Gu Chengyu thought for a mont, then picked up the pen to write a reply to Zhu Pang. He didn’t ntion the deal with Hu Maoshen in the letter. The complex relationships among the aristocratic families ant that the letter might be seen by elders at ho, and if the news got out, wouldn’t that be a case of losing more than you gain?
"Young master!" Ming Yan ca in from outside, his face carrying so joy. Seeing this, Gu Chengyu knew the matter was settled.
"Have you caught the person?"
Ming Yan nodded, "We caught them, they’ve already been brought back. It just so happened that one of our people waited until a maid left the mansion and disguised themselves to enter the Eldest Prince’s mansion. This person was staying in the guest room of the Eldest Prince and was already under surveillance. We followed the maid delivering als to ascertain the location."
Ming Yan spoke only a few words, yet Gu Chengyu could feel the thrill in them.
"Good! After this matter is over, everyone will be rewarded!"
Ming Yan bead with delight upon hearing this. The young master was always generous, he was happy not for himself, but because with the reward, everyone could work harder for the young master.
"Young master, shall we interrogate that adviser?"
"Let’s go!" Having captured that adviser, the heavy burden in Gu Chengyu’s heart was finally lifted. He was worried about delaying Hu Maoshen’s affairs, although he had made so preparations, it was more reliable to tread Hu Maoshen’s path.
He suddenly realized that Ming Mo had not returned yet and had no idea how things were at the Guo Mansion.
"Master, it’s in this room." Ming Yan led Gu Chengyu to a small courtyard in the backyard where the adviser was being held by Ding Jiu and the others.
Gu Chengyu still donned the mask of a fierce blue face, and entered the room. The black cloth over the adviser’s eyes had already been removed, although fabric was still stuffed in his mouth.
Ding Jiu saw that the young master had arrived, made a courteous gesture but said nothing. Then, he turned and pulled the cloth from the adviser’s mouth.
The adviser seed to have guessed he was captured, he glanced at Gu Chengyu but did not speak.
Gu Chengyu sized up the man, finding him much more difficult to deal with than Guo Shi. This man was about forty years old, with two small mustaches, appearing calm for the mont.
"Mr. Shi, surely you must understand our purpose in bringing you here," Gu Chengyu spoke in a low, hoarse voice.
Shi Bojun closed his eyes, it took him a long while before he spoke, "Don’t waste your efforts; I won’t talk. My wife and children are still in the Eldest Prince’s hands."
Gu Chengyu took a deep breath, so it was. Actually, it would have been more secure for the Eldest Prince to have Shi Bojun killed, why he didn’t, it might be because this person still had so use to him.
Faced with such a stubborn individual, even using torture might not get him to talk. Shi Bojun was captured, yet upon seeing him, did not ask which faction they were from, nor care about his own situation, behaving as if he were ready for any outco, which left Gu Chengyu without a point of attack.
Should they really use the Truth Powder this ti? But the powder has a ti limit, after three hours it becos ineffective.
"Where are your family mbers being held? Can you really feel assured with them in the hands of the Eldest Prince? I assu you understand the nature of the Eldest Prince; once you’re dead and no longer of use, then your family has no reason to remain alive either."
Threatening with family mbers, although despicable, never failed. The ancients had a strong sense of family, placing great importance on their descendants.
Shi Bojun lifted his eyelids slightly, seeming sowhat shaken. However, it didn’t take long for him to return to his unfazed state.
"Once you captured Guo Shi, he had my family sent away. I don’t know where they are now. The Eldest Prince has promised that as long as I don’t betray him, even if I die, he will treat my wife and children well."
Gu Chengyu thought this man was much smarter than Guo Shi, as he imdiately deduced that they were the ones who had taken Guo Shi.
Gu Chengyu frowned, after they took Guo Shi, they had been monitoring the Eldest Prince’s mansion. If Shi Bojun’s family were staying in the Eldest Prince’s mansion, there’s a chance the people Ming Yan sent might know about their whereabouts.
"Was your family previously residing in the Eldest Prince’s mansion?"
Advisers usually lived in the master’s mansion or nearby to be available for consultation at any mont.
"In the small courtyard separated by a moon gate to the side of the Eldest Prince’s mansion, that’s where my family lived."
Shi Bojun looked at Gu Chengyu with so hope, nervously.
Gu Chengyu finally saw a nervous expression on his face, indicating he wasn’t unwilling to speak. He must not have trusted the Eldest Prince’s promise. Once assured of his family’s safety, he would be willing to write a confession.
Gu Chengyu glanced at Ming Yan, who nodded and then went out. Gu Chengyu had earlier instructed them to keep a watch on the Eldest Prince’s mansion, surely they’d notice the carriages going in and out, even those from the neighboring courtyard.
Ming Yan turned and left the room, presumably to ask the people he had sent.
Shi Bojun sized Gu Chengyu up and down, pondering whether this man could indeed rescue his family. As long as his family was in the Eldest Prince’s hands, he was of course uneasy. If not for being temporarily useful to the Eldest Prince, he would have been killed long ago, his skill at duplicating handwriting being valuable alone.
It’s conceivable that retaining him was for forging evidence or docunts. To utterly eliminate the threat, his family probably wouldn’t survive. However, he didn’t know if the person before him could be trusted.
"If you want to confess these things, you need to show sincerity. I want to see my wife and children first." He had already planned that once he saw his family, he would send his wife and children back to their hotown. His family was unaware of his matters; if these people were court officials, hoping for him to change his testimony, naturally they wouldn’t kill innocents.
He could only do so much; having realized once his skill was exposed, he knew trouble would eventually befall him.
Seeing that he was unwilling to talk before seeing his family, Gu Chengyu ceased the interrogation. He planned to hand the man over directly to Hu Maoshen. He had a fair idea of the Eldest Prince’s matters already and their whereabouts did not necessarily rely on this adviser.
After Ming Yan saved his family, they would be handed over to Hu Maoshen. He had already provided enough witnesses; recording their testimonies was the next step, and he wasn’t inclined to be directly involved.
As long as Hu Maoshen submitted the evidence and witnesses, the rest wouldn’t concern him.
Gu Chengyu had done all this without any thought of profit. He had already told Hu Maoshen not to reveal him, just to claim the credit himself. Without a foundation, if the Eldest Prince found out who thwarted his plans, he’d probably want to kill him.
He didn’t want to make enemies before even stepping into the court.
"Sir! Song Shuqing has also fainted, what should we do?"
Kuang Zhao Ying realized that nothing more could be extracted today; with such grave charges, the two naturally would not confess. It seed he still had to work from the list.
He looked at the lit lamps around him; it was already late, so he planned to request permission from the Emperor first thing in the morning to search these candidates thoroughly.
User Comments
0 comments from readers