sjar Chapter 614 What she feared even more were the evil deeds she had committed back then.
Chapter 614 What she feared even more were the evil deeds she had committed back then.
The New Year passed in the blink of an eye, the chill in the capital was dispelled, and new buds sprouted from the flower branches in the courtyard.
The warm spring sun shone through the window and fell on Chu Ruohan, but she felt that the warmth could not penetrate the mess left behind by her daughter's troubles.
She had originally planned to send Qingchen to Bailu Academy to study, where he would be immersed in the teachings of sages and saints every day, which would help him become more composed.
But now it seems that the results have been minimal.
Ever since the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, the "Jinghong" bow has been like a death warrant, constantly hanging over Gu Qingchen's head.
Gu Qingchen tried everything—feigning illness, acting cute, even sneaking into the East Palace—but the bow seemed to have grown into the East Palace and could never be retrieved.
As a result, Gu Qingchen was listless and dispirited for several months, losing his usual energy.
A few days ago, her younger sister Chu Yueshu gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Yingqing was overjoyed and held her daughter tightly, finally having both a son and a daughter.
Looking at her sister's family living happily together, Chu Ruohan felt gratified, but also a touch of loneliness that no one knew about.
Since giving birth to Qingchen, which damaged her health, her belly has remained empty.
"lady."
Haitang walked in, interrupting her thoughts.
"The Third Madam has sent someone to deliver something to Young Master Lu again."
Chu Ruohan picked up her teacup and gently blew away the foam.
"He didn't take it again?"
Haitang smiled slightly: "On the surface, I accepted them all, but I just heard from the servants that Young Master Lu turned around and ordered his attendants to throw them all away."
Chu Ruohan hummed in agreement, not surprised.
“That child is shrewd; the third wife’s schemes won’t work on him.”
Ever since Lu Ge'er and Lan Jie'er moved into the Duke's mansion, she has been looking after them constantly. The children are calm and precocious, far surpassing their peers. Right now, they are only focused on preparing for the exam and don't care about those sordid matters.
She thought to herself that once the imperial examinations were over and everything was settled, it would be time to set a proper course for the two children.
The atmosphere in the courtyard of the third house was not as warm as the spring sunshine.
Looking at her daughter-in-law Yang, who had just returned from outside, Madam Gu asked in an annoyed tone, "Have the things been delivered?"
Yang nodded, a hint of confusion on her face.
“It’s been sent over. But mother-in-law, why did you do this? Lu’er is about to take the imperial examination. If he really passes with flying colors, wouldn’t we be proud of him too?”
"Fool!" Madam Gu's voice sharpened as if a cat's tail had been stepped on. "What do you know! Are you proud of him? If he really rises to prominence, the first thing he'll do is trample on us!"
Yang shrank back after being scolded and dared not say another word.
Madam Gu was furious and pointed at her, scolding, "If it weren't for your son Fang'er being so promising, this family fortune would almost have fallen into that little bastard's hands! A few years ago, the master even had that thought!"
She kept these words to herself for many years, and every time she thought of them, it felt like being bitten by a poisonous snake.
What she didn't say was that what she feared even more were the evil things she had done back then.
She feared that once Gu Lu gained power, he would bring up old grievances...
At that time, I will be doomed.
Therefore, she absolutely could not allow Gu Lu to have a chance to rise to prominence.
Before dawn, the streets leading to the examination hall were already packed with carriages carrying examinees and their servants.
Gu Lu, dressed in a slightly worn blue scholar's robe and carrying an examination basket, stood alone in the long queue.
His calm demeanor stood out from the tense or excited students around him.
The line moved slowly forward, and a middle-aged man dressed as a manager squeezed through the tea stall next to him, carrying a bowl of hot tea.
"Young Master Lu, have some hot tea to warm yourself up. Don't catch a cold in this late spring chill."
Gu Lu recognized him; this was Gu Xiaowu, the steward of the third branch of the family.
He glanced at it indifferently, without reaching out to take it. "No need."
Gu Xiaowu smiled and forcefully shoved the teacup into his hands.
"Young master, please don't be so polite. The third madam specifically instructed us to do this, just in case you are not well prepared before the exam."
As he spoke, he subtly moved closer to Gu Lu, his other hand quickly brushing against the edge of Gu Lu's exam basket before casually stepping back.
Gu Lu held the bowl of tea, his fingertips paused slightly, then he placed the tea on the stone stool next to him without expression, and turned to continue queuing.
Gu Xiaowu watched his retreating figure, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. She turned and disappeared into the crowd.
When it was Gu Lu's turn, the soldier in charge of the search looked serious and turned his test basket upside down.
The pens, ink, inkstones, water pouches, and even the dry rations were all broken open and inspected one by one.
"Wait." A soldier suddenly stopped what he was doing and pulled out a tiny folded piece of paper from a hidden compartment in the exam basket.
He unfolded the paper, revealing densely packed, tiny characters—the essence of several policy essays.
"We've found it!" a soldier shouted.
The surrounding examinees immediately erupted in an uproar, and all eyes were focused on Gu Lu.
An examiner on patrol strode over, took the cheat sheet, and his face turned ashen.
"You audacious scoundrel! How dare you cheat in the important imperial examination! Arrest him!"
Two fierce-looking soldiers immediately stepped forward and grabbed Gu Lu's arms from both sides.
"Injustice! Your Honor, I didn't!" Gu Lu's face drained of color as he struggled desperately, his voice trembling with sobs.
"This isn't mine! I don't know where it came from!"
However, with both witnesses and physical evidence present, his defense appeared weak and unconvincing.
"Take him away!" the examiner waved his hand impatiently. "Report to the chief examiner, strip him of his academic qualifications, and never hire him again!"
"No! Your Honor! I'm innocent!"
Gu Lu's wails gradually faded away, quickly drowned out by the commotion at the entrance of the examination hall.
Gu Xiaowu, who was hiding on the second floor of a teahouse not far away, saw this scene clearly.
He triumphantly downed the tea in his cup, tossed aside a few copper coins, and strode briskly toward the third branch of the Gu family.
In the courtyard of the third branch, Madam Gu was pacing back and forth anxiously.
"Madam! Madam!" Gu Xiaowu rushed in, her face beaming with joy, forgetting even to perform the proper etiquette. "It's done! It's done!"
Madam Gu grabbed his arm, her voice shrill: "Speak quickly! What happened?"
"I saw it with my own eyes!" Gu Xiaowu gestured excitedly.
"Right at the entrance of the examination hall, they found smuggled items in that kid's examination basket! He's already been taken away, and the examiner himself said that his academic qualifications are revoked and he'll never be employed again! His life is over!"
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!" Upon hearing this, Madam Gu was first stunned, then burst into extremely joyful laughter, laughing until tears streamed down her face.
"Excellent! Excellent! This is truly heaven's help!"
She pointed at Yang Shi beside her, her face full of ferocious pleasure.
"Did you hear that? That little bastard is finished! He'll never have the chance to lord it over us again!"
Seeing her mother-in-law's almost insane state, Yang turned pale with fright and dared not utter a sound.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of a secluded alley opposite the examination hall.
A tall, imposing figure slowly emerged from the shadows; it was Gu Lu.
He was still wearing that blue scholar's robe, his expression calm and composed, but his dark eyes revealed a depth and coldness that did not match his age.
The one who was just taken away was just a down-on-his-luck scholar of similar build whom he had hired with money, and who was now wearing his human skin mask.
A servant quickly turned back from the street corner and whispered, "Young Master, that Gu Xiaowu from the third branch has already gone back."
"Hmm," Gu Lu responded indifferently.
The servant couldn't help but sigh, "It's all thanks to the Duchess. If she hadn't thought of this 'golden cicada shedding its shell' trick in advance, it would probably be you, young master, who would have been captured today."
A hint of warmth flashed in Gu Lu's eyes. He straightened his clothes and spoke with heartfelt admiration and gratitude.
“Aunt is right. When dealing with those kinds of people, simply defending will always lead to loopholes. Only by setting a trap and luring them out can we achieve a decisive victory.”
He lifted his foot and walked towards the Dragon Gate, which determined the fate of countless people.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell on his young yet determined face.
"Let's go, it's time to go in."