Yinshan Record

Chapter 315 The Meaning Was There, and He Looked Reluctant
Wang Jian arrived in great glory, but left in utter dejection.

After completing the memorial, Wang Jian didn't want to stay a moment longer and immediately took his leave.

He was an official appointed by the imperial court, and whether the Prince of Wuling was present or not, he was the de facto head of the Censorate.

Su Che had not yet killed officials or rebelled, and Shi Chibao had no reason to keep him, so he saw the chief secretary off.

As soon as he left, the iron cavalry of the Langya Wang clan naturally retreated as well, and the entire Tiji Yamen (Imperial Guard Headquarters) immediately became much quieter.

What Wang Changshi will do after he returns is another matter entirely.

“My dear brother, you have been away from the government office these past few days, and I have been missing you dearly.”

After Wang Jian left, Shi Chibao couldn't let Su Che leave either. He pulled his deputy back to sit down in the hall, dismissed everyone else, and made it clear that they were about to have a long talk.

"How badly is Li Xing injured?"

"Fortunately, it didn't damage the foundation, but if I want to reach a higher level like my brother, I'm afraid it will be extremely difficult."

Shi Chibao looked at Su Che with envy in his eyes.

This Commander Shi came from a Confucian family and possessed a martial arts cultivation level of the sixth rank, which was already considered to be among the top experts in Cizhou under the imperial court.

In the current Liang Dynasty, there are only a handful of people like myself who are fifth-grade cultivators. They are either generals leading troops in one region or important officials in the court.

It should be noted that the Grand Tutor Yuwen in the north, who practically had his ambition to usurp the throne written all over his face, was only at the fourth rank of cultivation.

"My dear brother, you have now established yourself at the pinnacle of power and entered the fifth-grade Rejuvenating Pill realm. I am afraid you will rise like a dragon and a phoenix, leaving this small Cizhou to reach even greater heights. I congratulate you in advance."

"The Chief Justice is getting ahead of himself by talking about these things."

Su Che looked at Shi Chibao and asked, "Does the judicial commissioner have any leads on the disappearance of the Prince of Wuling?"

"What clues could there be?"

Shi Chibao shook his head: "Speaking of which, I should ask you a question, brother: have you ever met that prince?"

"It was just some recruitment talk, nothing else."

Su Che naturally wouldn't tell the truth.

The only people who knew that she was traveling with the Prince of Wuling were Lady Xie and her maid Zhu Yan.

However, they were ambushed halfway there, and the whereabouts of Madam Xie and Zhu Yan became unknown, leaving the matter unsolved. The reason for targeting Prince Wuling was still something to be carefully considered.

There must be a conspiracy behind this.

"There are so many things to do."

Shi Chibao didn't actually know much either.

The investigation by the Imperial Guards only went as far as Su Che meeting the Prince of Wuling. Otherwise, Shi Chibao wouldn't have sent people to Jiankang to meet Feng Buxing so quickly.

His purpose in doing this was to remind Eunuch Feng as early as possible, so that the initiative in the matter of the Prince of Wuling's disappearance would be in the hands of the Imperial Guards.

"Alas, my dear brother, these past few days have been..."

"I've found a place to cultivate, which is perfect for establishing my position," Su Che casually replied. "It'll also be a good opportunity to settle some old and new scores."

"With both old and new grudges, who is so blind as to provoke my worthy brother?"

“A bald monk named Siksananda.”

Shi Chibao couldn't immediately recall who this Shikshananda was, so he continued to mutter a few words. "Brother, you must be tired too. Go back to your new house and rest. You can come and take care of anything else tomorrow."

Shi Chibao's mutterings made Su Che frown.

New house, when did I buy a house?
When Su Che took office in Shanyin County, he had someone find a courtyard for the little fox to live in. After that, even if he wanted to ask for land and houses, he didn't have the time or energy.

This Cizhou Prefecture is the most prosperous place in the prefecture. When did I buy a new house here?

It's probably a gift that Shi Chibao prepared for himself.

Old Shi, Old Shi, I never would have guessed you were so ruthless and cruel.

Su Che chatted with Shi Chibao for a while longer before he finally understood what had happened. In the end, he had wronged Commander Shi.

The root cause of this new house lies with himself.

When the Yin-Yang boundary shattered and the Hungry Ghost Realm was established, the ancient evil dragon went east into the sea, causing Cizhou to suffer a terrible disaster, and countless refugees flocked to Jiankang.

He used the Qingdi Treasure Garden to cultivate grain, sent people to distribute porridge and buy land, and even invited a steward named Su Fu from his home in Jiankang to manage things, thus establishing the "Weiyang Trading Company".

No one knows how they manipulated things, but they made a lot of money. The head steward, Su Fu, felt that it was a bit unreasonable that his third young master, who was an official in Cizhou City, did not have a residence.

So they followed the route of the imperial guards and bought a beautiful house at a low price, thus giving the Su family of Duling a business in Cizhou City.

After listening to Shi Qianhu recount the whole story, Su Che was at a loss for what expression to make.

The original purpose of setting up the Weiyang Trading Company was simply to help a few refugees. Because of a lack of manpower, the stewards from the Jiankang family were invited to come and provide assistance.

The initial intention was good, but it ended up like this.

Su Che quickly bid farewell to Commander Shi, promising to return the next day to handle his business, and headed ahead to his residence under the guidance of several guards.

Cizhou City, as the capital of a prefecture, was naturally one of the most prosperous cities. The city was filled with rows of houses, restaurants, clothing stores, and shops selling all kinds of goods. The streets and alleys were filled with the cries of peddlers carrying all kinds of goods.

Su Che's new residence was not in any of these bustling places. According to his fellow imperial guards, Su Che's new residence was located in a place called Rongxia Lane, where there was a huge ancient banyan tree at the entrance of the lane. It was a place where famous and powerful families in Cizhou City lived.

After turning through several streets and alleys, we finally came to a street more than two zhang wide. A huge banyan tree, like a canopy, was lush and green. Archways stood along the street, inscribed with words such as "Sima of Two Dynasties", "Awe-inspiring in the Southeast", and "Benevolent and Filial", telling the stories of the former officials of the place and praising their virtues and achievements.

These memorial archways were all personally bestowed by the emperor to honor the owners of these places. As time goes by, the families that were once honored may no longer be prominent, or may even have disappeared into the past, but these memorial archways have remained.

Su Che could see a mansion from afar, with a plaque above the gate that read "Su Mansion". The gate was tightly closed, and several horses were tied to the hitching post at the entrance.

Four imperial guards dressed in official robes stood at the door with swords drawn.

Su Che frowned slightly upon seeing this.

The imperial guards naturally recognized this young Su Lixing. Upon seeing their master return, they quickly stepped forward to pay their respects, and soon the gate opened.

Lu Bai, along with Su Fu and other managers, also ran out to greet them.

"Young master, you must be tired from your journey. We have already arranged for tea, rice, and hot water to be prepared..."

The head steward, Su Fu, came from the old Su family residence and had practically watched Su Che grow up. Upon seeing Su Che, he quickly came up to greet him.

"We'll talk about it later."

Su Che asked Lu Bai, "Didn't I appoint you as a centurion? Why aren't you sitting in the yamen?"

Lu Bai looked embarrassed but just smiled and said, "Young Master, this is not the place to talk."

(End of this chapter)