CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402: A WELCOME SIGHT

Alas, no matter how much Lu Laoer regretted, the verdict had been pronounced, and his whole family had fallen into servitude.

Lu Laoda’s face was gloomy, and he stared at Old Master Lu without uttering a word; the fierce light in his eyes was so chilling that it made onlookers shiver.

After a while, Lu Laoda suddenly pointed at Old Master Lu and said to County Magistrate Xu, "Lord County Magistrate, I had severed all ties with the Lu Family several years ago, with a written agreement as proof. Please dispatch someone to search the Lu Residence in the county, and they will surely find the document that severes our relationship."

His statement shocked everyone present.

County Magistrate Xu looked at Lu Laoda as if he were looking at a fool; after a while, he shook his head and said, "Even beasts know the virtue of filial piety. You, as a son, are able to utter such heartless and unrighteous words at a time when your biological father is in trouble. It seems you are worse than a beast!"

He continued, "Don’t think of everyone as fools. The verdict has been given, and you are now slaves; your sophistry is useless. Come, take the people of the Lu Family away, and in a few days, send them to serve as slaves at the Prefecture official’s broker establishment."

"Yes!" Squad Leader Yang complied, leading a group of Government Officials, taking the Lu Family People back to the prison.

Old Master Lu felt his heart had died from the moment the sentence was announced, and upon hearing Lu Laoda’s words, he fainted outright... He had spent decades raising them with all manners of care and luxury, yet at a time of dire straits, these beasts betrayed him in such a manner.

Concubine Lu had her mouth gagged, but she was still determined, making muffled sounds toward County Magistrate Zou standing by the side of the court. But County Magistrate Zou ignored her as if he heard nothing, not giving her a single glance.

If possible, County Magistrate Zou truly wished to execute Concubine Lu by caning; this wretch had brought no small harm to the Zou family.

Seeing that Concubine Lu was captured, Mrs. Han felt a chill in her heart, but being persistent, she felt that even if Concubine Lu was abandoned by County Magistrate Zou, Zou Yuzhen would find a way to save her.

Zou Yuzhen knew her skills; she had been helpful to him, so Zou Yuzhen would not possibly abandon her.

Unfortunately, she was not rescued by Zou Yuzhen; instead, she only awaited the private punishment from the Zheng Family.

The Zheng Family’s servant who administered the punishment was skilled, and Mrs. Han was tortured almost to death. By the third day, she could no longer hold on and finally confessed that the incident at Linglong Painting Boat years ago was instigated by her. She had been the one coaxing Xiao Lianxian, running errands for her and deliberately inciting Zheng Lin and Shangguan Hua to compete for Xiao Lianxian, which eventually led to Shangguan Hua’s accidental drowning and death.

Xiao Lianxian listened to Mrs. Han because the latter told her that her fame among the Twelve Flower Fairies was not prominent enough, and to become more esteemed and to increase her fame, she needed to induce incidents where sons of noble families would fight over her out of jealousy.

It was laughable that Xiao Lianxian, a mere entertainer for sale, still aspired to make herself appear more esteemed.

What enraged Zheng Ying and Shangguan Zhuo even more was the fact that Shangguan Hua could have been rescued promptly when he fell into the water, but due to Mrs. Han’s deliberate delay, rescuers arrived too late, resulting in Shangguan Hua’s death due to inhaling too much water.

Had rescue come sooner, Shangguan Hua might not have died.

Upon receiving the confession from the servant, Zheng Ying and Shangguan Zhuo were seething with rage. Their families had been fooled by a lowly servant, leading to the loss of a promising legitimate son of the Shangguan family and breeding enmity between the two families for forty years.

Zheng Lin, in particular, had lived with guilt for years over this matter, spending his life in remorse. To avoid exacerbating the feud between the two families, even though he was exceptionally learned and capable, he always yielded to Shangguan Zhuo’s grandfather, refraining from competing too openly at court. Moreover, at the age of forty, when Zheng Ying’s father passed his official exams, Zheng Lin chose to retire and return home.

Without the incident involving Shangguan Hua, Zheng Lin’s talents would have lifted the Zheng Family to even greater heights.

Zheng Ying was filled with thoughts of death.

Learning that his great-uncle had been intentionally killed in such a manner, Shangguan Zhuo was so angry that he nearly killed Mrs. Han.

However, he couldn’t do that. Mrs. Han, also known as Shui Baniang, was too important. They had to take her back to Jinling Prefecture so that the elders of both families could decide how to execute her.

Both of them found County Magistrate Xu and told him they needed to take Mrs. Han away.

County Magistrate Xu immediately agreed, "This woman is a major criminal in the Linglong Painting Boat case from years ago and should be handed over to Jinling Prefecture for punishment."

The implication was clear: as long as the Prefecture officials didn’t say otherwise, they could take her away.

Shangguan Zhuo and Zheng Ying expressed their thanks to County Magistrate Xu.

Before returning to Jinling Prefecture, they specifically inquired about who reported Old Master Lu’s house and how Mrs. Han was discovered?

County Magistrate Xu remembered Gu Jin’an’s favor, and without stinginess, credited most of the merit to the Gu Family, also mentioning Old Man Xue.

But when Shangguan Zhuo and Zheng Ying heard that Old Man Xue was the old housekeeper of the Fu Family in Jinling Prefecture, their expressions changed and they did not ask to meet Old Man Xue; they only expressed a desire to meet with the Gu Family People.

Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Xu felt there might be something significant regarding Old Man Xue or the Fu Family, but he knew there were many things one shouldn’t know too much about, so he tactfully dropped the subject of Old Man Xue. Instead, he summoned Gu Jin’an and Scholar Shang to meet Zheng Ying and Shangguan Zhuo.

Gu Jin’an and Scholar Shang had been staying at the Jiang Mansion since the day Zheng Ying and Shangguan Zhuo arrived in the county, waiting for the young masters of the families to meet with them.

During the three days of waiting, Scholar Shang, worried that Gu Jin’an might overthink things, especially told him, "We are waiting here specially to meet those two. You shouldn’t feel any discomfort in your heart. After all, our background is laid out here; we are inferior to others. One must know when to bow one’s head in life. Besides, you will be an official in the future. It’s not possible to be an official without some connections. Now, making acquaintance with a few noble friends is beneficial for your future prospects in officialdom."

And this way of making acquaintance through acts of kindness is not cheap.

Gu Jin’an replied with a smile, "Teacher, rest assured, I don’t feel uncomfortable in my heart, nor do I feel inferior."

Gu Jin’an spoke calmly, but after all, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy who had never had real contact with the children of noble families. He was somewhat nervous.

However, when he met Zheng Ying and Shangguan Zhuo, his nervousness vanished.

Although the two were noble young masters from rich families with some pride, they were not overbearing. After discussing Four Books texts with him, they saw him in a new light.

The three of them were close in age and all scholars. Just after half a day’s conversation, they felt like old friends meeting too late.

When Gu Jin’an was about to leave, Shangguan Zhuo and Zheng Ying each gave him a jade token.

"If Brother Gu ever goes to places like He’an Prefecture, Linhe Prefecture, Jinling Prefecture, etc., as long as you see stores with the same totem as on the jade token, you will surely be received hospitably upon entering. If you encounter an emergency or difficulty, you can also use this jade token to seek help at the stores, and someone will certainly assist Brother Gu."

Gu Jin’an knew this was a generous gift, and he received it gravely, expressing his thanks.

After seeing Zheng Ying and Shangguan Zhuo, Gu Jin’an and Scholar Shang returned to Da Feng Village.

News that the entire Lu Family was turned into official slaves also reached Da Feng Village.

The villagers of Da Feng Village, especially the He Family People, were overjoyed and could almost be described as delighted to hear the news.

Village Chief He even arranged for several pigs to be slaughtered, saying they would have a pork feast to let the He Family People celebrate properly.