Chapter 641 What a sharp-tongued weak woman!
The prefectural government office tonight is as quiet as a tomb.
The hustle and bustle of the day was gone, even the chirping of insects in the corridor had died out.
The lanterns hanging high up cast dim light, dragging the shadows of the columns like ghosts with bared fangs and claws.
There was a solemn and murderous atmosphere in the air.
Every step on the cold bluestone slabs, the empty echo seems to knock on one's heart.
The butler led the way in front, his back straighter than when he came, and the respectfulness on his face had completely disappeared.
He led the two of them through layers of corridors, around the heavily guarded vestibule, and finally stopped in front of a remote room.
This place is far away from the main courtyard and is surrounded by dense bamboo forests.
The evening breeze blew, and the bamboo leaves rustled, which not only failed to sound poetic, but instead added a bit of eeriness.
"My Lord is waiting inside."
The butler stood sideways and made a "please" gesture, but his eyes showed a trace of pity as if he was looking at a dead person.
Gu Junze held Chu Ruohan's hand and could feel the warmth of her fingertips. He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
Chu Ruohan responded with a reassuring look, took the first step, and pushed open the half-closed carved wooden door.
There was no flashing of swords and sabers as imagined, nor was there a murderous aura of soldiers sitting in the gate.
The warm room was elegantly furnished with a top-quality golden nanmu desk and calligraphy and paintings by famous artists hanging on the walls. In the corner, in a bronze censer with an animal head, expensive incense was burning, and the fragrance was so subtle that it made one's heart tighten.
Chen Taimo sat in the main seat.
He changed out of his official robes and wore only a dark green casual suit, looking like an ordinary rich man.
There was a chessboard in front of him, with black and white pieces interlaced on the board, as if it was an unfinished endgame.
He didn't look at the person who came in, but just picked up a white piece with two fingers, and looked for a place to place it on the chessboard with his eyes focused, as if he was more interested in the game of chess than the guest in front of him.
"Please sit down."
His voice was calm, without any emotion, but it carried a sense of oppression from someone who had been in a superior position for a long time.
Chu Ruohan calmly walked to the seat opposite him and sat down, while Gu Junze still stood silently behind her like an iron tower, his presence so strong that it was impossible to ignore him.
"I wonder why the prefect invited me so late at night?" Chu Ruohan spoke in a clear voice, breaking the suffocating silence.
Chen Taimo still didn't look up, but asked slowly, "I heard that you two are not from Jinguan City?"
"My husband and I came from the capital and run a small business to make a living." Chu Ruohan's answer was flawless.
"You're from the capital." Chen Taimo placed a piece down, making a crisp "pop" sound.
"The Weaving Girl Competition was well-organized. The crowds were bustling, and it was a grand event Jinguan City hadn't seen in many years."
He changed the subject and finally shifted his gaze from the chessboard to Chu Ruohan's face.
"However, such a grand event, organized by ordinary people, is ultimately a bit chaotic and disorganized."
"I think it would be better if the government office took over and unified the management of all weavers. I could then recommend to the court that the outstanding ones be awarded honors."
"This will be good for them and will also bring honor to Jinguan City. What do you think, Madam?"
This sounds high-sounding, but in reality it means uprooting the Weaving Girl Competition and picking all the fruits into one's own basket.
Chu Ruohan smiled.
The smile was shallow, but like a soft knife.
"Your Excellency is right. But the original intention of holding the competition is to allow these weavers who work hard all day to earn a little more hard-earned money with their skills, so that their families can have a better life."
She paused, her words becoming more earnest.
"If the government took over, everything would be perfectly organized, but I feel like it would lack the lively atmosphere of the human world. I'm also worried that the weavers would be constrained and unable to display their best skills. Wouldn't that go against the Lord's original intention of doing good for them?"
She looked at Chen Taimo's slightly gloomy face and changed the subject again.
"In my opinion, it would be better if you could do this. My Lord, you are so virtuous and respected, why don't you come and bear witness to the final scene?"
"Once the winners of the competition are determined, the government will award the title of 'Masters of Brocade Weaving' to those with the most outstanding skills, and will also reward them with prizes."
"This is not only a great honor, but also a true joy for both the government and the people. What do you think, sir?"
These words not only praised Chen Taimo, but also put him in a "fair" position, making it impossible for him to intervene forcibly.
Chen Taimo's eyes turned cold instantly.
He stared at Chu Ruohan's smiling face and finally confirmed that the woman in front of him was definitely not a good person.
If you don't accept the toast, you will have to drink a penalty drink.
"Ma'am, you have a point." He spoke slowly, but the temperature in his tone dropped rapidly.
"It's just that I've recently encountered a troubling matter."
He slowly picked up the teacup and blew away the foam.
"My son, Chen Jing, has been missing for eight days."
"Some people say that before he disappeared, he had some inappropriate thoughts about his wife."
He stared at Gu Junze, with an arc without a smile on his lips, and there was a blade hidden in that arc.
"I'm very curious. How did a powerless foreign businessman make my good-for-nothing son and his thugs disappear out of thin air?"
The moment the words fell, the temperature in the warm room seemed to suddenly drop to freezing point.
The butler who had been guarding outside the door walked in silently with four burly men, like four walls, blocking the only way of retreat.
The four men had bulging temples, fierce eyes, thick calluses on their hands from years of holding knives, and a bloody smell emanated from their bodies.
The real purpose is revealed.
The smile on Chu Ruohan's face deepened. She even had the leisure to pick up a black piece on the edge of the chessboard and gently turn it between her fingertips with a leisurely posture.
"Your Excellency is joking."
She raised her eyes and met Chen Taimo's eyes that seemed to want to kill someone, with a hint of innocence and confusion in her tone.
"We are new here, my husband and I, and we just want to organize a Weaving Girl Competition to bring some excitement to Jinguan City and earn some income."
"Your son is a man of good fortune. Perhaps he went somewhere for fun and delayed his return. Why, sir, must you place such an unfounded accusation on a weak woman?"
"Weak woman?"
Chen Taimo seemed to have heard a huge joke. He laughed softly, and the laughter rolled out of his throat, filled with cold murderous intent.
"What a clever and weak woman!"
He slammed the table!
"Bang!"
The chess pieces on the board were shaken so hard that they jumped high and fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
"I'll ask you one last time!"
Chen Taimo suddenly stood up, staring at Gu Junze with red eyes, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Where is my son, Chen Jing?"
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