NCCnovel Chapter 20 My Lord, Save Me
Chapter 20 My Lord, Save Me
Zhao Jing paced back and forth in the main hall of the Gu family. He couldn't sit still for a moment, glancing at the back hall every now and then, almost as if he wanted to go to the back to find Gu Chang'an himself.
Liu Ling is dead, and so is he.
His Majesty is already furious about the assassination attempt and has ordered that the case be thoroughly investigated.
The case is still unsolved, and the person died in the imperial prison; it can be said that the case has been completely botched.
Given His Majesty's temper, he'd definitely take his head.
He could only pin his hopes on Gu Chang'an. Although the two had a grudge, they were now in the same boat. He would try to find a way to get him involved, and if there was no other way, he would drag him down with him.
"Lord Zhao, I've kept you waiting." Gu Chang'an walked out from behind the screen wall, his steps were calm and his demeanor composed.
"Brother Gu, you've finally come out." Zhao Jing stepped forward familiarly and lowered his voice, "Could you please dismiss the others?"
Gu Chang'an glanced down at him and raised her hand.
As soon as the door closed, Zhao Jingcai said, "It's terrible, Brother Gu, Liu Ling is dead."
"Dead?" Gu Chang'an's voice rose: "Lord Zhao, this is no laughing matter."
"How could I joke about something so urgent, Brother Gu? You know how much His Majesty values this case. If he dies, we're finished. You'd better think of something quickly."
Gu Chang'an sat down at the head of the table, his posture relaxed, his tone cold: "Lord Zhao, the person died in the imperial prison, which is not my Dali Temple. If His Majesty investigates, it may not involve me."
“The man died here, but you’ve interrogated him for so many days without getting a confession. Do you think His Majesty will let you go?” Zhao Jing stood in front of him, looking down at him.
"How do you know I didn't give a confession?" Gu Chang'an looked up at him, his dark eyes filled with a strong sense of pressure.
Zhao Jing's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he stared intently at Gu Chang'an: "Are you serious?"
Gu Chang'an took out the copy from his sleeve and handed it to him: "Lord Zhao, you may wish to take a look."
Zhao Jing unfolded the paper, looking at the list of names and the destinations of the money. His eyes widened, his chest heaved more and more, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
This confession was a death sentence for him. As long as Gu Chang'an handed it over, he would not only be blameless, but would also be credited with a great achievement.
He himself would have to take full responsibility for Liu Ling's death; even if he didn't die, he would be badly hurt and could never recover in this lifetime.
He was almost in despair.
Gu Chang'an picked up his teacup and drank it as if nothing had happened.
"Pfft."
Zhao Jing held the copied confession tightly in both hands and knelt down before Gu Chang'an with his legs straight.
"Brother Gu, I have wronged you in the past. Please be magnanimous and help your brother this once." He pleaded.
“Lord Zhao, we are of the same rank, it is inappropriate for us to perform such a grand ceremony. Please get up.” Gu Chang’an put down his teacup, his gaze towards him indifferent.
"No, Lord Gu, as long as you forgive me and save me next time, the Flying Fish Guard will follow your lead in the future." Zhao Jing kowtowed to the ground, even changing his form of address.
Gu Chang'an looked puzzled: "Lord Zhao has confused me. This matter is entirely up to His Majesty to decide. How could I possibly save you?"
"If you grant me this confession, I will atone for my sins. If you grant my request, my life is yours," Zhao Jing said, raising his head.
This was his last hope.
Gu Chang'an looked at him calmly, at the man who had once inflicted severe punishment on him.
At this moment, Zhao Jing could only proceed with extreme caution; his life was now in Gu Chang'an's hands.
Gu Chang'an stood up from his seat, helped the man up with both hands, and put on a friendly smile: "Brother Zhao, if you had said that earlier, I would have understood. We both serve His Majesty and have long been of one mind. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Zhao Jing was a little confused. After all, he was a military officer and his mind wasn't that quick.
"Brother Zhao, please have a seat." Gu Chang'an helped him to a seat and personally served him a cup of tea.
Zhao Jing accepted the tea with both hands. He had never seen Gu Chang'an smile before, and he couldn't discern any emotion in Gu Chang'an's eyes at this moment. He could only ask, "Lord Gu, what do you mean?"
"This is the confession Brother Zhao requested." Gu Chang'an took out a paper tube from his other sleeve and handed it over.
Zhao Jing immediately put down his teacup, wiped his hands on his clothes before taking the paper tube. He unfolded it and found that the contents were almost identical to what he had just seen, except that Liu Ling had added his signature and handprint.
The fact that the handwriting throughout is identical to the signature suggests that there is only one possibility: this is not a confession, but a confession written by Liu Ling himself, a confession that cannot be overturned!
When Zhao Jing looked up at Gu Chang'an again, he was filled with respect and gratitude: "Lord Gu, after how I treated you before, you were still willing to save me?"
“Brother Zhao, we are both chief officials of the Ministry of Justice. How could I not know that you are acting in accordance with the law? How could I harbor any personal grudges? It’s just that Brother Zhao has always been distant from me, so I haven’t dared to take the initiative to approach you.” Gu Chang’an’s expression carried a hint of regret.
Zhao Jing's eyes reddened as he listened to this: "Lord Gu, I am truly ashamed of what you say. Rest assured, if you ever need the Flying Fish Guards in the future, just let me know. If I refuse, I would be unworthy of being a man of seven feet tall."
Back then, in order to get Gu Chang'an to falsely accuse that cabinet minister, he used all sorts of severe torture, and the young Gu Chang'an almost died in the imperial prison several times.
Now that Gu Chang'an is actually willing to help him, his magnanimity is truly admirable; he is destined to be a prime minister in the future.
He was truly convinced.
"Brother Zhao, you're too kind."
"My lord, we must go see His Majesty immediately; we must be one step ahead of those people," Zhao Jing said, his spirits lifted once more.
“No, I will go back to the prison with you. Otherwise, how will Brother Zhao explain the origin of this confession?” Gu Chang’an’s gaze was unfathomable.
Zhao Jing suddenly understood: "Since you have been so considerate of me, please accept my bow."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
The Eastern Palace.
"Your Highness, Consort, it's done." A guard-like man walked in and whispered, "News just came from outside the palace; Zhao Jing didn't get to see anyone alive."
"My dear consort, thank goodness you acted quickly. If we had waited for Zhao Jing to return, it would have been too late." Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief; this ordeal was finally over.
Once a person dies, nothing can be found out. Even though it's an open secret that Liu Ling is a member of the Crown Prince's faction, without evidence, no one can do anything to him.
Zhou Qianqian smiled and said modestly, "It's all thanks to Your Highness's excellent teaching."
She knew in her heart that it was Shen Li's doing, but of course she wouldn't take credit for Shen Li in front of Liu Ling. She just acknowledged Shen Li's talent in her heart. She was jealous of Shen Li's ability to remain calm in such a tense situation.
"Inform the Grand Secretary of the news and ask him to prepare his words for the Emperor at tomorrow's morning court." Li Heng waved his hand to dismiss the guards, and said with satisfaction, "Gu Chang'an, you know how to do things."
“However, Gu Chang’an is really cunning. Liu Ling is dead, but he has managed to absolve himself of all responsibility.” Zhou Qianqian said with some apprehension, “Your Highness must be wary of this man.”
“Gu Chang’an is no ordinary person; he crawled out of the pile of dead bodies in the imperial prison and sat in the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.” Li Heng said with some sadness, “If he didn’t have some tricks up his sleeve, how could I have let Shen Li marry him?”