Chapter 21: Probing
Just as Gu Yu was surprised that the young man opposite him looked like a eunuch, and then seeing the wealthy attire of the group, he assumed they were not ordinary people.
Although many merchants and travelers passed through Lian Town every day, the elegant demeanor of the effeminate young man was not something that ordinary people could possess.
If nothing else, the fact that he made Gu Yu feel like a eunuch already indicated he was no ordinary person.
This was because eunuchs came from the Imperial Palace and the princely mansions…
“I’m truly sorry, it seems you are not from Lian Town. I have lived here for many years and am very familiar with the town. If there’s anywhere you’d like to go, I have nothing to do at the moment, so I can guide you.”
“May I know your name, young brother? I… I am Li Ye, and this is my maid, Lan Mei. As for those behind us, they are hired guards.”
Since he felt this group was unusual, Gu Yu did not directly leave. Instead, he stayed and spoke politely with the effeminate young man.
At the age of twelve, Gu Yu looked harmless, and with his handsome young face, it was difficult to harbor any ill feelings towards him.
Although the effeminate young man was not as handsome as Gu Yu, he was also of a delicate and refined type.
Upon seeing Gu Yu, the effeminate young man seemed to have found a companion. Although there was still a hint of wariness in his eyes, his words indicated that he was tempted by Gu Yu’s offer.
“My name is Gu Yu. I originally came to town to look for work, but the situation in town is a bit unusual now, and it’s even hard to find work.”
After hearing Li Ye’s words, Gu Yu’s lips curved slightly. He continued to pretend to be an honest child and casually revealed a bit about the kidnapping incident in Lian Town, to see if Li Ye and his group were indeed the important figures from the capital that he suspected.
Lian Town was not too far from the capital, and it was accessible by both water and land. Therefore, it was not impossible for people from the Imperial Palace to visit.
However, even if Lian Town was a transit point between the capital and other places, it was still just a town. There was no need for such a grand display.
Moreover… the kidnapping incident had only happened a few days ago. How could the palace send people so quickly?
Therefore, Gu Yu still needed to probe further to see who Li Ye truly was.
“Oh? Unusual? Can Brother Gu explain in detail?”
“In the beginning, it was just that a woman from our village went missing, which didn’t attract much attention. But when people in town also started disappearing, people began to panic. They stopped their work, afraid that their children would be lost when they were not at home.”
“Didn’t the yamen handle such a situation? I heard that the Magistrate of Lian Town, Bai Wangzhi, is a good official, upright, incorruptible, and fair. He shouldn’t ignore this matter, should he!”
“Of course, they managed it! But even the officials in the yamen were helpless in this matter, because no one saw how those women and children disappeared, so no clues have been found so far.”
After Gu Yu’s subtle hinting, Li Ye indeed took the bait.
Seeing how concerned he was about the matter, Gu Yu felt even more certain that his guess was correct.
When Li Ye was anxious, his voice became sharper, and his lotus-like hand gestures involuntarily appeared again, making Gu Yu estimate the probability of Li Ye being a eunuch at around 70%.
Furthermore, when ordinary people heard about disappearances in a small town, their focus would be on what happened next, rather than inquiring in detail whether the authorities had taken any action.
This made Gu Yu hesitate no longer. He revealed everything completely, allowing Li Ye and his group to understand in detail how serious the recent events in Lian Town were!
Afterward, Li Ye was seen frowning deeply, his hand repeatedly tapping the outside of his thigh, appearing very anxious. This made Gu Yu curious about Li Ye’s identity and his mission in Lian Town.
Could it be that the emperor sent a young eunuch from the palace to investigate the case?
This kind of thing sounded unlikely!
If nothing else, if they were to send someone, it should be a professional, right?
After all, professionals have experience in solving cases, which would be of greater help to Gu Yu.
Just like now… Gu Yu was still considering how to reveal Wang Hu’s father’s involvement in human trafficking without revealing any flaws.
Gu Yu was currently just an ordinary rural child. Although he had become a son-in-law who married into the Gu family, he was still akin to a child bridegroom… If questioned about how he knew of Wang Hu’s father’s evil deeds, explaining it would be difficult.
Therefore, he had to make long-term plans and find an opportunity to expose the true face of the human traffickers.
“I really didn’t expect things to have become so serious. If I had known, I should have left the Imperial…”
“Cough cough, young master, do we need to find a quiet place to continue our conversation?”
Li Ye hesitated for a moment, and when he spoke again, he almost let something slip. It was the cold maid beside him who promptly intervened, causing Li Ye to retract his words in time.
This almost made Gu Yu laugh. He thought Li Ye was truly a naive child, looking like “I’m easy to fool, please deceive me.” This made Gu Yu’s previously entangled thoughts relax considerably.
If Li Ye could indeed be of help, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Even if not, he would simply continue with his original plan to expose Wang Hu’s father’s true face with his own strength.
However, doing so would involve great risk for Gu Yu.
The worst outcome would be failing to bring down Wang Hu’s father and being retaliated against… The timely arrival of Li Ye and his group was undoubtedly a new turning point, making Gu Yu consider cooperating with them.
No way, if Gu Yu were alone, even if he tied up Wang Hu’s father now and dumped him in the deep mountains and old forests, he could just leave afterward.
However, with Mengyao Gu and her brother, Gu Yu had many things to consider.
Not to mention, the siblings’ father, Gu Qing, was not dead yet… If something happened here and Gu Qing was indeed alerted, Gu Yu’s situation would be even more precarious.
After all, Gu Yu was not the son-in-law designated by Gu Qing. Although he and Mengyao Gu had already submitted their marriage certificate to the yamen, if Gu Qing forced Mengyao Gu to divorce him… Although he knew Mengyao Gu would not agree, Gu Yu had to consider it carefully.
The ancient ethical principles of father-son and ruler-subject relationships were not just for show.
The best way to deal with this crisis was for Mengyao Gu to get pregnant and have children as soon as possible. Once the rice was cooked, Gu Qing would have no choice but to acknowledge the marriage.
However… Gu Yu thought about it. Facing his young wife’s age and immature body, he truly couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Therefore, he could only use this buffer period to not only cultivate Mengyao Gu to be strong but also to not stand still himself and become stronger.
Even if he had to make money, he had to earn a lot of silver so that Gu Qing would not look down on him.
While his father-in-law’s situation was still uncertain, Gu Yu was already rubbing his fists and getting excited, thinking that when he met Gu Qing in the future, he definitely wouldn’t let people look down on their family.
Although Gu Yu was now a son-in-law who married into the wife’s family, he was also surnamed Gu before his transmigration, so he had long since considered Mengyao Gu and Gu Qingheng as part of his own family, and had little relationship with Gu Qing, who abandoned his wife and child.
“Lan Mei is right. Brother Gu, I actually have something to ask you. Why don’t we find a quiet place to chat?”
“Sure, I happen to know a pretty quiet place, follow me!”
Afterward, Li Ye showed a hint of embarrassment on his face, while Gu Yu pretended not to see it. Upon hearing Li Ye’s words about finding a quiet place, he immediately spoke up and offered a place.
The sweet dishes he had at Chunlai Restaurant yesterday with Chengfeng Shan were good. This time, bringing Li Ye and his group there might push them along and realize the value of white sugar even sooner.
Although this had nothing to do with Gu Yu, after all, the white sugar recipe had already been sold. Even if Chengfeng Shan made money, he wouldn’t share it with Gu Yu… But Gu Yu wasn’t just making sugar, and in the future, he might invent other things and sell them to Chengfeng Shan.
And Chengfeng Shan, by making money now, Gu Yu could demand more silver later…
If Chengfeng Shan knew Gu Yu’s plan, he would definitely spit on him and tell Gu Yu to go into business!
He would definitely be an unscrupulous merchant, no doubt about it.
After a not-too-long walk, Gu Yu led the group to Chunlai Restaurant. The opposite Fuman Restaurant had its doors tightly closed and was not open for business.
After the double onslaught of black bear and aphrodisiac yesterday, Wang Hu and his men were no longer watching. Now, they had all disappeared to who-knows-where.
Fuman Restaurant, from being bustling with customers to being deserted, had undergone such a significant change in less than two months. Seeing this, Gu Yu couldn’t help but sigh.
However, at this point, the owner and the chubby chef of Chunlai Restaurant must be happy, as their competitor had closed down. Their restaurant had achieved the final victory in this competition.
Once the sweet dishes were launched, Chunlai Restaurant would be considered the best among all the restaurants in town.
“Young Master Gu is here! I’ve modified the dishes made yesterday today. Come and taste if they are right! The fate of the restaurant now depends on Young Master Gu’s taste!”
Gu Yu’s plans were going well, but unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes. When the waiter notified the chubby chef, the chubby chef immediately came over excitedly, grabbed Gu Yu’s hand, and seemed to want to drag him directly to the back kitchen to taste whether the modified dishes were up to standard.
However, when the chubby chef said “Young Master Gu,” Gu Yu’s heart sank.
How could he have forgotten about the chubby chef!
When he turned to look at Li Ye and his group, he saw surprise and uncertainty appear on Li Ye’s face. Looking at Gu Yu, his eyes regained their wariness.
Li Ye was not a fool. Gu Yu was dressed ordinarily, but he was called “Young Master” by a restaurant chef, which indicated that his identity was not simple.
Thinking of Gu Yu’s proactive approach, he must have some ulterior motive.
