Chapter 161: Chapter 108: Shocking!! Such a Sound Actually Came From Madam Zhao and Her Nephew at Night!

Looking at the proud Gu Gaoxu before him.

The corner of Lu Yuan’s mouth twitched...

’This is a goddamn mess.’

Gu Gaoxu, however, had no idea what Lu Yuan was thinking. He simply assumed Lu Yuan was stunned by the revelation of his identity.

With a laugh, Gu Gaoxu clapped Lu Yuan on the shoulder and said,

"Brother Lu, there’s no need to be alarmed.

Over these past few days, my admiration for you has grown beyond words. You don’t need to be so formal.

Just treat me like any other young master from a wealthy family!"

With that, Gu Gaoxu slung an arm around Lu Yuan’s shoulder and said,

"Come on, let’s head to the Government Office first.

We’ll make that old bastard dispatch the Officials.

Then we’ll send people to the Provincial City to have a nice little chat with the Liu Family.

From now on, the Liu Family will never dare cause you trouble again!"

Lu Yuan blinked, then immediately refused.

"I appreciate the kind offer, Second Son.

But I have no need for it. The Liu Family has a senior official in the Court, and their network is complex.

Besides, the Liu Family came after me first. If I don’t strike back,

and let out this frustration, I’d just be a coward."

’No, absolutely not.’

’I absolutely cannot get involved with Gu Gaoxu.’

’The guy’s a born troublemaker.’

Lu Yuan knew perfectly well what the future held for him.

In the real history of the Great Ming, this second son of King Yan was nothing but trouble.

He spent all his days plotting to rebel and become the Emperor.

And who were his opponents?

One was the Great Ming’s Emperor Ren Zong, the other was Emperor Xuanzong. How could he possibly succeed in a rebellion against them?

’Does he really think every emperor is like Jianwen?’

In the end, he was roasted alive by that famous "Good Saint Grandson."

’If I get involved with him...’

’...when he eventually rebels, isn’t he going to try and drag me into it?’

’It won’t matter whether I agree to help or not, whether I support him or not.’

’Once his schemes fail, as long as there’s any record of us exchanging letters, I’ll be finished for sure!’

’So, I absolutely must not get tangled up with this harbinger of doom.’

’The man is pure poison.’

’I have to steer clear of him at all costs.’

Hearing Lu Yuan’s words, Gu Gaoxu raised an eyebrow.

He certainly had no idea about the whirlwind of thoughts in Lu Yuan’s mind.

After hearing what Lu Yuan had to say, Gu Gaoxu simply thought that this man...

...had some serious fucking balls!

Lu Yuan wasn’t wrong.

Even though his father was King Yan, it wasn’t as if he could do whatever he pleased to the Inspector General of Qilu.

The most he could do was inform this Inspector Liu...

...that the Zhao Family had ties to King Yan, so he should stop trying to harm them behind their backs!

To do so would be to make an enemy of Prince Yan’s Mansion!

At most, he could protect the Zhao Family. But to actually punish an Inspector General for their sake...

...that was definitely out of the question.

The Inspector General had his own patrons.

More importantly, King Yan was King Yan, not King Lu.

Meddling in the affairs of another province would inevitably make people suspicious.

Besides, even King Lu couldn’t just do whatever he wanted to a Court-appointed official.

The man worked for His Majesty. If you punished him when he had done nothing wrong...

...what would that look like?

Planning a rebellion?!

But Lu Yuan’s message was clear: he had no intention of making peace with the Liu Family.

’You started this shit, you bullied me first, so now we’re going to have a proper fight!’

’You came after me, so I have to go after you. I’m not just going to take this abuse!’

This resonated perfectly with Gu Gaoxu’s temperament.

It was absolutely perfect!

This was exactly the kind of person Gu Gaoxu respected!

But the problem was...

Gu Gaoxu was already well aware of Lu Yuan’s and the Zhao Family’s situation.

Lu Yuan had been nothing more than a poor Scholar.

His ancestor had been a County Magistrate.

...but that was ages ago.

Then, he had relied on the Zhao Family to get to where he was today, step by step.

And now, wasn’t the Zhao Family’s biggest backer that Song Chi fellow—the one he’d whacked on the head with a Mortar?

How could they possibly take down an Inspector General relying on just Song Chi?!

This was basically a commoner fighting an official.

And a very powerful official at that. The Inspector General was the second-highest-ranking civil official in the entire province!

How could they possibly fight someone like that?

The Zhao Family couldn’t afford that kind of trouble.

It didn’t matter if the Zhaos practically owned Taiping City. An official that powerful could ruin them with just a few moves from the shadows.

Yet, seeing Lu Yuan so utterly confident...

...and remembering the strange things Lu Yuan had built, not to mention his personal fighting prowess...

...all of it made Gu Gaoxu feel that the man before him was far from ordinary. He was formidable.

Otherwise, he, Gu Gaoxu, would never have lowered himself to call Lu Yuan "Brother."

Snapping out of it, Gu Gaoxu’s interest was piqued. He asked,

"Oh?

Then how do you plan to take him down?"

"Well..."

Lu Yuan considered this for a moment before finally replying,

"I have my methods, of course. If you wish to see, Second Son, you need only follow me."

’Now that I know who Gu Gaoxu is, there’s no way I can hide my next move from him.’

’And it’s not like I can just send him away.’

’In that case, I might as well let him tag along.’

The moment Gu Gaoxu heard Lu Yuan was finally willing to let him come along, he grew excited and said quickly,

"Excellent! So, we’re leaving now?

To the Qiaoyan Manufacturing Factory on the east side of the city, right?"

Though a hundred voices in his head screamed "no," Lu Yuan could only nod in agreement.

However, just as Gu Gaoxu was about to leave with Lu Yuan, he seemed to remember something else.

He turned to one of his Attendants, raised an eyebrow, and ordered,

"You, go to the Government Office and drag that old bastard out.

Tell him to hurry up and dispatch all the Officials!

If he dares to delay any longer, I’ll come back and burn his Government Office to the ground!"

The Attendant bowed immediately.

"Your subordinate obeys!"