In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

You made the right bet!

Lord Liu never expected that he would actually guess Lord Gu's hidden thoughts in one fell swoop.

For powerful and influential members of the imperial family like Lord Gu, or young masters from wealthy and powerful families who indulge in lavish meals, ordinary things naturally wouldn't catch their eye. The most difficult step in catering to their tastes is to know what they actually like.

Now that this step has been resolved, taking down Lord Gu will be much simpler.

Lord Liu could hardly contain his joy; even his tone of voice became excited.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, does Your Excellency desire something fleeting or something enduring?"

Gu Zhao's tone remained completely calm, just as it had been before:

"Forever and ever? How can a married woman's marriage last forever?"

The big fish has taken the bait, and Lord Liu is even more excited:

"Of course, and if I may be frank, she could also not be."

She could be someone else?

How can a married woman not be married?

Lord Liu's few casual words may have involved several lives.

Hearing this, Gu Zhao actually laughed out loud:

"Liu Wenhuan, you certainly have a lot of nerve, don't you? Are you trying to incite me to frame someone, or are you planning to commit murder and arson? As a local official, do you know that those who instigate murder are guilty of the same crime as the murderer and should be sentenced to death?"

Although he was smiling, Lord Liu could easily detect the anger hidden within his smile.

Now that things had come to this, there was no turning back. Despite his anger, Lord Liu forced himself to speak:

"My lord, please calm down. How could I dare to soil your hands or tarnish your reputation? Throughout history, how many wealthy families have been truly clean? Why would we need to frame someone? Zhang Jingyan's innocence cannot be proven. A simple investigation will surely reveal numerous flaws. We will uphold justice and act with reason and evidence, leaving no room for argument. When the beauty is in distress, and you come to her rescue, she will be eternally grateful and devoted to you. Wouldn't that be a perfectly logical and beautiful story?"

Silence fell again behind the screen.

The long silence in the room made Lord Liu feel extremely uneasy, and he dared not even breathe loudly.

Gu Zhao continued, only after Lord Liu's legs were almost numb from kneeling:

"Liu Wenhuan, you're quite adept at handling tasks. What benefits do you want from my scheme?"

Like heavenly music, I finally got that one sentence from Lord Gu, and it finally got to the point.

Lord Liu had gone to great lengths and taken responsibility for Lord Gu, and this was exactly what he had been waiting for. Suppressing his excitement, he said:

"It is my duty to share your burdens, sir. In this region of the Yangtze River, I am not the only one willing to do so. There are others who are also eagerly hoping to have the opportunity to share your burdens. I just don't know if you will be willing to give them a chance."

Gu Zhao smiled again:

"You, a stranger, are you surnamed Lei? Liu Wenhuan, you've come to the wrong temple and onto the wrong path. Haven't I told you that Lei Dawu is someone the Emperor wants to kill? I don't have the power to protect him."

Seeing that Lord Gu had softened his tone, Lord Liu knew that things might be turning around, and quickly said:

"Yes, yes, those whom the Emperor wants to kill certainly deserve to die. Fortunately, no one has ever seen what Lei Dawu looks like, right? To be honest, he is sincere in his desire to serve the court and show respect to you, sir. Once the position in the Zhang family becomes vacant, if you can let him fill the vacancy of the head merchant, then without losing a single soldier, the salt smuggler Lei Dawu will be gone, the shortfall in salt tax this year will be covered, you can give a more satisfactory answer to the Emperor, and you can also get what you want. Isn't this the best of all four worlds?"

Hearing this, Gu Zhao's tone even carried a hint of relaxation:

"You've thought of everything so thoroughly. It seems you've had your eyes on the Zhang family all along. You're not doing this for my benefit at all; you're clearly using my name to achieve your own ends."

Lord Liu smiled ingratiatingly:

"No, no, sir. You don't know, but Zhang Jingyan is a bit unreliable. Keeping him around might ruin your plans."

……

Inside the room, Gu Zhao and Lord Liu had a long private conversation.

Outside the door, Xiong Kun and his attendant stood guard on either side.

Xiong Kun was preparing for Lord Gu's summons, while the servant was worried that the young master had met with two groups of people during his dinner today, and the bathing supplies in the room had not yet been packed up.

After waiting for a long time, Lord Liu finally pushed open the door and came out. He nodded to Xiong Kun and left with a happy expression.

Inside, Gu Zhao gave the instructions:

"Xiong Kun, come in."

Seeing Lord Liu's delighted expression, Xiong Kun thought to himself that they had a good chat. He pushed open the door, went in, turned around the screen, and met Lord Gu's eyes. But he saw that Lord Gu's eyes were full of frost, and he did not have the slightest bit of joy.

When Lord Gu looked at him like that, Xiong Kun's heart tightened, and he quickly bowed his head in greeting.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Gu Zhao slowly wiped her hands with a handkerchief and instructed:

"Send men to keep an eye on Liu Wenhuan, and also on his advisors. Make sure they see who they meet, go where they go, and do what they do. If anything seems amiss, report to me immediately."

Xiong Kun bowed his head and answered yes. Just as he was about to leave, Gu Zhao said again:

"Send more people to guard the Zhang and Zhu family clinics. If she goes out, as long as there is no danger, do not stop her, and have someone follow her secretly."

Gu Zhao didn't say who she was, and Xiong Kun didn't even ask, clearly knowing who Gu Zhao meant. Xiong Kun bowed his head again, answered yes, and left.

After dinner, the servants tidied up the bath tubs, incense burners, and dishes. The room was full of people, so Gu Zhao went to the side room and casually picked up a book to read.

Not long after, the servant entered carrying a handkerchief, and presented it to Gu Zhao with a troubled expression:

"Young Master."

A light blue plain handkerchief, the one I just saw her use to wipe the water off her body.

He thought his secret was something no one knew, and he wanted it to disappear with the wind. But before he knew it, it had become common knowledge.

Liu Wenhuan knew, Xiong Kun knew, and even the servant knew.

Gu Zhao took the plain handkerchief and asked the attendant calmly:

"Where did you find it?"

The servant, trembling with fear, said, "Beside the incense burner."

Gu Zhao then asked, "How did you find out?"

The servant was somewhat puzzled: "I...I saw it."

Gu Zhao chuckled and looked at the attendant: "I'm asking you, how did you find out?"

The servant immediately understood Gu Zhao's unspoken meaning. After all, it involved his master's less-than-respectable private matters, and the servant became even more apprehensive.

"I didn't mean to spy, it's just that, the young master sometimes calls for Lady Zhu when he has nightmares in the middle of the night."

Like a wild goose leaving its footprints in the snow, every deed leaves a trace.

How could he have so easily assumed that no one would ever know about this?

It really is self-deception.

Now that he has been discovered and even held hostage by Lord Liu, Gu Zhao not only did not panic, but breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of relief that he had finally found a way out after being trapped for a long time.

So what if I know?

If we can't get through it, then we won't get through it!

But since everyone knows, does she actually know, or does she not know, or does she know but pretend not to know?