Chapter 150 Gu Zhenzhu

Gu Yi scrambled through the crowd.

"Gu Yi!"

When Gu Zhenzhu saw that Gu Yi had really run away, she shouted angrily, but Gu Yi did not hesitate!

He knew what was important! He knew he'd really messed up this time!

Xie Sangning then turned to the stall owner whose stall had been damaged, took out a hundred-tael silver note from his sleeve and handed it over, his voice becoming gentler: "Shopkeeper, you've been frightened. This is to compensate you for the loss of your stall and to calm your nerves."

After doing all this, she looked at the Lin family members and said in a calm tone, "I'm sorry to have startled you all. Let's find a place to sit down and rest while we wait for Lord Gu to come and seek justice for his daughter."

Soon, the owner of a nearby tea stall personally led the way, respectfully guiding Xie Sangning and the Lin family to their seats.

Xie Sangning and Lin Zhu took their seats, and the rest of the Lin family also sat down.

On the street, the faint sounds of excited chatter could be heard from the people:

"Thank God! Finally, someone has taken care of that devil from the Gu family!"

"Yeah! He used to swagger around the streets, injuring countless people while riding his horse! And he ate and dashed so many times! Today he's finally been caught!"

"That county princess is truly a living bodhisattva! She should be punished like this!"

"Just wait and see, Gu Dexing is going to be in big trouble this time!"

"That's not necessarily true. Didn't you see our prefect..."

Lin Ziyuan and Lin Huan excitedly recounted Chen Feng's impressive over-the-shoulder throws and elbow strikes in hushed tones, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at him. Chen Feng, however, felt a little embarrassed by their direct gazes.

Gu Zhenzhu was "invited" to stand aside by the two guards. Her face turned pale and then red. She was both angry and scared, and she kept muttering curses under her breath: "Pretentious" and "Wait until my father comes and you'll be sorry."

She stared intently at Xie Sangning, who was calmly drinking tea, and Lin Zhu, who was resting with his eyes closed, still clinging to a sliver of hope: Maybe it was just a bluff! What kind of trouble could a wretched old man and a powerless county magistrate cause in Jiangnan?

About half an hour later, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps and hoofbeats approached from afar.

A middle-aged man, dressed in a fifth-rank blue official robe, slightly overweight, and sporting a goatee, arrived panting, surrounded by Gu Yi and seven or eight more well-dressed guards.

The visitor was none other than Gu Dexing, the Assistant Commissioner of the Salt Transport Office.

He immediately saw his beloved daughter, Gu Zhenzhu, being guarded by two unfamiliar guards. She stood trembling to the side, her clothes torn, her face injured, and she looked disheveled.

Looking at his own guards lying on the ground and the mournful white horse, a surge of anger rushed to his head!

"Pearl! My child! Who! Who hurt you like this?!" Gu Dexing rushed to Gu Zhenzhu, his heart aching with pain. He then turned sharply, his gaze sweeping fiercely toward the tea stall. "Which blind bastard dares to lay a hand on my daughter in Jiangnan?! Get out here!"

When Gu Zhenzhu saw her father arrive, her confidence instantly returned, and she pointed at Xie Sangning and Lin Zhu with a sob in her voice: "Father! It's them! That slut in the blue clothes and that old bastard! And that dog servant in the black clothes! They hurt my Taxue! They even dared to insult me! They hurt me! Father! You have to stand up for me! Arrest them all! Throw them in the death row!"

Gu Dexing looked in the direction his daughter pointed.

A young woman, strikingly beautiful and with a cool, aloof air, sat gracefully in the main seat, slowly setting down her teacup. Beside her sat an elderly man with white hair and beard, his eyes closed, his demeanor composed and serene. Surrounding them sat what appeared to be her family members, all unfamiliar faces.

Although he doesn't look like an ordinary person, Gu Dexing has been operating in Jiangnan for many years and has the backing of salt merchants. Even the prefect has to give him some face. Who has he ever been afraid of?

Especially since the other party also injured his only precious daughter!

He suppressed his anger, not immediately lashing out. Instead, he straightened his official robes, walked to the tea stall, and sized up Xie Sangning with a gloomy gaze. His tone was authoritative and oppressive: "I am Gu Dexing, the Assistant Salt Commissioner! Who are you? Why did you allow your servants to commit violence in the street, injuring my beloved daughter and destroying my precious horse? And why did you detain the daughter of a court official? This is blatant disregard for the laws of the court! Do you know your crimes?!"

He immediately put a big label on me.

Xie Sangning raised her eyes and glanced at him indifferently. Her gaze was calm, but it sent a chill down Gu Dexing's spine.

"Gu Dexing?" Xie Sangning's voice was cold. "I thought you would wait until sunset to come."

County Princess? Gu Dexing's eyelids twitched violently!

But Gu Dexing was a seasoned official, and he quickly regained his composure. The fierceness on his face lessened, and he put on a forced smile: "So it is a county princess who has graced Jiangnan with her presence? May I ask which county princess you are? I am so sorry for not greeting you properly!"

He asked tentatively, while quickly giving Gu Yi a wink. Gu Yi understood, quietly took two steps back, and whispered a few instructions to a guard, who immediately turned and ran away.

"You are not worthy to know my name." Xie Sangning picked up her teacup without even raising her eyelids. "As for admitting guilt? Lord Gu, you should first ask your precious daughter what crime she should be charged with: riding her horse in the street and almost killing the former Grand Tutor, whom even the current emperor respects; insulting the current county magistrate; and instructing her servants to commit murder without mercy."

Grand Tutor Lin?

Gu Dexing's mind went blank! He looked in horror at the old man next to Xie Sangning who was resting with his eyes closed!

The former emperor's tutor?! His daughter almost killed him?!

Gu Zhenzhu was still shouting from the side: "Father! Don't listen to her nonsense! How could that old man be the Grand Tutor! They must have conspired to deceive people! Father! Arrest them quickly!"

"Shut up!" Gu Dexing whirled around and yelled at his daughter! Cold sweat broke out on his back! Grand Tutor! That identity was terrifying! Even if the person was fake, anyone who dared to impersonate that person was no pushover! You must know that in Daqing, impersonating an official of that rank was a crime punishable by the confiscation of one's property and the extermination of one's entire family!

Gu Zhenzhu was stunned, her face filled with disbelief! Her father had actually scolded her!

Gu Dexing immediately put on an even more obsequious smile and bowed to Xie Sangning, saying, "Princess, please calm your anger! Grand Tutor, please calm your anger! My daughter is young and ignorant, and I have spoiled her. She has offended you, sir! I apologize to the Princess and the Grand Tutor on her behalf!" He then bowed deeply.

He abruptly changed the subject, taking a few steps closer and lowering his voice to a fawning tone, "Princess, Grand Tutor, it's all my daughter's fault! I've failed in raising her! She's disturbed your refined enjoyment! I deserve to die! How about this, may I invite you and your families to my humble abode for a short visit? Firstly, so I can properly apologize to you, and secondly..."

He rubbed his hands together, his smile becoming even more suggestive. "I've spent many years in Jiangnan and have amassed some wealth... I'll certainly offer a generous gift, enough to satisfy the County Princess and the Grand Tutor... As for this matter... hehe, let's make a big deal out of it, and a small deal out of it altogether, how about that? After all, if we blow this up, it won't look good for your reputation, or for my daughter's mistake..."

He tried to settle things with money, while implying that the other party was of high status and that if things escalated, they would be the ones who lost face.

Xie Sangning looked at his mercenary and self-righteous face, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

It's all over now! There's absolutely no way to turn things around! He collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.