Top Scholar

Chapter 308 A single order, and they're married on the spot.
Early the next morning, more than twenty members of the Su family left Luzhou and rode south along the official road.

Three days later, the group arrived at Lincheng, a town nestled among mountains, two hundred miles away, after a long and arduous journey.

This place is the seat of the Yongning Pacification Commissioner's Office, and the command offices of the Chishui Guard and the Yongning Guard are also located here, so it appears to be more populous than Hejiang.

Outside the city gate, shops lined both sides of the main street, bustling with porters, merchants, and caravans. In the mountain goods shops, Han merchants in short jackets and Luoluo hunters in hempen skirts haggled over prices. On the street, there were Han girls with their hair in double buns and Luoluo women with headscarves and exaggerated earrings; Han and Yi people mingled without disturbing each other.

This scene is not seen in Hejiang, but it is somewhat similar to Taiping Town... In fact, Lincheng is only a few dozen miles away from Taiping Town, so the Su family is completely used to it.

As the group arrived at the city gate, Su Youjingang was about to reveal his identity to the soldiers guarding the city when a middle-aged man dressed as a steward came running over from a roadside tea stall. He hurriedly bowed and asked, "Are you all Master Su and Young Master Su from Hejiang?"

"Indeed, may I ask your esteemed presence?" Su Youjin politely clasped his hands in greeting.

"I wouldn't dare. I am Lin Qi, the steward of the Lin family. I have been here to greet you all for quite some time on the orders of my master and young master."

"Who is your young master?" Su Lu asked.

“Replying to this gentleman, my young master’s name is Zhihong,” Lin Qi hurriedly replied.

“That’s right,” Su Lu said. “Thank you for your help, Uncle.”

"Please follow me, everyone." Lin Qi quickly stepped aside to make way, and then said to the soldiers guarding the city, "Make way, these are all our own people."

~~
The group followed Lin Qi into Lin City and arrived at the gate of the Lin residence.

After the announcement was made, Lin Zhihong and his son greeted them at the door. Lin Zhenfu said with great enthusiasm, "I have always heard Zhihong mention the great name of Master Sanyuan. Today I finally get to meet you in person. It is an honor to have you here!"

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Uncle." Su Lu quickly greeted him and introduced his father and brothers.

"Haha, so you're really one of us!" Commander Lin happily put his arm around Commander Su's arm and invited him to the main hall for tea.

He then ordered Lin Qi to arrange for the rest of the Su family to rest and eat. Although it couldn't be as thoughtful as the arrangements made by the county government, the hospitality was in no way inferior.

After the guests and hosts were seated in the hall, Su Youcai and Su Youjin eagerly clasped their hands and asked, "May I ask, Commander, is there any news of my younger brother?"

"Yes. As soon as Zhihong came back and told me, I mobilized all my resources to inquire." Lin Zhenfu then said in detail: "It is true that the people who arrested your brother were from the Xuanfu Division, but they did not issue any warrants and just arrested him directly into the Xuanfu Division's office."

He explained, "The Assistant Commissioner of the Pacification Commission is a Han official. To arrest Han people, you need a warrant issued by him. When I asked him about the situation, he was completely unaware of it."

"So that means illegal arrest?!" Su Youcai asked in a deep voice, "Can we use this as leverage to get them to release him?"

“I have already asked Vice Commissioner Liu to ask She Saihua for the person. She Saihua said she would investigate the matter, but it has been a whole day and there has been no follow-up.” Lin Zhenfu sighed, “That’s how it is when dealing with the Luo Luo people. They always pretend to be stupid, but in reality they are all very cunning.”

"Uncle, do you know exactly who arrested my uncle?" Su Lu asked softly.

“I know. She Saihua’s younger brother, Longzan Anuo,” Lin Zhenfu said. “He is She Saihua’s right-hand man and is in charge of the daily affairs of the Pacification Commission.”

"It really is him! I'm going back right now!" She Yunluo, disguised as a man, slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"Don't rush," Su Lu called out to her. "You are our trump card; we can't reveal you so soon."

"I'll get your uncle out first, then we'll talk about other things." She Yunluo habitually did whatever she wanted.

"Stop!" Su Tai said in a deep voice, "The first rule for women in the Su family is—don't interfere with men's work!"

"..." She Yunluo obediently stopped and sat down like a wronged little wife.

Su Youcai was about to curse, "Why is it only women from our Su family?" But seeing She Yunluo's reaction, he swallowed his words.

"..." Su Youjin and Su Man were dumbfounded and couldn't help but look at Su Tai with new respect. How could he tame such a wild horse when he didn't have a grassland at home?
“Elder Uncle, eldest brother, and second brother, you can rest at Uncle Lin’s house for a while. I’ll first send a letter to my father to sound him out, and then we’ll make a decision,” Su Lu said.

"I'm not going either?" Su Youjin pointed to himself.

“Uncle is a great general, he can’t just step in right away.” Su Lu said seriously, “If our negotiations break down, you and your brother can still salvage the situation.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” Lin Zhenfu agreed. “Moreover, Governor She likes scholars. You two will definitely be better at negotiating with him than we military men.”

~~
Lin Zhihong then led Su Lu and his son to the foot of Yangsiyan Mountain, where the Xuanfu Si Office was located.

Standing in front of the mountain and looking up, the entire government office stretches out along the mountain slope into five terraces, forming a huge complex of gray-blue ceramic tiles and double-eaved hip-roofed buildings, like a sleeping giant beast, making people feel heavy-hearted.

In front of the imposing government office stood a three-zhang-tall banner with a bucket, the huge character '奢' (extravagant) on it particularly eye-catching!

On either side of the gate crouch a pair of blue stone lions, each about ten feet tall including its base, swaggering and looking down at the ordinary people below.

The huge blue plaque above the gate is engraved with seven powerful gold characters: "Imperial Edict to Establish Yongning Pacification Office". The inscription is actually written by Song Lian back then!
Beneath the plaque, two rows of Luo Luo warriors, dressed in Ming army studded cotton armor but with their hair tied in heroic topknots, stood holding large swords.

"Good heavens, it's practically a royal palace..." Su Youcai exclaimed softly from afar.

“That’s right, we locals just call this place ‘Luxury Prince’s Mansion’,” Lin Zhihong said. “Lawless,” Su Lu said in a low voice, “Birds of a feather.”

"Don't worry, we two guards are watching over things, aren't we?" Lin Zhihong said with a smile.

“There will always be times when you can’t keep an eye on things,” Su Lu said calmly. “It’s better to just get the land reform and the return of the people to their original posts as soon as possible.”

"Alright, put away your hostility. Saving your uncle is the priority." Su Youcai coughed lightly.

Su Lu nodded and strode confidently to the front of the yamen.

"Halt! This is a restricted area of ​​the government office. Unauthorized persons are not permitted to enter!" On the steps, a warrior dressed in the robes of a centurion, with his hand on the curved sword at his waist, blocked the way.

Su Lu remained calm and silent, took out a name card with a Shu brocade cover from his sleeve, and handed it to the other party with both hands.

Upon seeing the magnificent business card, Officer Luo dared not be negligent. He hurriedly took it with both hands, unfolded it, and was greatly surprised. He quickly changed his demeanor, cupped his hands in a Han-style greeting, and asked, "May I ask, what is this gentleman's relationship with the Military Commissioner?"

"Son-in-law," Su Lu said calmly, referring to his father-in-law for the first time in his life.

Never mind this or that, as long as it works, that's all that matters!

"Please come in quickly!" Officer Luo Luo hurriedly ordered someone to announce the arrival and personally led Su Lu and his son into the yamen.

Lin Zhihong waited outside the yamen as a precaution.

~~
The first terrace of the 'Prince's Mansion' basically follows the regulations of the Ming Dynasty government offices. Upon entering, one is immediately greeted by the main hall. This is also the most magnificent part of the entire 'Prince's Mansion'—seven bays wide, three zhang high, with a double-eaved hip roof covered in green glazed tiles!
The brackets under the eaves are painted with colorful patterns, but upon closer inspection, they are not the patterns commonly used by Han people, but rather depict the history of the Luo Luo ancestors...

The officer invited the father and son into the main hall. On the platform, however, there was no grand case or "mountain and water facing the sun" screen that a government office should have. Instead, there was a huge rosewood throne.

On either side of the stage, there were two rows of seats, each with the character 'luxury' engraved on its back... The father and son finally understood that the main hall had been transformed into a council hall.

The father and son sat down on the left-hand seats, where maids served them tea and snacks.

After waiting for a short while, a loud shout rang out: "The Pacification Commissioner has arrived!"

Su Youcai and Su Lu quickly got up to greet her. A bright and elegant woman, dressed in a crimson official robe of a fourth-rank official, emerged from behind the curtain, surrounded by a large group of people.

The woman was tall and slender, and she was able to carry off the large official robe without looking stingy. Instead, she exuded a unique heroic air.

Upon seeing her, Su Lu could imagine what She Yunluo would look like twenty years later; clearly, this was the famous female chieftain She Saihua…

After he was seated on the sandalwood throne, Su Lu and his son bowed and said respectfully:
"The student pays respects to the Pacification Commissioner."

"Please have a seat, both of you." She Saihua waved her hand, speaking fluent and clear Mandarin.

"Thank you."

Once the two were seated, She Saihua began to observe the father and son with great interest. When she saw the refined, mature, and elegant Su Youcai, her eyes lit up.

After a while, she looked away and turned to the younger Su Lu, asking in a crisp voice, "I heard that Huang Bingxian's beloved daughter got engaged last month. Is that you?"

"Reporting to the Governor, I am deeply grateful for my father-in-law's favor; he has indeed betrothed his daughter to me," Su Lu replied, bowing respectfully.

"You're really lucky, kid," She Saihua chuckled. "With such a good father who gave you such a handsome face, otherwise why would Huang E have taken a liking to you?"

"..." Su Lu was speechless for a moment. She thought that her so-called 'good luck' referred to becoming Huang Bingxian's son-in-law, but who knew it was this?

"By the way, what are your surnames?" She Saihua asked again.

"Reporting to the Governor, my father and I are surnamed Su. My name is Su Youcai, my son is Su Lu, and I have a younger brother named Su Youma." Su Youcai had no time for beating around the bush, so he went straight to the point: "I wonder if the Governor has heard of my younger brother?"

"So you're Su Tai's father!" She Saihua's face immediately turned sour, and she slammed her hand on the armrest, saying, "Take him down!"

The warriors were about to swarm forward...

"Sister, don't be agitated. He's Huang Bingxian's in-law!" a noblewoman in a silk robe quickly advised. It was none other than Arno, who had appeared in Luzhou...

"Hmph, stop." She Saihua waved her hand, her anger still simmering, and said, "If it weren't for Huang Bingxian's sake, I definitely wouldn't have let you off today!"

"..." The father and son exchanged a helpless glance. This acting was too clumsy. It was like barbarians trying to outsmart the Han people. Wasn't that just showing off their limited skills in front of an expert?
"Lord She, don't think that just because my father and I are being polite to you, we're afraid of you!" How could Su Lu sit idly by and watch his father be humiliated? He stood up and said in a cold tone, "It's true that my uncle is in your hands, but your daughter is in our hands too!"

"Ha, what a big mouth you have. You dare to lay a finger on her?" She Saihua sneered.

"Of course I wouldn't dare," Su Lu said calmly. "But believe it or not, with just one order from my father, she could become my second sister-in-law on the spot?!"

"You dare?!" She Saihua and her brother immediately broke down.

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(End of this chapter)