“Exactly, this man keeps claiming to be someone close to the General of Martial Virtue. If you have nothing to hide, Young General Gu, you should let him finish speaking to prove your innocence.”
If no explanation was given today, rumors would likely spread in the future that Gu Chuan had murdered his elder brother and taken his sister-in-law. With such a scandal, how could the Gu family continue to stand tall in the imperial capital? Gu Xiu, the head of the family, stepped forward. Having just buried his own son, his face was etched with sorrow, yet his gaze toward Lin Fan was sharp and piercing.
“Since you are a military man, you should understand that slandering a commanding officer and disrupting military morale is a capital offense.”
Hearing this, Lin Fan showed not a trace of fear in his eyes. “Since I’ve come here today to seek justice for the General of Martial Virtue, I am not afraid to die.”
The tension in the air grew even thicker as Gu Xiu stared sternly at Lin Fan.
“Very well, speak. If you cannot provide substantial evidence today, it will be considered slander against a commanding officer, and I will have you dealt with according to military law.”
Meanwhile, Gu Chuan recalled how Xiao Fuguang had previously caused chaos in the Gu residence. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he lowered his voice.
“Xiao Fuguang, what are you trying to do? I warn you, this is the Gu residence. If you dare cause any trouble, I will make sure you die, along with the entire Xiao family.”
He then turned to Lin Fan and spoke with a warning tone.
“Lin Fan, since you were close to my elder brother, you should uphold his reputation. This is the Gu residence, and everyone here is his flesh and blood. You are disturbing his peace on the day of his funeral. If you cannot produce evidence today, I will take it upon myself to clean up the mess on behalf of my brother.”
Xiao Fuguang reached out and grasped Gu Chuan’s arm, signaling her support for him, then turned her gaze to Lin Fan.
“Indeed, soldier, perhaps you’ve misunderstood something?”
“My husband has always respected his elder brother and sister-in-law. The Gu family has always been harmonious—how could something as heinous as murdering a brother and seizing his wife possibly happen?”
Lin Fan replied coldly.
“It seems Madam Gu the Second is still kept in the dark. Back at the border, whenever the General of Martial Virtue drank with us, he would often vent his frustrations. He said Zhuang Linan complained daily about how he lacked Gu Chuan’s capabilities and frequently praised Gu Chuan’s bravery and skill in battle, her words filled with admiration.”
“At first, we thought Zhuang Linan was merely urging the general to strive for greater achievements, especially since she was Gu Chuan’s own sister-in-law. Who could have imagined they would actually commit such an ethically unforgivable act!”
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Linan’s face turned ashen. She quickly picked up a handkerchief and began to weep.
“A woman’s reputation is more important than anything. I merely praised my brother-in-law a few times—how could you slander my good name like this?”
“Look around at everyone present. If someone in your family had performed great deeds in the military, wouldn’t you take pride in it and offer a few words of praise and admiration?”
The crowd was momentarily stunned, then nodded slightly in agreement. Among great families, honor and disgrace were shared. It was not unusual to praise a family member who had achieved distinction.
“A few words of praise alone can hardly prove anything. Could it be that this soldier has truly wronged Young General Gu and the elder madam?”
“Let’s wait and see. Surely this man wouldn’t come to the Gu residence to cause trouble based solely on a few compliments—that would be suicidal.”
Zhuang Linan’s peripheral gaze swept over the expressions of those present, listening to the hushed discussions, watching as Lin Fan opened his mouth with an expression of having suffered the greatest injustice.
“This soldier, even if my husband truly drank with you and said a few words while intoxicated, I have no grudge against you. How can you come to my door to tarnish my reputation based on a few drunken words, especially on the day of my husband’s funeral? Could it be that you were instructed by someone, intentionally harming the family of a meritorious official?”
Seeing this, Gu Chuan immediately spoke up, “Guards, seize this villain who slanders the commander and insults the widow of a meritorious official.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Fan took a letter from his pocket, “Who says I have no substantial evidence?”
“This letter was found in the general’s room. It was written by Gu Chuan to Zhuang Linan, urging her to seize every opportunity to complain and provoke the general, deliberately forcing him to recklessly seek merit and design the death of the General of Martial Virtue on the battlefield.”
As the letter was revealed, the scene erupted in an uproar. Everyone’s eyes focused on the yellowed paper, as if that thin sheet bore the weight of a thousand-pound truth.
Gu Chuan’s face instantly turned ashen, veins bulging on his forehead.
“This is utter nonsense. I have never written any letter to my sister-in-law. Could this letter be a forgery of yours?”
As he spoke, he reached out to grab the letter. Xiao Fuguang’s eyes turned cold, and he snatched the letter from Lin Fan’s hand first, stepping back to put some distance between himself and Gu Chuan.
“My husband said he never wrote any letter to my sister-in-law. I want to see who forged this…”
Suddenly, Xiao Fuguang’s voice cut off. Looking at the words on the paper, her eyes filled with disbelief, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
“How could this be? How could this happen? How could this be my husband’s handwriting?”
Seeing this, Gu Chuan felt a sense of foreboding rise in his heart and tried to snatch the letter back.
“Xiao Fuguang, why are you also speaking nonsense? Give me the letter. I want to see what is written on it to slander me.”
Xiao Fuguang took a few steps back, looking at Gu Chuan with disappointment in her eyes, tears rolling down one after another.
“Gu Chuan, even if I am foolish, I still recognize my own husband’s handwriting. Since our families were betrothed, I have waited with all my heart to marry you. Finally, our wedding day arrived, but you hurried off to the border, saying the frontier needed you. It turns out it wasn’t the frontier that needed you—it was my sister-in-law.”
The murmurs in the crowd boiled over once again.
“This… it seems the contents are quite significant.”
“Seeing the second young mistress cry so bitterly, I fear Gu Chuan truly had something with his sister-in-law…”
“Ah, the Gu family is truly unfortunate, with brothers turning against each other.”
Everyone was shocked by this sudden turn of events, their eyes shifting back and forth between Gu Chuan, Zhuang Linan, Xiao Fuguang, and Lin Fan.
Zhuang Linan’s heart sank, filled with panic. She quickly tried to recall whether she and Gu Chuan had truly written such a letter, but the situation before her left no time for consideration. She hurriedly spoke up.
“Sister-in-law, have you been deceived by someone? Chuan’er has never written any letter to me. Now that the Gu family has just achieved military merit and is favored by the emperor, could it be that someone is jealous? They might have incited you to falsely accuse your own husband. Don’t be foolish.”
No wonder Zhuang Linan was able to deceive Gu Chuan’s entire family in the previous life—her tongue is truly formidable, and her mind works fast enough. But Zhuang Linan, I am no longer the Xiao Fuguang from the past life. Xiao Fuguang cried so hard she could barely stand.
“Sister-in-law, even now, are you still unwilling to admit it?”
“It’s written here.”
“Linan, I miss you dearly after all these days apart. The war in the southern border continues, and we will soon have a chance to meet. But we have already fallen too deeply in love. If one day my elder brother finds out, I fear we will both meet a terrible end. Why not take advantage of the southern border conflict to provoke my elder brother into recklessly seeking glory on the battlefield? I will arrange for someone to cooperate and lead him to lose his composure. As long as my elder brother dies on the battlefield, we can be together for a lifetime.”