The residence doctor arrived swiftly.
Carrying his medicine box, he went into the dungeon to examine Guang Zhen.
Guang Zhen had the intention to die and it was evident that he had medical knowledge; he had bitten into the fatal artery at the root of his tongue. However, the old Duke reacted swiftly, so he only bit halfway. Nonetheless, he was barely clinging onto life.
The residence doctor shook his head at the old Duke, "Duke, there’s no hope."
The old Duke was incensed. He did not expect this monk to have such a strong will, choosing to die rather than talk.
The Rui’an King also didn’t expect the person to commit suicide right under his and the old Duke’s watch. For the average person, suicide required courage. This monk indeed had guts and was firm, making himself die at his own command, beyond anyone’s ability to save.
He no longer looked at Guang Zhen and said to Wang Su, "You confess, who did he associate with? Especially any from the Capital City, tell me in detail."
Wang Su, shocked and saddened by Guang Zhen’s determination, couldn’t make sense, "Junior brother, he, he was in charge of the disciplinary hall, very stern, with those from the Capital City, I don’t know with whom he might have had special dealings..."
He realized how much his understanding of Guang Zhen was challenged at this moment, "Junior brother is strictly disciplined and often busy with mundane affairs. Though he and I are brothers from the same school, I also have many things to attend to. We rarely chat privately. Although we see each other and talk every day, it’s mostly about temple affairs..."
"I’ll give you time to think. As of recently, has there been anything unusual about Guang Zhen? You two are not only brothers, but also disciples of Buddhism, growing up together, interacting for many years. Surely, you must have noticed something off about him." Said the Rui’an King.
At those words, Wang Su’s expression changed, "From a month ago, the junior brother indeed seemed a bit strange, often appearing distracted. But when I asked him, he just said he wasn’t feeling well lately, couldn’t rest and couldn’t sleep at night."
"One month ago, did anyone meet with him?"
Wang Su shook his head "I didn’t pay attention."
The Rui’an King no longer asked and turned to look at the old Duke.
The old Duke also asked no more questions and signalled the Rui’an King to leave. Then, both of them left the dungeon together. As soon as the dungeon was locked again, the old Duke said, "Prince, let’s go to the Buddha Temple! Investigate who Guang Zhen was in contact with and examine his belongings for anything unusual. Also, as the Buddha Temple is full of monks, a second investigation is needed."
The Rui’an King nodded, "That’s I what was thinking too. I will take Guang Zhen’s body to the Buddha Temple. As for Wang Su, let’s keep him here at the Duke Residence!"
Finishing his sentence, he leaned in towards the old Duke and lowered his voice, "I have a feeling that something is off with this Wang Su. He might be lying. After Zhou Gu has rested, let him continue the questioning. Since Zhou Gu brought Wang Su back, he must have his own way of interrogating."
The old Duke nodded, "I understand."
The Rui’an King then said, "And that second son of Ning, he’s the little maternal uncle of the Crown Prince. Although he approached Wang Su, according to what Wang Su revealed, he did not succeed in his plot, thus he is not a criminal yet. What do you think should be done?"
"Let’s not bother about him for now. As long as he hasn’t violated the law, we can do nothing to him." Said the old Duke, "If we find anything else, we’ll re-examine him."
The Rui’an King had the same intention, he nodded, and after bidding farewell, left the Duke Residence.
After the old Duke saw the Rui’an King off, he went to Zhou Gu’s courtyard. He found that the Grand Princess Sheng An and others were sitting in the drawing room, speaking in hushed voices. He asked, "How’s Zhou Gu?"
"After returning, he said a few words and then fell asleep. The medicine is almost ready; we have to wake him up to drink it." Said Grand Princess Sheng An.
The old Duke nodded and sat down, "Thanks to that clever girl who figured out that something might happen to Zhou Gu on his way back to the capital, she sent people to chase him out for fifty miles and saved him. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable."
He had already heard from the Rui’an King about the details that Zhou Gu provided to the Emperor. Since Zhou Gu returned directly to his courtyard after speaking to the Emperor without mentioning anything to him, the Rui’an King, who had heard the conversation clearly, told him the whole story. Upon hearing it, the old Duke felt a cold shiver down his spine.
Princess Sheng An nodded, "We were just discussing this, we owe a favor to Su Rong in our Duke Residence."
While understanding why Su Rong had caught Zhou Gu’s interest and then declined the engagement, Princess Sheng An, as his grandmother, felt distressed seeing Zhou Gu upset over Su Rong. With the heartfelt words of the Duchess about Zhou Gu, she had been restless these past couple of days, wanting to meet Su Rong immediately and support Zhou Gu.
However, she did not expect that Su Rong and Guixue had gone to the Buddha Temple and even stayed for a while. With them not returning to the Capital City and Zhou Gu being asked to investigate a case simultaneously, she was left helpless.
But now, her impatience and discomfort were replaced entirely by gratitude. After all, Su Rong had sensed the danger in advance today, had dispatched people for Zhou Gu’s protection and saved him. She and everyone in the Duke Residence were grateful for this.
The old Duke sighed, "Gu needs more experience!"
Princess Sheng An retorted, "What he lacks is not experience but manpower. You only gave him a hundred guards. He led ten men out of the city, the rest were all scattered to investigate cases. Some even went to Nanchu to investigate the Ye Xiang Residence and Guixue. Even if he knew it was dangerous to return to the capital, could he not return? He rushed back to the Capital City at the earliest. It’s clear that the person behind this had kept a tight eye."
The old Duke stroked his beard, "To raise a Jingwei bird requires money. All the brothers have to be treated equally, except for the Crown Prince. If this balance is tilted, it will only create chaos among the descendants. If every person’s guards are increased to two hundred, who will bear this enormous expense every month?"
With all the ladies of the house present, he was not afraid to speak in front of them as he always maintained equality.
Princess Sheng An glared at the old Duke in anger, defending Zhou Gu, "The expectations and responsibilities you’ve piled on Gu are incomparable. His treatment does not match his burden."
All the ladies exchanged glances, it appeared the elderly couple was about to quarrel, which left them with no room to interject. They couldn’t represent their sons and say that the guards should be increased for everyone, but they also couldn’t confess to only increasing them for Zhou Gu. Besides the Crown Prince, the treatment of all has been the same in the Duke Residence, whether they were born in wedlock or not. This is a long-held tradition. If the tradition is broken now, then the future generation will break the rules too, leading to substantial expenses. Even the prosperous Duke Residence couldn’t sustain these enormous expenses year after year.
While the other ladies could say nothing, the Duchess could speak up, "Let’s not argue over this. I accept my mistake. I didn’t expect someone in the capital area to ambush Gu. I will discuss with the Crown Prince and Qing Ya and, if they agree, I will divide my dowry between my two sons in advance to increase Gu’s guards. This way, we will not burden the Duke and violate the rules of the Residence."
After all, her dowry was her private property, and dividing it among her sons would not seem unreasonable.
The old Duke gave up arguing for the time being, "Let’s wait until Gu wakes up and then discuss it."
Princess Sheng An agreed with the Duchess’s words, "I think it’s a good idea. There’s no need to increase the guards for those who are not in danger. As he is in danger, we should act accordingly. After all, what’s more critical than human life? You, as a mother, can definitely make this contribution."
She could also secretly lend a hand under the guise of the Duchess’s name. She did love Zhou Gu, and nobody could stop her from showing favoritism.
The Duchess nodded, "Both father-in-law and mother-in-law are right, let’s discuss this matter once Gu wakes up."
The ladies naturally had no objections. The fact that the Duke Residence had always managed to maintain harmony was due to the old Duke’s fair treatment. Though Princess Sheng An favored Zhou Gu, she didn’t neglect other grandchildren, and Zhou Gu himself was generous towards his cousins. Every time he received something from the Crown Prince, he brought it back for everyone. Even after his long journey from Jiangning County, he brought gifts for everyone, not leaving anyone out. The ladies were silent, but each one was pondering. If Zhou Gu’s security was to be increased, they would privately help out, for the ladies who had married into the Duke Residence were from notable families, their dowries ample, their personal vaults plentiful. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
As they were talking, the medicine prepared in the kitchen was delivered.
Princess Sheng An took the bowl, "None of you should go in. Leave now. I’ll deliver it to Gu."
The Duchess felt helpless, "Mother, how can you do this? You are a grandmother. It’s beneath your dignity to serve the younger generation. What has Gu done to deserve this? Let me do it!"
"Nevermind, that’s my wish." Princess Sheng An took the medicine bowl and went in.
Left helpless, the Duchess sighed and followed in. With the mother-in-law present, she, as the mother, had no say.
The old Duke grumbled unhappily, "Even I’m not that indulgent."
The ladies collectively fell silent, acting as if they hadn’t heard the old Duke’s words.
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