Top Scholar

Chapter 593 is arranged very clearly.

"Old man, hang in there!" Upon seeing this, Wu Tingju quickly got up and helped Liu Daxia, who was staggering and vomiting blood.

Su Lu's heart also clenched, but abstract people are usually tough and won't easily be scolded into doing anything bad.

Sure enough, after holding it in for a while, Liu Daxia coughed up a mouthful of blood. Although his face was still pale, he felt a bit more refreshed.

Su Lu finally rewarded Liu Daxia with a bench, had Wu Tingju help him sit down, and then fed him a sip of water.

"Sigh..." Liu Daxia sighed heavily, his voice filled with desolation and regret.
"Yes, actually I knew long ago that I had been tricked by that man surnamed Xiang. But how can we officials easily admit that we've been tricked? That would make us a laughing stock in the court and ruin our reputation and career. So all these years, I could only swallow my pride and keep up the act, clinging to my pride..."

Su Lu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had finally relented... If he had really cursed Liu Daxia to death, it would have been a stain on his life.

There is a saying that a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. In fact, if the nautical data had not been so important, he would not have wanted to humiliate a true gentleman who was honest and self-disciplined in this way.

But the nautical chart was the most important thing, and he had to get it out even if it meant forcing Liu Daxia to his death. So he pressed him in a deep voice, "Tell me the details of what happened back then!"

Liu Daxia closed his eyes and slowly revealed the secrets of that year: "Actually, things were normal at first... Minister Xiang came to me and said that the emperor wanted to find Zheng He's nautical charts and wanted to go on another voyage to the Western Ocean. I was young at that time and had never even seen the sea, so how could I know anything about maritime trade? Naturally, I strongly opposed it according to the general opinion of the civil officials, saying that going on a voyage to the Western Ocean was a waste of manpower and money and a bad policy."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but whisper in defense: "Actually, looking at it now, it's not wrong to say that it was a bad policy. Emperor Yongle did make a lot of money from his voyages to the Western Ocean, but it all went into the imperial treasury. The emperor spent it on wars in Annam and the Mongolian steppe, exhausting the country's resources."

Su Lu was too lazy to refute him, otherwise she didn't know how long he would go off-topic, so she forced herself to remain silent and listened to him continue his recollection:
"Xiang Zhong echoed my sentiments, saying that my opposition was absolutely right, but the Emperor's mind was made up, and as the Minister of War, he was powerless to change it. In a moment of impulsiveness, I said, 'Why don't I burn the nautical charts and put an end to the Emperor's hopes?' Xiang Zhong was deeply moved, took my hand, and said, 'Good brother, let's do it this way. Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility and won't implicate you.'"

Su Lu pressed on anxiously, "So, did you burn those files or not?"

His voice trembled slightly from being so anxious about losing his chance...

"No," Liu Daxia shook his head with a wry smile. "So many nautical charts, navigation documents, and shipbuilding blueprints piled up like mountains. How could I dare to burn them? Who could bear that responsibility? Xiang Zhong later also said that burning the blueprints was inappropriate, and he would find a way to dispose of them. In the end, he treated those blueprints as worthless documents damaged by insects and rats, and transported them out of the Ministry of War in batches. They have been missing ever since..."

"Afterwards, Xiang Zhong voluntarily resigned, taking all the blame upon himself, and indeed I wasn't implicated. I was very moved at the time, thinking he was truly trustworthy." Liu Daxia sighed again.

"But who would have thought that after he resigned from his official post, he lived a carefree life at home for twenty-six years... and his Xiang family became the richest family in Jiaxing. At that time, I had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and I was worried that I had been tricked by him. Later, as my official position rose higher and higher, and as I gained more and more experience, I finally became convinced that I had been tricked by him..."

"But I dare not admit it, I cannot admit it." He covered his face with his hands, whimpering weakly.

"How shameful! So shameful! I, Liu Daxia, a capable minister who brought peace to the world, have been made a fool of by him! Waaah..."

Liu Daxia burst into tears, losing all trace of his former arrogance as a renowned official.

Wu Tingju was also at a loss, not knowing how to comfort him, and he even had a vague feeling that he really deserved it...

"So, you don't know where the nautical chart is now either?" Su Lu was even less likely to comfort Liu Daxia, and just kept asking himself.

"Yes, but I bet it's hidden in the Xiang family's home in Jiaxing! Don't worry, I'll definitely find it for you!" Liu Daxia suddenly raised his eyes and said fiercely.

"If we really can't find it, I'll personally go out to sea to paint it for you! If I can't paint it, I have my son, and my son has his grandson! The descendants of the Liu family will definitely make up for this sin!"

Wu Tingju almost lost his composure. Good heavens, just as the ancient story of Yu Gong moving mountains has come to pass, this time it's Liu Gong exploring the sea...

“Hmm.” Su Lu nodded, his tone softening slightly. “You do deserve to atone for your sins. But everyone has their own expertise, and disaster relief work is more suitable for you—ensuring that the relief grain reaches the people is a good deed.”

"Alright..." Liu Daxia knew he was in the wrong and could only obediently accept the arrangement, but the thought of making amends for his mistakes never disappeared from his mind.

Su Lu then turned to Wu Tingju, still speaking in a gentle tone: "Prefect Wu, you don't need to go back to your post. I'm worried about your safety; it's safer for you to stay in the capital."

Without asking what he was staying in the capital for, Wu Tingju quickly bowed and replied, "This humble official will naturally follow your arrangements, sir."

Having offended Liu Jin, his best possible outcome would have been exile, or even death. Being allowed to remain in the capital is already a tremendous favor; why would he be picky?

He gratefully bowed to Su Lu and asked, "Please tell me your name, sir, so that I may know who saved my life."

"This humble official is not worth mentioning. Normally, when I see you, sir, I would respectfully step aside and bow. However, you have unfortunately encountered misfortune, and I happen to be on a royal mission. I am here representing the Emperor to inquire about your situation, and I would never dare to usurp His Majesty's authority." Su Lu shook his head, speaking with impeccable composure:
"If you want to express your gratitude, then express it to the Emperor."

After saying this, he ordered someone to escort Liu Daxia and Wu Tingju out, and even gave them some snacks.

"Ah, there's still some for me?" Liu Daxia never imagined that he would almost shed tears over a half-eaten plate of snacks.

~~
Surrounded by guards, Su Lu left the interrogation room and returned to the dark corridor.

As he passed the cell he had seen before, he noticed that the cell door was locked again, and only Wang Qiong, who was sitting on a pile of hay in a daze, remained inside.

Wang Qiong reacted quickly this time, immediately looking up and seeing Su Lu's face, which resembled her daughter's, she knew that this was her sixth grandson, Su Lu, who was deeply favored by the emperor.

He said with tears in his eyes, "You look just like your mother."

"Don't mention my mother." Su Lu coldly rejected Wang Qiong's attempt to get close to him: "Your Wang family is too high-ranking; we are a humble family and cannot possibly be worthy of your status." After saying that, he walked straight through the prison gate without looking back.

When they arrived at the gate of the imperial prison, he whispered to Song Xiaoyi, "Improve the conditions for a few of them. It will take some time to go through the procedures, so don't let them die inside."

Song Xiaoyi bowed and replied, "Understood."

Su Youcai was indeed waiting at the entrance of the imperial prison. When he saw him come out, he quickly went to greet him.

Su Lu said softly to him, "Let's talk outside."

"Okay." Su Youcai obediently shut his mouth.

Su Lu thanked Zhang Cai again before leaving the Northern Garrison with his father.

Once inside the carriage, Su Lufang said to Su Youcai, "Father, please give me your orders."

Su Youcai rubbed his hands repeatedly, stammering for a long time: "Ah... son, this and that, umm... your maternal grandfather... he made a mistake."

He then straightened his tongue and continued, "You just said a lot of sweet words to me. Alas, what happened back then was just a cruel twist of fate. Besides, your father was also at fault. He had the ability to steal your mother's heart, but he didn't have the ability to make your mother stand up straight in front of your father-in-law..."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again. "If only Dad could be as outstanding as you," she said.

“Dad, you’ve been led astray by your father-in-law,” Su Lu sighed. “Let’s not talk about the past anymore. Tell me what you want to do. I have a lot of things to do.”

"Oh." Su Youcai had no choice but to stop talking and whispered, "Please save him..."

"I understand." Su Lu nodded in agreement, unsurprised. Everyone knew that given Youcai's personality, there was simply no other choice...

He then said to Su Youcai, "Father, I'll take you to school first. After school, please invite Brother Bohu over to our house; I need to speak with him."

"Okay, sure." Su Youcai obediently agreed. After the carriage came to a stop, he got off and walked towards Lingxing Gate.

As Su Lu watched his father's figure disappear at the gate of the Imperial Academy, he ordered the caravan to turn towards the Ministry of Personnel.

This time when he arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, no one dared to stop him—his face was already deeply etched in the minds of everyone in the Ministry.

Zhang Cai was currently holding a meeting in the main hall, exuding an imposing and intimidating aura of official authority. As the Minister, his word was law, and his subordinates below dared not even breathe loudly, obediently agreeing to whatever he said.

But upon hearing his attendant whisper that Scholar Su had arrived, he immediately dismissed the meeting and hurried back to his office to greet him.

"I apologize for disturbing the Grand Chancellor." Su Lu was already waiting in the hall. When he saw Zhang Cai return, he quickly stood up and bowed.

"You're too kind, Scholar. Welcome to bother us!" Zhang Cai said with a beaming smile, his enthusiasm undiminished, showing none of the aloofness he displayed in front of Liu Jin.

If his previous respect for Su Lu had been somewhat theatrical, this respect was now genuine and heartfelt. Zhang Cai had already grasped Su Lu's intentions and agreed that Su Lu's path was the only way for the eunuch faction to continue—

Both sides need to work together tacitly to extinguish any signs of a civil service resurgence while maintaining this situation of struggle without breaking apart.

Anyway, he wasn't the one taking the blame. Eunuch Liu has strong back muscles; he can handle it!
Su Lu was well aware of this, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "There are a few people for whom I would like to plead for mercy."

"You flatter me, Scholar Zhang, please speak." Zhang Cai listened attentively.

“There are three in total: Liu Daxia, Wu Tingju, and what’s the name of the other one? Oh, Wang Qiong.” Su Lu then cupped his hands and said politely, “I’m sorry to have troubled the Grand Chancellor.”

Without hesitation, Zhang Cai laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that? It's no problem if the top scholar speaks up. But could you please tell me why you're pleading for them? I'd like to explain to Eunuch Liu."

“The first two are people the Emperor wants,” Su Lu said. “The last one is someone who rescued my family from bandits on their way to the capital this spring. He even sent his son to escort them.”

He sighed softly and said, "His son came to my father for help, and I couldn't refuse, so I had no choice but to come here and incur the displeasure of the Grand Chancellor."

"Haha, don't worry, the person the Emperor wants is the best explanation. As for that Governor Wang..." Zhang Cai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and laughed, "This man is quite pragmatic; he has already written a confession to Eunuch Liu to apologize. He understands the problem very well and even stated that he 'will definitely do his best to serve the court from now on.'"

He then whispered to Su Lu, "Actually, Eunuch Liu had already planned to give him an important position. Now that the top scholar has spoken up, how could I refuse?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Cai gritted his teeth and said, "The position of Left Vice Minister of this Ministry is vacant, so why don't we let him fill it?"

"Absolutely not!" But Su Lu waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "There's no need to arrange it so conspicuously. Besides, he's not suited for the court. Let him go to the provinces. The provinces are in chaos right now... Such a rare talent of his shouldn't be wasted in the capital."

"Okay, I understand." Zhang Cai understood immediately and smiled, changing her words: "I'll definitely find him a good place where he can shine. Just wait and see, Top Scholar!"

P.S. I'll be posting around this time from now on. That'll stop in the evening...

(End of this chapter)