Love is More than a Word《识汝不识丁》Shi Nu Bu Shi Ding
Love is More than a Word, Chapter 75: Strike First (3)...
The Tang City Prefecture, also known as the Peach Blossom City, is in full bloom right now.
Tao Mo lifted the carriage curtain at a small corner, quietly staring at the peach trees that were popping up every now and then along the road.
Hao Guozi was instructed by Master Jin to park the carriage in front of an obscure inn.
The carriage shook twice as Hao Guozi and Master Jin dismounted from it and Tao Mo was hesitant to wake Gu-She up but Gu-She was already sitting up by herself.
“Here we are.” Tao Mo said without a word.
Gu-She nodded slightly, got up and got out of the carriage.
Tao Mo was about to follow but Master Jin stopped him. Master Jin said to Hao Guozi as he went inside, “You park the carriage here, I'll be right back.”
Hao Guozi was confused.
The road in front of the inn was not wide enough, so their horses and the carriage were blocking the road. Gu Xiaojia and Lao Tao had to take their horses to the stables of the inn. When they came back, Master Jin came out with a plate of steamed bread, handed it to Tao Mo and jumped into the carriage.
Lao Tao grabbed him, “That's it?”
Master Jin said, “The Prefectural Magistrate's office has many rules. We're already late now and we were supposed to meet in the afternoon but we should have been here in the morning.”
Gu Xiaojia snorted, “What a big rack.”
Master Jin said, “Why else would they call the Prefectural Magistrate's office?” When he saw that the others didn't want to leave, he said, “It's not advisable to have too many people at the Prefectural Magistrate's and word will get around. I'll go with the boss.” Actually, Tao Mo should have gone alone to visit his boss, because too many people would have been a bit of a show-off. It's just that Tao Mo can't read and he doesn't know much about bureaucratic interactions, so if he goes alone, he's afraid he'll leak out.
Lao Tao also knew this and without a trace, he shook Master Jin's hand and said, “In that case, the Master Advisor will take care of everything.”
Master Jin felt a heavy bag of something tucked into his cuff and smiled tacitly, “Don't worry about it.”
As the carriage horses leave, Tao Mo reluctantly looks at Gu-She.
Gu-She raised his lips slightly.
Tao Mo's heart immediately felt at ease.
That's three hours back then.
As the sun waned in the west and the sky grew darker, Lao Tao's face grew gloomy.
“Go to the Prefectural Magistrate's Gate.” Gu-She blurted out.
Gu Xiaojia couldn't sit still for a long time and when told to run in the direction of the stables in a hurry.
Lao Tao took one look at him.
Gu-She looked blankly at the untouched mouthful of tea in front of her.
“You didn't have to come.” Lao Tao said.
Gu-She said: “Not having to come and not wanting to come and not coming are three things different.”
Lao Tao said: “my family Young Master has neither the wealth of money, nor the talent of literary talent but I do not know why the Young Master Gu is attracted to fold his hands and associate?”
Gu-She said, “And why did you stay with him?”
“Old Master Tao was once kind to me.”
“Just that?” Gu-She asked quietly. There are thousands of ways to repay kindness but Lao Tao chose the hardest and most laborious one.
Lao Tao said, “At least Tao Residence has been kind to me, so it makes sense for me to stay with Young Master Tao. Young Master Gu's intentions are hard to figure out.”
“Really?” He didn't seem to have any intention of explaining.
Lao Tao gently pressed his fingers on his knee, a thousand years went by in his mind and finally bit his teeth and said softly: “Young Master Gu know, my family Young Master is actually... Only a male to male sort of person?”
Gu-She looked sideways, her eyes slightly up, clear as spring water but not reflecting any emotion, “Oh?”
...
Lao Tao had a knot in his stomach.
He originally planned that if Gu-She didn't dislike Tao Mo when he found out about his fetish for broken sleeves (gays), he wouldn't stop them from seeing each other. If one day, they fell in love, it would be a good story... Right? If Gu-She finds out and shuns Tao Mo, that's great. It'll save them a lot of trouble later.
But what is the meaning of such a flat, unemotional “oh?" Is it because his heart is in turmoil but he doesn't speak? Or is it that his heart is as still as water and has nothing to do with him?
Lao Tao struggled with Gu-She's attitude but for the time being, he put aside Tao Mo's delayed return.
About half an hour later, Gu Xiaojia came back, his cheeks red from the cold, rubbing his hands as he walked.
“Where's Young Master?” Lao Tao looked behind him.
Gu Xiaojia sat down on his butt, poured a cup of hot tea and drank it in one gulp to warm up his body before saying, “Still not out, Hao Guozi is still there guarding.”
Lao Tao's heart thudded.
Gu-She said, “Did you ask around?”
Gu Xiaojia said, “It's hard not to ask around. Hao Guozi and I both gave the doorman money and the doorman said he's still inside.”
Lao Tao suddenly stood up, chanting, “I'll go check it out.”
Gu-She and Gu Xiaojia knew he was a good fighter, so they didn't stop him.
Soon after Lao Tao left the inn, the sound of the carriage wheel was heard outside.
Gu-She and Gu Xiaojia look out at the same time and see Hao Guozi stumbling in before the carriage comes to a halt, followed by Master Jin who is also in a hurry.
“Oh no, oh no...” Hao Guozi threw himself on the table and said to Gu-She, “The Young Master has been detained!”
Gu-She frowned and looked over at Master Jin.
One look and Master Jin felt a bone-chilling chill run down his back.
When Lao Tao returned from the Prefectural Magistrate's office, he found Master Jin, Hao Guozi and Gu-She sitting at the same table, looking dejected.
“What's going on?” After all, Lao Tao has been through a lot and seeing their faces like this, his anxious heart settled down.
Master Jin's eyes flickered slightly, “The excellency is being held by the Prefectural Magistrate.”
Lao Tao's face went cold, “Why?”
Master Jin: “Corruption, neglect of duty.”
“Ridiculous!” Lao Tao slapped the table.
Master Jin hung his head and said, “This, this is actually my fault.”
Lao Tao looked at him suspiciously, “What's it to you?”
Master Jin said, “Wasn't there a hole in the roof of the magistrate's court a while ago? I allocated a sum of money to Mu Chun, for repairing it.”
Lao Tao frowned, “So what?”
Master Jin laughed bitterly: “The Prefectural Magistrate had to approve the renovation of the county courthouse. The money I allocated to Mu Chun was actually Cui Jiong's gift to his excellency.”
Lao Tao's face suddenly turned ugly. This is tantamount to taking a bribe.
Master Jin: “The fact that it's true is nothing. Almost all the Prefectural Magistrate Court has knowledge of it, just under different names. The amount of money his excellency touched was the smallest of all the Prefectural Magistrate Court's and the most justifiable in a name. Unfortunately, the Prefectural Magistrate caught him red-handed.”
Gu-She said, “Is this corruption and bending the law? What about dereliction of duty?”
Master Jin said, “Before that, didn't the excellency come across two murders?”
Lao Tao said, “You mean Miss Tong and Cai Fengyuan?”
Master Jin said, “It's them. According to our law, the coroner's autopsy requires the presence of the County Magistrate and it just so happened that his excellency was not present during the autopsies of these two cases. In fact, where was the Prefectural Magistrate Court who accompanied the coroner to the autopsy? I've met two people who accompanied the coroner to the autopsy once but they didn't want to go the second time.”
Lao Tao chimed in, “How did these two things get to the ears of the Prefectural Magistrate when not many people know about them?”
Master Jin: “I'm just afraid that someone has filed a complaint.”
“Who?” Lao Tao's eyes snapped.
Master Jin was an old master, even if the name was on his lips, he wouldn't spit it out, so he said with a sigh, “This is going to take some probing.”
Gu Xiaojia said: “These two charges are dispensable, at most they will get him a reprimand. How can he detain someone?”
Gu-She: “Someone has to make an article.”
Master Jin said: “I think so too. After all, his excellency is the County Magistrate, even the Prefectural Magistrate has no right to detain him without permission! Even if the County Magistrate is at fault, he should have reported it to the higher court first and the Ministry of Justice should have dealt with it.”
Hao Guozi said, “Is it really... Huang Guangde?” Almost every time something went wrong, he'd point the finger at Huang Guangde, who rarely let him down.
Lao Tao looked at Master Jin and said, “In Master Advisor's opinion, what should we do now?”
Master Jin said, “It is not advisable to alert the snake to the presence of the enemy. It's late today. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Prefectural Magistrate's staff and ask around for information, then I will make a plan.”
Lao Tao's eyes twinkled. He sighed, “It will have to do.”
Gu-She couldn't help but look at him.
At two o'clock.
Lao Tao scampered out of the inn in his nightclothes.
The night is dark, like a cloak of invisibility on him.
He strode across the eaves, towards the prisoner's cell at the Prefectural Magistrate's Gate.
Meanwhile, the oil lamp in the cell is lit.
Lao Tao's fingers flew as fast as his fingers could and he quickly clicked on the bailiff of the guards and walked into the cell, as if no one was there.
It was late and most of the prisoners were already asleep. Lao Tao searched through the bars until he found the last cell. Considering Tao Mo's status as a court official, he was housed alone.
Tao Mo was already not sleeping well from being held here but woke up just as soon as Lao Tao stood in the doorway.
~ Love is More than A Word ~
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Chapter 74: Strike First (2)...《
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Yikes. 🤭😬
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