Chapter 1088.2: Scholars Who Don’t Study - Part 2

Xie Qing’s eyelid twitched. Judging by Chen Chao’s conduct today, he absolutely would not let matters go so easily.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Chen Chao had already gone straight to the point, stating bluntly, “Xie Zhongxing is dead.”

He was merely stating a fact, without any other emotion in his voice, but Xie Qing nevertheless felt an immense pressure.

Xie Zhongli said softly, “Xie Zhongxing deserved to die.”

It sounded like an explanation, but his tone was very mild.

Chen Chao raised his eyes and glanced at Xie Zhongli, smiling as he said, “But this official did not tell him to die now.”

“Xie Ting is already dead, so naturally Xie Zhongxing should die as well.”

Xie Zhongli’s words seemed to make little sense, but the three people present all understood what he meant.

Chen Chao reached out and tapped the armrest of the chair. He said nothing, merely smiled.

Then, in the next moment, Xie Zhongli inexplicably spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body collapsing onto the ground.

Xie Qing was startled. He wanted to help Xie Zhongli up, but then he saw the look in Chen Chao’s eyes. Those eyes were beautiful, but they were also exceedingly cold.

Only at this moment did he belatedly remember that after the family head had come beneath the eaves, he had not sat down at all. He had been standing the entire time while speaking with Chen Chao.

Because of the angle, the Xie Clan members outside the courtyard had not seen this scene. Otherwise, their reaction at this moment would certainly have been extremely intense.

Chen Chao looked at Xie Zhongli, who had collapsed onto the ground, and said calmly, “They naturally deserved to die. But Xie Ting should not have died only after this official arrived, and Xie Zhongxing should not have died before this official even got to see him.”

Xie Zhongli reached up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sighing. “Lord Warden Commander’s official authority is indeed formidable.”

“But it seems Lord Warden Commander has forgotten one thing. Regardless of what Xie Ting did, this is ultimately a matter of the Xie Clan’s internal affairs. Even if justice is to be sought, it should be that girl Nandu who comes to seek it. Lord Warden Commander does not seem to be my Xie Clan’s son-in-law yet.”

Xie Zhongli remained very calm. From this perspective, whether Xie Nandu could ultimately marry Chen Chao was, in fact, also dependent on the wishes of the family head.

After all, when it came to marriage, it had always been the parents who decided and the matchmakers who arranged it.

Xie Nandu’s parents were already deceased, so he, Xie Zhongli, was the elder with the greatest say.

As for Chen Chao’s coming to the Xie Clan this time, after he made clear his resolve, Xie Zhongli killed Xie Zhongxing. This was his explanation to Chen Chao.

But he had not expected that the other party would not be willing to let the matter rest there.

Because Xie Qing could not persuade him to come.

Xie Zhongli was somewhat irritated, but in the end, he still came.

Chen Chao glanced at Xie Zhongli and said calmly, “Back then, after Nandu obtained the sword at Sword Qi Mountain, she returned to White Deer once. At that time, she did not yet know much, so she was merely somewhat angry. But I imagine that by then, you already knew some things, yet you did nothing.”

That year, when Xie Nandu was selected by the Divine Capital Xie Family to go to the Divine Capital, the White Deer's Xie Clan naturally cooperated. However, when Third Old Master was handling this matter at the time, he actually employed some methods, with the purpose of having Xie Nandu die on the road during this trial.

At the time, their plan was roughly that they would definitely die before reaching Tianqing County.

But in the end, something went wrong. That Tutor Song was originally someone in Xie Zhongxing’s faction, and he had already agreed to have Xie Nandu die on the road. But along the way, he gradually developed considerable admiration for Xie Nandu, and in the end, he actually exchanged his own life for that sliver of hope for Xie Nandu’s survival.

Of course, even with matters having reached this point, if nothing unexpected happened, Xie Nandu would still have died outside Tianqing County.

Unfortunately, she encountered Chen Chao in the end.

And the reason Xie Zhongxing wanted to do this was because Xie Nandu’s father, the man who had hope of becoming the next family head, had already been killed by his own son, so he wanted to completely eliminate any future trouble.

One of these two father and son killed Xie Nandu’s father, while the other wanted to kill Xie Nandu, so Chen Chao had no intention of letting either of them live.

Xie Zhongli smiled. “Do what? Sixteenth is dead. Looking across this generation, only Xie Ting is the most outstanding. He can only be the one to succeed as family head. Could it be that I should kill him?" "Then who would inherit the Xie Clan afterward? Could it be that I should hand it over to Xie Nandu?"

After a pause, Xie Zhongli took a deep breath. “In the end, she is a woman.”

Being a woman was troublesome. Since ancient times, it had been difficult for women to do many things.

When Xie Qing heard this explanation, he was startled at first. Then he seriously thought about it and realized that what the family head said was indeed true. Once one person had died, killing another was not something good for the clan.

Chen Chao looked at Xie Zhongli before him, his expression becoming somewhat ugly. “Is this what the books of the sages taught you?”

Xie Zhongli said, “The sages’ principles are meant to be shown to people. If you use them to handle affairs, they are useless in every respect.”

Hearing this, Xie Qing looked at the family head in astonishment. He had never imagined that the family head would say such a thing. After all, the White Deer's Xie Clan was the representative of the scholars.

Chen Chao said, “If no one pursues this matter, then this matter will remain this way forever.”

This matter was something Xie Nandu had mentioned in passing before. Afterward, Chen Chao had kept it in mind and had continuously had people investigate it. There had recently been results, but he could not feel happy about them. It had been extremely difficult for him to investigate this matter, yet for Xie Zhongli, the family head, it had been very simple. He had even known the answer long ago, but had paid it no mind.

He had been acting with the words, “Things have already come to this,” in mind.

Xie Zhongli did not answer Chen Chao’s question. He merely looked at him. “But Lord Warden Commander came to pursue the matter, and you have already killed Xie Ting, so Xie Zhongxing also had to die.”

“It is just that I do not understand. I have already done this, so why is Lord Warden Commander still dissatisfied?”

Xie Zhongli’s face was somewhat pale. His sudden fall just now had at least caused ten years of his cultivation to be ruined.

“Because it is not enough.”

Chen Chao glanced at Xie Zhongli and said calmly, “Two hours. This official will give you only two hours. Find every person involved in these two matters. Whoever should be punished, punish them accordingly.”

Xie Zhongli frowned, his voice becoming louder, "Do you know how great a disturbance this will cause?" "“Even if you do not think about the Xie Clan, can you not think about yourself? You want to marry Xie Nandu. How much resistance will there be afterward? How many people will obstruct you? Have you thought about that?!"

Chen Chao merely said, “A very simple principle. You scholars certainly all know it, but none of you pay any attention to it. Since there is nothing to be done, then let this official, a mere martial artist, come and point out to you exactly what is right.”

Chen Chao said calmly, “Just two hours. After two hours, if you do not satisfy this official, then this official will do it personally.”

Xie Zhongli looked at Chen Chao, unable to say a word.

After a long silence, this Xie Family Head asked, “Lord Warden Commander, if the person affected by this matter were not Xie Nandu, would you do the same?”

Chen Chao did not answer immediately. He merely recalled that little girl from back then. She had also been surnamed Xie, and had died at Clearwater Mountain.

He also recalled that year when His Majesty crossed the desolate north and then went south, encountering a woman in Xuanling Commandery. Because of ten Great Liang general coins, the amount of bloodshed in the government offices of Xinliu Prefecture had been enough to shock people.

“You seem to have forgotten what this official does.”

Chen Chao lifted his robe slightly, revealing that waist tablet.

As Great Liang's Lord Warden Commander, he had to see to every person’s justice.

“To tell you the truth, regarding Nandu’s matter, this official has only handled it this once. At other times, this official has been handling matters concerning the common people.”