Chapter 446

Su Qiao snorted coldly and said, "Do not forget that I am the Imperial Envoy holding the Imperial Edict, with special privileges granted personally by Your Majesty to act as I see fit, authorized by imperial power! As long as I deem it within my discretion, not only can I arrest and interrogate him, but even cutting off his head directly falls within that discretion!"

These words were spoken very impolitely!

Yet no one could refute them.

After all, the Imperial Edict was right there; everyone had seen it.

Moreover, Su Qiao's words were not directed solely at that Fifth Rank, Junior Grade official, but were deliberately spoken for others to hear as well.

Su Qiao did not want others to cause trouble; only cutting through the tangle with a sharp blade to solve the problem was the right path.

As Su Qiao's words fell, the atmosphere in the main hall froze.

He, however, paid no mind, picked up his tea cup again, and sipped leisurely.

It was as if the tea were extremely delicious.

At this moment, Sun Chuanting had no choice but to step in to smooth things over; he smiled and changed the subject, "Mr. Su, I wonder if there are any remaining remnants of the Bai Lianjiao within the Fuzhou city?"

"I am not clear on that either; having the Wei-suo soldiers control the entire city is also due to concern that those with ulterior motives might be stirring." Three.

300, interrogate Liu Minghe!

"I see now; I was wondering why there was not a single disturbance on the streets, but I did not expect Mr. Su had thought of this long ago."

"Not at all; it is simply a habit of preparing for a rainy day."

The atmosphere finally eased once more.

Everyone was interested in what had happened last night, so they let Sun Chuanting ask the questions.

Su Qiao did not conceal anything; he recounted everything that could be said.

The officials present looked at Su Qiao with even greater vigilance and awe.

Truly unexpected that the Four Great Families had plotted so meticulously, or rather so deeply, yet Su Qiao had dismantled it with just a few moves.

Some might say Su Qiao was lucky.

But the officials in the main hall were no pushovers; they all knew their own capabilities.

If they were to put themselves in his shoes, they absolutely would not have been as decisive and clean as Su Qiao, solving the problem directly like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Very likely, they would have used themselves as bait to lure the people of the Four Great Families onto the hook.

Yet according to the Four Great Families' subsequent design, they might have truly fallen into the pit and been swapped out by others.

"Mr. Su is indeed wise!"

"Impressive, impressive; only my lord Su could break the deadlock so effortlessly!"

"Indeed, you have broadened our horizons!"

Once the official business was concluded, only flattery remained.

Su Qiao had no interest in continuing the discussion with them.

After exchanging greetings with Sun Chuanting and the others, he took his leave.

This was also a deliberate display of posture.

Su Qiao had already taken down Liu Minghe, the Prefect.

If he wished to appoint someone to replace the Prefect, it was entirely within his power.

However, doing so would easily cause misunderstandings and draw attention from some.

After all, the Grand Councilor Sun Chuanting was still present.

Furthermore, Su Qiao himself did not wish to meddle in their officialdom affairs.

Therefore, Su Qiao simply left first, indicating he had no interest in the Fuzhou officialdom, leaving the arrangements to Sun Chuanting one.

This was a friendly signal!

Sun Chuanting also understood the meaning behind it and did not detain Su Qiao.

He was currently in Fuzhou at a critical moment handling the key issues of the various neglected Wei-suo garrisons, needing authority or assistants to help.

Su Qiao's non-interference was equivalent to letting him owe a favor, making it easier for him to issue orders and control the situation in Fuzhou and even the southeast.

Returning to the post station, Su Qiao had lunch with Liu Rushi.

Having been mentally strained all night plus the entire morning, he felt somewhat weary.

Now that things were finally at a pause, he lay down in the post station to rest.

This sleep lasted until evening.

Seeing Su Qiao rise, a look of joy appeared on Liu Rushi's pretty face.

"You are awake?"

"Mm, what time is it now?"

Su Qiao, with sleepy eyes, sat up with Liu Rushi's support.

He recovered his spirits slightly.

While pouring a cup of warm tea for Su Qiao, Liu Rushi said, "It is now the Hour of You; you did not eat dinner, shall I have someone bring it?"

Had Liu Rushi not mentioned it, Su Qiao would not have reacted much.

Upon her saying so, his stomach truly felt empty.

"Ah, alright, I am actually a bit hungry; it is evening already, prepare something light."

Su Qiao nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Liu Rushi nodded, "I specially cooked a Hundred Flowers Porridge for you; you can taste it in a moment."

"Good!"

……

The food was brought up, and Su Qiao began to eat under Liu Rushi's service.

He drank two bowls of porridge in one go, finally feeling fully satisfied.

He also remembered the real matter at hand.

"Where is Sun Youxu?"

"Guard Sun is not here right now; it seems Guard Ma is."

"Fine, trouble to call Ma Kui over!"

"Yes."

Before long, Ma Kui pushed the door open and came in.

"Mr. Su!"

"Hmm, restore Fuzhou City for now, but searches for entry and exit must be strict; additionally, no one may deliberately charge citizens an entry fee or blame them!"

Su Qiao spoke very clearly, and Ma Kui naturally understood what was meant.

He immediately agreed: "This subordinate understands; this subordinate will arrange for people to notify them, and the city gates will open tomorrow!"

"Hmm, by the way, how is Liu Minghe now?"

Liu Minghe was not locked up by Su Qiao in Fuzhou Prison; instead, the Embroidered Uniform Guard found a woodshed in the guesthouse and locked him inside.

Fearing he might escape or cause other trouble, more than three Embroidered Uniform Guards watched him all day long.

Hearing that Su Qiao was asking, Ma Kui hurriedly said: "He is eating and drinking well right now, constantly shouting that he wants to submit a memorial to impeach, and claiming he is wrongly accused."

"Heh, still impeaching? Dreaming on!"

Su Qiao heard this and said with a cold smile on his face.

"Take him to the study; this official will interrogate him personally!"

Originally, Su Qiao had wanted to let him cool off for a few days...

But after sleeping, his mind became much clearer.

Whether he was left to cool off or not made no difference.

Su Qiao made such a huge stir in Fuzhou City; in fact, many officials were already shrinking back in fear of him.

If it were only him, it would be fine.

But Sun Chuanting is still in Fuzhou City!

They say one mountain cannot hold two tigers, unless one is male and one is female!

Even though Su Qiao and Sun Chuanting had no interest in comparing themselves or anything, the two of them were like two great mountains pressing down on the Fuzhou Prefecture officialdom.

Who should they listen to?