Chapter 652: The more anxious you are to silence someone, the more it shows you are afraid.
The turmoil at Yunshang Pavilion in the capital city ultimately declared Chu Ruohan's victory in an almost overwhelming manner.
Liu Dehai and others lost not only their wives but also their troops, and not only failed to shake Yunshang Pavilion.
Instead, because of the rumor-mongering, he was invited to drink tea for several days by the governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, and the shop under his name was ordered to suspend business for rectification.
Caishikou.
On the high platform, Chen Taimo, a criminal, was tied up and kneeling in a row with death cards stuck around his neck.
The night before the execution.
Deep in the sky prison, it was cold and damp.
"I want to see the Duke of Zhenguo! I want to see Gu Junze!"
Lin Wanjin had disheveled hair and looked like a madman. He grabbed the prison door tightly with his shackled hands and roared at the outside.
"I have someone behind me! A very important person! As long as the Duke is willing to save my life, I will tell you everything! I will tell you everything!"
However, all he got in response was the impatient scolding from the patrolling jailer.
It was late at night. Lin Wanjin, who had been roaring all day, finally ran out of strength. He collapsed in the cold haystack, staring blankly at the small skylight on the top of the cell.
Just when he thought he could only wait for death, a light sound of footsteps was heard in the corridor.
“Squeak—”
The cell door was opened.
A unfamiliar jailer walked in carrying a food box.
"Master Lin, have a good meal and get ready to go."
The jailer placed the food box on the ground, which contained some exquisite side dishes and a pot of wine.
A glimmer of hope suddenly flashed in Lin Wanjin's cloudy eyes.
He pounced forward and grabbed the prison boss's trouser leg.
"Did your master send you here? Did he come to save me? I knew he wouldn't leave me alone!"
The jailer calmly withdrew his legs, looked down at him, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Master Lin is overthinking it."
He squatted down and lowered his voice to a very low level, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
"Your master sent me here to give you a ride. He wants you to die with dignity and avoid the pain of beheading tomorrow."
The ecstasy on Lin Wanjin's face froze in an instant, then shattered into pieces, turning into bone-chilling fear.
It’s not a rescue...it’s a silence!
He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by a ball of cotton and he couldn't make a sound.
"you……"
“Woo—”
Before he could even shout, the jailer made a lightning-fast move, covering his mouth tightly with one of his large, iron-like hands, and with the other hand, he picked up the wine jug and roughly poured the entire cup of poisoned wine down his throat.
The pungent liquid burned his esophagus. Lin Wanjin struggled desperately, kicking his hands and feet on the ground, making bursts of dull noises.
But it was all in vain.
Soon, his whole body was twitching, his eyes were wide open, and black blood was slowly flowing out of his seven orifices.
The jailer watched him die indifferently, then stood up and straightened his robe, as if he had just stepped on an ant.
He walked out of the cell, locked the door again, and said calmly to the jailer outside, "Watch out, the imperial prisoner committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Report to the Dali Temple tomorrow morning."
The next day, Gu Junze received the documents submitted by the Dali Temple in the study of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
There were only a few words written on it: The imperial prisoner Lin Wanjin committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment.
Gu Junze held the thin piece of paper, his eyes deep and his expression unremarkable.
Behind him, Qin Fang bowed and said, "Duke, the clue is broken."
"It can't be broken." Gu Junze threw the document into the brazier beside him and watched the flames devour it in an instant.
"The more anxious you are to silence someone, the more it shows you're afraid."
Chen Taimo was executed, and the sky of Jinguan City finally saw the light.
But the position of prefect was also vacant.
Everyone knows that it's a mess and whoever goes there will be in trouble.
In the court, civil and military officials were arguing over this hot potato.
Zhao Yunci, sitting on the dragon throne, listened to the people below blaming each other, with no expression on her face.
Only when they were tired of arguing and quieted down did he slowly speak.
"I order the Imperial Academy's editor, Gu Lu, to depart today for Jinguan City to take up the post of prefect."
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the whole court was in an uproar.
Everyone was stunned.
Gu Lu?
That person was selected as the third place in the imperial examination at such a young age and became a sixth-rank noble official?
Should he be made a fourth-rank prefect? Or a place like Jinguan City?
This... isn't this a promotion in name only, a demotion in reality, or exile?
For a moment, the atmosphere in the court became strange.
Many officials secretly glanced at Gu Junze, who was standing at the head of the military generals with an expressionless face, their eyes full of sympathy and gloating.
It seems that the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion is no longer tolerated by the Emperor because his achievements are greater than his own.
This is a warning!
When the news spread outside the palace, the entire aristocratic circle in the capital was in an uproar.
The matchmakers who had been knocking on the door of the Gu family a few days ago, wanting to arrange a marriage between their daughters and Gu Lu, suddenly stopped and never mentioned the matter again.
"Hey, have you heard? Gu Lu is going to be kicked out of the capital!"
"What a pity! Such a promising young man's future is ruined."
"Who says it's not? If you go to a place like Jinguan City, you can't be sure whether you can come back alive!"
People in teahouses and taverns were talking about it, saying that it was the beginning of the decline of the Gu family.
However, in the Taifu Mansion.
Master Li, who was over sixty years old, twirled his beard and listened to his student's report, but shook his head.
"What a mess! They all got it wrong."
His student, now an official, asked in confusion, "Teacher, what do you mean by that? Isn't the Emperor suppressing the Gu family by doing this?"
Tutor Li picked up the teacup and blew away the hot steam. However, a glimmer of wisdom flashed in his cloudy old eyes.
"Suppression? No, this is a reward."
"Just watch. The mess in Jinguan City would be a death warrant in the hands of others, but in Gu Lu's hands, it's a book of merit."
"Your Majesty, this is to allow Gu Lu to be gilded with real gold. If this boy can properly manage Jinguan City, his future will be limitless when he returns to the capital."
The atmosphere inside the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was completely different from the rumors outside.
Gu Lu accepted the imperial edict calmly.
From beginning to end, there was no resentment on his face, only calmness.
But he was open about it, but his sister was not.
"I won't allow it!"
Gu Lanxin rushed into Chu Ruohan's study like a gust of wind, her eyes as red as a rabbit, and her plain little face full of tear marks.
She threw herself in front of Chu Ruohan regardless of anything, grabbed her sleeve, her voice choked with sobs and a hint of despair.
"Aunt! You can't let my brother go to Jinguan City alone!"
Chu Ruohan was looking at the account book. She was startled by her collision and quickly put down the account book and held her shoulders.
"Sister Lan, what are you doing? Get up quickly."
"I won't get up!" Gu Lanxin shook her head vigorously, tears falling down her face.
"My parents passed away early, so I only have my brother! From childhood to adulthood, we have never been apart! Jinguan City is so far away and so chaotic, how can he go alone? I can't let him go alone!"
"Sister Lan, listen to your aunt." Chu Ruohan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears on her face.
"Jinguan City is not the capital. It just went through a great turmoil. People are still unsettled and there are all kinds of people there. It's too dangerous for a girl like you to go there."
"I'm not afraid of danger!" Gu Lanxin raised her head, her eyes misty with tears, but her eyes were extremely firm, "As long as I can be with my brother, I'm not afraid of anything!"
"Aunt, please let me go! I can take care of my brother's food and daily life, wash his clothes and cook for him, and I won't cause him any trouble!"
"Auntie... please..."
Chu Ruohan looked at her, feeling conflicted.
The dependence between brothers and sisters is something that others cannot understand.
Letting Gu Lu go to Jinguan City alone was an experience for this mature boy.
But for Lan Jie'er, it was like the sky falling.
Outside the door, Gu Lu had been standing there without him noticing when.
He didn't come in, but just watched quietly. His eyes, which were always calm, now had a circle of red.
He moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just silently bowed deeply to Chu Ruohan.
Not a word.
But Chu Ruohan understood.
This bow is a brother's plea on behalf of his sister.
Chu Ruohan closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.
She helped Gu Lanxin up, looked at her red nose from crying, and smiled helplessly and distressedly.
"Silly girl, why are you crying?" She reached out and pinched Gu Lanxin's face. "Even if you want to go, it's not for you to suffer."
Gu Lanxin was stunned, tears still hanging on her eyelashes, staring at her blankly.
Chu Ruohan turned around and shouted to the outside of the door: "Qin Fang!"
"I'm here." Qin Fang immediately walked in from outside the yard.
"Go, call over the best guards from the Chu Family Chamber of Commerce, and pick out the fifty with the best skills." Chu Ruohan's tone returned to the competent tone of the head of the Chamber of Commerce.
"Withdraw another 50,000 taels of silver notes from the accounting office and pack them all up."
"Also, call back the newly appointed Steward Wang. He's smart and resourceful. Have him follow us and take care of everything along the way."
"From the kitchen maids, servants, and housemaids in the mansion, select four of the most capable ones to follow and make sure they take good care of my brother and sister on the journey."
"Oh, and prepare two more spacious and comfortable carriages. Replace all the bedding and utensils inside with new ones, the best ones."
She gave instructions one by one, in a clear and comprehensive manner.
Qin Fang was stunned. This... was he going to take up his post? This was even more exaggerated than an imperial envoy's inspection tour!
Gu Lanxin was also stunned when she heard this. She originally just wanted to go with them, but she didn't expect her aunt to go to such lengths for them.
She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything for a long time.
Chu Ruohan looked at her silly look, feeling both angry and amused.
"Once you arrive in Jinguan City, you don't have to be afraid of anything, and you don't have to worry about anyone's mood."
"Your brother is the prefect, the boss of that place. Who dares to disobey? Who dares to pretend to obey but actually disobey? The guards are not for show, and the money I give you is not for you to save."
She looked at Gu Lu with sharp eyes.
"Brother Lu, it's good that you have a calm temperament, but sometimes, being too gentlemanly can make you vulnerable to bullying. Remember what your aunt said: to deal with jackals, you must use the methods of a hunter. To deal with villains, you must be even more unscrupulous than them."
"The water in Jinguan City is very muddy. When you go there, don't be soft-hearted. Just go ahead and do it."
"If anything happens, I, your uncle, and the entire Zhenguogong Mansion will support you."
These words don't look like teachings from an elder to a younger person at all. They are clearly a pre-war mobilization before going to war.
Gu Lu's eyes became even redder, and he nodded heavily with a hoarse voice.
"Yes, nephew has noted it."
Chu Ruohan nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Gu Lanxin and patted the back of her hand.
"And you, Sister Lan. When you get there, don't just stay stuck in the backyard. If you have nothing to do, follow Manager Wang and learn how to look after the accounts and manage things."
"Ah?" Gu Lanxin was completely confused.
She felt that her brain could no longer keep up with her aunt's pace.
What was originally a sad farewell was turned by Chu Ruohan into a grand "expansion of territory".
The sadness of separation in the brother and sister's hearts was instantly washed away.
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