219 Back to the City (2/2)
There was no sound behind the wooden walls for a moment. When Luo Ningcha resumed speaking, her voice was noticeably lowered, ”What happened to the lord?”
”Rumor has it that he's fallen ill, and quite seriously so for a long time already.”
”Really?” Luo Ningcha cried but quickly broke off. ”No wonder that wench surnamed Meng has been able to stay as she pleases in the Inner Residence, and nobody bothers about her agony. I finally understand.”
She used to call Lady Meng ”bitch” but had switched to ”wench” this time.
”This is just a rumor and so don't tell anyone about it, not even to the men sent by Bighead Kingpin.”
”Certainly. Do you think I don't know the importance of keeping secrets? Let me tell you, I'm hiding a lot of things in my heart right now which will shock you if I spoke of them...”
Gu Shenwei decided that he would leave this ”shock” to be felt at a later time, and immediately cut short the mistress. ”Find a way to clarify this rumor. Is the lord truly sick? What sort of sickness? What's his condition? This will be important information both to yourself and Bighead Kingpin.”
Luo Ningcha's sole backer, Bighead Kingpin, would be toppled before long. Gu Shenwei knew he had to make use of her value while she still had some. Although the Wei family wanted to find out information through Tenth Young Master, Gu Shenwei did not think it was a good idea. He had other plans for Shangguan Ru.
He hurriedly took his leave and descended the mountain. Angry that she did not get the chance to brag, Luo Ningcha smashed several porcelains. Fortunately, Bighead Kingpin had sent more new items.
Gu Shenwei encountered a thorny problem once he returned to Kun Society. The Governor's Mansion had sent men to collect the ”Protective Talisman” again.
The newly-appointed commandant was not as tactful as Zhong Heng, and demanded the money right away. His insolence nearly reignited Shangguan Ru's killing desire. Gu Shenwei verbally held her back and offered to visit the governor himself to explain the situation.
He knew clearly that the demand for payment was just an excuse. In actual fact, the sum of money had already been used to purchase the killer Yang Huan. The governor finally wanted to meet him.
Though the Governor's Mansion was not the biggest and most magnificent building in North City, it was situated in the city center, and the streets in front of it were wider than everywhere else, giving it a special feel.
Governor Wei Song was a short man with a fair complexion and a trimmed beard. His posture was perfectly straight, and despite being dressed in official clothing, he had the manner of a general about him. He was totally different from his romantic-to-a-fault son.
After offering a bow, Gu Shenwei kept his head down. For a long while, Wei Song did not speak either, and continued to stare at the young man as if sizing him up. ”Two people had recommended you, and both of them are dead.”
Zhong Heng and Wei Lingmiao. Gu Shenwei was unsure how to reply, but he was not here to ”pay respects”, and instead came to negotiate on an equal footing. This was the study, where there no one except the governor and him. ”Being close to a killer is always a dangerous thing. People have told me that I have an infectious evil spirit on me.”
Wei Song laughed in a seemingly forced manner. ”My son didn't die of any evil spirit but a conspiracy. I want to take revenge and thus hope you can tell me who the enemy is.”
”I've heard that it's Bighead Kingpin, but nobody appears to have any evidence.”
”Ah, evidence. Only people who aren't able to exact revenge would go around finding evidence to justify their own incompetence.”
”Governor, you know who the enemy is already?”
Wei Song stared at the killer who stared back. The two men were searching for clues on each other's face to ascertain the extent to which they could trust the other.
”Lingmiao told me that you aren't a talkative person.”
”As a killer, I never ask more than I need to.”
”Alright, you're a killer right now, and I want to hire you to kill someone.”
”I shall obey your command.”
”My request is very fair. There's nothing more painful on earth than the fact that my favorite son is dead. I want my enemy to suffer the same pain as I am.”
Gu Shenwei patiently waited as Wei Song paused for a moment.
”Meng Yuzun has five sons. Go kill one of them, anyone will do.”
”Yes,” Gu Shenwei replied curtly. He did not expect Wei Song to name the Meng family and not Bighead Kingpin as his enemy.
While the killer indeed did not ask much, Wei Song could not resist offering a line of explanation. ”The Meng family wants to collect back its money and believes it can place the blame on others.”
This sentence would sound confusing to someone who was uninformed, but Gu Shenwei understood it very well. The Meng family definitely had a hand in producing those chariots of gold. However, he expressed an appropriate amount of doubt and waited until Wei Song's expression returned to a calm state before he said, ”The members of the Meng family aren't easy to kill. What price are you offering?”
”Do you prefer the Central Plain or Western Region?”
”Western Region.”
”Alright. Since you're already very rich, I shall offer you an official position in any country which the Central Plain controls. Prime Minister or General, whichever you like.”
As the Wei family's fortunes had all been stolen, the governor was trying to use empty titles to recruit a killer. Gu Shenwei knew he had to express some unwillingness.
”Believe me, you won't be able to stay much longer in Jade City. There's a major change on the way that'll affect everyone, and you'll need a safe place to go. My promise will be worth a million gold pieces then.”
Gu Shenwei acquiesced while making his reluctance apparent.
As he left the Governor's Mansion, Gu Shenwei was not as much interested in the Meng family as he was in the governor himself. When he looked at Wei Song, he had not only felt a sudden sense of familiarity but also recalled something even more important.
During the campaign to massacre the Gu family of the Central Plain, a detective named Han Shiqi, sent by Golden Roc Fort, sneaked into the Gu manor with a reference letter. Gu Shenwei had not been able to recall who authored the letter, but now, the author's name appeared unmistakably in front of his eyes.