Chapter 434: Chapter 432: I Can Only Help You Save Face
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Mu Poluo, who was dealing with documents, raised his head in confusion.
Senluo Commerce Association, one of the top ten merchant associations in Yanjing, primarily deals in wooden furniture, house construction, and factory building. The workers relying on Senluo Commerce Association for their livelihoods number in the tens of thousands.
The most troublesome matter in the world is personnel; the more people, the more problems there are—regional discrimination, forming cliques, distribution of benefits, construction accidents... Every matter is enough to cause a headache. Although not everything needs President Mu Poluo to resolve, if it is presented to him, it is necessarily extremely distressing, making subordinates afraid to make decisions.
In terms of workload intensity, Mu Poluo is almost the busiest merchant in Yanjing. Other great landowners and merchants basically don’t need to work, spending their days in revelry or seeking pleasure, while only Mu Poluo comes to the commerce association almost every day to work.
But the high-intensity personnel work, even personally mediating worker disputes multiple times, has also honed Mu Poluo’s keen sense. When he saw Cha Huan, dressed in red, with hair and beard like snow, he was slightly startled and quickly stood up: "Principal Cha—just a few days ago I got three pounds of superior Canglan black horn green. I heard Principal Cha has also traveled through the Canglan District before, please do me the honor of tasting it!"
"Black horn green from the Great Ant Mound Wasteland? Really?" Cha Huan curiously sat down, treating himself as if not an outsider at all: "That’s a famous tea scraped from the black horn of a black-horned dragon beast hunted for thirty years! When I went back then, I couldn’t find a black-horned dragon beast; weren’t they said to have died out long ago?"
"Indeed, nothing can be hidden from you, Principal." Mu Poluo said while brewing tea with a smile: "Actually, a commerce association over there in Canglan found the tea tree favored by black-horned dragon beasts, used some methods to create black horn green. Of course, in quality, it can’t compare to the legendary black horn green, but perhaps it can help recall that legendary taste."
Warm the pot, place the tea, warm the cup, pour high, brew low—Mu Poluo’s tea brewing skills are superb, the whole set of operations pleasing to the eye, respectfully he served a cup of tea soup to Cha Huan: "Principal Cha, please."
Cha Huan blew on it, sipped, nodded: "Indeed the flavor of Canglan, making me recall those days of rampage in Yanan County."
"If you like it, feel free to take the rest with you." Mu Poluo smiled: "We Yanjing people can’t handle this strong Canglan flavor. I bought it specifically to entertain guests with Canglan connections."
"Alright, I appreciate your kindness." Cha Huan leisurely said: "Back at that patriotic banquet, only you young ones caught my eye; the rest were just riffraff."
"Who’s not riffraff before Principal Cha?" Mu Poluo laughed: "So, Principal Cha coming suddenly this time, is there something you need help with?"
"Oh, it’s like this."
Cha Huan pulled out a sheet of paper, spreading it on the table. Mu Poluo’s eyebrows jumped wildly at the sight.
It was a list of all the nobles in Yanjing.
The person with the least power on the list was an imperial court purple-blue agent, managing vital positions in Yanjing.
"Mu youngster, give me a few names." Cha Huan leaned against the back of the chair, hands crossed, as if discussing a trivial matter.
Mu Poluo paused: "Principal Cha, I don’t understand what this means."
"Whether you want to implicate, accuse falsely, or perish together, it matters not." Cha Huan stroked his long beard: "In my view, none of the names on this sheet deserve to live."
"I’m nearly sixty, my health’s not great, old bones and limbs. Rarely do I venture out; the good weather today made me want to resolve everything once and for all."
Cha Huan reached out, drawing a line through the first name on the list: "Mu Poluo."
"Come now," the kindly voice like a devil’s beckon, "who would you like to bring along in burial?"
Mu Poluo suddenly gave a bitter laugh, his face embittered as he said: "Principal Cha, I truly don’t understand what this means. Our Senluo Commerce Association has always been a sponsor of the Imperial Academy. My girl wants to apply to the Academy next year, I truly don’t understand how I offended you."
"You suddenly accusing me so, I... I don’t even know how to refute because I don’t know what’s happening! Is it some statement from my family that offended you? Or did some relative commit wickedness? You tell me, I’ll go back and severely punish immediately, I assure you you’ll be satisfied!"
Mu Poluo’s words, a third of confusion, a third of grievance, a third humble, and an added ounce of sincerity, would cause anyone to wonder, ’Could it be a misunderstanding?’
Yet Cha Huan seemed not to hear him at all, leisurely crossing his legs, sipping tea, only lifting his head after Mu Poluo finished: "Mu youngster, your luck is really good."
"Oh?"
"The skill of interrogating people, I haven’t done it for a long time, almost forgot most of it." Cha Huan shrugged: "Now I can only recall some basic methods, those popular in Canglan District—raising nails, bumping toes, melting valley passage... none worthy of display, those with strong will can withstand."
Unbeknownst to him, cold sweat had already soaked the back of Mu Poluo’s shirt. His throat made a gulping sound, he smiled bitterly: "Principal Cha, I genuinely..."
"Mu youngster," Cha Huan interrupted him: "I sleep timely every night, brew a pot of hot tea before bed, not drinking, directly dumping, only using the tea brewing procedure to aid sleep. I don’t smoke, don’t drink, get into bed to promptly fall asleep, seven and a half hours of sleep every night, never carrying fatigue and pressure into the next day."
Listening to Cha Huan’s strange self-introduction, for some reason, Mu Poluo felt even colder in his heart. He swallowed: "Principal Cha..."
"Yet these past days, I’ve been restless, sleeping poorly." Cha Huan sighed: "Because I know someone wants to assassinate me."
"Someone actually wants to kill me, wants to kill a senior who dedicated decades to the cause of education, wants to kill a near-sixty elder, wants to kill a person only wishing for a peaceful life. Can you understand my feelings?"
Mu Poluo’s calves started to weaken: "I... I can understand..."
"Understand my ass!" Cha Huan slammed his palm on the table: "You yourself are an evildoer stained with who knows how many lives, scared to death when meeting door knocks at midnight, how could you possibly understand me? I am a man who is peaceful, doesn’t stir trouble, never breaks the law!"
"That even a good person like me is wanted dead—is there justice in this world? Is there any law?"
"You, you’re absolutely right..." Mu Poluo anxiously echoed.
"You know as well, insomnia affects us elders greatly." Cha Huan sighed: "So I just want to solve this problem."
Mu Poluo tentatively asked: "You want to cooperate with those people?"
"I want to preemptively kill all those people, then there will be no one trying to assassinate me." Cha Huan blinked at Mu Poluo: "Coincidentally, you tried ways to let Yan Yi leave the Imperial Academy at night; you surely know some inside information. As an act of respecting the elders, can you honestly tell me?"
"Principal Cha, you really misunderstood," Mu Poluo took a deep breath, explained: "I’m just worried for my daughter, hoping Teacher Yan could tutor her every evening. I don’t know any inside information. If Teacher Yan told us Principal Cha had other arrangements for her, we would definitely not voice such excessive demands—"
"She told you guys."
"No, absolutely not."
"She really did."
"Really didn’t!"
The two stared at each other for a moment, the corners of Cha Huan’s mouth slightly raised, finally bursting into laughter.
"Haha, no wonder you’re someone I’ve taken a liking to, Mu youngster, you indeed have some wit! I’m playing with you!"
Mu Poluo let out a long breath, smiling: "Principal Cha, your joke is simply too big."
"If that’s so," Cha Huan glanced around the office’s things, stood up and said: "Then let’s begin."
Mu Poluo was stunned: "Begin what?"
"The second half of the game. Mu youngster, you indeed are an interesting one, rarely have I found interest in interrogation."
Cha Huan spread his hands, and for a moment, this tall elderly man in red seemed like a demon filling the entire office: "Peeling nails, hitting toes, melting valley paths, licking lips, sticking out tongue, rolling eyeballs, digging ear holes, pressing shoulders, loosening joints... Come on, little Mu, let me see how far you can go in this ordeal!"
Mu Poluo stood up in fear: "Principal Cha—"
"Don’t worry, I’ll keep your organs intact. The Chief Medical Officer is a friend of mine, you know that, right? If I make a mistake, not only will you be restored completely, but you’ll also be compensated. Didn’t your daughter want to enter the Imperial Academy? How about direct admission without the exams?"
"Cha Huan!" Mu Poluo could barely maintain his composure, shouting loudly: "You have no evidence! Nor a search warrant! You have absolutely no reason to use private justice against me—"
"Oh, speaking of that."
Cha Huan took a gleaming golden badge from his pocket and showed it to Mu Poluo: "Do you see what this is?"
"Is that—the Holy Sword Badge!?" Mu Poluo was momentarily lost.
The Holy Sword Badge, also known as the Emperor’s Badge, the Imperial Envoy’s Badge, has only one function: to act as if the Emperor were present!
This is the highest authority granted by the Imperial Family to a minister, with a badge-holder having authority second only to the Emperor, capable of acting first and reporting later!
"Whatever documents you require, I’ll tell Yulian tonight, and by tomorrow you’ll have them to burn at your grave."
That old undying man who’s entangled with the Empress Dowager!
Mu Poluo was becoming incoherent: "Cha Huan, you don’t even know what you’ve done wrong; you stand in opposition to everyone. But if you’re willing to compromise, everything will be different—"
"Coincidentally, the one thing I’ve never learned in my life is compromise." Cha Huan sighed: "Look at you, so scared. It would be better to just be dignified and honestly spill all the information, and I’ll give you a swift end."
At this moment, Mu Poluo saw the shadows outside the door, and in a flash of realization, reached for the sword hilt under the desk.
"Otherwise..."
Boom!
The window and door simultaneously exploded, and four guards of the Mossen Commerce Guild charged at Cha Huan!
Mu Poluo also drew his long sword, performing the family’s Senluo Sword Dance, attacking the elderly man nearing sixty!
"...I can only help you be dignified now."
Crash!
With the sound of flesh being torn like silk, five bodies collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Cha Huan looked at his clothes.
"Good thing I foresaw, and wore the brightest red today."
He walked over to pick up the list on the table, examining the blood droplets on it, which came spurting from Mu Poluo’s throat as his ’handwriting’.
"This can count as Mu’s identification...I guess?" Cha Huan tilted his head nonchalantly and put it away: "Forget it, as long as it’s something that can cover for fooling Ling Jiangli that bastard, it will do."
...
...
In the front hall of the Senluo Commerce Guild, the manager was anxiously pacing when he heard footsteps, turned around, and saw the red-clad elder coming out, without any signs of a fight on him.
He exhaled in relief—so the ’purpose of visit’ was just a joke, right? He’d heard Principal Cha Huan of the Imperial Academy was a witty person, and this was indeed very witty.
"Are you leaving, sir?"
"Yes. Oh, there’s one thing I hope you can help with." Cha Huan pulled out a list for the manager to see: "It’s like this, I would like to visit the six people marked with red dots. How do I take the public bus there?"
The manager quickly said: "There’s currently a vacant sedan in the Guild, or—"
"No no no, it’s actually been awhile since I’ve taken a stroll, so I want to take the bus to see what’s changed in Yanjing." Cha Huan pointed to his bright red attire: "Besides, don’t I look dashing today?"
"Uh?"
"Don’t I?"
"Uh, well, in a certain way... I suppose so?"
"You’ve added so many unnecessary qualifiers." Cha Huan said dissatisfied: "I dressed so beautifully today, so I want people to take a look, to improve Yanjing’s dull dressing style now."
You’re just too wild... The manager chuckled awkwardly and stopped persuading. Being often out on field assignments himself, he was familiar with the public bus, which was his regular mode of transport.
He noticed Mu Poluo was also on the list and had been crossed off, gaining an understanding—could this be Principal Cha Huan’s visit list?
"Sir, are you planning to visit these six Patriarchs this afternoon?"
"Yes."
The six individuals marked with red dots on the list were all illustrious figures in Yanjing, some of whom the manager had visited, but some he hadn’t.
Thus, he diligently took out the Mossen Commerce Guild’s contact book, found the detailed addresses of the six Patriarchs, thought about the bus routes, and said: "Sir, when you leave, make a right turn, walk to the Announcement Pavilion on Xuanwu Alley and wait for Bus No. 3. It heads to Jiangnan Avenue to visit the Poppy Flower Commerce Association, then..."
"Thanks." Cha Huan said: "Next time I see that little Mu, I’ll definitely praise you in front of him."
The manager said happily: "Thank you for your guidance!"
"Don’t be thankful too soon. The next time you see little Mu, it may be a few years from now... if you’re unlucky, you might see him in two days."
Huh? Why would seeing Chairman Mu be due to bad luck?
Though confused, the manager still respectfully watched the elderly man in red leave.
The manager looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside, yawned uncontrollably, and continued resting on the front desk.
What a quiet and peaceful day.