tantamount to offending every scholar in Xiangzhou.

Individually, these scholars might be as weak as chickens, but as a group, they wielded considerable influence at court.

Even though they had found Pure Land Sect members, this action would still have significant repercussions down the line.

Those scholars might look docile and submissive now, but he was certain they all harbored a deep-seated resentment for Su Mu.

Fu Qingzhu knew very well that these scholars could be incredibly petty.

If they ever got the chance in the future, they would surely find ways to make trouble for Su Mu.

"Since everything is settled here, I’ll head back to the capital," Fu Qingzhu said to Su Mu. "If anything else comes up, let me know immediately so I can be prepared."

With that said, he and his men departed in a hurry, not even setting foot inside the city.

A smile touched Su Mu’s lips as he watched Fu Qingzhu’s receding figure.

He knew full well that Fu Qingzhu had rushed here with his men just to help him.

Xiangzhou might have its share of problems, but with admirable people like these, Su Mu felt there was still hope in the world.

"Su Mu, I’ve brought a group of craftsmen and the silver," Wu Yiqi said as he approached Su Mu, his heart swirling with emotion.

’This is the Su Mu I know,’ he thought. ’Always managing to pull off the impossible.’

’Thankfully, I was smart enough not to side with Li Dangsen earlier.’

’Otherwise, I’d be facing the consequences right now.’

’Experience really does count. Father’s decision not to lock horns with Su Mu and to yield so decisively... in hindsight, that was probably the best choice.’

’If we had truly fought it out, the Wu Family’s losses would have been much greater.’

’Now, we’ve just lost a bit of silver. For the Wu Family, a loss like this is entirely acceptable.’

"We can begin construction on Bailu Academy at any time," Wu Yiqi said in a low voice.

"Let’s deal with the matter at hand first," Su Mu said with a nod. "First, let’s investigate Li Dangsen, the Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture. If he decides to obstruct the project, building Bailu Academy will be fraught with complications."

Hearing this, the not-so-distant Li Dangsen’s body went completely limp.

His Master, Zhang Luzhong, desperately tried to hold him up but was dragged down to the ground by the Prefect’s portly frame.

The retired old officials had no face to remain any longer. They shot Li Dangsen a sympathetic glance, hastily made their excuses, and left without a backward glance, completely abandoning their shackled students and juniors.