8: Chapter 8 I am also willing to offer ten thousand taels of silver as an apology to the young master!

Zhao Fangcai's eyes narrowed slightly. The madam of his household was originally from the Lu Family of Suzhou. She had never liked him much.

Could it be her?

The Gu Family and the Lu Family were both prominent families in Suzhou City, renowned local clans.

If officials in the Prefecture wanted to accomplish anything in Suzhou, they first had to consult with these great families and secure their support.

On the lake, the water rippled gently. The pleasure boat was filled with singing and dancing women; the singing and dancing never ceased, presenting a scene of peace and joy.

"Brother Gu, thanks to your help in smoothing things over and handling affairs down below a few days ago, I have prepared this banquet to treat you today. You must fully enjoy the food and wine!"

"Brother Lu is too polite. Our two families have always shared weal and woe, advancing and retreating together. This small matter is not worth mentioning!"

Many rounds of wine had already been consumed.

Clerk Gu was already somewhat intoxicated and spoke without his usual restraint.

He curiously asked, "Brother Lu, even if Zhao Fangcai passes the Imperial Examination to become a Juren, he cannot inherit the Family estate. Why must you..."

"Ah! Brother Gu, don't mention it!"

Master Lu quickly signaled, waving for the accompanying singers and dancers to withdraw. He lowered his voice and said, "To tell you the truth, the son born to my cousin is actually of our Lu Family's Bloodline. Zhao Shiji seems to have noticed it, so we had to strike first!"

"Ah?"

Clerk Gu was extremely surprised, frowning as he said, "Zhao Shiji is an Imperial Relative, after all. You..."

"Heh, what Imperial Relative? There are plenty of people surnamed Zhao under heaven. Different branches of the same Family have long since grown distant."

Master Lu revealed a cunning smile on his face.

"Master Lu truly has foresight!"

A sudden voice made the faces of Master Lu and Clerk Gu instantly turn ugly.

The pleasure boat on the lake swayed slightly.

Master Lu and Clerk Gu abruptly stood up.

"Who is there?"

Both men understood some martial arts and were about to rush out, but they stopped their steps because two hands had been placed on their shoulders.

The strength was immense, as if intending to crush their shoulders.

A faint creaking sound came from their bones.

Bead-sized drops of sweat slid down their foreheads.

Both men showed expressions of pain.

Master Lu and Clerk Gu were greatly shocked internally, realizing they had encountered a master.

Although they also practiced martial arts, it was mostly for self-defense and physical exercise. Compared to those in the Jianghu, they were far inferior.

Ignoring everything else, Clerk Gu gritted his teeth and begged for mercy, "Sir, spare our lives!"

Master Lu said, "Great Hero, we have no enmity between us. State whatever request you have, and I, Lu, will certainly satisfy it!"

"No enmity? Haha, why don't you two turn around and see who I am?"

Master Lu and Clerk Gu turned around and saw a young, handsome Young Master.

Just as Clerk Gu was feeling confused,

He heard Master Lu cry out as if he had seen a ghost.

"You, you, is that you?"

Master Lu recognized the person who had appeared—it was actually Zhao Fangcai, who was supposed to have drowned in the lake.

Could this be the ghost of Zhao Fangcai?

His eyes were wide open, filled with terror. His heart panicked, and his throat felt blocked, unable to utter a word.

Seeing this scene, Clerk Gu had a rough idea of what had happened.

Could this person be Zhao Fangcai who fell into the lake?

After Zhao Fangcai fell into the lake, the Prefecture Yamen sent people to search along the shore for three days but never found the body, eventually concluding the case as a disappearance.

Zhao Fangcai didn't die?

Zhao Fangcai said, "Whether I am a man or a ghost matters little. You two are now in my hands; think about how to save your lives instead!"

Master Lu's gaze sharpened slightly.

He had calmed down considerably.

He thought to himself, "I heard Zhao Fangcai was a filial, indecisive scholar."

"Although I don't know why he didn't die and even mastered such strange martial arts."

"His inherent nature is hard to change."

Master Lu formed a plan in his mind, gritting his teeth as he sneered, "What do you want? Zhao Fangcai, don't forget, your father is in our hands. If you know what's good for you, release us, or your father's life will be in jeopardy!"

But what he heard was a 'crack' sound.

Immediately following was excruciating pain.

He let out a miserable scream like a slaughtered pig and collapsed onto the ground. Blood continuously poured from his severed arm, quickly forming a pool.

Zhao Fangcai threw the crushed arm next to Master Lu and said coldly, "You think you can threaten me like this?"

Master Lu was in too much pain to speak.

Clerk Gu gasped, his legs trembled, and sweat poured down. He said, "Zha-Young Master Zhao, spare my life! I only helped Lu Family manage things at the Prefecture Yamen; I did not conspire with them to harm you and your Family."

Zhao Fangcai said coldly, "You know now? What will you do?"

Clerk Gu said without hesitation, "It is I, Gu, who was blind and mistook such a treacherous person for a friend!"

"As someone from the government, I will certainly report to the Prefect and expose his true colors to seek justice for the Young Master and the Zhao Family!"

"I am still willing to offer ten thousand taels of silver to apologize to the Young Master!"

Hearing Clerk Gu's words, Master Lu glared at him in anger and said, "Gu Changqing, you, you..."

Clerk Gu sneered, "What about me? Lu Chengyun, stop trying to claim kinship with me. I, Gu Changqing, stand resolutely against evil!"

"Despicable and shameless!"

Lu Chengyun, suffering from pain and rage, fainted.

Zhao Fangcai released Gu Changqing and said, "Clerk Gu, words are not proof. Write an IOU, and I will not pursue the previous matters."

Gu Changqing's shoulder hung limply; it felt as if it had been crippled.

The bone must surely be fractured.

But it was better than being severed.

He endured the intense pain, not daring to say anything more, and nodded in agreement.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The case of Lu Chengyun having an illicit affair with his cousin, attempting to seize the Zhao Family's property, and persecuting the descendants of the Zhao Family caused quite a stir at the time.

Zhao Fangcai's biological father, Zhao Shiji, had his name recorded in the Imperial Family's genealogy.

Even though his Family had declined, he was still an Imperial Relative of legitimate status.

Yet, someone dared to strike at him in secret.

They even tried to murder his own son.

And they almost succeeded.

The impact of this incident was enormous, even alarming Emperor Zhezong.

At that time, rumors circulated among the populace that Lu Chengyun's actions were instigated by the line of Emperor Taizong, with the goal of persecuting the line of Emperor Taizu.

Party strife within the imperial court was extremely fierce then; clearly, someone was dissatisfied with Emperor Zhezong and the New Policies, wishing to make a big issue out of this matter.

The princes of the Taizu line in the capital also expressed their dissatisfaction with the incident.

Although none of them had ever met Zhao Shiji or Zhao Fangcai, under such circumstances, it was inevitable that they would empathize with a fellow ImperialClan suffering misfortune.

They successively submitted memorials, demanding severe punishment for the Lu Family to uphold the dignity of the Imperial Family.

Emperor Zhezong and the Taizong line, in order to clear their suspicion, naturally would not easily let the Lu Family off.

Ultimately, the Lu Family was charged with treason, and three generations of their clan were implicated.