Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 687 Damn it, forcing me to unleash my ultimate move!
"Shut up, everyone!"

Xia Lin arrived at His Majesty's study and saw a group of nobles and high-ranking officials wailing. He frowned, stepped forward, and shouted, "I will redress your grievances within a month."

Upon seeing Xia Lin, they ignored his nonsense and rushed to fight him. Xia Lin simply stood there and gestured for the guards who tried to stop him. The group lost their courage and stopped two meters away, suddenly unsure of how to face Xia Lin.

Without the constant chatter and chatter, Emperor Jingtai seemed to suddenly feel much cooler. He took a deep breath and began to play the bad cop.

"What, are you going to beat him up? I know you are filled with grief and anger, but the deed is done. Now is not the time to dwell on these things. The most urgent task is to find the perpetrator and the mastermind behind it, and to give you justice and the Dali Temple justice. What do you all think?"

With the emperor offering a way out, they naturally had nothing to say. Marquis Ping'an, relying on his noble status, became the leader among them. He approached Xia Lin and asked, "You just said within a month, do you have any proof?"

Xia Lin glanced at him sideways: "If I'm willing to do something, I can do it, even without proof or evidence. If I want to renege on a debt, I have proof and evidence, so what can you do to me?"

Emperor Jingtai clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, "Damn..."

This wasn't just Emperor Jingtai's sentiment, but the sentiment of everyone present. Indeed, even if Xia Lin didn't say anything, or even if he did say something but didn't keep his word, no one could do anything to him, since this matter essentially had nothing to do with him.

"Since His Majesty has said so, what's wrong with us waiting for a month?"

The group dispersed in a flurry, and Xia Lin sat in the study with Emperor Jingtai, staring at each other. After a while, Emperor Jingtai looked at him and asked, "It's late. Are you hungry?"

"Kind of."

"Have something to eat. I'll ask the kitchen to cook some noodles."

"alright."

Soon, two large bowls of egg noodles were served. Emperor Jingtai didn't have any particular desires for food or sex. Although he wasn't exactly a picky eater, he certainly didn't care much. Most of the time, his late-night snacks consisted of a bowl of egg noodles or a pancake.

"You said it could be done in a month, are you starting to get things sorted out?"

"No." Xia Lin lowered his head and slurped his noodles. "Well, we have to get through this first hurdle, otherwise if people are blocking your way and you can't give them an explanation, things will get really complicated."

"Won't things still be just as troublesome a month from now?"

Emperor Jingtai was also deeply worried at this moment. Fortunately, he realized the limits of his abilities and knew that there were many situations he could not handle. Otherwise, he would not know how deep his anxiety would have fallen.

Right now, he's anxious, but it doesn't affect his eating or sleeping. Anxiety? Anxiety is fine. There's always Xia Daosheng. If even he can't solve it, then the problem is unsolvable. And if the problem is unsolvable, what's the point of being anxious?

"Let's hold out for now. I'll issue the summons tomorrow."

"Whom should we summon?"

"I'll give you a surprise later, but I'll keep it a secret for now."

Emperor Jingtai curled his lip: "Always talking nonsense. If you're so capable, ask Guan Yu to possess you."

Xia Lin put down the empty noodle bowl, wiped her mouth, and said, "I don't have that ability. I'm going back now."

"Don't go. It's the middle of the night. I'm afraid you'll fall into the water and die of fright if you go back. Just stay in the palace."

"You've summoned another concubine to keep me company?"

"Want some? If you want some, go and order it yourself." Emperor Jingtai elegantly wiped his mouth. "But most of the women in the palace are just ordinary, common women, and you don't seem to like them. If you really feel the urge, why don't you go and choose some from the palace maids?"

"By the way, I've already started working on the plan to cut the palace budget, and it should be ready by next year."

Which areas will be cut?

"Remove everything superfluous. Divide the palace in two: one part will serve as the national administrative center, and the other part will be open to the public." Xia Lin tapped the table: "Admission is by ticket only."

Emperor Jingtai was stunned: "This works?"

"Of course, the palace is too big, there's too much empty space. You figure out how to handle the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites, I'll take care of public opinion."

"Fine, I'll do whatever you say. If you really take over my palace, I'll go to Fuliang and become a brothel emperor."

“There are no brothels in Fuliang.” Xia Lin laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely arrange for you to get out properly, without damaging your imperial dignity.”

Emperor Jingtai leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, and sighed deeply: "Other emperors build ever larger palaces and more and more temporary residences. Every year, they hold imperial selections to choose the most beautiful women in the land, and they enjoy lavish clothes and sumptuous meals with eight hundred dishes. But here I am, even the imperial palace has to be divided in half. By the way, what's the other half for again?"

"Showcasing the might of Chinese civilization to the world." Xia Lin laughed. "As for those emperors you mentioned, you can do the same, but don't blame me for not warning you. The current dynasty's three-hundred-year limit is just around the corner. You don't want your country to fall and your family to perish, do you?"

Emperor Jingtai was taken aback: "Huh? I was just joking. You can decide everything. Your father asked you to be the inner workings of the imperial family, so this is the kind of thing you should do. I just need to maintain appearances."

Xia Lin cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left. After watching him leave, Emperor Jingtai patted his stomach and said, "Someone, make me another bowl of noodles, with two eggs and a piece of braised meat. I can't take it anymore!"

The next morning, Xia Lin's summons was issued via a special express postal route. This was essentially a private, 800-li express courier service, a super-special express delivery system operated by the Dugu family. It cost one tael of silver per li, making it very expensive, but its efficiency was truly remarkable.

However, Xia Lin didn't have to pay for it, because this line was originally intended to be used as a backup line. It would be idle anyway, and most of the money for opening the line and building the road came from the Dugu family. So, he just handed it over to them to operate. Xia Lin's use of this line to send official documents could reduce the waste of public resources and increase the line's operating volume, which was a win-win situation.

Originally, the fastest route from Jinling to Fuliang, apart from the 800-li express, took four days. However, this civilian version of the 800-li express, while not being able to achieve a same-day arrival, could still achieve arrival by noon the next day after departure through reasonable waterway transfers and non-stop alternating transport.

So at noon on the second day, three departments of Fuliang Academy were urgently summoned: the forensic medicine and trace evidence majors of the medical school, and the criminal investigation major of the judicial college. After careful selection, the 75 best students from the three departments boarded the passenger ship to the capital as soon as possible.

The academy has been around for fifteen years. From its humble beginnings, it has grown into a comprehensive school with ten colleges and forty-two branches. The amount of money invested each year is immeasurable.

Education is about spending money without considering the cost.

However, education is also the investment with the most stable return, bar none. It's the kind of investment where every penny spent yields tangible results. Now, fifteen years later, Gangnam Province's educational resources have far surpassed those of other places. However, since the last civil service examination where over 80% of the hundred or so students passed, Gangnam Province no longer participates in the civil service examinations. Instead, its students are absorbed internally. Gangnam Province has long been a pilot area for not using the civil service examinations.

The seventy-five people traveled eastward along the waterway and soon arrived at Jinling City.

It has to be said that as soon as they stepped off the ship, their demeanor set them apart from the scholars of the capital. While they might not be considered particularly handsome—after all, most of them came from ordinary families and their genes were certainly not as good-looking as those of the aristocratic children who had been selected for generations—their upright posture and sharp eyes clearly showed that they had received a good education and had worked hard.

Their clothes were also different from ordinary people's; they were all wearing standard school uniforms, made of high-quality materials and with novel designs, which made them the focus of everyone's attention as soon as they appeared.

"People from Ehu Academy! Look, look!"

"Goodness, it really is. What are all these people doing here? Are they holding a special imperial examination?"

"Won't I just die waiting? I've heard that these people's knowledge and abilities far surpass those of ordinary people."

"Yes, I need to hurry home and ask around."

Fuliang Academy is now considered a secluded sect. In the past, people from Fuliang Academy would travel or gather inspiration. Although they were not proficient in poetry and prose, they were far superior to the current educational level in almost every other aspect. What's even more amazing is that they were assigned to different subjects from a young age and specialized in one subject to master it. When they encountered ordinary students in their professional fields, it was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

The only comparable institution was Yuzhang Academy, which focused more on law and current affairs, while Ehu Academy focused more on science, engineering, and mathematics. Together, the two academies formed the terrifying educational capacity of Jiangnan Province.

The reason these two academies are legendary is not only because they are already very prestigious, but also because of the honors bestowed upon them by two emperors. Emperor Hongbao personally wrote the plaque for Ehu Academy that read "The Chosen Ones of Heaven," while Emperor Jingtai wrote the four characters "Outstanding" for Yuzhang Academy.

When the students from Ehu Academy suddenly appeared in the capital, the students there were filled with fear.

However, they arrived in a hurry and didn't receive much news. Not long after they landed, they were picked up by a carriage and headed straight for the palace without even stopping along the way.

Seventy-five people arrived at the Taiji Hall and first met with Emperor Jingtai.

"Oh, so the surprise Daosheng was talking about was you guys."

Emperor Jingtai looked at the group of young men below and smiled with satisfaction: "Have you all heard about what happened this time?"

"Your Majesty, we have already circulated the document once on the way, but we still need to go to the specific locations to conduct on-site inspections."

A student from the Criminal Investigation Department stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting to Emperor Jingtai, and said, "This time, our departments are confident that we can get to the bottom of this matter. This method may seem clever, but in reality, it is full of mistakes."

"Really? You should know that your Lord Xia made a pledge before me, giving you only one month to complete it."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingtai burst into laughter: "Delü, issue an imperial edict to bestow a precious sword. You may act expediently and execute first, then report later."

He was very satisfied with the spirit of these young people. In the past, he would feel heartache and chest tightness whenever he saw the education expenditures in the accounts of Gangnam Province, but now, seeing the people raised with this money, he instantly understood where the money was spent.

This is planting trees. Every single tree will become a pillar supporting this nearly collapsing world. In the face of this, what does money matter?

However, he's not a young man in his twenties anymore, and he knows it's too early to be happy. Opening champagne at the halfway point is a major taboo.

So he wasn't in a hurry, but waited to see what good news these young people could bring him.

Xia Lin wasn't there at the moment. He was in the prison of the Investigation Department, listening to the interrogation of the "Five Tigers of the Northwest." These tough guys were arrested that day without much effort. They were just ordinary people with a bit more strength. Under the systematic intelligence system, these people were not much different from a few weak and ignorant scholars.

“We really are just here to perform. The claim that we’re causing trouble in Nanjing is just… just a gimmick. They have to pay to come and challenge us. It’s not us. And we’re not foreigners. We are… we’re from Longcheng and Chang’an. We’re one of our own… sir, one of our own.”

Luo Shixin turned to look at Xia Lin, who shrugged. Luo Shixin immediately understood: "Things have come to this point, and you still won't behave. Well then, I'm sorry. Guards, bring the torture!"

Just then, a scout hurried in and bowed to Xia Lin and Luo Shixin, saying, "Lord, Commander Luo, we have a confession."

Xia Lin and Luo Shixin immediately got up and went to another room, where one of the Five Tigers was slumped over, barely breathing.

"Stop hitting me... I confess, I'll confess everything."

Xia Lin crossed his arms and nodded his chin: "Go ahead and speak."

One of the Five Tigers began to speak, saying that they were originally street performers in Dragon City, ordinary martial arts practitioners who made a living by selling things like miracle pills and wound medicine.

It is said that one day a person suddenly took them to a house and told them to come to Jinling to perform, and to shout in his way.

"that's it?"

Xia Lin frowned: "Nothing else?"

"That's all... there really is nothing else."

Xia Lin pondered for a moment: "Tell me what the person who ordered you around looks like."

The man racked his brains to recall, and then roughly described what the person looked like, but the person's appearance was too ordinary, just a common face.

But thinking about it, it's obvious that this kind of thing wouldn't be done by the big boss. They would definitely choose an ordinary person to do it. And the so-called Five Tigers causing trouble in Nanjing is just a pretext to attract them.

“Interesting.” Xia Lin turned to Luo Shixin and said, “They’re actually from the Li Tang dynasty.”

"General," Luo Shixin said in a low voice, "I don't think so. The matter here is too strange, and these people are looking for things too deliberately."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Xia Lin nodded. "Go and call Hongxiu over."

(End of this chapter)