Chapter 9

The executive looked serious and, after much deliberation, said, "Miss, let my son go."

He was referring to Qiongfang's brother, whom Gu Zhizhuo recognized, so he nodded. The senior official immediately sent his wife to fetch Gao Yao.

Qiongfang laid out paper and ground ink, while the senior executives personally stood guard under the corridor.

The sheep-hair brush was soaked with ink. Gu Zhizhuo stood holding the brush, pondered for a while, and wrote a few lines that took the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

A drop of ink accidentally fell from the tip of the pen and spread on the silk paper.

Gu Zhizhuo had no choice but to put the silk paper aside and spread out a new one to rewrite.

This time, she wrote it in one go, filling the entire letter to the brim.

After finishing writing, Gu Zhizhuo read it carefully and stamped it with his seal.

The senior executive outside announced, "Miss, Gao Yao has arrived."

"Let him in."

Gao Yao was a tall and thin young man. After he came in and greeted them, he stood there without saying a word.

The letter had dried out completely. Gu Zhizhuo folded it himself, put it in an envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and stamped it with a seal.

She handed the letter to Gao Yao, solemnly instructing him, "My elder brother should be near Yizhou and Zexian right now. You must find him and personally deliver this letter to him so he can read it immediately."

After saying that, Gu Zhizhuo added in a deep voice, "This letter must absolutely not pass through the hands of anyone else."

"I understand." Gao Yao took the letter with both hands and placed it close to his chest.

"Go ahead, leave tonight, be careful on the road."

Gao Yao bowed and withdrew.

Gu Zhizhuo breathed a long sigh of relief, shifted his body back in the chair, and changed to a more comfortable position.

Qiongfang lit her study lamp and went to tidy her desk. Gu Zhizhuo suddenly asked, "Is there a map of the estate?"

The executive shook his head and said, "No."

Indeed, maps are rare; in the manor, only Father has one in his study.

"Don't worry, young lady," Qiongfang said cheerfully. "Heze County isn't far away, and we'll soon hear news of the young master."

yes.

Gu Zhizhuo nodded silently. From here to Heze County, it would only take three to five days to go back and forth at full speed. After receiving the letter, his elder brother only needed to make careful arrangements to wipe out all the bandits before they entered the capital region, and the series of disasters in his previous life would definitely be avoided.

But……

For some reason, Gu Zhizhuo felt a tightness in his chest, as if he had overlooked something.

She simply got up, walked to the window, opened it, and let the breeze blow through.

In her previous life, she was in a coma for several days due to a high fever and was not very clear about many things that happened.

However, every day after her brother was convicted and disappeared, she would wonder if her brother had really committed such a grave mistake.

My elder brother went to the northern frontier with our father when he was five years old, and at the age of twelve he was able to personally lead a battalion to ambush and kill a general of the Liang Kingdom. He was personally raised by our father. How could he really be manipulated by mere bandits?

The wind ruffled Gu Zhizhuo's hair, and soon the rain began to fall heavily.

The wisteria in front of the hanging flower gate swayed in the wind and rain.

“It’s exactly three-quarters past the hour of You (5:45 PM).” Qiongfang said lively, “Miss, you’re right.”

The senior executive chimed in, "The young lady is absolutely right!" He smiled, his eyes crinkling; their young lady was truly remarkable.

Listening to the sound of the rain, Qiongfang asked with distress, "Miss, the rain is so heavy, we won't be able to go back today, will we?"

Gu Zhizhuo casually said, "At this hour, the city gates would have been closed long ago."

That's true! Qiongfang really didn't want to go back either. She sighed, "If I stay out overnight, the Grand Madam will definitely be angry again."

The word "again" was used so skillfully that Gu Zhizhuo couldn't help but smile: "Even if we don't stay out overnight, she will still be angry."

Upon thinking about it, Qiongfang immediately said with great interest, "Miss, my mother said that she got some fresh and tender wild vegetables today. Would you like to have wild vegetable dumplings for breakfast tomorrow?"

Granny Wan's wild vegetable dumplings?

It tasted so fresh and delicious in my memory. Gu Zhizhuo agreed without even thinking.

The senior executive beamed and said from the side, "I'll go and give the order right away, and also go and check if dinner is ready."

Rumble.

A muffled clap of thunder suddenly sounded, and after the thunder, the rain poured down harder and harder, with each large raindrop seemingly hitting Gu Zhizhuo's heart.

Her unease intensified.

Gu Zhizhuo clenched his sleeves and suddenly called out to him, "Senior, do you have any copper coins?"

The executive was taken aback, not quite understanding why they had suddenly switched from talking about eating wild vegetable dumplings to discussing copper coins.

Without asking, he pulled out a handful of copper coins: "Yes."

Gu Zhizhuo took three coins, placed them between his palms, and gently shook them rhythmically.

In her previous life, she waited in front of Master Wuweizi's mountain gate for a month, pestering him to accept her as his concubine.

Wuweizi Zhenren is the abbot of Tianxin Temple.

As the saying goes, nine out of ten Taoists are doctors. The Tianxin Sect is a sect that combines Taoism with medicine. Its members cultivate both medicine and Taoism, and the world calls them Taoist doctors.

Before the young master passed away, she devoted herself to medical skills to prolong his life.

After the young master's death, she began to explore other subjects. The True Man Wuweizi imparted all his knowledge to her, teaching her Yin-Yang destiny, various schools of physiognomy, the Five Omens of Tortoise Shell Divination, and the Six Ren Divination of the Book of Changes (Note).

"High-level management matters."

There was a knock at the door, and the head steward went to answer it, asking, "What's wrong?"

"The guests who were taken in at the west wing heard that the host had arrived and wanted to come over to express their gratitude..."

Thump.

With three crisp sounds, the copper coins landed on the table one after another.

This is……

Gu Zhizhu raised an eyebrow and stared at the copper coins on the table, completely stunned.

A death omen!?

After a while, she raised her hand and lightly stroked the three copper coins.

This divination result is extremely unfavorable, indicating that a major misfortune will occur.

"Miss," the senior steward said, his eyes fixed straight ahead, "the guests from the west courtyard are outside greeting you."

guest?

Gu Zhizhu raised an eyebrow and looked at him. The senior official smiled and said, "They are wealthy merchants who are going to Yizhou to visit relatives. Their family name is Shen. Some of them were bitten on the ankle by a poisonous snake in the countryside and came to ask for snake medicine."

"They were afraid of recurring snake venom and asked to stay the night, so I agreed."

It was just past Shenshi (3-5 PM) at the time, and the senior management didn't know that Gu Zhizhuo would be coming, otherwise they wouldn't have agreed.

"They now live in the west courtyard."

Wang was kind-hearted. When she was alive, she often provided medical treatment and medicine to the people in the surrounding villages and towns in the manor. She also specially reserved the west courtyard for people who came from afar to seek medical treatment to stay temporarily.

Even after she passed away, the senior management never neglected her kindness.

Gu Zhizhuo picked up a copper coin from the desk, rubbed it between his fingers, and said thoughtfully, "How many people?"

"There are about ten people in total, with four carriages, a steward and guards. Their master is a young man in his twenties," the steward reported. "Their steward is outside and wanted to greet the young lady."

It's natural that a young woman living here wouldn't go to see them, but knowing that the host has arrived, it's only proper etiquette to send someone over to inquire after their well-being.

Gu Zhizhuo stood by the window, looking towards the hanging flower gate.

The rain was fine and continuous, and a middle-aged man in a dark long robe stood in the rain with an umbrella.

He was carrying a glass lamp in his hand. The moment Gu Zhizhuo saw the middle-aged man clearly, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his mind was reeling.

This is an old acquaintance!

Sheng Jiang, Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Gu Zhizhuo's expression hardened slightly.

Why is he here, and why is he disguised as a steward of a wealthy merchant?

He's the steward of a wealthy merchant, and his master's surname is Shen, so this wealthy merchant's son couldn't possibly be...

A name popped into Gu Zhizhuo's mind.

She rubbed her forehead and asked with a glimmer of hope, "Senior, is the young master of this family always dressed in a red robe with open sleeves, looking both noble and pretentious... picky, and exceptionally handsome?"

"Yes, yes," the executive replied hastily. "He was a young man in red, with an excellent demeanor. His four carriages were full of everyday items. I saw them unloading them with my own eyes; there were screens, carpets, tea sets, incense burners, glass lamps, and everything else. They even carried chamber pots with them."

Gu Zhizhuo's heart sank instantly, and a chill ran down his spine.

He must be such a picky and fussy person!

Shen Xu!

If she remembered correctly, Shen Xu took over the Eastern Depot a year ago at the young age of twenty. He was especially fearsome because of his ruthless methods, which far surpassed those of the previous head of the Eastern Depot. Countless people died at his hands, their families were wiped out, and many were exterminated.

Thinking of the Wuying Marquis's mansion, which had been ransacked by the Eastern Depot.

From being showered with honor to having irrefutable evidence of guilt, it only takes a day; the only difference lies in the emperor's will.

Gu Zhizhuo still remembered that in her previous life, when she returned to the capital, Shen Xu was already at the height of his power, wielding absolute authority and influence in the court.

At that time, a group of censors jointly impeached him, saying that he "advocated peace negotiations, formed cliques and seized power, and deceived the emperor for personal gain." The impeachment memorials piled up in the imperial study in just a few days. However, the final result was that nearly 30% of the civil and military officials in the court were dismissed, and everyone was "fully convicted."

The atmosphere in the capital was tense, and the stench of blood lingered in the execution grounds for a whole month.

From that point on, no one dared to say "no" to Shen Xu anymore, and in the days that followed, those who obeyed prospered while those who defied perished.

Everyone in the court felt insecure.

At that time, Xie Yingchen had already passed away, and Gu Zhizhuo only wanted those who had harmed him to pay for their crimes in blood.

She remained hidden in the shadows, stirring up trouble and instigating this man and Xie Jing, who was already the crown prince, to fight to the death.

Perhaps it was because of Ji Nanke's divine protection that Xie Jing was always able to escape from desperate situations.

Wherever Shen Xu appears, nothing good ever comes of it!

"It's a matter for senior management," Gu Zhizhuo said, a headache forming in his eyes. "Tell the guests not to be so polite."

The senior executive responded and left.

Not long after, Sheng Jiang left.

Gu Zhizhuo seemed to be touched by something. She quickly walked to the desk and picked up a piece of silk paper.

This is the one she discarded when she wrote the letter earlier.

Her gaze fell on a line of text—

The bandits might flee to the capital; elder brother, please be vigilant and plan your escape routes...

Bandits?!

Her fingers suddenly tightened, pinching the edge of the silk paper until it crumpled.

Death omen!

At that moment, it was like a sudden enlightenment.

What if there were no bandits causing trouble in the capital region in the previous life?

If Xie Yingchen is not currently in Yizhou, but has already arrived in the capital region, or is even nearby.

The emergence of the Eastern Depot is therefore perfectly reasonable.

Ambush and kill Xie Yingchen!

After it's all done, burn everything to the ground and pin the blame on the bandits...

This is the truth of the previous life.

A note from the author:

Note: From Sun Simiao's *The Great Physician's Learning*