pdf-ebookys Chapter 145 The Death of Gu Yankai
Chapter 145 The Death of Gu Yankai
Chapter 145 The Death of Gu Yankai
"What did you say? Gu Tingye accidentally killed someone?"
Wang You, from the Wang family, looked surprised after hearing Xiao Man's words.
"I heard that the Second Young Master Gu has a mistress, and that mistress has even borne him two children."
"However, that mistress was having an affair, and the Second Young Master Gu caught her red-handed. In a fit of rage, he beat the man to death," Xiaoman said.
"Impossible, go and inquire again carefully," Wang You said.
Keeping mistresses is not common, but it's not uncommon either.
In most families under normal circumstances, they would not acknowledge the children of their mistresses.
They will only accept someone if they have no children.
The reason for this is that it is difficult to guarantee that children born to concubines are biological children.
A woman who is married through proper channels will always have maids by her side, making it difficult for her to have an affair.
But keeping mistresses outside is a different story. In ancient times, when concubines were allowed, there must have been some shameful reason for keeping mistresses.
Therefore, he rarely goes there, and it's quite normal for him to have affairs with people.
In the original drama, when Gu Yankai found out that Gu Tingye had a child outside the marriage, he told Gu Tingye directly that he would not acknowledge the mistress or even the two children.
This cannot be blamed on him being heartless; rather, it was because he was unsure whether the child was actually Gu Tingye's.
The ancients placed great importance on bloodlines, but since there were no normal means to test them, they would rather be wrong than take the risk.
This is also why Xiaoman had a gossipy expression when she told Gu Tingye about his mistress's affair, without a trace of suspicion.
But Wang You was different; he was certain that Man Niang did not have a lover.
Gu Tingye was good-looking, practiced martial arts for many years, and was also a noble young master.
What kind of adulterer could possibly seduce Man Niang?
Moreover, Man Niang is only interested in entering the Gu family to enjoy wealth and luxury, so there's no way she would do such a thing.
"Could it be Man Niang's brother?" Wang You guessed.
Whether it is true or not, it seems that the course of events has changed after I reminded Gu Tingye.
If Gu Tingye accidentally killed someone, it would be fine if the other person was of low social status, but if it was a commoner, the matter would be impossible to suppress once it spread.
Even if he was the second son of the Marquis of Ningyuan, at best he could only survive; exile was certain.
Wang You wasn't exactly happy about this, but he didn't feel guilty either.
Although his reminder to Gu Tingye had some ulterior motives, he didn't actually do anything during the whole process; it was all Gu Tingye's own doing.
However, this is for the best. Gu Tingye has been exiled, and he will most likely be sent to the border, making it impossible for him to have any contact with Yuzhou.
"Young master, the Sheng family's cousin has arrived. He says he has urgent business to discuss with you and is on his way here," the maid reported.
"knew!"
Wang You waved his hand, got up and went outside.
As soon as I left the hospital, I was greeted by Sheng Changbai.
"Ziqian!"
"Cousin, have you come about Zhonghuai's matter?" Wang You asked.
"right."
Sheng Changbai said urgently, "I would like to trouble Ziqian to accompany me to visit Zecheng and see if there is any room for maneuver in this matter."
The reason he came to find Wang You was because Wang You held an official position, and Wang Min was also working in the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice has supervisory power over some major cases.
Gu Tingye is currently imprisoned in Kaifeng Prefecture prison, and the case is still under investigation. As his friend, he is not allowed to see him at all.
"good!"
Wang You nodded and said, "I'm going to change my clothes. Cousin, please wait a moment."
"Mm." Sheng Changbai nodded.
Wang You quickly changed his clothes and went out with Sheng Changbai.
On the way, he inquired about what had happened. Sheng Changbai didn't really know either, but he did know that the person who was beaten to death was Man Niang's brother, not some adulterer.
Sheng Changbai said with some self-reproach, "I should have advised Zhonghuai back then."
He had met Manniang several times and felt that she was not as simple as she seemed on the surface.
Man Niang had a gentle and frail appearance, and spoke in a soft and gentle voice.
But if it were really as she acted, how could a weak woman dare to chase after him all the way to Jiangzhou?
However, although he felt that something was wrong with Man Niang, he had no evidence, and as an outsider, it was not appropriate for him to say too much about such matters.
Therefore, it was not mentioned.
But now this has happened.
If he had reminded Gu Tingye earlier, would Gu Tingye have recognized Man Niang's true colors sooner, and would this whole thing not have happened?
"Cousin, this isn't your fault. I did this before—"
Wang You told Sheng Changbai about his conversation with Gu Tingye a couple of days ago, saying, "Even if you had tried to persuade him then, he might not have listened."
Sheng Changbai still felt somewhat guilty after hearing this, and Wang You didn't say anything more.
The two arrived at the Kaifeng Prefectural Government Office. After Wang You revealed his identity, the yamen runner went in to ask for permission and, upon receiving it, led the two to the prison.
Although Bianjing had a population of over one million, the prison in Kaifeng Prefecture did not have many prisoners.
The reason for this is that this place is right under the emperor's nose.
Secondly, the Five City Garrison is responsible for maintaining order within the city. For ordinary matters, the Five City Garrison handles them without the need for officials from the Kaifeng Prefecture.
Gu Tingye, due to his special status, was imprisoned in a separate cell.
Although the conditions were poor, they were much better than those in other cells.
"Zhonghuai!" Sheng Changbai called out when he saw Gu Tingye sitting blankly in the cell.
"Zecheng, Ziqian?"
Gu Tingye snapped out of his daze and quickly got up and walked over.
"You can only stay for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Please don't make things difficult for me, gentlemen," the constable said.
Thank you.
Wang You gave Shi Tou a wink, and Shi Tou took out a piece of silver and handed it to the yamen runner.
"Thank you for the reward, young master."
The yamen runner happily accepted the silver, bowed, and left.
Stone then went to the side and stood guard.
"Why are you so impulsive?" Sheng Changbai was so angry he wanted to punch Gu Tingye.
Gu Tingye smiled bitterly and said, "It's too late to say anything now that things have come to this. You've come at the right time. Find some reliable servants for me and give them to Granny Chang so she can take good care of my two children."
"Don't say any of that yet. Tell me the whole story in detail," Sheng Changbai said.
The principle of "a life for a life" also depends on the circumstances.
In ancient times, there were also legal advisors, who could help defend clients according to the law.
He wanted to find out what had happened and see if there was any way to lessen Gu Tingye's punishment.
"This morning—" Gu Tingye recounted what had happened.
Thanks to Xian'er's help, he saved the child, but just then, Zhu Zhuang rushed in.
Previously, Zhu Zhuang had asked Man Niang to deliver money to him. After Man Niang caused a scene at the Yu family's house, she went to see Zhu Zhuang and promised to deliver the money to him that afternoon.
But after waiting and waiting, no one came, so he went to the courtyard where Man Niang lived to see if something had happened.
The courtyard gate was not closed at the time, and seeing that it was open, he went closer to peek.
At that time, Gu Tingye had taken control of Manniang and was preparing to send her to the estate to be placed under house arrest.
He had originally planned to let Man Niang leave on her own, but Man Niang's madness terrified him.
This also made Gu Tingye realize that if he really let Man Niang go like this, who knows what would happen later.
Zhu Zhuang was naturally unwilling to accept this. They had finally found a long-term meal ticket and hadn't even enjoyed the riches and honors yet, so how could they let it go like this?
Moreover, he is now almost penniless. He has been used to living off others for years. Asking him to earn his own living in the future would be like taking his life away.
Besides, even if he went to make money, how much could he possibly earn?
On a sudden inspiration, he immediately shouted that Gu Tingye had abandoned his wife and children, hoping to attract the attention of people nearby.
Gu Tingye was furious at the time, and his heart was filled with anger. When Zhu Zhuang shouted that he had abandoned his sister, he realized that the whole thing was a lie.
Although Gu Tingye saw through Manniang's true colors, he still thought that Manniang wanted to become his legal wife, which was why she planned all of this. He didn't know that Manniang had been scheming against him all along.
Back then, when he was listening to music, some spoiled young men saw that Man Niang was beautiful and tried to harass her. He saw this and stepped in to help Man Niang.
When Man Niang later found him, she said that her brother had incurred gambling debts and had run away with all her money.
When debt collectors came to demand money from her, she had no choice but to flee Bianjing.
But with both her parents dead and no other relatives, she had nowhere to go.
Remembering that Gu Tingye had helped her in the past, she inquired around and learned that he had gone to Bailudong Academy, so she went to Jiangzhou to find him.
Gu Tingye left Bianjing because he didn't know how to face Gu Yankai, the person who killed his mother.
When you're far from home, it's inevitable to feel lonely.
With Man Niang by his side, he slowly emerged from the situation.
When he learned that Man Niang had been lying to him from beginning to end, his anger made him lose his mind.
Seeing Zhu Zhuang shouting and yelling, he went up and kicked him in anger.
Zhu Zhuang crashed headfirst into the wall and died instantly.
The crowd that had been drawn by Zhu Zhuang's loud shouts witnessed this.
The people were so frightened that they scattered and fled, and some even went to report it to the authorities.
Gu Tingye didn't even have time to cover it up.
"They conspired to deceive you, so they were in the wrong first. Even if you accidentally killed someone, it's not a capital offense," Sheng Changbai said excitedly after hearing this.
"I know, but exile is certain. The Gu family won't accept the two children, and I don't feel comfortable leaving them there," Gu Tingye said.
"What about your mistress?" Wang You asked.
They escaped!
Gu Tingye said, "When I saw her brother lying on the ground, bleeding a lot, I didn't pay attention to her and went to check on him."
She seized the opportunity to run away, but as I've already explained in detail, she's a fraud, the authorities will be after her, and even if she does escape, she won't dare to come back.
"Don't worry, I've remembered everything you said, I will—"
Before Sheng Changbai could finish speaking, a constable hurried over.
"Young Master Gu, your father was so angry upon hearing the news that he vomited blood and fainted. The Prefect has granted you permission to visit him at home under supervision," the constable said.
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingye stumbled and almost fell.
Although he hated Gu Yankai, how could there be hatred without love?
He still harbored deep feelings for his father, Gu Yankai.
Wang You and Sheng Changbai exchanged a glance, neither knowing what to say.
These incidents, one after another, have been incredibly devastating.
Ordinary people might even go crazy.
It's no wonder that Gu Tingye matured completely after experiencing his father's death.
Wang You sighed inwardly. It seemed that Gu Yankai was destined for this calamity, and in the end, he couldn't escape it.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. In the original drama, he was only willing to sever ties with the Gu family because Gu Tingye was determined not to give up Manniang and the child.
Gu Yankai died because his anger aggravated his old injuries.
The situation is only worse now than it was then, after all, Gu Tingye has been implicated in a murder case because of it.
He regarded Gu Tingye as his successor.
As for the conspiracy theory that Qin Shi killed Gu Yankai, that's complete nonsense.
Was it really necessary for Gu Tingye to run away from home at that time?
Even if Xiao Qinshi doesn't believe it, Gu Yankai did leave behind a will.
Even if we assume that it was Madam Qin who killed him after he left his will, what about Gu Tingyu?
It's important to know that although Gu Tingyu hated Gu Tingye and blamed Bai Shi for his mother's death, he still had deep feelings for the Gu family.
Later, realizing that Zhao Zongquan wanted Gu Tingye to inherit the title, he also planned to pass the title to Gu Tingye.
He did not heed Lady Qin's advice to adopt Gu Tingwei's son.
It's true that Zhao Zongquan wanted Gu Tingye to inherit the title, but he couldn't say it directly. He could only express his intention by bestowing the orange grove next to the Gu family's residence upon Gu Tingye.
If Gu Tingyu were to adopt a son, Zhao Zongquan would be powerless to stop him, as it was a matter of propriety.
Gu Tingyu didn't do that because he knew Gu Tingwei was incapable of revitalizing the Gu family, and Gu Tingye was the best choice.
This can be seen from the fact that he kept Gu Yankai's last words.
Now that Gu Yankai is most likely dead, it's quite humane that the Prefect of Kaifeng allowed Gu Tingye to go back and see his father one last time.
"Sigh, I hope Lord Gu is alright, otherwise he might not be able to withstand this series of blows."
Sheng Changbai sighed as he watched Gu Tingye being led away by the constables, looking utterly dejected.
Given what happened to the Gu family, it wasn't appropriate for outsiders like them to go over.
"Cousin, what's done is done, there's no use in worrying. The imperial examination is in a few days, so focus your attention on it and do well," Wang You said.
He also needs to prepare for spreading the philosophy of mind.
"Um.
""
Sheng Changbai sighed; there was really nothing he could do to help now.
Gu Yankai died on the very day of the palace examination.
Just like in the original drama, Madam Qin blamed Gu Tingye for Gu Yankai's death.
Now, Gu Tingye not only bears the name of murderer, but also the name of being unfilial for causing his father's death.
Meanwhile, the verdict against Gu Tingye was handed down by the Kaifeng Prefectural Government.
The matter itself was not complicated. After Gu Tingye was arrested, he directly recounted what had happened, and after a little investigation, the facts were basically confirmed.
Man Niang and her brother deceived him first, and Gu Tingye lost his mind and killed someone, which is understandable. He was sentenced to exile for three thousand miles.
They were exiled to the vicinity of Bazhou City in the north.
They will be escorted there after his father is buried.
-
As for Manniang, she was never found, and the two children were taken back to Yangzhou by Granny Chang. Sheng Changbai helped find a few honest servants to go to Yangzhou with Granny Chang.
Wang You learned all of this later from Sheng Changbai.
He didn't have time to pay attention to these things at the moment.
As the imperial examination approached, Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing also finalized the rules for spreading the philosophy of mind.
Hai Wenqing had already presented his philosophy of mind to the emperor for review, and after reading it, the emperor praised it as a masterpiece.
As agreed by the two, after the imperial examination, they would invite all the successful candidates to a poetry gathering.
In addition, some students who failed the exam will be selected to participate.
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