Ming Mo was a bit puzzled, who is Miss Hua Lian? Could she be the young master’s sweetheart at Tianxiang Pavilion?
"She hasn’t co here before."
Gu Chengyu guessed that Hua Lian might have taken the Jade Pendant to pawn it. After all, the pendant looked valuable, and if pawned, it would fetch enough Silver to redeem Hua Lian and still have so Silver Taels left for living expenses.
As for Hua Lian not seeking Ming Mo’s help, he didn’t mind. Since he had given away the Jade Pendant, he didn’t expect to get it back; he was just grateful she ca to visit him in prison. Saving a girl from misery could be considered accumulating virtue for himself.
The next day, Gu Chengyu got up early. Having calculated the hour Yin Kun would be done with the court, he prepared generous gifts and went to the Yin Mansion.
Yin Kun gave Gu Chengyu a once-over, noting that he was full of spirit and showed no sign of fatigue. Only then did he nod, thinking that it was his prior arrangents that had taken effect.
"This ti, it was indeed fortunate. At least you didn’t suffer much. But did you give those pieces of evidence to Hu Maoshen? Otherwise, he couldn’t have collected them so quickly."
Gu Chengyu smiled, "We had already discussed a plan; witnesses and testimonies weren’t hard to collect. As you know, I have quite a few capable people under . However, I still need to thank Senior Brother for smoothing things over for ; I am deeply grateful for his kindness."
"There’s no need for such polite words between us as fellow disciples. As long as you’re safe, what’s spending so Silver? Thanks to your restaurant these past two years, I’ve made quite a bit of Silver for nothing. The Silver you’re talking about is nothing compared to the restaurant’s earnings."
Gu Chengyu also realized that if he continued, it would seem too formal. He would rember this kindness in his heart and look for an opportunity to repay it in the future.
Ever since he t his Senior Brother, it’s always been him who took care of him. Thanks to his Senior Brother’s na, his restaurant encountered fewer troubles, which he was well aware of.
"Senior Brother, I heard that you went to the palace yesterday, they say the Emperor is unwell, how is he now?"
"It’s nothing serious, the Imperial Physician said the Emperor is overworked and doesn’t heed advice, not resting well. He’s also experiencing liver fire and so internal stress. He just needs to avoid anger and maintain a calm mind, and he should recover in a few days."
Actually, Yin Kun also knew it was due to the Emperor’s advanced age.
Gu Chengyu thought for a mont, fearing it might be caused by the Eldest Prince’s antics.
Yin Kun sat behind his desk, recalling the upcoming Imperial Examination.
"Although you’ve cleared your suspicions, having been in prison still affects your reputation. If you want to participate in the Imperial Examination, you need to make so arrangents up and down the line."
Gu Chengyu was quite surprised, as he was clearly innocent and the rankings from the recent round had already been announced, why couldn’t he participate in the Imperial Examination? What about the others?
"Since you were involved, the officials have grounds to speak. Before the Imperial Examination, you’ve already had a stint in prison. They might even petition the Emperor to reassign the ranking of the recent examination."
Regardless, it was entering prison due to the fraud case, and scholars value their reputation the most. Afterwards, not having your titles revoked is already good enough. Hoping to participate in the Imperial Examination might be a bit difficult.
The ministers are always sharp, wouldn’t they seize this opportunity to give their favored candidates good rankings?
So Yin Kun thought of making arrangents. As long as you’re not stripped of your titles, even if the Emperor doesn’t grant a good ranking, with Gu Chengyu’s talents, an Advanced Scholar title is assured.
Gu Chengyu then realized he had taken things for granted. This wasn’t the past life where, if you’re cleared, you’re entirely innocent. Once you’ve been in prison, even if innocent, you have a blemish.
Unless you’re already a court official, otherwise, you are limited to a scholar’s status.
Gu Chengyu thought, wasn’t it like how Tang Bohu was inexplicably involved in a fraud case in his previous life? In the end, he couldn’t even take the examinations, and despite his great fa, he could only die with regrets.
Since Yin Kun had a way, albeit costing so Silver, he certainly wouldn’t be cheap with it. Compared to status titles, what’s Silver worth?
"This matter still has to trouble you, Senior Brother, just let know how much Silver is needed."
Gu Chengyu wasn’t concerned that Yin Kun would use this opportunity to embezzle his Silver. If Yin Kun had that character, he wouldn’t have arranged things for him while he was in prison.
"It won’t cost much, we’ll discuss it later!"
Yin Kun wouldn’t be polite with Gu Chengyu; he earned a ager salary, aside from his wife’s dowry, only the profits from Gu Chengyu’s restaurant subsidized their household, making life more comfortable.
Gu Chengyu had Silver, and the cost of arrangents was nothing to him.
His restaurant earns money daily, and others are already envious. This was tantamount to a child flaunting a Gold Ingot, inviting trouble!
"You should tone down your restaurant business to avoid making others jealous."
Yin Kun rembered so days ago when the restaurant introduced a new nu, sparking a trend in the Capital. Even he found the dishes unique and delicious, and sotis he’d go to the restaurant for a treat.
Hearing this, Gu Chengyu let out a bitter laugh, "I’m relying on the restaurant’s inco to live! If people want to dine at my restaurant, I can’t just chase them away, can I?"
Gu Chengyu knew he wasn’t a noble son, didn’t have deep roots. If it were those aristocratic families, with their elders backing them, would anyone dare have ulterior motives?
Yin Kun rembered a teacher who was supposed to co to the Capital, "Considering the ti, wouldn’t the teacher be arriving in the Capital in a few days?"
In the past few days, Gu Chengyu was so busy with the fraud case that he almost forgot about this.
"Probably in about five more days." Gu Chengyu calculated, it was already March 20th now, the teacher and the others set out from the Capital on March 8th, so at the latest, they should arrive in about five days.
"This incident can’t be hidden from the teacher, it’s lucky you’re out of prison, otherwise, the teacher would have been worried sick. As for your third Senior Brother... since you’re out, you should visit both him and your second Senior Brother to show your respect. Wu An also spent Silver to help you after the incident, you should go to the Wu Mansion tomorrow to thank him properly. And also, Lord Jiang had made arrangents for you, you shouldn’t forget him."
Yin Kun was pleased that Wu An was able to help Gu Chengyu this ti. Their brotherhood had not been the sa since the teacher retired. They used to frequently et at the teacher’s residence, but now with the teacher not residing in the Capital, their interactions had beco rare.
However, he then thought of He Jisheng. He was surprised that He Jisheng chose to avoid them, leaving him baffled. Back then, as the younger Brother, He Jisheng was always well-cared for by them, yet now that Gu Chengyu was in trouble, he chose self-preservation.
Although previously when Gu Chengyu was in Jingyuan Prefecture, they didn’t interact much, naturally, there were no deep feelings. But ever since coming to the Capital, regularly visiting his Senior Brothers’ residences for two to three years, they were all familiar.
No wonder the teacher wouldn’t betroth their youngest sister to He Jisheng back then; he probably saw through He Jisheng’s nature early on. Because of this matter, He Jisheng might have even resented the teacher.
"Of course, I’ll definitely visit their residences tomorrow to express my thanks." Gu Chengyu hadn’t expected Jiang Mingyuan to have also contributed effort, and naturally, he had to express his gratitude.
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