Chapter 730  : Settle It In Private

After entering the inner hall, Li Tingzhao took the seat of honor, with Chu Xuhua sitting to his right, the closest position. The others found their places around them.

The presence of Chu Xuhua by Li Tingzhao’s side elevated his status in the eyes of the onlookers, making them regard him as a trusted confidant of Li Tingzhao.

Li Tingzhao surveyed everyone in the hall and straightforwardly stated, “I wish for the Lin family to disappear from Fengxin County. I hope for your cooperation.”

This statement weighed heavily on those present, considering Li Tingzhao was raised by the Lin family’s first madam. Now a prince, instead of repaying their kindness, he sought to eliminate the Lin family.

There must be a significant, hidden reason behind his desire to erase the Lin family, something grave enough to provoke such a stance from Li Tingzhao. With this thought, everyone ceased their speculation, fearing the potential repercussions of their curiosity.

The magistrate bowed, “Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”

Li Tingzhao nodded, pleased with the magistrate’s tact, “You don’t need to do anything. Just watch from the sidelines.”

The Lin family would give the county magistrate a lot of money every year. If they did not remove the county magistrate, it would not be easy to deal with the Lin family.

The magistrate quickly assured, “As you command, Your Highness.”

Li Tingzhao then offered an incentive, “I’ve heard the magistrate’s son wishes to study at the Imperial College. I can write a recommendation letter for him upon my return to the capital.”

This was a concern for the magistrate, who, despite holding office, found it challenging to secure a place for his son at the Imperial College. He expressed his gratitude, “Thankyou, Your Highness.”

Li Tingzhao nodded, “Serve well, and you shall be rewarded.”

The magistrate promised once more, “Certainly, Your Highness.”

After concluding their discussion, Li Tingzhao and Chu Xuhua left the county office to plan the swift elimination of the Lin family.

Unexpectedly, when the two of them returned to the residence, First Master

Lin, First Madam Lin, and some juniors of the Lin family were standing at the entrance. It seemed that they had been waiting for a while.

Li Tingzhao thought for a moment and pretended that nothing had happened.

He smiled and bowed. “Greetings, Father and Mother.”

Originally, when the Lin family saw Li Tingzhao, they should have knelt down and bowed. However, when the Lin family saw that Li Tingzhao addressed them so intimately, they did not kneel and only symbolically bowed.

First Master Lin looked at Li Tingzhao, who was dressed in the king’s usual clothes and had a noble aura. He could not help but feel proud. “Yingmin, are you used to it in the capital?”

Quite accustomed,” Li Tingzhao replied, his gaze momentarily darkening before he smiled again, “Father, mother, please, let’s go inside and talk.” “Okay.”

Seeing this, Chu Xuhua excused himself, “Young Master, I’ll attend to some business matters first and return later.”

Li Tingzhao nodded. “Okay.”

As the Lin family followed Li Tingzhao inside, Chu Xuhua headed off with Li Zhangjie, “Hungry? Let’s go eat.”

Li Zhangjie glanced around the residence and nodded, “I am.”

“Come on, I’ll take you somewhere nice.”

“Thanks, Brother Xuhua.”

On the way, Li Zhangjie asked curiously, “Brother Xuhua, Li Tingzhao is already a prince. Why are you still so polite to the Lin family?”

Chu Xuhua thought for a moment and said, “All noble families care about their reputation. Perhaps after becoming a prince, he can’t afford to be seen making a mistake, especially in public.”

Li Zhangjie nodded, though not fully comprehending, “Oh.”

AtYunfei School.

A servant presented a letter to the dean.

Mu Chongli, upon seeing the unique military camp seal on the envelope, immediately read the letter, and his expression changed slightly. He calmly ordered the servant, “Go call Bai Tingyan here.”

“Yes, dean.”

When Bai Tingyan heard that Mu Chongli was looking for him, he thought that the matter of the music score had been settled. He could not help but be overjoyed. He quickly went to the small courtyard where Mu Chongli lived and bowed. “Dean.”

“Do you know your mistake?” Mu Chongli’s expression was ugly as he spoke in a deep voice. It was rare for plagiarism to happen in Yunfei School. If news of the music score spread, it would tarnish the academy’s reputation.

Bai Tingyan was already feeling guilty. When he heard this, the blood on his face immediately drained. He stammered, “Dean…”

Mu Chongli asked the people around him to leave. The school’s reputation could not be ruined. He had to understand the situation first. “Tell me, what’s with the score?”

As expected, it was about the music score. Bai Tingyan panicked and knelt on the ground. “Dean, I was blinded. I didn’t do it on purpose. I really didn’t do it on purpose…”

Mu Chongli expected better from him. Bai Tingyan actually had a chance of getting into the imperial examination. This was a stain on his reputation. “Why did you do this?”

Bai Tingyan cried, “Dean, I really didn’t do it on purpose…”

It turned out that Bai Tingyan’s mother was a concubine. Not long ago, her mother did something wrong and was neglected by her father. His mother complained to him.

In a bid to restore her status, he risked stealing the music score, hoping royal praise would secure his academic and social ascent, thereby ensuring his mother’s favor was never lost again. Unfortunately, his plan backfired and was exposed.

Mu Chongli, a fair dean, responded, “What a pity, one wrong step led to many…”

He called Fang Mingyi and Fang Mingyi’s good friend over and told them what had happened so that they could decide what to do.

Of course, he also had some selfish motives. If this matter spread, it would affect the school’s reputation. He wanted to see if it could be resolved in private.

Fang Mingyi’s good friend looked at his cousin and was very disappointed. “If you wanted the score, I would have given it to you. Why did you plagiarize?”

Bai Tingyan knelt before his cousin, “Cousin, I realize my mistake. Please give me another chance. I won’t do it again.”

The cousin, torn but ultimately soft-hearted, turned to Fang Mingyi, “What do we do?”

Fang Mingyi, not explicitly stating anything, suggested, “You decide. It’s just a music score, and it hasn’t caused serious harm. It’s not a big deal.”

After helping his cousin up, the cousin, relenting, said, “Are you really not going to make the same mistake in the future?”

Bai Tingyan quickly promised, “I won’t do it again.”

The cousin sighed. He couldn’t force his cousin to a dead end. “Dean, let’s end this matter here.”

Mu Chongli nodded, emphasizing, “Integrity is paramount for scholars. If one’s character is flawed, no amount of learning can compensate. Bai Tingyan, take this as a warning. If repeated, today’s leniency won’t apply, and there will be no mercy.”

“Yes, dean.” Bai Tingyan was extremely regretful. He swore to himself that he would never do such a thing again.

After completing the surgeries, Chu Qingzhi tasked her disciples with post­operative care and headed into the woods.

Da Bai ran over and let Chu Qingzhi sit.

Chu Qingzhi was a little tired, so she didn’t reject Da Bai’s good intentions and sat on its back.

Together, they swiftly moved through the forest.

“Stop!” Chu Qingzhi suddenly said.

Hearing this, Da Bai stopped and turned around to look at Chu Qingzhi in confusion.