Chapter 543 A Clue Has Been Found
After the people from the first and second branches of the family left Shou'an Hall, Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi remained and chatted with Old Madam Gu for a while.
Seeing that it was almost time to leave, Gu Jingxi handed the little baby in his arms to his elderly mother and said, "Mother, I'll trouble you to take care of Wanwan."
Grandma Gu took her grandson from her son's arms with a loving smile: "You can go out without worry, I will take good care of Wanwan."
Gu Jingxi pinched her son's little face and said, "Thank you for your hard work today, Mother. This child has grown up a bit and is a little more mischievous than before."
Madam Gu glared at him: "When it comes to causing trouble, who can be as troublesome as you were back then? Wanwan is so well-behaved. Don't talk nonsense and ruin my grandson's reputation."
Gu Jingxi: "..."
What reputation does a baby who hasn't even been weaned need?
Madam Gu didn't hold it against him and urged, "Alright, you can go out now. It's rare that you have time to accompany Ayao today."
Gu Jingxi nodded: "Okay, thank you for your trouble, Mother."
After he finished speaking, he took his young wife and left without looking back, showing that he had no regrets about leaving his son.
The little guy watched his parents leave with bated breath. When their figures disappeared from sight, he seemed to realize something, his little mouth twitched, and he looked like he was about to cry. But the next moment, his attention was diverted by the rattle in his wet nurse's hand, and his innocent smile reappeared.
Madam Gu gave the wet nurse an approving look. The wet nurse was clever. Then, she started playing with her little grandson.
It's said that grandparents love their grandchildren more, and Madam Gu couldn't help but like Wanwan no matter how she looked at her. Even though she was a quiet person, she could talk to the child incessantly. Wanwan couldn't talk yet, but she could only look at her and giggle, which made Madam Gu extremely satisfied.
Meanwhile, the carriage was already prepared.
Just as Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi were about to leave, the steward hurried towards them, bowed, and said, "My lord, Minister Yu of the Ministry of Justice has come to visit, saying he has urgent business to discuss with you."
Lord Yu?
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at Meng Jinyao with a hint of apology in his eyes.
Meng Jinyao, understanding her husband, said, "Husband, since Lord Yu has come in person, it must be something very important. You go ahead and do your work. We won't go out today. We'll go out next time you have a day off."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly: "Ayao, I'll go take a look first. If I have something to do, then we won't go out today."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Husband, go quickly. I'm going to my mother's to keep Wanwan company."
Gu Jingxi wasted no time and hurried to see Lord Yu. When he arrived at the living room, he saw Lord Yu pacing back and forth. He was a little surprised and wondered what was wrong that made Lord Yu so uneasy. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Lord Yu, what brings you here so suddenly?"
Lord Yu glanced at the maids standing on either side and said, "Lord Gu, this is not the place to talk."
Gu Jingxi was taken aback, then said, "Then please, Lord Yu, move to my study."
Lord Yu nodded and followed him to the study in the front yard.
As soon as he entered the study, Lord Yu took out a letter from his pocket, handed it to Gu Jingxi, and said, "Lord Gu, I won't waste any more words. After you read these, you'll understand why I was in such a hurry to find you."
Gu Jingxi reached out and took the letter, sat down to the side, and carefully read its contents. His expression gradually became serious. After a long while, he put down the letter and looked up at Lord Yu: "Lord Yu, where did you get these things?"
Lord Yu replied, "This morning, a little beggar delivered it. I don't know who sent the little beggar. After reading the letter, I learned that it was related to the death of Crown Prince Huizhao, so I came to see Lord Gu. The Emperor ordered Lord Gu and me to thoroughly investigate this matter. For more than half a year, there has been no progress. Now that we finally have a clue, I will naturally not hide it from Lord Gu."
Gu Jingxi remained silent: "..."
If it were anything else, Lord Yu would have known the clues and handled the task himself. Why would he let him know and share half the credit? But in this kind of matter, he dragged him into it, so that he would share both the benefits and the harm. He's truly a cunning old fox.
After a moment, he calmly replied, "Thank you, Lord Yu. Has Lord Yu sent anyone to the ruined temple to arrest anyone related to this case?"
Lord Yu replied, "Not yet. I learned of this matter and came to discuss it with Lord Gu first. In your opinion, Lord Gu, is this news reliable?"
Gu Jingxi fell silent again: "..."
That old guy is really cunning. He wants to drag him into this mess and make him involved in the whole thing. The reason he's not in a hurry to arrest him is probably because the person who delivered the message will keep a close watch on him and will only leave when their own people are almost there.
He replied, "Lord Yu, I believe it's better to believe it exists than not. Sending someone to investigate the dilapidated temple outside the city will tell us the truth. What do you think?"
Lord Yu said, “Lord Gu is right. Let’s send someone to investigate. If the person mentioned in the letter is indeed there, then we should arrest him and bring him to justice.”
Gu Jingxi didn't waste any time and immediately called Zhou Yun and the others, asking them to go to the dilapidated temple outside the city and bring the person back.
Lord Yu then asked, "Lord Gu, who do you think was the one who delivered the message to us? Since he knows the truth, why doesn't he inform the Emperor himself, or report it to the authorities?"
Gu Jingxi answered conservatively: "Perhaps it is because Crown Prince Huizhao was popular with the people, and some people knew the cause of his death and wanted those who murdered him to get what they deserved, but did not want people to know who they were, so they sent a little beggar to deliver the message."
Lord Yu glanced at him, feeling frustrated by his cautiousness.
Where do so many good people who are indifferent to fame and fortune come from?
Crown Prince Huizhao was the Emperor's favorite son. Anyone who knew the cause of his death and provided clues to the case would be richly rewarded by the Emperor.
Those who can conceal their merits and fame in this way must be using them to bring down the Second Prince, who is currently riding high and has the best chance of becoming the Crown Prince. As for who that person is, whoever becomes the Crown Prince will be the most likely candidate.
They had suspected the Second Prince before, but they had no evidence. Now they have a lead, but it's not easy to get involved in this kind of thing. The Second Prince is also a son that the Emperor values highly. If this gets brought to the Emperor's attention, how will the Emperor punish the Second Prince?
Both are sons, and both are outstanding. They are equally dear to the emperor. If the emperor severely punishes the second prince, he will feel bad and might take it out on the officials who handled the case.
Gu Jingxi glanced at Lord Yu and knew what Lord Yu was thinking. Lord Yu had been able to get to his current position step by step because of his caution and prudence. He thought things through before doing anything. To put it bluntly, he was a bit of a worrier. Gu Jingxi said gently, "Lord Yu, don't think too much. His Majesty is a wise ruler."
Lord Yu nodded, then asked, "Lord Gu, do you really think it could be the Second Prince?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Lord Yu, I have always believed in facts and evidence. If the evidence is conclusive, then it is true; otherwise, it is false accusation and slander to ruin the Second Prince's reputation. Regardless of whether it is true or not, we should investigate thoroughly. We must not wrong any innocent person, nor should we let the mastermind behind this go unpunished."
His answer was watertight.
Lord Yu had no way to deal with him and had given up trying to get information out of him, while also keeping his mouth shut.
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