Goodbye
"Lord Guan, this is a gift from your humble servant. Please take a look."
"Oh my, isn't this calligraphy and painting by Zhang Yiwei from the previous dynasty?" Guan Yiyun carefully stroked the calligraphy and painting. "What a fine piece! What a fine piece! It must be quite expensive, right?"
"I am willing to offer whatever is offered to you as a token of my respect, no matter how much it costs."
Guan Yiyun noticed that his clothes were covered in dirt and asked, "What happened to you? Even if you walked all the way to Shengjing, you shouldn't be this disheveled."
He continued examining the calligraphy and paintings, asking, "I arrived in Beijing a few days late this year, did something happen?"
Zhu Huxi, seeing that he had asked, then poured out his grievances about the past five days. However, he did not dare to directly curse the Gu family, so he could only ask cautiously.
"I read General Gu's memorial. He pinned all the blame on me, a mere county magistrate. I've set up soup kitchens and appeased the people. I truly don't understand why those troublemakers still came to Shengjing..."
"This drought is a natural disaster. How can a mere county magistrate like me resist Heaven's will? You agree, don't you, Lord Guan?"
"You said Gu Jin stopped you outside the city gate and even showed you a memorial, saying that the higher-ups already knew about this?"
"Yes, yes, that's it."
"He lied to you. The Emperor has not attended court these past few days, and he has not approved a single memorial from the Directorate of Ceremonial!"
"What?!" Zhu Huxi was extremely surprised, but he still couldn't understand why Gu Jin would lie to him.
"Then how did you get to the capital?"
Zhu Huxi arrived quickly. Guan Yiyun had not yet learned of the influx of refugees into Shengjing City and still thought that the refugees were staying at the Gu family army's garrison five miles away.
“There was no place for me to stay in the military camp. I stayed with those refugees for five days. I wrote a letter, had it stamped with the official seal, and handed it to General Gu, but they still refused to let me go, saying they wanted to wait for news.”
Zhu Huxi thought about what had happened in the past five days and felt extremely angry but had nowhere to vent his anger.
"Just today, someone shouted in the refugee camp that the Emperor was going out of the palace to worship his ancestors, and told them to go to the Emperor to ask for food. The food supplied by the Gu family is getting less and less, and these refugees know that they will probably starve to death if they stay outside the city."
"So when those people heard that, they ran into the city like madmen, and the soldiers guarding the city couldn't stop them. So I went into the city with them..."
Guan Yiyun finally realized something was wrong; Gu Jin hadn't done anything wrong.
He meant that those above him knew about the refugees, not that he said the emperor. He could have referred to the cabinet ministers or the people in the Censorate.
His order for the five county magistrates to write back and open granaries for disaster relief was merely an attempt to reduce the number of refugees and persuade them to return home.
Otherwise, once the remaining grain in Shengjing City is exhausted, these refugees will also face certain death. It is estimated that the grain that the Gu family has spent money to buy is already at its limit in the next few days.
However, the situation quickly became uncontrollable because news of the emperor's departure from the palace reached the refugees.
“Fool, the question book was never actually presented to the Emperor. Now that refugees have flooded into the city and the Emperor has left the palace, he must know about this.”
The Emperor is leaving the palace today to pay respects to his ancestors. Officials of the third rank and above are required to accompany him. He is only a fifth-rank official, so he is able to rest at home.
Guan Yiyun snorted coldly and ordered his servants to put the painting and calligraphy away. "This painting is a fake. I don't want fakes."
"Ah? My lord..." Zhu Huxi shuddered, feeling a chill on his neck. "My lord, the Emperor knows about this. What should we do? You must help me!"
"This painting isn't good. I'll buy some other things. Just tell me what you want, and I'll give you everything I own." Zhu Huxi was so anxious he was almost crying. His chubby face and his eyes, which had been squeezed into slits, were now wide open.
"I really can't help you this time."
"My lord, you sold me this official position. I send so many things to your residence every year, you can't just abandon me." Zhu Huxi was so anxious that he blurted out all sorts of excuses.
Guan Yiyun sensed the threat in his words, "Are you willing to risk your life to drag me down with you? Of course you can do that, but you should also think about your wife and children. Your son is only ten years old this year... If you fail to provide disaster relief, you'll only die, but buying an official position will result in the execution of your entire family."
"I work for the higher-ups. If you want to drag me down with you, you'd better think twice about whether you can afford to offend those big shots."
Guan Yiyun sneered, leaving with a parting remark, "If you confess now, you can save your family; otherwise..."
"Execute three generations of their family?!" Zhu Huxi's face turned pale. He didn't know many characters, his official position was bought, and he didn't know much about the laws of Dasheng.
He had originally thought he was on the same side as Guan Yiyun, but now he was being thrown away like that. He collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly devastated.
"Damn it, Father, you've really ruined me! Being an official is no easy task..."
He thought of his wife and children, gritted his teeth, and made a decision.
But as soon as he arrived at the post station, a group of plainclothes guards surrounded him.
"Young Master Xu, the person has been brought back."
Xu Qiu, sitting in a rosewood armchair, glanced at Zhu Huxi, who was trembling with fear, and asked, "How did these refugees get into the capital? Tell me."
Zhu Huxi didn't recognize the person at the head of the table, but he knew it must be an important figure who had come to investigate the refugees' entry into the city. "I...I...don't know..."
With a mournful face, he could only recount the events of the past few days, but the white-robed young man's expression remained unchanged as he stared at him. "I see you came from Lord Guan's residence. How did you get involved with Lord Guan?"
"You flatter me, sir. Lord Guan was kind enough to introduce me to you. I am just going to visit him at his residence."
"Tsk, you're not telling the truth, are you? Go to the back and think it over carefully..." He was still smiling, but his smile held a knife in it, as if he wanted to stab Zhu Huxi.
"Ouch..." Zhu Huxi wanted to cry but had no tears. If he spoke out, he would die. If he didn't speak out, he would be tormented by the Eastern Depot and would not end up well either.
"Since this is your first time here, you might not know the rules. What you want to say will definitely come out; it's just a matter of how long you can hold back..."
Xu Qiu waved his hand, ordering his men to drag him away. Zhu Huxi remained defiant, "My lord... I've told you everything I know, my lord..."
He heard the screams coming from the torture chamber in the back room and took a sip of tea.
Today, the Emperor, accompanied by officials of the third rank and above, went to the Temple of Heaven to worship their ancestors, but saw refugees who were barely clothed. He was immediately enraged and ordered the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Censorate to investigate.
We need to investigate not only where these refugees came from, but also why they are pouring into the city today.
The Eastern Depot arrested several refugees, but couldn't get any results from them. There were too many people and too much conflicting information, so they couldn't trace the source of the information.
Xu Qiu always felt that this matter was inextricably linked to the Gu family, but he couldn't produce any evidence.
Moreover, Gu Jin had already been stripped of his position in the Beijing Garrison due to dereliction of duty, and now the affairs of the Beijing Garrison had fallen back into his adoptive father's hands.
He simply couldn't see what benefit Gu Jin would gain from doing this.
"The Gu family, huh?" He put down his teacup, looked up, and asked, "Did Miss Gu do anything today?"
"In response to your question, young master, that person had arranged to have tea with Dongfang Hongyao and Wei Cong today, and then went to the military camp to visit Gu Jin after the incident. Judging from these two matters, there seems to be no problem."
However, upon returning to Wenxuan Residence, Dongfang Hongyao wrote a letter and sent it to Hejian Prefecture, while Wei Cong wrote an article that made him quite famous among the candidates in the capital, and even the Imperial Academy heard the news.
"What did your godfather say?"
"Arrest those five county magistrates and await their fate. Since Gu Jin has already pleaded guilty, do not make things difficult for the Gu family."
"What about the other four?"
"We were too late; the other four are already in the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Because he was preparing for the imperial examinations, he rarely concerned himself with the affairs of the Eastern Depot. After all, he did not hold any official position; he only helped with some advice because of his adoptive father's kindness to him.
Now that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has intervened, the Eastern Depot should withdraw. In terms of execution and interrogation, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is more legitimate.
"Once we find out what Zhu Huxi and Guan Yiyun were up to, we'll send them to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"Here you are."
He arrested Zhu Huxi today because he received a letter. Although it was unsigned, the paper, the ink, and the handwriting were clearly the work of Miss Gu.
If Zhu Huxi really has evidence of Guan Yiyun's crimes... Guan Yiyun should be the one in a hurry now.
With the imperial examinations approaching, Guan Yiyun's official position is in jeopardy, and it's uncertain whether he can even save his life.
Guan Yiyun was originally waiting for Zhu Huxi to finish writing his letter of apology and then commit suicide to plead guilty. In this way, someone would take responsibility for the refugee issue, and no outsiders would know about his selling of official positions.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Huxi was arrested by the Eastern Depot as soon as he left the Guan residence. He panicked, fearing that Zhu Huxi would confess everything under torture.
"Manager Xu..." He dismissed everyone else, leaving only his trusted confidant who knew everything. "Any amount of money is fine. Bribe the people in the Eastern Depot. Use more severe torture. Zhu Hu must die. And the sooner the better, otherwise the two of us will die."
"I understand." Xu Huaixiu's arrogant expression in front of the scholars was completely gone; he was now filled with fear that his life was in danger.
“And…” he whispered in his ear, continuing to give him instructions.
Xu Huaixiu's face turned pale. He wanted to escape, but he and Guan Yiyun were in the same boat, and he was afraid he would lose his life before he even left the city gate.
The next day, Xu Qiu had just gotten up when he heard someone coming from outside. His heart sank; the person coming to see him now probably meant something was wrong.
"Young Master Xu, Zhu Huxi is dead."
"How did he die?"
"The official in charge of applying the plaster did not control the heat properly. Zhu Huxi was too fat, and his throat was narrower than that of an ordinary person. He suffocated to death."
He frowned. "Where is that person?"
"They're still investigating. He's being held in custody right now, but he's young and inexperienced..."
“You won’t find anything by investigating in the capital alone. Go to his house and investigate… Once the matter is cleared up, no matter what the outcome, someone has to take charge.”
Xu Qiu put down the handkerchief he was wiping his hands. There are no such coincidences in this world. Zhu Huxi must have something on Guan Yiyun. "Send someone to Zhu Huxi's house again to see if it has been burgled."
"Search his house thoroughly and look for anything that shouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Be quick and don't alert anyone else."
He didn't actually need to go to so much trouble; he could have just gone to ask Miss Gu. After thinking it over, he tidied up his things and sent an invitation to the Gu residence, inviting her to a gathering at Zuixinlou.
Gu Yu arrived even faster than he expected, seemingly a little impatient. She probably didn't know about the Eastern Depot.
"Young Master Xu and I have no personal relationship, do you have any business with me? May I ask what brings you here?"
Gu Yu only knew that Zhu Huxi had fallen into the hands of the Eastern Depot, but she didn't know anything else.
"Miss Gu, do you still remember that letter?" Xu Qiu didn't keep her in suspense any longer. "Zhu Huxi is already dead."
Gu Yu's feigned composure was even more fascinating than he had imagined. "I wonder if Miss Gu knows anything?"
“Young Master Xu is joking. I am just a young lady who has lived in the inner chambers for a long time. How could I know Zhu Huxi? It’s just that the name sounds familiar. I think my brother mentioned this person before. If the refugees all came from the area under his jurisdiction, he must be a corrupt official.”
With Zhu Huxi dead, all her original plans were ruined. Since that's the case, she should sever ties with this person. So what if Xu Qiu knows she's the one who wrote to him? He wouldn't dare touch her anyway.
"Since Miss Gu knows nothing, then so be it. I sent people to search his house. If they find anything, Miss Gu probably won't be interested at all." Xu Qiu smiled faintly, merely observing the expression on her face.
"Young Master Xu is too kind. I don't like to meddle in other people's business," Gu Yu said with a slight smile. "What I did earlier was only to help my brother out of his predicament. Besides..."
"If there is any real evidence, the Eastern Depot will present it to the Emperor. The Emperor is wise and will surely punish those bad people. Don't you agree?"
“What you say makes sense, Miss. Now that I’ve invited you out, what would you like to eat? Please order.”
His curiosity about Gu Yu's change and motives was purely personal; he had no need to fall out with her, either publicly or privately.
Gu Yu frowned upon hearing this. With Zhu Huxi dead, she had no appetite. Moreover, Xu Qiu's motives were impure, and he was too perceptive. Except when she had no choice but to use him, she didn't want to deal with him at all.
"Aren't you hungry, Miss?" He smiled indifferently. "Young Master Shen invited many friends over for drinks and entertainment today. You might just run into them if you go out."
Gu Yu, remembering that she had been feigning illness and staying at home, declining Shen Changqing's invitations more than ten times, gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm hungry. I didn't eat much for breakfast, and now I'm hungry, very hungry..."
Gu Yu ate her food absentmindedly. Xu Qiu asked, "What is Miss going to do next?"
Zhu Huxi is dead. She has no pawns left to bring down Guan Yiyun. Now she can only wait and see if there are any other opportunities. If the Eastern Depot can find evidence, that would be fine. But the worst-case scenario is that Guan Yiyun has also thought of this and will destroy the evidence first.
So let's deal with the immediate refugee problem first. Gu Jin would absolutely not abandon these refugees. She thought of that woman who was so hungry she was just a skeleton...
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