Chapter 292

Gu Jiu Ling's heart gave a slight twitch; she hurriedly looked at Zuo Feichen and asked urgently, "How is Second Master Gu?"

Zuo Feichen sighed: "Replying to Princess Consort, Second Master Gu's leg injury can heal, and he has regained consciousness now, but the injury on his face—"

Zuo Feichen lowered his head and said slowly: "Half of Second Master Gu's face has been burned away; he may be left with a scar, and the scar is quite large, which may be unsightly."

Shen Nuo furrowed her brows tightly; her brother Gu Kang, though previously notorious in Shang Jing as a spoiled rich youth, was handsome and suave, extremely good-looking.

Now the imperial examinations are about to begin; he doesn't want half his face ruined. Even if he could pass the jinshi exam, when he takes the palace exam before the emperor, the emperor will surely find him repulsive, which may harm his official career.

Moreover, he doesn't even have a wife yet; how will he manage to marry with such a face?

Gu Jiu Ling thought of this and had to consider performing surgery for Jinzhi and her brother Gu Kang.

But this cosmetic surgery cannot be done overnight; she is also pregnant now, so it's not suitable to arrange the surgery immediately.

Jinzhi has waited these years; waiting a bit longer is fine, after all Zhao Lang took a liking to Jinzhi not because of her face but because of her person.

But Brother Gu Kang has less than a month before the spring examinations; if he goes out and manages to enter the jinshi class, he will still have to take the palace exam personally overseen by the emperor.

In this, having a face is very important.

Even if she helped her brother with a skin graft, it would be impossible to restore his original appearance in a short time.

But Gu Jiu Ling can't think of all that now; after all, Gu Kang's life is not even secure, let alone his face.

"Mm, I understand, Master Zuo, you've worked hard."

Zuo Feichen nodded, slowly stepped back, glanced at Xiao Yin beside Gu Jiu Ling, but still didn't dare to stand behind her.

He also took some interest in this case, hiding among the onlookers to the side, not planning to leave; he'd rather stay and watch the commotion.

Not long after, the emperor's edict arrived at the Ministry of Justice; Qian and his party knelt before the hall to receive it.

Emperor Longqing also issued an oral decree, ordering the Crown Prince to give Mr. Wen justice.

Mr. Wen is also Emperor Longqing's teacher; this time the emperor harbored no personal bias, merely wanting to swiftly identify the culprit.

At once the Ministry of Justice's great prison became lively.

There were Xiao Yin and his wife, plus the newly captured Zhang Cheng, who had already lain face-down on the ground, pallid; the thirty blows had almost made him faint, and now a warder doused him with a bucket of cold water, reviving him.

The Crown Prince received Emperor Longqing's handwritten decree, personally taking the central seat in the main hall to preside over the trial.

Xiao Yin supported Gu Jiu Ling as they sat on the side; opposite them sat Qian and the other Ministry of Justice officials.

Mr. Wen's case is of great importance; besides these, the palace's Wang eunuch personally came to supervise the case for Emperor Longqing.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan Commandant, and the Vice Minister of Rites, etc., all gathered to watch.

They could not participate in the joint trial, and like Xiao Yin they were merely observers.

Although Mr. Wen personally took on few disciples, his writings and guidance to Shang Jing's students also count as his students.

Now outside, a large crowd of Shang Jing students has gathered.

Crown Prince Xiao Ting sat upright in the main seat, looking at the dense crowd outside, and couldn't help but feel waves of headache.

If today's matter is not investigated well, my reputation may suffer as well; I must handle this case seriously.

Xiao Ting was about to subject Zhang Cheng to punishment again; Zhang Cheng could barely endure it and burst into tears and cries.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince, spare my life!"

"I too was blinded by greed, listening to others' slander, which led me to commit such heinous acts."

"But I really did not intend to kill Mr. Wen; it was Li Quan who ordered me."

"Li Quan, after following Second Master Gu into Nan Shan Shu Yuan, became somewhat acquainted with me."

"Speaking of the future of Nan Shan Shu Yuan, Li Quan said that following Mr. Wen would not earn much silver."

"It might be a life of poverty; better to earn a sum, take the money and flee far away to become a wealthy landowner."

"I had been staying with Mr. Wen at Nan Shan Shu Yuan for some time; I could no longer endure it, and after hearing Li Quan's words I wanted to take some silver."

Xiao Ting's face darkened slightly: "Who is behind you? Who provided the silver? Speak the truth."

Zhang Cheng wept: "In reply to Your Highness, I truly did not intend to kill Mr. Wen."

"Mr. Wen has shown me kindness; how could I kill him?"

"It was Li Quan; he ordered me to do all this, letting me enter the Cang Shu Ge under the pretense of fetching something for Mr. Wen, deceiving the steward to obtain the key and enter the Cang Shu Ge."

"He then took away the entire box of paper Mr. Wen often used for writing, which later allowed them to lure Second Master Gu away. The fire was set by Li Quan; everything was his doing; I am innocent!"

Xiao Ting sneered coldly: "A bunch of arrogant fools dare to plot against Mr. Wen; they're practically begging for death."

"Men! Drag this wretch out and bring Li Quan, that dog servant, in."

At this moment Li Quan had already become a frightened bird; the turn of events was utterly unlike what he had imagined.

He had thought that after taking the Gu family's money he could flee, but who would have expected Gu Kang to return, leaving him no chance to escape.

Gu Kang even went upstairs, carried Mr. Wen on his back, and jumped down, sustaining serious injuries.

"If Mr. Wen had died, it would have been fine; with no witnesses, we could have pinned all blame on Gu Kang. But Mr. Wen is not dead—"

"Seeing that this matter can no longer be blamed on Gu Kang, these people are already unable to conceal the truth; just as they were packing up to flee, they were seized by the Crown Prince's men on the mountainside and brought together to Shang Jing."

"Li Quan now knows he must tell the truth; if he doesn't, he's nothing but a pig!"

"By then, the more he wishes to die painlessly, the less likely he will achieve that wish."

Li Quan was pressed down by the bailiffs on either side, kneeling on the ground; he turned his face toward Zhang Cheng nearby, and even at a distance could smell a faint trace of blood on him.

The Crown Prince glanced at Li Quan: "Men! Drag him out! Apply punishment!"

Li Quan was dumbfounded: "How does the Crown Prince, as soon as he arrives, want to beat people?"

He had already suffered some superficial injuries in prison; at the time he only thought of pushing the blame onto Gu Kang.

"When Second Master Gu is beheaded, these people will merely be sentenced to a few years of exile; once out they'll have endless silver, seeking wealth and honor amidst danger."

"But he never expected that as the drama went on, it would become increasingly incomprehensible to him."