Chapter 1173: Chapter 1009: Evidence of Guilt

Gu Chengyu sighed helplessly and turned back into the room. It wasn’t out of curiosity about the so-called evidence, but because it certainly contained an accusation against his mentor, Liang Zhirui.

If it weren’t for his teacher, he would have left long ago.

"Miss, just let it go!" Uncle Qin hurriedly stepped forward to persuade when he saw Gu Chengyu unwilling to help.

If they took out the evidence and Mr. Gu was unwilling to seek justice for them, but instead took the evidence away, what would they do?

After all, it concerned Mr. Gu’s teacher, a close person to Mr. Gu. Moreover, Liang Zhirui was also the Crown Prince’s teacher, a person of high standing. How could they fight against such a person?

Liu Su’er seemed oblivious to Uncle Qin’s advice. She struggled to move the wooden step at the edge of the bed, drawing Gu Chengyu’s attention. Beneath the step was a floor tile, which appeared unexceptional.

However, he knew that beneath that floor tile, there must be something different.

Liu Su’er ran to the dressing table in the room and took out a very thin silver hairpin from a box.

If it weren’t for this silver hairpin, moving that floor tile would be very difficult. As soon as it was moved, Gu Chengyu discovered a yellow oiled paper packet lying beneath it.

Liu Su’er cradled the oiled paper package and carefully placed it on the table.

"Years ago, my grandfather not only put many silver notes in the swaddling clothes of me as a child but also left several letters. These letters bear his private seal, and among them is a list of court officials secretly communicating with foreign countries."

Liu Su’er explained to Gu Chengyu while opening the oiled paper package.

She did not conceal anything from Gu Chengyu, as if gambling in a casino, she was taking a gamble. The worst outcome would be an early departure from life, but as long as Gu Chengyu had a conscience, he wouldn’t kill them to silence them.

She had the courage to come to the Capital, wanting to seek justice for her family, even if it meant paying the price with her life.

Ever since she learned about her background ten years ago, she had already prepared herself to sacrifice for her family at any time.

All these years, Mrs. Tan had taught her according to the rules of an aristocratic lady, even hiring two governesses to ensure the Xue Family’s reputation wouldn’t be tarnished.

As a daughter of the Xue Family, she must not retreat out of the fear of death!

Gu Chengyu glanced at the small register that emerged from the oiled paper package. It was the list collected by Xue Haozhen and his son back in the day, though its authenticity was unknown.

Liu Su’er pushed the letters in front of Gu Chengyu.

"Mr. Gu, please take a look!"

Gu Chengyu didn’t reach out but raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you trust me so much? Aren’t you afraid that I will destroy all this evidence?"

Liu Su’er’s pale face blossomed with a bright smile, "I have no foundation. If Mr. Gu truly wanted to destroy the evidence or even kill to silence us, we and Mrs. Tan could not resist. Choosing Mr. Gu was a well-considered decision; I believe in my judgment that you are a good official and a good person."

Liu Su’er’s eyes were clear and pure, suddenly making Gu Chengyu feel uncomfortable. It seemed as if he saw his selfish and indifferent self reflected in them.

But in just a moment, Gu Chengyu returned to normal. Everyone has a different way of handling things, and he merely acted according to his conscience.

Even if he was selfish, so what? Life is just a few decades, and one should live for themselves, not for grand ideals.

Besides, did Liu Su’er not use any means? Previously blocking his carriage to approach him was also a ploy, wasn’t it?

So, the other party just had a pair of eyes skilled in deception.

Yet, after knowing his relationship with Liang Zhirui, she still laid all the evidence before him. It’s hard to tell whether she was naively foolish or too confident in her judgment.

Gu Chengyu nodded indifferently.

If this evidence was truly unfavorable to Liang Zhirui, he might indeed take it away, for he was no saint.

However, after taking it, he would naturally investigate the truth of the past.

Without looking at the letters, he first opened the list.

The first name was Liang Zhirui. Calming his heart, he continued reading, only to become increasingly alarmed.

There weren’t many names on the list, only sixteen. In a short time, Gu Chengyu finished reading it.

Though not many words, Gu Chengyu still found it unbelievable. There were as many as sixteen court officials colluding with foreign countries, and among them were high-ranking officials.

These officials ranged from Sixth to Second Rank, including Capital Officials and those posted in other regions. Now, these officials were scattered across various places.

Gu Chengyu even recognized a few familiar names, like Minister of the Ministry of Justice Yang Shiqi, Marquis Anhe from the Marquis Mansion Liang Shaowei, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Mao Jin Yuan...

These were all Capital Officials, and wasn’t Liang Shaowei a kin of his teacher? The two families hadn’t even surpassed five generations!

Right, the list even placed his teacher at the top, so it wasn’t surprising that Liang Shaowei was on there too.

But these people held such high positions; what could they gain by betraying the country? It was simply inconceivable.

Gu Chengyu suddenly realized this list was over ten years old. If at least half of the names were true, how much would the numbers have grown in today’s court?

Undoubtedly, the numbers would increase year by year; those people wouldn’t give up on recruiting more Ministers. Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but feel a chill. Perhaps there were many officials close to him colluding with Da Xing without his knowledge.

Only moments later, Gu Chengyu placed the list back in its original spot, as its authenticity remained questionable.

Then, he picked up one of the letters and glanced at the signature at the end, verifying it was indeed written by Xue Haozhen.

"On the tenth day of the fourth month in the forty-ninth year of Dayan, this humble minister discovered by chance a connection between Liang Zhirui and other officials with Prince Wei Dan of Da Xing. This humble minister was terrified and unwilling to believe it.

Having worked alongside Liang Zhirui for numerous years, I’m well aware of his nature. He is upright, incorruptible, and a good official truly working for the people’s benefit. How could he possibly be a traitor colluding with foreign powers? It’s utterly baffling. Thus, I decided to secretly collect evidence.

This humble minister closely monitored Liang Zhirui and other officials’ actions, and on the eighth day of the twelfth month in the fiftieth year of Dayan, I finally had a breakthrough. On that day, I intercepted a letter from Liang Zhirui colluding with Wei Dan.

As border conflicts were about to arise, this letter contained the Holy Emperor’s deployment plans for the military forces and detailed descriptions of the generals assigned to the battle.

This humble minister didn’t want to believe Liang Zhirui could commit such an act, but the facts were evident, leaving me no choice but to believe it.

Even in great distress, this humble minister must submit this evidence to the Emperor, or else I would betray the Emperor’s trust.

Additionally, there are other letters documenting court officials’ correspondence with Da Xing. Please have the Emperor review them!"

Upon seeing this, Gu Chengyu couldn’t help but his face turned pale.

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