Chapter 142: Got caught going out!
Lin Xiaoyue turned around awkwardly and took off her veil. "Shh! Yunyun, it's me and Master Gu! We're going out for a walk and will be back soon!"
Chen Yunyun didn't believe it. She stepped forward, took Lin Xiaoyue's hand, and said, "Then I'll take a walk with you!"
Lin Xiaoyue's face fell in an instant. She hugged Chen Yunyun's neck and said coquettishly, "Yunyun! We will be back soon! I swear!"
Chen Yunyun sighed and said, "Sister Lin, it's not that I don't want you to go. It's definitely very dangerous today, and I don't want you to risk getting hurt! And Mr. Gu, the gauze on your face hasn't been removed yet! Why are you fooling around too?"
Seeing that the situation was not right, Lin Xiaoyue pushed Gu Mian in front of her and said, "Mr. Gu, your bad idea has caused me to be criticized. You should explain this matter yourself!"
Gu Mian felt a headache. Lin Xiaoyue was so disloyal!
He simply lay down and said, "Miss Yunyun, why don't you come with us to watch the fun? One more person won't make a difference!"
Lin Xiaoyue disapproved and said, "Yunyun doesn't know any martial arts and doesn't have any hidden weapons for self-defense. She will be in danger!"
Gu Mian waved his hand and said, "What are you afraid of? My family owns a rouge shop in Yangming Town. The route I heard Jing Yao talk about yesterday is right on that street. We can just sit there and see what's going on. It's also very safe! Okay, let's go!"
Chen Yunyun hugged Lin Xiaoyue's arm and took out a veil from the bag on her back and put it on. "I also brought a homemade bomb, don't worry!"
Only then did Lin Xiaoyue realize that Chen Yunyun was carrying a bag. It seemed that Chen Yunyun had made up his mind to follow her this time!
"Alright then! Let's go!"
The Gu family's rouge shop was very close to the county government office. After Gu Mian arrived at the shop, he didn't take off his veil. He took out the jade pendant and showed it to the shopkeeper, "Take us to the private room on the second floor!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" After recognizing Gu Mian, the shopkeeper personally led them to the largest private room upstairs, diligently serving tea and water, and eager to use all his skills to flatter him. "I never thought I would be able to meet you, Young Master, in my lifetime. It is truly my great honor! Master, please let me know what you need! Although our Hongfen Rouge shop is small, we have everything we need!"
Gu Mian was annoyed that the shopkeeper was too noisy, so he threw a fine pearl over to him and said, "Well, I'm very satisfied. This is a reward for you! Go down and greet the guests. No one should disturb us here!"
The shopkeeper was a connoisseur of value. He was so excited holding the big pearl in his hands!
Such fine pearls are priceless. It is true that the young master is generous and his reputation is well-deserved!
He stuffed the pearl into his arms and said, "Yes! I obey your command!"
Without the shopkeeper in the box, it suddenly became much quieter!
Gu Mian happily picked up the teacup and said, "When you leave later, each of you should take back a portion of the best rouge. Our rouge is one of the best in the capital!"
Lin Xiaoyue held Gu Mian's hand and whispered, "Eat it later. I'll test the poison with a silver needle first."
Gu Mian felt that Lin Xiaoyue was making a big deal out of nothing. Although it was his first time coming to this branch, it was his own store after all. How could he possibly poison someone?
He put down his teacup and said jokingly, "Go ahead and try it if you want! But you're definitely overthinking it!"
The silver needle in Lin Xiaoyue's hand was the one she took out from the space when Gu Mian was talking to the shopkeeper.
Ever since the assassin pretended to be Zhan Xiong twice in a row, Lin Xiaoyue has become more cautious. She would rather be suspicious than take the risk again!
"I'd better not think too much!" Lin Xiaoyue placed the silver needle into three tea bowls, then stabbed it into two plates of cakes, a plate of candied fruit, and a plate of fruits. After making sure that the silver needle had not changed color, she hid the silver needle. "It's not poisonous, eat it!"
Gu Mian took a sip of tea, looked out the window and said, "Although our Gu family is regarded as a thorn in the side of Emperor Liang, it won't be easy for him to place someone in his place!"
Lin Xiaoyue asked curiously, "Oh? Why is that? Then why was Zhan Xiong arrested? Emperor Liang even had people disguise themselves twice, and we almost fell for it!"
Gu Mian explained with a smile, "First of all, we are different from Jing Yao. We don't even know how many branches we have in the entire Dongsui Kingdom! If Jing Yao hadn't been in Yangming Town, I wouldn't even know we had a branch here! And our shopkeeper and waiter are both from our Gu family. They work outside, but their family members are still working in the mansion, so they dare not betray us!"
"Besides, Emperor Liang knows how powerful Jingyao's martial arts are, and how many Silver Slash Guards he has under his command. If he wants to kill Jingyao, the best way is to disguise himself as someone Jingyao trusts the most, so that he can strike when he's off guard! But there aren't many of us in the Gu family who are highly skilled in martial arts. We have the title of Imperial Merchant, but we're actually just merchants. If Emperor Liang wants to kill us, all he needs is an imperial decree!"
Lin Xiaoyue probably understood what Gu Mian meant, that is, Emperor Liang used the same method he used against Liang Jingyao to deal with the Gu family, which was like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken!
Moreover, the Gu family has so many stores, each one a treasure trove. How could Emperor Liang bear to destroy them? He would only wipe out the entire Gu family and then take all of the Gu family's assets into his pocket!
Lin Xiaoyue felt sad for Gu Mian. Behind his glamorous appearance, he was a lamb to be slaughtered in the eyes of those in power!
"You're right! I hope Brother Liang can succeed, so that we can pull your Gu family out of this quagmire!"
Gu Mian smiled and nodded, saying, "I believe in Jing Yao! He will definitely succeed!"
Lin Xiaoyue watched the increasing number of passersby on the road, feeling a little anxious. She wondered if the Cheetah Army had entered the city. Would she miss it?
"Master Gu, why is there no movement on the street? Are we too late?"
Gu Mian shook his head and said, "No! I was listening to Jing Yao and the others' plan last night. They were all targeting the forces that Emperor Liang had deployed in Yangming Town. Some were in your teahouse, and some were here. But they were mainly focused on this place because it's close to the county government office. We don't have to go there to report the case; the county magistrate can hear it from inside the government office. Jing Yao's idea was to quickly settle the Cheetah Army so that more people would be able to get things done!"
Lin Xiaoyue agrees with this!
Emperor Liang's methods are becoming more and more numerous and more ruthless. Just killing a few Yin Zhanweis is not enough!
Lin Xiaoyue leaned against the window and said, "Indeed! It seems that there are more yamen runners patrolling today. Usually, there are only four or five people walking around the teahouse entrance. Today, there were two groups of people coming and going. I counted nearly twenty people!"
Gu Mian raised an eyebrow, stared down for a moment, and said, "I just saw that there weren't many yamen runners patrolling. It seems the Cheetah Army has already entered the city, and the county magistrate is also ready! We should see them soon!"
But Lin Xiaoyue was still puzzled, "If your analysis is correct, then where are Brother Liang and the other Silver Slash Guards?"
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