Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 545 - 209 Trust

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Chapter 545: 209 Trust

Yueyao left the Lian Mansion and went straight to Li Mansion.

Li Guoxing happened to be at home that day, not having gone out for any social engagements.

After Yueyao had finished paying her respects to Li Guoxing and his wife, she directly said to Li Guoxing, "Uncle Li, there are some things I would like to ask my uncle about." Yueyao wanted to find out what had become of the people on the list, especially since it had been almost four years since her father’s passing.

Li Guoxing could tell by Yueyao’s expression that this was no trivial matter. Coupled with the booklet he had given her last time, he guessed that it must be related to the booklet and said, "Come with me." Instead of taking Yueyao to the study, Li Guoxing directly led her to an inner room.

Lady Li was somewhat surprised but nonetheless ordered a trusted maid to stand guard outside the room, allowing no one to approach.

In the inner room, Li Guoxing asked in a low voice, "What have you discovered from the booklet?" It had better not be the list of corrupt officials from Jiangnan accepting bribes; if it were, it would be a hot potato that he couldn’t afford to touch.

Yueyao was taken aback, not understanding why Li Guoxing would ask such a question: "Uncle, have you ever heard of someone named Fan Jun?"

Although Yueyao hadn’t gone out much in her previous life, she knew what the role of a General Secretary was—to expose corrupt officials. The Emperor would use the General Secretary to keep tabs on the officials, and rumors suggested that some officials’ concubines or close attendants were actually agents of the General Secretary. It was rumored this organization had a reach into every crevice, which sounded rather frightening.

Li Guoxing’s face changed as he said in a grave tone, "Apart from this name, do you have any other clues?" A single name couldn’t represent much, and it might just be a coincidence of name and surname!

After pondering for a moment, Yueyao replied, "The Eleventh Year of Emperor Jing, from Zhangzhou, Henan; four years ago, he was the Left General Secretary. Uncle, do you recognize this person?"

Li Guoxing’s gaze on Yueyao turned very complex. At first, he suspected that Ziming had hidden a list of corrupt officials he had collected. It wasn’t unreasonable for Li Guoxing to jump to such conclusions, as typically such networks of influence were reserved for the eldest legitimate son, not handed to a second legitimate son. Seeing how anxious Lian Dongfang had been, Li Guoxing’s first suspicion was just that. But now, having heard what Yueyao said, he knew he was wrong. Fan Jun was someone who investigated corrupt officials, and most importantly, this person hadn’t held a post in Jiangnan.

Now, Li Guoxing was certain that the booklet was what he thought it was—a list of personnel hidden within it, not a list of corrupt officials, but rather the Lian family’s followers. Li Guoxing had never expected the Lian family’s foundation to be so deep: "Fan Jun, born in the Eleventh Year of Emperor Jing, originally from Zhangzhou, Henan. Four years ago, he was the Left General Secretary, now a third rank Head of the General Secretary Department."

Yueyao exclaimed, "Head of the General Secretary Department?" Wasn’t that the highest position in the General Secretary Department? Despite being a third rank, he wielded significant power and could even cause the downfall and extinction of many ministers in the court and high-ranking officials.

Yueyao finally understood why, after Lian Dongfang had obtained the box, Uncle Li was immediately slandered and stained. It was likely due to having found that list and having approached Fan Jun. As a General Secretary, Fan Jun would definitely be able to find faults in an official. With her father amplifying and fabricating accusations, this would have led to Uncle Li being compromised.

At this thought, Yueyao broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, she had no intention of giving the list to her elder uncle; otherwise, she would have caused Uncle Li harm once again. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

After taking a deep breath, Li Guoxing said solemnly, "Yueyao, do not tell me about the others; this is something from the Lian family that shouldn’t be disclosed to outsiders. Also, never mention this matter to anyone else. If someone with ulterior motives finds out, your life will not be safe." This booklet was in Yueyao’s hands. With Lian Dongfang’s character, if he knew the booklet was with Yueyao, he would definitely resort to all kinds of tactics, coercion, and bribes, and might even resort to murder.

Yueyao was somewhat moved by Li Guoxing’s tone, "Even under such circumstances, Uncle Li had not been selfish, Father’s judgment was not wrong."

Li Guoxing hesitated for a moment but added, "Yueyao, you must not let your Great Uncle know about this." This was also Li Guoxing’s selfishness; from the name that Yueyao told him alone, he knew that the Lian family had profound roots. Lian Dongfang had always been at odds with him, and if he got hold of this item, he would definitely target him first.

Although he conducted himself with integrity and was seated upright, he feared nothing. But at the General Secretary Department, they could concoct a basketful of charges out of nothing, and if Lian Dongfang sought out Fan Jun, by then, he would definitely be in big trouble. Apart from his own selfishness, Li Guoxing also felt that it would be a curse rather than a blessing for Lian Dongfang to get his hands on this item. Lian Dongfang was too ambitious, and with this list, he would definitely use these resources to climb higher.

Everyone hoped for promotion, and it was normal for Lian Dongfang to use it for his advancement, but the trouble lay in the fact that Li Guoxing believed Lian Dongfang harbored ulterior motives. A person with ulterior motives would surely bring disaster upon himself in the future.

Yueyao nodded, "Uncle, I understand. Before Father passed away, he locked this thing in a box and was reluctant to hand it over to Great Uncle, there must have been his reasons."

Upon hearing Yueyao’s words, Li Guoxing breathed a sigh of relief. He worried that this child had no idea of the importance of this list, "Yueyao, this matter is of great importance, you must preserve it well, and you cannot tell anyone about it, not even Tingzheng for now." Although Tingzheng was sensible, he was still young after all, and Li Guoxing feared that Tingzheng would not be able to keep it a secret, and if Lian Dongfang found any clues, it would bring calamity to Yueyao.

Yueyao nodded, "I understand the gravity of the situation."

Li Guoxing looked at Yueyao’s mature expression, feeling as if there was a stone pressing on his heart, making him uncomfortable. Brother Ziming and his wife were gone, and the child’s situation was too difficult. Li Guoxing said, "If you ever encounter a tough situation in the future, you can send someone to inform me."

Yueyao smiled and said, "Alright." Yueyao understood that matters within the Lian Mansion should not trouble Li Guoxing; if she needed to seek help, it should be from her uncle. However, she was very grateful that Li Guoxing had this intention.

As Yueyao returned, she sat in the carriage half a day without speaking. Xiang Wei, however, was a very sensitive person. She sensed that Yueyao’s nerves were tense, fearing that something had happened at the Li family, "Miss, is there anything bothering you?"

Yueyao was thinking about Tingzheng, "I’m worried Great Uncle will hold Tingzheng back and not let her continue studying with Mr. Zhu."

Xiang Wei actually had an idea in mind, but she swallowed her words right at her lips. She could see how much Yueyao cherished Tingzheng, and she thought Yueyao shouldn’t keep suppressing her feelings for Tingzheng’s sake.

When Li Guoxing returned to the backyard, he saw that Lady Li’s expression wasn’t very good. Lady Li felt uneasy and said, "Old Master, Tingzheng just said that the Lian Family’s eldest grand master has asked him to study at the Lian Family Clan School this year. If their clan school were good, then fine, but Tingzheng said the Lian Family Clan School is a mess."

Li Guoxing thought for a moment and then said, "Let’s wait and see. If Lian Dongfang really does this, I will discuss it with Brother Ma." Ma Chengteng’s intervention would be very effective.

Lady Li was somewhat indignant, "The Lian Family’s eldest grand master is too preposterous. It’s bad enough not to treat his nephews and nieces well, but to even want to ruin the nephew’s future, what is he thinking?" Lady Li now despised Lian Dongfang and the Lady Mo family to the extreme.

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