Chapter 465: with translation of chapter title

The Zhang family never expected that Gu Kang would actually strike so ruthlessly; they were frightened to the point of their liver and gallbladder bursting.

Especially Madame Wang, who came from the countryside, had never seen such a scene; she fell to her knees with a thud, begging repeatedly, and confessed everything about how she and the Zhang family, together with Zhang Liang, had defrauded Li Ruoxi of her money.

Gu Kang gave a cold smile and said, "Do you really think the Zhang family can act lawlessly?"

According to the laws of Southern Qi, those who commit fraudulent marriage with serious circumstances shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane! Men, strike!

Madame Zhang flew into a rage, sobbing as she cursed, but she hadn't expected her mouth to already been beaten to a pulp; she cursed and cursed yet could not utter a word.

Zhang Zhe on the side was also stunned, hastily raising his neck and said, "Gu Kang, as an imperial court official, do you really take human life so lightly?"

"I will file an imperial complaint! Accusing you of abusing private punishment and disregarding the laws of the imperial court!"

Gu Kang looked at him coldly, the corner of his mouth curling into a ruthless smile: "Zhang Liang, you seem to have truly forgotten what I did before I became an official?"

"Have you never heard of the title of the number one playboy in the capital?"

"Law? I am the law! Men, strike!"

Zhang Liang's face instantly turned deathly pale; he lifted his head and stared in disbelief at the man before him.

First release website htt

He stood in the deepening twilight, the lights around him flickering on, swaying back and forth with the wind, the corners of his robe swaying slightly, like a judge come from hell.

As it turned out, he had never been a good person; he was neither wholly good nor wholly evil, truly hard to discern.

Suddenly, wails of misery echoed from the courtyard; they were the people Gu Kang had brought out from the Ministry of Justice and the Criminal Department, experienced hands.

Thirty strokes of the cane sometimes cause only external injuries, sometimes internal injuries; after returning home, a few days later one could be well enough to ride a crane westward—the kind that means death.

They couldn't even endure ten strokes; Madame Zhang and Madame Wang fainted, while Zhang Liang kept begging for mercy.

"Ruoxi! Ruoxi! A day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace; save me! Save me! I was wrong to deceive you out of your money; I'll return it, I admit my fault! Please!"

"Sir Gu! Release me, I'll immediately take my people and leave! I won't bother you two any longer! I'll leave right away! Right away!"

Gu Kang said lightly: "Too late!"

Li Ruoxi closed her eyes, turned and walked out of the courtyard; the courtyard was already filled with wails, the only one spared being Zhang Liang's son, though he too was frightened enough to be speechless.

Seeing Li Ruoxi walk out of the courtyard, Gu Kang turned, raised his hand, and seized her arm.

"What? Are you reluctant, or can't bear to watch?"

Li Ruoxi's body trembled slightly; she wanted to say something, but in the end she still didn't know how to begin.

She had now avenged the great grudge of the Li family, the false case in Pingcheng was laid bare; despite all her scheming, she ended up alone and kinless, and even the man she loved deeply had actually been calculating her money.

At that moment, she actually felt that nothing held any meaning.

She wrenched her arm free from Gu Kang's grasp, bowed to him with a bitter smile: "Thank you, Sir, for upholding justice for this common woman; this common woman kowtows to thank you."

Li Ruoxi slowly knelt down.

Gu Kang lowered his brows slightly, his eyes deep and cold as he looked at Li Ruoxi kneeling before him and kowtowing; the anger in his heart flared up, but he had to suppress it deep inside.

He let out a cold laugh and then ignored her.

Li Ruoxi rose, staggered out of the courtyard gate; at that moment her frail figure hid in the dusk, revealing utter despair and desolation.

After being beaten, the Zhang family was sent by Gu Kang's men directly to the Yunzhou prefect; seeing that his own jurisdiction's troublemaker had dared to provoke a senior official like Gu Kang, the prefect would not let them off, and instead imprisoned the whole Zhang family, assigning other relatives to raise Zhang Liang's son.

Ordered officials investigated thoroughly, and all the property that the Zhang family had taken from Li Ruoxi was recovered in full.

For a time, the Zhang Liang fraudulent marriage case caused an uproar throughout Yunzhou; this family was truly detestable to the extreme, and the Zhang name was utterly ruined.

After settling all this, the Yunzhou prefect sent the recovered banknotes, land deeds, house contracts, and other financial documents via courier to Gu Kang in the capital.

He also carefully wrote a ten-thousand-word confession, saying that under his administration such a troublemaker had appeared, and as a local official he felt especially guilty, etc.

Now Gu Kang is the top favorite beside the emperor; he has even begun to suppress the number one clan under heaven, the Duan family, and even the Empress Dowager in the palace must avoid his sharpness.

Such a person is hardly something a petty Yunzhou prefect can handle; therefore his letters are written with extra earnestness, repeatedly regretting, hoping Gu Kang will give him a way to live.

Gu Kang only replied with a single "good," and incidentally had the extra thirty thousand taels of silver notes the Yunzhou prefect had given him sent back by courier.

He knew exactly how much silver Li Ruoxi had taken to the Zhang household; this extra thirty thousand taels of silver was likely hush money the Yunzhou prefect had bribed him with.

Gu Kang returned it all intact and untouched; his reputation in the Southern Qi officialdom is extraordinarily peculiar.

He loves neither food nor clothing, neither silver nor calligraphy and painting, nor beauties (except Li Ruoxi); he loves nothing, desiring nothing, seeking nothing.

Yet when he acts, he is decisive and lethal, striking with deadly intent.

Those officials who wanted to bribe him found they had no opening.

His only activity is to linger around Mr. Wen, but Mr. Wen himself is an immovable giant stone of the azure heavens.

In a short time, once the Duan case was solved, Gu Kang was hailed by the citizens of Shang Jing as "Gu Qing Tian," and the Emperor Longqing regarded him as a loyal and eminent minister, his fame rising swiftly.

Gu Kang looked at the box before him, which contained all the things Li Ruoxi had accumulated over the years; at a glance he saw the few southern pearls inside, and his eyes flickered slightly.

He raised his hand, his long fingers pinching out a southern pearl, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

These pearls were the very ones he had originally given her, meant to win a beauty's smile, to hear her play a lovely lady's song, a ballad of the red dust; now, after winding about, they have come back to face him.

He drew a breath: "Men! Take the box and send it to Miss Li!"

"Yes!" The guards from both sides hurried forward to embrace the box, but Gu Kang raised his hand to block them.

Several people looked at each other, not knowing what new idea Gu Kang had.

Gu Kang slowly rose and said: "Prepare the carriage; I will go myself."

Gu Kang rode in a carriage, bringing the box to a courtyard behind the Red Fragrance Courtyard; this was the courtyard Li Ruoxi had previously bought for herself, and even after following Zhang Liang to Yunzhou, she had not sold it.

These days, when Li Ruoxi came to the capital, aside from recuperating at Gu Jiu Ling's place, she mostly stayed here.

Gu Kang had long since investigated these matters thoroughly; now he oversees the prisons of all Southern Qi, the sword in Emperor Longqing's hand, and he controls many overt and covert forces—there is no way he could fail to discover Li Ruoxi's whereabouts.

Gu Kang ordered people to carry the box behind him, walking along the backstreet of the Red Fragrance Courtyard inward, all the way to a courtyard.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door; the door was actually ajar, Gu Kang frowned deeply, feeling something was off.

He kicked the door open and stepped inside, only to see the courtyard spotless; a begonia was in full bloom, yet its petals had fallen to the ground.

Nowhere was there a person; it was obvious the place had been cleaned, the rooms were empty, and all the movable belongings and soft items were gone.

Gu Kang panicked and rushed into the main house.

Bang! The door of the house was shoved open hard by Gu Kang; the warm pavilion was neat and tidy, still faintly scented with the tea Li Ruoxi loved most.

The bed was also neat, with a crabapple blossom placed on the table, a plain sheet of paper pressed underneath.

Gu Kang picked up the plain paper; Li Ruoxi's handwriting on it was delicate and beautiful.

If she hadn't encountered that false accusation from the Li family, she would surely have been a lovely, spirited girl, and her marriage would doubtless have been fine—after all, her talent and looks were top-notch.

She might have married into an official's family, the couple exchanging verses and being affectionate, but she would never have been his, Gu Kang's.

After all, he's just a good-for-nothing playboy!

She must have always looked down on him, right?

Gu Kang stared fixedly at the words on the paper, his eyes red.

"To Young Master Gu…"