Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 80 Visiting
It had been half a year since we last met, and Mr. Gu looked noticeably more haggard than when he was in Deqing.

This is also normal.

When he was in Deqing, he could basically control all the affairs of Deqing, big and small. Even Magistrate Hong treated him with great respect.

Everything was within his capabilities.

But once he arrived in the capital, the situation changed drastically. In the capital, it could be said that everything was out of his control.

Even the gatekeepers of those high-ranking officials' homes could sometimes get him under their thumb. In fact, during his months in the capital, he had indeed been taken advantage of by the gatekeepers of those high-ranking officials' homes.

This disparity, along with the mental stress brought about by the reality, has indeed made Mr. Gu look much more haggard.

After chatting for a while, Chen Qing poured a cup of tea for Master Gu and asked, "Uncle Gu, didn't you make any preparations before coming to the capital?"

"Done."

Master Gu glanced at Chen Qing, hesitated slightly, and then said, "The plans we made before are not quite the same as the current ones."

“During these three years, I have come to the capital several times, but I have not come into contact with anyone in the court, nor have I expected to rely on anyone in the court to help me accomplish anything.”

He looked at Chen Qing and continued, "Initially, my plan was to enter the capital under a different identity, and then find an opportunity to take the Zhao family members out of the capital, find a place to settle them down, and let them live under different names."

"to this end."

Master Gu looked at Chen Qing and said quietly, "I have already found the right people and planned the route out of the city. I'm just waiting for an opportunity to make my move. However, it is quite risky to do this, and I may get caught up in it myself. That's why I'm thinking of getting Pan'er's marriage settled as soon as possible."

"I have come to the capital to do this."

At this point, Master Gu sighed slightly: "In the past six months, your arrival, Zizheng, has brought many changes, especially the matter of Xia Ji, which has given me a glimmer of hope."

By this time, the two had been chatting for quite some time, and Gu Shao had already learned Chen Qing's courtesy name, so he naturally changed his way of addressing him.

He looked at Chen Qing and continued.

"That's why I've been in the capital for the past few months, trying to see if I can use overt methods to get their family out of this mess."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing's expression changed slightly.

He had been puzzled as to why Master Gu's visit to the capital seemed to imply a willingness to "sacrifice himself." He never imagined that Master Gu's original plan was to use the method of "kidnapping" to take the person out of the capital.

Although the goal wasn't to rescue the imperial prisoners from the prison, but simply to find a way to bring their families out of the capital, that idea alone was crazy enough!
Chen Qing took a sip of tea, lowered his head and smiled bitterly: "Uncle Gu's idea is still too risky. Let alone whether he can rescue Lord Zhao's family, even if he can, if the court is determined to investigate, it will probably not be difficult for them to find Uncle Gu."

Master Gu nodded, but still said, "That's why I've been preparing for two years. According to the original plan, the court might be able to find me, but they won't be able to find Pan'er."

Chen Qing shook his head slightly, not indicating that he agreed with Master Gu's idea.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Uncle Gu, you've been in the capital for several months now. Have you seen the Zhao family members?"

"I went to check on them once, and after confirming that there was no immediate danger to their family, I didn't go back."

Master Gu looked at Chen Qing and sighed softly: "Originally, if Zizheng hadn't brought Pan'er to the capital, I was planning to visit their family during this time. Now, I may have to change my mind again."

Chen Qing nodded, pondered silently for a moment, and then asked, "Uncle Gu, what exactly happened three years ago that caused such a huge uproar?"

"It even resulted in that Lord Zhao being imprisoned in the imperial prison for three years without any resolution?"

Mr. Gu got up and walked to the door, intending to close it before speaking, but he happened to see Miss Gu walking towards him. He hesitated for a moment, then returned to his original position, looked at Chen Qing, and lowered his voice.

"Three years ago, the current emperor began to rule in his own right."

Master Gu said in a low voice, "I don't know exactly what happened in the court at that time. But three years ago, a large number of officials were implicated. The Imperial Guard stepped in to investigate and severely punished some of the officials. Your father was involved in this matter."

"I almost got dragged into it."

Chen Qing had a sudden realization.

My cheap father almost got into trouble three years ago. The main reason was that he was not very clean as an official, and he was also implicated by his teachers or classmates in the officialdom, which led to the court's investigation.

In the end, they spent a lot of money and barely escaped disaster.

Thinking of this, Chen Qing looked at Master Gu and said in a low voice, "If that's the case, then the fact that Lord Zhao hasn't been convicted in three years means..." At this moment, Miss Gu had already walked to the front of the main hall. Master Gu lowered his head and took a sip of tea, his expression calm: "My sworn brother is a very cautious person. The reason why the court has been slow to prosecute him is probably because there is no evidence to do so."

Chen Qing put down his teacup and looked at Master Gu.

Master Gu had previously stated that his early success was related to his sworn brother, which indicates that Lord Zhao was not an incorruptible official.

At least not in reality.

Just as he was about to ask further, Miss Gu had already approached. Chen Qing coughed and said with a smile, "Among our entourage is a commander of the Yiluan Division. We've gotten along quite well along the way. If I have the chance in a few days, I'll go and find this Commander Shen to see if he's had any success in the capital."

"correct."

Chen Qing changed the subject, asking with a smile, "How are the 'Xia Ji' books selling in the capital?"

"Excellent."

Mentioning this matter, Master Gu's eyes lit up. He looked at Chen Qing and said with a smile, "In the past six months, the only thing I've accomplished in the capital is to spread this chivalrous tale. Zizheng may not know, but in the past six months, I've made the acquaintance of some prominent figures."

"It's all thanks to this chivalrous record."

Master Gu stroked his beard and said with a smile, "I've heard that even within the imperial palace, people are reading our printed martial arts novels."

Hearing this, Miss Gu looked at her father and said softly with a smile, "If His Majesty likes to watch this, perhaps Dalang will be able to meet His Majesty in the future because of it."

Chen Qing smiled but remained silent.

He had never imagined that he could rise to prominence simply by relying on storytelling novels, which were merely a form of entertainment.

As for it reaching the palace, it wasn't really anything special.

Regardless of whether the emperor liked reading this kind of story, even if the emperor did like it and found Chen Qing because of it, and even directly appointed him as an official, at most he would be a literary official who wrote stories for the emperor to read.

Without power, one is of little use, and when faced with one's cheap father in the future, one will still feel ashamed and unable to hold one's head high.

"Hoping to see His Majesty through this is far too unlikely."

Chen Qing said with a smile, "Let's not think about that. Besides, even if we really do get to see His Majesty through this..."

"I'm afraid it won't be of any help to Uncle Gu's important matters."

Master Gu nodded, forcing a smile: "I can't force you children to get involved in my generation's affairs. You've just arrived in the capital, so rest at home for a day or two, and then enjoy yourself in the capital for a few days."

At this point, he glanced at Chen Qing and continued, "We'll talk about our matter after the New Year."

At this point, there were only a few days left until the Lunar New Year.

Chen Qing nodded and smiled at Gu Pan, "Tomorrow, I'll take Pan'er for a stroll around the capital."

Upon hearing this address, Master Gu first frowned, then relaxed and forced a smile onto his face.

"Okay, it's good for you young people to go and have a look around."

...

Because of the long and tiring journey, Chen Qing returned to the accommodations arranged by Master Gu after a brief meeting with him.

Exhausted, Chen Qing slept soundly until the morning of the next day when he opened his eyes again.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Xiaoyue's familiar voice.

"Young master, someone is looking for you outside."

Xiaoyue paused for a moment, then added.

"They said his surname was Mu."

(End of this chapter)