439: Chapter 439 Let's Change Locations

The next day was the last day before the opening of the Worlds Number One Wine Festival.

Prefect Cai Heng arrived at the Prince's estate early in the morning to report the results of Lv Sheng's interrogation to Lin Xiao.

Although he had a mountain of things to attend to with the wine festival imminent, the matters entrusted to him by Lin Xiao were undoubtedly the most important.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after a night of interrogation, that Lv Sheng has admitted that it was out of jealousy that he deliberately caused trouble and offended Your Highness."

Prefect Cai Heng wore a look of disgust: "He also begged me to plead with Your Highness on his behalf, hoping for a lenient sentence."

"Oh? So smooth?" Lin Xiao asked: "Did you torture him?"

Prefect Cai Heng replied: "He is a Juren scholar, so I could not use torture without authorization."

"Then how did you get him to confess?" Lin Xiao asked, curious.

Prefect Cai Heng smiled: "It was nothing much. I know these scholars pride themselves on being refined, so I had the jailers splash some farm manure in Lv Sheng's cell. He acted as if he had seen a terrifying demon and quickly behaved himself."

"Hahahaha..." Lin Xiao and the women all laughed. Thinking of Lv Sheng's breakdown, they all found it hilarious.

With his arrogant and conceited nature, let alone manure, he probably hadn't even been to a vegetable patch before, right?

"According to the laws of the Great Gan, offending a Prince should be punishable by immediate execution. However, since he is a Juren student of the Imperial Academy, we need to report to the capital before a final decision can be made."

After Prefect Cai Heng finished speaking, Xiao Qingxuan asked: "Prefect Cai, shouldn't regional Princes have the authority to execute first and report later when offended?"

"Hiss... Your Highness, you have reminded me. That clause does indeed exist. Shall I go and execute him now?"

Prefect Cai Heng did not hesitate; anyone who dared to offend the Prince deserved to die!

"No need, just release him." Lin Xiao waved his hand. He wasn't very clear on the laws, but he never intended to kill Lv Sheng anyway.

This guy was just a "useless teammate" for the Academy and the Imperial Academy; he was more useful alive.

"Release him?" Prefect Cai Heng was unwilling: "But he has already signed and stamped his confession; the evidence is conclusive..."

Lin Xiao laughed: "That makes it all the more reason to release him. After all, with the evidence of his crime in our hands, do you think he will have an easy life?"

Prefect Cai Heng suddenly realized. This was about holding leverage over Lv Sheng, making him unable to eat or sleep in peace! Indeed, compared to a quick death, staying alive was more tormenting.

Just then, a servant reported that Elder Zhu Ming had arrived.

Lin Xiao was slightly taken aback, but he guessed why the old man had come, and immediately told Prefect Cai Heng to leave first.

Prefect Cai Heng took his leave. On his way out, he bumped into Elder Zhu Ming, offered a salute with neither servility nor overbearingness, and then departed.

Elder Zhu Ming looked at Prefect Cai Heng's retreating figure, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes.

"Your Highness, you have a keen eye for talent. This Prefect Cai must have been a pearl covered in dust."

Lin Xiao laughed: "Elder Zhu, you came so early in the morning, surely not just to flatter me, right?"

Elder Zhu Ming sighed: "To tell you the truth, I am here at someone else's request. Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian wish to come and pay a visit..."

Elder Zhu Ming explained the situation briefly.

After hearing this, Lin Xiao did not answer immediately but asked: "Elder Zhu, when did you start growing vegetables?"

"Growing vegetables?" Elder Zhu Ming was confused, but he still recalled carefully: "About the year I was eleven."

"Eleven? So early?"

"That year, my father passed away. My mother had to take care of my younger brother and little sister, so I had to learn from the uncles in the village how to tend to the vegetable patch, turning the soil, raising seedlings, weeding, and fertilizing..."

Elder Zhu Ming reminisced, feeling quite emotional: "The first time the vegetables I grew myself were eaten by my family, that joy is still fresh in my memory even now."

"Later, when I entered the Imperial Academy, there was no place to farm, and I felt stifled all over. Thinking about it carefully, a large reason for returning to Baishui Prefecture was to farm."

Elder Zhu Ming looked at Lin Xiao's thoughtful expression and asked curiously: "Why did Your Highness suddenly ask this?"

Lin Xiao's eyes flickered: "Even among scholars, there are some who are willing to farm, right?"

"That is natural." Elder Zhu Ming seemed to realize something and smiled: "Your Highness is agreeing to meet Master Li and the others then?"

Lin Xiao nodded: "Let them come. However, have them bring more people, and go to a different place..."

In the afternoon, over a dozen carriages, in a grand procession, followed the two-lane cement road and arrived at a "village" on the banks of the Cang River.

Master Li Jingyi and Master Xu Huaian were followed by over thirty young disciples from the Academy who were in Lincang.

As soon as the large group got off the carriages, they saw a massive, solemn archway. On it was clearly written "New Northern Academy".

"Is this the academy that Brother Zhu attended the opening ceremony of earlier?" Master Xu Huaian asked.

"I heard they admitted a large number of women. I really haven't come to see it with my own eyes," Master Li Jingyi said, looking intrigued.

"The Prince asked us to bring students here; could it be that he wants us to hold lectures here?"

"If that is truly the case, it could be a major opportunity for our Academy and the Prince of Zhenbei to ease tensions. Although teaching women might be somewhat inappropriate, it is not uncommon for noble women to study literature and calligraphy, so it is of no great consequence."

As the two were speculating, they saw a beautiful and cute young woman walking towards them, dressed in a simple, elegant green robe with her long hair tied up with a green hair tie.

"Are you Master Li and Master Xu?" the young girl asked with a smile.

The two old men looked at each other. Why was a young girl coming to meet them? Could she be a female student sent to welcome them?

Looking back at the hot-blooded young students from the Academy behind them, sure enough, many of their eyes were shining.

This is exactly why men and women shouldn't study together! It is truly damaging to moral standards!

However, they dared not speak out and nodded stiffly.

"Young lady, how should we address you?" Master Li Jingyi asked, his face serious.

"This junior, Zhao Cailing, is the Dean of the Medical School of the New Northern Academy. Under the Prince's orders, I am here to welcome you all and take you to visit the Medical School."

"What?" Master Li Jingyi was stunned and looked her up and down carefully again: "You are the Dean?"

"The Medical School? Is that the school with many female students?" Master Xu Huaian had also heard a little about it.

Zhao Cailing giggled: "I didn't expect Master Xu to know about it too. That's right, our school has sixty-seven female students, and they are all very young, with many, many pretty little girls."

As Zhao Cailing said this, she deliberately glanced at the group of Academy students.

The students immediately became awkward, many blushing, but their eyes were full of anticipation.

Master Li and Master Xu sighed silently. A bunch of inexperienced fools, how embarrassing!

"Young... er, Dean Zhao, since the Prince is at the Medical School, please lead the way."

"Alright, everyone, follow me!" Zhao Cailing turned around and led the way with light, quick steps.

The group of grown men followed silently behind, acting like thieves, looking left and right, nervous and curious.

Before long, the group heard various pounding sounds coming from an area of bungalows.