Chapter 167: Fight For Princ.i.p.al
On that day, Xiang Shaoyun left the Green Bamboo Academy. When he left, not a single person saw him off, not even Luo Yongcheng. Xiang Shaoyun departed in a carefree manner. Some people followed him in secret to confirm that he had indeed left. The confirmation of his departure was eventually transmitted to a person within a certain residence within the Green Bamboo Academy.
"He finally left? Good, we won"t have anything to worry about now," said the owner of the place.
The owner of the place was none other than the surviving vice princ.i.p.al, Luo Hua. Since both the princ.i.p.al and the other vice princ.i.p.al had been killed in the battle with the Redwolf Bandits, he was supposed to be the next princ.i.p.al. Unfortunately, he was also one of the deserters during the battle. That was the reason why he had lived.
He had decent strength but was a greedy and cowardly person. He was also the one who had played a great role in keeping the Green Bamboo Academy conservative and pa.s.sive, causing the academy to stop growing.
Now that he wanted to a.s.sume the position of princ.i.p.al, he encountered resistance from the faction led by Luo Yongcheng. Some even supported Luo Yongcheng to be the new princ.i.p.al instead. It caused no small amount of resentment in Luo Hua.
He had been waiting for the princ.i.p.al to die so he could be the new princ.i.p.al for a very long time. Now that the chance had finally arrived, he would definitely not give up on it. He did not seize the position with brute force, not because he was afraid of Luo Yongcheng, but because he feared the young man who had been staying in their academy. With the departure of that young man, he could now act without inhibition.
That young man was after all a genius capable of forcing the Redwolf Bandits leader into a retreat. Luo Hua was not at all that young man"s match. At the same time, that young man was Luo Yongcheng"s supporter. If that young man was allowed to stay, Luo Hua would not be able to become the new princ.i.p.al.
"Men, transmit my order. We are going to prepare for the princ.i.p.al"s funeral," said Luo Hua. Without Xiang Shaoyun around, he sounded more confident when speaking.
After the funeral, it would be the time for him to ascend to the position of princ.i.p.al. In the blink of an eye, a few days pa.s.sed. Today would be the day of burial, and everyone from the academy had come to attend the burial of the princ.i.p.al"s ash into the academy"s tomb.
A lot of people had arrived today, including some people from town who had enjoyed the princ.i.p.al"s kindness in the past. The ex-disciples of the academy had also arrived, and even more commoners had arrived.
The large crowd filled the academy with bustle. The funeral proceeded smoothly; n.o.body created any trouble whatsoever. Finally, everyone stepped forth and burned joss sticks for the princ.i.p.al, wis.h.i.+ng that he would rest in peace.
When the funeral was over and the crowd was leaving, an elder said, "Everyone, please stay. The princ.i.p.al has just pa.s.sed away, but I am sure he would not want to see the academy remain without a leader for long and lose the unity it once had. I propose we select the new princ.i.p.al right here. That way, we can keep the deceased princ.i.p.al informed of this, and his soul will thus be comforted."
"The third elder is right. I agree. Personally, I think the vice princ.i.p.al, Luo Hua, will be the best person to become the new princ.i.p.al. He has worked untiringly for the academy all these years. n.o.body is more suited for the position than him," said someone else.
More and more people stepped out and voiced their thoughts. All of them were supporting Luo Hua as the new princ.i.p.al.
"Hmph. It is better for Vice Princ.i.p.al Luo Hua to stay vice princ.i.p.al. He is not worthy of the princ.i.p.al position," snorted the eighth elder.
"What do you mean by that, old eight? The princ.i.p.al has just pa.s.sed away, and the only one qualified to take on the mantle is Vice Princ.i.p.al Luo Hua. Are you trying to revolt against the academy?" berated the third elder.
"Hehe, letting a deserter be the princ.i.p.al? I will never agree to it. What does everyone else think?" asked the eighth elder loudly.
"Impudent!" shouted the third elder with a gloomy expression.
At this time, Luo Hua spoke, "Whether I am a deserter is not for you to judge. I only have one thing to say. Anyone who thinks he is more suited for this position, feel free to stand out. If he really is a capable person, I won"t mind withdrawing my claim to the position."
Luo Hua had long foreseen that there would be objections. He was taking a step back momentarily so he could observe the situation before deciding his next steps.
"I think Senior Brother Luo will be the most suitable person for the position," said the eighth elder while pointing at Luo Yongcheng. After that, a few more people voiced their support for Luo Yongcheng. And thus, a fight over the princ.i.p.al position broke out between the two factions, while the attendees of the funeral became the spectators of this new drama.
"What is the point of arguing here? I say we let the town head and the elders of the town vote for it," said Luo Hua with a confident smile, as if everything was within his grasp.
After he made the suggestion, a few well-respected individuals of the town were invited out of the crowd. They were all well-known elders of the town, including the town head, and they represented the desire of a part of the Green Bamboo Town as a whole. Luo Yongcheng and his supporters had not seen this coming and were all caught by surprise.
"We all support Vice Princ.i.p.al Luo Hua as the new princ.i.p.al," the elders said after signaling Luo Hua with their eyes.
"Head town and fellow elders, how can you make such a choice?" The people from Luo Yongcheng"s faction were dissatisfied.
"Allow me to say a few words," said the town head. He had been holding tightly to the town head position for many years, unwilling to relinquish the position even after many years. Similar to Luo Hua, he was also a greedy and cowardly person.
"Luo Hua has contributed greatly to the Green Bamboo Town over the years. As the town head, I am well aware of what he has done...," the town head started singing Luo Hua praises.
Everyone knew that the town head was blatantly lying, but since he was the town head, n.o.body could really stop him from speaking.
"Bulls.h.i.+t! Those are all the contributions of the Green Bamboo Academy as a whole. Why are they suddenly the contributions of him alone?" questioned Luo Yongcheng. He could no longer hold his anger; they were too shameless.
"Yes, they are the contributions of the academy, but without Vice Princ.i.p.al Luo Hua taking charge of the academy, how would there be contributions? How about this, I will give my support to you, Luo Yongcheng, to be the new vice princ.i.p.al, whereas Luo Hua can be the new princ.i.p.al," said the town head.
The group of old men behind him all supported his decision. As for Luo Hua"s faction, they naturally supported the decision as well. Many of them even started persuading the others to agree to it.
In their eyes, it was the best solution to their current impa.s.se. After all, even if Luo Yongcheng was the second elder, his position was still beneath Luo Hua"s. For him to be promoted straight to vice princ.i.p.al was already a great offer. Because of that, not even the people from Luo Yongcheng"s faction knew what to say anymore.
"Alright, it’s decided then. Luo Hua will be the new princ.i.p.al, and Luo Yongcheng will be the new vice princ.i.p.al. Apart from that, I volunteer myself to become the other vice princ.i.p.al as well," said the third elder.
Right this instant, a voice rang out in the air, "It would be better if this young master is the princ.i.p.al instead."