SWDnovel Chapter 41 Liu Bowen Makes His Move!
Chapter 41 Liu Bowen Makes His Move!
Liu Bowen nodded slightly to Zhu Yao, a faint smile on his face, and said in a calm tone, "It's nothing, I just went out for some fresh air and a walk around. It's nothing, I'm sorry to have worried you, young master."
As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over the newly appointed prefect kneeling on the ground, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. No one knew that he hadn't simply gone out for some fresh air, but had intercepted the prefect who had come to interrogate him.
Just after Liu Bowen left the Liu residence, he soon learned that the prefect was leading his troops straight to the Liu residence. He immediately rushed to the halfway point, stopped the prefect's entourage, and revealed his identity on the spot.
When the newly appointed prefect learned that the person in front of him was none other than Liu Bowen, the founding hero of the dynasty and the Earl of Chengyi, he was instantly terrified. Liu Bowen then gave him a severe scolding in front of the soldiers, reprimanding him for his tyrannical and bullying behavior as soon as he arrived in Chenzhou, and ordered him to go to Liu's residence immediately to apologize to Zhu Yao.
That's why the newly appointed prefect changed his previous arrogance and knelt down to beg for mercy in front of the Liu family's gate. When he saw Liu Bowen appear, he was so frightened that he trembled all over and lowered his head even further. He didn't even have the courage to look up at Liu Bowen.
Zhu Yao, completely oblivious to the situation, turned to look at the prefect who was still kneeling, and said to Liu Bowen with a hint of confusion, "Mr. Liu, isn't it strange? This guy just came to the prefecture with his soldiers, all high and mighty, but suddenly he's kneeling down to beg for forgiveness... I don't quite understand it."
He paused, then asked, "Mr. Liu, you are a man of great experience and knowledge, tell me, how should this be handled? We can't just leave him kneeling here forever."
Liu Bowen looked at the newly appointed prefect kneeling on the ground and said in a calm tone, "He is, after all, an official appointed by the imperial court. Now that he knows he was wrong and has come to apologize, let's give him another chance."
"As for what he did in Chenzhou, the imperial court will handle it according to the law. We don't need to overstep our bounds. We just need to make him remember today's lesson so that he won't dare to act recklessly again in the future."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao nodded, agreeing with Liu Bowen's assessment. He then waved to the prefect outside the door and said coldly, "Alright, get up. Since you know you're wrong, go back and reflect on your actions. If you dare to act arrogantly in Chenzhou again, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Thank you, Young Master Zhu! Thank you, Young Master Zhu, for sparing my life!"
Zhao Wude felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He struggled to his feet, bowed repeatedly to Zhu Yao and Liu Bowen, and then hurriedly led his soldiers away from Liu's residence in a disheveled state.
Watching the soldiers' departing figures, Zhu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Liu Bowen and said with a smile, "Thanks to Mr. Liu, otherwise we would have had to go through a lot of trouble today. Come on, let's go back. I've had some sweet potatoes roasted, and then we can continue playing chess."
Liu Bowen smiled and agreed. The two walked into the Liu residence side by side and gradually disappeared into the depths of the courtyard, leaving only the servants to pack up the defensive supplies, their faces full of relief after surviving the disaster.
On the other side, Zhao Wude led his soldiers, rushing towards the prefectural government in a disheveled state. Along the way, the fear on his face gradually faded, replaced by endless anger and resentment. His fists were clenched tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He was a member of the Huaixi Party and should have been able to do whatever he wanted in Chenzhou. However, he never expected to be publicly reprimanded by Liu Bowen and forced to kneel down and admit his mistake to Zhu Yao. He could not tolerate this humiliation.
"Liu Bowen! Zhu Yao! You just wait!"
He hissed in a low voice, his eyes filled with venom, "Although I can't deal with you, Liu Bowen, I have the Huaixi Party backing me. No matter how powerful you are, Liu Bowen, can you possibly defeat Prime Minister Hu?"
Upon returning to the prefectural government, he immediately rushed into his study, where brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were already prepared. He picked up the brush, his hands trembling with anger, but he still quickly wrote a letter, detailing how he had been reprimanded by Liu Bowen and forced to apologize to Zhu Yao that day, requesting Hu Weiyong's help to take revenge on Liu Bowen and Zhu Yao.
After finishing the letter, he immediately ordered it to be sent by fast horse to Nanjing and delivered to Hu Weiyong, secretly calculating in his mind:
Liu Bowen, you have insulted me, and I will make you pay double. With Hu Xiang here, let's see how long you can be so arrogant!
......
On the stone table in the courtyard of the Liu family mansion, a Go board still sat, and the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes rose from the small stove next to it, which was very pleasant. Zhu Yao and Liu Bowen sat facing each other, each holding a warm roasted sweet potato in their hands, eating it with relish.
While chewing on a sweet potato, Zhu Yao casually placed a chess piece, the placement completely haphazard. Liu Bowen couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head with a smile and pointing at the chessboard: "Young Master Zhu, your move is wrong. It seems to occupy the corner, but it's actually trapped. If you move two more times, this whole group of pieces will be captured by me."
Zhu Yao looked down and, just as Liu Bowen had said, scratched his head and laughed frankly, "Haha, well, I can't help it, I'm really bad at Go. I've hardly ever won. But it's okay, my roasted sweet potatoes are delicious!"
He held up the roasted sweet potato in his hand, shook it, and said in a magnanimous tone, "You're good at Go, and I'm good at roasting sweet potatoes. We each have our strengths and bright futures. Why do we have to determine who wins and who loses?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen paused in his actions, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. He then burst into laughter, deeply moved by Zhu Yao's magnanimity and insight. He sincerely said, "Young Master Zhu is absolutely right. You are magnanimous, insightful, and unconcerned with trivialities. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."
After laughing, Liu Bowen's smile faded, and his expression gradually turned serious. He looked at Zhu Yao and slowly asked, "Young Master Zhu, I have a question. Today, the prefect arrived with a large number of soldiers, looking very aggressive. It seemed he was determined to raze the Liu residence to the ground. Yet, you appeared completely calm and composed. If he had actually ordered a raid on the residence, how would you have responded?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao waved his hand, his smile fading slightly, and said frankly, "Mr. Liu is joking. How could I not be flustered? It's all just a facade."
He put down the sweet potato in his hand, wiped his hands, and said with a wry smile, "To be honest, Mr. Liu, I was extremely flustered at the time, and my palms were sweating. But at that time, I was the master of the Liu family. If I panicked, the servants would panic even more. I could only bite the bullet and pretend to be calm to keep everyone calm."
Liu Bowen nodded, then pressed on, "If he really disregards everything and leads the government troops in, are you prepared to fight them to the death?"
"To use the household servants to fight against a large number of government troops is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao smiled and shook his head: "That's not the case. I'm not that stupid as to risk my own life and the lives of my servants in a head-on confrontation. I have my own methods."
Liu Bowen asked curiously, "Please tell me in detail, young master..."