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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Xiaohan went to confirm that there was indeed a Dye House behind that shop.
When she visited, it happened to be the Dye House's break time, so she didn't smell any pungent odors. Looking back now, she recalled that the shop had burned incense.
At the time, she thought the owner was trying too hard to be elegant, but later realized it was actually to mask that smell.
When she went to find Boss Yan again, the place was already empty. The so-called tidying up of the shop was just a ruse.
According to their plan, they first swindled seven hundred taels from Ye Xiaohan and then snatched the land deed from her hands. This way, they incurred no losses at all.
The land deed could still be used as bait to deceive those who were unaware.
The hundred-tael price difference was also meant to make the victim believe that he genuinely wanted to sell the shop, disregarding the price and willing to sell for cash.
However, unexpectedly, the Third Prince showed up, and the thugs dared not confront him directly; they abandoned Ye Xiaohan and fled for their lives.
Now Ye Xiaohan had been cheated out of seven hundred taels of silver, but fortunately, she still held onto the land deed, which allowed her to salvage some losses.
The question remained: what should she do with this shop? Ye Xiaohan began to feel a headache coming on. How could she possibly extract value from such a shop that was nearly worthless?
Even more critically, she had staked everything on acquiring this shop. That seven hundred taels represented almost all her savings.
If she couldn't come up with a good plan soon—something that could turn decay into magic—her family would be facing dire straits.
Ye Xiaohan worried about this matter for several nights without sleeping well; she even lost a few more strands of hair than usual, yet still hadn't thought of a solution.
After learning about the situation, Liu Yang was furious and wanted to settle the score with them. Boss Yan had taken the silver and hidden away, while the thugs continued to roam the streets.
"You can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple. If they don't pay back, I'll block them on the street and confront them at the gambling den!" Liu Yang's impression of the capital had greatly diminished; he had thought it was a prosperous city, but instead found it to be a place filled with hidden filth.
Ye Xiaohan stopped Liu Yang, saying, "Don't go causing trouble for me. Money can be earned back, but if something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to Gu Bei?"
The child didn’t understand much; when faced with such matters, people like them had no choice but to endure. If they dared to resist, they would only face greater retaliation.
Even a strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake; besides, they were newcomers and could only be considered as insignificant as ants.
Ye Xiaohan didn’t want Liu Yang to get involved in this matter; she wasn’t so down-and-out that she needed a child to stand up for her.
Liu Yang couldn’t defy her and could only agree. However, he still felt troubled by the situation. When Gu Da came to visit them on orders, he poured out his grievances to him.
"Brother Gu, how can there be such lawless people in the capital? The emperor lives here; don’t they fear angering him and getting arrested for public display?"
Liu Yang complained, feeling that the Yamen in the capital was quite ineffective if they couldn’t even catch a few thugs.
Gu Da naturally understood much more than he did. The situation in the capital could not be explained in just a few words. Anyone randomly stopped on the street could easily have connections that ran deep.
Moreover, in the capital, there was a clear divide between the upper and lower classes. The Yamen dared not interfere with those in power and showed little concern for ordinary citizens.
What they cared about more was how to please their superiors and wait for opportunities for promotion.
The officials were all busy with gift-giving and flattery; who would still come to serve the common people?
Liu Yang was still unaware of these matters, and Gu Da had no intention of informing him. Some things could only be learned through personal experience, gaining real lessons from them.
Gu Bei felt the same way, which is why he did not ask Gu Da to educate Liu Yang in this regard; he merely entrusted him with their daily lives.
As for what kind of future Liu Yang would have, Gu Bei did not impose any expectations. Although Gu Bei himself was not very old, his life experiences had been quite tumultuous. After brushing against life and death, the wealth and glory before him seemed like mere illusions.
He hoped that Liu Yang and Liu Qi could grow up healthy and safe. If they had ambitions in the future, he would be willing to support them. If they simply wished to live carefree lives, that would also be a good choice.
In fact, when it came to Gu Bei himself, he leaned more towards the latter.
However, allowing them to grow freely was one thing; watching them be bullied without taking action was another matter entirely.
Gu Da listened to Liu Yang regarding this issue and immediately reported back.
This was his duty—to share all the pressure for Gu Bei. This was what a competent subordinate should do.
"I understand. I will trouble you to take good care of them from now on," Gu Bei said. "I am currently unable to step forward, so I will have to rely on you for these matters."
Gu Da quickly replied, "General, you flatter me. It is an honor for me to serve you!"
Since becoming Gu Bei's subordinate, he had set a goal for himself: to vow to follow him to the death.
Gu Bei revealed a self-deprecating smile and said, "I haven't been a general for a long time. Since that moment, I have been unworthy of the title."
"The general is always a general. I will never serve two masters in this lifetime!" Gu Da declared firmly. "You shouldn't belittle yourself, General. The truth will eventually come to light."
He comforted Gu Bei, saying, "Hasn't the emperor stripped you of your title? That shows he still trusts the great general! As long as the emperor is willing to believe in us, we will surely be able to investigate this matter thoroughly."
When the time comes, those who conspired against them won't escape!
Gu Bei was at a loss on how to respond to Gu Da's insistence.
He felt deeply moved by the loyalty of his subordinates, but on the other hand, their unwavering loyalty only reminded him of the time when all the soldiers were still alive.
Because of his single mistake, so many brothers had been implicated. Guilt had gnawed at his heart day after day. Just a fleeting thought would pierce him like a thousand arrows.
No matter how much he tried to numb himself, he couldn't lessen that guilt even a little.
Gu Da noticed Gu Bei's pain and understood that beneath his calm facade, he was suffering. He could empathize because he felt the same way, mourning for their fallen brothers through countless days and nights.
To prevent this emotion from spreading further, Gu Da changed the subject and asked, "General, do you want me to find someone to take action? At least we can get the money back."
The wealth of the Liu family was at stake; without that money, their shop would face problems and they couldn't afford to lose it. But there was still a family relying on it to survive.
Ye Xiaohan, a woman with two children, was trying hard to make a living in the capital, which was no easy task.
Gu Bei pondered for a moment but still did not agree to the plan. "There are countless eyes in this city watching me. If they find out about the Liu family and Ye Xiaohan, knowing that we still have contact, it will only bring greater trouble upon us."
Gu Da had also considered this and did not insist further, though he felt a surge of anger. The wife of a dignified general was being bullied by a mere group of thugs, and she couldn't even fight back.
Caution was necessary; if 'those people' learned about the importance of the Liu family and Ye Xiaohan in the general's heart, it was likely that the bloodshed of years past would repeat itself.
A glint of determination flashed in Gu Da's eyes. He would make sure to collect what was owed to him by 'those people.'
Although Gu Bei rejected Gu Da's proposal and chose not to intervene, reason told him that his decision was correct. Yet emotionally, he couldn't help but worry.
Money wasn't too much of an issue; the general's salary was substantial, and he could discreetly hand over some to help them get by. But Ye Xiaohan's stubborn and competitive nature meant that losing all her savings to deceit would surely infuriate her.
Money was just one aspect; more importantly, the fact that she had been deceived was a slap in the face.
That night, Gu Bei lay in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep. Finally, he got up and put on his clothes.
In the main courtyard where he resided, there were almost no people around. He had instructed everyone not to let anyone in unless absolutely necessary. The general's residence was already sparsely populated, and Gu Bei deliberately avoided company, often finding himself alone.
He stood by the window for a long while before suddenly turning back into his room.
Moments later, a shadowy figure slipped through the window with agility and quickly vanished into the night.
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