Gu Gong hurried home.
He quickly glanced at Gu Zhili's body, then swung his fist and hit Gu Yan hard in the face.
"ah!"
Hu screamed and rushed forward to protect Gu Cheng.
"Why did you hit him? This isn't his fault alone."
Gu Gong's heart was about to explode. He pointed at Gu Cheng and cursed, "Are you stupid? At this time, you took him out, not only did you take him out, but you actually took him to the Wei River. Are you crazy?"
Gu Cheng's face was pale. "I took him out because I felt sorry for him. He kept making a fuss in the carriage, saying he wanted to go to the Wei River to take a look. Gu Quan kept kowtowing, so I softened my heart and agreed. I really didn't expect him to jump into the river. He cherishes his life so much, how could he commit suicide?"
Gu Yan held his head in his hands, his face full of pain and frustration, as if all the strength had been drained out of him.
Gu Gong gnashed his teeth in anger. "You're just stupid! He suggested going to the Wei River, how could you not have guessed he was cheating? Don't you know he hates us, the Empress, in his heart? He hates all of us. There's no point in him living anymore. Before he dies, he's going to drag everyone down with him, making us bear the stigma of being unfilial for forcing our old father to death. Even the Empress's reputation will be implicated by him. How could you not see through such a simple scheme?"
Mrs. Hu wholeheartedly defended Gu Cheng. "Fifth Brother, what you said is all hindsight. Who could have imagined that the old man would want to commit suicide? Who could have imagined that Gu Quan would help the old man commit suicide? What's the point of scolding him now? We need to find a way to cover this up."
Bang!
Gu Gong kicked the chair over.
Gu Hun was so frightened that he didn't dare to say a word.
Gu Gong pointed at Gu Cheng and said, "You didn't go anywhere today. You just spent the whole day reading in the study. The old man is still seriously ill in bed. He died of a seizure at night. Tomorrow morning, hang a white lantern on the gate to announce the death.
"This, this, this, can this be hidden?" asked Mrs. Hu.
Gu Gong said sternly, "We don't need to hide this from everyone, but we need to hide it from those outside. The old man committed suicide by jumping into the river. This matter cannot be hidden from my uncle's family, the Marquis' Mansion, or the palace. But we must keep it secret from our relatives and friends outside, and we must not let any rumors spread that would drive the old man to his death. I will personally go to the Marquis' Mansion and my uncle's house to explain the truth. Prepare the mourning hall first. Put as much ice as possible in this room."
Gu Cheng said in a hoarse voice, "I will go to the palace to plead guilty in person."
Gu Gong snorted coldly, "You should go to the palace in person to plead guilty. Tomorrow morning, I will accompany you to the palace."
Gu Yan was surprised.
Hu was shocked.
For all these years, Gu Gong has never been to the palace.
There seemed to be a tacit understanding between him and the Queen, and neither of them asked questions of the other.
Knowing that there is such a person, but completely ignoring the other person.
Gu Cheng's eyes were red as he thanked me. "Thank you! You are indeed a good brother."
Gu Gong was full of laughter. "If you were a soldier under my command, I would have killed you long ago. With your brain, I really don't know why you haven't been plotted against in all these years and are still safe today. Maybe everyone is giving you some face because you are the Queen's brother."
Gu Cheng smiled bitterly, "After all, I'm not your soldier."
Gu Gong snorted coldly and turned away.
…
Qian Fu came to Chang'an Palace to ask for an audience.
After being informed, I was invited into the study.
"This old servant has just received a piece of news that I dare not conceal, so I have come to report it to Her Majesty."
"What news?"
Gu Jiu put down the book in his hand and asked.
Qian Fu looked around.
Gu Jiu waved his hand, and all the palace servants serving in the study retreated.
Qian Fu took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, today, Master Gu Cheng took Old Master Gu out of the palace and went to the banks of the Wei River. Old Master Gu committed suicide by jumping into the river and is confirmed dead!"
silence!
The air is about to condense.
There was an ice basin in the study, and although it was a bit cool, Qian Fu felt as if he was in a furnace.
He was sweating all over, his body was tense and stiff, and he could hardly breathe.
Boom!
A slight noise broke the silence in the room.
"Mother?"
Gu Jiu covered his face with one hand and said, "I feel a little dizzy."
"This old servant will send for the imperial physician right away."
"Need not!"
Gu Zhili died, or he committed suicide by jumping into the river.
A little surprised and a little shocked.
I didn't expect that Gu Zhili had the courage to commit suicide, and in such a decisive way.
However, the moment she learned the news, her heart was unexpectedly calm, without any ripples in her heart.
She even had time to think about how she should react in order to meet the world's expectations.
After all, it was her biological father who died.
She was a little distressed.
There was no sadness, nor any sense of relief.
This day seemed to have been anticipated many years ago.
She picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Then he asked, "What's the current situation of the Gu family?"
"The Gu family seems to be trying to conceal the truth and find another reason to explain Mr. Gu's death."
Gu Jiu nodded, "He still has some brains, not completely confused."
Qian Fu added, "It seems that this was Gu Gong's decision. Lord Gu Cheng has completely lost his composure."
"People who have led troops, fought in wars, and seen life and death are indeed different. So let's just leave it at that. Don't make it public yet. Wait for the Gu family to announce the death."
"I obey your command!"
…
The next morning, white lanterns were hung on the Gu family's gate.
The housekeepers of the Gu Mansion went out to announce the death.
Gu Cheng dressed neatly and prepared to go to the palace with Gu Gong to apologize.
Mrs. Hu was filled with worry and straightened his collar for him. "When you see the Empress, you must be sincere and not shirk responsibility. The Empress doesn't like people who make excuses when things go wrong. You have to keep an eye on Gu Gong and don't let him say anything careless. He has such a bad temper, what if he says something inappropriate and offends the Empress? And you, don't be too nervous. The culprit is Gu Quan. I've ordered people to keep a close eye on him and won't give him the chance to commit suicide."
Gu Yan said "hmm", "Is it okay with me like this?"
"He looked pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. You could tell he didn't sleep well the night before. This is good."
Gu Cheng grinned, his heart a little cold, "What do you think the old man is thinking? Does he really hate us that much?"
Mrs. Hu paused for a moment, then continued nonchalantly, "Of course he hates it. He's such a proud man, and he's the father-in-law of the emperor, yet the Empress has taken away his opportunities. He can't go out, can't show off in front of others, and can't receive the flattery and admiration of others. For someone like him, a life without flattery and admiration is worse than death."
"You're right! He should hate us. That's why he carefully planned what happened yesterday, jumping into the river and committing suicide in front of everyone, in order to force us into a dead end."
Mrs. Hu comforted him, "Don't think so! This matter may not be as serious as you think. As long as the news doesn't get out, there is room for recovery."
Gu Cheng is not as optimistic as Hu.
Gu Zhili planned all this and must have thought that they would block the news and would definitely have countermeasures.
Gu Zhili must have arranged people to spread rumors in the market when the time comes.
It was necessary to control all of Gu Quan's family members. Gu Zhili would definitely take this into consideration.
Thinking about it this way, the person he arranged to spread the rumors would not be Gu Quan's family.
Who could it be?
Gu Cheng immediately ordered: "Servants in the mansion, no one is allowed to leave the mansion except those you trust."
Mrs. Hu was stunned for a moment. "Early this morning, the stewards went out to announce the death."
"Who are they?"
Mrs. Hu mentioned several names in one breath.
Gu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. "They should be fine, but there's no guarantee that others won't have problems. The old man carefully planned all of this, so it's impossible that he didn't arrange for people to spread rumors."
Mrs. Hu exclaimed, "Ah!" "Is the old man going to put the Gu family to death?"
Gu Cheng snorted coldly, "He's already dead, so why would he care about the Gu family's life or death? He wishes everyone would go down to be buried with him."
Hu rubbed her eyebrows.
The old man is as selfish as ever.
He always asks others to obey him, and he never considers anyone.
He treats his wife and children with a cold shoulder and has no feelings at all.
Most people in the world are selfish, but it is rare to find someone as selfish as Gu Zhili.
Gu Cheng and Gu Gong entered the palace, and Hu reorganized the servants in the mansion.
…
Outside the gate of Chang'an Palace, the two brothers were waiting for notification.
After waiting for about a cup of tea, he was finally invited into Chang'an Palace.
Xu Yousi said, "The Queen is waiting for you two adults in the study. Please come this way."
"Thank you, Eunuch Xu!"
"Master Gu, accept my condolences!"
Gu Yan wiped his face and suppressed the panic in his heart.
Entering the study and seeing the Empress, he knelt on the ground without any hesitation and said, "I come to apologize for my crime. Please punish me, Empress!"
Gu Gong did not kneel down, but performed the salute of a subject.
Gu Jiu gave a look, and Xu Yousi brought over a round stool. "Master Gu Gong, please sit down and talk."
Gu Gong didn't hesitate and sat down with his horse and sword.
Gu Yan was still kneeling on the ground, but Gu Jiu ignored him.
Instead, she asked Gu Gong, "What happened yesterday? Was it you who decided to hide the truth?"
"yes!"
Gu Jiu tapped the table lightly, "What do you think about the old man's death?"
Gu Gong said frankly, "The old man's death can be considered a relief. As for how he died, it's no longer important. If we can hide it, we will hide it. If we can't, it doesn't matter. At worst, I will bring people to fight. Anyone who dares to speak nonsense and spread rumors about our Gu family will be beaten."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Do you think knocking on the door can solve the problem?"
"It won't completely solve the problem, but it can at least solve 70% to 80%. Most people in the world tend to bully the weak and fear the strong, and it's better to have less trouble than more. Knowing that I, Gu Gong, am not someone to be trifled with, many people naturally don't dare to publicly fabricate gossip about our Gu family."
"Your idea is plausible and feasible. Do you think you can keep it a secret?"
Gu Gong shook his head. "It's impossible to hide it! The old man died so suddenly, he must have hated all of us. With his temper, he must have made plans long ago."
Gu Jiu smiled. She suddenly realized that the trouble-making and unlearned Gu Gong had grown into a responsible, capable, resourceful and strategic man.
She said to him, "You go back first."
Gu Gong glanced at Gu Rong who was kneeling on the ground, without saying a word, he stood up decisively and left Chang'an Palace.
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