Chapter 127: The Gentleman Acts Upon Opportunity

The eldest young master of the Zhuo family hurriedly sent someone to ask for leave. He would not be on duty today; he had to follow the old master.

He was worried!

The old master's state was far too agitated.

Had he taken some miraculous elixir and finally pulled through?

Previously, it was the same acupuncture and medicine, so why hadn't there been such a good therapeutic effect?

It couldn't be that Wen Gu had brought some divine medicine, could it?

Or perhaps, this "divine medicine" was actually some kind of stimulus?

Something that provoked the old master to "startle awake from a deathbed illness"?

The eldest young master was filled with suspicion and unease; when he asked the servants in the residence who were closer to the old master, not one of them would make a sound.

This eerie collective behavior had the feeling of a calm before a storm, making the eldest young master panic uncontrollably.

He dared not stop the old master, so he could only seize a gap to pull over an attendant who was following the old master to ask.

This attendant had been the old master's Book Boy since he was young; he was an absolute confidant and knew quite a few things.

"What is going on? What about the 'Way of the Gentleman' the old master was spouting all the time a while ago? Why is he suddenly acting on impulse!" the eldest young master asked urgently in a low voice.

The attendant gave a hint in a low voice: "A gentleman acts when he sees the opportunity!"

The eldest young master took a deep breath.

【Act upon seeing the opportunity, without waiting for the day to end.】

Spot the opportunity and go for it; if you're going to hit someone, just hit them—do you really need to pick a different day!

——That's what it means, right?

He's going to stir up trouble!

Watching as the old master had already led people out the door, the eldest young master hurriedly followed.

He was panicked!

I know you've been stimulated, old man, and perhaps you've been stirred into high spirits, but please don't be impulsive! Don't get excited again!

You are still a patient!

Patients need to watch their emotions!

"Father, calm down! Restrain yourself! Cough, are you tired? How about taking a carriage..."

The old master raised his hand: "Get out of my way!" Don't hinder me from performing!

The eldest young master, pushed to the side, felt the strength of that shove.

"... He actually has quite a bit of strength."

The old master looked to be in decent condition, but he still had to be treated with caution.

The eldest young master could not stop him, so he could only continue to follow.

Full of worry, he simultaneously analyzed the ins and outs of this change in his mind.

It definitely had something to do with Wen Gu; these two had reached some kind of consensus in secret.

Who on earth are you two trying to target?!

The eldest young master had a second thought: it seemed someone had wanted to step on Wen Gu a while ago.

The He family?

Are they going to go up against the He family again?

Back when the world wasn't in chaos, in Huangcheng, Prime Minister Zhuo didn't think much of the He family, and the relationship between the two families had never been very good.

But times were different now; surely they wouldn't just march over to their door like this?

We don't even have any conflict with the He family right now.

The eldest young master had his suspicions, but he didn't ask them aloud.

Based on his understanding of the old master, even if he were impulsive, he wouldn't do something without confidence. This timing he had chosen...

He observed the passing pedestrians, looking to see if there were any suspicious targets on the road ahead.

Prime Minister Zhuo led his people out, not riding a horse or sitting in a carriage, but walking forward on foot.

As for the people on the road, as long as they recognized him, the head-turning rate was one hundred percent.

Their eyes were full of shock.

This...

Prime Minister Zhuo is still alive?

He can even get up and walk?!

He had lacked presence for so long that they had almost forgotten him. Rumor had it he only had one breath left, yet he actually pulled through?

On a main thoroughfare leading to Zhao Fu, a sedan chair carried by four men sat steadily in the middle.

The sedan bearers and guards fanned out, blocking more than half the road.

At this hour, those who were on duty had already passed. Other passersby who saw this didn't dare to offend them, so they could only skirt the edges, silently grumbling in their hearts while simultaneously feeling a bit of curiosity to watch the spectacle.

One cannot watch the spectacles of the nobility from up close, so those who weren't in a hurry slowed their pace once they reached a safe distance, curiously peering over that way.

"Which noble is this?"

There was no need to look at the surrounding sedan bearers and guards; just by looking at the style and materials of the sedan chair, it was definitely the travel entourage of someone with a noble status.

An Idler nearby recognized it and said with certainty: "It's Master He's sedan chair!"

These street-roamers who frequented the wards were the most skilled at recognizing people and vehicles.

In other words, they could accurately identify someone just by looking at the vehicle model and license plate.

When the people nearby heard it was Master He, those who were well-informed already understood the situation through the exchange of glances.

"That person is likely going to Zhao Fu at this hour too, right?" someone pointed toward the direction of Jingxing Fang.

A buzzing sound of discussion gradually rose in the surroundings, and more and more people were paying attention to the situation here.

However, the people blocking the road remained very calm, one by one.

Sitting inside the sedan chair, He Daye had his eyes slightly closed, nonchalantly toying with an exquisite and delicate gold incense sachet.

Wen Gu would go to Zhao Fu every few days, and the time was usually about the same; these were not secrets.

Therefore, normally speaking, it wouldn't be long before Wen Gu's carriage passed through here. Unless he intentionally avoided it, finding an excuse to stagger the time.

That would be fine too; the people of Xinzhou City would all know that Wen Gu had shown weakness!

By that time, if they guided some rumors, they could achieve their goal.

He truly wanted to step on Wen Gu to make a name for himself.

In this era where information is stagnant, reputation is very useful.

Just like how Zhao Laoda valued Wen Gu before, using the newspaper to build a reputation for him first.

Background and prestige are both related to one's future and the overall situation!

In the past, if commoners wanted to enter officialdom, they could only take the path of the imperial examinations. But for the powerful and wealthy to secure positions for their family members, there was more than just this one path.

Furthermore, what kind of position one seeks and what kind of merit one achieves—there is a lot of room for maneuvering here.

As long as the family puts in the effort to operate, even a good-for-nothing can be packaged into a talent.

Now that it is a chaotic time, many methods cannot be deployed; after choosing and picking, he set his sights on Wen Gu.

Regarding the overall situation in Xinzhou, this is just a small matter; afterwards, he can run to Zhao Laoda to express his apologies, saying he was only instigated and couldn't hold back for a moment.

This level of incident, compared to the overall situation, is not yet worth the Zhao Family taking it seriously.

He Daye recalled.

In the two previous probes of Jingxing Fang, the people around Wen Gu who exerted effort were just two street ruffians.

The He Daye had neither received a warning from Zhao Fu, nor had any powerful figure come forward to intercede.

"That brat doesn't have good connections."

In this Xinzhou City, there are many people who want to see Wen Gu make a fool of himself.

These two days he has also been paying attention to the movements in the city, to prevent any changes in the situation. In this matter, he is still two parts cautious.

Indeed, he hadn't seen any person of status stand out, though some irrelevant gossip had reached his ears. He heard that the Zhuo family side was deathly silent, and that old rival surnamed Zhuo seemed to be about to kick the bucket.

The corners of He Daye's mouth curled up.

After analyzing back and forth, he reached a conclusion: the advantage is with me!

At this moment, one person stood at the very front of the procession; this person was the number one lackey by He Daye's side.

His posture carried two parts idleness, three parts arrogance, and five parts of sinister malice, waiting for a good show to unfold.

The sun rose higher, and the atmosphere among the passing pedestrians and the onlookers nearby was vaguely restless.

The He Daye's personal attendant pricked up his ears to listen.

Although the group not far away kept their voices low and he heard them vaguely, based on his rich experience, he could infer that someone in the crowd was placing bets!

Sigh, if it were possible, he would also like to place a bet, wagering his entire fortune, just to gamble on...

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly saw a figure up ahead.

After all, he was a personal attendant by He Daye's side; when he was in Huangcheng before, he frequented many high-end occasions, and he could recognize those nobles with status.

It was precisely because he recognized them that he was so shocked!

At this moment, his eyes were wide open, as if he had seen a ghost.

The figure coming toward this side from the front was not tall, nor sturdy, and certainly not young. At first glance, there was even a clear, sickly frailty.

But even across such a long distance, the gaze projected from the opposite side was still terrifyingly sharp!

The person in front walked closer step by step; the He Daye's attendant couldn't even maintain a normal expression, and as if triggered, he retreated step by step.

Soon, he retreated to the side of the sedan chair, leaned in, and whispered to the person inside: "M-Master! How about... we call it a day today?"

A short sentence, spoken with stammers and trembling.

Inside the sedan chair.

He Daye opened his eyes.

His trusted aide had followed him for many years; as soon as the other party made a sound, he knew what kind of nonsense was coming.

At this moment, He Daye sneered.

"With your cowardly look, who exactly is out there? Look at how scared you are..."

He Daye pushed aside the sedan curtain and looked over.

His gaze froze instantly.

Damn! Seen a ghost!!

(End of this chapter)