Demoting my wife to a concubine? After being reborn, I turned around and married into the imperial f

All eyes were on Gu Changfeng, waiting.

Gu Songrong's body was swaying precariously, and she could barely hold on.

Chu Xunzhen waited patiently for Gu Changfeng's final answer.

Gu Changfeng clenched his right hand tightly, closed his eyes, and after a long while opened them and said, "Lord Zhou, the person who is reselling medicinal herbs is not me, nor my sister Gu Songrong, but my attendant Tinghan."

As soon as the words were spoken, Tinghan, who had been standing aside, waiting to see how the young master would break the deadlock, stiffened.

Gu Songrong breathed a sigh of relief, her expression suddenly shifting from sadness to ecstasy.

She came back to life.

God knows.

She was terrified, thinking her brother was going to push her out to take the blame.

Zhou Qing was taken aback, then sneered, "Young Master Gu, do you have any solid evidence to support your claim? Why would the servant Ting Han engage in the illegal trade of medicinal herbs, spending money at the Marquis of Chongding's residence? Even if he was involved, could he possibly have accomplished such a massive sum as 150,000 taels of silver by himself? Were none of the other masters of the Marquis's residence aware of it?"

Chu Xunzhen glanced at Ting Han with pity, then looked at Gu Changfeng with disdain.

Gu Changfeng naturally saw Chu Xunzhen's gaze, but he didn't care. Instead, he said, "Although Tinghan is nominally a servant, he is actually as close as a brother to this young master and is grateful to the Marquis's mansion. He carried out the entire medicinal herb trading business alone, and the master of the mansion was unaware of it."

"Oh?" Chu Xunzhen curled her lips into a cold smile. "Gu Changfeng, medicinal herbs worth 150,000 taels of silver moving around in your residence require the Marquis's seal and manpower to transport them. How can Tinghan handle this alone? Does he think we're all fools?"

"Good, well said." Nangong Yue clapped her hands and laughed, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at Chu Xunzhen.

Chu Wanrou's expression kept changing, her heart rising and falling with Gu Changfeng's experiences, sometimes relaxed, sometimes anxious.

Despite being questioned, Gu Changfeng remained unfazed and said, "My father's legs are weak, and he has been bedridden for many years. Although my mother is the mistress of the household and takes care of my father, she always does it herself and never delegates it to others. Therefore, she has neglected the management of the Marquis's residence. The signature and the Marquis's seal do indeed require the master of the Marquis's residence, but the master only thought it was a normal purchase and was unaware of the truth. As for me, I only found out today. All of this was done by Tinghan."

Tinghan's face turned deathly pale; she couldn't believe it.

In the past, he despised and hated Chu Xunzhen the most, considering her to be like a clingy pest. Today, however, she was dramatically speaking up for him, while Gu Shizi, whom he had always loyally followed, was trying to kill him every moment. Even if Chu Xunzhen's initial intention in saying those words was to drag the master of the Marquis's mansion down with her, she did indeed speak up for him.

"What do you mean, Guard Han?" Zhou Qing asked with a cold expression.

All eyes suddenly fell on Ting Han.

Ting Han glanced at everyone, then at Gu Songrong, before finally fixing her gaze on Gu Changfeng.

His mouth opened and closed, a bitter look spreading deep in his eyes, his voice hoarse: "I was the one who resold medicinal herbs, preyed on the people, deceived my master, and embezzled money."

His voice was slow, as if he had used up all his strength to finish speaking that one sentence.

Gu Changfeng, who had been tense all over, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes tightly, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart, but in an instant, he regained his previous calm and composed demeanor.

Tinghan truly lived up to his reputation as his most loyal bodyguard.

He knew he would act according to his master's instructions.

Zhou Qing naturally saw through Ting Han's insincerity.

But Tinghan had already taken full responsibility, and he couldn't find any other evidence for the time being, so he could only announce: "Guards, take Tinghan away and put him in jail."

"Sister, are you satisfied now? Tinghan has accompanied the young master as he grew up. Although he is called master and servant, they are actually as close as brothers. Sister, are you really going to go to such lengths for such a small amount of money?" Chu Wanrou sobbed.

Chu Xunzhen sneered, "That's 150,000 taels of silver, a life-saving medicine for countless people. If you, Chu Wanrou, think it's just a mere commodity, then how about you repay it on Tinghan's behalf today?"

Chu Wanrou's face turned ugly. Where did she get 150,000 taels of silver? If she had it, she wouldn't have spent it on Ting Hanhua.

"If there's no guilt, why make it sound so grand? Tinghan has already confessed, yet you insist that I'm guilty and he's innocent?" Chu Xunzhen's words left Chu Wanrou speechless with grief.

"That's enough!"

Gu Changli shouted.

Chu Xunzhen, did she really almost wipe out the entire Marquis's family today?

If their entire family were imprisoned, the Chongding Marquis's mansion would almost be destroyed.

Zhou Qing's gaze was deep as he announced to the crowd: "Ting Han has publicly confessed that he was responsible for everything. According to the law: Guard Ting Han deceived his superiors and subordinates, embezzled medicinal herbs from Wan Yao Ge, and resold them for profit. He shall be exiled three thousand li. Within three days, he must repay 150,000 taels of silver to Chu Xunzhen, the owner of Wan Yao Ge. Marquis Chongding has failed to properly discipline his servants, resulting in their misconduct. He shall be fined one year's salary. For six months, he shall be confined to his residence, and no one in the residence shall be allowed to hold or attend any banquets, large or small."

Gu Changfeng's face turned ashen, and he was about to storm off.

"Wait!" Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was Grandpa Anshun.

"How could a mere guard embezzle 150,000 taels of silver on his own? Lord Zhou, continue the investigation. Investigate the accounts of the Marquis of Ping'an's residence for any significant deficits, and whether this sum of money is what's missing?"

Chu Xunzhen knew that since the Marquis's family's reputation had been affected for centuries, Eunuch Anshun would definitely report the matter to the Emperor in its entirety.

A mere guard cannot silence the gossip.

Chu Xunzhen smiled mockingly at Gu Changfeng.

Gu Changfeng looked embarrassed.

In his past life, he was a dignified first-rank general, a master warrior on the battlefield. Yet today, he was being made to such a difficult position by his wife, whom he once looked down upon. He even almost lost his family.

How could he not be ashamed and angry?

Suddenly, Chu Wanrou's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward, her voice soft and weak: "This humble woman has a way to prove that the masters of the Chongding Marquis's mansion do not embezzle medicinal herbs and money."

Zhou Qing was taken aback.

Although he didn't know how this Miss Chu Wanrou would prove it, he still nodded and said, "In that case, please let Miss Chu Second prove it."

Gu Changfeng was shocked and curious, and almost instantly believed Chu Wanrou.

His eyes encouraged Chu Wanrou.

Chu Xunzhen clearly saw Chu Wanrou's smug look, but she didn't care.

"Someone, bring the betrothal gifts I've been keeping in the manor here."

As soon as Chu Wanrou finished speaking, Chu Xunzhen already guessed what she was going to do. He couldn't help but calm himself down and decided to watch the show.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the betrothal gifts were carried to the front of the hall.

Looking at the boxes of betrothal gifts, Chu Wanrou smiled more brightly than a flower.

"I'm sorry, sister. You were supposed to receive a share of these betrothal gifts, but you refused to marry into the Gu family. The young master said that these gifts are all for me."

Zhou Qing frowned and asked, "Second Miss Chu, what do you mean by this?"