Chapter 1427

"But I heard them say you are a good official..."

"I followed you for a day, saw you patrolling the farmland outside the city, saw you sitting on the ridge chatting with your subordinates about the important matters of spring plowing, saw you sharing your own rations with that little girl..."

Su Gu's eyes widened suddenly.

"I feel that in the world today, there are not many good officials like Administrator Su."

"So I decided to help you."

Duan Yu said, turning his gaze to Zhang Lu's corpse on the side: "The lives of Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu, as well as the lives of your entire family, can be considered the reward for your integrity and dedication to the people over these years."

"Your family, I have already settled them."

"Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu, I have also killed them for you."

"Now, I am leaving. If you want to capture me to earn merit and send me to Liu Yan, I do not object; you are welcome to try."

"Of course, I am not Zhang Lu, nor am I Liu Yan; I cannot resort to the method of threatening you with your family. You can rest assured about that."

"And to everyone present... those who want to earn merit, you can come at me now. Zhang Lu is already dead, and I have nothing in my hands to threaten you with. You can also try to make a move."

"See if you can keep me here."

The cold wind from outside the hall blew in.

The candles in the hall flickered.

Standing on the steps, Duan Yu in his black robe looked down from above.

In the entire hall, except for Su Gu, no one dared to look up at Duan Yu.

The expression on Su Gu's face went from shock to helplessness.

By now, Su Gu had already guessed the ins and outs of the whole affair.

The so-called handwritten letter from Fa Yan in Zhang Lu's hand had fallen to the ground, already stained with the blood flowing from Zhang Lu's body.

If Su Gu had questioned whether the content was true or if it was a groundless charge Liu Yan intended to use to frame him from the moment Zhang Lu produced the letter,

by now, Su Gu had already figured it out.

That letter was undoubtedly real.

It was undoubtedly a handwritten letter written by Fa Yan, but...

But that letter was never meant to be delivered to him in the first place.

Being able to become an Administrator of two thousand *dan*, not corrupt, and diligent in administration did not mean Su Gu was not smart.

If he were not smart, he would not have reached his current position.

Clearly, this was a strategy of alienation to seize Hanzhong.

Duan Yu used Fa Yan's handwritten letter, using the relationship of being fellow townsmen and friends between the two, to "deliver" this handwritten letter into Liu Yan's hands.

When Liu Yan saw this letter, he would inevitably have suspicions.

Coupled with the fact that Hanzhong's location was crucial to Yizhou, even if this letter were not true, Liu Yan would definitely send someone to replace him.

Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu was merely an insignificant sacrificial lamb.

Duan Yu had long ago determined that Liu Yan would inevitably find someone to replace him, and thus this scene of entering Hanzhong alone, waiting here to close the net, came to be.

Now it was time to close the net.

Although Duan Yu said he was leaving,

but if Duan Yu left, what would happen to him?

Duan Yu appeared in Hanzhong and personally killed Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu.

Under the eyes of everyone, how could he silence these voices?

If he had a shred of innocence before Duan Yu appeared, then after Duan Yu appeared, he had no hope of explanation.

Even if the whole world did not believe he had any involvement with Duan Yu,

Liu Yan would not believe it, the world would not believe it, and everyone in the room would not believe it.

He had no way to explain all of this.

Now, there was only one path left before Su Gu.

That was to follow Duan Yu's plan and go all the way to the end.

Otherwise... Hanzhong would no longer have a place for him.

However...

However, fortunately, although it was widely rumored that Duan Yu's methods were brutal, it was also a fact that Duan Yu loved the people like his own children.

The changes in Liangzhou over these years were visible to the whole world.

Duan Yu's success today was not just because of his own ability; a large part of the reason was that Duan Yu's benevolent governance in Liangzhou had won the hearts of the people.

Su Gu took a deep breath, then raised his hands in a bow and said: "Your Highness, King of Liang, your subordinate Su Gu requests that the King of Liang take Hanzhong." ===== CHAPTER 1429 =====