Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 442 - 278: Had I known today, why bother with the past?

Ming Yan quickly returned, holding paper and pen, and Gu Chengyu asked Guo Shi a few questions. After Guo Shi pledged allegiance to the Eldest Prince, the Eldest Prince instructed him to use letters with forged handwriting to falsely accuse Wan Xue Nian and Song Shuqing in court, and promised to promote him at the right time.

"So you mean the corruption case is completely fabricated? How did you obtain the private seal? Why frame Song Shuqing? Although Song Shuqing isn’t his proper father-in-law, he is the father of his concubine, and holds a significant official position. Why would he sever his own arm? Who is this so-called master of yours?"

Gu Chengyu asked several questions with a serious expression, and after some consideration, Guo Shi answered them one by one.

"The Wan Mansion naturally has a spy planted by the Eldest Prince, obtaining the private seal and stamping it wasn’t difficult, but as for which spy it was, I am not sure. Speaking of Song Shuqing, we must talk about that master, he used a scheme to make a concubine of the Song Mansion become a mistress of the Second Prince. The Eldest Prince, being naturally suspicious, suspected that Song Shuqing secretly sided with the Second Prince. Later, two incidents occurred, confirming to the Eldest Prince that Song Shuqing had indeed defected to the Second Prince, so he resolved to deal with him."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyu nodded, thinking of what scheme might have been employed, it was clear to him—matters between men and women often lead to trouble, which he found uninteresting.

As for the other two incidents, they reminded him of what Yin Kun mentioned last time, how the Eldest Prince attempted to plant his people in the Ministry of Revenue but was thwarted by people from the Second Prince.

The Eldest Prince was very upset and might have suspected that Song Shuqing said something to the Emperor behind his back.

The Eldest Prince’s nature was to be suspicious, so it’s not surprising that he would have such suspicions. However, he was a bit too ruthless, considering that Song Shuqing had schemed quite a bit for him.

"You’ve talked till now and still haven’t said who the master is?" Compared to the Eldest Prince, he was more curious about who this master was. This person was strategizing and manipulating even the princes at will.

Guo Shi shook his head, "I don’t know either. Every time we met it was at a different place, he always stood behind a curtain, I only heard his voice and never saw him."

Gu Chengyu found it unbelievable that Guo Shi could work for someone he had never even seen. He didn’t know what to say—was his brain flawed?

"What benefits did he promise you? A promotion? Yet I see you are still just a fourth-rank official, not promoted. How do you usually contact him?"

"He first gave me some benefits, securing a position as Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites for my eldest legitimate son and promised that as long as I continued to work diligently for him in the future, I would gain many advantages."

It was not easy for Guo Shi’s eldest legitimate son, who was not skilled in either literature or martial arts, to secure a Standard Fifth Rank position.

Gu Chengyu pondered for a moment, concluding that this master must either be a high official in the court, or someone with considerable influence backing him. In all likelihood, it was just those few individuals with such capabilities in court.

Gu Chengyu took a look at the confession recorded by Ming Yan and found no points omitted. However, having just this was insufficient.

"Mr. Guo, you don’t expect the Emperor and the court ministers to believe you just based on this confession, do you? You must also offer some sincerity."

Gu Chengyu obviously did not believe that someone who recanted their confession would be easily trusted by others. They must present evidence, much like the findings against the Wan Mansion and the Song Mansion.

Guo Shi thought it over. The Eldest Prince was extremely cautious and had not disclosed much to him. He began to feel anxious, having previously been smug in the belief that the Eldest Prince had trusted him deeply, realizing now that he was just an insignificant pawn.

Gu Chengyu deliberated for a moment. Since this was a case of overturning a conviction, both testimony and physical evidence were needed.

"Do you know who imitated the handwriting on those letters? Do you have any written correspondence with the Eldest Prince? In the letters sent from the Wan Mansion, was there anything about recruiting troops? Does this matter implicate the Third Prince?"

Gu Chengyu recollected that since the Eldest Prince also intended to frame the Third Prince, firstly there must be mention of this in those letters, which would involve the direction of the silver, but the 2,000,000 taels were fabricated.

Therefore, the Eldest Prince might have concocted something involving Wan Xue Nian, trying to make Wan Xue Nian confess, which was naturally impossible, meaning they had to exploit Wan Xue Nian’s weaknesses. What could hold Wan Xue Nian accountable? Undoubtedly, the offspring of the Wan Family!

It seemed essential to visit the Dali Temple tonight, as Wan Xue Nian’s confession was exceedingly important.

Guo Shi suddenly remembered, "Now that you mention it, the Eldest Prince has an adviser skilled at imitating others’ handwriting accurately. I never had written communication with the Eldest Prince, but for this matter, he gave me several payments totaling 50,000 taels. I kept an account of it, in the outer study, and my father knows where it is."

It seemed nothing more could be extracted from Guo Shi, and Gu Chengyu found this confession unsatisfactory. The Eldest Prince was very careful, and the source of the tainted silver was never disclosed to Guo Shi, merely instructing him to frame Wan Xue Nian with these matters.

However, since the Eldest Prince could come up with 200,000 taels for framing, his dealings were definitely not clean. As long as Hu Maoshen investigated down these lines, clues would inevitably arise.

Moreover, this matter served as a contribution to Hu Maoshen’s political achievements, and Gu Chengyu believed Hu Maoshen wouldn’t refuse.

Once concluded, Gu Chengyu instructed Li Zhuang and the others to continue guarding Guo Shi, and he had to negotiate with Hu Maoshen before releasing Guo Shi.

Before leaving, he loosened the bonds on Guo Shi, sketching the adviser’s portrait. This person was also a key figure, and perhaps knew more than Guo Shi.

Gu Chengyu left the secret chamber, carrying the confession with Hu Maoshen’s signature and the letter destined for the Wan Mansion, and prepared to head to Tianxiang Pavilion.

Ming Mo had already sent a message to Xi Yan to arrange a meeting with Hu Maoqing at Tianxiang Pavilion, where Xi Yan would provide cover.

By now, about an hour had passed, and Gu Chengyu had agreed upon noon, so Hu Maoqing should have arrived.

Gu Chengyu suddenly considered whether Guo Shi’s father would believe this matter, realizing he must acquire a personal token from Guo Shi.

He returned to the secret chamber, scrutinizing Guo Shi who was wearing his official uniform and found him only wearing the Double Fish Jade Pendant.

"You must give me your Jade Pendant to show your father, otherwise he might not believe my subordinates. If you do not cooperate, wouldn’t that delay things?"

Guo Shi thought about it and agreed it made sense. As he glanced at the pendant hanging from his waist, his eyes grew moist. This Jade Pendant had been given to him by his father just a few days ago, saying it was an heirloom left by their Old Master.

"Once he sees this pendant, he’ll know it’s mine. Go ahead and deliver the letter, and I hope you mean what you say!" Guo Shi’s heart was filled with sorrow. In truth, even without sending the pendant, his father would have believed.

His father had originally opposed his actions, saying he was causing harm to loyal subjects, and that this matter was extremely risky. It was his own stubbornness that led to today’s tragedy, implicating his entire family and innocent clan members.

Gu Chengyu glanced at him, then pulled off the Jade Pendant, turning to leave. Knowing today’s outcome, why did you act thus?

Leaving the secret chamber, Gu Chengyu ordered Ming Mo to take some men to the Guo Mansion to deliver the message.

He also requested Old Master Guo to make a quick decision, asking Ming Mo to assist in securing a residence to temporarily settle the people they needed to protect. They couldn’t be sent away yet, as he wasn’t certain if Guo Shi would have second thoughts.

As for that adviser, he instructed Ming Mo to dispatch someone to keep watch on the Eldest Prince, even to the extent of breaking into the Prince Mansion at night to find and capture this person.