Go to battle
Fortunately, no fierce fight broke out; there were people at the entrance of the Gu residence. Gu Sidu had just stopped to see who it was when Dao Yun followed closely behind.
Fortunately, the person standing at the door was Qin Zhiyi. This was Gu Sidu's lifeline. He stood behind Qin Zhiyi and met the eyes of Dao Yun, who had just caught up.
Dao Yun immediately sheathed his sword and turned around, but his anger was not concealed: "Qin Zhiyi, get out of the way."
"Wow, what wrong did Lord Gu do to make Sister Daoyun so angry? Sister Daoyun, please don't be angry, please spare his life for my sake." Qin Zhiyi clasped her hands together and begged Daoyun.
"Who told you to call me Sister Daoyun? What should I call you?" Daoyun's face turned cold.
"Master," Qin Zhiyi said obediently, her head bowed.
"Master?" Gu Sidu turned to look at Qin Zhiyi. "How did you come to the idea of working under her?"
"Lord Gu, I want to learn martial arts and join my master's ranks. I want to be my master's most prized disciple, and I also want to protect my family and the people of Chang Le City." Qin Zhiyi was the first to sign up. He was persevering and excellent, so Dao Yun had no reason not to accept him.
"Alright then," Gu Sidu nodded. He could be sure his master wouldn't kill his disciple. Gu Sidu then said directly to Qin Zhiyi, "Then save me. Your sister Daoyun is going to kill me."
"It is Master," Daoyun corrected.
"Wow, Master Gu, what did you do to make Master chase after you like this? I really want to know." Qin Zhiyi was obedient and called him Master, but she didn't seem like she was being obedient.
Gu Sidu sighed: "It's a long story. It seems that Sister Daoyun has a problem with me and doesn't want me to be with my wife."
"Am I saying you can't be together? Don't you know what you've been doing together?" Dao Yun exposed Gu Sidu's embellished intentions. He couldn't say more, because Qin Zhiyi was also there.
"We can't touch Gu Sidu today," Dao Yun said, suppressing his anger. "Go home. What are you doing standing here?"
“We are worried. We heard that Lord Xu is going to investigate Lord Gu, so they sent me as their representative to come and see what's going on. If Lord Gu is in danger, we will all go to his rescue.”
It turned out that he was worried. After hearing Qin Zhiyi's words, Gu Sidu's eyes became a little moist. He patted Qin Zhiyi's shoulder and asked with a smile, "I am just a minor official. I cannot live up to your trust in me. I have not done anything."
“How could Lord Gu have done nothing? My life was saved by you, your wife, and my master, as well as many people in the city. They have all received your kindness. You may think it is insignificant, but we will remember it and will naturally come to help you.”
"I'm fine, you should go home." Gu Sidu patted Qin Zhiyi's head.
Such a harmonious scene should come to an end. Dao Yun looked at Qin Zhiyi and said, "If you've had enough, come with me. I'll take you home. Don't worry about things that aren't your concern."
Qin Zhiyi pouted, said goodbye to Gu Sidu, and followed Dao Yun home. As they passed each other, Gu Sidu saw that Jiang Yufan was already standing not far away watching him.
Gu Sidu watched as Jiang Yufan walked up to him and said, "Have you been standing here for a long time?"
“No, I arrived just when Qin Zhiyi said they were all worried about you.” Jiang Yufan and Gu Sidu entered together.
Qin Zhiyi's actions perfectly prove that Gu Sidu's decision to stay true to himself for their sake was absolutely correct. By refusing to collude with Xu Zhian and giving up those financial benefits, he gained the genuine hearts of the people, something that money can't buy.
Jiang Yufan recalled what Gu Sidu had said to Xu Zhian at the county government office earlier.
Gu Sidu laid his cards on the table with Xu Zhian. He said very seriously, "Lord Xu, everything I said to you before was from the bottom of my heart. I am not here to scheme against you. I have no interest in fame or fortune, nor do I want to compete with you for those achievements. When the annual performance evaluation is conducted, all of these can be attributed to you, Lord Xu."
"You are still the magistrate of Chang Le City; it has nothing to do with me."
Such words sound too high-sounding; anyone could say them, but no one would believe them. Xu Zhi'an didn't believe it. Since things had come to this point, Xu Zhi'an said, "There's no such person in this world. Who doesn't want to pursue fame and fortune? Who doesn't want their life to be better and smoother?"
"Lord Xu, I come from the capital. I suffered a defeat there and was only fortunate enough to survive. What more could I ask for?"
It involved no personal gain, and it didn't damage their official reputations. The two men from the county government gained both fame and benefits—it seemed like a perfect match. But this was unfair to Gu Sidu, extremely unfair.
Anyone who saw this would feel sorry for Gu Sidu. Xu Zhian also asked Gu Sidu the same question, but Gu Sidu said, "I don't come to the county office every day. I'm happy to be free. My wife and I are going to travel and enjoy the scenery. Isn't that great? Lord Xu, you don't need to worry about me. If you need me, I will come. If you don't need me, I can live well on my own."
"Speaking of which, I just remembered that my wife and I had a very hasty wedding ceremony. I said I would hold a wedding ceremony for my wife again. These are the important things for me, and they are giving me a real headache."
Xu Zhian understood and said, "I understand, Lord Gu. As long as there is no conflict between you and me, I will naturally get along with you. I will pay for the wedding ceremony and make sure you have a grand and glorious wedding!"
Gu Sidu achieved his goal. His marriage to Jiang Yufan was settled, and he also cleared the obstacles for himself. He killed two birds with one stone. From now on, he hoped that he could truly be free and carefree, and enjoy himself freely between heaven and earth.
To convince Xu Zhian of his sincerity, he embellished his experiences in the capital, recounting his tragic life and how the Bodhisattva nearly lost his life. He even pulled Jiang Yufan into a tearful embrace.
Finally, Xu Zhian slammed his fist on the table in anguish: "This is simply outrageous! Lord Gu, rest assured, such a thing will never happen in my Chang Le City. I will not do such a thing to Lord Gu. Please enjoy the beautiful scenery of Chang Le City in peace."
This difficulty has finally been resolved. Jiang Yufan looked at Gu Sidu and said, "You too, why did you have to bring up the idea of him having a wedding ceremony?"
"I was the one who suffered a loss to begin with. If I don't find some benefits for myself, wouldn't I be a fool?" Gu Sidu pouted and snorted a few times. He looked at Jiang Yufan, as if waiting for praise.
"Bodhisattva, this is the best I can give you, and it is also a gift that I have owed you for a very, very long time."
Jiang Yufan also knew that if Gu Sidu were to handle it himself, it would be too much trouble and he would have limited money. In any case, Xu Zhian was also rich, so it wouldn't hurt for him to spend some money. They couldn't control Xu Zhian's intentions and goals. If it were anyone else, there would be many more Xu Zhians. So the situation was quite stable.
“Alright,” Jiang Yufan finally smiled a little, “we’ll take advantage of this. We’ll send some wedding candies and food boxes to all the people in the city.”
"Okay, I'll do whatever the Bodhisattva says."
Gu Sidu felt his wish had come true, and his body relaxed: "Bodhisattva, only today do I feel that I have truly come back to life, and the burden on my shoulders has disappeared. Isn't everything Qin Zhiyi just said more joyful than being an official? I am truly happy that I don't have to deal with the officialdom, or guess the meaning behind those words, and can just open my heart to them."
“Gu Sidu,” Jiang Yufan said, her gaze fixed on Gu Sidu, “you once asked me for help, saying I could help you, but I couldn’t do anything for you. But seeing you emerge from your grief now, I can rest assured.”
Only today did Jiang Yufan feel a little relieved. During those days, Jiang Yufan could sense that Gu Sidu was unhappy. She didn't know how to comfort him, but today Gu Sidu had become the same as before, somewhat unreliable, but with the most genuine happiness.
If only life could continue like this, long and long.
If things could have been this way, that would have been good. But as time went on and the troops grew stronger, this prosperous period was suddenly disrupted by a huge upheaval.
Gu Sidu was urgently summoned to the county government office. Xu Zhian looked flustered and uncomfortable. He grabbed Gu Sidu as if he had grasped a lifeline. He handed Gu Sidu a letter with a dart stuck in it and said, "Lord Gu, take a look. It's terrifying. They've threatened to take my head. They're nothing but a bunch of bandits."
Gu Sidu unfolded the document and saw it belonged to the restless bandits from the nearby mountain stronghold. Seeing how peaceful Changle City was, they were thinking of entering the city and making the victor king and the loser bandit. The fight hadn't even started yet, and Xu Zhian was already this frightened. If things really got out of hand, would Xu Zhian have to run away?
“It’s alright, Lord Xu,” Gu Sidu tried to comfort him. “We’ve been training our troops these days. I suspect they’re after our money and supplies in the city, and they want to seize our weapons to bolster their stronghold. This is a good opportunity for us to train and test our troops.”
"What if we fight and lose?"
“We won’t lose,” Dao Yun, who was standing to the side, couldn’t stand it anymore. She had heard about the bandits and had wanted to volunteer for the mission, but Xu Zhi’an wouldn’t listen to her and was still in a state of panic. She stepped forward again, “Lord Xu, I will lead my troops to defend Chang Le City. I guarantee we will win.”
“You promise,” Xu Zhian shook his head, “what can you promise? What can you guarantee?”
"If I lose, I will bring my head to you." Dao Yun's words were firm and resolute, showing more backbone than Xu Zhian, who sat on the high platform at the head of the table.
But Gu Sidu saw it; when Dao Yun said those words, his hand was trembling slightly.
Daoyun was actually afraid too.
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