Page 510

This matter was intentionally orchestrated, but what does it have to do with him?

His duty as a Shadow Guard was to obey the Emperor’s orders and to protect the Emperor’s safety; anything else was of no concern to them. Upholding justice was the affair of The Court of Judicial Review and Shuntian Prefecture.

He did not get to see the person in the carriage, as at the time he was strictly guarding the Emperor’s surroundings.

He sent two men to follow, and when the first returned and reported the cause, confirming it was not a chaos stirred up by assassins, he only then came out.

The second man had followed the carriage all the way and had just returned to report that it was a relative of some minister, whose family retainer had been captured and blackmailed.

He wore a kind smile as he strolled back leisurely.

Now back at the Guo residence, Guo Neng sat in the hall, clutching a letter in his hand, his eyes filled with malice, his whole body trembling with rage.

On the ground lay a person, pale as death and motionless, beside a pool of blood.

The servant boy standing behind him struggled to suppress his trembling, his fingertips quivering uncontrollably, having just witnessed Guo Fu being brutally kicked and beaten by his own young master. Now the man’s life hung in the balance, and the servant felt both shocked and frightened.

Guo Fu had always been diligent and devoted to his duties, loyally serving the young master, but a single failure and being captured by thieves led to this end, causing the servant boy an inevitable surge of sorrow for the fall of a fellow creature.

Guo Neng’s eyes were bloodshot, and glancing once more at the letter in his hand, his malignity surged, tearing the letter forcefully apart, then crumpling it into a ball and throwing it on the ground with contempt.

He let out a sneering laugh, "Ha ha, very well, extorting from this young master, you want silver, right? What my Guo family has in abundance is silver — let’s see if they even have the life to come and take it!"

Ignorant bandits, their gall knows no bounds, daring to stir trouble on the Emperor’s ground, and threatening him. Under the Son of Heaven’s feet, yet he dares not to make it public, it’s an utterly shameful disgrace.

Very well, very well!

Those who know of this affair, all must die, especially that loose-lipped He family!

The one who threatened him with his family deserves death even more.

He sinisterly called for the Dead Soldiers, whom he had spent a great deal of silver to cultivate, and had people prepare the silver to pay the hush money as instructed in the letter. When the day came, they would catch them unawares and silence everyone involved in the silver collection.

And as for the He family, they would be dealt with as soon as the news from the south arrived!

Outside the Guo residence, Uncle Ma spat vehemently, feeling immensely relieved, "After getting the silver, distribute it among the brothers, enjoy a great meal, then drink merrily."

Hearing this, Lian Bao looked at Uncle Ma, his peach blossom eyes softening slightly, "Uncle Ma must not be careless. Guo Neng is sinister and cunning; this is just a decoy. No doubt he has other moves prepared; the silver will not be so easily obtained."

"Ah, this... Young Master, does that mean we still can or cannot take the silver?" Safety is crucial, Uncle Ma worried.

Lian Bao sneered, "Take it, why not? We take the silver and let them fight like dogs among themselves."

Guo Neng is suspicious; not taking it would instead raise his suspicions, taking it would make him believe it was the He family whose secrecy was compromised, leading to their knowledge of the matter.

They had his leverage and coincidentally encountered his family leaving the city, using this as a threat, leading to the current situation.

He explained quietly to Uncle Ma for a few moments.

Uncle Ma listened and nodded as he did so, "I see, but why then did the Young Master deliberately write some errors in the letter? I am confused; wouldn’t this make people think it was false, merely bluffing and extortion?

"We cannot expose ourselves just yet, it is to make Guo Neng believe it is just a bluff. Given the mention of his family leaving the city, Guo Neng had no choice but to panic. I refuse to believe he was just sending someone out for a leisurely trip; he has a guilty conscience."

Uncle Ma still couldn’t wrap his head around the connection to the deliberate mistakes.

Lian Bao countered, "Uncle Ma, if you were Guo Neng and saw that the letter spoke as if you had experienced it first-hand, would you believe it was a message stumbled upon by someone from the underworld?"

After giving it some thought, Uncle Ma shook his head, "No, I would fear that it was deliberately disguised by someone pretending to be from the underworld."

"That’s exactly it. Given Guo Neng’s suspicious nature, it would easily lead him to suspect us," a cold glint flashed in Lian Bao’s eyes.

He continued, "After we get away, Guo Neng will surely suspect the collaborators from that year and send someone to test the waters. Doubt breeds demons in the dark, and no matter how much the He family promises, he will not trust them. At that moment, a group discovers his secret and uses it to threaten him, and what’s written in the letter happens to correspond with what the He family knows—what do you think he will do? "

"What would he do?" Uncle Ma asked, puzzled.

Lian Bao smiled confidently, "He will be furious, see it as a provocation, and wish nothing more than to get rid of them swiftly!"

Uncle Ma seemed to have an epiphany, "So the deliberate errors in the letter are just to prevent Guo Neng from suspecting us?"

"Yes, and also to make Guo Neng all the more convinced it’s the work of the He family," Lian Bao explained patiently.

The He family wouldn’t dare to offend Guo Neng. Even if they were driven into a corner like a desperate dog, they wouldn’t hire underworld figures to threaten him, and Guo Neng knew this.

But Guo Neng would fear that the He family had a contingency plan, telling others about the affair from that year, putting him in a situation of ’catching a rat while fearing to break the vase’, which was also the most likely choice for the He family to make.

Additionally, Guo Neng distrusted the He family, yet worried that they might inadvertently leak the affair.

If it was the former, the He family would distort the truth, covering up their own misdeeds, only revealing parts favorable to themselves, and never laying all their cards on the table.

If it was the latter, whoever heard the news through gossip and speculation would naturally make some errors.

Therefore, no matter which it was, the letter couldn’t be fully accurate; it was better to have inconsistencies to ensure Guo Neng would be fully convinced.

After hearing the explanation, Uncle Ma had a sudden realization and couldn’t help but admire the Young Master’s ability to read people’s hearts.

He spat in contempt, "Those who do evil will be ground by it. Let that damned He family experience the Guo residence’s Young Master’s prowess."

Lian Bao’s eyes were filled with hatred. The He family had long been jealous of the Lian family, at odds with them, always resorting to underhanded tricks in the open and in secret.

Everyone in the He family, from top to bottom, was no good; even the youngest son, a classmate of his little sister, was a bad seed.

He was always picking on the Lian family, but the Head of the He family never won, and that youngest son was also thoroughly suppressed by his little sister, never having prevailed.

They couldn’t beat the Lian family in business, couldn’t overtake their tenant farmers, couldn’t compete with their assets, nor win over the hearts of the locals, which led the He family to increasingly resent the Lian family.

Eventually, when Guo Neng arrived, the jackal and the evil dog joined forces to frame the Lian family and annex their family wealth and land.

Besides Guo Neng, he hated the people of the He family the most. "To possess the jade was the crime"; it was the He family that drew Guo Neng’s attention to the Lian family’s secret tea recipe—it was a strategy offered by the He family!

Now, let the He family taste the bitter fruit of their own doing!

Lian Bao clenched his fists tightly, and after a while, he finally calmed the hatred in his eyes and said, "Uncle Ma, take the men and keep your distance, be extremely careful, and I’ll head back first to take a look."

"Young Master, you also be careful."

"Mm," he replied.

The two parted ways, with Uncle Ma staying near the Guo residence to keep watch, while Lian Bao headed towards the Imperial Academy.

Outside the Imperial Academy.

Zhang Qing was anxious but did not dare to advise. He did his utmost to ensure the safety of the Emperor, commanding his men to guard him closely and prevent others from bumping into the Son of Heaven.