Chapter 455: with translation of chapter title

Gu Kang never imagined she would split the ledger into page after page, rolling each into a slip and hiding it in her waistband.

A flash of appreciation crossed Gu Kang's eyes; she was clever.

He took the ledger, flipping through page after page, and the more he looked, the graver his expression became.

Southern Qi had conducted two nationwide land surveys; during the first, Duke Duan was the emperor's favorite, overseeing land clearance in Yun Prefecture and producing fish-scale registers.

Originally, land clearance was meant to survey the nation's ownerless wasteland, register it, allocate it to self-cultivating farmers, and increase the Imperial Court's revenue.

But when the Duan family went to Yun Prefecture, they ended up confiscating and annexing large amounts of privately owned land as well.

In just three months, thousands upon thousands of people lost their land, were displaced, and became slaves of the Duan family.

The Duan family also locked those landless people in the iron mines to work as mine slaves, unpaid, receiving only a pittance of food and water each day, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Later, the local populace could no longer endure the torment; they banded together to go to Shang Jing to file a grievance, but before they even left their village they were brutally wiped out.

Those villagers were tortured for three days and three nights in front of others before being executed, and the Duan family told Emperor Longqing it was a suppression of rebels; for this, Longqing recorded military merit for the Duan family.

Nearly all of Yun Prefecture was turned by the Duan family into a hell on earth.

It was not until seven years ago, when Prince Rui Xiao Yin stationed troops in the city north of Qi Sha Gu, that the people of Yun Prefecture risked their lives to plead for his aid.

After all, the Imperial Uncle appeared at the time to hold high office, wield power over court and countryside, and enjoy the emperor's favor; although his temperament was bad, he had a strong sense of justice.

Accordingly, Xiao Yin led troops to Yun Prefecture and personally beheaded four of the Duan family members who were mining there.

He then submitted a memorial to the Imperial Court, requesting the emperor issue an edict for a second nationwide land clearance, focusing on Yun Prefecture.

After this incident, it is said that the Duan consort in the palace knelt all night in Emperor Longqing's Hall of Nourishing the Heart, and Duke Duan resigned his office and apologized.

Seeing that the Duan family's affairs were about to be overturned, a few days later Bei Di cavalry suddenly invaded the border and then turned toward Qi Sha Gu.

Immediately followed a shocking, heaven‑shaking atrocity that stunned court and countryside: the battle at Qi Sha Gu, in which Xiao Yin suffered a crushing defeat and disappeared.

The Duan family's army marched north, rescuing the populace from fire and water, and repelled this Bei Di incursion.

In the end, the land‑clearance case came to nothing, and the Third Prince, leading the Duan army, won fame in a single battle.

Pingcheng was massacred; this time the land of Pingcheng truly became ownerless wasteland, and the Duan family completely seized its fertile plains.

Seeing this, Gu Kang's face had sunk to its lowest, his long fingers clutching tightly at these already yellowed sheets of paper.

The words before his eyes seemed to have come alive, jumping and oozing a gloomy, bloody eeriness.

Back then he was still an inexperienced youth of the Gu clan, dressed in fine silks and jade, wearing luxurious robes, lounging on his maternal grandfather's piles of money and enjoying himself.

Little did he know that Pingcheng, a thousand li away, had become an isolated city ruled by ghosts and beasts.

The room fell into dead silence, save for Gu Kang's restrained breathing.

He felt his chest suffocating with difficulty; he gathered a mouthful of foul qi but could not release it.

Li Ruoxi also wept tears streaming down her face, because her father had secretly left this document, unwilling to collude with those wicked men in oppressing the populace, and thus met that fate.

She stared steadily at Gu Kang and whispered, "Sir Gu, is this evidence enough?"

Gu Kang exhaled heavily in a low voice: "Add a bit more."

Li Ruoxi did not understand what Gu Kang meant; not wanting him to, he dipped his finger in water and wrote two characters on the yang‑wood tabletop—"copper mine"!

Li Ruoxi's eyes flickered; Gu Kang gazed firmly at her and said, "Tomorrow morning we will beat the peace drum; when we file the grievance, I will bring you into the palace to see the emperor."

"When we state our case, there's no need to elaborate on how the Duan family seized civilian lands and bullied men and women."

Li Ruoxi now was confused; what did that mean?

"This time we came for the Pingcheng land‑clearance case; if we don't talk about land clearance, what else would we discuss?"

"Sir, this commoner woman doesn't understand; please, sir, give me a hint."

Gu Kang focused his gaze on her for a moment, then coldly laughed: "Back at the Plum Blossom Pavilion you were bright as ice and snow; how have you become so utterly foolish now?"

Li Ruoxi's cheeks flushed slightly, yet she drew a breath: "Please, sir, make it clear!"

Gu Kang raised his hand, pointing at the still‑wet watermark on the table, and said lightly: "The emperor was raised as if in a honey jar; although he went through the struggle for the throne, the empress dowager's methods are ruthless, and his younger brother, Prince Rui, is decisive in slaughter—so he easily took that seat."

Gu Kang lifted his gaze to Li Ruoxi, the corner of his mouth twitching with mockery: "He does not understand the people's suffering, but he is extremely suspicious."

"You don't speak of land clearance, you speak of the people; you don't speak of hardship, you speak of mineral resources; you don't speak of livelihood, you speak of—"

Gu Kang smiled: "Just say that the Duan family forced refugees in Pingcheng to work in the copper mine, where they discovered many privately cast coins and weapons; speak only of this, speak much, speak grandly, speak especially—"

"Put that way, the Duan family is surely doomed; even the empress dowager cannot save them—do you understand?"

Li Ruoxi's eyes instantly brightened.

She understood.

Gu Kang was driving the Duan family toward the path of rebellion; this time the Third Prince, with the support of the Duan army, would rebel.

If the empress dowager used her authority to suppress it, perhaps the Duan family might still be saved.

Emperor Longqing might yield to the empress dowager's pressure, and since he also shares some blood ties with the Duan family, he would leave them a way out.

But if Emperor Longqing knew that as early as seven years ago the Duan family had already been preparing rebellion, and had long plotted it, which emperor could tolerate that?

This time the Duan family is certainly doomed.

Hope ignited in her heart, and she thumped to her knees before Gu Kang.

"Thank you for your guidance, Sir Gu; this humble woman will beat the peace drum tomorrow and speak exactly as you instructed."

Gu Kang stared firmly at the resolute Li Ruoxi before him, his brows slightly knitting.

This woman likely has not yet grasped the full weight of filing a grievance; she could never imagine what tomorrow will bring her.

As for how the road ahead will go, whether they can preserve their lives—even Gu Kang has no certainty, let alone her.

Gu Kang's brows furrowed; he rose and helped her to her feet.

This was the first time they had touched after being apart for so long.

Initially Li Ruoxi was a heavenly star, a fairy of the nine heavens.

Gu Kang had nearly expended all his wealth and life, merely hoping to share a room with her, to hear her sing and play her instrument, yet they had never enjoyed even the slightest skin‑to‑skin contact.

Even if he merely watched Li Ruoxi play the zither, he felt content.

Who would have thought that the woman he had lavishly supported would actually plunge him into eternal ruin.

At this moment he ought not to have felt any sympathy for her; he should have made her taste that pain, yet Gu Kang felt no pleasure, only a heaviness in his heart so deep he could wring water from it.

"Li Ruoxi, I ask you one last question: are you afraid of death? Are you afraid of pain?"

"Li Ruoxin stared, then gave a bitter laugh: 'If the person closest to you in this world were killed right before your eyes, would you still fear pain and death?'"

Gu Kang frowned slightly, then slowly stepped back and bowed to Li Ruoxi.

Li Ruoxi hastily turned aside, frightened and at a loss, not daring to accept the salute of this present powerful minister.

Gu Kang slowly said, "As an official, I thank the maiden on behalf of the countless wronged souls who died unjustly in Pingcheng. Miss Li Ruoxi, take care."