Chapter 519: Chapter 283: Another Year

Many adults started to leave with their children, heading into the amusement park.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan sensed their daughter instantly.

Lu Yuan used the Floating Skill from across the crowd to take control of his daughter’s hand and used the Sound Transmission Skill to stop Lu Ruyan’s burgeoning tantrum.

He was afraid that if Lu Ruyan got upset, she would throw a fit and tear the amusement park down.

Lu Ruyan’s short temper was a bit like Su Liyan’s after her atavistic regression.

Lu Yuan took a few quick strides, weaving through the crowd to reach Lu Ruyan’s side. He grasped her hand and scooped her up into his arms.

Lu Yuan wasn’t angry. He gently scraped his daughter’s little nose and said with a smile:

"Ruyan, what did you promise Daddy? You can’t be so willful. If there’s a next time, I’ll get really mad and lock you in the little dark room!"

Lu Ruyan retracted her Technique and controlled her emotions. She buried her head in Lu Yuan’s chest, kicking her little legs and whining playfully:

"Daddy, I wanna play!"

Lu Ruyan’s wet nurse came running over, her ample bosom bouncing with every step. She apologized profusely, "Master, I’m so sorry! I failed to watch the young miss!"

This wet nurse was one in a million; an ordinary person couldn’t satisfy Lu Ruyan’s appetite.

The wet nurse was panting heavily as she took the child from Lu Yuan’s arms.

Lu Yuan didn’t blame the wet nurse. He pulled a handful of copper coins from his robes, handed them to her, and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please, take Ruyan to play!"

The wet nurse shifted her hold to make the young miss in her arms more comfortable, then accepted the copper coins and said, "Yes, Master!"

A few of the kiddie rides emptied, and Lu Ruyan got her wish, finally getting to sit on one.

Su Liyan and the others hurried over, right behind Lu Yuan.

Su Liyan asked, "Dear, is everything okay?"

Lu Yuan took Su Liyan’s hand and said, "Darling, it’s fine. It’s just a child’s tantrum. We won’t scold her today. Let’s let her play for now. We can teach her properly later."

"Mm-hm," Su Liyan replied.

Zhao Qiao’Er craned her neck and suddenly said:

"Oh! Liyan, look who’s here! No wonder it’s even more crowded over there than it is here."

Standing at six-foot-two, Zhao Qiao’Er naturally saw farther than others in the crowd.

Zhao Qiao’Er spotted Su Changliang and Xiaoqian from a long way off, holding hands as they strolled down the commercial entertainment street.

Xiaoqian had a pair of fluffy ears perched on her head, and her whole body naturally exuded an aura that was captivating to men.

Seeing Xiaoqian’s upright, fluffy ears, many people would come up and ask where she bought "that furry, fake ear headband."

In response, Su Changliang and Xiaoqian could only smile without saying a word.

The main reason for the congestion around Su Changliang and Xiaoqian was men.

These men crowded around Su Changliang and Xiaoqian, their eyes constantly flicking toward Xiaoqian, scanning every inch of her body from top to bottom and bottom to top.

These men wished they could just plaster Xiaoqian to their eyeballs and stare their fill!

Normally, Xiaoqian would do her best to restrain this bewitching aura, but forcibly suppressing it always made her feel uncomfortable.

So today, she decided to just let loose and relax, enjoying a proper stroll down the entertainment street with her man, Su Changliang.

Su Changliang, for his part, didn’t mind the burning gazes from the people around them.

Su Liyan looked in the direction Aunt Zhao was pointing and saw her younger brother and sister-in-law.

Su Liyan jumped up and down in the crowd, waving her hand and shouting, "Brother, we’re over here!"

At the same time, Su Changliang had already spotted Lu Yuan’s group and began squeezing through the crowd toward them, pulling Xiaoqian by the hand.

Su Changliang was the first to greet them. "Sister, Brother-in-law, Happy New Year! Aunt Zhao, Aunt Song, Happy New Year! Princess Yue Ning, Happy New Year!"

Xiaoqian followed Su Changliang’s lead, greeting everyone in turn.

After the two groups exchanged a few pleasantries, Su Liyan noticed many people around them staring at Xiaoqian like tigers watching their prey.

Many of them were from out of town and didn’t know that Lu Yuan and Su Changliang held official positions, which was why they dared to be so brazen.

The eyes of these men were filled with the most primitive, animalistic desire.

’They’re harassing my sister-in-law.’ These gazes angered Su Liyan.

Su Changliang and Xiaoqian could tolerate it, but as the older sister, Su Liyan could not!

Su Liyan clenched her fists and released a wave of pressure in all directions.

A Technique, similar to a soul attack, slammed into the minds of these hot-headed, lecherous men.

The men’s minds suddenly cleared, as if someone had just told them, "Get lost!"

Taking the hint, the men scurried away.

Seeing that the street was crowded and not a good place to talk, Lu Yuan said, "There’s a board game cafe nearby. Let’s go sit there for a while."

Everyone nodded and followed Lu Yuan toward the board game cafe...

「Inside the Imperial Study in the Imperial Capital.」

Gu Gaoxu knelt before the Emperor, Gu Yuanzhang, like a small child.

The Emperor said, "Rise and speak!"

"Yes!" Gu Gaoxu’s behavior now was far more obedient than before.

The Emperor had already ordered the criminals to be taken to the dungeons of the Ministry of Justice and had assigned the Jinyi Guard to be fully responsible for their safety.

Until a verdict was reached, not a single one of those criminals could be lost!

Officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Examination Hall, the Ministry of Justice, and other departments conducted joint interrogations overnight, questioning them one by one.

Among them, the one with the loosest lips was Doctor Li from Taiping City. A mere commoner, he had been forced into the affair, truly a helpless victim of circumstance.

Lan Tai, as the adopted son of Marquis Yongchang, Lan Yu, had also been thrown into the Ministry of Justice’s dungeons. That one was tough-mouthed, shouldering the blame for everything himself.

Inside Marquis Yongchang’s Mansion, Lan Yu suppressed the unease in his heart and addressed his other adopted sons to steady them, "To think that Lan Tai would dare to rebel. I must have been blind back then to have taken him as my sworn son."

...

Meanwhile, Emperor Gu Yuanzhang walked up to Gu Gaoxu and said in a cold voice, "We know you have a good relationship with Lu Yuan. What role did he play in all of this?"

Emperor Gu Yuanzhang did not believe his grandson could have accomplished these things without outside counsel. Gu Gaoxu’s impression on the Emperor had always been one of being brave but witless, though that had started to change recently.

Hearing the Emperor’s words, Gu Gaoxu’s back began to prickle with cold sweat. A casual accusation of forming a clique for personal gain or building his own faction would be more than enough to land him in serious trouble.

’Truly, nothing escapes the Emperor’s eyes.’

If Lu Yuan hadn’t told Gu Gaoxu to go to Elephant Island to intercept the enemy, he wouldn’t have exposed the treason of Gu Zhaolian, the Sixth Son of King Lu.

If Lu Yuan hadn’t dispatched the Mansion Guard to escort Gu Gaoxu to the Imperial Capital, Gu Gaoxu probably wouldn’t be standing before the Emperor right now.

Gu Gaoxu dropped to his knees with a THUD, his forehead pressed to the ground. He stammered, "Grandfather, I am guilty.

I trespassed on my Tenth Uncle’s fief with my own troops. According to military law, I should be beheaded!

I failed to properly escort my cousin, Gu Zhaolian. According to the Court’s laws, I should be stripped of my title!

I accept it all!"

Gu Gaoxu didn’t directly answer the Emperor’s question, instead choosing to play the sympathy card and paint himself as a miserable wretch.

’It’s rare for Gu Gaoxu to be so well-behaved and sensible!’

"Rise," Emperor Gu Yuanzhang said. He saw through the act as clearly as if looking in a mirror. He had no intention of punishing Gu Gaoxu in the first place; he just wanted to scare him a little.

If he had truly wanted to punish him, he would have had him thrown in the dungeons long ago.

The Emperor picked up three memorials from his desk and handed them to Gu Gaoxu.

Gu Gaoxu received them with both hands and said, "Grandfather, your grandson dares not look!"

"We permit you to look!" the Emperor’s voice rose slightly as he pointed at the memorials in Gu Gaoxu’s hands.

Only then did Gu Gaoxu open the memorials and begin to read. Two were from his old man, King Yan, and one was from his Tenth Uncle, King Lu.

A few minutes later, Emperor Gu Yuanzhang sat at his desk and asked, "What are your thoughts? Is there anything you wish to say to Us?"

Gu Gaoxu focused on the key points and laid out the entire sequence of events...

This was only Gu Gaoxu’s personal account. The testimonies of others still needed to be heard. The Emperor’s trusted Jinyi Guard and the soldiers of the Divine Ling Empire would not die in vain.

Emperor Gu Yuanzhang was determined to investigate this matter until the truth came to light and to hold the Wa Country accountable.

Before all that, however, Emperor Gu Yuanzhang was still willing to believe his grandson. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent the Jinyi Guard to Taiping City to find and protect Gu Gaoxu.

As for the later dispatch of the Commander of the Mansion Guard, Lan Tai, and the Imperial Iron Cavalry under his command, that transfer order was also issued by the Ministry of War at Emperor Gu Yuanzhang’s command.

After listening, the Emperor walked over to Gu Gaoxu, patted his shoulder, and said in a heartfelt tone, "You’ve traveled a long way and must be tired. Go back and rest.

The Imperial Kitchen has prepared some dumplings. We will have someone send them to you shortly."

Upon hearing this, Gu Gaoxu’s tears and snot immediately started flowing. Wiping his face, he choked out, "Thank you for your concern, Grandfather!"

Gu Gaoxu acted as if possessed by a drama queen, leaving Emperor Gu Yuanzhang a little at a loss.

After leaving the Imperial Study, Gu Gaoxu broke into a grin. He pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger, blew his snot onto the ground, flicked his sleeves, and jogged all the way down the steps in front of the study...

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