Chapter 453: Absolutely Not a Good Match

After Gu Kang's people left, only the married couple remained.

Li Ruoxi's face changed instantly; she tightly grasped Zhang Liang's hand and said, "Husband, leave Jing Cheng immediately, the farther the better."

"Now I'm afraid even Yunzhou cannot be returned to; go hide at your uncle's house in Longxi for a while and wait for my news."

"Hurry! If the people outside stop you, tell them I love sugar buns and have them buy some; outside the alley there's a river—rent a boat with silver and go by water, not by land."

"Those people have just gone back to report to Lord Gu about your news; they probably haven't returned yet—take this chance and hurry away!"

Li Ruoxi's face turned pallid, her hands trembling slightly.

Zhang Liang's heart sank a little; after all, they were husband and wife, he didn't want to be so heartless.

Seeing his wife had been taken by Gu Kang to a luxurious mansion in Jing Cheng, he couldn't fathom why she was urging him to leave so urgently.

His heart sank a bit more; although Gu Kang held a high position, compared to Lord Gu he was worlds apart.

But as an Imperial Court official, you can't steal another man's wife—what is this?

However, Zhang Liang also knew his own strength; since Gu Kang had designs on his wife, he couldn't win her back by force.

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But what if he volunteers willingly?

He can't just let it pass in a daze; he must see this Lord Gu.

At worst, he would file an imperial accusation, claiming that as an Imperial Court official he abducted a wife—utterly a disgrace to the literati.

Zhang Liang's heart stalled, he sighed and tightly gripped Li Ruoxi's hand; feeling none too pleased, he forced a smile: "Wife, don't worry—I must see Lord Gu after all."

"Are you seeking death? What good is seeing him?" Li Ruoxi whispered.

But the words on her lips would not come out.

This time, clearing her father's name admits no mistake; one misstep leads to endless errors.

Her father's wrongful case involved not just her; the Li family bore dozens of lives, even implicating the entire city of Pingcheng.

It was too heavy—so heavy that she carried the resolve to perish together, never to recover.

She moved her lips but still couldn't tell him the truth; withholding it was to protect him.

"What do you want to see Lord Gu for? Hurry up and leave!" Li Ruoxi flared, "Gu Kang is now called Iron-faced Yama; if he runs into you, who knows what trouble will arise—hurry and go!"

"I can't explain this situation clearly right now; wait a while, and whether I live or die, there will be an accounting."

"You have nothing to do with this; dragging you in would be utterly unjust."

Li Ruoxi truly couldn't explain anything to Zhang Liang; any explanation would bring him deadly danger.

The only solution was to take advantage of the present laxity outside and have him flee quickly, hide.

Gu Kang's methods are no joke; at this moment Zhang Liang ought not be here—after all, the fewer who know about the retrial, the better; it's literally walking on a knife's edge.

Unexpectedly, the more Li Ruoxi said this, the more firmly Zhang Liang believed one thing: his wife had betrayed him, hidden away by a high official in Jing Cheng.

His face also darkened as he stared at Li Ruoxi: "Ruoxi, have I ever despised you for coming from a brothel?"

"If you return to Yunzhou, I will marry you splendidly and give you the status of principal wife; have I ever uttered a single 'no'?"

"Now that you're leaving with someone, am I supposed to just let it go? You are my wife, not Lord Gu's wife—why should he just take you away? Even if he does, we should discuss it first..."

With a slap, Li Ruoxi struck Zhang Liang's face hard; his head turned aside, a flash of malice crossing his eyes.

Li Ruoxi's face turned ashen, her voice trembling as she pointed at Zhang Liang's nose: "So this is how you view me; when I first saw you, you knew propriety, understood advance and retreat, unlike those men—yet you..."

Li Ruoxi choked, unable to speak; initially she had put her entire fortune toward him.

Back then Zhang Liang was merely a poor village boy; the countryside had only two mu of thin fields, the silver for his trip to the capital for the exams was gathered by fellow villagers, fortunately he had a good uncle who, doing business in Longxi, could help him a bit.

After marrying her, Zhang Liang transformed into a wealthy merchant prominent even in Yunzhou.

Within a short year he entered Yunzhou's elite circle—not only him, but his parents and siblings now lived comfortably.

Never did he expect him to harbor such thoughts.

Li Ruoxi trembled with anger and shouted: "If you intend to ingratiate yourself with Lord Gu, I advise you to abandon this notion at once!"

"You know he hates me to the bone; if you're sensible, leave now and you might still save your life!"

Zhang Liang suppressed his rising anger; this was not the moment to turn against her.

After all, he hadn't yet achieved fame and fortune; he never imagined relying on a woman for a windfall—without her money, how could he have entered the Zhang household?

Among the three unfilial acts, lack of heirs is greatest; Li Ruoxi's inability to bear children is set, and no amount of money spent on the old Zhang family can change that.

"Wife, please calm down," Zhang Liang said, covering his face and smiling at Li Ruoxi, "I don't mean that, I..."

Suddenly hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard, along with a few people lowering their voices in greetings.

Subsequently the door of the warm pavilion was pushed open from outside, and a tall man in a dark cloak strode in.

Half his face was masked, giving an indescribably austere air.

He emerged from the dark night into the light, leaving endless darkness behind him.

Clearly one person, yet he seemed split in two—half in light, half plunged into the abyss.

Li Ruoxi and Zhang Liang both jumped to their feet, looking toward the entering Gu Kang.

"Lord Gu!" Li Ruoxi stepped forward and bowed to Gu Kang.

Zhang Liang almost stared stupidly; previously when he saw Gu Kang, it had been two years ago, and back then Gu Kang was merely a clueless playboy.

Now he could barely sit in the chair, yet the aura of a reigning minister burst forth.

Zhang Liang felt breathless after Gu Kang merely glanced at him.

He hurriedly followed behind his wife, trembling as he approached, cupping his fists and stammering: "Commoner... commoner pays respects to you, sir!"

Gu Kang's gaze lightly fell on Zhang Liang, his expression turning cold.

Yet he felt deeply uneasy; back then Li Ruoxi had ruined him, yet she ended up with such a fawning servant.

Li Ruoxi hadn't expected Gu Kang to arrive so quickly; she instinctively shielded Zhang Liang behind her, this reflex making Gu Kang's face grow even colder.

Li Ruoxi understood Gu Kang's purpose; her petition to the throne had not yet been filed, and if another unrelated person were dragged in, it would be bad.

At this time, Zhang Liang still hadn't realized the importance of the problem, and he couldn't see that a layer of killing intent had already shrouded Gu Kang's body.