"I truly apologize for the misconduct, not knowing that the family of Duke Zhen’s Mansion was here."
Lord Tian was rely a Ninth Grade official, a rank considered insignificant. Seeing such a colossal entity like Duke Zhen’s Mansion, he naturally showed utmost respect. What he thought to himself was that regardless of who from the Duke Mansion it was, they certainly had familial ties to the mansion, otherwise, they wouldn’t have a card from the Young Master.
"Sir, look at this room..."
Lord Tian imdiately understood Mrs. Gao’s implications. How could the won from such a prominent family allow him to search the house casually? He was just a minor official, naturally, he dared not conduct searches recklessly.
"Oh! We only wish to search and see if there are any missed river bandits or possible internal accomplices on the ship. How could there be in the lady’s room?" In reality, all the river bandits were caught, and searching the house was rely a formality.
"Thank you, sir. Also, when might this ship set sail?"
"Well, it might take several days. The ship encountered such a serious incident, so it might be temporarily detained. The steward also needs to join us on the river to recover the bodies of the river bandits. It may not sail for three to five days."
Lord Tian calculated, actually, even three to five days was too optimistic; the passengers on the ship couldn’t leave, and that was inevitable.
"What?" Mrs. Gao, upon hearing Lord Tian’s words, felt it certainly wouldn’t be just three to five days; this was rely a conservative estimate.
"Actually, the passengers cannot leave either; at least, they need to wait two days until the Shangguan arrives. He’ll have everyone on the ship registered and separately give their testimonies. Whether they are river bandits is not up to a few persons; the passengers are witnesses, and they must sign and give fingerprints before they can leave."
However, what would it matter if there were fewer people on the ship? Gu and his companions might as well leave early. How could he show his favor if he agreed from the start? Maybe the relatives of Duke Mansion would speak well of him upon returning?
"So, does the lord have any solution? My lady has been delayed for so days, and the old master in Jingyuan Prefecture still waits. If delayed for too many days, I’m afraid the old master will be anxious."
Mrs. Gao frowned; she didn’t want her lady to wait here. Who knows when the ship would sail?
"Oh? Whose old master is your master?" Lord Tian’s eyes brightened. If it’s just a woman, he wouldn’t gain much, but if a senior official appreciated his talent, perhaps he would have a chance at fortune!
"My lady is visiting relatives in Jingyuan Prefecture. The old master is her maternal grandfather, none other than the forr Grand Secretary Liang Zhirui, who has already retired."
When talking about this, Mrs. Gao was also full of pride. Her in-law’s old master, though retired, had disciples across the land. It’s a pity that he was indifferent to fa and fortune, retired early on; otherwise, her lady wouldn’t have had such a tough ti at the mansion.
"Oh! My sincere apologies!" Lord Tian hadn’t expected that the lady had such connections. Wasn’t the forr Grand Secretary the father-in-law of Duke Zhen’s Young Master? It’s no wonder! They had their father’s card!
Living far from the Capital, Lord Tian wasn’t familiar with matters of the mansion, only assuming this was a noble person, not daring to offend easily.
"If the lady is truly in a hurry, she may leave first. Being as esteed as she is, how could she possibly know about the river bandits? Staying here is of no help either!"
Mrs. Gao looked at Lord Tian’s flattering deanor, coldly laughing inside, thinking that he must be soone eager to curry favor.
"Thank you, sir!"
Lord Tian watched Mrs. Gao leave with the card, head held high; indeed, people from the Duke Mansion were different, even a maidservant surpassed the matriarchs from the landlords’ hos.
"Lady! It’s settled; the governnt officer won’t search the room." Mrs. Gao entered the room, promptly informing her lady.
"Did he ntion when the ship will set sail?" Yao ngxian quickly asked upon seeing Mrs. Gao enter.
"He said it would take several days; we can only wait." Mrs. Gao also fretted; lingering here wasn’t ideal! But how should they proceed? They’re all won, and Uncle Li was injured, those two guards couldn’t be relied upon.
Yao ngxian, upon hearing this, also fell silent.
"Did he say how many days exactly?"
"He ntioned at least three to five days, but I’m afraid that’s understated. Lord Tian said we could leave early, but it’s not easy finding a boat on the river. If traveling by carriage, we’re just a few, and all won; it would be rather inconvenient."
The boats on the river were booked in advance, generally full, and there were many rchants traveling between the Capital and Jingyuan Prefecture. How could there be any vacant rooms?
"Then we can only wait; Uncle Li’s leg is injured, otherwise he could send a letter to grandfather, asking him to send soone to pick us up." Yao ngxian also worried about the elderly waiting anxiously, given the delay past the original date; they had yet to determine when they’d return!
"Why doesn’t the lady write a letter and have the guards deliver it to the escort agency, asking grandfather to send soone?" A young lady stays out for a day, and it increases danger; not to ntion, there’s no elder here.
"That sounds good!" Yao ngxian nodded and agreed, instructing Qing Dai to grind ink and prepare to write the letter.
Mrs. Gao turned around and glimpsed the food box nearby, recalling what Ming Mo ntioned in the morning.
"Lady, that young man downstairs said his master instructed not to send food over anymore."
Yao ngxian, just about to write, paused upon hearing this, causing ink blotches to appear on the paper, staining the paper, rendering it unusable.
She crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the brass basin, then laid out a new sheet. "If it’s what the benefactor said, we’ll comply. In the future, we’ll find opportunities to repay him!"
Once the ink dried, she handed the letter to Mrs. Gao, asking her to call the guards to deliver it. Due to the Duke Mansion’s connections, it’s expected the governnt officers wouldn’t prevent them from leaving. With such a small matter, the guards should accomplish it, or they’d truly be worthless.
Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Mo and the others to pack the luggage, ordering Ming Yan to go out and hire three carriages over.
"Chengyu! Are we really going to take a carriage?" Sun Xian asked Gu Chengyu as he packed luggage. Though he asked, his hands didn’t slow down.
"This ship’s departure is uncertain, aren’t you anxious to return?" Gu Chengyu leisurely sat on the bench, watching Sun Xian bustling about, teasing him.
Even Ye Zhiqiu was packing, his complexion better than yesterday. Listening to Gu Chengyu, he also pursed his lips and smiled.
"You have to do this sooner or later, why mock ? n must marry when grown, won must wed; it’s only natural, isn’t it?" Sun Xian, having been teased often over the past days, had gotten used to it.
Gu Chengyu was briefly choked by his words; he hadn’t thought about marriage before. Previously, he instinctively ignored this, not knowing what the future held, only to let it happen naturally.
"I’m still young!" Gu Chengyu smiled at Sun Xian and left the room.
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