Anonymous Report (Part Two)
Yu Fu finally left Yin JiYao’s courtyard after being begged countless times by the guards and headed toward the outer study.
Arriving at the courtyard, she saw Yin Yan hurriedly walk in and shout, “Let go of my son!”
She stood at the door and heard a commotion inside. Yue Hu turned and saw a frail old man walk into the room with the support of a cane. She slightly frowned, “This is the former prime minister Yin?”
Yin Yan instantly saw Yin Shuo on the sofa with his face turning purple. He was being choked by Yue Hu, and it looked like he might not last much longer. Even if he had always been a stoic person, he was still quite frantic, “That would be this old one. Immortal practitioner of medicine, if you have something to say, please say it. Why use your hands?”
Yin Shuo’s consciousness was hazy, his eyes partially opened. Seeing Yin Yan, he thought that he was mistaken.
He was completely disappointed in his son, so why would he rush over to save his life? This had to be an illusion that he was seeing while on the verge of death.
Yue Hu had heard a bit about Yin Yan, but he was different from the stern and shrewd image mentioned in the rumors. The Yin Yan in front of her was an ordinary old man whose only concern was his son’s safety.
None of his majesty or sternness could be seen. All that remained was his love of his family.
Yue Hu temporarily released Yin Shuo to give some face to the old man, “I respect former prime minister for having been an official. You were once a loyal official who loved his country, so how could you condone your son’s collaboration with little Emperor Ning to harm another loyal subject, oppose the late emperor’s will, and even try to steal another official’s wife?”
Yu Fu heard this from the door and silently nodded, thinking to herself that Yue Hu was usually a playful person, thus it was a really big deal for her to speak so reasonably.
Yin Yan might be completely at a loss over what she was saying.
Sure enough, Yin Yan fell silent for a moment before saying: “This family is unfortunate, and teaching the young is a father’s duty. The puppy’s faults are the result of the father’s faults. If immortal practitioner of medicine is getting revenge for Marquis Gu’s Manor, please come at this old one instead!”
Yin Shuo slowly woke up from his daze and heard the last part of what Yin Yan had said. He was stunned.
Had he misheard? Yin Yan was actually willing to sacrifice himself to protect him?
It turned out that he was still worried about his son.
Yue Hu felt the goosebumps on her arm. She had a long-lasting problem. The one thing that she could not bear was seeing others act affectionately, thus seeing Yin Yan’s actions, she could no longer bring herself to continue.
Despite clearly knowing that father and son were the same, as they had both caused harm to Marquis Gu’s Manor, she still could not continue.
Turning around, she saw Yu Fu standing at the door. She gave Yu Fu a look, and the latter knowingly walked in, “Senior disciple sister, it’s getting late. Let’s go back to the manor.”
Yu Fu gave her a way out, and Yue Hu accepted it. She viciously glared at Yin Shuo, “On account of the old man, I will spare your life. If you dare to bully Yu Fu or frame Marquis Gu’s Manor again, I will definitely come and take your life!”
After saying this, she dragged Yu Fu out.
“Say, with me threatening him like this, do you think that he will change?”
On the carriage ride back, Yue Hu thought back to the scene from earlier and felt that it had been insufficient, “How about I find a chance to choke him again to make him a little more frightened?”
Yu Fu quickly said: “Enough, enough, you nearly choked him to death today. That should be enough of a threat. I’m just afraid that Yin Shuo is not the type of person to have a change of heart after being threatened. It’s possible that rather than changing for the better, he will just improve the protection around him to keep senior disciple sister from causing him more trouble.”
“What?!”
Yue Hu refused to relent, “If I had known that sooner, I would have just killed that bastard to completely resolve the issue.”
Yu Fu thought for a bit and then said: “But senior disciple sister threatening him was good. It will keep him from thinking that Marquis Gu’s Manor only acts honestly and won’t act against him directly.”
Yue Hu: “…”
The people of Marquis Gu’s Manor were all honest people, while she was the only one who would use these sorts of methods.
After she and Yu Fu left, Yin Shuo lay on the sofa with his eyes closed. His thoughts raced endlessly.
A subordinate entered to report: “Young sir, the people arranged on the road to the west will likely be unusable. Marquis Gu’s heir left with a procession of a thousand soldiers. This subordinate also inquired around, and Princess ZhenJiang also dispatched 200 of her personal guards, and they are following along behind them. Based on our numbers, I fear that they won’t present much of an obstacle.”
“Oh, Marquis Gu is willing to take a risk and mobilize his troops for the sake of protecting Gu ShuBai. Yu Fu also provided him with some of her own people. That Gu ShuBai is naturally lucky with so many people wanting to protect him.”
The subordinate could hear the resentment in his words thus said: “When master heard that the immortal practitioner of medicine wanted to kill young sir, he immediately rushed here to protect young sir. Young sir is also loved. Master still cares about you!”
Yin Shuo did not say anything else. Just as the subordinate thought that he had fallen asleep, he spoke once more, “There’s no need for us to act on Gu ShuBai’s side. Kun WuShang will naturally make his move. Last time, Marquis Gu crossed the border and destroyed Western Kun’s main force, and that gave him an excuse to station troops on Western Kun’s border. A dead camel was still larger than a horse, and with him acting, there is a chance of success.”
The subordinate hesitantly said: “But Kun WuShang is still Princess ZhenJiang’s fellow disciple. He has profound feelings for Princess ZhenJiang. Will he really be able to kill Marquis Gu’s heir?”
“It’s because he has profound feelings for Yu Fu that he cannot tolerate Gu ShuBai’s continued existence.”
Yin Shuo suddenly opened his eyes and faintly smiled, “More importantly, the crown prince of Western Kun is pressuring him. Last time, his army suffered a horrific defeat, and he turned a fertile area around Zhu Guan into a wasteland. Everyone was furious, so without my help, he will soon be suppressed by the crown prince, Kun JunYue, to the point that he can no longer stand back up. In this sort of situation, would he dare to spare Gu ShuBai?”
The subordinate understandingly smiled, “This subordinate understands. Even if he doesn’t want to kill Marquis Gu’s heir, for the sake of opposing Western Kun’s crown prince, he has no choice but to accept young sir’s assistance.”
Yin Shuo closed his eyes once more, “People cannot be themselves in court, and being a prince is both a blessing and a curse. If Kun WuShang wants to continue living happily, he has to accept working with me.”
The world will go crazy over profits, and two people who shared a common enemy would work together to obtain victory. Eastern Ling was destined to never be peaceful again…
“Eldest brother sent a letter back. They have already reached Zhu Guan!”
Gu Xiang cheerfully charged into the room with the letter, and everyone came out to take a look at Gu ShuBai’s letter. Knowing that his journey was peaceful, they felt much more at ease.
Gu HuaiJiang quickly skimmed through the letter and slightly furrowed his brow upon seeing something. Yu Fu hastily said: “Head general, is something wrong?”
“There isn’t anything.”
Gu HuaiJiang paused for a moment, “ShuBai’s letter said that Western Kun has border guards. It must be a result of us crossing the border last time. Emperor Kun has become vigilant, thus he sent border guards to the region.”
Gu Yi craned his neck and looked through the letter, “All of the guards added together, there are fewer than one hundred thousand soldiers. They have the nerve to call this a border guard? Our Gu family’s army on the border numbers no fewer than 300 thousand troops. Why is father worried?”
“I’m not worried about the border guards. It’s just that the general leading the guards seems very familiar. You all recognize him.”
Gu HuaiJiang said this and handed the letter to Yu Fu. Yu Fu carefully read through it. It was none other than Kun WuShang.
Thinking of the methods employed by Kun WuShang the last time the two countries fought, Yu Fu could not help but frown, “Head general is worried that Kun WuShang will repeat what he did last time?”
“Kun WuShang?”
Gu JiuGe received the letter and wondered: “As a prince, he now leads the border guards. This is banishment. It seems that the crown prince, Kun JunYue, has regained power in Western Kun’s court.”
Gu Xiang was confused and said: “Second brother, didn’t Kun WuShang also lead the battle during last year’s fighting? How do you know that this was banishment?”
“Times of war are different from times outside of war. The situation is completely different.”
Gu HanMo continued on, saying: “During times of war, Kun WuShang led Western Kun’s grand army, which meant that he had power and influence. Leading the border guards when they are not at war means that he has lost power and influence. I fyou don’t believe it, just think it over carefully. When has father ever gone to the border when there wasn’t a war?”
Gu Xiang became pensive, “So it was like that. Indeed, every time that news of a war breaking out reached us, father and elder brothers would rush to the border. The ones stationed at the border are generals of lower ranks.”
Gu HuaiJiang nodded, “It seems that this is a result of Western Kun’s massive defeat during last year’s battle. Aside from the Liu siblings, who led the battle at the start, Kun WuShang, as the substitute general, also became implicated because of his status as a prince.”
Gu WenQing quietly thought to himself that this was not good, “Why did it have to be him? If he uses poison on the army like he did last time, won’t eldest brother be in danger?”
Kun WuShang would surely be resentful from his previous defeat at the hands of the Gu family’s army. This time, when he hears that Gu ShuBai has arrived at the border, would he take that opportunity to strike?
If he could hurt Gu ShuBai a bit, even… his position in Western Kun’s court could be restored.
Everyone felt that the situation was more and more dangerous when they suddenly heard Qi An report: “Lord Marquis, middle assistant imperial censor Lord Qi from the Imperial Censorate has come seeking a meeting. He says that he has something important to ask Lord Marquis.”*
Gu HuaiJiang said: “Quickly invite him in and serve him some tea.”
The imperial censors visited countless court officials, and most felt a little anxious. The imperial censors had a duty to investigate court officials, and they normally would not visit if one did nothing wrong.
Gu HuaiJiang was an honest and upright official. Naturally, he was not worried.
Gu JiuGe stepped forward and said: “Father, let me go and see Lord Qi. If there’s nothing, it will be fine. If there is still something, father can be called at that time.”
Gu HuaiJiang waved his hand, “It wasn’t a low-level censor that came. It’s a middle assistant imperial censor. It wouldn’t be right if you went.”
Middle assistant imperial censor was a deputy imperial censor position. In court, they were second-rank officials. Aside from chief imperial censor Ji DaoGong, he was the highest-ranked member of the Imperial Censorate.
Since he personally came to visit, there was certain to be an important matter.
Gu HuaiJiang decided to personally see him, and not even Gu JiuGe could stop him. Based on his qualifications and status, it would indeed have been a little improper for him to see a second-rank official in Gu HuaiJiang’s stead. If it had been Gu ShuBai, it would have been fine.
“Then father, you go ahead. We can continue discussing the matter involving Kun WuShang in detail when father returns.”
Qi An led Lord Qi to the main hall of the front courtyard, and Gu HuaiJiang arrived shortly after that. Lord Qi immediately stood up and cupped his hands, “Lord Marquis Gu, this lowly official came uninvited and has caused a disruption.”
Gu HuaiJiang motioned for him to sit, “There’s no need for Lord Qi to be so courteous. If you have something to say, please say it directly.”
He was stoic and upright by nature, and this made Lord Qi feel a little uneasy. He had served in the Imperial Censorate for many years, and he had visited many court officials, and they would always be shocked or flustered when they saw him.
Nobody was perfect. There was always a bit of corruption or abuse of power from people who held court positions. Nobody dared to guarantee that they would not be reported to the Imperial Censorate.
Lord Qi looked into Gu HuaiJiang’s eyes and instantly felt that this person was an exception.
He really was not afraid of being investigated because he was a flawless person. There was nothing improper for him to fear being dredged up.
Lord Qi was a little hesitant, regretting that he had come to Marquis Gu’s Manor, but he had no choice but to come. Based on Gu HuaiJiang’s standing, it would have been even more impolite to send a lower-ranked imperial censor. He had no choice but to make the visit himself.
He slowly pulled out a stack of papers from his sleeve and placed them in front of Gu HuaiJiang with both hands, “Lord Marquis, please take a look at these. You must not get angry. This lowly official has just come to ask some questions and have no other intentions.”
Gu HuaiJiang received the papers and found that all of the papers were the same. They all had the same thing written on them. These five papers were reports.
The space for the sender of the letter was empty, and the content of the report was that Marquis Gu’s Manor had colluded with Western Kun and committed treason!
Gu HuaiJiang looked over the report and did not even flinch. Lord Qi sat next to him and was feeling extremely anxious. He did not even know what to do with his hands.
He was an imperial censor, yet he was even more nervous than the person being investigated. This was truly a first.
Gu HuaiJiang calmly finished reading the report and then handed the report back to Lord Qi, “None of the report is true. The report says that the multi-colored gem comes from Western Kun’s jade mine, but that is not accurate. The mine lies in Zhu Mountain on the border between Western Kun and Eastern Ling. Zhu Mountain has a gentle slope on Western Kun’s side and a steep cliff on Eastern Ling’s side. Normally speaking, Zhu Mountain is very hard for Eastern Ling’s citizens to climb. For the sake of making it easier for our Gu family’s army to scout the enemy, we often have soldiers make the dangerous ascent up the mountain. This marquis once personally climbed the mountain to observe the enemy situation and nearly succumbed to an ambush by Western Kun.”
Lord Qi’s ears perked up, eagerly etching every word that Gu HuaiJiang said into his mind.
Gu HuaiJiang continued: “That’s why those two multi-colored gems do not prove that this marquis colluded with Western Kun. The multi-colored gem is indeed rare, so it was quite surprising to this marquis that we found two so quickly back-to-back. If it’s said that Western Kun wanted to give this marquis a gift to win this marquis over, hehe, they might not have had the good fortune to find two gems.”
Lord Qi hastily nodded, “Lord Marquis is right. This lowly official came to ask some questions and hope that Lord Marquis will not take offense. This lowly official absolutely did not think that Lord Marquis colluded with the enemy!”
Gu HuaiJiang chuckled and said: “It’s fine. Since someone filed a report, the Imperial Censorate should investigate. Lord Qi didn’t do anything wrong. There’s also no need for this marquis to get angry. As for the second piece of evidence mentioned by the report saying that this marquis crossed the border with Western Kun to collude with Western Kun, this is even more absurd.”
He raised his hand and picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, as he continued: “The report says that if this marquis had not colluded with Western Kun, this marquis would not have dared to cross the border. But at that time, this marquis led the Gu family’s army across the border to slaughter 200 thousand of Western Kun’s troops. Lord Qi should know that Western Kun has a vast territory but is sparsely populated. Its military force was already lacking, and it could only establish a fighting force through its local customs. If this marquis had colluded with Western Kun, how could Emperor Ning be willing to relinquish half of their fighting force to accumulate accomplishments for the Gu family’s army?”
As a civil official, Lord Qi did not have a great understanding of military affairs. Fortunately, Gu HuaiJiang made it very easy to understand.
Gu HuaiJiang continued: “This marquis does not intend to brag in front of Lord Qi, but this marquis has guarded the border for multiple decades and have never lost a battle. Could it be that this marquis has been colluding with Western Kun since the age of 20? Could it be that Western Kun bought this marquis with the goal of improving this marquis’ image as a god of war without any intention of expanding their own country? As for the third piece…”
“Lord Marquis, there’s no need to continue.”
Lord Qi immediately raised his hand to stop him, standing up and bowing to Gu HuaiJaing, “This lowly official initially just came to question Lord Marquis as a formality. This lowly official has served the Imperial Censorate for many decades and can immediately tell if a court official is hiding something.”
“When this lowly official first saw Lord Marquis, this lowly official knew that Lord Marquis has a level mind and could not have possibly done something like collude with Western Kun. Over the years, if not for the Gu family’s army guarding the border with Western Kun, Western Kun might have already trampled Eastern Ling underfoot!”
He bowed toward Gu HuaiJiang once more, “Lord Marquis has kindly explained to this lowly official, but this lowly official can no longer bear to continue listening. There should never have been a need for Lord Marquis to explain, but the one to submit this anonymous report against Lord Marquis is truly a villain. Framing an honest person, how could this lowly official work in accordance with their wishes?”
The usually mild-mannered civil official suddenly became infuriated and threw the stack of papers to the ground. He then angrily stomped on them a few times.
Gu HuaiJiang cupped his hands toward him, “This marquis thanks Lord Qi for your trust and praise, but for the sake of silencing everyone, would Lord Qi please carry out the investigation as normal. There’s no need to hold back.”
Lord Qi had wanted to refuse, believing that there was no need to continue investigating someone like Gu HuaiJiang. Carefully thinking about it, he suddenly understood Gu HuaiJiang’s intentions.
The fact that the Imperial Censorate had received a report could not be completely hidden. Rather than one person believing Gu HuaiJiang and not carrying out an investigation, it would be better to carry out a thorough investigation and provide Gu HuaiJiang with justice.
Either way, he was an honest and upright person. He was not afraid of being investigated. If he was investigated, it would prove his innocence.
Lord Qi earnestly saluted, “Yes, this matter will be handled as Lord Marquis requested. This lowly official will not allow anyone to ruin Lord Marquis’ name and will definitely find the identity of the petty anonymous reporter!”
*TN: This Lord Qi shares the same family name as Qi An.
Anonymous Report (Part Two)
Yu Fu finally left Yin JiYao’s courtyard after being begged countless times by the guards and headed toward the outer study.
Arriving at the courtyard, she saw Yin Yan hurriedly walk in and shout, “Let go of my son!”
She stood at the door and heard a commotion inside. Yue Hu turned and saw a frail old man walk into the room with the support of a cane. She slightly frowned, “This is the former prime minister Yin?”
Yin Yan instantly saw Yin Shuo on the sofa with his face turning purple. He was being choked by Yue Hu, and it looked like he might not last much longer. Even if he had always been a stoic person, he was still quite frantic, “That would be this old one. Immortal practitioner of medicine, if you have something to say, please say it. Why use your hands?”
Yin Shuo’s consciousness was hazy, his eyes partially opened. Seeing Yin Yan, he thought that he was mistaken.
He was completely disappointed in his son, so why would he rush over to save his life? This had to be an illusion that he was seeing while on the verge of death.
Yue Hu had heard a bit about Yin Yan, but he was different from the stern and shrewd image mentioned in the rumors. The Yin Yan in front of her was an ordinary old man whose only concern was his son’s safety.
None of his majesty or sternness could be seen. All that remained was his love of his family.
Yue Hu temporarily released Yin Shuo to give some face to the old man, “I respect former prime minister for having been an official. You were once a loyal official who loved his country, so how could you condone your son’s collaboration with little Emperor Ning to harm another loyal subject, oppose the late emperor’s will, and even try to steal another official’s wife?”
Yu Fu heard this from the door and silently nodded, thinking to herself that Yue Hu was usually a playful person, thus it was a really big deal for her to speak so reasonably.
Yin Yan might be completely at a loss over what she was saying.
Sure enough, Yin Yan fell silent for a moment before saying: “This family is unfortunate, and teaching the young is a father’s duty. The puppy’s faults are the result of the father’s faults. If immortal practitioner of medicine is getting revenge for Marquis Gu’s Manor, please come at this old one instead!”
Yin Shuo slowly woke up from his daze and heard the last part of what Yin Yan had said. He was stunned.
Had he misheard? Yin Yan was actually willing to sacrifice himself to protect him?
It turned out that he was still worried about his son.
Yue Hu felt the goosebumps on her arm. She had a long-lasting problem. The one thing that she could not bear was seeing others act affectionately, thus seeing Yin Yan’s actions, she could no longer bring herself to continue.
Despite clearly knowing that father and son were the same, as they had both caused harm to Marquis Gu’s Manor, she still could not continue.
Turning around, she saw Yu Fu standing at the door. She gave Yu Fu a look, and the latter knowingly walked in, “Senior disciple sister, it’s getting late. Let’s go back to the manor.”
Yu Fu gave her a way out, and Yue Hu accepted it. She viciously glared at Yin Shuo, “On account of the old man, I will spare your life. If you dare to bully Yu Fu or frame Marquis Gu’s Manor again, I will definitely come and take your life!”
After saying this, she dragged Yu Fu out.
“Say, with me threatening him like this, do you think that he will change?”
On the carriage ride back, Yue Hu thought back to the scene from earlier and felt that it had been insufficient, “How about I find a chance to choke him again to make him a little more frightened?”
Yu Fu quickly said: “Enough, enough, you nearly choked him to death today. That should be enough of a threat. I’m just afraid that Yin Shuo is not the type of person to have a change of heart after being threatened. It’s possible that rather than changing for the better, he will just improve the protection around him to keep senior disciple sister from causing him more trouble.”
“What?!”
Yue Hu refused to relent, “If I had known that sooner, I would have just killed that bastard to completely resolve the issue.”
Yu Fu thought for a bit and then said: “But senior disciple sister threatening him was good. It will keep him from thinking that Marquis Gu’s Manor only acts honestly and won’t act against him directly.”
Yue Hu: “…”
The people of Marquis Gu’s Manor were all honest people, while she was the only one who would use these sorts of methods.
After she and Yu Fu left, Yin Shuo lay on the sofa with his eyes closed. His thoughts raced endlessly.
A subordinate entered to report: “Young sir, the people arranged on the road to the west will likely be unusable. Marquis Gu’s heir left with a procession of a thousand soldiers. This subordinate also inquired around, and Princess ZhenJiang also dispatched 200 of her personal guards, and they are following along behind them. Based on our numbers, I fear that they won’t present much of an obstacle.”
“Oh, Marquis Gu is willing to take a risk and mobilize his troops for the sake of protecting Gu ShuBai. Yu Fu also provided him with some of her own people. That Gu ShuBai is naturally lucky with so many people wanting to protect him.”
The subordinate could hear the resentment in his words thus said: “When master heard that the immortal practitioner of medicine wanted to kill young sir, he immediately rushed here to protect young sir. Young sir is also loved. Master still cares about you!”
Yin Shuo did not say anything else. Just as the subordinate thought that he had fallen asleep, he spoke once more, “There’s no need for us to act on Gu ShuBai’s side. Kun WuShang will naturally make his move. Last time, Marquis Gu crossed the border and destroyed Western Kun’s main force, and that gave him an excuse to station troops on Western Kun’s border. A dead camel was still larger than a horse, and with him acting, there is a chance of success.”
The subordinate hesitantly said: “But Kun WuShang is still Princess ZhenJiang’s fellow disciple. He has profound feelings for Princess ZhenJiang. Will he really be able to kill Marquis Gu’s heir?”
“It’s because he has profound feelings for Yu Fu that he cannot tolerate Gu ShuBai’s continued existence.”
Yin Shuo suddenly opened his eyes and faintly smiled, “More importantly, the crown prince of Western Kun is pressuring him. Last time, his army suffered a horrific defeat, and he turned a fertile area around Zhu Guan into a wasteland. Everyone was furious, so without my help, he will soon be suppressed by the crown prince, Kun JunYue, to the point that he can no longer stand back up. In this sort of situation, would he dare to spare Gu ShuBai?”
The subordinate understandingly smiled, “This subordinate understands. Even if he doesn’t want to kill Marquis Gu’s heir, for the sake of opposing Western Kun’s crown prince, he has no choice but to accept young sir’s assistance.”
Yin Shuo closed his eyes once more, “People cannot be themselves in court, and being a prince is both a blessing and a curse. If Kun WuShang wants to continue living happily, he has to accept working with me.”
The world will go crazy over profits, and two people who shared a common enemy would work together to obtain victory. Eastern Ling was destined to never be peaceful again…
“Eldest brother sent a letter back. They have already reached Zhu Guan!”
Gu Xiang cheerfully charged into the room with the letter, and everyone came out to take a look at Gu ShuBai’s letter. Knowing that his journey was peaceful, they felt much more at ease.
Gu HuaiJiang quickly skimmed through the letter and slightly furrowed his brow upon seeing something. Yu Fu hastily said: “Head general, is something wrong?”
“There isn’t anything.”
Gu HuaiJiang paused for a moment, “ShuBai’s letter said that Western Kun has border guards. It must be a result of us crossing the border last time. Emperor Kun has become vigilant, thus he sent border guards to the region.”
Gu Yi craned his neck and looked through the letter, “All of the guards added together, there are fewer than one hundred thousand soldiers. They have the nerve to call this a border guard? Our Gu family’s army on the border numbers no fewer than 300 thousand troops. Why is father worried?”
“I’m not worried about the border guards. It’s just that the general leading the guards seems very familiar. You all recognize him.”
Gu HuaiJiang said this and handed the letter to Yu Fu. Yu Fu carefully read through it. It was none other than Kun WuShang.
Thinking of the methods employed by Kun WuShang the last time the two countries fought, Yu Fu could not help but frown, “Head general is worried that Kun WuShang will repeat what he did last time?”
“Kun WuShang?”
Gu JiuGe received the letter and wondered: “As a prince, he now leads the border guards. This is banishment. It seems that the crown prince, Kun JunYue, has regained power in Western Kun’s court.”
Gu Xiang was confused and said: “Second brother, didn’t Kun WuShang also lead the battle during last year’s fighting? How do you know that this was banishment?”
“Times of war are different from times outside of war. The situation is completely different.”
Gu HanMo continued on, saying: “During times of war, Kun WuShang led Western Kun’s grand army, which meant that he had power and influence. Leading the border guards when they are not at war means that he has lost power and influence. I fyou don’t believe it, just think it over carefully. When has father ever gone to the border when there wasn’t a war?”
Gu Xiang became pensive, “So it was like that. Indeed, every time that news of a war breaking out reached us, father and elder brothers would rush to the border. The ones stationed at the border are generals of lower ranks.”
Gu HuaiJiang nodded, “It seems that this is a result of Western Kun’s massive defeat during last year’s battle. Aside from the Liu siblings, who led the battle at the start, Kun WuShang, as the substitute general, also became implicated because of his status as a prince.”
Gu WenQing quietly thought to himself that this was not good, “Why did it have to be him? If he uses poison on the army like he did last time, won’t eldest brother be in danger?”
Kun WuShang would surely be resentful from his previous defeat at the hands of the Gu family’s army. This time, when he hears that Gu ShuBai has arrived at the border, would he take that opportunity to strike?
If he could hurt Gu ShuBai a bit, even… his position in Western Kun’s court could be restored.
Everyone felt that the situation was more and more dangerous when they suddenly heard Qi An report: “Lord Marquis, middle assistant imperial censor Lord Qi from the Imperial Censorate has come seeking a meeting. He says that he has something important to ask Lord Marquis.”*
Gu HuaiJiang said: “Quickly invite him in and serve him some tea.”
The imperial censors visited countless court officials, and most felt a little anxious. The imperial censors had a duty to investigate court officials, and they normally would not visit if one did nothing wrong.
Gu HuaiJiang was an honest and upright official. Naturally, he was not worried.
Gu JiuGe stepped forward and said: “Father, let me go and see Lord Qi. If there’s nothing, it will be fine. If there is still something, father can be called at that time.”
Gu HuaiJiang waved his hand, “It wasn’t a low-level censor that came. It’s a middle assistant imperial censor. It wouldn’t be right if you went.”
Middle assistant imperial censor was a deputy imperial censor position. In court, they were second-rank officials. Aside from chief imperial censor Ji DaoGong, he was the highest-ranked member of the Imperial Censorate.
Since he personally came to visit, there was certain to be an important matter.
Gu HuaiJiang decided to personally see him, and not even Gu JiuGe could stop him. Based on his qualifications and status, it would indeed have been a little improper for him to see a second-rank official in Gu HuaiJiang’s stead. If it had been Gu ShuBai, it would have been fine.
“Then father, you go ahead. We can continue discussing the matter involving Kun WuShang in detail when father returns.”
Qi An led Lord Qi to the main hall of the front courtyard, and Gu HuaiJiang arrived shortly after that. Lord Qi immediately stood up and cupped his hands, “Lord Marquis Gu, this lowly official came uninvited and has caused a disruption.”
Gu HuaiJiang motioned for him to sit, “There’s no need for Lord Qi to be so courteous. If you have something to say, please say it directly.”
He was stoic and upright by nature, and this made Lord Qi feel a little uneasy. He had served in the Imperial Censorate for many years, and he had visited many court officials, and they would always be shocked or flustered when they saw him.
Nobody was perfect. There was always a bit of corruption or abuse of power from people who held court positions. Nobody dared to guarantee that they would not be reported to the Imperial Censorate.
Lord Qi looked into Gu HuaiJiang’s eyes and instantly felt that this person was an exception.
He really was not afraid of being investigated because he was a flawless person. There was nothing improper for him to fear being dredged up.
Lord Qi was a little hesitant, regretting that he had come to Marquis Gu’s Manor, but he had no choice but to come. Based on Gu HuaiJiang’s standing, it would have been even more impolite to send a lower-ranked imperial censor. He had no choice but to make the visit himself.
He slowly pulled out a stack of papers from his sleeve and placed them in front of Gu HuaiJiang with both hands, “Lord Marquis, please take a look at these. You must not get angry. This lowly official has just come to ask some questions and have no other intentions.”
Gu HuaiJiang received the papers and found that all of the papers were the same. They all had the same thing written on them. These five papers were reports.
The space for the sender of the letter was empty, and the content of the report was that Marquis Gu’s Manor had colluded with Western Kun and committed treason!
Gu HuaiJiang looked over the report and did not even flinch. Lord Qi sat next to him and was feeling extremely anxious. He did not even know what to do with his hands.
He was an imperial censor, yet he was even more nervous than the person being investigated. This was truly a first.
Gu HuaiJiang calmly finished reading the report and then handed the report back to Lord Qi, “None of the report is true. The report says that the multi-colored gem comes from Western Kun’s jade mine, but that is not accurate. The mine lies in Zhu Mountain on the border between Western Kun and Eastern Ling. Zhu Mountain has a gentle slope on Western Kun’s side and a steep cliff on Eastern Ling’s side. Normally speaking, Zhu Mountain is very hard for Eastern Ling’s citizens to climb. For the sake of making it easier for our Gu family’s army to scout the enemy, we often have soldiers make the dangerous ascent up the mountain. This marquis once personally climbed the mountain to observe the enemy situation and nearly succumbed to an ambush by Western Kun.”
Lord Qi’s ears perked up, eagerly etching every word that Gu HuaiJiang said into his mind.
Gu HuaiJiang continued: “That’s why those two multi-colored gems do not prove that this marquis colluded with Western Kun. The multi-colored gem is indeed rare, so it was quite surprising to this marquis that we found two so quickly back-to-back. If it’s said that Western Kun wanted to give this marquis a gift to win this marquis over, hehe, they might not have had the good fortune to find two gems.”
Lord Qi hastily nodded, “Lord Marquis is right. This lowly official came to ask some questions and hope that Lord Marquis will not take offense. This lowly official absolutely did not think that Lord Marquis colluded with the enemy!”
Gu HuaiJiang chuckled and said: “It’s fine. Since someone filed a report, the Imperial Censorate should investigate. Lord Qi didn’t do anything wrong. There’s also no need for this marquis to get angry. As for the second piece of evidence mentioned by the report saying that this marquis crossed the border with Western Kun to collude with Western Kun, this is even more absurd.”
He raised his hand and picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, as he continued: “The report says that if this marquis had not colluded with Western Kun, this marquis would not have dared to cross the border. But at that time, this marquis led the Gu family’s army across the border to slaughter 200 thousand of Western Kun’s troops. Lord Qi should know that Western Kun has a vast territory but is sparsely populated. Its military force was already lacking, and it could only establish a fighting force through its local customs. If this marquis had colluded with Western Kun, how could Emperor Ning be willing to relinquish half of their fighting force to accumulate accomplishments for the Gu family’s army?”
As a civil official, Lord Qi did not have a great understanding of military affairs. Fortunately, Gu HuaiJiang made it very easy to understand.
Gu HuaiJiang continued: “This marquis does not intend to brag in front of Lord Qi, but this marquis has guarded the border for multiple decades and have never lost a battle. Could it be that this marquis has been colluding with Western Kun since the age of 20? Could it be that Western Kun bought this marquis with the goal of improving this marquis’ image as a god of war without any intention of expanding their own country? As for the third piece…”
“Lord Marquis, there’s no need to continue.”
Lord Qi immediately raised his hand to stop him, standing up and bowing to Gu HuaiJaing, “This lowly official initially just came to question Lord Marquis as a formality. This lowly official has served the Imperial Censorate for many decades and can immediately tell if a court official is hiding something.”
“When this lowly official first saw Lord Marquis, this lowly official knew that Lord Marquis has a level mind and could not have possibly done something like collude with Western Kun. Over the years, if not for the Gu family’s army guarding the border with Western Kun, Western Kun might have already trampled Eastern Ling underfoot!”
He bowed toward Gu HuaiJiang once more, “Lord Marquis has kindly explained to this lowly official, but this lowly official can no longer bear to continue listening. There should never have been a need for Lord Marquis to explain, but the one to submit this anonymous report against Lord Marquis is truly a villain. Framing an honest person, how could this lowly official work in accordance with their wishes?”
The usually mild-mannered civil official suddenly became infuriated and threw the stack of papers to the ground. He then angrily stomped on them a few times.
Gu HuaiJiang cupped his hands toward him, “This marquis thanks Lord Qi for your trust and praise, but for the sake of silencing everyone, would Lord Qi please carry out the investigation as normal. There’s no need to hold back.”
Lord Qi had wanted to refuse, believing that there was no need to continue investigating someone like Gu HuaiJiang. Carefully thinking about it, he suddenly understood Gu HuaiJiang’s intentions.
The fact that the Imperial Censorate had received a report could not be completely hidden. Rather than one person believing Gu HuaiJiang and not carrying out an investigation, it would be better to carry out a thorough investigation and provide Gu HuaiJiang with justice.
Either way, he was an honest and upright person. He was not afraid of being investigated. If he was investigated, it would prove his innocence.
Lord Qi earnestly saluted, “Yes, this matter will be handled as Lord Marquis requested. This lowly official will not allow anyone to ruin Lord Marquis’ name and will definitely find the identity of the petty anonymous reporter!”
*TN: This Lord Qi shares the same family name as Qi An.
