Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Gu Debai's voice gradually lowered, as if he were looking at a distant past.

"The letter was delivered by Deputy General Xu of the Lu family army. It said that the late emperor, after failing to get the whereabouts of the treasure map, approved the report filed by the four major clans."

"The Lu family army was accused of treason and collusion with the enemy. The Lu family mansion was raided, and the Lu family was to be executed five days later."

"At that time, Jing Shu was already nine months pregnant. Her belly was so big that she had difficulty walking."

"I didn't dare tell her. So I made up an excuse, saying that the imperial court had summoned me to the capital to report on my duties and that I would be back in a few days. She believed me. She told me to be careful on the road and to come back as soon as possible."

"I invited Aunt Chen from next door and Aunt Liu from the end of the street to help take care of her. I also gave money to all the neighbors in the alley, asking them to look after my wife."

"Jing Shu stood at the courtyard gate to see me off, smiling and waving goodbye..."

"Who knew... that would be the last time we saw each other in this life."

Gu Mingli lowered his head, his eyes burning with heat.

Gu Mingyue was no longer able to make a sound.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto her clothes and staining a small dark patch.

Gu Debai remained silent for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice.

"I rode a fast horse for three days and three nights, and when I arrived in Jiangzhou, the streets were full of people. It was so noisy and bustling, it was even more lively than a market."

"I thought it was some kind of holiday. But when I squeezed into the crowd, I realized it was a procession for sending prisoners to their deaths."

"The prison vans available for transport were empty."

Gu Mingli's fingers curled up slightly.

"Empty?"

Gu Debai nodded.

"My godfather didn't make it to the execution ground alive."

"Before being escorted to the capital, they will be paraded through the streets of Jiangzhou Prefecture. The crimes of the General Who Protects the Nation will be posted on the notice wall at the city gate."

"Treason! Collusion with the enemy! Conspiracy with remnants of the previous dynasty!"

"The yamen runners spread rumors that Lu Lin had used disaster relief funds to support tens of thousands of disgraced officials of the Great Qi Dynasty over the years. Half of the grain distributed during the floods ended up in the mouths of those disgraced officials. Thirty percent of the silver allocated during famines was secretly transferred to the remnants of the previous dynasty."

"The powerful families also began to incite the crowd. Someone took the lead and threw the first stone."

Gu Mingli's fingernails dug into his palm.

He didn't need his father to continue; he could already picture that scene.

A loyal and courageous general was beaten to death by the very people of Jiangzhou whom he had personally protected, who used stones and sticks to carry him all the way.

Ignorance, stupidity, a mob.

"My godfather was beaten to death by a group of ignorant people who couldn't distinguish right from wrong."

Gu Debai sighed, his voice calm and unwavering.

"His head was smashed open. His eyes were so swollen he couldn't open them. The constables stood by and watched, and not one of them stopped him."

"After the crowd dispersed, only an unrecognizable corpse remained in the prison van."

"My godmother died on the same day."

"When the news reached the Lu residence, the house had already been sealed off. My godmother was locked in the woodshed in the backyard, with only two soldiers guarding her."

She bit off her own tongue.

"When I arrived in Jiangzhou, they had already been dead for two days."

"The Lu residence was ransacked. There were seals on the doors. I went to the yamen to ask about the whereabouts of the corpses, but the yamen officials said that treasoners cannot be buried, so they threw them into a mass grave outside the city."

"I went to the mass grave."

"It was finally found in the very corner."

"I couldn't recognize my godfather's face anymore. I recognized him by the old scar on his wrist. It was from when he was young and fighting in the war, and it extends from the base of his thumb to his elbow."

"His godmother was next to him. There was blood on her face."

"I carried them up the mountain. I found a south-facing slope, dug a hole, and buried them. There was no tombstone, no names. Because I was afraid that someone would dig them up and leave me with nothing but bones."

"My godmother once said that she likes south-facing places because they are warm."

"That's how I hastily sent my parents off."

After saying this, Gu Debai remained silent for a long time.

Gu Mingyue buried her face in her handkerchief and couldn't help but sob.

Gu Mingli's teeth were grinding together.

He tried to take deep breaths, but his chest felt like it was filled with a red-hot iron, causing him a painful blockage.

No wonder his father hated Jiangzhou, the powerful clans, and the emperor of Dayong.

How could anyone not hate that?

Gu Debai continued, "After burying them, I rode back on horseback."

"When I was halfway there, I met Vice General Xu, the one who delivered the letter to me."

"He led a few personal guards and chased after us all the way here."

"It is said that the ten thousand Lu family soldiers of the Jiangbei camp, who had made great contributions in battle, were judged by the imperial court to be traitors and have all been beheaded."

"Upon hearing this news, the 80,000 Lu family troops guarding the western border and the Lu family troops in other camps collectively mutinied and deserted, heading west and north."

"The deputy general said that the general left a message before his death, saying that if anything happened to the Lu family, the Lu family army should go find his godson."

"I understand what my godfather means. He wants me to protect his Lu family army."

"At that time, I didn't have much power, so I could only tell them to find a place to hide first, and I would contact them again after I went back and finished dealing with things at home."

Gu Debai lowered his head and looked at the empty wine glass on the table.

"By the time I rushed back to Anyang, eight days had passed."

"In the end... Jing Shu left."

"She only left me with you two, brother and sister."

The main hall fell silent.

Gu Mingyue sobbed, trying to suppress her emotions.

Gu Mingli's eyes stung, and his throat tightened.

Gu Debai reached out and gently patted his daughter's head.

"On the day I returned, I sat in front of your mother's grave all night."

"At daybreak, I opened the wooden box that my godmother had given me."

Gu Debai took something out of his pocket.

The wooden box, about the size of a palm, had its edges worn smooth. The oil paper was gone, and the wax seal had been completely peeled off.

He placed the box on the table and pushed it in front of the brother and sister.

"Open it and take a look."

Gu Mingyue opened the box lid.

Inside was a layer of old silk, its color already yellowed.

There are two things under the silk.

A thin piece of paper that has been folded many times.

a letter.

Gu Mingyue picked up the paper and carefully unfolded it.

The map is drawn with extremely fine brushstrokes, and dozens of place names and symbols are marked on it.

A square seal is stamped in the lower right corner of the picture. The seal script is blurred, but the characters "Guangxian" can still be vaguely discerned.

It's a treasure map.

Gu Mingyue put the blueprints back into the box and picked up a letter that was underneath.

Gu Mingli leaned closer and looked at the letter with his sister, their heads touching.

Upon seeing the contents, the brother and sister were both stunned.

The handwriting on the letter was messy and written in a hurry.

My name is Ji Ran, and I've been in this godforsaken place for five years. They changed the recommendation system to the imperial examination system, abolished the hereditary system, and started a land survey to collect taxes per acre.

What the system told me to do in fifty years, I accomplished in five.

[The famous minister the system selected for me hasn't appeared yet, and I'm about to die!]

[Without eliminating the powerful clans, there will never be peace in the world. I can't take it anymore, this damned world.]

I have already transferred the seven hundred million taels from the national treasury. The treasure map is in this box, entrusted to the Princess for safekeeping.

[If anyone gets their hands on this map in the future, don't let it rot in their hands. Use this money to properly clean up this wretched world; don't skimp on it for me.]

Goodbye, brothers! If anyone sees this letter in the future, please overturn this ignorant and depraved world and restore peace and tranquility to the land.