He even fantasized that Zhuo Yue wasn't actually dead, but just wanted to hide from him. But the things the old man had done to her would replay in his mind repeatedly whenever he closed his eyes.
This disgusted Gu Mai. In this familiar environment, he remembered kneeling in front of the old man, begging him to spare Zhuo Yue, but he was still refused.
When Lauren came in, she was carrying a nutritious meal that looked delicious and appealed to the eye, but Gu Mai found it irritating and said coldly, "Lauren, did you add anything to it again?"
The deep, hoarse voice, though clearly weak, startled Lauren. She placed the plate on the table and knelt before his bed.
"Patriarch, this is all the old patriarch's wish. He also hopes that you won't be too sad."
“You truly are his man. He’s been dead for so long, and you’re still speaking up for him. He didn’t care about human life at all. He asked you to put drugs in my food, which was his way of using his last wish to make me his dog and help him preserve the wealth and status of the Sig’s family.”
"Hehehe..." The room was filled with Gu Mai's bitter laughter.
"Master of the family."
This title disgusted Gu Mai, reminding him of those who bowed down to the old man and killed people to silence him. It made him feel as if he had personally given the order to harm Zhuo Yue.
Lauren remained kneeling there for a long time, until Gu Mai's assistant came in with documents. Seeing Lauren kneeling on the ground, the assistant hesitated, then said, "Master..."
After a long silence, the assistant finally spoke, forcing himself to speak, "The royal family has already sent people to arrest several managers from the collateral branches. It seems they're serious this time."
The man on the bed looked weak and expressionless. The assistant stood there uneasy, waiting for the next instruction.
Gu Mai reopened his eyes. "Don't worry about it. The branch's affairs are none of the family's business. The group should do what it should do. Bring all the materials I asked you to collect to the study."
Lauren was somewhat puzzled, but seeing that he hadn't completely given up on the Scott family, there was still hope. In fact, he was no different from the old patriarch; human life was the least important thing to the Scott family.
It seems that as a steward who had been by the old master's side for many years, he also felt this way.
The patriarch was just a woman he lost many years ago. Although the old patriarch's actions were somewhat extreme, they didn't leave any evidence, so the Sige family was safe, he thought.
Before Gu Mai had fully recovered, he resumed managing the affairs of the Sige family. No one cared about the reason for his illness, and the entire family waited anxiously for someone to come out and save them.
In the reception room, the prince saw Gu Mai sitting opposite him, pale and weak, not yet fully recovered, and felt a pang of regret.
"Gu Mai, do you still want to get involved in this matter?"
He didn't forget his manners and bowed his head in greeting. "I know, Your Highness, I've come to ask you to release those people from the collateral branches and take them back. I promise I will discipline them properly."
The prince shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment. "I thought you were a smart man, that you wouldn't fail to see what the royal family meant by conducting such a thorough investigation. You have already relinquished the position of head of the family, so why not take this opportunity to get rid of this mess? Perhaps I could still protect you then. But I regret that you insist on speaking up for the collateral branches that did those things."
Gu Mai: "Yes, I know, but I have my reasons for doing this. Please forgive me, but I will make sure the Sige family gives the royal family an explanation for these foolish things."
The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment before the prince relented. "I need some time. This matter has already alarmed the royal family and the cabinet. They can't just take people away as you wish. I'll need some leverage to ask for your favor."
Gumai promised to provide results on the rectification and cleanup within a week, otherwise he would personally hand the person back to the royal family for processing.
The prince looked at his face, shook his head imperceptibly, and looked at Gumai, who was bending over and speaking to him.
“Go back first. I will speak for you, but you should know that the things they touched are not things that you businessmen should touch. So how much I can help you this time depends on what you can do.”
Gu Mai bowed, not even looking up at him, "Yes, Prince, I will certainly not disappoint you."
Watching him leave the reception room, the assistant standing to the side finally spoke up, asking, "Your Highness, are you really planning to talk to the cabinet about releasing him? The royal family has always turned a blind eye to their dealings with minerals and military industries. This time, with such a big fuss, why do you need to vouch for him? What if..."
After listening to the reminder from the person next to him, the prince relaxed and leaned back in his chair. "Of course, he's not that great, and neither am I. I'm just curious to see just how great he can be."
Looking towards the entrance, he recalled the news he had received: the head of the Sige family was kneeling in front of the Orland Manor, a scene that was rarely seen.
A cunning glint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but he always felt that Gu Mai was quite an interesting person. It was a pity that he was born into the Sige family, otherwise, perhaps he could still become his friend?
He took a sip of tea, the steam obscuring his vision, and he had a feeling that something was about to change in S country.
No sooner had Gu Mai returned to the manor than those people were brought out, not at all like what the prince had said about discussing things, but rather as if it had been prepared all along.
The branch managers who had been chattering away in the previous meeting were now standing silently in the study, looking at Gu Mai sitting at his desk, feeling somewhat guilty.
Even though they had been prisoners and placed under house arrest, they had never bowed their heads, but the young man's abilities were truly beyond their imagination.
Having received the news, they almost thought the situation was hopeless, but Gu Mai managed to get them out of the royal family.
A deep voice, tinged with submission, said, "Master, I apologize for what I did before. Thank you for rescuing us from the royal family."
The head of the family in the south bent down, and the others were somewhat surprised to see him do so.
Gu Mai looked up and chuckled, "I didn't expect the head of the Southern family to be willing to bow his head. I don't care about what happened before. I promised the royal family that I would handle these matters within 5 days and give them an answer. Otherwise, how do you think you got out?"
"5 days..." "How is that possible?"
The crowd whispered among themselves as they looked at each other, but no one dared to speak directly to Gu Mai.
Seeing the contemptuous smile on the face of the person at the desk, I thought that after I'd been back in Jiangcheng for so long, you'd be able to come up with a decent solution? Turns out you're just trying to find a scapegoat to appease the royal family, and you've even gotten yourself involved?
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