Cake Fragrance (7)
The dark clouds mercilessly pressed down the entire sky, making people feel depressed.
The sound of rain hitting bamboo leaves is audible, and this seemingly ordinary night is filled with a sense of restlessness.
Not far from the official road, a horse-drawn carriage was traveling through the rain. The rugged road surface made the rims of the carriage produce uneven rhythms, making the night even more annoying.
Sitting in the car was a man in official uniform. He also frowned and smacked his lips because of the bad road conditions.
Suddenly, a horse's neigh replaced the sound of collision and pierced the night sky. The whole carriage lost balance and overturned. Followed by the sound of flying knives, in an instant, all the wooden beams of the carriage were chopped off.
The nobleman in the car had no time to react before he was pinned to the ground by the wood, unable to move.
He endured the pain in his body and tried his best to open his eyes in the rain. Even though his eyelashes were fluttering and his vision was blurry, he could vaguely see a dark shadow standing in front of him.
Perhaps it was the heavy rain that was causing the nobleman to raise his head, but a red mark suddenly appeared on his arched neck. A moment later, warm blood mixed with cold rainwater flowed down his neck...
Suddenly, Gao Chang woke up with a start, turned over and sat up on the agarwood bed, gasping for breath and sweating profusely.
Today's events made him dizzy, so he went to bed early and only just woke up from his dream.
The gloomy weather still made him feel uneasy. He then fumbled to light the silver lamp on the bedside. In the flickering light and shadow, his face turned pale as paper and his eyes were filled with fear.
Gao Chang forced himself to swallow, straightened his clothes, picked up the hand warmer that emitted a faint orange light, slowly stood up, and walked through the dark inner room with unsteady steps to the coffee table in the middle of the bedroom.
His hands trembled slightly as he poured half a cup of cold water from the celadon pot. The rim of the cup touched the mouth of the pot, making an ethereal crisp sound.
After drinking the cold water, Gao Chang shuddered at first, and then heaved a long sigh of relief, hoping that the coolness of the water could suppress the fear in his heart.
After that, he sat quietly at the desk, one hand flat on his knee, his eyes confused, as if thinking about something.
The candlelight illuminated the wrinkles on his forehead and the corners of his tightly pursed lips, and also revealed his sinister intentions.
Gao Chang's fingers unconsciously stroked a gap on the edge of the table, his heart was in turmoil, just like the chill brought by yesterday's rain outside the house, lingering and lingering.
On the other hand, Xiao Lin and Mu You were not in a hurry to take Gao Hui to the county government office. Instead, they took her to Liuxiangju first, wanting to discuss something with Chu Mo.
"Boss, I heard that your teahouse is located in Luodi Tianling. May I ask if you have any acquaintances with officials in the capital?"
I think the origin of Liu Xiangju has long been known in this city. That's great, there's no need for Xiao Lin to explain too much.
Seeing Gao Hui asking this question, the demonic mole on Chu Mo's eye became more prominent, and he said frankly: "Who do you want to find?"
"It doesn't matter who you find, as long as they hold a higher rank than my father!"
Since Chu Mo had spoken, it seemed that he had a way, so Gao Hui immediately smiled and took a step forward to grab this last straw.
But then, Chu Mo said something shocking: "Go to the capital to find an official position to suppress your own father? You are a filial daughter."
Not only Gao Hui, but even Xiao Lin and Mu You, who were standing there blankly, were enraged by Chu Mo's words. Was he drunk? How could he say such heartless and disloyal words?
Gao Hui was speechless for a moment.
Chu Mo was clearly more sober than everyone else present. He pressed on, "Hold your father in check? What if the official I've found has a bad temper and, in a fit of rage, strips your father of his position? How will you respond? And ultimately, is it worth it just to save a beggar you've only been with for less than ten days?"
Gao Hui's throat couldn't help but shrink, and she didn't respond for a long time.
Xiao Lin, who was standing aside, couldn't stand Chu Mo's bullying attitude. She was just a skinny little girl, why did he have to pressure her with every word?
Therefore, she stepped forward, holding Gao Hui in her arms, and deliberately changed the subject: "Let's not think about it too much for now. Let's go to the county government office and ask the county magistrate."
Gao Hui looked lonely, but still followed Xiao Lin out of Liuxiangju obediently.
Afterwards, Mu You also walked away, and before leaving, he rolled his eyes at Chu Mo to show his dissatisfaction.
Unexpectedly, Chu Mo didn't care. He fixed his hair with his backhand and took a square step:
"I'll go too."
At first, Mu You was disgusted with Chu Mo's following. It was not until they were wandering around the streets and couldn't find their way that he understood Chu Mo's purpose.
Afterwards, following Chu Mo's guidance, the few of them soon settled in front of the county government office.
What's funny is that the county government office in Yunchong City is not as magnificent as Gao Mansion, and there is even a huge difference. However, Gao Mansion is so gorgeous that even the wealthy families in Tianling cannot compare to it.
After knocking on the copper ring, there was a sound of unhurried footsteps from the county government office. After standing in the cold wind for a while, the wooden door showed signs of opening slightly.
"Chu... Lord Chu, haven't you retired yet?... Why are you so willing to visit my humble abode..."
The man who was hesitating in his words was Rong Ye, the magistrate of Yunchong County. It could be said that with his shivering and weak posture, it was really hard to convince people that he was the county magistrate.
However, what was even more unconvincing than his appearance was his hesitant words just now -
Lord Chu? Chu Mo? He's a lord? No, he's an official?
For a moment, the three people behind him all looked at Chu Mo's back, each with their own thoughts.
Looking carefully at Chu Mo's appearance and figure, he seemed to be in his thirties. At this age, it was not surprising for him to be an official, but it was rare for him to resign and do business.
"I have long since resigned from my official position and no longer care about court affairs." Chu Mo bowed politely to Rong Ye, "I am visiting you this time to ask for a favor."
Rong Ye was sensible and didn't ask any more questions. He raised his arm and welcomed the few people into the county government office.
Fortunately, the Yunchong County Government Office is consistent inside and out. No matter how simple the exterior is, the interior is the same.
Chu Mo took the lead. While Rong Ye was sending someone to make tea, he waved his sleeves, sat down on the lacquered chair beside him, and supported his head with his hands.
Xiao Lin and Mu You were not as bold as him. They looked around before choosing their seats.
"You...what do you want to ask me...ahem..."
Rong Ye was halfway through his words when he started coughing uncontrollably. He quickly covered his mouth with his handkerchief. Soon, blood pooled in the center of the handkerchief.
Chu Mo stood up at this time, walked up to him and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why are you so weak?"
Rong Ye couldn't stop coughing. The old slave who was supporting him sighed and replied, "My lord, our master has been depressed for many years and his health has been weakened."
"Oh? What's on your mind?"
"This..." The old servant glanced at the graceful Chu Mo before him, then slowly turned his head to look at the frail Rong Ye. He waited until Rong Ye nodded before continuing, "It's because of Lord Gao... Lord Gao... he tampered with the taxes privately, and in the end, he paid the tax allotment and pocketed the rest, leaving nothing behind."
"What's even more despicable is that he used the flood to force you to ask the court for disaster relief funds. However, as soon as the money reached us, his guards took away most of it. The people are even more miserable."
"Our lords have thought of many ways, but because Master Gao's rank is much higher than ours, even if he issues an order, we can only watch the people suffer and do nothing to help."
Mu You was furious when he heard this, so he walked around Chu Mo and came to the old slave, asking, "Why don't you just write a letter to the emperor?"
Unexpectedly, the old servant shook his head repeatedly and said helplessly, "It's no use. We tried, but the guards at the Gao Mansion are all elite soldiers. They hijacked the memorial before it even got halfway through. Our master was even severely beaten for it. He was beaten to this state."
When talking about the past, both Rong Ye and the old slave couldn't help shaking their heads and sighing.
He is also a pitiful man. Even though he has a compassionate heart, he has no ability to change the world. This is not only his dilemma, but also the dilemma of people with lofty ideals all over the world.
Among them, the most heartbroken person was Gao Hui.
She could never have imagined in her dreams that her own father would do such a dirty thing to harm the people, and that her body was still flowing with such dirty and greedy blood.
However, this was just Rong Ye's one-sided statement. Is the truth of the matter really as he said? It is really difficult to infer.
After that, Gao Hui put away her remorse, looked up at everyone's expressions, hesitated for a moment, and then bravely asked Rong Ye: "Sir, do you have any silver with official seals hidden in your house? Can I borrow some?"
Gao Hui's question broke the dullness at the moment. For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Gao Hui, causing her to lower her head subconsciously.
"Yes...Sister Qing asked me to ask for it..." she muttered softly.
Only Xiao Lin, who was standing beside him, took these words to heart.
Rong Ye was stunned at first, then he looked straight at Gao Hui, staring into her clear eyes, and nodded.
Immediately, Rong Ye sent an old servant to the warehouse to get silver for Gao Hui.
After the old slave left, silence fell again.
Is there really no hope for change?
Xiao Lin was thinking in his mind, when suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind: "Boss Chu, do you know any officials in the capital?"
"So what?"
"Then could you please ask a respected person to come here? It's not far anyway."
"The journey isn't far, but it will take several days. Even in these few days, it will be difficult to overturn Gao Qing's case. She will undoubtedly die."
Chu Mo's cold words were like a basin of cold water, poured directly on Xiao Lin's head, forcing her newly ignited hope to turn into a wisp of smoke again.
Is it true that the ending of Gao Qing and Gao Hui cannot be changed?
Is this story about to come to its end?
Is it true that Xiao Lin and Mu You can never go back to their era?
No, she couldn't just sit there and wait for death! She vowed to defy fate and change her destiny!
"Gao Hui, can you still see Gao Qing?" Xiao Lin suddenly asked.
Although Gao Hui looked confused, she still agreed.
Since Gao Hui nodded, this will be easy.
"Okay, then it's up to you to replace Gao Qing."
When she said this, even Mu You, who usually doted on her, was shocked and hurried forward to stop her: "Xiao Lin, what are you thinking? You will do anything to achieve your goal? Gao Qing is her life, Gao Hui is her life too!"
Even the onlooker Rong Ye started to speak, admonishing, "This young man is absolutely right. We really shouldn't let our precious money take risks. To be safe, we need to find another plan."
But for some reason, Chu Mo's expression suddenly changed.
In a corner where no one could see, he suddenly frowned slightly, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and then a playful smile appeared at the corner of his lips, and he sneered.
Xiao Lin remained expressionless. "But we have no other options. If Gao Hui had been replaced by Gao Qing, the Gao family wouldn't have been so quick to kill her if she had spoken during the interrogation. But Gao Qing is different. If she were to be executed, she would be beheaded immediately!"
"This..." At this moment, Mu You's expression actually showed that he was also persuaded, but he still said stubbornly, "No, this is the worst option."
Xiao Lin stopped arguing with Mu You and instead looked straight into Gao Hui's eyes: "Gao Hui, you are the one who joined the game. Whether to go or not is up to you."
"I……"
Gao Hui never expected that even after finding help, there would still be no hope.
Her eyes were shifty, sometimes focused and sometimes dispersed, and deep within them, she revealed a deep sense of uneasiness.
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