Top Scholar

Chapter 410 Big Brother, I was wrong!

After passing through the Three Gorges, we left Sichuan and entered the territory of Hubei and Hunan provinces.

Every time Su Lu and his entourage passed through Yiling, Jingzhou, Yueyang, Wuchang, Huangzhou, and Jiujiang, they were warmly welcomed, hospitably entertained, and solemnly seen off by the local officials and people!
Wherever he went, he was warmly received and escorted by local state officials.

Su Lu had also figured it out. Since someone wanted to arrange things for him and he was powerless to resist, he might as well enjoy it to the fullest.

With a change of perspective, this escort to Beijing turned into a super luxurious honeymoon, and on public funds no less.

The couple climbed Yueyang Tower, gazing at the vast expanse of Dongting Lake. Feeling refreshed and carefree, they forgot all worldly concerns, raising their cups to the breeze, their joy overflowing…

Heading to Chibi in Huangzhou, we pay homage to the brilliance of our ancestors. We gaze upon the mighty Yangtze River flowing eastward, its waves washing away countless heroes of the past.

Standing atop the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuchang, one can gaze upon the clear river and the distinct trees of Hanyang, while fragrant grasses grow lush on Parrot Island.
I climbed Shizhong Mountain in Jiujiang again to explore the ancient wonder of the sound of water and rocks striking each other like a bell.

I climbed the Five Old Men Peaks of Mount Lu again and visited the White Deer Cave Academy...

During this grand parade, Su Lu's reputation soared like sesame flowers blooming, making him a rising star in the literary world and a role model for students everywhere!
He is still known to the world as a righteous and upright official, a pillar of the Ming Dynasty who wielded his pen to directly denounce corrupt officials! Countless scholars and officials wrote poems and essays to praise his loyalty and righteousness, which shines as brightly as the sun and heaven and earth, and whose virtue and talent are both outstanding.

His actions are as bright as the moon illuminating the world, and his name is as resounding as thunder throughout the north and south!
At first, Su Lu would blush and feel uneasy upon hearing such unrealistic praise, but over time he became immune to it. No matter what others said, it went in one ear and out the other; he simply didn't believe they were talking about him…

But his fame grew day by day, regardless of his will. Visitors flocked to him, and scholars from Nanyang and Nanchang even traveled thousands of miles to catch a glimpse of him, express their respect, and ask him to sign his name as a memento.

Su Lu composed poems, left calligraphy, and inscribed plaques along the way, totaling more than a thousand. He himself couldn't even remember exactly how many he wrote.

To put it simply, his reputation was already ten times greater in Sichuan, even before he entered Southern Zhili.

Even Yang Shen can't compare to him now; he only deserves to be called Little Su Lu of Xindu...

It's a pity we can't do live-streaming e-commerce; we can't handle this massive influx of traffic...

~~
Of course, he was often awakened in the middle of the night by this unnatural reputation that far exceeded his status, dreaming that Liu Jin would tear him to pieces because of it...

But there were others even more frightened than him. Qian Ning was so scared by Su Lu's popularity outside of Sichuan, and his popularity was only growing. He was so anxious that he couldn't eat or sleep, and he was almost wetting himself.

He really wanted to go back in time and stab his arrogant, ignorant self. Wouldn't it be better to just die when you have nothing better to do? Why provoke such a powerful figure, especially one who's not even twenty years old!

If Su Lu were to say a bad word about him, the whole world would spit on him and drown him! If he were to write another article criticizing him, he would be infamous for eternity.

One can imagine the trouble that sending such a person to the capital would bring to Eunuch Liu. Wouldn't he just have himself skinned alive?!

Qian Ning became increasingly frightened as he thought about it. On the day the ship set sail from Huguang, he finally couldn't contain himself and prepared a lavish banquet to entertain Su Lu.

"Is today Lord Qianhu's birthday?" Su Lu asked with a smile when he saw the table full of fine wine and food. "You should have told me earlier, I would have prepared a birthday present for you."

"It's not my birthday today. Please have a seat, Su Jieyuan," Qian Ning said with a complicated expression.

"Okay." Su Lu then took his seat in the second seat.

"No, no, please take a seat." Qian Ning quickly stopped him, insisting that he sit in the seat of honor.

Then, pushing aside the mountain of gold and the jade pillar, she knelt down and kowtowed deeply to him.

"What are you doing?" Su Lu didn't stop him and said calmly, "If you have something to say, Commander, just say it directly. Kowtowing to me won't solve anything."

Qian Ning kowtowed several more times, bowing his head and saying, "Big brother, I was wrong!"

Although Su Lu was quite surprised, he sat upright in the armchair and calmly asked, "What did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and rashly issued an arrest warrant for you!" Qian Ning slapped himself twice, saying, "I was truly blind—I had no eyes to recognize Mount Tai!"

"You're quite the charmer," Su Lu chuckled, then slowly asked, "Where did you hear that from, Commander Qian?"

Qian Ning hurriedly pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to Su Lu, saying, "Someone delivered this letter of denunciation to our residence. I was confused for a moment, alas, I truly regret it..."

Su Lu took the letter and read it word by word. It was written in the most standard official script and did not leave any identity information, so he could not figure it out for the time being.

He noted down the handwriting and contents of the letter, then handed it back to Qian Ning, asking with a smile, "Shouldn't the person who issues the travel permit be responsible for it? You're just following orders, what's there to panic about?"

Qian Ning's face turned pale: "To be honest... I also wrote the driver's pass."

"Then if you don't die, who will?" Su Lu was speechless. If you're going to die, why drag me down with you?
"No, that's not it. It's our usual practice when we're on official business," Qian Ning hurriedly explained. "We're traveling thousands of miles. If we were to grab someone on short notice, would we report to the capital first and wait for the official warrant to arrive? That person would have vanished long ago."

"So when we go out, we carry a few blank driver's licenses that have been properly stamped, just in case," Qian Ning continued. "So it's not a violation, but we have to take responsibility for our decisions." "Then be a man and bravely take responsibility," Su Lu thought to himself. Times have changed; now even using blank licenses isn't illegal…

"Yes, yes, I deserve to die! I really deserve to die!" Qian Ning slapped himself repeatedly, quite hard, until his face was swollen.

"But I don't want to die, big brother! Please spare me, I'll accept you as my godfather, okay?" he pleaded with a mournful face.

Su Lu finally understood. This guy couldn't distinguish between the big and small kings and thought that the officials, commoners, and gentry were all following him because of his own power.

He didn't expose the truth, but jokingly said, "Isn't your godfather the emperor?"

"Hey, having more godfathers is never a bad thing, just recognizing one isn't enough!" Qian Ning rubbed his hands together, shamelessly saying, "Besides the Emperor, Eunuch Liu and Eunuch Zhang are also my godfathers!"

Su Lu couldn't help but chuckle. Good heavens, there are all sorts of people, not only are there many godsons, but also many godfathers.

He shook his head and smiled, saying, "Your godfathers are all too powerful; I wouldn't dare sit at the same table with them."

“Your status is about the same,” Qian Ning exclaimed. “Back then, I was the one who went to arrest Li Mengyang, and I did it by land. The number of people welcoming and seeing off him along the way was less than ten times that of you, and not a single official showed up. It’s simply incomparable to you.”

"Even someone like him became the leader of the literary world, and he was released after only a few days in prison." He then gave Su Lu a thumbs-up.
"With your impressive presence, you're practically the king of literary figures. You might as well go straight home without even going to prison."

"You said it yourself. If I end up in the imperial prison, you'll have to feed me," Su Lu said with a smile.

"I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it! If that day ever comes, I'll guarantee you a feast every day!" Qian Ning patted his chest and made a promise, then added with a forced smile, "But brother, could you also spare my life?"

"Fine, release me now, and we'll go our separate ways, let's call it even," Su Lu said with a smile.

"That won't do!" Qian Ning shook his head vigorously. "I've used my warrant to mobilize troops, so I have to bring you back with me. Otherwise, it'll be considered releasing a wanted criminal!"

“In that case,” Su Lu pondered, “why don’t we say that after the interrogation on the way, it was found that I was falsely accused and was indeed innocent, and then we can ask our superiors if they can release me?”

In fact, he really hoped to wipe the slate clean, otherwise he would owe so many favors that he would never be able to repay them.

"That's a good idea!" Qian Ning's eyes lit up. "I'll write a letter to the capital right now, and then we'll find a place to stop and wait for a reply."

“Alright,” Su Lu said. “Let’s go to Nanjing. My grandmaster and great-grandmother are there. We can go and pay them a visit.”

“Alright, we’ll do as you say, brother.” Qian Ning readily agreed, then tentatively asked, “To ensure that Eunuch Liu agrees, how about… you admit a little guilt, brother? Just to give the Northern Garrison Commander a way out?”

Su Lu glanced at him as if he were an idiot. "I've been elevated so high, I can't admit guilt even if it kills me! Otherwise, how high will I be lifted, how hard will I fall, and I'll suffer utter social death!"
"Sigh..." Qian Ning knew he was dreaming, so he sighed and said, "Brother, let's have a drink."

"I won't drink any more alcohol." Su Lu waved his hand, looking inscrutable. "If you want to stay safe, from now on you have to listen to me."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Qian Ning humbly agreed, having been waiting for this very sentence. He quickly responded, "Alright! From now on, if Big Brother tells me to go east, I won't go west; whatever he says, I'll do!"

"Fine, get out of here," Su Lu said without any politeness.

"Sigh..." Qian Ning obediently rolled out.

~~
After Qian Ning left, Huang E, who had been quietly watching the show, asked in a low voice, "Did he underestimate his husband's strength?"

“Yes, he thinks the officials and people of both provinces are coming for me, how could he not be afraid?” Su Lu chuckled. “Let him think that way, do you think I’d tell him the truth?”

“Of course not, but can you guarantee his safety?” Huang E asked.

"I didn't say that. I said, 'If he wants to be safe, he has to listen to me.' Wanting to is one thing, being able to do it is another..." Su Lu said with a wicked smile.

"I want to stay in Nanjing for a while. How can I not make him behave?"

“That’s true.” Huang E nodded. She found that this completely out-of-control situation had actually brought out her husband’s wild side.

Oh, he calls it killer instinct.

"Can we really find the answer in Nanjing?" she asked softly.

"It should be possible," Su Lu nodded. "Someone should talk to me. I can't go to Beijing for trial completely unprepared, can I? What if I mess it up for them?"

P.S. I'll read the next chapter tomorrow morning. Please give me your guaranteed monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)