When they returned, they brought a team of hired bodyguards. It turned out that after the two arrived at the Yue family's house, the family, after hearing their story, did not want to cause trouble for themselves.
But they couldn't just ignore them, so they hired a team of bodyguards to escort them to the capital to find the old Marquis. They were told to let their own family affairs be resolved by themselves.
Unable to find any help, Gu Feng had no choice but to return, and dared not delay for even a moment.
Passing through Qizhou, the couple sent someone to inquire and discovered that it seemed that people from the Marquis's residence had already arrived.
But having learned his lesson, Gu Feng was still unsure whether the person who came was good or bad.
So he and his wife observed outside for two more days to confirm that the people who came were from their side and would not collude with the clan chief. Only then did they reveal themselves, by which time the matter had been mostly resolved.
Upon seeing their uncle, Gu Jing and his companion were overjoyed. Wasn't this the perfect candidate for the new clan leader?
After talking and visiting each other, and getting to know each other better through conversation, I felt that he was the perfect person for me.
One reason is that he has a grudge against the old clan chief's family, and it is absolutely impossible for him to collude with them after taking office.
Another thing is that his behavior is quite similar to Zhongbo's. He can see the big picture from small things. Just a few small things made the two of them realize that he was a person who could shoulder responsibilities.
Within just three days, Gu Feng had taken care of all the affairs of the clan and cleaned up the mess.
The clan unanimously elected their uncle as the new clan leader, and only then did the two feel relieved.
With Zhongbo and the group of people who had come before, they leisurely made their way back home.
A few days after they left, the clan chief's house also caught fire, but no one died.
This tactic of using their own methods against them effectively subdued the old clan chief, who then sent someone to sue for peace.
Those families that had colluded with the old clan chief have all stepped down.
All those years of hard work have been for nothing; all the money I had in my pocket has been returned.
It should be noted that Gu Che and his companion only received a large sum of money back, but Gu Feng squeezed every last drop of profit from their bones.
Although the second master was a man of modest character, he and Uncle Zhong were quite adept at business.
Otherwise, how could the money earned from just a few estates be enough to support the Marquis's household's festival gifts throughout the year?
Gu Feng's ability to read and calculate accounts was not much different from that of the chief steward of the Marquis's mansion brought by Gu Che and Gu Feng.
Those families were filled with remorse. Why did they have to do something so contrary to their conscience?
Gu Feng didn't care about any of that. After taking the money, he first restored the school and then seriously found an old scholar to teach the students.
Otherwise, only a few families who colluded with the clan chief had produced two students who passed the imperial examinations. Educational resources were simply too poor.
Other matters were also arranged one by one, and within a few months he had secured his position as clan leader.
The rest of the clan forgot about the previous clan leader in just a few months, and when the current clan leader was mentioned, everyone praised him!
………………………………………………
Back to the present, Gu Jing and his companions had just prepared their horses and were getting ready to return to their residence.
The servant boy stammered as he approached him, "Young master, I'm going out to buy some steamed buns today."
They intended to prepare provisions for the journey, but instead heard some unpleasant rumors.
Gu Jing frowned. "Speak your mind, and get to the point!"
"I heard rumors from the old woman who sells steamed buns that Miss Yun ran away with someone."
The two old masters and mistresses led some people to chase after them, but they failed to catch them.
They even said that since she hadn't returned for so long, she definitely wouldn't be found.
"What!" Gu Jing was furious. He raised his riding whip and ordered the servant to lead the way.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, we came to an old woman selling steamed buns. "I heard it was you who spread rumors about my sister?"
Gu Jing stood in front of the pancake stall, his face long and drawn. "Who said that? Where did it come from?"
The old woman selling pancakes darted around nervously, her eyes darting about nervously. "Young man, who is your sister?"
Well, it seems there's more than one person he's talking nonsense about.
Gu Jing smashed her stall in no time. What a piece of trash!
Upon hearing the news, Gu Che led his men over, panting heavily, but they couldn't stop him.
Instead, they heard Gu Jing proudly introducing himself, "I never change my name or surname. I am Gu Jing of the Marquis of An's Mansion!"
Gu Che was so angry that he stomped his feet. He was too late, and it was no use pulling him back now.
So he straightened his robes, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and clenched them in all directions.
"My younger brother was reckless and disturbed everyone. But the reason is indeed that he was angry that someone was talking nonsense here!"
My sister, Gu Yun, and my brother, Gu Chang, were simply accompanying our grandfather back to our ancestral home in the capital. How did things get twisted like this?
First, he explained the reason in a friendly manner, then Gu Che turned cold and said sternly,
"Although the Gu family cannot be considered a prestigious clan, they are still a branch of my Marquis's mansion. We will not tolerate such slander and rumors."
After saying that, he ordered his men to take the old woman to the yamen, determined to seek justice for those who had been gossiping behind her back!
The old woman making steamed buns was so frightened that she begged for mercy, which made Gu Jing extremely happy.
"Wasn't it a time when you were slandering and badmouthing them behind their backs? Now you know you're scared!"
Gu Che gave her a warning and told her to get lost; he didn't really intend to send her there.
Gu Jing was puzzled and furious, asking Gu Che what he meant.
“If we really take him to the yamen, we can get justice, but how will my uncle and his family survive here?”
"Just because of a few words, you're going to send your neighbors to get a beating?"
Gu Jing asked seriously, "Then how do you know that if we don't send her off, what rumors will she spread behind our backs after we leave?"
These words startled Gu Che. Indeed, it seemed that this gossipy old woman's habit wouldn't change just because of a few scare tactics.
Having no other choice, the two went to Uncle Zhong again. Uncle Zhong was furious when he heard that his young lady was being gossiped about behind her back!
She only calmed down after learning that Gu Jing had smashed her pancake stall.
He agreed with Gu Che's concerns. No matter how unpleasant the words were spoken in the countryside, they generally wouldn't go so far as to cause trouble for the authorities and result in punishment.
After thinking it over, Zhongbo went out for a whole day and then hired a local security escort agency.
What are we doing? Bringing over a few of those quiet, straightforward old women from the neighborhood.
Let them follow along; after all, the Gu family only learned about this rumor in the last couple of days. They can't possibly be in cahoots with every shopkeeper along the way, right?
When they reached the Yuelai Inn, ten miles away, Zhongbo called over the innkeeper and gave him the household registration documents and Gu Feng's handwritten letter.
After proving that he was indeed related to the second patriarch, he began to ask questions.
"Have you seen my master and mistress bring our young master and young lady to stay here? On what day?"
The shopkeeper showed them their accommodation records, saying that the owner actually knew them.
After chatting for a while, they learned that the old man had led a few people on their journey, and they were in a hurry, so they didn't have much time to spare.
After reading it, the old women who came to testify cursed the pancake vendor in their hearts, thinking that she had a foul mouth and was spreading rumors everywhere for no reason.
Uncle Zhong was quite happy, saying, "Give each of us a bowl of boiled mutton from the mountains, one per person."
"Alright, sir, please hold it."
People at that time loved to eat mutton. They would take a pot, chop the mutton into large chunks, and throw it into cold water.
Add Sichuan peppercorns, Shaoxing wine, and scallions to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer the mutton for a while, then add a large amount of crushed almonds.
A bowl of soup is ladled out, seasoned simply with salt, and served; it's savory and delicious.
Even the old women each drank two bowls before they stopped.
……………………………………
After that, whenever they arrived at a place to stay, they would have these people come over and check if the old man and woman had taken the brother and sister to the capital.
As the group walked and observed, they proved that the old woman selling pancakes was lying.
Moreover, the second grandfather's family was in such a hurry that they simply didn't have any other time to run around.
When they returned to the Marquis's residence and asked the gatekeeper, they saw the two old masters again, which proved that the family had arrived at the Marquis's residence very quickly.
What elopement or running away from home? They simply don't have the time or the means to do that!
After they returned, the group gave the old woman a long tale about what she had done, making her unable to hold her head up for months.
Those she had criticized behind the scenes, whether they were young ladies from wealthy families or shopkeepers and maids, all felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Moreover, how could Gu Feng possibly swallow this insult? This time, when he takes action to deal with the pancake vendor, everyone applauds him.
Otherwise, this old hag is always slandering the common people and bullying others by abusing her power.
I've been holding back all this time to avoid bringing shame to the Marquis's mansion. Now that I have the evidence, I can't let this go unpunished until I teach him a lesson!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com