Chapter 964: The Desperado and the Martial Arts Leader
Spring in Songjiang Prefecture is beautiful.
It goes without saying that the grass is growing and the birds are singing outside. Just sitting at home, you can smell all kinds of spring scents.
After dormant for a whole winter, the flowers and trees in the yard began to sprout new buds. Green grass began to grow on the ground in places where the servants had neglected...
The birds are singing on the branches, as if cheering the arrival of spring.
The spring light shines in the courtyard, and the sweet-scented osmanthus tree that was planted at some unknown time is now green...
At this moment, no one in the dining room had the mood to enjoy the spring.
Several guests from Suzhou Prefecture were restless and wanted to go and see how the situation developed, but since their host hadn't spoken, they didn't dare to speak.
Wang Mengqiu saw Xu Fan was stunned, so he said, "Young Master, the person who came is the guard beside Jiang Qingzhi. I heard that it was that...Sun Chonglou."
"Asura!" blurted out a famous scholar from Suzhou Prefecture.
Xu Fan asked, "What Asura?"
There was a complex look in the eyes of the famous scholar in Suzhou Prefecture. "Sun Chonglou has been with Jiang Qingzhi for many years and is loyal to him. This man is tall and strong. If he hadn't been there during those years, Jiang Qingzhi would have met with an accident long ago.
Jiang Qingzhi fought everywhere, and Sun Chonglou followed him all the way, killing countless people. He was called Ashura by the people of Altan. This man actually came to scout out the way... My Lord, he is not here with good intentions!"
"Sun Chonglou...what's his character like?" Xu Fan asked.
If he rushed to deal with the matter, it would seem a bit rash. Several famous scholars in Suzhou Prefecture exchanged glances and felt that this young master was of considerable stature.
No wonder Lord Xu dared to keep him in his hometown to take charge of the situation... In fact, this was Xu Fan's gesture to the outside world. According to Xu Jie's instructions, Xu Fan had better do nothing at this moment.
I followed my dad’s example and made vague statements.
Don't offend anyone.
But Xu Fan was ambitious and wanted to use this incident to make himself famous and further push his father forward to squeeze out Jiang Qingzhi and Yan Song.
Dad, you have to make progress!
Nowadays, most fathers think that their sons are not ambitious. However, in the Yan family and the Xu family, the opposite is true.
A famous scholar in Suzhou Prefecture said: "Sun Chonglou is a very wild person, and he likes to use his hands when he encounters problems."
"A gentleman talks but does not act, while a villain acts but does not talk, which is reckless!" Xu Fan narrowed his eyes. "This person attacked my Songjiang Prefecture brazenly as soon as he arrived. It must be Jiang Qingzhi's order. Last time, those people sent a message to Nanjing, saying that the public sentiment in Songjiang Prefecture was turbulent. This move was intended to test and threaten Jiang Qingzhi..."
Wang Mengqiu smiled bitterly, "Jiang Qingzhi asked Sun Chonglou to go ahead, just to tell us that we should use whatever means we have. My Lord, the reputation of Songjiang Prefecture has been destroyed by Sun Chonglou..."
We had prepared many methods for Jiang Qingzhi, but before we could use them, he beat us up severely.
Morale!
Gone!
We must do something.
Several celebrities in Suzhou Prefecture kept exchanging glances. One of them coughed dryly and said, "My Lord, Jiang Qingzhi is ruthless and cruel. He is not the kind of person who follows the rules."
"Oh!" Xu Fan was thinking about how to exert his strength.
"The last time he went south, he ordered his escorts to beat up members of the Ye clan in Suzhou Prefecture. That was his mother's clan."
"He doesn't recognize his relatives?" Xu Fan nodded. "He's cruel enough. But being cruel is good. Jiang Qingzhi has been able to gain a foothold in the capital in recent years because he is cruel enough. Are you comparing cruelty?"
A servant came in and glanced at the celebrities.
These celebrities came to visit for the purpose of clearing the land. As representatives of the scholars and officials of Suzhou Prefecture, their visit was like a martial arts sect coming to pay homage to its leader.
Xu Fan naturally had to act like a leader, so he frowned and said, "Speak."
The servant hesitated for a moment and said, "My Lord, some people say... some of those scholars... may die."
Wang Mengqiu's eyes narrowed, and he thought, what do you mean, they might die? They might be killed, right?
"Sun Chonglou attacked brazenly in public, and someone died from his injuries afterwards." Xu Fan's eyebrows twitched.
He wanted to give Jiang Qingzhi a hard blow, but killing a few scholars... that was too cruel!
This is similar to the method of arson. Xu Fan shook his head subconsciously, "This matter..." He was suddenly stunned and his face changed slightly.
Those people just sent someone to report the news instead of asking for instructions, which was just a gesture.
You are the leader of the martial arts world, but you are just the leader.
You have no right to interfere in the specific affairs of each sect.
Those people dared to set fire to and kill the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, so they were certainly not good people. Moreover, after the action, the violence of those desperate people was unleashed, and if Xu Fan was indecisive, he would be regarded as a fence-sitter by those people.
Then those people will go their own way.
What should I do?
Xu Fan pondered.
Several famous scholars in Suzhou Prefecture felt a little uneasy.
Someone's going to die. Is there something wrong with us being here?
Some people even felt that they should have avoided suspicion just now.
Cough!
A famous scholar stood up and said, "I'll go down and change my clothes."
"Let's go together!"
Several celebrities ran away, and Xu Fan breathed a sigh of relief. "What do those people mean?"
The servant said, "The messenger didn't say much. He said that once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Since Jiang Qingzhi has shown his determination to be ruthless and get to the bottom of this, we should burn our boats. Either he dies or we die."
Xu Fan cursed in his heart, "Fuck it!"
If you want to die, go ahead and die, but don’t drag me with you!
Wang Mengqiu said: "My Lord, if the arson happens, those people will die, and the family will be implicated. At this moment... they are all desperate criminals!"
This was also what Wang Mengqiu meant when he advised Xu Fan: You are a delicate person, don't get involved with those desperate criminals, just be the chief. "Old Wang, you are not bad." Xu Fan nodded, and he took a deep breath, "I'm afraid those people have already taken action."
Wang Mengqiu was secretly delighted by the word "Old Wang". With Xu Fan's approval, after this matter, all he needed to do was to ask the young master or write a letter, and he would be able to become an official!
"Yes." Wang Mengqiu's attitude became more respectful. "Those people acted ruthlessly. I'm afraid they will encourage them to surround Jiang Qingzhi next."
"First create momentum, then encircle and fish in troubled waters..." Xu Fan was a smart man, and said decisively: "I am not aware of this matter."
They were a group of desperate criminals. They might have done anything else, but they openly wanted to kill someone and frame Jiang Qingzhi. Once this was accomplished, Jiang Qingzhi was disgraced and had to return to Beijing in disgrace to wait for impeachment.
But who will Jiang Qingzhi vent his anger on after returning to Beijing?
The new policy was frustrated. Who would Emperor Jiajing vent his anger on?
After reviewing the incident, some people said that Xu Fan was in charge of this matter. Well, the anger would inevitably be directed at Xu Jie.
In the end, the Xu family became the scapegoat for this matter. What about being the leader of an alliance, what about using power to force Jiang Qingzhi and Yan Song to step down...it was all just a fucking dream.
"That's not how it should be done." After thinking through all these, Xu Fan said, "Tell those people outside that Songjiang Prefecture is a reasonable place."
——Don’t use any bloody methods!
Wang Mengqiu breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Xu Fan would be young and hot-tempered and follow those desperate criminals to attack. If that happened, Wang Mengqiu would have no choice but to stay away from the vortex and not get involved in the success or failure of this matter.
"Let's go and take a look." Xu Fan stood up. "Jiang Qingzhi came over later and happened to run into this. I want to see how he handles it."
……
Just inside the north gate of Huating City, on the second floor of a restaurant, two men were drinking.
Zhao Fu is tall and strong, and looks more like a warrior than a scholar.
Zhu Yi, smiling and seemingly elegant, but a sharp light flashed in his eyes from time to time, making people feel that he was a ruthless character.
The two of them leaned against the window, drinking and looking at the north gate.
"Look, Sun Chonglou is so proud of himself. He is obviously a fool." Zhao Fu said with a smile, "It's just right for us to do this."
Zhu Yi nodded, "This man is brave and aggressive, and likes to kill people. It just fits our plan. Brother Zhao, is it time to take action?"
Zhao Fu took a sip of wine and said, "I have to give that young master a tip first."
There was a hint of sarcasm in Zhao Fu's eyes, and Zhu Yi also laughed, "That young master boasts of being great, but he is always cautious and methodical in his actions. He talks about using courtesy before force, negotiation first, and then taking action when there is no result... Just listen to his methods, they are all innocuous. If he were to take charge, you and I would be killed by Jiang Qingzhi sooner or later."
Zhao Fu nodded, "However, with this young master in the front, if he can be dragged into the water... no matter how patient Xu Ge Lao is, he can only take action, otherwise Xu Fan will be in trouble, and he will also be implicated. It is a luxury for a leader of the literati and a second assistant to the cabinet to return home safely to retire."
knock knock!
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a man came in and whispered, "The Xu family hasn't given us a reply yet."
Zhu Yi was stunned for a moment, waved his hands, and after the man left, he looked angry, "What does Xu Fan mean by this?"
"Clear it!" Zhao Fu sneered, "This man is indeed indecisive. In that case, let's not wait for him, let's do it!"
Zhu Yi clenched his glass and nodded vigorously, "Okay."
The two toasted.
There was a ding.
Afterwards, Zhao Fu called someone over and said, "Let them treat the seriously injured ones properly."
"Yes!"
Not long after, a man hurried to the north gate.
"Dead, dead!"
Sun Chonglou, who was waiting for his young master at the north gate, was startled.
"Three of them died!" The visitor looked at Sun Chonglou with anger in his eyes, "All of them suffered internal injuries. The doctor can't save them."
Suddenly, everything around became quiet.
Everyone was looking at Sun Chonglou.
"Murder!" Someone said, "Jiang Qingzhi murdered someone."
Chen Lian just happened to arrive and was shocked when he heard the news. "How many people died?"
"Three."
Chen Lian covered his forehead with his hands, "This has gotten out of hand."
Someone beside him whispered, "Master Fu, it's not a bad thing."
Chen Lian nodded, "Before Jiang Qing's men arrived, his subordinates killed three of our Songjiang Prefecture scholars. Does he dare to enter this city?"
The sound of horse hooves came.
"Jiang Qingzhi is here."
A thousand riders galloped along in the spring breeze, and only stopped their horses in front of the city gate.
The horses neighed loudly, and the riders on horseback looked indifferent.
"They are elite soldiers who have fought in hundreds of battles." The captain on the top of the city wall whispered, "But this is not a battlefield, and the people inside are not aliens. Long Wilbur, you are in big trouble!"
(End of this chapter)
