Chapter 54 Two Plans

  In the courtyard of the Youshuo, Zhang Ping knelt down and bowed to Liu Xuan, clasping his fists in salute. "Your humble servant Zhang Ping is crude and foolish, unaware of superior and inferior ranks, and has offended the Governor. He has come specially to apologize!"

  Zhang Ping also made a fist at Lu Sheng and said, "Zhang Ping also wants to apologize to Shu Zuo."

  Lu Sheng hastily returned the courtesy and didn't dare accept his apology.

  Zhang Ping's apology was within Liu Xuan's expectations. When they first met yesterday, no matter how Zhang Ping apologized, Liu Xuan would not forgive him. However, when he unexpectedly discovered that his appointment as the Director of the Touring Inspectorate was actually arranged by Kuai Yue, Liu Xuan felt somewhat unhappy in his heart.

  "I can personally accept Ze Cao's apology, but I have always been clear about separating public and private matters. Whether Ze Cao can stay or not depends on the county's decision."

  "It doesn't matter if I can stay or not, what's important is that Director Cao's one move woke me up and made me realize that as a person, I need to have self-awareness. I always thought my martial arts skills were exceptional, last time when I saw Director Cao and Cai Jin competing, I couldn't help but think of challenging Director Cao, the result was humiliating, alas! The staff techniques I've practiced for over a decade can't even withstand Director Cao's one strike."

  Stop for a moment, Zhang Ping said: "I am willing to wear the crime and make merits, willing to serve as a supervisor's clerk, and work harder to patrol the river, please grant me mercy."

  Zhang Ping's tone was extremely sincere, and it had to be said that this person had a face full of scars, looking fierce and rough, but when he softened up, he was like a grandson, almost kowtowing on the ground to lick the other person's toes.

  This kind of person is terrifying, a typical example of someone with no bottom line, no self-respect, and naturally no forgiveness. Once they succeed, their methods will be cruel and ruthless.

  For people like this, we must always be on high alert and cannot be fooled by their so-called sincerity.

  Liu Jiong smiled faintly, "Don't worry about things for now, Cao Zhang. Go home and rest well. We'll wait for news from the county government."

  The two men were arguing about what Zhang Ping should do now, whether he should go to work with a guilty conscience or wait at home for news, which involved a crucial time difference.

  Zhang Ping had his heart set on staying in the position. If this matter were to come to nothing, it would have almost no impact on him, and it was very likely that it would indeed come to nothing.

  But Liu Cong disagreed with him staying in office despite his guilt and firmly sent him back home.

  The above dragged on, and for the time being, there was no conclusion. If Zhang Ping was not in office, Liu Xuan could reassign personnel. Even if the impeachment did not pass, by the time Zhang Ping returned, everything would have changed.

  So the two people were at odds with each other and neither was willing to give in.

  Zhang Ping smiled and said, "Now that the end of the year is in sight, it's the busiest time of the year. Thieves and robbers are on the move, and tax evasion is at its peak. How can I rest at home during this time?"

  Liu Xuan smiled and said, "Zhang Ze Cao is indeed loyal to his duties, which is admirable. However, according to convention, it's not suitable for Zhang Ze Cao to appear in the Youshuo Temple for the next few days, lest he be criticized by others. Go back and rest first, I'll do my best to put in a good word for you. As soon as there's any news, I'll notify you to come back, so don't worry!"

  No matter what Zhang Ping said, Liu Xuan resolutely refused to give in. At this time, Zhang Ping did not dare to offend Liu Xuan again, so he had no choice but to bid farewell and leave.

  As soon as Zhang Ping left, Lu Sheng immediately smiled and said: "Director Cao did the right thing. Zhang Ping is best at stabbing people in the back. If he stays in the office, he will be a thorn in Director Cao's back, which is not conducive to Director Cao's control of the patrol office."

  Liu Xuan couldn't possibly not understand this principle. Since ancient times, it has always been the case that one emperor has his own ministers, and even a small tax collection office like this is no exception.

  He was just appointed and provoked by Zhang Ping. If he can't handle this matter, who will listen to him in the future? Where is his prestige?

  Whether Zhang Ping stays or leaves is no longer something that Liu can decide, the report has already been submitted, what's left is the struggle at the top, and it doesn't have much to do with him.

  But in fact, he can still add insult to injury.

  After a moment of contemplation, Liu Xuan ordered Lu Sheng, "Gather all the brothers together, I have something to say to them."

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  At noon, the soldiers were all eating in the courtyard. Liu Xiu hastily walked out of the prison, and at the gate of the prison, a 11 or 12-year-old little girl was standing, who was exactly Liu Xiu's maid Xiaobaozi. She had a basket on her arm, looking timid and occasionally stretching her neck to peek inside the gate.

  At this time, Liu Jiong quickly walked out of the gate. Xiao Baozi saw him and jumped up excitedly, "Young Master, I'm here."

  "Anything wrong?" Liu Xuan asked as he walked up.

  "Sir, someone came to our house and it was an old man. He gave us this."

  Xiao Baozi took out a plain white paper from the basket and handed it to Liu Xuan. Liu Xuan took it, and it turned out to be an invitation card with the words "Yi Du Gong Jian" written on it.

  Liu Jiong was shocked and asked hastily: "Is he still alive?"

  "He's still waiting at home! He seems to have something to discuss with you, young master."

  "I'll be right back!"

  Liu Xuan turned back and led out his war horse, mounted it and rushed towards the city.

  Yesterday, when visiting the widow of former governor Ma Duo Cao, Liu Xuan finally learned about the inside story of You Jiao Suo, which was actually a struggle between the Kuai family and Zhang Yun.

  Although Liu Xuan didn't understand either, the position of You Jiao's supervisor Cao wasn't a high-ranking one, but there was one thing that made Liu Xuan unhappy.

  That was the role that Kuai Yue played in Liu Yun's appointment as You Jia, treating him as a chess piece and using him to deal with Zhang Yun.

  Actually, Kuai Yue is not a bad person and has taken good care of him. If Kuai Yue had directly asked him for this favor, he would have been very willing to help Kuai Yue out. It's just that Liu Xuan's personality doesn't like being manipulated by others.

  He has his own dignity. Although Kuai Yue is a senior official of Jingzhou and an elder, Liu Xuan still hopes that Kuai Yue can give himself some respect.

  So from the moment Liu Xuan knew the truth yesterday, he had a slight discomfort in his heart. However, Kuai Yue actually came to explain it himself, which made the slight discomfort in Liu Xuan's heart disappear completely.

  "Uncle Shi has come in person, I'm afraid we can't afford to keep him waiting!" Liu Xuan hastily said as he walked into the courtyard.

  Kuai Yuezheng was sitting in the room drinking tea when he heard Liu Xuan's voice, so he put down his teacup and walked out, smiling: "Can't my landlord come to see his tenant?"

  "It turned out to be... Shi Shu's mansion." Liu Xuan really hadn't expected that.

  "Ah! Came especially today to collect rent."

  Kuai Yue winked at him with a mischievous glint in his eye, like a child playing a prank, and both of them couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  "It's cold outside, Uncle Shi, please come in and take a seat!"

  Liu Xuan invited Kuai Yue into the guest hall, Meng Shu served them tea. Kuai Yue looked around the room and smiled: "This house is quite crude, can you still get used to it, my virtuous nephew?"

  "It's not bad, I quite like the quietness here. Actually, I'm a person who doesn't care about where to live, a thatched cottage is also a place to rest, besides, it's better than relying on others."

  "Living under someone's roof? Ha ha! My dear nephew, you're being too serious. The governor letting you move out is actually hoping that you can stand on your own two feet; otherwise, he wouldn't have arranged a position for you."

  Liu Jiong didn't want to drag this matter on, so he changed the subject back, "Shi Shu knows about Zhang Ping's case, right? My impeachment was submitted yesterday afternoon, I don't know if there are any comments."

  The topic turned serious, and Kuai Yue sighed, apologetically saying: "I came here today specifically to apologize. Regarding your appointment as the Touring Inspector Cao, I didn't intentionally take advantage of you; it was just that there wasn't enough time to explain things clearly, and I didn't expect something to happen on the first day. I'm really sorry!"

  "Shi Shu is a senior, how can he apologize to me, a junior? I really don't deserve it. This matter doesn't need to be mentioned again, I have no objections at all and am very grateful for Shi Shu's arrangement."

  Kuai Yue saw that Liu Xuan was neither arrogant nor condescending, humble and courteous, and he genuinely liked him. In fact, today he not only came to explain the situation to Liu Xuan but also wanted to discuss with him how to deal with this matter.

  Kuai Yue sank into thought for a moment before saying, "This matter has even dragged in Cai Mao."

  Liu Jue was taken aback, "Isn't Zhang Ping the maternal uncle of Cai Zhong? It's normal to involve Cai Mao in this, isn't it strange?"

  Kuai Yue shook his head, "Although he is Cai Zhong's younger brother, this matter did not disturb the Cai family, and had nothing to do with Cai Mao. But I heard that Zhang Yun visited Cai Mao yesterday, so today Wu Qing, the long historian of Xiangyang, strongly defended Zhang Ping. This Wu Qing is also the son-in-law of the Cai family."

  "What's next?"

  Liu Xuan continued to ask: "What was the outcome of the impeachment afterwards?"

  "There was no result, and it ended in a stalemate. Wang Jun wanted to dismiss Zhang Ping, but Wu Qing strongly opposed it, and the two were at an impasse. Governor Li then shelved the matter, saying it would be discussed later, fearing that it might ultimately be dropped."

  Liu Jiong remained silent, but in fact, it wasn't a bad thing that the matter was left unsettled. At least he could use the reason "this matter has not been handled yet" to reject Zhang Ping and not allow him to resume his post, believing he had the power to do so.

  The key is that this matter actually dragged in Cai Mao, and it's clear that Cai Mao gave Zhang Yun face. As a result, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun wore the same pants. This Cai Mao was quite good at grasping opportunities, perhaps the alliance between Cai Mao and Zhang Yun in history started from this matter.

  Kuai Yue saw Liu Xuan's silence and thought he was worried about the consequences, so he comforted him: "Actually, this matter is not a big deal. For the Kuai family, it's just to regain some dignity. My son-in-law was killed by someone, and I really can't swallow this. To be honest, a small position like Du Cao is not even worthy of the Kuai family's attention. What I mainly want is not to let Zhang Ping off easily. If you feel embarrassed, then forget it."

  Liu Xuan hesitated for a moment before asking: "Why did Zhang Yun insist on fighting for this position?"

  "Nothing but for the sake of interest."

  Liu Jiong walked a few steps in the room with his hands behind his back. A small position of supervisor was actually not something he looked down on, but if he could use this matter to make the Kuai family owe him a favor, it would be a big deal. Although letting Zhang Ping off scot-free would somewhat damage his prestige, compared to gaining the Kuai family's favor, this loss was negligible.

  Thinking of this, Liu Xuan smiled and said: "Shi Shu, I have two plans. The first is to drive Zhang Ping out of the Second Patrol Unit. This is very simple, I can do it tomorrow..."

  "How did you manage that?" asked Kuai Yue in puzzlement.

  "It's simple, I'll have all the soldiers collectively go to the county government office tomorrow to file a complaint against Zhang Ping for bullying his subordinates, he won't be able to come back then."

  Kuai Yue smiled and said, "This method is not bad, actually going to the prefectural government to file a complaint would be even more effective."

  "Does Mr. Na want to hear the second plan?" Liu Xuan asked with a smile.

  "Please speak, nephew, I'm all ears!" Quo Yu's interest grew even thicker, he really wanted to know how Liu Jing would handle this matter.

  "The second plan is to let Zhang Ping stay in the prison, I guarantee that within half a year, I will hand over his life to Shishu, and at the same time, make Zhang Yun's reputation ruined."

  Kuai Yue's eyes lit up, and he looked at Liu Xuan again, smiling meaningfully. He knew Liu Xuan's abilities and deeply trusted his words.

  Moreover, Kuai Yue also felt Liu Xuan's sincerity in wanting to make friends with the Kuai family, which was also what Kuai Yue had been expecting all along. He thought that Liu Xuan was extraordinary from the moment he first met him.

  Now, whether or not Zhang Ping can be killed is no longer important. What's important is that Liu Xuan has shown sincerity towards the Kuai family.

  Kuai Yue nodded, "If that's the case, I'll choose the second option. I'm really looking forward to seeing a wonderful ending."

  He said with a smile, "If you don't mind its simplicity, I'll give this house to you as a congratulatory gift for your promotion!"