Chapter 355 Breaking off the engagement is the only way for the protagonist
Gu Xu, the head of the exorcism department, Jin Yangzi, Master Fu Dao, guest teacher at Longmen Academy, and leader of this "Luoshui Conference", secretly colluded with ghosts. Intention of rebellion!
As soon as the Daqi court announced the wanted order for Gu Xu, it caused a strong sensation in Luojing City.
For this matter, the practitioners and ordinary people in Luojing were in disbelief at first.
After all, in the past few months, they have heard too many legendary stories about Gu Xu - such as his face-to-face confrontation with "fierce god" level ghosts on Yishan Mountain and saving Qingzhou Prefecture from danger. Among them; for example, he single-handedly killed all the ghosts and monsters near Dagu Pass, bringing peace to the villagers in the suburbs of Luojing; another example is that he created the "fire character", which enabled monks who did not understand the Tao of Talisman to draw talismans. The ability to kill ghosts...
It can be said that in the eyes of everyone, Gu Xu is already a hero who fights against ghosts and monsters, and is also the most dazzling star among the young generation of the Daqi Dynasty.
But now, this legendary hero has transformed into a traitor who conspired to treason.
This kind of news shocked everyone no less than when Lu Huan, the chief minister of the cabinet, committed treason.
However, as the Da Qi court posted notices one after another among the people, people quickly learned about the entire incident——
Gu Xu secretly secretly secretly Collusion, intending to break into the royal treasury through the "Luoshui Conference" and seize the "Jingshan Bi", the seal of the Chu Kingdom, in order to manipulate the evil spirit and destroy the "Tianlong Formation".
As long as the "Tianlong Formation" is destroyed, the ghosts outside the city will break through the city wall and hunt and kill the people in the city wantonly.
After that, the Mangshan Ghost King and Yan Guogong Zhao Changying also broke into the palace and tried to kill the emperor.
In order to stop them, Da Qi's Imperial Master and Exorcist Division Chief Luo Chuan were both seriously injured in the battle and fell into a coma.
Fortunately, at the most critical moment in Luojing City, His Majesty the wise and powerful Emperor broke through the barrier and fought one against two. With his strong strength and God's blessing, he killed the Ghost King of Mangshan and severely injured Zhao Changying. , repair the "Tianlong Formation" and save the people of Luojing from dire straits.
"Kill the traitor Gu Xu" was the first order the emperor personally issued after leaving the country.
If it weren't for the Emperor's keen eyesight and clear-sightedness to expose this traitor's identity, I'm afraid this traitor would still be lurking in Luojing City and continue to harm the people of Daqi.
…………
For His Majesty the Emperor, the citizens of Da Qi generally have an almost god-like worship.
In addition, three people can become tigers, and everyone can win gold.
People quickly accepted the court's statement.
The previous praise, praise, and admiration for Gu Xu have all turned into belittlement, rejection, and contempt.
For example, Longmen Academy, when it saw this notice, immediately crossed out Gu Xu's name from the teaching roster to distance itself from Gu Xu.
For example, after hearing the news, the Chen family in Xiangyang immediately burned the wedding gift they were going to give to Gu Xu into ashes to show that they were incompatible with the national thieves...or, in other words, to express their loyalty to the emperor.
There are also many people who have made up many different versions of stories around Gu Xu's identity as a "rebel" and talked about it after dinner.
Some people say that the reason why Gu Xu possesses the astonishing speed of breaking through realms is because he practices the "ghost cultivation method" of gaining true energy by devouring other people's souls.
Some people say that the reason why Gu Xu is knowledgeable and knows all kinds of Taoist moves in the world is because his true identity is a thousand-year-old ghost disguised as a human, with a long lifespan and rich experience.
Some people say that the reason why Gu Xu was able to escape death on Mount Yi is because he was originally the lackey and accomplice of Kongxuan San people - he defeated many geniuses and won the inheritance of the Laoshan ruins. evidence. If the saint hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid the entire Qingzhou Prefecture would have been harmed by him.
......
These stories are more and more outrageous, but many people are willing to believe them and listen to them with relish.
After all, for these monks with mediocre qualifications and mediocrity, they are more willing to accept a monk who practices evil methods and has a bad character than a young prodigy with extraordinary enlightenment, wisdom and courage.
It seems that putting a stain on Gu Xu's glorious image can make them feel psychologically balanced.
…………
At this moment, Shi Lei from Qianhu in Laizhou Prefecture was pacing back and forth in the room, feeling restless.
I finally found an ideal son-in-law, and I was already preparing for the wedding with great fanfare, so that my daughter could marry decently and gracefully.
Unexpectedly, in one day, the talented and promising son-in-law turned into a treasonous traitor.
Shi Lei only found it difficult to accept.
He believed from the bottom of his heart that Gu Xu was a person of good character and could not do such a despicable thing.
If he were twenty years younger, he would risk being beheaded and go to the Zichen Palace to meet the emperor and ask for evidence of Gu Xu's treason, so as to clear Gu Xu's innocence.
But now, Shi Lei is older, and he is no longer the passionate young man who would fall out with his fellow tribesmen over love, and who would report to the supervisory agency that superior officials accepted bribes.
He has been eroded by many years of official life, and his edge has been sharpened by the complex conflicts of interests and interpersonal relationships.
The motto in my heart has also unknowingly changed from "cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world" to "sail the ship with caution".
Now that he is an official, he no longer seeks to be promoted to a higher position or to make achievements in his career. He only wants everything to be safe, not to make mistakes, not to offend others, and to work safely until he reaches the official position.
For the sake of his daughter's future, he even considered bringing a gift to say hello to the examiner of the promotion examination in private - such behavior was undoubtedly something he despised when he was young.
Such a middle-aged man with smoothed edges would naturally not take the risk of offending the emperor in order to clear Gu Xu's grievances.
The emperor only ordered Gu Xu to be killed without implicating his relatives and friends. This is already a great mercy.
If the emperor is offended by this matter and is regarded as Gu Xu's accomplice, then the lives of Shi Lei and his daughter Shi Xiaohan will be in danger.
Of course Shi Lei admired Gu Xu very much.
But appreciation is just appreciation after all, and it cannot compare to his heartfelt love for his daughter.
As a father, he is not afraid of sacrificing himself, nor does he mind sacrificing anyone else, as long as he can protect his daughter from life-threatening danger.
So, after pondering for a long time, Shi Lei invited the matchmaker who had previously made the connection to his home, and in front of them, took out the marriage certificate between Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan.
In the Daqi Dynasty, marriage focused on "the orders of the parents and the words of the matchmaker." Whether it was an engagement or an annulment, the presence of the parents and the matchmaker was required.
When getting engaged, the matchmaker is responsible for writing the marriage letter. After it is written, it will be made into two copies, which will be fingerprinted by both men and women and kept separately.
A private verbal engagement between a man and a woman has no legal effect.
When breaking off the engagement, if the two families reach an agreement, the matchmaker will write a document contacting the marriage contract, and both men and women will press their fingerprints, then destroy the original marriage document and return their respective engagement tokens.
Of course, if you encounter special circumstances, special handling is required.
For example, today, Gu Xu was not present, and Shi Xiaohan was still lying in bed recovering from his injuries, unconscious from taking the soul-repairing elixir.
Shi Lei took the marriage certificate, walked to the fireplace, took a deep breath, and threw it into the blazing fire.
I only heard him say in a slightly trembling voice: "Gu... Gu Xu is a monstrous and rebellious person. He has no king and father. He acts like a wolf and collaborates with the enemy and treason. I... my whole family, young and old, I vow to sever all ties with him and never live together forever.
“My daughter and I were deceived by his rhetoric and signed this marriage contract without knowing his true identity. Now... just pretend it never existed. ”
In the stove, the hot tongue of fire greedily licked the bright red wedding letter, and the black writing and the two finger prints closely together turned into ashes in an instant.
Later, Shi Lei ordered his servants to take out the betrothal gifts that Gu Xu had sent earlier, including betrothal cakes, seafood, tea, sesame seeds, cloth, etc., and pile them in the courtyard.
Gu Xu is now a prisoner of the imperial court, so it is naturally impossible for the betrothal gift to be returned the way it came.
So Shi Lei used the true fire to burn them all into ashes, to show that the Shi family and Gu Xu were cut off and had nothing to do with each other from now on.
As for the "nacai gift" sent by Gu Xu - the two wild geese, Shi Lei opened the cage and released them into the sky. From now on, they can go wherever they like.
While Shi Lei was busy burning the betrothal gift, Shi Xiaohan, who was lying in bed recovering from his injuries, had a nightmare.
In her dream, she saw Gu Xu walking toward the distance along a long, narrow and rugged road.
She ran with all her strength, trying to catch up with him, but found that she had been standing still, and could only watch him go further and further away, and finally disappeared from sight. She shuddered and woke up from her nightmare.
Then she climbed out of the bed, wearing a white singlet with her delicate white feet bare, and stumbled out of her room.
There were many questions in her stomach - such as where Gu Xu is now, whether he was injured in the battle, when he would come here to visit her... She was ready to ask her father one by one .
However, as soon as she walked into the courtyard, she saw her father, witnessed by the matchmakers, using the fire of true energy to burn all the betrothal gifts that Gu Xu had sent previously.
My father looked tired, his eyes were red, and he was chanting words over and over again in a hoarse voice, "We must sever ties with the national traitors" and "Do not recognize this son-in-law who has committed the crime of treason."
Looking at the betrothal gifts being turned into ashes in the blazing fire, Shi Xiaohan's mind suddenly went blank.
She ran forward with weak legs and shouted over and over again: "Gu Xu is not a national traitor! He saved my life! Don't cancel the engagement!"
< br>But just after running a few steps, her legs weakened and she fell to the ground, causing pain in her knees.
Seeing his precious daughter who fell down, Shi Lei immediately frowned in distress.
He hurried forward, stretched out his hand to help Shi Xiaohan up from the ground, and asked with concern: "Where did you fall? Does it hurt badly? Do you need me to give you some medicine?"< br>
But Shi Xiaohan ignored him at all.
She struggled, trying to pull away Shi Lei's hands that supported her, and rescue Gu Xu's pile of betrothal gifts from the raging fire.
But Shi Lei's arms were like steel, tightly holding her, making it impossible for her to break free.
"Xiaohan, don't do stupid things," Shi Lei said to her earnestly, "I do this for your own good. Gu Xu's current identity is a prisoner of the imperial court. I can't let you marry him again.< br>
“My baby daughter is the most beautiful and outstanding girl in the world. She will definitely meet a better person in the future——
“——I will not marry anyone except Gu Xu. !" Shi Xiaohan shouted in a crying voice.
Shi Lei sighed silently.
He felt that this was because his silly daughter could not accept Gu Xu's change in identity, so she was so excited.
But he believes that time can dilute everything and make ignorant young people mature.
When Xiaohan grows up, she will understand her good intentions, and will gradually forget about this young relationship and step into a new life.
So, he took out a bottle of sleeping potion from the storage magic weapon and poured it into Shi Xiaohan's mouth.
The petite girl quickly fell asleep and stopped struggling.
Then, Shi Lei took his daughter back to the room, put her on the bed, and covered her with a quilt.
"Sorry, Xiaohan."
Looking at his daughter's sweet and peaceful sleeping face, Shi Lei said softly, with complicated emotions in his eyes.
After staying for a while, he returned to the courtyard and said to the matchmakers around him: "This little girl has a simple personality and is young and carefree. She was deceived by the traitor Gu Xu. She still misses her... I made everyone laugh."
The matchmakers expressed sympathy that Gu Xu was good at disguise, and even the saints could not see through his true face, let alone a little girl who was not familiar with the world.
At the same time, they have not forgotten to promote business: if Mr. Shi wants to choose another husband for his daughter in the future, or wants to marry a second wife for himself, he must remember to contact them.
Shi Lei said polite words, but in his heart he just wanted to drive them out as soon as possible.
After Gu Xu and the bride price were burned cleanly, Shi Lei stood in the yard, looking at the clear blue sky above his head, and was silent for a long time.
Suddenly, he remembered Luo Sishou's prophecy - "Gu Xu will be able to cultivate to a state above that of a saint in the future."
Shi Lei thought: If Gu Xu is protected by God, After successfully escaping this disaster, will one day in the future he return to Luojing City with a powerful and dazzling appearance to settle the current debt?
But he quickly shook his head and drove this ridiculous idea out of his mind.
There are many powerful people in the Daqi Dynasty and the security is tight. There is no chance that Gu Xu can escape safely.
Even if he really ran out of the country and cultivated to a state above that of a saint, he might not be able to fight against Emperor Tianxing.
Like Zhao Changying, Duke of Yan Kingdom, isn’t he a powerful true king in the eighth realm?
But he was still defeated miserably at the hands of Emperor Tianxing.
"The Emperor is invincible," Shi Lei told himself in his heart, "Xiaohan...she will still have to work hard to adapt to a new life without Gu Xu in the future."
…………
Luojing City, Shouchangfang.
As the saying goes, "When a tree falls, the hozen will scatter."
When Gu Xu went from being the proud son of heaven to being a treasonous traitor that everyone wanted to beat, the elixir workshop under his name was no longer the bustling business and crowded place it used to be. The gates are deserted, desolate and desolate.
Many monks in the workshop who came to admire Gu Xu's reputation also took their luggage and went their separate ways.
Logically speaking, if Gu Xu committed treason, all his property would be taken back by the imperial court.
However, considering that "Shuchangfang" was originally the property of the Shi family, in order to appease the emotions of Shi Lei and his family, Princess Zhaoning, who presided over political affairs, returned it to the Shi family.
It was just the "Shuchangfang" plaque written by Gu Xu himself, but it was roughly removed from the top of the gate by the imperial officers and soldiers, and was thrown into the furnace and burned to ashes.
At this moment, in front of the bare door, Yang Shuo, the steward of the Shi family, was grabbing Shen Qiu's sleeve and patiently persuading him: "Master Shen, please stay! This elixir workshop is your hard work, can you bear to watch it decline day by day?
"Mr. Shen, the Shi family is very wealthy and has a strong foundation. The treatment it can give you is absolutely unacceptable?" It will be worse than what that treasonous traitor Gu Xu gave you.
"Stay here, you can realize your ideals and ambitions without any scruples, without worrying about being implicated——"
"——These words are what Shi Qianhu taught you, right?" Shen Qiu, carrying a light bag, interrupted him in his usual sharp tone.
Manager Yang was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile and nodded: "You guessed it."
He knew that the reason why "Shuchangfang" was able to grow in such a short time was The development and growth here is partly because of Gu Xu's fame, and partly because of Shen Qiu's proper management.
But now Gu Xu has become a wanted criminal.
If his disciple Shen Qiu also leaves, then this elixir workshop will be restored to its original shape in an instant.
So, both Shi Lei and Manager Yang very much hope that Shen Qiu can stay and continue to run this elixir workshop.
Manager Yang paused for a moment and then said: "But Mr. Shen, you have to know that Mr. Shi is very sincere to you. If you are willing to stay, he is willing to pay double your salary——"< br>
“I refuse.”
Shen Qiu said calmly, taking his sleeve out of Steward Yang’s hand, then turned and walked towards the street with few people around.
He is very short, but the sunlight shining on him makes his shadow very long.
Manager Yang used his skills and hurriedly caught up with him: "Mr. Shen, do you really not think about it anymore? You should know that your current status is somewhat sensitive. If you leave here, you will not be able to do it in the future. I will definitely be able to find a better one——"
"——Tell this to Master Shi for me," Shen Qiu interrupted him again, "I, Shen Qiu, will only recognize one Dong Weng in my life. ”
After saying this, he walked as fast as the wind and quickly disappeared at the end of the street.
I found that there is more plot content than I thought. The second volume should take a day or two to finish.
PS: Gu Xu and Shi Xiaohan will not be BEed, everyone can rest assured.
(End of this chapter)