Chapter 38: Husband, you promised others, didn't you?

  A rustling sound came from inside, followed by the sound of Jiang's hurriedly getting up. Gu Zhaobei was still lying in bed, still having trouble getting up.

  "Madam." Jiang's wife came out wrapped in her clothes, tucking away her hair and said with embarrassment: "Master was too tired last night, he can't get up at the moment, Madam, if there's anything...".

  "It doesn't matter." Shen Guiyan saw that she was already dressed and raised her head to say: "I'll call him up then."

  "Madam!" Jiang's wife slightly frowned: "Husband, you have the worst temper in the morning, you..."

  Shen Guiyan waved her hand and walked over to the bed. Gu Zhaobei closed his eyes, fast asleep, with a still somewhat childish face.

  She pinched his nose, and he opened his mouth to breathe again, continuing to sleep. She covered his mouth with her hand, and Gu Zhaobei frowned, about to wave his hand. Shen Guiyan leaned forward, pressing herself onto him, whispering: "Young master, it's time to get up."

  Jiang's eyes widened in surprise, she didn't expect the young mistress to be so presumptuous. If Master was woken up by someone in the morning, he would definitely lose his temper. She had been serving him for many years and never dared to wake him up personally in the morning, lest she provoke his anger.

  Standing by and watching, Grandfather's expression was certainly going to get angry. Jiang Shi also couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude in her heart, waiting to see the good show.

  As a result, Gu Zhaobei opened his eyes and smiled lightly: "I knew it was you."

  "Something's happened outside, Master Shen should get up and think of a solution with me."

  "What's going on?" Gu Zhaobei sat up with a flip, his body slightly uncomfortable, and coughed awkwardly: "You go aside first, let Jiang Shi come to serve me to change clothes."

  "Good." Shen Guiyan stood up and really went out of the partition.

  Jiang hesitated for a moment before entering. Gu Zhaobei whispered, "Bimonth, help me change into something looser."

  "Yes."

  Without thinking, she caught sight of Gu Chaobei's slightly upturned lips. Jiang Bimonth puckered her lips and asked in a low voice, "Is Master's mood good?"

  "Ah, nice weather." Gu Zhaobei's eyes sparkled with intoxicating light: "Suitable for going out for a walk."

  Jiang Bihui turned her head and took a glance at the gloomy sky outside, then lowered her eyelids and said: "It seems that Master really likes Young Madam."

  Gu Zhongbei smiled again and said with a sly smile: "A beautiful and virtuous girl, a gentleman's delight. A beauty like Yanzhuang, how many people wouldn't be fond of her?"

  "Is it just because of appearance?" Jiang raised an eyebrow.

  "What else does a woman have besides her looks?" He reached out and stroked her face, and Gu Zhaobei chuckled: "You should take good care of yourself too."

  A careless joke was remembered by Jiang's family deep in their hearts.

  Shen Guiyan looked at Gu Zhaobei coming out and pulled him to walk outside: "Today, a refugee offended my mother and was caught by her into the prison. Do you have any way to save?"

  Gu Zhaobei was taken aback: "Rescue someone from prison? Yan'er, your husband is only good at eating, drinking and having fun, how can he suddenly become omnipotent?"

  Shen Guiyan was taken aback, thinking that indeed, apart from being infatuated with women and indulging in wine, Gu Zhaobei didn't know anything else. Why did she think of looking for him first when something happened?

  Shen Guiyan sighed and muttered to herself, "I'm also helpless. Today's affair has been quite unpleasant, and I don't dare ask the Prime Minister for help either."

  "Some refugees, just catch them." Gu Zhaobei said lightly: "You have a heart, that's enough."

  Shen Guiyan furrowed her brow.

  It was she who brought disaster to them. If it weren't for her wanting to turn the tables on Mrs. Shen and take advantage of the opportunity to have the yamen investigate, they wouldn't have thought of implicating these innocent refugees. Those refugees were also grateful and wanted to repay kindness, which is why they were so indignant. Now if she doesn't help them, isn't that inhumane and unjust?

  "May I go take a look at Tianlao?" Shen Guiyan asked in a low voice.

  Gu Zhoubei shook his head: "What's good about going to prison?"

  When a woman asks a man to do something, she must be gentle in her attitude. This was a phrase Shen Guiyan had heard a long time ago.

  Gritting her teeth, Shen Guiyan imitated the mannerisms of those sisters from the Shen household, lightly stomping her foot and tugging on Gu Zhaobei's arm as she swayed back and forth. She pouted and twisted her body to one side: "Young Master, please agree with me~"

  Gu Chao Bei shivered, staring at Shen Gui Yan as if he had seen a ghost. Shen Gui Yan's face turned bright red, wondering if this wasn't enough, and just as she was about to get more intense, Gu Chao Bei had already surrendered.

  "Go on, I'll take you there."

  "Can you take me in?" Shen Guiyan's eyes lit up.

  Guo Zhaobei hesitated for a moment, then stammered: "It just so happens that I know the prison head of the cell."

  "Great!" Shen Guiyan's eyes sparkled, thinking that what they said was indeed useful, and she should learn more, next time when asking for help, continue to twist.

  Gu Zhaobei found it amusing, having never seen her like this before. He was actually planning to meet with someone today to discuss how to enter the palace, but somehow ended up agreeing to accompany her to the Heavenly Prison instead.

  He let out a sigh and followed her out of the door to get on the carriage, quietly instructing Chui Yun to go ahead and make arrangements.

  The head of the prison in Beijing indeed knew him and was a frequent visitor to Qinglou Chuguan, so he stuffed some silver and took Shen Guiyan inside.

  "Today many refugees were sent in by the Shen family." The warden said helplessly: "It was almost impossible to find a place to lock them up, and Mrs. Shen didn't know what she was doing, insisting that we use torture to cut out their tongues. No one liked this task, which is why it's been delayed until now."

  "Can you let them out?" Shen Guiyan looked at the dark and crowded cell and asked with a frown.

  "This... " The prison head sighed: "We can't afford to offend Madame Shen either, after all she's a court lady. Sheriff Shen is related to your Excellency's family by marriage, and next year he'll definitely be promoted again."

  After all, it's just that Shen Guiyan and Gu Zhaobei don't have enough face, although they are people from the Grand Chancellor's mansion, but without any official position or power, how can they afford to offend the Shen family.

  "Corrupt officials, trampling on human life! We didn't kill anyone or start a fire, just scolded a vicious woman and now you want to put us in jail?" A refugee angrily asked: "If someone with more face than her came to scold, would you still lock them up or not?"

  The squad leader cracked his whip against the railing: "What's all the commotion about? Can you dare scold an official? You deserved to be sent in here."

  "As soon as we entered the capital city, I saw that there is an imperial edict saying all people are equal. Except for the emperor, aren't others also citizens? Why should she be scolded and brought in just for speaking two sentences? Let us out!"

  "What about the Emperor?" The prison head sneered, "Go take a look outside at how well the imperial edict is being carried out. How many of its provisions have actually been implemented? Madame Shen is the wife of a high-ranking official, and yet she thinks she can be treated like you refugees who are as insignificant as weeds?"

  Shen Guiyan's expression turned slightly angry: "Sir, why don't you just say it directly? How can we let him go?"

  "Mrs. Gu Si thought human life was valuable indeed." Lao Tou chuckled twice: "Since it's valuable, then ransom them out, one or two silver coins per person. You all know, doing things that offend people isn't good."

  One or two silver coins per person, there are also thirty or forty people here, isn't that three or four dozen? Shen Guiyan's face turned slightly pale, while Gu Zhaobei laughed and said: "Good fellow, who would come to redeem them? It's not like they're worth anything, might as well sneak in at midnight and steal the person away."

  The bald-headed man smiled wryly: "You two have seen enough, it's time to leave."

  Shen Guiyan pursed her lips and asked, "Where is the yamen?"

  "What?" The jailer turned his head to look at her.

  "I asked where the yamen was, I want to beat the drum and cry injustice." Shen Guiyan took a deep breath: "Since human life is so precious, it should be put on trial for investigation."

  The steward sneered and said: "Young Madam, why are you being so serious? It was your mother who sent the person in, if you go to report this, aren't you just slapping your own family's face?"

  "What's the harm in hitting?" Shen Guiyan's face turned serious: "Is a slap more important than a life?"

  The prison head glanced at Gu Zhaobei and said, "Fourth Master Gu, it's better to advise the lady to be more careful. These days, government offices are all run by officials, who would dare to cause trouble for themselves? It's just some unrelated people, why bother hurting your own family's harmony."

  A murmur of laughter came from the crowd of refugees: "Isn't the government office opened for the people?"

  "Fart!" The prison head swung another whip: "That's what you say to the emperor, what are you really doing?"

  The words were gone, leaving only a few bursts of laughter.

  Gu Zhoubei leaned against the prison door and looked at the speaker twice, with a faint glimmer in his eyes. He suddenly straightened up and said, "Let's go, Yan'er, I'll accompany you to the yamen."

  "What? The prison head is stunned: "Fourth Master Gu, your respected wife is making a scene, how can you also..."

  "Let's take a step back, the warden still has his eyes on us, don't really use punishment." Gu Zhaobei kindly reminded.

  Then Shen Guiyan walked out with her arms around him.

  Shen Guiyan looked at Gu Zhaobei with some emotion, the latter's face was full of righteousness: "Wife, we must rescue all the refugees!"

  "Good." Shen Guiyan felt for the first time that she hadn't married the wrong man, and smiled as she followed Gu Zhaobei to the yamen.

  Madam Shen returned to the mansion still fuming, only to hear that Shen Guiyan was going to accuse her of abusing official power and had already gone to the yamen to file a complaint.

  "This unfilial daughter!" Madame Shen turned around and went to cry to Old Master Shen: "Yan'er doesn't care about the mother-daughter relationship at all, not only did she let some lowly people humiliate me, now she's even going to sue me for the sake of those lowly people! Old Master, where is the face of the Shen family? It's really true that a married-out daughter is like spilled water!"

  Mr. Shen was troubled by annoying things today and heard such a thing, so he immediately became angry and said: "You took my official seal, see who dares to sue you!"

  "Yes!" Madame Shen smiled and took Master Shen's official seal before heading to the yamen.

  Since taking office as the Prefect of Jingzhao, I have never encountered such a thing. The wife of the Prime Minister's household is actually suing her own natal family...

  The people standing on the platform, even the Prefect of Beijing didn't dare order them to kneel down, but instead sighed and said: "What's the point of this..."

  Madam Shen held the official seal and coldly said: "The humble subject was impolite first, my daughter reported to me afterwards. Today in this public hall, I don't care about any face-saving anymore. I only ask Your Honor to kill the humble subject, don't listen to my daughter's nonsense."

  Shen Guiyan did not expect his father to take out all the official seals, this was simply too absurd.

  "What nonsense is this?" Gu Zhaobei rarely spoke seriously: "As an official, one should serve the people. Please release the commoners in prison!"