Chapter 1496: Ergouzi is the Mastermind

"Chairman Huo has come, and Chairman Huo said he would do his best to get me out; he really is a good man..." Gu Zhihao looks at everyone as if they are good people, but right now, only he, this good man, is trapped in prison.

Zichen's heart skipped a beat.

Huo Zhenteng is there at every critical juncture; is this person definitely kind-hearted?

Not necessarily.

But he did not say too much to his master; saying too much would be beyond his master's understanding and would only cause extra psychological burden, which was unnecessary.

Zichen comforted him: "Master, don't worry. We will do everything we can on the outside to get you out as soon as possible."

"Mm-hmm."

Gu Zhihao said to Zichen: "You must get me out early. The food in here is too poor. And those people in the hospital—even if I have to go bankrupt to compensate them..."

The meaning behind his words was that he wanted to take everything upon himself.

Gu Zhihao is not a bad person, but he always thinks of things too simply; he is simple-minded and assumes others are just as simple as he is.

This matter is not as easy as he thinks; there must be someone behind the scenes causing trouble. After leaving the detention center, Zichen already had a plan in mind: he would open a breach through Chen Xiang.

He went to Chen Family Village to investigate, preparing to have a chat with Chen Xiang, but that person no longer knew where to go.

Chen Family Village is now in a state of total chaos.

The once-thriving village is now desolate, with not a single guest left.

With no business to do, the villagers gather in twos and threes to discuss what they should do in the future!

But the more they discuss, the more panicked they become, and the more they talk, the more lost they feel about the future.

Some impatient young people have even returned to the city to work.

And the reason the villagers are like this is inseparable from the "contribution" of one person.

This person is Chen Jinyin—Ergouzi.

Ergouzi returned and scurried all over the village, speaking ill of Gu Zhihao. Those who were easily swayed were bewitched by him, felt he was right, and also began to be dissatisfied with the Village Chief.

They even felt that it would have been better to sell the village back then; selling it would have at least brought in a sum of money, which would be better than living in fear as they are now.

But there are still clear-headed people; they hope more than anything that the Village Chief will be released safe and sound so the village can successfully weather this crisis!

The village is in a state of depression, and Chen Ergou is jumping around, urging everyone to sell their houses and their land.

Soon, a new rumor spread in the village that Gu Zhihao would never get out in this lifetime and would be sentenced to death.

Their windows were smashed, and some people even threw bricks at their house in the middle of the night.

Shi Youxuan asked her sister to take the children to her house to hide for a while.

"I'm not going. I'm not going anywhere. I'll wait at home for Zhihao to return!"

Shi Yuke refused to go to the Sheng Family.

"Auntie, you should go. Look at the state of the house now; it's not safe for you and the children to be here," Zichen urged.

Yulong and Meiyin have both entered puberty, and children of that age are the most sensitive. In just two days, they have already gotten into several fights with classmates; if this continues, I'm afraid it will leave psychological shadows.

Lao Qi and Nianyin have focused their work abroad for the past few years, and the children have always lived with the Gu Family.

Sheng Jiang and Wang Yinghao are also going to be picked up; it would be better to go together to avoid staying in the village and facing those rumors.

But Shi Yuke insisted: "I know you are doing this for our own good, but you don't need to persuade me. I will not go to your house. Your Xi Fu and I have walked through so many storms together over the years; if we can't even withstand this little test, then I have truly lived in vain."

"It is not necessarily a bad thing for children to experience storms and the malice of human nature early on. Large trees cannot grow in a greenhouse. The suffering a person must endure in this life is destined; it is better to suffer early than late!"

Zichen could not persuade her, so he could only ask his mother for help, asking her to try persuading her again.

But Shi Youxuan told him there was no need to persuade her further; investigating the truth as soon as possible would be the best way to help his aunt.

Very well, Zichen began to focus wholeheartedly on finding Chen Xiang.

Zichen took Ergouzi as his breakthrough point. He felt it was very suspicious that Ergouzi had returned at this time, so he had people follow him. Sure enough, he was acting sneakily, going out alone to the city and entering an apartment.

After Ergouzi went in, he didn't come out for over an hour.

When he went in, he was carrying two large bags of food and various daily necessities in both hands; when he came out, he was also carrying trash.

After throwing the trash into the bin, Ergouzi drove away. Zichen put on a mask and went to the trash bin to retrieve the trash bag he had just thrown away.

Cigarette butts, instant noodle cups, liquor bottles, takeout containers...

The owner of the trash should be a man.

Ergouzi is sneaking around to meet a man?

This man is very likely Chen Xiang.

He guessed correctly; this apartment is Chen Xiang's hideout. But he did not alert the enemy; instead, he asked his father for help to see if they could obtain evidence of their collusion.

Zichen didn't know what method his father used to get a video of Ergouzi and Chen Xiang together.

The two were talking about matters related to Gu Zhihao.

The diarrhea of the people at the wedding banquet was caused by poison administered by Chen Xiang.

It would make people vomit and have diarrhea, causing them suffering and discomfort, but it would not leave any sequelae, let alone be fatal!

They deliberately framed Gu Zhihao for the sake of the Resort and the Gu Family Cookbook.

Ergouzi promised that once the heat died down in a couple of days, he would give him money and a passport to go abroad. By then, no one would know, and this black pot would be firmly placed on Gu Zhihao's head.

With this evidence, things were easy to handle. Gu Zhihao was released that very day, and both Ergouzi and Chen Xiang were arrested.

In the detention center, Ergouzi took everything upon himself, saying he was the mastermind.

Because the circumstances were heinous, involving framing and malicious intent, Ergouzi was sentenced to three years in prison, and Chen Xiang, as an accomplice, was sentenced to two years.

Although Ergouzi admitted to being the mastermind, Zichen felt things were not that simple.

He wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly, but he didn't have that much time; he had already taken a week off and would have to return to school soon.

He said to his father: "I feel Ergouzi is not the mastermind; there must be someone else behind him."

If the mastermind is not rooted out, his master will still be in danger and will be plotted against again in the future.

Given his master's intelligence, he's the type who would help count the money for the person who sold him!

For this kind of matter, someone else must help him find the true mastermind behind the scenes; otherwise, the trouble in the future will also be someone else's.

If he cannot solve the problem himself, he will come to find you when trouble arises.

Sheng Hanyu highly approved of his son's analysis; it was exactly what he had been thinking.

He said to his son, "You don't need to worry about the rest; leave it to me."

"Thank you, Dad."

"No need to thank me."

"Zichen, come back and help Dad after you graduate. You are the eldest son of the Sheng Family, and the Clan's business should be managed by you."

Zichen grew anxious and hurriedly declined: "That won't do, Dad. Haven't you already been grooming Zirui to be the successor of the Clan? You cannot change your orders overnight; this is also not conducive to the stability and unity between us brothers."

"Zirui is more suited than I am to manage the Clan's business; I only want to be a cook."