Within the Gu Manor, everyone was in a state of panic and unease.
Among them, Madam Han was the most flustered, though she showed no outward signs of it.
"My lord, please do not be angry. Take care of your health. The Ninth Prince is a powerful figure, and we absolutely cannot afford to offend him."
Madam Han stood behind Gu Kun, massaging his back while using her handkerchief to wipe his mouth after he finished his medicinal soup. She appeared to be genuinely concerned for him.
However, her words were a subtle form of provocation, intended to enrage Gu Kun and thus ensure her own safety.
News had already spread that she had driven Gu Qianying and her mother out of the manor. As a mere woman, how could she possibly contend with the Ninth Prince, Nangong Mo?
She was the newly appointed Madam Han by the Master of the Gu family, and naturally belonged within the Gu Manor. Gu Kun, for the sake of his reputation, would not abandon her.
In the past, Gu Kun might have genuinely feared Nangong Mo to some extent. After all, with his influence and wealth, the Ninth Prince was a formidable figure not to be trifled with.
However, after aligning himself with the Crown Prince, his mindset had shifted, and he had become increasingly arrogant.
Furthermore, with the backing of another influential figure, he grew even more reckless.
In recent days, he had dispatched his subordinates to publicly abduct young, beautiful girls for his pleasure.
In addition, he had been subtly sabotaging upright court officials behind the scenes.
Currently, several officials who had spoken out against him before the Emperor had been imprisoned through Gu Kun's schemes, and some had even resigned under his relentless pressure.
Moreover, in secret, he had sent people disguised as prison guards to poison the meals of Old General Gu and Gu Yefeng. However, these insidious plans were gradually discovered and thwarted by Nangong Mo's agents, who implemented corresponding safety measures.
Of course, all those employed by Gu Kun in these endeavors had signed death contracts. Any who had attempted to poison Old General Gu and the others were to face death as atonement if their missions failed.
Consequently, Nangong Mo's men had been unable to gather evidence of Gu Kun's treasonous acts against the nation's pillars.
"Crash!"
Gu Kun slammed the teacup onto the ground, shattering it into two pieces.
"Detestable! Utterly detestable! Nangong Mo actually surrounded my estate with his men. What? Does he intend to annihilate our Gu clan?"
A disdainful smile played on his lips. "Heh! He is simply overestimating himself! Guards, bring forth the lowly slave I killed yesterday. Disfigure her face, then cast her out. Inform the Ninth Prince that the person he seeks has been killed by this lord. If he wants a living person, there is none. If he wants a corpse, he can take it back!"
With that, Gu Kun summoned another servant and commanded, "Take this token to the palace and find the Crown Prince. Tell him this lord invites His Highness to the manor for tea."
As he spoke, Gu Kun handed the token, bestowed upon him by Crown Prince Nan Rongqi, to the servant behind him.
The servant, having received the order, quickly scurried away.
Subsequently, Gu Kun asked Madam Han to prepare him another cup of fine tea and began to sip it leisurely.
Watching Gu Kun's unhurried demeanor, Madam Han inwardly cursed him as a fool, yet outwardly offered flattering words. Meanwhile, when Gu Kun was not paying attention, she signaled to a maid who had accompanied her to serve.
The maid understood and quickly and stealthily returned to prepare luggage and baggage.
Others in the manor were also quietly making their own hasty preparations.
On the other side.
When Nangong Mo saw the servant from the Gu Manor toss a female corpse outside the main gate and relay his lord's message, his face turned cold.
Beside him, Nangong Li was greatly astonished, and then began to wail tearfully, "Ninth Imperial Aunt, how could you have such a tragic fate..."
Suddenly, his wailing was coldly interrupted by Nangong Mo: "Silence, stop your howling. It's not her."
Nangong Li's lament ceased abruptly. He walked forward, kicked the "corpse" twice with his foot, then, with a cheerful wave of his fan, laughed heartily, "So it was a substitute! Haha, I knew it. How could that cunning woman Gu Qianying die so easily?"
"Storm the gates!"
Nangong Mo uttered these words unexpectedly.
Nangong Li blinked in surprise. "Ah? A'Mo, what did you say?"
"Storm the gates and demand the person!"
As Nangong Mo's command fell, the guards surrounding the Gu Manor's main gate cut down the sentries and entered with swords drawn.
Bai Qi pushed Nangong Mo into the manor.
Inside the Gu Manor, the maids and elderly servants who witnessed the guards killing people scattered in terror.
In the main hall.
Gu Kun, who had been contemplating when Crown Prince Nan Rongqi would arrive, was startled by the sound of the door being kicked open.
He looked towards the entrance and his entire demeanor changed for the worse.
"You... you... how did you get in?"
Seeing Nangong Mo, Nangong Li, and Bai Qi, Gu Kun stammered, unable to speak coherently. However, remembering that he now had the backing of the Crown Prince, he steadied his nerves and sternly declared, "What is the meaning of this? I have already handed over the person you seek. What more do you want?"
"Does Lord Gu truly believe that this prince and my Ninth Imperial Uncle are easily bullied? To think that throwing out a maid's corpse would suffice to dismiss us is to show utter disregard for this prince!"
He spun his fan in his palm, and with a flick of his wrist, the handle of the fan lightly brushed against the table Gu Kun was leaning on. With a flourish.
Swish, swish, swish!
Five or six iron needles appeared simultaneously.
They shot towards Gu Kun in unison.
Seeing this, Gu Kun quickly pushed the table back and leaned away to dodge.
Two slender iron needles flew past the edges of his ears and embedded themselves in the opposite wall.
The rest pierced into the tabletop.
Crack!
The table fractured, revealing a gap.
Gu Kun could no longer remain seated. He pushed himself up with his cane, shifting his right leg, which had been fitted with a prosthetic. With a hint of anger, he said, "Your Highness the Third Prince, although I am not as noble as you, I am, after all, a minister of the court. Are you not afraid of being reprimanded by the Emperor for treating me this way?"
"Heh heh!" Nangong Li burst into laughter upon hearing this, as if it were the greatest joke. "What kind of insignificant figure are you to think so highly of yourself! Let alone bullying you, if I were to kill you, do you think my father would punish me for the sake of an inconsequential minister like you?"
"Third Prince, even if the Emperor does not intervene, the Crown Prince will surely uphold justice for me."
"Hahaha!"
"Are you implying that the Crown Prince wields more power than my father?"
Gu Kun was speechless, his face flushed with anger. "You..."
Bang!
At that moment, a dark guard clad in a black robe unceremoniously threw in a woman bound by ropes.
As the woman was thrown in, a piece of white cloth was stuffed into her mouth.
"Madam Han, I heard that you were the one who drove Gu Qianying and her mother out of the manor?"