Chapter 848
Too generous?
"Who goes there!" the two guards at the gate exclaimed in surprise.
Zheng Yi did not answer, but instead struck out with both palms, sending the two guards flying.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" A panicked shout rang out from inside the courtyard.
Zheng Yi kicked open the door and led Tie Shan and the other two inside.
The guards inside the courtyard rushed out, armed with weapons, and surrounded them.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Third Young Master's villa!" a leading guard shouted sternly.
"Bring Guo Tianen out," Zheng Yi said coldly.
"How dare you! You dare to call the Third Young Master by his name! Kill them!" the lead guard ordered.
Dozens of guards rushed forward at the same time.
Zheng Yi's lips curled slightly upward as he moved through the crowd like a ghost. Each of his palm strikes carried a sharp, celestial energy, sending guards flying wherever they went.
Tieshan, Xiao Tianxing, and Su Wanqing also used their respective skills to fight alongside the guards.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all the guards in the courtyard were taken down.
"Where is the Third Young Master?" Zheng Yi grabbed an unconscious guard and slapped him awake.
“In the main room,” the guard said, trembling.
Zheng Yi tossed him aside and walked toward the main house.
The door to the main room was tightly closed.
Zheng Yi kicked open the door and went inside.
Inside the room, a young man dressed in a brocade robe sat in a chair, his face pale and his whole body trembling.
It was Guo Tianen.
"Who...who are you?" He looked at Zheng Yi, his voice trembling.
“I’m here to take you to see your older brother,” Zheng Yi said coldly.
"Big Brother?" Guo Tianen's face turned even paler. "You...you're Big Brother's man?"
“It’s not just my elder brother’s men.” Zheng Yi approached him step by step, “It’s also the third and fifth elders of the Guo family, and everyone you deceived. They’re all waiting for you in the ancestral hall, waiting to hear your explanation for why you poisoned your own father.”
"I...I didn't!" Guo Tianen shouted. "It was my elder brother! It was my elder brother who poisoned Father! It wasn't me!"
"Still trying to deny it?" Zheng Yi took out a stack of papers from his pocket and waved them in front of Guo Tianen. "These were found in your woodshed. They detail your entire process of buying poison and planning your father's murder. What else do you have to say?"
Guo Tianen's eyes widened suddenly, and a look of horror appeared on his face.
“Those things…how could those things be?” he murmured.
"How did it end up in my hands?" Zheng Yi sneered. "You thought hiding in the woodshed would keep you safe? How naive."
Guo Tianen's body began to tremble violently, and the expression on his face became distorted.
"You...you can't catch me!" He suddenly sprang up and slapped Zheng Yi with his palm.
Zheng Yi gently turned his body to avoid the palm strike, and at the same time, he threw a backhand punch that landed squarely on Guo Tianen's abdomen.
Guo Tianen groaned, his body arched like a shrimp, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Take him away,” Zheng Yi said.
Tieshan stepped forward, picked up Guo Tianen, and carried him on his shoulder like a chick.
"Sir, what about Li Fu?" Xiao Tianxing asked.
“He’s in the woodshed,” Zheng Yi said. “Wanqing, go and rescue him.”
"Yes," Su Wanqing replied and ran towards the backyard.
A short while later, she helped a pale-faced middle-aged man walk over.
It was Li Fu.
Li Fu has woken up, but he is still very weak and needs help to walk.
"Who are you?" He looked at Zheng Yi, his eyes full of vigilance.
“We’re here to rescue you,” Zheng Yi said. “Guo Tianyou sent us.”
"Young Master?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Fu's eyes. "The Young Master is still alive?"
“Of course he’s alive,” Zheng Yi said. “He sent me to rescue you and, incidentally, to catch the real murderer who killed Master Guo.”
He pointed to Guo Tianen, who was being carried on Tieshan's shoulder.
When Li Fu saw Guo Tianen, a flash of anger immediately crossed his eyes.
"It's him!" he said through gritted teeth. "The night the master died, I saw him coming out of the master's palace! I wanted to report to the eldest young master, but I was captured by his men and have been locked up here for so many days!"
"Okay, are you willing to testify and identify him in front of everyone in the Guo family?" Zheng Yi asked.
"I'm willing!" Li Fu replied without hesitation. "I'm willing to avenge the master and clear the young master's name!"
“Very good.” Zheng Yi nodded. “Then let’s go.”
The group escorted Guo Tianen and helped Li Fu towards the Guo family's ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall, located behind the city lord's mansion, is where the Guo family worships their ancestors. Today, all the elders and core members of the Guo family have been summoned here.
When Zheng Yi and his group entered the ancestral hall, it was already full of people.
Guo Tianyou stood in the center of the ancestral hall, flanked by two elders, Guo Shouzhen and Guo Xiong.
"Big Brother!" Guo Tianen exclaimed in horror upon seeing Guo Tianyou, "What are you doing here?"
“Third brother, I’ve been here all along.” Guo Tianyou looked at Guo Tianen, his eyes filled with sorrow. “I didn’t run away, nor did I kill Father. The one who truly killed Father is you.”
"Nonsense!" Guo Tianen struggled to shout, "It was you! You killed Father! There were traces of poison in your room!"
“That was a frame-up,” Guo Tianyou said. “Third brother, you thought you had covered your tracks perfectly, but little did you know that the evidence against you had already been found.”
He held the stack of papers high.
"Elders, uncles, this is a record written by my third brother himself, detailing his purchase of poison and his plot to kill our father. Please take a look."
He handed the paper to Guo Shouzhen, who was standing next to him.
Guo Shouzhen took the paper and began to read it aloud.
As he read aloud, the atmosphere in the ancestral hall grew increasingly heavy. The Guo family members all wore expressions of shock and anger. "Tian En... Tian En actually committed such a heinous act!" an elder exclaimed in a trembling voice.
"Beast! We've treated him like a member of the Guo family all these years!" Another elder slammed his fist on the table in anger.
Guo Tianen's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.
“There’s another witness,” Guo Tianyou said. “Li Fu, you tell everyone what you saw that night.”
Li Fu stepped forward and recounted everything he had seen that night in detail.
His testimony perfectly matched the records on that stack of papers, forming a complete chain of evidence.
"Third Young Master—no, Guo Tianen!" Guo Shouzhen stood up, looking at Guo Tianen with eyes full of disappointment and anger. "What else do you have to say?"
Guo Tianen lowered his head and remained silent.
After a long while, he finally raised his head, a crazy smile on his face.
"Hahaha, good, good, good!" he laughed. "I admit, I killed my father. So what?"
"You admit it?" Guo Xiong's eyes widened in anger.
"I killed him!" Guo Tianen screamed hysterically. "Father favored my eldest brother, giving him everything and never caring about me! Why should I endure this unfair treatment? Was I wrong to kill him?"
The ancestral hall was completely silent.
Everyone was shocked by Guo Tianen's madness.
"Tianen, are you...are you crazy?" Guo Shouzhen said in a trembling voice.
"I'm not crazy!" Guo Tianen sneered. "You're the crazy ones! You've all been fooled by that hypocritical older brother! He appears filial and sensible on the surface, but in reality, all he cares about is inheriting the family business! I'm just more direct than him!"
"Enough!" Guo Xiong slammed his fist on the table. "Guo Tianen, you murdered your father and seized the throne—your crimes are heinous! According to the Guo family rules, you should be expelled from the Guo family and never allowed to set foot in the Guo family ancestral hall again!"
"Elders, do you agree?"
"Agreed!" A chorus of agreement rang out from inside the ancestral hall.
Guo Tianen's face immediately turned deathly pale.
Being expelled from the Guo family means he will lose everything. His identity, his property, his power will all vanish.
"No, no!" he cried, struggling. "You can't do this to me! I am of the Guo family bloodline! You can't drive me out!"
"The Guo family has no need for a patricide!" Guo Shouzhen said coldly. "Men, take him away and lock him in the woodshed to await further instructions!"
Two guards stepped forward and took Guo Tianen away.
Guo Tianen's shouts gradually faded into the distance, and the ancestral hall returned to calm.
"Elders, esteemed uncles," Guo Tianyou stood up and bowed deeply to the crowd, "Today, thanks to your support, the truth has come to light. I am deeply grateful."
“Tianyou, you don’t need to thank us,” Guo Shouzhen said. “The truth should have been revealed to the world anyway. We just did what we should have done.”
"Now that the master has passed away, the Guo family needs a new head of the family." Guo Xiong stood up and looked at everyone. "According to the Guo family tradition, the eldest son inherits the family business. Tianyou is the master's eldest son and the heir he designated before his death. I propose that Tianyou succeed as the head of the Guo family. What do you all think?"
"Agreed!" everyone said in unison.
Guo Tianyou's eyes were a little moist.
"Thank you, elders and uncles," he said. "I will certainly live up to your expectations and lead the Guo family to an even more glorious future."
“There’s one more thing,” he turned to Zheng Yi, “that we were able to clear our names and reclaim our position as head of the family this time entirely thanks to Mr. Dark Night’s help. On behalf of the Guo family, I express our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Dark Night.”
He bowed deeply to Zheng Yi.
"From this day forward, the Guo family and Qingyun City will be allies, helping each other. If you ever need our assistance, sir, the Guo family will certainly do our utmost to help."
"Young Master Guo, you're too kind," Zheng Yi returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "This is what I promised you. I hope that under your leadership, the Guo family will grow ever stronger."
The following morning, Hongyun City was bathed in golden sunlight.
After yesterday's commotion at the ancestral hall, the atmosphere in the whole city seemed much more relaxed. Pedestrians on the streets were no longer in a hurry, and shop assistants had regained their usual enthusiasm, shouting to attract customers.
The news that Guo Tianyou had officially succeeded as the head of the Guo family had spread throughout the city. Guo Tianen's crime of murdering his father to seize power had been made public, and those who had once stood by him turned against him, pledging their loyalty to the new head of the family.
Inside the council hall of the city lord's mansion, Guo Tianyou sat in the main seat, looking much more relaxed than yesterday. To his left and right sat Elders Guo Shouzhen and Guo Xiong, respectively, while opposite him sat Zheng Yi and several of his trusted confidants.
Sunlight streamed through the carved window frames, casting dappled shadows on the gleaming blue brick floor. Several pots of precious orchids sat in the hall, their delicate fragrance filling the air and creating a sense of tranquility.
"Sir, did you sleep well last night?" Guo Tianyou asked.
“Very good.” Zheng Yi nodded. “The guest room arranged by Young Master Guo is very comfortable.”
"That's good," Guo Tianyou said with a smile. "Sir, you've helped me so much; I really don't know how to thank you enough."
“Young Master Guo, there’s no need for such formalities,” Zheng Yi said. “Since we are allies, helping each other is only natural.”
“Sir, you are right,” Guo Tianyou nodded. “However, I feel that simply expressing gratitude is too empty. Sir, you risked your life to help me reclaim the position of family head; I should repay you with something tangible.”
"How does Young Master Guo intend to repay this kindness?"
Guo Tianyou and the two elders exchanged a glance, then Guo said, "Sir, I have an idea, and I wonder if you would be willing to hear it."
"Please speak, Young Master Guo."
“Hongyun City is one of the wealthiest cities in the eastern part of Tianyuan Domain, a bustling hub of merchants and a source of endless wealth,” Guo Tianyou said. “However, for many years, the Guo family has monopolized all of Hongyun City’s resources, refusing to share them with other forces. While this has protected the Guo family’s interests, it has also created too many enemies, ultimately leading to this crisis.”
"I believe that rather than monopolizing all resources and incurring resentment, it's better to operate jointly with trustworthy allies. This way, we can share risks and achieve mutual benefit."
"Therefore, I would like to invite you to run Hongyun City together."
"Run it together?" Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow. "Does Young Master Guo want me to invest in the Guo family's businesses?"
“It’s not just about taking a stake,” Guo Tianyou shook his head. “I’d like to allocate a portion of Hongyun City to you, sir, for you to manage entirely. The profits will belong to you, and the Guo family will only collect a certain percentage as taxes.”
"Isn't this too generous?" Zheng Yi asked, somewhat surprised.
“Not generous,” Guo Tianyou said. “Sir, you saved my life and helped me regain my position as head of the family. I have no way to repay this kindness. Giving you a portion of the territory to manage is simply my way of expressing my gratitude.”
"Furthermore, as I've stated before, I intend to unite smaller forces against the nine great families. You are the first ally I've chosen. If you could establish a foothold in Hongyun City, our alliance would become even stronger and more secure."
Zheng Yi remained silent for a moment, then looked at the two elders.
"What are the two elders' views on this matter?"
Guo Shouzhen stroked his beard and nodded slightly.
“I think Tianyou’s idea is excellent,” he said. “I greatly admire Mr. Dark Night’s strength and character. If he were willing to manage a territory in Hongyun City, it would be a good thing for the Guo family. With him there, those forces coveting the Guo family’s assets would not dare to act rashly.”
“I agree as well,” Guo Xiong nodded. “Mr. Dark Night is a good man, worthy of trust. I support Tianyou’s decision.” (End of Chapter)