Chapter 1174: Counterattack
Since Sun Heyu failed to capture Chen Jianqiu, the effort to convict Chen Jianchou should have stalled. With the crucial evidence missing, even if one wanted to keep him detained, it would no longer be possible.
Qi Xuansu thought the matter would end there, but to his surprise, new developments arose.
This Wu Burong truly withstood the pressure and stubbornly refused to release Chen Jianchou, forcing Qi Xuansu to take action personally.
To put it bluntly, since she refused to accept goodwill and insisted on making things ugly, Qi Xuansu could hardly be blamed. After all, Zheng Jiaohe was already dead, and Lin Tianhe had already fled. Qi Xuansu was no longer afraid of bad optics.
Thus, Qi Xuansu convened a meeting. Those attending included many Chief Superintendents from the branch halls, as well as Li Changge representing the Beichen Hall. Li Zhuyu was still in Lion City handling interrogations and could not make it back, so Li Changge took charge on the Thanglong Prefecture side.
The meeting was once again held in the small conference room adjoining Qi Xuansu’s office. Since the Daoist Order had abolished many kneeling rites and outwardly emphasized equality, many older layouts and furnishings of a Confucian hierarchy were no longer suitable. Thus, some of the current arrangements had been influenced by Western styles.
This small conference room had a long table running north to south, with one chair each at the ends and a row of chairs on both the east and west sides.
When Qi Xuansu entered the conference room, everyone was already present. The main seat at the north was empty, clearly reserved for him. Li Changge sat opposite that seat across the table, while the others were seated along the east and west sides.
Qi Xuansu took the main seat and swept his gaze around the room. “Since everyone’s here, we’ll begin the meeting now.”
Ke Qingqing entered together with Qi Xuansu. This was not a formal council session, so it was relatively relaxed. Her job was to sit beside him and take notes as a precaution against future disputes.
Except for Li Changge, everyone else instinctively straightened their posture.
Qi Xuansu opened the case file and went straight to the point. “Today, we’ll mainly discuss two matters. The first is still the issue of the Beichen Hall local branch violating rules and procedures. I already addressed this at the Daoist Mansion Council and originally didn’t wish to revisit it. However, the Beichen Hall local branch has neither released Chen Jianchou nor provided a reasonable explanation, forcing me to bring it up again. Brother Yong Yan, please tell me honestly. Has Beichen Hall received new instructions?”