A few guards recognized that he was indeed Lord Imperial Envoy, and upon hearing their master’s words, they hurriedly knelt down to beg for rcy.
"Hmph! How dare you offend Lord Imperial Envoy and show contempt for the court? Lord Imperial Envoy must not indulge such petty people! If subordinates make mistakes, it’s because their master hasn’t taught them well. Perhaps the Qu Clan Leader usually also treats Lord Imperial Envoy and the court with such disdain in the mansion."
Yi Lanshan loathes Qu Huaiyun to the core; how could he stand by and watch the situation develop, letting Qu Huaiyun, that old fox, deceive others with just a few words?
Seizing this opportunity, he decided to stomp on him a few tis.
Even if he couldn’t do anything substantial to Qu Huaiyun, making him uncomfortable was enough.
"Haha! Why must the Yi Clan Leader trouble himself over these servants? It might cause you to lose composure!"
Qu Huaiyun laughed heartily, making Yi Lanshan seem petty and lacking the deanor of an aristocratic family.
These words were also ant for Gu Chengyu to hear; although they were just a few guards, if the guards were punished, it would be a matter of his reputation.
The lives of the guards are trivial, but his reputation is significant.
Gu Chengyu chuckled, "I am not such a petty person."
Upon hearing this, Qu Huaiyun’s smile broadened.
Yi Lanshan was imdiately angered, secretly cursing Gu Chengyu as a coward.
"However, though I can forgive these people for disrespecting , their disrespect towards the court and even the Emperor is unforgivable. To ensure they don’t repeat the offense, I must administer a small punishnt for a great warning."
"Ah Chen, go slap them to teach them a lesson!" Gu Chengyu said with a smile.
Lu Chen was montarily stunned; Gu Chengyu dared to order him to do a servant’s task. Did he really consider him his follower?
Ming Mo and Ming Yan were also taken aback; their master was very bold!
Isn’t the master afraid that Lord Lu might not give him face, causing embarrassnt? Imagine, a dignified imperial envoy unable to command a single follower.
If that were the case, and people noticed, Lord Lu’s identity might be exposed.
Just as Ming Mo was about to step forward to do it himself, Lu Chen moved.
Although grumbling inwardly, Lu Chen acted without delay.
However, Gu Chengyu hadn’t specified how many slaps to administer, leaving Lu Chen a bit dazed, thinking he would stop when indicated.
Yi Lanwen glanced at Qu Huaiyun, showing a hint of satisfaction. The old man, let’s see you gloat now.
Qu Huaiyun’s expression was extrely unpleasant, never expecting Gu Chengyu to be so disrespectful, actually hitting his mansion’s servants in front of him.
Gu Chengyu thought that such rough work as slapping should be handled by Lu Chen! After all, Lu Chen was now his follower, so he should do what followers do.
Moreover, he had just saved Lu Chen’s life, shouldn’t Lu Chen repay him a little?
Gu Chengyu didn’t consider himself to have a cruel sense of humor; he just wanted a little compensation! After all, he couldn’t let Lu Chen know he had saved him.
"What’s happening here?" Just as Lu Chen was about to slap those people, another loud voice sounded from the side.
Gu Chengyu turned to see it was none other than Liao Cheng, the Magistrate of Hejian Prefecture.
"Lord Liao!" Upon seeing Liao Cheng, Qu Huaiwen acted as if he saw a savior and quickly stepped forward to salute.
"My lord! Just now, my guards offended Mr. Gu, and Mr. Gu wants to punish them by slapping their mouths."
After saluting, Qu Huaiwen complained to Liao Cheng, his tone even carrying so grievance.
"Oh? What happened? Is it those guards?"
Liao Cheng turned his gaze to the few people kneeling on the ground, looking sowhat embarrassed.
"Indeed! They wanted to verify whether Mr. Gu was truly Lord Imperial Envoy, resulting in so misunderstandings."
Qu Huaiwen replied ahead of everyone, his twisting of facts making Ming Mo and others indignant.
While Gu Chengyu internally mused at how shaless Qu Huaiyun could be, he wasn’t angry.
Why be angry at irrelevant people?
"Sigh! Mr. Gu, those who do not know are not guilty. Please, Mr. Gu, do not take issue with these crude people!"
It was unusual for Liao Cheng to plead on their behalf, sothing not commonly seen in officialdom.
Even though Gu Chengyu’s rank was lower than Liao Cheng’s, Gu Chengyu was prepared to punish a few servants, and Liao Cheng intervened. This would generally be considered disrespectful towards Gu Chengyu.
In officialdom, unless absolutely necessary, this wouldn’t be done.
Doing so indicates disregard for the other person, and to a smaller-minded person, it could beco a grudge.
Gu Chengyu indeed felt displeased, perceiving Liao Cheng’s actions as disrespectful, as if he was being underestimated.
"Lord Liao! It is not that I want to quibble, but they showed disrespect to the court and the Emperor!"
Gu Chengyu stood with arms at his sides, even though Liao Cheng was two ranks higher than him. But given his current status as an imperial envoy, there was no need for him to be overly humble.
As for when he no longer held the status of an imperial envoy in the future, he’d naturally pay the due respects to Liao Cheng based on ranks. But that was a matter for the future.
Liao Cheng’s expression imdiately turned somber; he was displeased with Gu Chengyu’s lack of discernnt.
In fact, Gu Chengyu wasn’t soone who refused to let go once he had the advantage. He did this firstly to put the three great aristocratic families in their place so they wouldn’t dismiss him, the imperial envoy.
Secondly, because the few guards offended him, and their subsequent apologies were sowhat reluctant. Since that was the case, there was no need for courtesy.
"However, since Lord Liao pleaded on their behalf, I will let it slide this ti. Ah Chen, five slaps each, and we’ll call it settled!"
Seeing that Gu Chengyu was insistent on the slapping, Lu Chen said no more and directly proceeded.
The sound of slapping echoed continuously, and within monts, Lu Chen retracted his hand.
Looking again at those few, their faces showed varying degrees of swelling.
Being a martial artist, Lu Chen naturally had strong hands, and he didn’t hold back, truly hitting with force.
Qu Huaiyun felt as though the slaps weren’t just for the guards but were landing on his own face!
"Qu Clan Leader! Although they are servants, they still need proper training. For offending today, considering the face of Lord Liao and yours, I can understand. But if they offend so noble personage in the future, wouldn’t that bring disaster?"
Gu Chengyu smiled faintly, taking in all the expressions of those present.
"Yi Clan Leader, I heard there was recently a fire and a night raid at your mansion. I wonder if anything was stolen?"
Gu Chengyu didn’t concern himself with their thoughts, instead asking about the situation at the mansion.
Yi Lanshan was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
To say the treasure map was stolen would contradict what he’d previously told Gu Chengyu, that the treasure map wasn’t in Yi Mansion, making a fool of himself.
Yet to claim nothing was stolen, with so many people witnessing the events that night, how could he backtrack convincingly?
"Ahem! Earlier, the Yi Clan Leader had obtained half of Wang Mang’s treasure map, possibly hidden in the inner study. Several groups ca by just now, and one managed to steal the treasure map. So, knowing that the Yi Clan Leader was understaffed, Lord Liao specially brought to aid."
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