Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 460 - 296: Personal Desires

Gu Chengyu thought for a moment; indeed, he needed a maid by his side. It’s not that Ming Mo and the others didn’t know how to serve him, but rather they had tasks to complete for him. Having a maid manage the house would lighten Ming Mo and the others’ load.

"Has the master returned?" As soon as Ming Mo returned, he hurriedly went to the main house to pay his respects.

Ming Mo went out to gather news; Lord Yin went to the Palace and hasn’t returned.

"Is there something going on? Where did Ming Yan go?" Gu Chengyu heard Ming Mo had returned and wanted to inquire about recent events.

"Reporting to the master! Ming Yan went to the tavern. Since the master has been absent these past two days, some local ruffians have somehow gotten wind of it. They’ve been lurking around the tavern, some even eating and drinking without paying, so Ming Yan was called by Steward Yu to oversee the situation."

Gu Chengyu snorted coldly; it seemed those small taverns in the Capital couldn’t hold back. He was somewhat of a celebrity. When he was captured, many people saw it, and surely, they’ve received the news.

Do they think that entering the prison means he won’t come out? Are they trying to target his tavern?

Gu Chengyu got up, dried himself, and put on the clothes from the rack.

"Did you ask Lord Yin to suppress it?" Gu Chengyu thought those ruffians wouldn’t amount to anything, as Lord Yin was backing his tavern; those people wouldn’t act rashly for now. The owners behind the major taverns had significant backgrounds, and they wouldn’t strike unless certain they could topple them in one go.

These ruffians seemed to be testing the waters. His tavern said to be raking in money daily, would surely have caught their eye long ago. Alas! Always relying on others is not as good as relying solely on one’s own strength.

"I was just with Steward Yu to pay respects at Lord Yin’s mansion, but unfortunately, Lord Yin was in the Palace, so I came back."

Gu Chengyu, exiting the washroom, looked at Ming Mo with some curiosity.

"So late, and he still went to the Palace, did you hear what happened?"

Ming Mo nodded, "The servants at Yin Mansion said the Emperor is unwell."

Gu Chengyu was taken aback, "Was Hu Maoshen’s evidence submitted? Did the Emperor say anything about punishing the Eldest Prince?"

Ming Mo shook his head, "No! The Emperor urgently summoned the Ministers to the Palace, but there was no word on punishing the Eldest Prince, nor was the Third Prince released. By the way, Wan Xue Nian committed suicide in prison, leaving behind a letter written in blood as proof."

Gu Chengyu was shocked upon hearing this, "Dead?"

He recalled that night when he sneaked into the Dali Temple, the hopeful look in Wan Xue Nian’s eyes as he asked if he was sent by the Third Prince. Since Wan Xue Nian misunderstood, he shouldn’t have committed suicide, especially since he had promised to rescue Wan Xue Nian in three days; surely, Wan Xue Nian could’ve endured those three days.

Wan Xue Nian must have received some news that made him willing to die; apart from the Third Prince, who else could it be? Gu Chengyu felt a chill in his bones. Wan Xue Nian, being the grandfather of the Third Prince, would have greatly benefited the Third Prince in the future; how ruthless the Third Prince was.

To absolve himself, he used every possible means. Now, he must regret it deeply. Right after he ordered Wan Xue Nian to die, Hu Maoshen submitted Guo Shi’s confession.

Yin Kun went to the Palace after returning home. When the Ministers were urgently summoned to the Palace, no punishment was meted out to the Eldest Prince, indicating the Emperor intended to shield him. In court, the mountain bandit case wasn’t heavily mentioned. The Emperor planned to cover it up, it seemed Hu Maoshen’s efforts were in vain.

Why did he fall ill afterwards? It must be related to the Eldest Prince. For his own desires, he framed loyal officials and turned on the people; the Emperor couldn’t be pleased. Such favoritism was rarely seen.

The Third Prince was confined to the Prince Mansion without his guilt being confirmed. Why wasn’t the Eldest Prince punished for such grave errors? Gu Chengyu found it unreasonable. Where did all the Silver go? Did the Emperor find out from the Eldest Prince’s mouth? If he was recruiting soldiers, could the Emperor endure it?

Could it be that he’s not recruiting soldiers; even if he favored him, it wouldn’t be possible to tolerate it if he knew his son intended to usurp the throne.

Gu Chengyu grew curious about the whereabouts of the Silver.

Ming Mo glanced at Gu Chengyu; the night before Wan Xue Nian’s death, his master had just gone to investigate the Dali Temple. He wondered what method his master used to make Wan Xue Nian so obedient. However, Ming Mo believed it wasn’t necessary; if the master hadn’t wanted to save Wan Xue Nian, then Song Shuqing wouldn’t have been able to keep him either.

Gu Chengyu, noticing Ming Mo’s surreptitious glance, knew what Ming Mo was thinking, "Wan Xue Nian’s suicide wasn’t instigated by me. His life or death doesn’t affect me; I had no reason to do such a thing."

Ming Mo understood and nodded; he knew his master wouldn’t be so heartless.

If Gu Chengyu knew Ming Mo’s thoughts, he would only sneer. His ruthlessness depended on who it concerned; some things, if they didn’t touch his bottom line, he could tolerate, but that was only reserved for family and friends. For others, he was not as approachable.

Gu Chengyu originally planned to take a rest, but with Ming Yan overseeing the tavern, he had to visit the tavern himself to deter those mice and dispel any thoughts of his imprisonment leading to his downfall.

Until other ventures started, the tavern was his main source of income.

"Let’s take a look at the tavern!"

"Master, won’t you rest a bit? You’ve just come out of prison; you should rest some more. Second brother-in-law has returned too; he thought you would be resting, so he didn’t come to disturb."

Ming Mo dried Gu Chengyu’s hair, preparing to style it.

"Oh? Who helped while I was in prison?"

"Second brother-in-law and Mr. Ye tirelessly ran around for you! Lord Yin and Mr. Wu also managed to handle things for you; only Lord He wasn’t at the Mansion. When second brother-in-law went to find him, the gatekeeper said he was out, without saying where he went."

"Second sister was very anxious this time; she brought out the jewelry and silver notes you gave her for her dowry, intending to use them to pull strings for you, but I stopped her. Yet, these past two days she’s been calling in favors everywhere, spending quite a bit except at Yin and Wu Mansions."

Gu Chengyu felt warmth in his heart, "You all have worked hard these past days; has everything been fine at the Mansion lately?"

Gu Chengyu was unsurprised by He Jisheng’s actions; he never had a deep relationship with He Jisheng. If not for the connection through his teacher, He Jisheng wouldn’t bother with him, just another scholar. It made sense not to help, especially in a fraudulent case, thinking about his own future. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

He planned to replenish what his second sister spent over the last few days later.

But he had not expected Wu An to help either. Although perhaps for his teacher’s sake, Wu An’s willingness to smooth things over also showed brotherly camaraderie.

Gu Chengyu didn’t know that Wu An’s help was due to his grandmother’s request. His grandmother believed Gu Chengyu was incapable of such fraud and appreciated his character, feeling sorry for him, which prompted Wu An to assist.

"Hmm! Tomorrow, I’ll visit each Mansion to pay respects. It’s late today, not the best time to intrude. By the way, did Miss Hua Lian from Tianxiang Pavilion come looking for you?"