freenovelworld Chapter 721 We have our own path!
Chapter 721 We have our own path!
The wind was strong, and Gu Qingchen barely had to exert any effort before the eagle took flight, soaring high into the sky and quickly becoming a tiny black dot.
Gu Qingchen tilted his head back, gripping the spool tightly in his hand, letting the silk thread slip swiftly through his fingers.
She gazed at the kite soaring in the sky, a touch of envy rising in her heart. How wonderful it would be if she could be like that kite, breaking free from all constraints and flying far away.
Just as she was engrossed in watching, her grip suddenly loosened, and with a crisp "snap," the taut kite string snapped.
The eagle struggled and swayed in the air for a few moments before losing all support and plummeting towards a secluded corner of the Duke's mansion.
"Ugh!" Gu Qingchen stomped her foot in frustration, dropped the spool of thread, and chased after him, lifting her skirt.
That corner was extremely secluded, and few people usually came here.
Gu Qingchen pushed aside the waist-high weeds, intending to pick up the kite that had fallen to the base of the wall, when she suddenly heard two maids whispering to each other from the other side of the wall.
"Have you heard? It's that young master Lin who used to come to our mansion. He's now working in the Jingzhao Prefecture, and he's quite impressive."
“Prestigious? I think it’s a disaster!” Another voice was full of disdain and pity. “My nephew lives in the east of the city and saw it with his own eyes.”
"In order to curry favor with that wealthy merchant Huang, Young Master Lin insisted on taking a case and awarded the entire family business and skills of Old Carpenter Li to that merchant!"
"Is that so? I heard that old carpenter Li's skills are so renowned that they're even registered in the palace. How could this be?"
"How could he not! Officials have two mouths. Young Master Lin quoted classics and spoke eloquently. Who could argue with him? Poor old carpenter Li and his family, now they have lost their shop and their livelihood. I heard they have been kicked out and are desperate!"
Lin Jiayou, who was gentle and refined and always spoke of benevolence and morality, was actually such an opportunist who bullied the good and kind.
Gu Qingchen felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger.
She no longer cared about picking up the tattered kite. She turned around abruptly, lifted her skirt, and stormed angrily toward Gu Lu's study.
"Brother!" She kicked open the door, startling Lawyer Gu, who was looking at the case files.
"There are rumors that Lin Jiayou drove an old craftsman to desperation in order to curry favor with a wealthy businessman. Is that true?" Her eyes were red, and her voice trembled slightly with anger.
Gu Lu put down the file in his hand, looked at her with a calm expression, and showed no surprise.
"It's true." He nodded, confirming the rumor.
Seeing that Gu Qingchen looked like he was about to rush out to settle scores, Gu Lu added, "That wealthy businessman has some secret connection with the faction of the Third Prince who fell from power before."
"Lin Jiayou's actions were not only about doing favors, but also about finding a new backer for himself and severing old ties. His methods were indeed ruthless and left no room for compromise."
Gu Qingchen stopped in his tracks.
For the first time, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness. She had always believed that most of the injustices in the world could be resolved with fists.
Faced with this evil hidden behind power, she didn't know where to swing her fist.
She walked out of the study in a daze and bumped into Qian Zhenyun, who was carrying a food box, in the courtyard.
"What's wrong? Who upset you again?" Qian Zhenyun asked with concern, looking at her pale face.
Gu Qingchen grabbed his arm as if it were her last lifeline and asked urgently, "Qian Gungun, what should we do if someone is bullied and the government is being misled?"
Qian Zhenyun looked at the rage in her eyes that seemed to be burning her up, but did not answer directly.
He silently picked up the forgotten broken kite from behind her and led her to sit down on a stone bench.
He didn't spout any grand principles; he simply took out his small knife, skillfully scraped the two broken ends of the thread to create rough edges, and then carefully reconnected them, circle by circle.
“The government has its own way,” he said calmly as he tied a knot, “and we have our own way.”
He looked up, tightened the thread in his hand, and made sure it was secure enough.
"If the way of Heaven is not manifest, then the way of humanity shall remedy it."
He handed the reassembled kite spool back to Gu Qingchen, but then abruptly changed the subject, "Do you remember the escort agency you asked me to investigate when we escorted Lin Jiayou to Chengdu?"
Gu Qingchen's heart skipped a beat.
“I found out.” Qian Zhenyun lowered his voice considerably. “The former chief镖头 (chief镖师) has lost an arm and is now running a noodle stall in the slums south of the city, barely making ends meet.”
Gu Qingchen stared at him in shock, her mind blank.
Qian Zhenyun's gaze was fixed on her. "Do you want to hear the story he tells, and see how it differs from the one you've heard?"
"I'll take you out at midnight tonight."
Just after the third watch gong sounded, the back gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion creaked open a tiny crack.
Two figures dressed in short jackets slipped out silently, one after the other, like raccoon dogs.
Qian Zhenyun knew the patrol routes in the manor like the back of his hand. He led Gu Qingchen around the guards and servants with ease and quickly disappeared into the deep night.
The night in the south of the city was completely different from the solemn silence of the Duke's mansion.
Upon entering this slum, the noise and chaos immediately overwhelm you.
Gu Qingchen had never seen this side of the capital before.
"It's different, isn't it?" Qian Zhenyun walked beside her and said in a low voice.
Gu Qingchen did not answer, but silently clenched his fists.
After many twists and turns, they finally found the simple noodle stall deep in an alley, which consisted of only a pot and a few tables and chairs.
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, an elderly man with only one arm was hunched over, mechanically clearing away the dishes.
His face was weathered, and his other empty sleeve swayed back and forth with his movements.
"Boss, two bowls of plain noodles," Qian Zhenyun said familiarly, pulling Gu Qingchen to sit down on a long bench.
The noodles were served quickly.
Neither of them spoke; they simply ate in silence. Around them, neighbors chatted, children cried—everything was noisy yet real.
Gu Qingchen forced himself to finish the noodles, put down his chopsticks, and looked at the one-armed old man.
She waited a long time, until her heartbeat had completely calmed down, before speaking as if unintentionally:
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to inquire about someone. Do you know a young master named Lin Jiayou?"
"Snapped!"
The old man slammed the rag in his hand onto the cutting board, and a startling hatred flashed in his cloudy eyes. He was like a piece of dry grass that had been set ablaze.
“He’s a devil!” The old man’s voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded.
Gu Qingchen's heart sank...