Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 42 Clarification
Gu Jiye followed Zong Huan to the front yard. When he saw Pei Nian and Gu Jingnian facing each other, he thought that this couple must have come to clarify the rumors. They were really too bold to take responsibility for their actions.

But when Pei Nian read out the recruitment document in public, his disdain turned into jealousy.

The Kaipingsi Patrol Inspector may sound insignificant, but in fact he was a ninth-rank military officer of the imperial court. For ordinary people to become one, there were only three ways: hereditary family background, military merit and transfer back to the capital, or passing the military examination and then being selected. Occasionally, a public servant could be promoted by making great contributions, but it was very rare.

The Gu family is not short of family connections. Many of Gu Beiming's grandsons have honorary titles at a young age. Next year, Gu Jiye will also be selected to serve as a ceremonial officer in the Bureau of Astronomy, which is also a ninth-rank official and one of the rare civil servants in the Gu family.

But now, Gu Jingnian, an illegitimate son, has been promoted ahead of his elder brother, who is a legitimate son. This is really unpleasant.

"A shameless male concubine, clinging to the tomboy to get to the top."

Gu Jiye couldn't help but mutter something, his voice was so soft that even Zong E beside him couldn't hear it clearly.

But Pei Nian's gaze turned over and stayed on them for a moment.

Gu Jiye immediately felt guilty, and Zong E felt even more uncomfortable, as if they were caught having an affair.

"It is not necessary to hire a Gu Jingnian to investigate the case in person."

Pei Nian spoke in a cold voice, with an unyielding dignity, and said without hesitation: "I have heard that all kinds of rumors about the Gu family are rampant, and there are also rumors about this case."

With just one sentence, all the servants were frightened and turned pale, and lowered their heads one after another.

Pei Nian stuffed the book in his hand into Gu Jingnian's arms, grabbed his upper arm, pulled him to his side, and shouted two words.

"Is it worthy?!"

No one dared to answer.

"Let me ask you." Pei Nian said again: "Are Gu Jingnian and I a good match?!"

Outside, You Gui waved his hand, and officers filed into the courtyard one after another, surrounded everyone, and said in unison: "The police are questioning you!"

Zong Huan had no choice but to stand up, maintaining the proper manners of a mistress, and said with a smile: "Misunderstanding..."

"What is a misunderstanding?" Pei Nian asked, "Is it that I have a secret affair with Gu Jingnian and I am protecting the Gu family for him? Or is it that there is an uncle and a sister-in-law committing adultery in the Gu family?"

Zong Huan's smile became more and more gentle, and he said, "It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

"Okay, let's check them one by one."

In comparison, Pei Nian was simply unreasonable. With a wave of his hand, the hooks immediately moved forward, heading towards Gu Jiye and Zong E with a clear goal to catch them.

"Do not touch me!"

Zong E was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground.

Zong Huan managed to keep his composure at first, but when he saw his son looking at him with pleading eyes and his niece trembling all over, she obviously could not stand the interrogation. Once the evidence of their adultery was presented, Gu Jiye's future would be ruined.

She was finally forced into a situation where she had no way out.

"That's enough! The Gu family is full of loyal people. You can't bully them!"

This sentence is very powerful, but it cannot solve the problem.

Zong Huan quickly turned to Pei Nian, lowered his posture helplessly, and sighed: "All the rumors are my fault."

"is it?"

"I failed to discipline him properly, and the servants around me excluded this child. They spread rumors that he had an affair with Pei Jishi and committed adultery with my sister-in-law."

"Oh?"

Pei Nian then looked at Gu Jingnian and said, "So we are in love? Are you the one who committed adultery with my sister-in-law?"

Gu Jingnian did not answer and seemed to be dazed for a moment.

He suddenly recalled the afternoon two years ago when the graceful woman pulled him into a dim boudoir filled with scattered sunlight.

"A basket of freshly picked cherries was sent from home. I'll give it to you to try."

The voices in my ears began to become hazy.

Gu Jingnian seemed to hear the people around him pointing and talking...

"cough."

Pei Nian coughed lightly.

She knew that Gu Jingnian was distracted, probably thinking about what happened in the prison cell that night.

Zong Huan saw this and cursed the shameless couple in his heart, but he still said with great sorrow: "It was all fabricated by the servants!"

As she spoke, she looked around and pointed at a close maid.

"It was this evil slave who spread the rumor!"

"Really?" Pei Nian asked, "Why did she do this?"

"she……"

"Someone come!" Pei Nian suddenly shouted, "Pull out her tongue!"

In one word, before the hooks came forward, the maid was so frightened that she cried out, "It's not me! Madam, save this old slave!"

"Of course it's not you. The adulterers are the uncle and sister-in-law of the Gu family. How can an old lady bear the brunt of this?" Pei Nian said, "If you can't find the mastermind today, pull out their tongues one by one!"

"Yes!"

The hooks pounced on her like wolves and tigers. When the maid saw them, she finally rolled her eyes and fainted.

Zong E heard clearly that Pei Nian was coming for her. She was so scared that she collapsed into a puddle, as if all the bones in her body had been pulled out.

Gu Jiye couldn't help but wail, "Mother!"

Zong Huan's face turned pale, and he finally closed his eyes and slowly uttered three words.

"It's me."

With these words, her dignity as the daughter of a noble family and the general's wife collapsed.

"I have never liked this stepson. I was jealous of his marriage to the daughter of the Marquis's mansion, so I had people spread rumors and slandered him for having an affair with Pei Jishi and for committing adultery with his sister-in-law."

"Really?" Pei Nian said, "How could Madam Gu do such a thing to her stepson? I don't believe it."

"It was indeed me." Since he had risked everything, Zong Huan decided to take all the responsibility for his son and said, "I will also send my martial arts master Liu Chuang to kill this stepson."

She said these words with great difficulty, not to mention how others would react. She felt that everything was ruined.

She had been high and mighty all her life, but this time she had completely fallen into the mud, as if she had been stripped of everything and thrown into the public eye to be despised.

Of course she was wronged. She thought to herself that she had never treated that bastard badly, but the bastard and a wicked woman took advantage of a small handle on her son and humiliated her to this extent.

"Okay, Madam, you are brave and responsible. I admire you." Pei Nian signaled all her subordinates to withdraw, and then said, "Now that the rumors have been clarified, I have no intention of interfering in the affairs of the Gu family as an outsider. Take care of yourself."

After saying that, she turned and left without even looking at Jingnian.

This time, after clearing up the entanglement, she is still the proud and focused female investigator of Kaiping.

However, Zong Huan could no longer be proud. Without saying a word, she turned back to the inner hall with a sullen face. When she turned around, she saw Zong E following her, so she raised her hand and slapped her in the face.

"Snapped!"

"aunt……"

"Touch my son, now you're satisfied?!"

"Mother, it's all that bastard's fault for being so close to his evil lover."

Gu Jiye was angry and afraid, and when he said the word "bastard", his voice began to weaken again.

He could only stroke Zong E's red face and comfort her softly in the dead of night.

"It's also an affair, the only fault is that my woman is too gentle and was bullied by the evil woman that bastard found."

Zong E turned her back and pressed her round legs together tightly, not wanting him to open them. She said dissatisfiedly, "We are afraid that we will be bullied by them for the rest of our lives."

"Just bear with it for now. I'll think of a way."

"Hmph, don't touch me. Your mother told me not to touch you."

"Good sister-in-law."

"Ah."

--------

At the side door of Lu's house, Xing'er looked out and saw Gu Jingnian coming. She hurried over with a lantern in hand.

"Sir, it's so dark and there's no light. Be careful not to fall."

"Oh."

"I heard that the Eleventh Young Master and the Second Young Master's wife are... very close."

Xing'er pretended to chat casually.

She had heard from a maid in the inner courtyard today that Gouzi broke into the Gu family that day and took Gu Jiye away from Zong'e's room, so the lady was forced to admit that she had framed her stepson. As servants, they were actually not stupid and could see clearly.

The most important thing is that the affair between uncle and sister-in-law was indeed not about the young master.

In fact, she felt a little guilty because she had revealed the young master's secret.

But when I looked up, Gu Jingnian didn't react at all.

Gu Jingnian was led into the inner hall, only to see Gu Caiwei sitting in a chair, holding her belly and waiting.

"I've made my sister worry again." Gu Jingnian said, "Brother-in-law hasn't come back yet?"

"He's busy with his own business." Gu Caiwei said, "That Pei Ji came to help you today. Are you relieved?"

"She wasn't speaking up for me, she was just trying to clear up the rumors."

"Is it really a rumor? At least, the fact that there is an adultery between the uncle and the sister-in-law in the Gu family is probably not a rumor, right?"

With this sentence, the atmosphere became a little depressing and Gu Jingnian did not answer for a long time.

He sensed the double meaning of Gu Caiwei's words.

"I don't care about the matter between Gu Jiye and Zong E. Pei Nian and I have no personal feelings for each other."

"That's good. Compared to Pei Nian, Shen Lingshu is your better match. I just hope you can live a peaceful life, and the Shen family can protect you better. Tell me, how was your meeting with Wu Dinghou today?"

"Marquis Wu Ding said that he would consider my marriage with Shen Lingshu again after my father comes back."

"That's good. I'll find a way to get you the job at Kaipingsi."

"I'm afraid that's difficult." Gu Jingnian said, "Since you've come to me, someone must want me to track down something."

"what?"

"Don't worry about it, sister. I'll take care of it. After this is settled, we can talk about other things."

Gu Caiwei nodded with relief. At least this time Gu Jingnian did not directly refuse to get married and was determined to go to Yi Hai to find his mother's family. This was a good change.

It seems that it is useful for Marquis Wu Ding to appear in person.

She touched Gu Jingnian's head as she did before, something the siblings had not done for many years.

"In the past two years, my sister has been married to the Lu family and has not been able to take care of you... Do you have anything on your mind that you want to tell me?"

Gu Jingnian heard the hidden meaning.

From Xing'er's guilty expression just now, he had guessed that the girl had betrayed him.

"There is one thing, sister, please don't get upset when you hear it."

"Okay, I promise you, but you have to tell the truth."

Gu Jingnian thought about it and confessed directly, saying, "I have an affair with my eldest sister-in-law."

Sure enough.

Gu Caiwei closed her eyes, sighed slightly, and asked, "Did Miao seduce you? I didn't realize she was such a person."

"She told me that my eldest brother's injury was not only in his legs, and he couldn't walk. I acted impulsively."

"I understand." Gu Caiwei had expected this and said, "Don't tell anyone else, and don't have any contact with the Miao family anymore, and don't let your elder brother find out."

"Okay, I know I was wrong and I won't make the same mistake again." Gu Jingnian was unusually calm, and only said the last sentence seriously: "Sister, don't be angry anymore."

Gu Caiwei was disappointed with him and her tone became serious.

"Just take care of yourself."

"Yes."

Gu Jingnian got up and left Lu's house, walking through the diagonal alley alone.

He doesn't have to always be a good brother in Gu Caiwei's heart. It's a good result for him if he can prevent those horrific things from affecting his sister's childbirth.

(End of this chapter)