NOVEL WEB Chapter 11: Promoted to Two Department Chief
"You're saying that my third brother's death was Shen Qing's doing?" Upon hearing Zhou Su's response, Xue Bai felt somewhat puzzled and frowned as he asked.
Zhou Su confirmed, "If not him, who else could it be?"
He hurriedly continued, "Eldest Young Master, think about it, was there not a number of matters your third brother needed to handle this time he went to Yongzhou?"
"There were indeed some matters to handle," Xue Bai nodded and said.
Zhou Su stretched out one finger and said, "One was to deal with the Zhou Family matter on my behalf, and the second was to manage the Spirit Essence matter outside the domain. The first matter, as you know, is inseparably linked to Shen Qing, and although I am not fully aware of the specifics of the second, it is to my knowledge that Shen Qing's cultivation has broken through incredibly fast. It is highly likely that it's because he obtained the Spirit Essence."
"Eldest Young Master, your third brother was searching for the Spirit Essence, which would surely have caused conflict with Shen Qing. Both matters repeatedly point towards Shen Qing, and looking at it this way, it's highly probable that your third brother was killed by the hand of Yongzhou's Chief!"
"It must be him!"
The more Zhou Su spoke, the more agitated he became, to the point of almost losing his composure.
Watching Zhou Su's behavior, Xue Bai felt a hint of suspicion inexplicably arising in his heart. Continue reading on empire
In the past month or so, he had also gathered some intelligence about Yongzhou's Zhou Family and knew about what had befallen them.
In his view, Zhou Su's reckless speculations were clearly an attempt to use the Xue Family's hand to seek revenge and profit from it.
Xue Bai considered himself not very smart, but he was not a fool; there were still things he could discern.
Zhou Su quickly clasped his hands together, urging, "Eldest Young Master, Shen Qing's achievements in such a short period of time indicate that he is no ordinary individual. If you wish to seek revenge, you must act quickly, otherwise, if you delay, the situation may change."
Xue Bai frowned, seeing Zhou Su so worked up only further confirmed his thoughts, and he was immediately displeased.
No one likes being used as a pawn by others.
"Brother Zhou speaks sense," Xue Bai said coldly, waving his sleeve, "However, this is a serious matter. I must inform my father and let him make the decision. I cannot come to a hasty conclusion by myself."
Zhou Su suddenly perceived Xue Bai's distancing attitude, his heart turned cold, and he realized that he had been too hasty.
He hastily tried to make amends, "Eldest Young Master, most of what I've said is true, you must believe me."
"Hahaha, our friendship stands firm here, how could I not believe you? Rest assured, I will write to my father immediately and tell him the truth," said Xue Bai, as he turned to leave Zhou Su's residence in haste.
Zhou Su said uneasily, "Eldest Young Master, please take care."
Xue Bai turned back, nodding with a smile.
However, once he stepped out of the house, the smile quickly vanished from his face, and he murmured to himself, "It seems I should come here less often from now on."
He composed himself and strode forward, not looking back as he left.
Upon returning to Xue Mansion, the third concubine's quarters were still wailing, unable to find peace.
Concerning his third brother's death, there were differing opinions in the house, but all shared the unwillingness to let the matter rest.
Xue Bai entered the study, and with Xue Yan gone, his greatest rival for the position of the Princely Heir was no more, and the position was almost certainly his.
He couldn't help but think of himself as the Princely Heir, and he wrote a detailed letter to Xue Zhao, explaining the current situation and Xue Yan's death, waiting for his handling.
A few days later, Xue Mansion successfully received a reply from Xue Zhao.
As the legitimate eldest son, he seized the reply and was the first to read it.
After reading it, Xue Bai's face flushed red and he said, "Good, indeed the older, the wiser. Father's methods are much more clever than what we could come up with."
In the letter, Xue Zhao was not very angry but, surprisingly, calm.
Xue Zhao felt that Yongzhou was a thousand miles away, and even if the Xue Family's power was overwhelming, it was beyond reach to really clear up the specifics of the situation, which would be too great. Instead, it was better to go with the flow and, under the guise of the Jing Luan Assembly, send all Yongzhou's officials and martial masters there.
In this way, Xue Bai, as the legitimate eldest son, could lead the Guardian and make sure those people were dead or alive, avenging his brother personally.
This would not only avenge his brother and enhance the family's prestige but also allow for a reshuffling of the government office in Yongzhou, thereby extending the Xue Family's reach into new territory.
The actual perpetrator of Xue Yan's murder became less important.
...
Prefecture Chief Dou Wenxi and County Supervisor Yan Xushou, as slippery as eels in the world of officialdom, used stalling tactics to perfection.
Every day Progress was reported, new leads in the investigation emerged, but no results came, to the extent that Shi Wenbo and the others lost their patience.
Furthermore, these Capital elites were well-informed and had long been aware of the Xue Family's motives, which made them even less driven to pursue these cases.
Everything was going as Huang Furo had anticipated; the death of Xue Yan was being left unresolved.
After more than a month of investigation, Shi Wenbo and the other imperial envoys had clarified the disturbances in Yongzhou and no longer lingered, planning to return to the Capital to report.
In Yongzhou Prefecture's council hall.
"Gentlemen," Shi Wenbo said with a stable and strong voice, "after this past month, we have finally sorted out the demon disturbances in Yongzhou and restored order to the town. Now it is time to report back to His Majesty. However, before we leave, we still need to properly arrange for the personnel in Yongzhou to ensure a smooth transition without further turbulence."
Shi Wenbo's gaze swept over the assembly and finally settled on Shen Qing.