"That’s not possible, I asked clearly, and that Madam said you were the one who rescued her. Ahem! Nephew, you’re from the Cheng generation, right? What’s your na?" Gu Changbai looked at Gu Chengyu, who sat in the top seat, with a solemn expression and sharp eyes, swallowing a gulp of saliva.
This nephew is indeed an officer, even more imposing than those other officials! Of course, he knew what Gu Chengyu’s na was; he asked only to get closer to him!
"No matter how you embellish it, I have never t my second uncle. We must wait until things are clarified before drawing conclusions. Here’s the thing! You should return first, and we’ll talk about these matters later."
Gu Chengyu planned to have soone investigate Gu Changbai’s background first, to find out what was going on with him at the Yingnan Mansion. To see if there was any conspiracy, this matter couldn’t be rushed.
"What? I am your second uncle? This matter can’t be faked. You haven’t seen , but if your father were here, he would certainly recognize . As for my granddaughter’s matter..."
Gu Changbai, seeing that Gu Chengyu wanted him to leave first, beca anxious. He feared that once he left the mansion, he wouldn’t be able to return next ti; he had to stay at the Gu Mansion.
"I have already made it clear, if you are indeed Gu Changbai, then this matter would naturally be easy to resolve, but it requires ti to verify. If you are an impostor, don’t bla for being impolite."
Gu Chengyu had recognized Gu Changbai, and since he was an elder, he hadn’t referred to himself as "this official" until then. Seeing Gu Changbai’s persistence, he had no choice but to take a firr stance.
Gu Chengyu at this mont appeared even more imposing than before, making Gu Changbai extrely nervous. However, thinking about his current lack of funds, and having already owed two days at the inn, he reluctantly explained the situation to Gu Chengyu.
"Nephew? Look..."
Gu Changbai had just opened his mouth when Ming Mo interrupted him.
"Sir, your identity has yet to be verified. Better wait until we confirm it upon your return, and then make a decision." Ming Mo noticed Gu Chengyu’s impatience and spoke up to intervene.
Calling him nephew before identification has been confird.
Seeing that Gu Chengyu was beginning to gesture to see him out, Gu Changbai had no choice but to express his difficult situation.
"Look, we’ve traveled all the way to the Capital, and it’s been several days; we’ve run out of funds and can’t afford the inn anymore. Why not let us stay at your mansion for a few nights first..."
Gu Changbai could only bite the bullet and make his request. If he could really settle in at the Gu Mansion, he would have achieved his goal. However, he knew Gu Chengyu might not be so easily persuaded.
Upon eting his supposed second uncle, Gu Chengyu showed such coldness, far from the joy of unexpectedly eting a relative, almost as if he didn’t even want to acknowledge him.
Could it be that after becoming an official, he didn’t want to acknowledge his poorer relatives? Or did he see through his intentions?
No! That’s impossible! The person said everything had been arranged; as long as he didn’t slip up, Gu Chengyu wouldn’t find out anything.
Gu Chengyu remained expressionless on his face, but inside, he thought, so the purpose of Gu Changbai was to move into the mansion.
However, this couldn’t prove anything. Looking at Gu Changbai’s attire, it’s likely he’s having tight days; upon seeing the wealth of the mansion, he might just want to take advantage, which is also understandable.
"Ming Mo, give him twenty taels of silver." Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Mo.
Then he asked Gu Changbai, "How many people did you bring with you to the Capital this ti?"
Gu Changbai had realized from the offer of silver that staying in the Gu Mansion was not feasible. However, ti was on his side; once confird as Gu Changbai, he would eventually move in.
"Just brought my wife, my eldest grandson, and my little granddaughter." When ntioning the eldest grandson, Gu Changbai hesitated, with a flicker in his eyes.
"The little granddaughter has been ill these past few days and is currently in the dical hall."
Before determining Gu Changbai’s intentions, Gu Chengyu couldn’t outright say that he was insidious, plotting against him. After all, he was a mber of the Gu Family, and he could spare a few more silver for that.
Seeing Ming Mo pulling out a pocket and preparing to hand over twenty taels of silver, Gu Chengyu instructed, "Make it thirty taels now! I’ve been busy with official duties lately; once everything is verified, I’ll send soone to find you, so rest easy at the inn for now!"
And so, despite Gu Changbai’s unwillingness, Gu Chengyu ordered Ming Mo to see him out.
After Ming Mo returned, Gu Chengyu had him send soone to Yingnan Mansion to investigate Gu Changbai’s background, especially concerning the child trafficker incident, not leaving any stone unturned and reporting back in detail.
Since Gu Changbai sounded so confident, outwardly, there were likely no flaws to be found; they could only scrutinize the details. Moreover, Gu Changbai didn’t seem like soone who could keep everything airtight, so starting with him was possible.
Gu Chengyu always believed that things couldn’t be such a coincidence. Whether Hua Lian was truly Gu Changbai’s eldest granddaughter remained to be confird.
Furthermore, most families valued sons over daughters, the eldest granddaughter lost nearly ten years ago; even if they received news now, she was so far away in the Capital. Would Gu Changbai really go all the way to the Capital looking for a granddaughter who did not grow up with them?
"Sir! Is that man really your second uncle?" Ming Mo could also see that the man might truly be Gu Family’s Gu Changbai!
"Most likely, he looks very similar to my eldest uncle, so he should be Gu Changbai."
Gu Chengyu took a sip of tea, deciding not to tell Mr. Gu about this matter for now. Once he handled it, it would still be tily.
"And what are you planning to do about it? It seems like he wants to bring his family to you, are you really going to let him live here?"
Ming Mo couldn’t help but worry for Gu Chengyu; as people often say, even the Emperor has beggar relatives! The official’s aid to relatives and clansn is often unavoidable in the future. Gu Family can’t solely depend on Gu Chengyu, aspiring disciples are also needed.
Ming Mo hadn’t considered that Gu Changbai might have ulterior motives, only thinking he wanted to gain benefits by relying on his official nephew.
"For now, there’s no clear plan, so let’s just let them stay at the inn. Once the people return from Yingnan Mansion, we’ll decide on a plan. Have soone watch Gu Changbai and monitor who he contacts."
"Yes!" Ming Mo admired Gu Chengyu’s ingenuity at the ntion of using homing pigeons. Gu Chengyu had made a potion, with which, when written with flour, the writing could be revealed with the potion when needed.
Other recipients of the letters couldn’t use it since they didn’t have the potion.
In truth, the potion wasn’t invented by Gu Chengyu; it ca from the space. It was iodine tincture, which Gu Chengyu had sohow collected into it previously.
anwhile, Gu Changbai, led out of the mansion, sighed looking back at the imposing estate. Today he hadn’t achieved his purpose, so he must seek another chance. The nephew wasn’t ordinary, clearly not believing him.
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