Cake Fragrance (14)
When the prefect returned to the capital, he reported everything that had happened there to the emperor. The emperor was furious and was determined to sentence Gao Chang to death.
At the same time, out of sympathy for the people, he ordered that all the wealth of the Gao Mansion be distributed to the local people.
Only then did Yunchong City return to its proper peace.
After her property was confiscated, Gao Hui became penniless and homeless.
Fortunately, after being acquitted, Rong Ye still felt grateful, so he kindly adopted Gao Hui.
So, what about Gao Qing?
She was lying in the cold earth.
Gao Qing's departure was a great blow to Gao Hui. After her death, Gao Hui, Xiao Lin and Mu You buried her on a small hillside where they could overlook the entire Yunchong City.
Rong Ye also gave Gao Hui some silver so that she could buy a decent stone tablet for Gao Qing.
Therefore, the stone tablet was engraved with the words - Tomb of Xiaolie's elder sister, whose taboo name was Gao Qing.
The younger brothers who learned of Gao Qing's death did come here to pay their respects before leaving. They all cried so hard that they were almost out of breath and their tears were streaming down their cheeks.
But they do not belong to Yunchong, so they can only continue their wandering.
After that, Gao Hui had no news of them. Maybe they were still doing their old job, or maybe they met some kind families who adopted them. No one knows.
Fortunately, Gao Hui's act of "sacrificing her own relatives for the sake of justice" was praised by people all over the city, and she became a role model in the hearts of local children.
When the tombstone was just erected, Gao Hui came to visit with offerings, but the offerings she brought were not fruits, but two baked buns.
After dusting off the tombstone, she sat in front of Gao Qing's grave and lit incense and candles for her. Then, she muttered to herself as she gnawed on one of the dry pancakes seasoned with tears: "Sister Qing, look, this pancake is hot. I picked the hottest one for you..."
Gao Hui couldn't stand the praise from people in the city. All the reasoning she had said before came from Gao Qing's mouth.
But how many people in this city remember Gao Qing?
Therefore, everyone unanimously "awarded" the role of savior to Gao Hui.
But all of this only added to her pain, and she suddenly felt her own insignificance - so insignificant that she had to take credit for other people's achievements and found it difficult to explain them.
She couldn't help but think of Gao Qing's last words to her:
"I've been despised by everyone since I was a child. They called me a gutter rat, saying I was destined to live in darkness. But I don't want to be that. I want to be a thin pillar that supports the truth. I can live in the shadows all my life, but the truth must be seen in the light."
Xiao Lin and Mu You watched Gao Hui sitting in front of Gao Qing's tomb, chewing on the sesame cake bite by bite. The heartbreak that they had suppressed with great difficulty returned to their chests again.
After a while, Gao Hui finished eating the pancake. It was getting late, so she was under the care of Xiao Lin and Mu You. She took a last look at Gao Qing and went down the mountain with them.
On the way, the three of them passed by Liuxiang Residence. Gao Hui unconsciously glanced inside for a moment and asked jokingly, "Strange, don't you need help today?"
Mu You shook his head: "Boss Chu said that accompanying you today is our job."
Gao Hui smiled without saying anything, but walked into Liu Xiangju.
Liuxiangju is still doing brisk business as usual.
Squeezing through the crowd, Gao Hui took a long time to find an empty table in the corner of the shop. Then, she took Xiao Lin's hand, just like Gao Qing had held her hand before, and sat down together.
Gao Hui originally wanted to use the remaining change to take care of Chu Mo's business, but unexpectedly, just as she was about to ask a question, Chu Mo himself walked up to them.
In his hand, he was holding a cup of tea.
"Would you like to try Liuxiangju's special tea soup?"
Gao Hui opened her mouth slightly, then smiled and said thank you: "Okay, thank you for the hospitality, Boss Chu."
In the porcelain bowl, the tea soup is steaming, like clouds and mist, and the fragrance is refreshing.
The clear tea soup contrasts with the emerald green tea leaves, as if spring water is just emerging and tender buds are just blooming.
On the surface of the soup, a few golden oil beads tremble lightly, making people salivate.
Gao Hui couldn't help but scoop a spoonful into her mouth and was surprised to find that it tasted smooth but not greasy. She let the warm soup melt on her tongue, bringing out a hint of elegant sweetness.
Even though the unique freshness and slight bitterness of tea followed, she was still very happy. The fragrance of tea slowly seeped through her teeth, leaving an endless aftertaste.
"Delicious!" Gao Hui praised it highly and ate a few more spoonfuls.
Chu Mo didn't react much, just bowed and nodded slightly, then sat down next to Gao Hui.
In the bustling Liuxiang Residence, this corner is the only one that is unusually quiet.
After Gao Hui had eaten and drunk her fill, the three of them sent her back to the county government office.
On the road, Gao Hui walked in front, leaving Xiao Lin, Mu You and Chu Mo behind.
"Alas, we didn't complete the first mission. It seems we can't go back..."
The moment Mu You caught a glimpse of Chu Mo, he remembered the bad things again.
But Chu Mo's subsequent reply delighted him: "Who said you failed? First, you changed their ending, and second, you made Gao Qing eat the tea soup. So, you're done."
What? Success?
Xiao Lin and Mu You were both in disbelief.
"Do you remember the day you left the tea soup in the front hall? Gao Qing took a bite that night."
So that's how it is. I completed my first mission by accident.
But although it was clearly a happy event, Xiao Lin was not happy at all after learning about it.
"But...but we couldn't save Gao Qing, we should have..."
"There's no such thing as should or shouldn't." Chu Mo interrupted Xiao Lin's self-narration. "I told you this is her fate. As long as you change the ending and prevent the chaos from engulfing the earth, that will be the end of this story."
Despite this, Xiao Lin always felt empty in his heart.
"Since you are dissatisfied with this ending, you must put more effort into the story next time."
Chu Mo just said this out of the blue, letting Xiao Lin and Mu You explore on their own.
Before the two little ones could react, the plaque of the county government appeared in front of them.
Rong Ye was waiting in front of the door.
After Gao Hui bowed to Rong Ye, she skipped over the threshold, and Xiao Lin and Mu You followed.
The children's joy comes first, and the adults' silence comes later.
Chu Mo and Rong Ye stood side by side in front of the red gate, watching the children leave.
"Lord Chu...Oh no, Boss Chu, why don't you come and sit down too?" Rong Ye raised his arm and made an inviting gesture.
But Chu Mo raised the corners of his mouth and closed his eyes: "No, I have something to tell you."
When Chu Mo said this, Rong Ye froze on the spot.
He didn't know why he was so serious. The current result was obviously very pleasing to the people, so he shouldn't be dissatisfied.
"Okay." After hesitating for a moment, Rong Ye responded.
Afterwards, Chu Mo straightened his clothes, turned around, and sat directly on the stone steps of the county government office.
At this time, the sun was shining brightly, shining towards him and warming Chu Mo's whole body.
Rong Ye followed suit and awkwardly sat beside him, facing the scorching sun with him.
Seeing Chu Mo silent, Rong Ye spoke first: "Boss Chu, why did you quit your official position to go into business? That official hat is something that millions of people can't get even if they spend their entire lives trying to get."
Chu Mo closed his eyes, revealing the demonic mole on his left eye: "The court is too disgusting, making money is more interesting."
Rong Ye didn't expect Chu Mo to say this, so he could only smile awkwardly.
"What about you?" Chu Mo put away the mole on his left eye again. "Do you think this job is comfortable?"
Rong Ye smiled and said, "What's the point of being comfortable or uncomfortable? It's just that everyone is doing their job and doing their job. As the parent official of the people, you should always have the world in your heart."
Indeed, it is rare for Rong Ye to have such awareness.
But Chu Mo's expression did not relax for a moment, and he asked another question: "You... said before that your body was harmed by Gao Chang?"
"It's old news."
"But you haven't coughed at all today. What's going on? Are you feeling much better all of a sudden?"
“It’s good sometimes, bad sometimes.”
"Then he made you like this, don't you hate him?"
"I hate it, but what else can I do besides hate it?"
Chu Mo's eyes froze, staring at Rong Ye's eyelashes without moving.
"You can also plot and kill him."
Rong Ye was stunned, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, looking straight into Chu Mo's bottomless eyes.
His pair of almond-shaped eyes looked even more terrifying at this moment, revealing an extraordinary sense of oppression.
"I don't understand." Rong Ye still maintained his previous smile and refused to admit it.
However, Chu Mo had no intention of letting him off. "I felt something was wrong the first time. Gao Hui came to Tianling with her parents. Even if there were many people around, she wouldn't get lost in the blink of an eye. Besides, she's not young anymore. She could have asked passersby for help."
Rong Ye: “…”
"But she didn't. Why? Was it because she didn't know how to do it? No, it was the person she asked for help who led her into an even more wrong trap, and the person who set it up was you."
"Boss Chu, I still don't understand what you mean. What do you mean by first time? Have we met before?"
Chu Mo: "For you, it is indeed the first time you see me, but it is not me."
The words were confusing, but Rong Ye was still trying to make excuses.
But Chu Mo didn't take his words to heart, and continued his reasoning: "I didn't doubt you until that day when Xiao Lin proposed that Gao Qing and Gao Hui swap identities, and you were exposed."
"I was exposed? I just said 'This plan is not good'. It's human nature. How can I be exposed?"
"But Xiao Lin never mentioned Gao Qing before." Chu Mo sneered, "It's human nature? If you really know nothing, how would you know who Gao Qing is?"
Rong Ye raised his head and said nothing.
Chu Mo looked at him, full of self-mockery: "I was still a little slow. I didn't expect that you were the one controlling the situation."
At this point, Rong Ye also put away his previous expression and stopped hiding it.
He faced Chu Mo, the sunlight hitting the side of his face, one side was dark and the other side was bright.
Finally, he laid it all out: "As expected of someone favored by the Wang family, you are truly exceptionally intelligent. Yes, that's right, I arranged all of this."
Chu Mo looked at Rong Ye, his eyes tightening a little.
Then, he gently said, "At first, I had planned to let Gao Hui get lost in the capital, so as to attract the attention of any high-ranking official. When I sent her back, I would also investigate this anecdote thoroughly. But I didn't expect Gao Qing to pick it up. When no high-ranking official showed up, I had to find another way. Fortunately, when I sent someone to follow Gao Hui, I met you. I bet you would intervene in this matter."
Well, it turns out that Chu Mo is also a chess piece on his chessboard, and every move he makes is part of his chess plan.
"I just want to use them to restore justice to the world and bring peace to the people. What's wrong with that?"
"Did you also arrange Gao Chang's official announcement?"
"Yes and no." Rong Ye blinked and held up his chin. "It is true that I got his certificate, but I did not hand it over to you."
"Then who is it?"
Suddenly, Rong Ye came a little closer, stared at Chu Mo with wide eyes, and uttered a joking sound: "So there are things that Lord Chu doesn't understand?"
Chu Mo: “…”
Then, Rong Ye chuckled and turned around: "I handed this certificate to Aunt Ma. It was she who handed it to you."
"Do you know Aunt Ma's identity?"
"Of course, I spent several years investigating all the dirty deeds that Gao Chang had done."
For a moment, Chu Mo didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse for Yun Chong to have such a county magistrate.
The human heart is unpredictable.
Finally, he asked again: "So what do you think of Gao Qing?"
Hearing this, Rong Ye pursed his lips and said lightly, "She is quite a character. At such a young age, she possesses such courage and power of reasoning. She should not be underestimated."
"Yes." Chu Mo blew a sound through his teeth and raised his head, letting the sunlight spread over his whole body, illuminating the strands of gold on his dark and gorgeous clothes, making them shine with brilliance. "Although she is a little girl, she has become a stunning hero."
Rong Ye closed his eyes and nodded.
"What about you? You're in such a shameful place, using the lives of two children as bargaining chips and disrupting the entire situation. Who are you?"
"A shameful little thief? Or a ruthless hero hiding his true identity?"
Rong Ye said nothing, just enjoying the breeze coming from Yunchong Street.
The breeze blew through the tips of their hair, rolled up the fallen leaves, stopped on the mountainside, and finally blew to Gao Qing's tomb, passing over the incense and candles, causing the candlelight to flicker for a few seconds, and then suddenly stopped.
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