Chapter 788 - 790: Deliberation
Chapter 788: Chapter 790: Deliberation
Gu Wenheng had also arranged for people to keep watch around the house. Seeing his wife’s concern, he said, "Later, you should go over things with Hu Dong again. Have him keep a close eye on Fu County. If any strangers enter the town, have them investigated immediately."
After all, Bai Jinglie knew exactly what their bottom line was, and they worried he might harbor malicious intentions.
Jin Qianqian spoke with resentment. "He probably wouldn’t dare make a move there right now, or perhaps he just hasn’t thought of it yet.
"Let’s seize the initiative and escort the prisoners to Shangjing as soon as possible. This cannot be done quietly; everyone who needs to know must be informed. I’d like to see if Bai Jinglie dares to try any petty tricks after that."
Their two families had originally been on peaceful and somewhat friendly terms, but they had turned completely hostile all because of Bai Jinglie’s selfish desires. The fault in this matter originally lay with Bai Jinglie, but surprisingly, the other party stubbornly refused to let it go.
Gu Wenheng had the exact same thought and planned to send the prisoners away today. As for Wu Hao, he was the breakthrough point to open up the local aristocratic families, so naturally, he had to be kept as a bargaining chip.
Soon enough, the major aristocratic families would realize that this was only the beginning.
Hou Cunjin had just stepped out of the Gu Mansion when Wu Nanping, who had been waiting outside for a long time, immediately intercepted him.
The other families were watching from the sidelines, but the Wu family could not afford to do so. It was a junior from his family who had caused this trouble in the first place. If a true reckoning came, they would be the first to bear the brunt of it. However, Hou Cunjin had been inside for so long that it left Wu Nanping sitting on pins and needles outside.
He brought the man to a nearby teahouse. As soon as the waiter served the tea, he impatiently dismissed all the attendants. "Master Hou, how did it go?"
Hou Cunjin shook his head and solemnly repeated word-for-word what Haicong had told him. "This matter is going to be difficult to resolve. That boy from your family is far too audacious. How could he dare to help them make a move without even knowing their background?
"It’s a pity we can’t see him right now. Otherwise, we really should interrogate him thoroughly. Is he genuinely clueless, or is he just deceiving you all?
"When I heard Haicong mention those top-tier figures, my heart panicked. Although we have built up a small foundation here, we are just ordinary commoners at the end of the day. We cannot afford to offend any single one of those noble figures, let alone get entangled with them."
Wu Nanping’s face turned ghastly pale. He swallowed hard a few times before asking, "Is this information accurate? Is the Marquis Mansion really involved?"
Hou Cunjin replied, "How could it be fake? Unfortunately, I also brought up wanting to see that boy of yours, but Haicong can’t make that decision. I heard those people are currently being watched by Mr. Gu’s personal attendants.
"There are two paths now. The first is that we wait. Once the verdict comes down, everything will become clear."
"And the other path?" Wu Nanping asked. If Wu Hao had merely committed a standard crime, Wu Nanping wouldn’t have bothered with him. At most, he would have pulled some strings to make the boy’s time in prison a bit more comfortable.
But looking at it now, that was impossible. One careless move could drag the entire Wu family down, possibly implicating all of them in the crime. Leaving it alone was definitely not an option.
Hou Cunjin continued, "Then it depends on you, Master Wu. This was caused by the Wu family’s boy, so as his elders, you must step up. You at least need to show the proper attitude.
"Now that the person has already been locked up, it doesn’t make sense for you to continue ignoring the situation. In my opinion, you should go request an audience with Mr. Gu.
"Governor Liang has made it clear that he will not intervene in this matter. It all depends on whether Mr. Gu is willing to raise his hand in mercy."
If Wu Nanping had harbored any wishful thinking before, hearing the news Hou Cunjin brought out completely shattered it. He no longer dared to put on airs like he used to.
Lowering his stance completely, he pleaded, "Master Hou, our families have been friends for generations. This time, the Wu family is truly facing a crisis. I hope you can lend us a helping hand."
Hou Cunjin felt a secret thrill of satisfaction in his heart, but spoke with polite modesty, "Of course. I wouldn’t dare make sweeping promises about other things, but I can certainly agree to act as a middleman and pull some strings for you."
The underlying implication was that this was the absolute limit; he would not be able to help with anything else.
Receiving this promise was already enough to satisfy Wu Nanping. If he could rally and persuade the other aristocratic families to join forces, they might still be able to overcome this hurdle. The most urgent task was to go back and discuss a solution with the other families. Not letting Hou Cunjin leave, he dragged him straight to the agreed-upon meeting point with the rest of the families.
「The next day.」
Hearing that Hou Cunjin had brought Master Wu to visit, Gu Wenheng did not refuse. He simply had someone lead them into the government office.
Hou Cunjin and Wu Nanping bowed in greeting. Gu Wenheng didn’t make things difficult for them and directly offered them seats.
"I’ve wanted to pay Mr. Gu a visit for a long time, but I just haven’t found the opportunity. Please forgive us for calling on you so abruptly," Wu Nanping said with utter sincerity.
"I know you are usually busy, Master Wu..." Gu Wenheng replied.
...
The three of them discussed matters in the government office for half the day. It was only when the sky began to darken that Wu Nanping emerged from the government office, looking utterly exhausted. As soon as he got into the carriage, he collapsed completely into his seat.
Hou Cunjin, after all, was related to Gu Wenheng by marriage and had met him a few times before, making him far more composed.
He instructed the driver, "Take your family head back to the estate first."
"Wait, let’s head to the Meng family first," Wu Nanping said, raising a hand to stop him.
"Your clothes are completely soaked in sweat. If you don’t go back and change first, I’m afraid your body won’t be able to handle it," Hou Cunjin said with some sympathy. Inside the office earlier, Master Wu had borne the brunt of all the pressure.
"It’s fine," Wu Nanping replied. "I have a spare set prepared in the carriage. I can just borrow a room at the Meng family estate to change later. Time is of the essence; let’s go discuss things with them first."
Seeing that he had already made up his mind, Hou Cunjin naturally didn’t argue further and told the driver outside to set off quickly.
Meanwhile, inside the government office, Gu Wenheng had also summoned Cen Gaosong and the others. Although Cen Gaosong and the rest had caught wind of some news, Mr. Gu had kept things locked down so tightly that they only knew bits and pieces.
Over the past two days, the major aristocratic families had nearly trampled their thresholds flat, but they truly knew absolutely nothing when asked.
After listening to Gu Wenheng explain the situation and his plans, Cen Gaosong and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Wenheng’s clash with Marquis Wu’an was a personal grudge and wouldn’t implicate them. Moreover, the prisoners had already been sent to Shangjing. Since they had kept their hands completely clean of the matter, they were even safer.
The only issue was that the local Wu family might be a bit tricky to handle. However, no matter if they were a century-old aristocratic family, they were still just ordinary commoners. As officials, Cen Gaosong and the others inherently held the upper hand. Furthermore, the major aristocratic families in this region had grown far too prominent. It was about time to shuffle the deck.
Since Gu Wenheng was willing to step up, they naturally had no objections and were more than willing to cooperate.
Wu Haicong knew that Cunjin was also involved this time, but he really wasn’t worried. With his own familial connection to Mr. Gu, the losses wouldn’t be too severe.
"Mr. Gu, do you think the other families will agree with Master Wu’s decision?" Li Mingyun, who had operated in this area for many years, was the first to voice a question.
Gu Wenheng said, "Whether they agree or not will depend on how Wu Nanping persuades them.
"These families have intermarried for so many years that they have long been inextricably linked. Unless they want to fall apart entirely, standing united is their only choice."