He guessed right!
Lord Liu truly did not expect that he would correctly guess the hidden thoughts in Commissioner Gu’s mind in one attempt.
For someone like Commissioner Gu—an imperial relative with power and influence, a scion of a wealthy and refined family—ordinary things naturally held no appeal. To win his favor, the hardest step was knowing exactly what he desired.
Now that this step had been solved, winning over Commissioner Gu would be much easier.
Unable to contain his excitement, Liu even spoke with an agitated tone:
“Allow your servant to boldly ask, sir—do you desire it for a moment, or for eternity?”
Gu Zhao’s tone remained calm and unruffled, as before:
“For eternity? A married woman—how could it be for eternity?”
The bait had been taken; Liu grew even more excited:
“Of course, forgive my boldness, sir, she need not even be married.”
Need not be married?
How could a married woman not be married?
Liu lightly uttered a few words, though they implicated several lives.
At this, Gu Zhao laughed:
“Liu Wenhui, your courage is remarkable. How ‘need not be’? Are you proposing framing and slandering me, or committing murder and arson? As a local magistrate, do you not know that inciting murder is as culpable as committing it? Shall the sentence be execution?”
Though he smiled, the hidden anger was unmistakable to Liu.
At this point, there was no turning back. Liu braced himself under that anger and said:
“Sir, calm your anger. How dare I soil your hands or ruin your reputation? In the history of great merchants, how many are truly clean? And why need we resort to framing? As for Zhang Jingyan, he is far from innocent. A thorough investigation would uncover flaws everywhere. If we act justly, with evidence, none could object. When the lady faces danger, sir, your aid would earn her eternal gratitude and unwavering loyalty. Is that not a perfectly reasonable, elegant outcome?”
Silence followed behind the screen.
The long quiet in the room left Liu restless, barely daring to breathe.
Only when his knees began to ache from kneeling did Gu Zhao finally speak again:
“Liu Wenhui, you are very capable at handling matters. In devising plans for me, what benefit do you seek?”
Like heavenly music, this question finally came—cutting to the heart of the matter.
Liu, who had invested effort and risk for Gu Zhao, had been waiting for this. Suppressing his excitement, he replied:
“To relieve your burdens is my duty. Yet in these Two Rivers lands, I am not the only one willing. Others also long for the fortune of assisting you. The question is, will you grant them the opportunity?”
Gu Zhao smiled:
“This ‘other’—is he Lei? Liu Wenhui, you’ve bowed to the wrong god, taken the wrong path. Did I not tell you that Lei Dawu is the man the Emperor wants dead? I lack the ability to protect him.”
Seeing Gu Zhao’s tone ease, Liu sensed a turning point and hurriedly said:
“Yes, yes, if he is the Emperor’s target, he is doomed. But fortunately, who has ever seen Lei Dawu? He is sincere in wanting to serve the court and honor you, sir. When Zhang’s position is vacant, if you let him fill the post, no soldier or resource is wasted. The salt baron Lei Dawu is gone, the missing salt taxes restored, and the Emperor’s report will be flawless. You will also achieve your aims—surely a perfect plan?”
Hearing this, Gu Zhao’s tone relaxed slightly:
“You’ve thought it through so thoroughly; it seems you’ve long had your eyes on the Zhang family. This isn’t really benefiting me, it’s merely using my name to serve your own ends.”
Liu smiled along:
“Not at all, sir. You may not know, but Zhang Jingyan is quite obstinate. Leaving him alive might spoil your good plan.”
…
Inside the room, Gu Zhao and Liu whispered for a long time. Outside, Xiong Kun and the chief attendants guarded the door on either side.
Xiong Kun was there on Gu Zhao’s summons; the chief attendants noted how the young lord had already received two groups for dinner and the bathing items inside had not even been cleared.
After a long wait, Liu finally emerged, nodded to Xiong Kun, and walked away, face beaming.
Inside, Gu Zhao instructed:
“Xiong Kun, come in.”
Seeing Liu so elated, Xiong Kun assumed the conversation went well, stepped in, and faced Gu Zhao across the screen—only to find the commissioner’s gaze cold and frosty, with no trace of joy.
Under such a stare, Xiong Kun tensed, bowing quickly:
“Sir, you summoned me?”
Gu Zhao, calmly wiping his hands with a cloth, said:
“Keep an eye on Liu Wenhui. Have his advisers watched whom he met, where he went, and what he did. Report any abnormalities immediately.”
Xiong Kun lowered his head and replied, about to leave, when Gu Zhao added:
“Also, keep watch over the Zhang family and Zhu family medical hall. If she goes out, don’t stop her unless there’s danger. Follow her discreetly.”
Gu Zhao didn’t specify who “she” was, yet Xiong Kun did not ask, evidently already knowing. He bowed again and left.
After dinner, the attendants cleaned up the bathing tubs, steamers, and dishes. Gu Zhao moved to a side room and casually picked up a book.
Soon, an attendant entered with a cloth, presenting it with a troubled expression:
“My lord.”
It was the pale blue cloth she had used to wipe herself earlier.
What he had considered a secret, a private matter, he had hoped would vanish like smoke in the wind, had now, unbeknownst to him, become widely known.
Liu Wenhui knew. Xiong Kun knew. Even the attendant knew.
Gu Zhao took the cloth calmly and asked the attendant:
“Where did you find this?”
“Beside the steamer,” the attendant replied timidly.
“How did you notice it?” Gu Zhao asked again.
“I… just saw it,” the attendant said, puzzled.
Gu Zhao smiled faintly:
“I asked how you discovered it.”
The attendant then realized Gu Zhao’s full meaning. The matter involved his unseemly personal privacy, making him more apprehensive:
“I did not intend to spy, my lord. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, during a nightmare, she would call for Lady Zhu.”
Once done, traces remain.
He had foolishly thought this secret would never be known.
It was truly self-deception.
Now that it was discovered, even held by Liu Wenhui as leverage, Gu Zhao was not flustered. Instead, he felt relief—as if, after being trapped for a long time, he had finally found a way out.
To know is to know. If it cannot be changed, then let it be.
But now that everyone knows, the question remains: does she know, or not know, or know but pretend not to?