Chapter 300: Family Abandoned

The evidence Xiao Yin found in the Gu Minister's residence was enough to conclusively determine Gu Huai's guilt.

Gu Huai collapsed to the ground in an instant, yet he kept looking toward his elder brother Gu Cheng, pleading for help.

"Big brother! Big brother! Save me!"

"I didn't do those things, big brother; I'm innocent! Big brother!!"

Gu Cheng's gaze sank a little, the hand hidden in his sleeve clenched into a fist, and his heart had already been roiled by a storm.

This brother of his is likely ruined, and may even drag down the entire Gu family, even his official career.

Gu Cheng's heart suddenly flared with anger; this good-for-nothing, who had always thought himself decent, turned out to be nothing but a reckless, ruthless fool who cared only for appearances.

Whether it's the matter involving Mr. Wen or the case of the Jiangnan youth he dismembered, either one taken alone is a huge case.

He had actually concealed all this from him, not even leaking a hint of information; even the resourceful Gu Cheng was momentarily at a loss as to how to handle it.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew; he lifted his foot and kicked straight at Gu Huai's chest.

Gu Huai never expected that his elder brother, who had always doted on him and spared no effort to support him, would deal him such a vicious blow.

That kick felt like it would kill him outright; he was instantly sent sprawling to one side, his face deathly pale, and a sweet‑tinged taste of blood welled up in his throat.

"Big… big brother…" Gu Huai stared at his own elder brother in terror.

Gu Cheng fell to his knees with a thud before Xiao Ting: "Your Highness, the Gu family unfortunately produced such a scoundrel."

"Our Gu family will show no mercy to this person; I beg Your Highness to petition the Emperor for clemency and have this beast executed by lingchi."

"Big brother?" Gu Huai coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, his gaze toward Gu Cheng was filled with extreme fear and unease.

Having grown up playing together as close brothers, how could they not understand each other?

Gu Cheng's actions seem intent on tearing the Gu family's third young master away from the Gu Minister's residence, alive and whole.

In truth, Gu Cheng cares only for himself; for the sake of his future, he can sacrifice anything, even the entire Gu family.

By now Gu Huai's affair has been exposed, and it is a tremendous scandal that will surely implicate the Gu family and Gu Cheng himself.

Gu Huai understood that his elder brother was abandoning him; he crawled toward Gu Cheng in utter terror.

Just as he was about to speak, the Crown Prince ordered him put in shackles and locked away in the death cell behind.

This matter is now clear and needs no further investigation.

Since Gu Huai could bring himself to do it, he committed such a heinous, heaven‑defying act.

Jealous of him, his brother Gu Kang took the opportunity to frame Gu Kang, even burning Mr. Wen to death.

After all this commotion, everyone now knows exactly what kind of person Gu Huai is.

Whether it be human evidence, material evidence, or the whole of Shang Jing's renewed assessment of Gu Huai's character, all of it has plunged the entire Gu family into chaos.

Crown Prince Xiao Ting coldly regarded Gu Cheng kneeling on the ground. He couldn't help but feel a wave of headache; he had thought Gu Cheng exceptionally capable, his left and right hand, never expecting him to stir up so much trouble.

The Gu family members' affair has already affected Mr. Wen, and now, with so many students watching from outside, the Gu family's reputation has plummeted.

At this point, Gu Cheng's worth to the Crown Prince has greatly diminished compared to before.

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

Suddenly a distant voice of a palace eunuch came from outside, followed by Li Gonggong of the palace bringing the Emperor's edict over.

The crowd hurriedly rose and knelt facing north to receive the edict together.

Xiao Ting thought the father emperor had waited long enough; coincidentally, he had nearly finished reviewing this case as well.

He needed to go into the palace to report to the father emperor, but he didn't expect that at this critical juncture the emperor's edict would arrive; Xiao Ting's heart pounded, unsure what else needed to be dealt with.

Li Gonggong unfolded the imperial edict just issued from the palace.

The edict is very simple, just a few characters, yet its meaning is expressed quite clearly.

No one expected that Gu Shangshu himself would personally enter the palace to audience the emperor, demanding the execution of his own wicked son, Gu Huai.

He even kicked Gu Huai's name out of the family genealogy.

Thus the Gu family's genealogy no longer contains the name Gu Huai.

It's almost laughable that in less than a few months the Gu family has driven out two of its sons, becoming a laughingstock of Shang Jing.

Gu Cheng also stared, slightly taken aback.

Having served in the court these years, he also knew what it meant to serve a ruler like a tiger, understood Emperor Longqing's temperament — faults must be repaid, and he is not so magnanimous or tolerant.

The Gu family is not a major clan of Shang Jing; at this moment his father entered the palace to audience the emperor, not knowing what he would say, yet he received such great leniency.

In the past, according to Gu Huai's crime, extermination of nine clans might have been avoided, but the Gu family, old and young, upper and lower, would likely suffer this time; unexpectedly, it passed in such a peaceful manner.

Once Gu Huai is removed from the Gu family genealogy, all the crimes committed by the Gu family have nothing to do with the other Gu family members.

Under these circumstances, adopting this method minimizes the Gu family's losses, which is also a great leniency toward the Gu family.

But given Emperor Longqing's character, this leniency probably involves something else as well.

Gu Cheng also didn't know exactly what his father had said before Emperor Longqing.

At this moment he still secretly felt relieved that the matter was settled, without needing to implicate the Gu family further.

Gu Jiu Ling had kept her eyes lowered all along; at this moment the corner of her mouth curled with mockery — sure enough, Gu Shijie is ruthless and cruel, even at the last moment betraying the son he loved most.

Gu Jiu Ling slowly rose and looked toward Xiao Ting seated in the place of honor; his heart gave a slight tremor at the sight of her bright eyes.

Gu Jiu Ling said softly: "Your Highness, since Mr. Wen's case is settled, may I take my brother back?"

"After all, he is gravely injured; he needs prompt treatment, otherwise even at his young age he will be left with a lasting ailment."

Xiao Ting's expression flickered slightly; all the human and material evidence present indicates that Gu Kang is a victim, not a perpetrator.

Since the truth has come to light, keeping Gu Kang locked up in the Ministry of Punishments' jail is rather inappropriate.

Xiao Ting stared steadily at the woman before him and said, word by word: "Someone! Remove the shackles from the Gu family's second young master and release him without charge."

A flicker of joy passed through Gu Jiu Ling's eyes as she looked toward Gu Kang.

Gu Kang was now at the end of his tether; after the shackles on his body were removed, he drew a hard breath.

Watching Gu Jiu Ling open her mouth, just as she was about to say something, she suddenly collapsed forward, and the surroundings instantly fell into chaos.

Xiao Yin stepped forward, catching the fainted Gu Huai in one hand, and with the other supported Gu Jiu Ling as they walked toward the door.