Master Yuan was grieving in his heart and was bent on finding Gu Qian to pay for his life, he only took a few steps forward with Master Zhang, farther away from the hearth, and could hear the words, stopping his feet, “What does Brother Zhang have to say!”
Seeing his grief, Master Zhang’s eyes flickered again, “What do you plan to do next?”
“Naturally, I’m going to make Gu Qian pay for his life.”
“Right, make that old thing pay for my sister’s life!”
Yuan Tong was also grief-stricken and his words were choked with sobs.
“It’s not right, when Gu Qian ordered the boy to come over and do it, it was you who agreed and you who personally brought the man back, you are not half and half responsible, but it’s impossible to make Gu Qian pay for his life.”
After hearing this, Yuan Tong’s hands clenched and his eyes blazed, “How can Uncle Zhang say that? Although the man was brought by my father, he Gu Qian forced him to do it, and my father had no choice.”
“Although you say that, it is a fact that your father brought the person back. If you insist on making the Gu family pay for his life, the Gu family will at best put out those two boys to take the blame, and there is nothing they can do about Gu Qian.”
“Then I will fight with them, I will never let my little sister die in vain.”
“Naturally, we can’t let Min’er die in vain.”
Master Zhang looked to Master Yuan, “I do have an idea, let’s sit down and talk slowly.”
Master Yuan was irritated by Yuan Min’s death at first, and his mind was only on making Gu Qian pay for her life. Now that he had heard Master Zhang say this, his out-of-control emotions eased a little and he led him to the flower hall in the main courtyard, and after taking his seat, he said, “What does Brother Zhang have to do to avenge Min’er’s death?”
“I am also grief-stricken by Min’er’s death. I am bent on figuring out a way to avenge Min’er’s death for Brother Yuan. As I said earlier, even with the coroner’s investigation, Gu Qian would not be too guilty and would be fine with a little silver money. The Gu family is so big and powerful that even if we dumped our two families’ financial resources, we might not be his rivals, so we cannot be the Gu family’s rivals, both in the light and in the dark.”
“Therefore, I have thought of a solution for Brother Yuan, why don’t we let the Gu family pay for it?
Yuan Tong disagreed, “How can my sister’s life be bought with money?”
“Don’t get excited yet, asking for silver is just a prelude, think about it, even if the Gu family is rich, if we take out two million taels at once, it will almost empty out the family’s bottom, then the Gu family will be devastated and gradually fall down, after that, we will join hands to deal with him, won’t it be as easy as that?”
“Even if the Gu family doesn’t fall, that old man Gu Qian won’t feel well in his heart, and may even become depressed and die. If only that silly boy is left, he might be able to wipe out the family business without us having to do anything. Wouldn’t it be more painful to think of him on his knees begging for mercy in front of us?”
Silence fell in the flower hall, and it was as if that scene really appeared before the eyes of the Yuan family’s father and son, especially Master Yuan, thinking of that day when he was pressed repeatedly by Gu Yi at the Gu family’s house, yet he had to accompany a smiling face, and gritted his teeth, “Brother Zhang is right, let’s do as you say.”
……
The Yuan family father and son went back to the county courthouse together with the coroner.
The county magistrate re-raised the court and Gu Qian knelt in the lobby as he had just done.
The magistrate had already returned to report to the County Magistrate, and he was not able to lead Dr. Yao in.
The magistrate had just sat down and slapped the wood of the hall heavily, “Yuan Cheng, the door of your house is very valuable, even the people I sent there can’t get in.”
Master Yuan had already heard the butler say what had just happened and kowtowed to the ground, “My daughter passed away suddenly, the whole family was very sad, especially the butler who grew up with my daughter, so he stopped people in his grief, please forgive him.”
The county magistrate did not really want to get angry.
“For the sake of your newly bereaved daughter, this official will not bother with him, but if there is a next time, the crime of death will be forgiven, but the crime of living will be hard to escape.”
“Thank you very much, Your Excellency.”
“Coroner, what is the result of the investigation?”
The coroner touched the silver ticket in his sleeve band.
“Your Lordship, Miss Yuan did go because she was too injured.”
The county magistrate slapped down the shocking wood again, “Gu Qian, what do you have to say?”
“I have nothing to say, I am at the mercy of Your Excellency.”
“Good, in that case, I will ……”
“My lord, wait!”
Master Yuan spoke out to stop it.
The county magistrate looked at him in surprise, after all, when he had just come, he could not wait to want Gu Qian to pay for his life on the spot, and now the pallbearer confirmed that Yuan Min had died from her injuries, and that it was entirely the Gu family’s responsibility.
This was going to convict Gu Qian, so how could he speak up to stop it again?
“My Lord ……”
Master Yuan took a step forward on his knees, “I am also responsible for the beating of Min’er, after all, I was the one who agreed to it in the first place, and I was also the one who brought the Gu family’s boy into the house. So, you can’t blame it all on the Gu family, moreover, Min’er has already gone, even if the Gu family is punished he won’t be able to return, so I want a private settlement.”
“Private?”
It was the first time the county magistrate had heard someone say a private settlement in front of him, and he was surprised.
“Yes.”
“But this private settlement I am talking about is not the private settlement that people say in the days of old, and I want Your Excellency to testify.”
Wouldn’t there be money to be had?
The magistrate came to be interested.
“Tell us your terms.”
“I have three conditions: one, the Gu family pays two million taels of silver ……”
The county magistrate couldn’t even hold back and drew a cold breath, instantly looking at Gu Qian. Seeing that he looked calm, not the least bit intimidated by the two million taels, his mind couldn’t help but speculate, just how rich was the Gu family?
“Two, the two execution boys of the Gu family are at my disposal.”
“Three, let Song Wan Yue and Gu Yi wear mourning for my daughter.”
“Who?”
The county magistrate didn’t hear him.
“Gu Yi’s fiancée – Song Wan Yue, this all started because of her.”
“Who is Song Wangyue?”
The magistrate who had led Song Wan Yue’s men to Yuan Gu stepped forward, “Your Lordship, it’s the younger sister of Song Jiu Ren.”
The county magistrate once again drew a breath of cold air.
Song Si had just won the imperial examination and was in the ascendancy, even he, the county magistrate, had to be courteous.
At this time, to have his sister wear mourning for Yuan Min? Yuan Cheng really dared to think about it.
He had heard that Song Si had won the imperial examinations, but he had never thought that Song Wan Yue would be his sister, but since he had already said it, there was no point in taking it back.
The mockery surfaced on Master Gu’s face, “Dare I ask Master Yuan, what crime has the Song family’s little girl committed? Was it that she should not have been pawning the jade bracelet? Or did she remain silent when she saw the jade bracelet being switched? Or did they allow the fellows in your pawnshop to bully them?”
“The cause of the incident was that you were not right-minded in your business and exchanged a bracelet worth a few taels for my Gu family’s ancestral bracelet.
