Chapter Ninety-Seven: Finding the Woodcutter

When Gou Ye and Yun Niang arrived at the duke’s estate, fortune favored them: Gu Yuan happened to be there as well. After hearing what had befallen Gou Ye, Gou Ye also recounted the findings of his recent investigation. Gu Yuan slammed the table. “Scum! Who would have thought that Qin Hui was capable of such monstrous crimes? He is utterly lawless. Gou Ye, is there anything this old man can do for you? I will lend you my full support. Until the merchants’ clan sends word, you and your wife can stay here in peace. I should like to see who dares break into my estate and harm you!”

“Your Grace is too generous. I am unworthy of such favor. Still, there is indeed one matter for which I need your help. I fear that if the investigation into Blackwater Village comes to light, Magistrate Qin may turn against the villagers. So I sent the Guo brothers to protect them. Yet strong as they are, two fists cannot fend off four hands. I was hoping Your Grace might be able to send some men to help my brothers defend the village together.”

Gu Yuan nodded at once. “That is no problem. Though I no longer have troops under my command, there are still more than twenty able-bodied retainers in my household. I will send them to assist your brothers in guarding Blackwater Village. But I still have a question. You have said so much, yet not one thing is backed by direct proof. Even I cannot easily report this to the court.”

“Please do not worry about that, Your Grace. Though the net of Heaven is wide, nothing escapes it. My men are still searching; our only hope is that they uncover some clue. And even if they do not, once the facts are already there, there will be no lack of exposed flaws. The trail will surely appear. As for reporting to the court, Your Grace need not trouble yourself. The reason I contacted the merchants’ clan and made connections with the gentry was precisely so that your family would not be drawn into this affair. After all, Qin Hui is not merely a petty county magistrate.”

Gu Yuan smiled with relief at Gou Ye’s words. He found the young man before him increasingly to his liking. Though his sharp tongue made him somewhat hard to love, when he set about doing something, he carried himself with a kind of righteous grandeur. Even now, despite all this, he still did not fear power, and he remained calm when trouble arose. He had the makings of someone who could truly accomplish things.

“Very well. Since you have said as much, I will arrange matters concerning Blackwater Village. As for the rest, let Shen’er handle it for you. Do not stop the investigation. No ordinary person can simply break into my estate.”

With the duke’s permission, Gou Ye naturally felt at ease. There was no safer place than here. He only worried that Da Li might not return with the result he wanted.

Soon after, the duke acted with great efficiency and dispatched nearly twenty men to reinforce the Guo brothers. They arrived at the entrance of Blackwater Village and set up several tents outside. The Guo brothers joined them and lived together with them, immediately enjoying days of wine and meat, content and carefree.

The villagers were all curious about what was happening. Now and then one of them would poke his head out to stare at the people in the tents, and among them, one man lingered for a long while before quietly leaving the village entrance and heading into the forest.

Three days passed in succession. During those three days, word spread that Gou Ye had come to stay, and Gu Shen’s brothers and sisters came one after another to visit. Gu Yu came to discuss poetry and prose; Gu Yue played zither and flute with Gou Ye; and Gu Man would run over from time to time, asking him to make new and more interesting toys for her.

The men were one thing, but whenever a woman came to see Gou Ye, Yun Niang would flare with jealousy. Especially Gu Yue, who had actually performed a zither-and-flute duet with Gou Ye right in front of her. It made Yun Niang tremble with anger, and Gou Ye had to coax her for a long while before she calmed down. Gu Man, however, was very endearing. She had a child’s temperament and seemed like a little girl herself, and she got along very well with Yun Niang. Right now the two of them were in the courtyard, playing together with a ring-tossing game Gou Ye had made, something he had enjoyed in childhood.

As Yun Niang was laughing and tossing the rings, she suddenly bumped into someone. Looking up, she saw that it was Gu Shen, with Da Li behind him, as well as an unfamiliar old man. If she guessed correctly, this must be the woodcutter. At once she shouted, “Brother Gou Ye, come quickly! Gu Shen has brought Da Li back!”

Gou Ye stepped out of the house at an unhurried pace. When he saw the aged man behind Da Li, his eyes lit up. He hurried over. “Da Li, you’re back. And who is this gentleman behind you?”

“Replying to my master, this is the woodcutter you wanted me to find.” Hearing this, Gou Ye finally let out a breath of relief.

The old man seemed frightened. He had never in his life entered such a vast courtyard. When he reached the gate and heard that this was the duke’s estate, his legs turned to water. If Gu Shen had not persuaded him for a long time, he would never have come in with Da Li.

“Good day, old sir. Please do not be afraid. I asked my brother to bring you here mainly because I wish to ask you about something. This matter is extremely important to me, and I hope you will tell me everything truthfully.”

After Gou Ye spoke, the old man looked around in a trembling panic. Gou Ye immediately understood and led him into the house. He did not allow anyone else inside, so the two of them were alone. Only then did the old man relax a little.

Gou Ye was not in a hurry. He calmly poured the old man a cup of tea. “You must be tired. Have some tea first.”

The old man took the tea Gou Ye had respectfully handed him, still uneasy. Gou Ye spoke first. “Old sir, I heard from Da Li that you know something about what happened in Blackwater Village five years ago. I wonder if you could tell me.”

At this, the old man seemed to recall something. He looked at Gou Ye with suspicion and said in a trembling voice, “I don’t know. I don’t know anything. Please, just spare me.”

Spare us? It seemed this old man not only knew something, but knew quite a lot. Gou Ye poured him another cup of tea, then moved to the opposite side and sat down slowly. “Old sir, do you know who I am?”

“I do not, young master. But I truly know nothing. Please, let me go.”

“My name is Gou Ye. I come from Earth Gate Village. I do not know what happened to you, so let me tell you about myself instead. I lived peacefully in my village and made a little money in the county town. Yet in the end not only was my business seized by Magistrate Qin from the county office, but my livelihood was cut off as well. Our village head in Earth Gate Village also died unexpectedly because of a dispute with me. As for why I am here, it is because two days ago my house was burned down again. I have no home and no means to live, so I can only take shelter here for the time being. But do you know why they have pushed me so hard?”

Seeing the woodcutter’s tense posture easing somewhat, Gou Ye continued, “Because I am investigating what happened in Blackwater Village five years ago. I want justice for those innocent people who died so horribly, and I want justice for Village Head Li of my own village, who died without cause. I know you are afraid of them, but I think you do not want to carry this burden forever either.”