FIMA Ch57.2: Investigating the Case

Gu Siyuan was used to his wife’s exaggerated reactions. He had just been complaining about his workload earlier.

He glanced around the empty study and pulled him onto his lap, his expression indifferent, “Who would see it?”

Xie Changyue knew it was just the two of them there, but…

He didn’t know how to respond, so he bared her little white teeth and bit his shoulder, “You’re always teasing me!”

Gu Siyuan raised his eyebrows and said, “Since I returned, I haven’t done anything, and I’ve only said a few words. How am I teasing you?”

Xie Changyue didn’t care about logic, humming, “You’re just teasing me.”

“Just teasing?” Gu Siyuan suddenly looked up, staring quietly at the person sitting on his lap.

Meeting his gaze, Xie Changyue felt a bit uneasy but still hummed, “Mm-hmm…”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes, his large hands slowly brushing against Xie Changyue’s waist, “Oh, is it like this?”

Because he often held a pen, his fingertips had a thin layer of callus.

It was midsummer, and Xie Changyue was wearing a thin garment. His delicate skin was incredibly sensitive to his touch. He quickly said, “Husband, I was wrong…”

Gu Siyuan pretended not to hear, his hands continuing to move and sliding up his waist. Soon, his fingers, through the thin fabric, touched something.

He glanced at Xie Changyue indifferently and then gently tapped with his fingertips.

Xie Changyue immediately trembled and leaned against his shoulder, “Husband, you’re teasing me…”

“Oh, then let it be so.” Gu Siyuan’s voice was cold.

His tone was icy, but his fingers found another symmetrical spot and lightly brushed it, almost casually, with incredibly gentle force.

If it were any other day, Xie Changyue would have felt that his husband was rarely being gentle.

But at this moment, with only a thin summer shirt separating them, it felt like scratching an itch through boots. His whole body was surging with hot blood, yet no relief was in sight, leaving him so weak and uncomfortable that he could barely sit up straight.

Xie Changyue decided to let things break.

Angrily, he grabbed Gu Siyuan’s collar with all his might, his red lips opening and closing: “Hmph, what are you dilly-dallying for? If you’re going to do it, do it properly. Today, if I frown even once, I’m not a real man!”

Seeing his poor, nearly driven mad appearance, Gu Siyuan finally felt a twinge of pity.

He lowered his head and gently bit Xie Changyue’s red lips, then glanced at the ruler on the table, saying calmly, “I’ll spare you for now, the measurements from earlier aren’t finished yet. Let’s continue.”

At this moment, Xie Changyue felt weak all over, barely able to lift his hands. His earlier bold words were entirely supported by a sudden burst of bravado.

However, facing his husband’s commanding gaze, he still reached for the ruler, fearing that the consequences would be more severe if he didn’t.

His slender white fingers first brushed past Gu Siyuan’s collar. To prevent him from finding another excuse to bully him, he tried his best to avoid touching the skin beneath.

But the more nervous he was, the easier it was to make mistakes. His fingers trembled and accidentally brushed against the prominent, s*xy Adam’s apple, making Xie Changyue’s heart skip a beat.

Gu Siyuan lowered his eyes and looked at him calmly, saying without expression, “Please don’t take the opportunity to touch me.”

“Oh…” Xie Changyue responded pitifully.

But seeing that he had no intention of taking advantage, he sighed in relief.

Hmph… All he wanted was to make clothes for the man. Clearly, he was the one making the sacrifice, so how did he end up in such a pitiful state?

Trying to forget the feeling of the Adam’s apple, he continued measuring Gu Siyuan’s shoulder width and back width.

After what seemed like a long time, he finally recorded the last measurement and stood up, breathing a long sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

Gu Siyuan glanced at his beaming face and suddenly moved his arm, causing Xie Changyue to fall back into his embrace.

Xie Changyue widened his eyes: “You… mm…”

Gu Siyuan reached out and pinched his delicate chin, leaning down to completely seal his red lips.

After a long, extremely lingering kiss.

Gu Siyuan finally let go of the now tear-streaked, swollen-lipped young man, stood up from the chair, walked to the desk, and began to read the notebook he had set down earlier.

“…” Xie Changyue sat alone on the chair.

He felt truly miserable today.

But he didn’t dare to resist.

Early the next morning.

The front door of the county lord’s residence on Yushu Alley was knocked on by a large group of fierce-looking people. As soon as the doorman, Chen Xiaoliu, opened the door and saw the scene, his legs immediately gave way.

At this moment, a familiar cold male voice came from behind him. “Let them in, they are here for me.”

For some reason, Chen Xiaoliu immediately regained his strength. He quickly straightened his posture and walked back to the gatehouse with a calm expression, not wanting to disgrace the county lord’s residence in front of outsiders.

Gu Siyuan walked up to the leader, his hands behind his back, and said calmly, “Thank you for your trouble today, General Song.”

Song Qi shook his head, his voice as hard as iron: “I am following the emperor’s orders, awaiting your instructions.”

Understanding his character, Gu Siyuan stopped being polite and walked directly to the carriage brought by the group, saying, “In that case, let’s depart!”

“Yes.” The group quickly mounted their horses or drove their carriages, forming a neat formation in the blink of an eye.

These people were the Longxiang Guards sent by Emperor Yongjia to help Gu Siyuan investigate the case.

The Longxiang Guards were the emperor’s close bodyguards, also known as “blade-wielding guards” among the people. Though they numbered only five hundred, like the Shenwu Guards, they were one of the “Four Imperial Guards,” each capable of fighting a hundred men. The commander-in-chief held a third-rank military position.

The five hundred Longxiang Guards were divided into upper, middle, lower, left, and right guards. Song Qi was the general of the Longxiang Left Guard, a fourth-rank official, higher in rank than Gu Siyuan.

The nearly hundred men, all armored and armed, with iron-like expressions, escorted a four-horse carriage swiftly down the long street, bringing a chilling breeze in the midsummer heat.

Those keen enough to recognize the Longxiang Guard uniforms immediately turned pale, sighing that the capital was about to see a major upheaval, with countless heads falling and rivers of blood flowing…

The Shenwu Guards were responsible for guarding the nine gates of the capital, their camp located in the northern suburbs of the imperial city. Now, all of them were confined to their camp, and the gate-guarding duties had been handed over to the capital’s garrison army stationed in the suburbs.

When Gu Siyuan’s imposing entourage arrived at the Shenwu Guards’ camp, they were immediately met with high alert.

A Shenwu lieutenant shouted with a hostile expression, “What are you Longxiang Guards doing here at the Shenwu Guards’ camp?”

There had always been deep-seated conflicts between the Four Imperial Guards.

Though usually silent, Song Qi sneered, “Don’t you know what you’ve done? Pretending ignorance?”

“You…” The Shenwu lieutenant drew his long sword: “Hmph, so you’re here to die.”

“Stop.”

At this moment, a resolute and cold voice interrupted from within the Longxiang Guard’s entourage.

The Shenwu Guards looked up and saw that there was another carriage behind, and a person standing in front of it.

Dressed in a crimson official robe, tall and imposing, with a stern expression, holding an imperial gold token: “The Longxiang Guards are assisting me in investigating the case of the Shenwu Guards’ arms smuggling. Are you refusing the investigation, committing treason?”

The voice was young and clear, with an unmistakable tone of arrogance and decisiveness.

The faces of the Shenwu Guards turned extremely ugly, but at this moment, seeing the token that represented the emperor, they could only kneel down in waves: “Long live the emperor, long live, long live.”

Gu Siyuan walked straight ahead, flanked by the Longxiang Guards, until he reached the center of the Shenwu Guards’ camp and stopped.

The Shenwu Guards, who had been saluting, stood up.

The lieutenant from earlier came over, squinting his eyes and asking, “How does the lord intend to conduct the investigation?”

Gu Siyuan’s face was cold: “Naturally, every officer and soldier involved in this case must be taken into custody and brought back to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation.”

“The Shenwu Guards’ camp will be sealed off from today. Without my written order, no one is allowed to leave even a step. No one is allowed to act alone, whether going to the latrine or sleeping; there must always be someone accompanying them.”

“Hahaha… Taking everyone involved into custody?” The lieutenant laughed loudly. “Do you know how many people that is? Can you interrogate them all? Or are you just going to grab whoever you want and accuse them with fabricated charges?”

Upon hearing this, the Shenwu Guards, seemingly premeditated, started echoing his sentiments with cold sarcasm.

“We, the Shenwu Guards, work hard day and night, patrolling the capital, and now because of a few people’s crimes, we are all to be suspected and arrested?”

“If you don’t make this clear today, and you take even one of us, we are unworthy of being Shenwu Guards!”

“You’re just a young boy, not even fully grown, trying to conduct an investigation. Go back home and drink your milk!”

Song Qi squinted his eyes.

He also felt that Gu Siyuan’s attitude was too harsh. Gu Siyuan was a scholar and might not understand the mindset of these military men, who had all experienced life and death. If they were truly pushed to the brink and mutinied, they would be in big trouble today.

Gu Siyuan looked at the lieutenant in front of him: “What’s your name?”

The lieutenant lazily smiled, “My name is Meng Bin.”

Gu Siyuan continued, “Meng Bin, lieutenant of the Third Division of the Southern First Camp?”

The lieutenant’s smile faded, and he straightened his posture: “Yes.”

Gu Siyuan nodded, looking him straight in the eyes: “You are quite impressive. Your division is at full strength, with no ghost soldiers. Now, take your 250 soldiers and seal off the entire northern side of the Shenwu Guards’ camp. From this moment on, no one is allowed to enter or leave, not even your commander Liang Cheng.”

“Yes.” Meng Bin instinctively responded but then felt something was off.

Just then, Gu Siyuan started calling out names, and Meng Bin decided to wait and see.

Gu Siyuan said loudly, “Lü Bo from the First Division of the Western Second Camp, step forward with your 241 men and seal off the northeastern side of the Shenwu Guards’ camp, just as Meng Bin is doing.”

“Wu Kai from the Fourth Division of the Eastern First Camp, step forward…”

“Wen Cu from the First Division of the Eastern Second Camp, step forward…”

“Central Camp…”

The five who stepped forward exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise and delight.

However, Gu Siyuan didn’t stop there and continued calling names: “Pang Ming from the Eastern First Camp, Lou Kai, and others… Wei Lang and Shen Changye from the Northern First Camp… step forward.”

Hearing their names, the Shenwu Guards who were called out stood up excitedly, thinking they were now out of suspicion and would be assigned to guard the camp like Meng Bin and the others.

But Meng Bin and the other five were puzzled. If this young man with the golden token could accurately pick them out to guard the camp, they thought he indeed had some skill. But now, what was going on? Many of the forty or fifty people he just named were indeed rotten apples!

At this moment, Gu Siyuan swiftly waved to the Longxiang Guards and said coldly, “Disarm them, break their limbs, and take them to the Ministry of Justice’s prison.”

The Longxiang Guards acted swiftly. While those named Shenwu Guards still had smiles on their faces, they were quickly subdued by pairs of Longxiang Guards. One would kick them to the ground, and the other would break their limbs, rendering them immediately immobile.

Seeing this swift action, all the soldiers present gasped.

Gu Siyuan looked at the remaining Shenwu Guards, his expression indifferent: “You are not free from suspicion, just less suspicious than these people. Until I thoroughly investigate the case, no one is to leave the camp. Otherwise, it will be considered treason. Also, I will summon you at any time for questioning.”

After speaking, he ignored their reactions.

Gu Siyuan took out a book and threw it to Meng Bin and the other five: “During the camp lockdown, each squad gets a book. Record everything according to my requirements. Anyone who dares to disobey will be considered an accomplice.”

“Yes.” The five now admired this young man to the utmost and responded repeatedly.

Just as when they arrived, the carriage, now escorted by a hundred Longxiang Guards, left, heading straight to the Ministry of Justice’s prison.

Except this time, nearly half of the Longxiang Guards’ horses had a tied-up figure hanging from them.

Gu Siyuan’s actions were high-profile, with no intention of hiding anything.

At this moment, the news that the newly appointed scholar-official Gu Siyuan was overseeing the investigation of the Shenwu Guards’ arms smuggling case spread quickly to the high-ranking families and the Six Ministries and Nine Temples in the capital.

The arms smuggling case, which concerned the capital’s stability and the emperor’s safety, was unexpectedly being overseen by a mere fifth-rank official who had only been in the court for a few months. Just how favored was he by the emperor?

In the Suining Marquis’s Mansion.

“What did you say? Changye was taken to the Ministry of Justice’s prison? Captured by the emperor’s personal Longxiang Guards? And his limbs were broken…”

Upon hearing the news from the family servant, Madam Shen nearly fainted: “How could this happen? Changye is such a sensible and kind child.”

The maid Zhao Mama quickly supported her, comforting her: “Madam, madam, don’t worry. We need to inform the master and the old master to save the young master.”

“Yes, yes…” Madam Shen stood up and hurried out of the courtyard: “We must find the old master to save Changye. He is his own grandson…”

A while later, Madam Shen walked out of the old master’s courtyard, looking desolate.

Zhao Mama stepped forward to support her mistress: “What did he say? What did the old master say?”

Madam Shen’s eyes were red: “They say it’s related to the smuggling of military equipment, and the Longxiang Guards personally arresting people is the Emperor’s will. It’s not just our family; other families have also had people arrested. But everyone is staying far away. Whoever dares to plead for their family now is as good as dead. But what does smuggling military equipment have to do with my Changye? Our family doesn’t lack money…”

Zhao Mama was also anxious: “What should we do? The young master’s limbs are broken, and he might be tortured in prison. The young master has never suffered like this before. What if… what if…”

Listening to Zhao Mama’s words, Madam Shen felt her heart breaking.

She clutched Zhao Mama’s wrist so tightly that her nails dug into the flesh, breaking but she didn’t even notice.

She closed her eyes, holding back her tears, and said softly, “There is still one person, and only he can save Changye. I will go beg him.”

Zhao Mama was pleasantly surprised: “Who is it?”

Madam Shen shook her head: “Go find Huan’er and have him accompany me.”

Yushu Alley.

Xie Changyue was sitting at home cutting fabric. He had painstakingly measured the dimensions yesterday and wanted to make a piece of clothing that would impress Gu Siyuan.

At this moment, Chen Xiaoliu from the gatehouse came to report.

Xie Changyue frowned: “Who did you say came to visit?”

Chen Xiaoliu, clearly aware of some of his master’s grievances, spoke softly: “It’s Madam Shen from the Suining Marquis’s Mansion and Fifth Young Master Shen Changhuan.”