Chapter 51: Can you tell me?
First, the Gu family servants tied up in the inn were rescued. Afterward, under the watchful eyes of the timid innkeeper and guests, Gu Yu did not stay there for too long.
Then, led by the local, Xia Tian, Gu Yu and his group hurried towards the Yamen.
Things were naturally resolved very smoothly afterward.
With Gu Yu sprinkling the medicinal powder and Gu Mengyao kicking in coordination, the local bullies and ruffians residing in the Yamen had no chance to resist before they all obediently surrendered.
Currently, they were kneeling in a line in the Yamen’s backyard, their faces bruised and swollen as they looked at Gu Mengyao, desperately hoping she wouldn’t hit them again!
As for those who had taken the pain-inducing powder, they were still writhing and crying out in pain, their hoarse wails sending shivers down the spines of those kneeling in the courtyard, who thought to themselves, “What bad luck, to have provoked this pair of male and female demons. We’re truly unlucky!”
They just wanted to enjoy a few days of the Magistrate’s pleasant life…
“When I ask you, answer honestly, otherwise don’t blame my medicinal powder for being merciless.”
Afterward, Gu Yu stood before the kneeling crowd. As he spoke, he took out another new medicine packet from his pocket. Gu Residence servants standing behind him wondered how much medicinal powder Master Gu’s son-in-law had hidden. He had sprinkled quite a lot on the way, but it seemed endless.
Look, he had taken out another new medicine packet.
The kneeling bullies, upon seeing Gu Yu reach out and take out a medicine packet, all had expressions of nervousness on their faces, fearing they would be sprinkled with it… They had living examples wailing beside them, so they wouldn’t dare to conceal anything.
Otherwise, they would be the next ones wailing in pain!
Just seeing others cry out in agony made them feel that death would be better, saving them from endless torment.
“Sir, please speak. we will tell you everything we know and will not hide anything.”
As soon as Gu Yu spoke, someone quickly replied.
Gu Yu looked over and saw that the person speaking had a face full of moles, making him quite distinctive.
And judging by his tone of speech, he seemed to have read for some time, speaking in a scholarly manner, unlike the usual vulgarity of bullies.
However, Gu Yu was anxious to know how this incident had unfolded!
Why had the Magistrate and soldiers of Xize Town suddenly disappeared, and what was the relationship between these bullies and the mastermind behind the scenes?
If they claimed to have no relationship, it would be too unconvincing. These bullies “coincidentally” discovered that the Yamen was empty, and then dared to use violence to extort money?
“Now, I know that the Magistrate and soldiers have all disappeared, but I am very curious about the reason and whereabouts of their disappearance. Can you tell me?”
As Gu Yu spoke with a smile, he naturally brought the medicine packet in his hand before the mole-faced man, casually waving it in the air with a very obvious threat. This made the mole-faced man think… why had he inexplicably opened his mouth to speak, and now he had brought trouble upon himself.
At this moment, Gu Yu threw a direct question, skipping any beating around the bush, making the mole-faced man extremely nervous, fearing that he would be sprinkled with the strange medicinal powder in the next moment and then lie on the ground crying out in agony.
Speak! You’ll definitely face consequences.
Don’t speak! You’ll still face consequences later.
Since that was the case, he might as well endure the discomfort for a while. Why should he make things difficult for himself!
After all, he wasn’t the one who planned this incident; they were just picking up the scraps afterward.
“Earlier, someone went to the Yamen and said that a wanted criminal of the Imperial Court had been discovered not far from the town. Upon hearing this, the Magistrate happily sent people to capture him… It seems that the fugitive was quite formidable, making the Magistrate eager to gain merit, so he went along with them. As a result, after all the government officials left, they never returned.”
“In that case, how did you all come to the Yamen? After all, even if they didn’t return for a few days, it doesn’t mean they would never return. I assume you wouldn’t be foolish enough to go against the government.”
“That’s because… Before that, a group of our brothers wanted to hijack passing merchants. So after tailing them, we were preparing to find a good opportunity to act when we discovered an unusual pit… If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t be able to find it at all. To confirm its authenticity, we dug up the pit, and found out it was real! The bodies of the Magistrate and soldiers were buried in the pit.”
As the mole-faced man spoke, he thought that this was indeed good luck, otherwise, ordinary people really wouldn’t be able to find the burial site.
However, when Xiao Wuzi relieved himself on the corpse pit, he had just started when he suddenly saw a finger that was not completely buried, which frightened him greatly.
This kind of encounter, ordinary people would never want to experience!
After hearing the mole-faced man’s reply and pondering its truthfulness, Gu Yu found the story to be quite plausible. After all, looking at these people’s fawning demeanor, if they had truly cooperated, they probably wouldn’t have received any help.
On the contrary, the probability of being betrayed was very high.
“Furthermore, when we dug out the bodies, some soldiers’ official uniforms were torn. Judging by the remaining marks, it looked like they were directly ripped off.”
“Ripped off?”
“Yes, because the missing part was exactly where the insignia of the Linfeng Kingdom’s government was printed, which made people feel very strange.”
Afterward, with the mole-faced man’s supplement, Gu Yu also found it very strange.
He didn’t know who had the audacity to attack government officials and even tear off a piece of their clothing. It was truly too arrogant.
“Hmm, I know about this matter. Now, let’s talk about your recent violent extortion in the town. How should this be resolved?”
“This… we will all obey your arrangement.”
Regardless of what others would do, after satisfying his curiosity, Gu Yu did not continue to inquire about the Magistrate’s matters. Instead, he smilingly asked the bullies about the whereabouts of the money they had extorted recently.
After working for so long, if he didn’t receive any compensation, wouldn’t all his hard work be in vain!
Afterward, the bullies honestly handed over the money they had extorted during this period. When Gu Yu opened a small chest and looked at the silver notes inside, he nodded with satisfaction.
As for the remaining several large chests of silver, with so many people watching, they could only reluctantly leave them behind.
Carrying so much silver in the carriage would significantly slow down their progress, and if they were delayed, they wouldn’t be able to reach the Capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
However, Gu Yu would not leave this silver with the bullies to fuel their arrogance. Instead, he asked Xia Tian to find some locals and distribute the silver to them one by one as compensation for being threatened by the bullies these past few days.
He also notified them that if they wished to leave this town, they should leave as soon as possible before tomorrow morning.
No extensions.
As for those who chose to remain in the town, whether the silver they had in hand would be robbed back by the bullies later was no longer Gu Yu’s concern.
After arranging everything, Gu Yu and his group returned to the inn, preparing to rest for a night and then continue their journey the next day.
After finishing dinner, Xia Tian appeared with a conflicted expression and then pulled Gu Mengyao out for a while. When they returned, Xia Tian was happily bouncing around, completely unlike her previous timid demeanor.
Gu Yu was only slightly surprised by this and did not delve further, as it was not a major issue. What occupied his thoughts now was the murder case of the Xize Town Magistrate.
Although they were just passers-by, and even if the Magistrate was murdered, they did not need to meddle.
However, upon careful consideration, it was truly remarkable that the Magistrate and soldiers could be killed so silently.
He wondered… was it a random act or intentional.
The damage to the soldiers’ official uniforms, particularly the parts with the insignia, was too coincidental.
But if it was a conspiracy, there must be a significant motive.
Gu Yu merely thought about it and did not continue to ponder… At most, when they reached the Capital, he would inform his father-in-law about this matter, and let Gu Qing worry about it!
As for himself, Gu Yu, he was just a commoner now and didn’t need to concern himself with national affairs…
The continuous travel for several days, coupled with the events that occurred in town that evening, caused Gu Yu and Gu Mengyao to fall asleep very quickly that night, without any worries to keep them awake.
The reason they felt at ease was that the Gu Residence servants took turns keeping watch, carefully guarding against any retaliation from the bullies.
Moreover, Xi Yang was guarding the door outside, so Gu Yu was not worried at all.
Thus, when a night passed and dawn arrived, Gu Yu, woken by Gu Mengyao, groggily got up and washed himself.
After breakfast, Gu Yu noticed that Xia Tian had not left yet, and had also washed her dark little face clean.
Now that he saw her, she looked quite cute, like a girl.
However, Xia Tian was sitting next to Gu Mengyao with an extremely intimate demeanor, which instantly made Gu Yu feel a surge of insecurity. He wondered if this little one intended to use her cute appearance to deceive Gu Mengyao!
This wouldn’t do!
“Brother-in-law, save it, don’t be jealous! Xia Tian is a girl.”
“A girl?”
“Yes, I didn’t realize it at first either…”
Just as Gu Yu was about to disrupt Gu Mengyao and Xia Tian’s pleasant chat, Gu Qingheng, standing beside them, quickly stopped Gu Yu and then helplessly revealed that Xia Tian was a girl.
When his elder sister made this announcement, Gu Qingheng also found it hard to believe, as Xia Tian did not seem like a girl at all… However, on second thought, it was indeed plausible.
Because last night, when he and Xia Tian were urinating together, Xia Tian had secretly gone to another place, which had confused Gu Qingheng greatly at the time.
Now he thought, thankfully he hadn’t peeked, otherwise…
“Even if she’s a girl, it’s still not acceptable. We’re about to leave, why is she still clinging to Mengyao?”
“Brother-in-law, your information is too outdated. Sister is taking Xia Tian with us.”
Immediately after learning that Xia Tian was a girl, Gu Yu was stunned, and his jealousy flared up unwillingly, thinking it would be best to send Xia Tian away quickly.
However, Gu Qingheng shrugged at Gu Yu at this moment, indicating that Xia Tian was not leaving.
