GBP Chapter 116 Recruitment
Chapter 116 Recruitment
When Jiang Jin'an stepped into the ancestral hall, the air was filled with the smell of ashes from burnt incense.
Jiang was kneeling on the prayer mat, her back to him, muttering incantations, her hand clutching a string of Buddhist prayer beads, which she twirled rapidly.
Hearing footsteps, she didn't turn her head and coldly said, "What, do you also want to send the ancestral tablets of the Gu family to prison?"
Jiang Jin'an took out Shen Jingshu's silk handkerchief from his bosom and carefully wiped the ancestral tablet at the top, saying indifferently, "I'm afraid the Imperial Prison and the prison are not suitable for the ancestors of the Gu family."
Gu Shiyi stumbled in, her usually meticulously styled hair in a loose bun, the jade hairpin in her hair nowhere to be seen, and her usual spoiled demeanor completely gone. "Cousin! My brother..."
"The Imperial Guards are counting the female relatives in the front yard and will take them away later." Jiang Jin'an interrupted her without even lifting his eyelids. His voice was devoid of emotion. He then rearranged the cleaned memorial tablets. "If Aunt is reluctant to part with the ancestral hall, she can take two memorial tablets to the Imperial Prison to use as pillows."
Looking at the memorial tablets, Jiang gave a bitter smile: "These ungrateful wolves are truly untrustworthy; you can't trust anyone, you can't trust anyone..."
Jiang Jin'an ignored Jiang's crazy words, glanced at her indifferently, and turned to leave.
Through the rain, Gu Changyi spurred his horse and burst through the back gate of the Jiang residence.
Sikong chased after the neighing Zhaoyebai, running wildly and shouting, "Young Master! Watch your wound! It's reopened!"
"He's really courting death!" Hearing the commotion, Shen Jingshu didn't care about anything else and chased after him to the porch, only to see Gu Changyi's blurry figure disappear into the rain.
"Wuchen, quickly hitch up the carriage!" Shen Jingshu stamped her feet anxiously.
Seeing that she could barely hear even Sikong's voice, her knuckles turned white as she gripped the carriage curtain. "Faster! If we don't make it, something terrible will happen!"
The vermilion gates of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion were wide open, and the iron armor of the Imperial Guards gleamed coldly in the rain.
Gu Changyi stumbled and tumbled off his horse, running headlong into the blade Lin Yu had placed against Gu Changfeng's neck.
The Imperial Guards were removing the gilded plaque when, with a loud crash, it fell to the ground, splashing mud and water all over Gu Changyi's face.
"Where is my father?" Gu Changyi wiped the rain from her eyes, staring intently at her brother's disheveled jade crown, her voice trembling.
Gu Changfeng sneered: "Second brother, you've come at the right time. Let me see how you plan to end this grand show of loyalty and filial piety—"
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Changyi suddenly snatched Sikong's sword.
With a flash of sword light, a strand of Gu Changfeng's hair fell into the rain, and the tip of the sword was firmly pressed against his throat. Gu Changfeng's smile froze on his lips.
"If you dare mention the words 'loyalty and filial piety' again, I'll make you shed your blood in the ancestral hall and apologize to our ancestors!"
This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
Shen Jingshu's carriage came to a stop just in time, and Jinse lifted the curtain and exclaimed, "Miss, look!"
"Gu Er!" Shen Jingshu jumped off the carriage and hurried over, her oil-paper umbrella barely covering Gu Changyi's trembling shoulders.
The imperial guards escorted the women out in single file. Jiang, her hair disheveled, bumped into the guards and cried out, "Jin'an! Do you really intend to extinguish the Gu family bloodline?"
The prayer beads on her wrist broke, and the sandalwood beads rolled into the puddles.
Jiang Jin'an stepped over the threshold amidst the mess on the ground, his python robe damp with raindrops, making it appear even colder and more rigid.
“If Aunt wants to pray for the Gu family’s well-being—” He didn’t even glance at Jiang Shi, picked up the Buddhist beads that had rolled to his feet, “why not recite the Rebirth Mantra a few more times?”
Gu Shile remained calm, while Gu Shiyi sobbed uncontrollably, "Cousin, how heartless you are! Father did so much for you back then..."
"The Gu family raised me back then only to take advantage of their kindness."
Jiang Jin'an interrupted her, using the scabbard to push away the frantically lunging girl, "Just like now, you're hoping to use old feelings to save your life."
Suddenly, the sound of chains dragging on the ground came from behind, and the sound of Gu Zhongpan's dragon staff striking the ground grew louder as it approached.
He stared at the ring-pommel sword in Jiang Jin'an's hand, then suddenly burst into laughter, the sound so loud it made the copper bells on the eaves tremble: "You little wolf cub! I taught you the methods to control the Six Ministries, and you use them to deal with the Gu family!"
"Your Excellency has probably forgotten," Shen Jingshu suddenly chuckled, slightly raising the umbrella to reveal her beautiful features. "It was you who personally taught him—to nip the weeds in the bud."
Gu Zhong's bloodshot eyes turned to Gu Changyi under Shen Jingshu's umbrella.
The boy's thin figure swayed, his palm tightly gripping a broken, faded red rope.
"You unfilial son!" Gu Zhong suddenly roared, throwing his dragon-patterned staff at Gu Changyi. "The Gu family's century-old foundation has been destroyed by your hands!"
Shen Jingshu reacted quickly, turning around to block Gu Changyi. The wooden cane slammed heavily on Gu Changyi's shoulder, causing her to groan and stagger, almost falling to her knees.
Jiang Jin'an's pupils contracted sharply. A flash of light appeared, and the Panlong Staff broke in two and crashed into the mud.
He tightened his grip on Shen Jingshu's wrist, his voice icy: "Take her away."
The imperial guards immediately grabbed Gu Zhong's arms.
Duke Dingguo suddenly burst into a hoarse laugh: "You think you've won? Back in the North..."
Gu Changfeng's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly broke free from his restraints. "Father! Do you still want to bring the Gu family to utter ruin?"
His robes were stained with blood, and the knife wound on his neck was gruesome. "The Gu family has been loyal and brave for generations. What do we have to fear from the inspection by the Commandery!"
……
Deep within the imperial prison dungeon, Gu Zhong stared at the blood seeping from the wall and suddenly spoke, breaking the deathly silence: "Before the war report from the northern border was sent to the capital, I discovered that there was a hematite mine thirty miles north of Yanmen Pass."
Jiang Jin'an paused slightly as he wiped the blade, the candlelight flickering into two points of pale blue in his eyes.
In those years, the war in the north was intense, but the military pay allocated by the court was always embezzled at each level, so most of the weapons sent to the front were of inferior quality, and there were even long spears made of bamboo.
The soldiers fought valiantly to defend their homeland, yet they didn't even have a decent weapon. How could Gu Zhong tolerate this?
He petitioned the court many times, requesting a thorough investigation into the whereabouts of military funds, but each time his petitions were ignored.
Later, he accidentally discovered the hematite mine.
It was a rich mine with astonishing reserves; if it could be mined, it would be enough to forge tens of thousands of fine weapons.
However, mining hematite requires a large amount of silver, and the imperial court…
Gu Zhong closed his eyes and swallowed back the bitterness that rose to his throat.
“If you had said it three hours earlier…” Jiang Jin’an raised his head, his deep eyes unfathomable in the flickering candlelight. He used the tip of his knife to pick up the travel document, his tone playful, “Right now, you should be in the Imperial Study, having tea with His Majesty.”
The chains rattled as Gu Zhong pulled a map from the table and pointed to the Yanmen Pass: "Bring me paper and pen, I'll personally write a letter of apology..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Changfeng's screams suddenly came from the next torture chamber.
Gu Zhong trembled, his hands gripping the edge of the map tightly: "Protect my Gu family... no, protect Changfeng and Changyi's lives!"