Chapter 847: Chapter 847: A Few Days Later
Guo Shun stopped speaking, his lips dry and cracked with traces of blood. He was trembling with the pressure on his insides, yet he still wanted to look up at the figure clad in the bright yellow attire.
With his lowly status, to be personally subjected to such a high-standard treatment by the supreme ruler of the world, at least he did not live in vain.
He had just slightly lifted his head, only catching a glimpse of the bright yellow hem, when the white fatty beside him noticed his intention. With a deft move, his head was immediately forced downwards, unable to lift again.
Hu Miaomiao withdrew his hand, his gaze cold, and scoffed, "Does this scum deserve to lay eyes on the Son of Heaven?!"
The bright yellow figure remained silent, standing motionless.
Guo Shun showed a sickly smile towards the ground, hehehe, what a pity, if he could see the face of the Son of Heaven before dying, it would have been more worthwhile.
He took a breath, licking his lips, tasting the metallic blood flavor. In the past, he loved this taste; today was no exception, invigorating him a bit.
He continued, "A few days later, those who stayed searching along the Yangtze River sent a message back. They searched that area for three days, finally finding the corpse of a young girl on the downstream shore. Around ten years old, she had been dead for a while, her body distorted from soaking in the river water, her face unrecognizable. However, cough cough..."
He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, carelessly letting it drip onto the ground. That day, he was severely injured with a palm strike by Hu Miaomiao on his chest, leaving him with heavy internal injuries, merely hanging by a thread, any betterment was impossible.
He continued to recall, "But, the items on that corpse and the clothes from outside were brought to me along with the message. That outer garment was the beggar attire I’d seen at the gate of Xuanzhou Prefecture City. The outer garment’s pocket held many things, a myriad of items. When I saw it, I was quite surprised, which made me understand how that girl could survive to reach so far, and for that reason, I remember those things clearly."
"...There were objects for setting traps for hunting, herbs to ward off snakes and insects, jerky spoiled from soaking, snake egg shells, the most beautiful feathers from a sparrowhawk, not sure where they were picked up or for what use, quite intriguing. A ten-year-old girl carrying things like an experienced hunter, no wonder she could travel so far without starving."
At this point, his expression turned somewhat gloomy, "In addition, there was over a tael of silver, a slingshot, and most importantly, a small knife with a carved lotus flower on the handle. It was this knife that made me suddenly sure that this corpse was most likely related to that girl, perhaps it was that very girl. But I still wasn’t at ease..."
He sent a message to Guo Neng, instructing them to send the corpse and those items back to the town where the Lian Family resided. Later, Guo Neng found someone to identify the corpse and those items, formally confirming that it belonged to the remnants of the Lian Family.
He didn’t see the corpse, but the earlier message said that the girl’s corpse had many marks from being beaten with sticks, she wasn’t drowned. This should be the punishment given by the madam for those who tried to escape, further validating his suspicions.
But even so, Guo Neng’s suspicious nature wouldn’t rest easy, because the girl’s corpse had been damaged from soaking in the river water, it was impossible to make a full judgment based on appearance. Hence, people were sent to investigate everywhere secretly for a long time, fearing there might be a fish that slipped through the net. Later indeed, there came a report of a suspected remnant following an escort agency heading north.
Guo Neng was shocked at the time, fearing a fish had really slipped through the net to the Capital to file a complaint, so he deployed many assassins to track them down, preferring to kill by mistake than to let them go. Subsequently, a few girls around the same age were killed. For a long time, the Capital was quiet, and those monitoring at places like the Ministry of Punishment, Shuntian Prefecture, reported no abnormalities, and the matter came to an end like this.
Having laid an inescapable net but still failed to kill that girl, and even allowing someone to get into the palace, perhaps the Guo family’s fate was truly at an end...
Guo Shun finished telling what he knew, licking his lips again, taking a heavy breath, "This is all I know. Does His Majesty wish to know anything more, I would definitely speak without reservation."
Even though he couldn’t see the person’s face, he could genuinely feel that pressure-filled gaze falling upon him, as though tangible, suffocating him.
The Son of Heaven’s wrath could slay a million corpses; this earth-shattering aura was even more shocking than legend, and today he had truly experienced it firsthand.
The Son of Heaven was indeed the Son of Heaven, separated from mortals by a chasm. The people he’d met were countless, not few with high status and power, yet the person before him alone could bring him such an intense sense of oppression. Though all the questions were asked by the white fatty without uttering a word, the presence alone was enough to make his heart tremble with fear.
He had originally planned to conceal a few matters, but the moment he knelt before this person, he realized there was no hiding anything, a sense of instinctive fear from the depths of his soul.
Knowing there was no chance, Guo Shun simply told everything he knew without any reservation, even if it meant turning numerous deeds done by Guo Neng into acts he had instigated. Perhaps this might divert some hatred and make the person before him see his honesty, leaving a sliver of hope for the Guo family. Though the thought was somewhat naive, any concealment would likely sever even that last sliver of possibility.
Now, Guo Shun could only hope his young master wouldn’t act recklessly. Saving his life seemed impossible; even the issue with the Xue family’s private soldiers got discovered, leading to the entire Xue family being raided. How could the Guo family have any means to resist?
Thus, he prayed fervently that Guo Neng wouldn’t act foolishly, decisively using the Guo family’s vast wealth and secrets to secure a trace of their lineage, not to gamble for shortcuts. Only this way could there be a slim chance to leave a bit of legacy for the Guo family.
After a long silence, the bright yellow figure finally spoke the first question, "Where is the corpse of the ten-year-old girl?" The voice was unemotional, leaving one unsure of how to interpret.
Upon hearing the question, Guo Shun was taken aback, instinctively wanting to raise his head, but somehow the white fatty left him with no strength in his neck.
Eventually, he abandoned the idea, thinking it was enough to hear the Son of Heaven’s question with his own ears. He replied, "I’m not sure of the specifics. After identifying the corpse, it should have been buried on the spot. Of the two people who delivered the corpse, one later died, and the other should still be alive, living in..."
After describing the person’s whereabouts, he said, "I know my sins are grave, and being sent to the Eighteen Levels of Hell is only just. But the market is like a battlefield, allowing no mercy. Encouraging the young master to do those things was wise, and I’ve never regretted..."
"A loyal servant indeed." The Emperor interrupted, sarcastically without any emotion.
He glanced at Hu Miaomiao, flicking his sleeves, and turned to stride out of the dungeon.
Hu Miaomiao nodded in acknowledgement, promptly following.
Guo Shun trembled, the murderous intent in that tone shook him to the core, leaving him immobile.
Only after they had left for a long while did he exhale heavily, slumping to the ground, the chains rattling with the noise of metal clashing.
His gaze drifted toward the direction the bright yellow figure departed, having lived a life in the filthy mud, with hands stained in much blood, with no regret.
Knowing his intentions had been seen through, but he had done all he could, what remained was no longer under his control...
——————
Amid the chill of the autumn wind in May 26th, offhand speech: Well, Xiao Lian Hua’s adventure reaches a complete conclusion here. As the previous text (around Chapter 658) narrates, her Clan Uncle Lian Bingcheng mentioned that she would soon awaken.
(Don’t bane me aahhh, cluck cluck)