Rescue
Although Gu Sidu didn't know what Xu Zhian wanted to see him about, he knew he couldn't let the Bodhisattva be implicated, so he deliberately didn't go out and fool around the next day, and waited for Xu Zhian's arrival.
As expected, Xu Zhian visited again and told Gu Sidu about his desire to make friends. Xu Zhian said that he was willing to give up some of his own benefits as a condition of the deal, and to share the benefits of Chang Le City equally with Gu Sidu.
Gu Sidu hadn't initially had these thoughts, but after hearing Xu Zhian's words, he suddenly became interested. He pretended to take the bait and asked Xu Zhian, "Sir, I'm new to Chang Le City and not very familiar with these things. May I ask, how much benefit do you expect?"
These were all thoughts that couldn't be brought to the table. Xu Zhian frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then made a gesture to Gu Sidu.
"So much!" Gu Sidu was shocked. He hadn't expected that such a small city like Chang Le could offer so much profit. If he agreed, he would never have to worry about anything for the rest of his life.
Gu Sidu also knew that if Xu Zhian could say such a number, then it was definitely more than that; it was probably even higher. No wonder Xu Zhian was unwilling to relinquish power here. If he hadn't won the hearts of the people and shared their joys, he probably would never have known this information in his entire life.
It's truly heartbreaking and lamentable.
Seeing that Gu Sidu was unwilling to agree, Xu Zhian looked troubled and said to Gu Sidu, "Does Lord Gu not want these benefits?"
Since it's a benefit, no one would refuse it. Gu Sidu is human, so he should agree. Xu Zhian felt confident of victory, but when he tried to curry favor, Gu Sidu refused him.
Gu Sidu said, "Lord Xu, I know you have great ambitions. I was demoted from the capital and have lost those ambitions. I just want to do something for the people. So Lord Xu, you don't need to worry, and you don't need to come to my residence anymore."
"I will not threaten Lord Xu."
This was an invitation to leave. Xu Zhian understood; he had gotten his answer, but he couldn't tell if it was Gu Sidu's sincere. He remained silent, pondering Gu Sidu's words for a long time. When Gu Sidu saw him off, he stood at the door, still reflecting on Gu Sidu's thoughtfulness, and almost tripped and fell.
Gu Sidu helped her up.
After seeing the person off, Gu Sidu went to Jiang Yufan and told her everything that had happened that day. He didn't tell her the result, but only his intentions. Gu Sidu had his own little scheme. He leaned close to Jiang Yufan and said, "Bodhisattva, please tell me for me, should I agree to Lord Xu's request?"
As luck would have it, Jiang Yufan still had some divination and fortune-telling tools in her hands. She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell your fortune."
Jiang Yufan was generous and easy to talk to, which surprised Gu Sidu. Gu Sidu watched as Jiang Yufan casually picked out a fortune slip from the list and handed it to him.
"No, Bodhisattva, can you please stop being so perfunctory?" Gu Sidu pursed his lips. How could this possibly yield any results?
"If you can't figure it out, I'll give you another way." Jiang Yufan picked up a piece of tortoise shell at random and tossed it to Gu Sidu.
That's not how it is. Gu Sidu just wanted to see Jiang Yufan's serious expression. When Jiang Yufan was divining the women's destined husbands, they were standing very close together, and he wanted to get closer too. But before Gu Sidu could even get close, the Bodhisattva had already given him the result.
"Bodhisattva, please at least pay some attention to me."
Seeing Gu Sidu's dejected expression, Jiang Yufan knew she had teased him enough. She glanced at the teacup on the table and coughed lightly a few times. Hearing this, Gu Sidu promptly brought the teacup to her, inviting her to drink. Only then did Jiang Yufan speak, saying to Gu Sidu, "Coming with a result already in mind for my fortune-telling, that's not sincere. How can I take it seriously?"
"I am a fake bodhisattva, it seems Lord Gu has forgotten."
It's not effective to begin with, so why bother with sincerity?
Gu Sidu knew that Jiang Yufan had seen through his little trick, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Xu Zhian wants to win me over. He has gained a lot of benefits and money and also wants to win the hearts and minds of the people. So he has visited me many times, trying to lure me with benefits, hoping that both he and I can benefit."
"I can tell he's very sincere, and he's even willing to reveal the inside story to you. But if you agree to go, you'll be under his control from now on and won't be free."
This is just the mild case; I'm afraid that if Gu Sidu has to work for Xu Zhian in the future, all his good reputation will be completely eroded.
"So, Bodhisattva, guess what decision I'll make?" Gu Sidu's eyes shone brightly.
“After what happened in the capital, you probably don’t like being controlled by others and just want to live a happier life. That kind of happiness is hard to buy with money, and you certainly wouldn’t agree to let down the people who are on good terms with you,” Jiang Yufan said.
"Indeed, the Bodhisattva understands my heart and is one with me." Gu Sidu excitedly tried to grab Jiang Yufan's hand, but Jiang Yufan stopped him and made Gu Sidu sit up properly with a look.
Jiang Yufan sighed: "But if you reject him like this, I'm afraid he'll be unhappy and cause you trouble. Gu Sidu, aren't you afraid?"
"There is gain in loss. Although I am afraid, I don't want to wrong myself. Bodhisattva, you know me. I have never been the kind of person who would wrong myself."
Gu Sidu is the kind of person who would rather break than bend, dislikes superficiality, and refuses gifts or currying favor, which is why he came to Chang Le City. Even if there is danger and retaliation, Xu Zhi'an probably won't take any major action against someone from the capital.
They might just be doing some disgusting things, which is harmless.
Jiang Yufan and Gu Sidu just didn't expect that Xu Zhian could do such disgusting things so thoroughly, making them truly disgusting.
Gu Sidu was soon summoned to the county government office, supposedly because someone wanted to accuse him of favoritism and accepting bribes.
Xu Zhian wants to investigate him.
This was utter nonsense. Dao Yun telling Jiang Yufan about this matter was completely unexpected for Jiang Yufan. However, Jiang Yufan thought again that if Gu Sidu really had accepted bribes, then Gu Sidu could be brought down the fastest, and Gu Sidu's reputation among the people would naturally decline.
At that time, Gu Sidu would naturally not be a threat to Xu Zhian.
What a clever scheme! But Jiang Yufan still didn't understand: "What excuse did they use to say that Gu Sidu accepted bribes?"
In the county government office, Daoyun was well-informed. She said, "I heard that they were talking about how Lord Gu could have so much money to help the people all the time, and how he could manage his household affairs. They used this as a pretext to detain Lord Gu in the county government office for questioning."
"To put it nicely, it's a thorough investigation into his background; to put it bluntly, it's a show of force, and perhaps they'll even try to make some money out of it. Lord Gu isn't a threat, but he'll be unhappy. I heard this news and came to inform the Buddha beforehand, so we won't be caught off guard."
So that's what it was about. Jiang Yufan's furrowed brows relaxed. If that's all it was for, it wouldn't be difficult to handle. Jiang Yufan said to Daoyun, "I understand. Thank you. Are you going back to the county office?"
"No need to go back. We're not training today, so they've had a day off. The county government is focused on Gu Sidu's situation, so they don't need me. I'll stay by the Buddha's side and help her find a solution."
After Daoyun finished speaking, he rested his chin on his hand and said to Jiang Yufan, "If you ask me, Gu Sidu is really quite pitiful. I think his fate is just bad. He always has to attract these troubles. Maybe he should really go to a temple and pray to a deity."
"By a twist of fate, even the Buddhist nun couldn't truly help him."
But this time, Jiang Yufan said, "I can."
Jiang Yufan used to say she couldn't save Gu Sidu, because back then she herself couldn't save Gu Sidu. So how could she save Gu Sidu now? Daoyun looked at Jiang Yufan and began to doubt himself.
Is the person in front of me a Bodhisattva? Yes, right? Could it be that someone deliberately impersonated a Bodhisattva and appeared here with this face?
Seeing Dao Yun's questioning gaze, Jiang Yufan smiled and said, "I am still me, not someone else, there's no need to doubt me."
"But how can the Buddhist nun save Gu Sidu? Those people have so many opinions, how can we silence them?" Daoyun said, her heart filled with worry. "Buddha nun, I'm also very puzzled. Why have we always been so wealthy?"
“Maybe the more you spend money, the more you have,” Jiang Yufan said, echoing the words Gu Sidu used to say.
Fortunately, she had brought some extra things with her when she left the capital, which unexpectedly came in handy. Jiang Yufan said to Daoyun, "Let's go to the county government office."
"What are we going to do?" Dao Yun gripped his sword and stood up. "Should I take this sword and charge in to rescue Gu Sidu?"
Jiang Yufan reminded Yun, "You are a person from the county government. Are you going to kill your superior?"
"Oh, that's meaningless." Dao Yun pursed his lips.
"But our purpose in going to the county government is also to rescue the hero." Jiang Yufan's plan was beginning to take shape.
Since the arrival of a handsome young man and a kind-hearted woman with a bodhisattva-like appearance from the capital, Chang Le City has undergone a great transformation, witnessing sights never before seen. Before, who in Chang Le City could have witnessed such a shocking scene: a woman standing at the entrance of the county government office, with a woman carrying a sword behind her, waiting for the magistrate to demand an explanation?
A woman was able to request an audience with the county magistrate.
What a scene! In the end, the woman actually got to see what was happening. County Magistrate Xu Zhian personally sent someone to fetch her, and the woman, who looked like a bodhisattva, walked straight into the county government office with her head held high and chest out.
"Who is that? They're so powerful!"
"Don't you know? That's the new magistrate, Madam Gu."
"No, that is a Bodhisattva."
Everyone was talking about how there was nothing Jiang Yufan couldn't do, and that such a person shouldn't be given her husband's surname; she was a powerful bodhisattva who could bring good fortune.
Unbeknownst to Jiang Yufan, someone had firmly established her reputation for being restless and unpredictable.
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