Top Scholar

Chapter 310 Turning Conflict into Marriage
In the council hall of the Pacification Commissioner's Office.

“You don’t understand the situation of us Luoluo people, so don’t spread alarmist rumors!” Arno said indignantly, “We are not only officials of the court, but also our own tribes… Our Mianzexi is the strongest among the eleven Zexi. Even if Naiye can’t become the pacification envoy, he can protect himself by retreating to the mountain stronghold.”

"With a quack like you as a strategist, it's a miracle that Naiye has managed to hold on this long." Su Lu sneered, then clasped his hands in a fist and asked She Saihua, "I wonder if Naiye has read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?"

"I've seen it..." She Saihua felt a little guilty; she had only heard the storyteller mention it.

"Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, facing Cao Cao's 800,000-strong army, Sun Quan held a meeting to discuss whether to fight or make peace. Even Zhang Zhao advocated for peace. How did Lu Su persuade Sun Quan?" Su Lu asked.

“I know that!” She Saihua hurriedly said, “Sun Quan went to the outhouse, and Lu Su caught up with him and persuaded him to stop.”

"He wasn't in a hurry to use the restroom..." Su Lu chuckled, then quickly became serious and said, "He told Sun Quan—those peace advocates are all looking out for themselves; no one cares about you. We subjects who surrender to Cao Cao are still subjects, but if you, General, welcome Cao Cao, where will you go?"

“Let’s go back to the village,” Arno said.

"Shut up!" She Saihua finally realized what was going on, glared at Arno, and said to Su Lu, "Are you saying that if I go back, I'll also be doomed?"

"Of course. The advice of Zhang Zhao and the other pro-peace faction is essentially sacrificing Sun Quan's interests to protect themselves. Those who advise Naiye to make peace are also sacrificing Naiye's interests to protect themselves." Su Lu nodded emphatically and said in a deep voice:
“In the students’ view, there are three things that cannot be surrendered to Naiye. First, ‘two tigers cannot share one mountain.’ Even if you back down, the Yang family will still use you to establish their authority in order to avoid future troubles.”

"Secondly, there's the matter of 'settling scores later.' If you lose power, do you think She Yunming and She Ziying will let you off the hook? You did the first thing to them, don't be naive enough to think they won't do the opposite to you." Su Lu's language was very colloquial, yet it was like a sharp blade stabbing into She Saihua's heart.

"Thirdly, 'trouble arises from within.' Even if you retreat to the village, your tribe will definitely be suppressed. At that time, the people will regard you as the culprit, and even think that as long as you are handed over, the anger of the new pacification commissioner can be appeased!"

“Nonsense, our people aren’t that bad…” Arno’s opposition was much weaker this time, clearly unable to refute Su Lu’s hurtful words.

"..." She Saihua frowned, sat on the throne for a long time, and then sighed:

"No wonder the military commissioner betrothed his daughter to you. All three of your points make a lot of sense. I was too optimistic before."

She stroked the armrest of the throne and said with difficulty, "Indeed, once I get up from this chair, I'm a dead man..."

"Naiye..." Arno wanted to persuade her again.

She Saihua's eyes flashed with a cold light as she said, "Do you want to emulate Zhang Zhao?"

"No, no, I am Lu Su," Arno quickly waved his hand and said.

"Then don't mention marriage again!" She Saihua glared at him fiercely, clearly Arno was the peace advocate by her side.

"Yes." Arno nodded in horror, not daring to utter another word.

She Saihua then looked at Su Lu and said, "But what Arno said is also true. We have eleven Zexi, and things must be discussed and done together. It's not that I can get the Mu Kui to support the river repair just by making a statement."

She sighed and said, "It's because repairing the Chishui River won't benefit us. The Mu Kui people's concerns are indeed reasonable. How can I persuade them?"

“Their concerns are unfounded; they are just needless worries,” Su Lu said bluntly. “The Yongning and Chishui command offices are already located in Lincheng, and there is an official road connecting to Luzhou. That’s enough to keep you in line. Having one more or one less waterway makes no difference to you.”

"That's true..." She Saihua nodded helplessly. The imperial court had already made clear arrangements, but the long period of peace had caused these chieftains to lose their respect for the government troops around them.

"So this waterway is actually protecting you from the threat of the Yang family!" Su Lu said decisively. "Only when the imperial army can penetrate deep into the heart of Bozhou at any time will the Yang family live a proper life and stop bullying the weak."

“Yes, I completely agree with what you said.” She Saihua nodded and asked, “But as you also said, the Mu Kui people don’t care who is the Pacification Commissioner, and may not be willing to offend the Yang family.”

“That’s easy,” Su Lu said confidently. “People always like compromise—if you want to open a window, just say so, and they will most likely disagree; but if you say you want to tear down the roof, they will agree to open the window.”

"What counts as tearing off the roof?" She Saihua asked.

“Announce to them that, given the Yang family’s aggressive behavior and their refusal to fully support you, you have decided to apply to the court for the abolition of the Tusi system and the handover of all Tusi power! The court will definitely support you strongly!” Su Lu said defiantly.

"This won't do, Naiye!" Arno exclaimed anxiously. "This is our family business, passed down for hundreds of years!"

Su Lu laughed and said, "See? They got scared as soon as they heard that."

She Saihua's eyes lit up, and she said to her foolish younger brother, "Young Master Su only asked me to threaten them, not to actually do it."

He exclaimed sincerely, "This is truly a trump card! Now I know how to handle them!"

“Yes, as long as Nono plays this trump card, you are the biggest one. In order to maintain their own interests, they can only grit their teeth and listen to you,” Su Lu said with a smile.

"What about the discontent of the people? Carrying salt out of the mountains is their livelihood," She Saihua asked again. "Does Naiye think I'm a know-it-all?" Su Lu smiled helplessly, but still reassured her, "Actually, this is not a problem. Boats can sail on the river, but they can't go into the mountains. People still need to carry the salt out of the deep mountains."

"Moreover, after the Chishui River is dredged, it can connect directly to Guizhou. Guizhou does not produce salt, so sales will increase dramatically, and they simply won't be able to carry all of it!"

"In addition, repairing the river requires a lot of manpower, and after it is completed, a large number of people will be needed to maintain it every year. With so many boats and merchants coming and going, the mountain products of various tribes can also be sold. So this is a 'golden river' that will only make everyone live a better life, without destroying everyone's livelihood."

"Yes, that makes sense." The gloom on She Saihua's face finally dissipated.

Su Lu pressed his advantage, saying, "Besides, aren't you and the Luoluo people of Guizhou of the same blood? Once the river is open, your two families can watch over each other. What are you afraid of about the Yang family?"

These words struck a chord with She Saihua. Everyone had been thinking about the role of the northern waterway, but they had all overlooked the significance of the southern waterway to the Yongning Pacification Commissioner's Office.

"Well said!" She placed her hands on the throne, stood up, and finally made up her mind: "We will do as Young Master Su says!"

After a pause, She Saihua said menacingly, "If they don't agree, I will report to the imperial court and abolish the native chieftain system!"

“Yes, sir…” Arno nodded sensibly, knowing full well that the trump card that the Su kid had given Naiye was completely unsolvable.

"Your wisdom is truly remarkable," Su Lu said with a fist and palm salute. He finally experienced the thrill of being a strategist; it turned out that a well-executed verbal battle was so satisfying!

"Alas, it's all thanks to Young Master Su's wisdom that he woke us up from our dream! If I had listened to them, I would surely have died a horrible death." She Saihua said happily, "Arno, quickly arrange a banquet, I want to apologize to Young Master Su and his family."

"That won't be necessary. Ye's full support for the river repair is the best way to repay you," Su Lu said, shaking his head.

“Hey, let’s keep things separate,” She Saihua insisted. “Besides, when our future in-laws come to Lincheng, shouldn’t we have a meal together?”

"That's true." Su Lu nodded with a smile.

~~
When Su Lu came out of the Xuanfu Si Yamen, he saw his whole family waiting at the door.

"What are you all doing here? Aren't you afraid of being wiped out?" Su Lu asked with a smile.

"You precious darling, do you think we can leave while you're inside?" Uncle laughed. "Besides, the third brother has already been released, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"With Qiu-ge'er on the case, success is assured!" Su Youma stepped forward and gave Su Lu a bear hug, excitedly saying, "Good nephew, you've saved your uncle again!"

"Uncle, don't be so polite, just let me go." Su Lu quickly broke free from his uncle's embrace and asked, "How did you end up in their hands?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it. I never expected the Luo Luo people to be so cunning," Su Youma said with a wry smile. "They told me they wanted to sell Erlang wine in Lincheng. I thought the market was pretty good, and it was close to Erlang Beach, so I came here excitedly with Youming. But as soon as we got there, they caught us..."

He sighed and said, "Do you think there's something wrong with my birth chart? Why do I keep getting into trouble with jail?"

"Third Uncle, this time it's our fault, not a problem with your birth chart," Su Tai said with shame. "I'm sorry."

"Alright, that's enough. Say it once." Su Youma waved his hand generously and said, "Besides, I didn't suffer this time. I was treated to good food and drink, and they even arranged for two people to stay with me, hmm."

"Yes." The men of the Su family nodded in unison.

"Alright, now that we're out, let's go back," the uncle said.

“Uh…” Su Lu said, “Provincial Governor She would like to invite us to dinner.”

“Yes.” Arno, who had been hiding behind Su Lu, stepped forward and bowed deeply, saying, “This time we have really done something terrible. We are so sorry. Please give us a chance to apologize.”

He paused for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "Our family says that since our future in-laws have come to Lincheng, how can we leave without having a meal?"

"What?!" Su Tai's eyes widened in surprise. She Yunluo, who was hiding behind him, jumped out and asked excitedly, "Uncle, say it again?!"

"Sigh!" Arno looked at She Yunluo with a helpless expression and said, "Young Master Su has already persuaded Naiye, and she will not let you marry the Yang family's son."

"That's great!" She Yunlu jumped for joy, and Su Tai also grinned happily.

P.S. There are still 800 words left in the next chapter...

(End of this chapter)