Gu Zhan was startled by the reaction of the commoners,
Although he knew the Government Office's reputation had gone downhill lately, and that many people held the Embroidered Uniform Guard in deep awe, he had assumed that since the Embroidered Uniform Guard were charged with maintaining public order and dealt more often with ordinary folk, the relationship would be somewhat better,
But he hadn't expected these ordinary people to fear the Embroidered Uniform Guard to such an extent,
They hadn't done anything; just their appearance had triggered such panic.
He couldn't help but doubt,
Could such an Embroidered Uniform Guard really stabilize public order?
Still, he'd already arrived at the scene and had no time to dwell on it. He led his men straight into the courtyard.
Instantly,
All the civilians scattered unwillingly, and were it not for the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the gate, Gu Zhan suspected they'd have rushed out en masse.
"Who's the head of this household?" Gu Zhan asked.
The courtyard was crowded but eerily silent,
Many eyes shifted covertly to a dark-skinned old man whose face was covered in wrinkles.
The old man's body was tense, his gaze toward Gu Zhan full of terror; he tried to stand but his legs were too numb to move.
At that moment,
A woman in mourning attire, face pale, hesitantly stepped forward, then dropped to her knees before Gu Zhan with a thud, crying, "Sir, please—spare my father-in-law. He's old, he can't survive torment. My husband's already dead, both my uncles are dead, we don't dare hold onto the house anymore. Once the funeral's over, we'll move out. However you want to deal with the property is fine. Sir, please show mercy, please…"
Gu Zhan was stunned—he hadn't figured out what was going on.
The old man got up at that point, trembling as he walked over, dropped to his knees and pleaded, "Sir, we know we're wrong, there's only one child left in our family. Please, give us a way to live!"
The old man spoke as he pulled a boy of five or six to kneel and kowtow beside him.
Gu Zhan looked perplexed. He quickly lifted the old man and said, "You must be mistaken. I received a report—the case said someone in your family died from poisoning, and I came specifically to investigate!"
The old man's wrinkled face was full of confusion and fear. He said, "You… what are you investigating?"
"The truth behind the death," Gu Zhan said.
The old man froze for a moment, then seemed to understand, hurriedly pointed toward the mourning area and said, "Sir, we really have no money left! Look, even those coffins were bought with funds collected by neighbors. We really can't afford offerings anymore!"
Gu Zhan frowned and said, "Elder, you're truly mistaken. I'm not here to collect money. I'm only here to investigate. I received a report that your family member died from poisoning—it wasn't natural."
The kneeling woman suddenly spoke in despair: "Sir, is it not enough that our family is wiped out? You still won't let us go?"
Gu Zhan took a deep breath and said, "I already said I'm here to investigate. Why don't you believe me?"
The woman inhaled deeply; her expression became resolute as she spoke gravely: "Isn't it just another way to force us? If you want to kill or torture, just say so. Why bother with this pretense? You already know we were poisoned, so what's the point of pretending to investigate?"
Gu Zhan's brow furrowed. "So you know the specifics?"
The woman in mourning sneered and said, "Who doesn't know? There are dozens of families in Mud Bottle Lane, hundreds of people—everyone's aware. Isn't this all just a ploy to seize our house?"
Gu Zhan's brow was tightly knit,
He swept his eyes around the courtyard, noting from their expressions that all the commoners seemed to know the inside story.
"If you know who the killer is, you should report it directly to the officials," Gu Zhan replied calmly.
"Report?" the mourning woman said. "What good would that do? Haven't we tried? You Embroidered Uniform Guard not only refuse to arrest the Celestial Water Gang thugs, you arrest the people who report them. Who would dare? Sir, whatever you intend, just say it outright. Our family is all but gone, only three left. Take us, if you must!"
Gu Zhan's brows were knit with concern.
Just then, Chen Fei leaned in and whispered, "Sir, judging from their words, this involves the Celestial Water Gang. Let's leave for now and reconsider once we're back."
Gu Zhan was a little surprised. He'd heard the Celestial Water Gang's name—a fairly major Martial World Gang—but what shocked him was Chen Fei's reaction. As Embroidered Uniform Guard, he still feared a gang, retreating at their mention.
Though he'd always known the Government Office was rotten, now Gu Zhan truly grasped the depth of that corruption,
When even the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the government's enforcers, are wary of Martial World Gangs, there's nothing more that needs to be said.
But Gu Zhan still didn't have a clear picture of the situation,
His previous life had been spent studying under his father's protection—while he wasn't oblivious to the outside world, he really didn't know much about what went on. Since taking office, he'd either been at the Hundred Households Office or at the brothel listening to songs—not learning much, and his tenure had been short, with little exposure to local affairs,
Given that, he chose to follow Chen Fei's advice and head back to gather more information.
However, just as he was about to call his men to leave, he saw a group of two dozen Martial World toughs in matching outfits outside the courtyard. Each carried a gleaming steel saber, striding into the yard as if the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't exist.
The leader, a burly man with a scar across his face, went straight to the old man and snarled, "Elder Jin, your son may be dead, but the five hundred taels he owed us still need to be paid!"
Elder Jin cried out, "Our family never owed you any money, much less five hundred taels! That's simply not true…"
"Slap!"
The burly man smacked Elder Jin across the face, sending him sprawling. "You old bastard, I say you owe and you do!"
The mourning woman gave a heartbreaking cry and rushed to help Elder Jin.
The surrounding commoners all trembled, not daring to utter a word.
While saying this,
The burly man stroked his chin and scanned the courtyard. "Since you don't have the money, then this house…"
He glanced at the decent-looking mourning woman: "You'll settle your debt with this ramshackle house and with your daughter-in-law!"
With those words, he grabbed the woman's hand, trying to drag her off.
The woman's face was steeped in despair; she pleaded, "Don't you… don't you have any law or justice?"
"Law?"
The burly man snorted, then suddenly cast an eye toward Gu Zhan's group not far away. He laughed strangely. "Oh, right—almost forgot the Embroidered Uniform Guard are present. Sirs, why don't you come over and explain to this woman what 'law and justice' really mean?"
Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, "You… are teaching me how to do my job?"