Chapter 386: News
Chapter 386: Chapter 386: News
Tian Zhuang stayed behind. Hearing Gu Kaichen complaining loudly on and on, he knew the man wasn’t seriously injured. After all, he was still in relatively good spirits, which meant the stones hadn’t hit any vital spots.
"That’s exactly what happened," Gu Kaichen said. "I merely wanted to visit my third younger brother. Who knew that wicked servant in his home would drum up a bunch of fabricated charges and incite the clueless commoners to attack me..."
Of course, Gu Kaichen hated the passersby who threw stones at him, but those people had already run away. He didn’t know who was who, so he could only direct all his fury at Gu Kaiyuan and the others.
"We understand what you’re saying," Tian Zhuang replied, "but we can’t just take your one-sided story for it. Do you have witnesses?"
"Witnesses?" Gu Kaichen grew agitated. "Everyone on the street at the time is a witness. If you don’t believe me, go arrest them and bring them back!
"Oh, right, there are also the Gu family’s gatekeepers and servants. They were all at the scene when it happened."
"By the time we got there, all the passersby had already fled," Tian Zhuang said. "Were your injuries caused by the members of the Gu family? Did they throw the stones?
"If I recall correctly, their main gates were tightly shut when we arrived. This has nothing to do with them."
As soon as Tian Zhuang said this, even someone as stupid as Gu Kaichen knew whose side these yamen runners were on. His face paled further in anger, and his head spun dizzily. "I was injured at their doorstep! If it wasn’t for that wretched woman, why would I have suffered such torment? There must be eyewitnesses in the neighboring houses. It’s up to you officers to investigate this!"
Gu Kaichen’s voice grew increasingly shrill, the veins on his forehead bulging.
Tian Zhuang remained unhurried. "Of course we’ll investigate. But if this matter truly has nothing to do with the Gu family, then you are filing a false report. Do you know the consequences of that?"
"It’s because of them that I suffered like this! I will definitely take this to court," Gu Kaichen insisted.
"Alright then. The yamen is just up ahead. You can go beat the grievance drum yourself."
With that, Tian Zhuang prepared to gather his men and leave. As he reached the entrance of the clinic, he paused and turned back to him. "However, your case probably can’t be handled for the time being. The County Magistrate went to the neighboring county on official business and hasn’t returned yet."
Watching the yamen runners simply walk away, Gu Kaichen felt his head spin even more violently and collapsed straight backward.
Seeing this, the doctor hurriedly administered a few more acupuncture needles to bring him back to his senses. "Hey there, you can’t just faint in my clinic! You’ll definitely need some medicinal ointment for those injuries. Are you going to buy it? I can have the attendant apply it for you."
Gu Kaichen was naturally terrified of dying. He nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, yes, hurry up and apply the medicine..."
The doctor extended his palm. "That will be one tael of Silver upfront. I’ll also have someone brew a bowl of medicine for you, otherwise, you’re going to have a very hard time later."
"One tael? Why don’t you just go rob someone!" Gu Kaichen blurted out. He didn’t even have a few copper coins on him right now. How could he possibly produce that much Silver?
"Well, it can’t be helped. If you don’t pay, we can’t exactly rob you." The doctor removed the needles from his body. "The door is right there. Hurry up and leave."
"What kind of doctor are you? Are you just going to leave me to die?"
The doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Didn’t I just revive you? Otherwise, those few copper coins of yours wouldn’t have even been enough to cover my consultation fee."
Gu Kaichen patted his money pouch, finding it completely empty. "You stole my things!"
"Don’t speak such ugly words. Your copper coins were taken out by those officers to pay for my consultation fee," the doctor said. "I’ve already taken a loss on you today. You had better leave before I change my mind."
With that, the doctor took his acupuncture box, returned to the counter, and began flicking the beads of his abacus.
Gu Kaichen’s face flushed with embarrassment. When he had a few copper coins left in his pouch, he had felt he wasn’t completely destitute. But now, he couldn’t even keep those few coins. He truly didn’t have a single penny left to his name.
He thought to himself, "No, I have to go home. At least back in the village, I’ll have a bite to eat." Struggling to his feet, he limped toward the door.
Seeing that he had actually left, the doctor finally looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to send away that jinx at last.
Emerging from the clinic, Gu Kaichen initially thought about going to the yamen to file a report. However, realizing the County Magistrate wasn’t there, he knew going would be pointless. Thus, he limped in the direction of Tian Village instead. He was currently penniless; if he went back, he would at least have a mouthful of wild vegetable soup to drink.
In his heart, his resentment toward Gu Kaiyuan, as well as his father and eldest brother, grew even deeper. He wondered, "Why do they get to live a good life while abandoning us here?"
Just as he was leaving the city, he heard some fellow travelers whispering among themselves. Initially, he didn’t care to pay attention, but the more he listened, the more something felt off. Why did it sound like they were talking about the Gu family?
Enduring the pain in his body, he quickened his pace to block their path. He stared at the two unfamiliar faces, confirming he had never seen them before. "Who are you? How do you know about the Gu family’s affairs?"
"What does it matter to you who we’re talking about?" the older man spat. "You look like you’ve been beaten up. You’re not trying to extort us, are you?"
As he spoke, he hastily took a few steps back. "There are a lot of people around here, so don’t even think about scamming us!"
"Were you just talking about Gu Baijiang?" Gu Kaichen demanded.
"So you were eavesdropping on our conversation."
Was that the point? Gu Kaichen wanted to curse. Ever since his father had taken his eldest brother’s family to the capital, they hadn’t sent back a single word. Now that he was finally hearing news of them, he naturally had to get to the bottom of it.
"Tell me quickly, how is Gu Baijiang doing?"
"You wouldn’t happen to be the son Gu Baijiang left behind in Tian Village, would you?"
"Judging by his expression, he probably is," the other man chimed in. "I have to say, Tian Village really is an auspicious place. Just look at you exiles—you were pardoned right after arriving!
"You’ve only been here a few days, and now you get to go back.
"I heard from a distant relative this time that Gu Baijiang is now highly regarded by the Third Prince. The prince bought them a new residence in the capital and has even taken a liking to a daughter of the Gu family.
"Just like that, they’ve become in-laws with the royal family. Life is full of ups and downs. Someone like Gu Baijiang, who managed to pull off such a complete reversal of fortune, is truly rare.
"From now on, the Gu family is truly going to prosper. I’m sure it won’t be long before they send someone to bring you back."
Seeing Gu Kaichen’s expression souring more and more, the man who spoke quietly backed away with his companions. "We really weren’t speaking ill of the Gu family just now. We’re just a bit envious of their good fortune.
"Our ancestors were also exiled here. We finally managed to endure until the end, only to hear the news of the pardon. But it has nothing to do with us anymore..."
Gu Kaichen couldn’t bear to listen anymore. Disregarding the pain wracking his body, he hurried toward Tian Village. He needed to pack his things; he had to go to the capital immediately.
Seeing him run off, the men finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just a moment ago, they were genuinely afraid that Gu Kaichen would lash out violently. However, they had managed to earn Silver in such a short amount of time. This Silver was certainly easy to make.
Just then, a burly man stepped out from the side of the road, tossed them an ingot of Silver, and turned to walk back toward the city.