Destined

Hearing this, Liu Yuru's face instantly darkened. She hurried out and asked anxiously, "What did the Ministry of Justice say?"

"They said the young master is involved in Liu Chun's case," Munan followed behind Liu Yuru, speaking while walking. "They didn't say anything else before leaving."

When Liu Yuru reached the gate, Gu Jiusi had already been taken away. Only his carriage and an anxious Shen Ming remained at the entrance. Seeing Liu Yuru, Shen Ming immediately said, "Sister-in-law, now..."

"Say no more," Liu Yuru jumped into the carriage and said promptly, "Let's go to the palace gate to find Brother Ye."

Liu Yuru had the coachman rush to the palace gate, then stopped at a distance. When she spotted the Ye family's carriage approaching from afar, she quickly sent Munan to intercept it, instructing, "Ask Young Master Ye to come over to my carriage."

Munan hurried over and stopped the Ye family's carriage. After Ye Shi'an leaned out and exchanged a few words, he bid farewell to Imperial Censor Ye, got off the carriage, and walked toward Liu Yuru's carriage.

He already sensed something was wrong when he arrived. Lifting the carriage curtain, he asked directly, "Has something happened?"

"The Ministry of Justice took Jiusi away," Liu Yuru said concisely. "They said it's related to Liu Chun's case."

Hearing this, Ye Shi'an was stunned for a moment before responding gravely, "I understand. This matter should be discussed in court today. I'll go to the Ministry of Justice to investigate after court. Don't panic yet—wait at home first. We'll take action once we understand the situation."

Liu Yuru nodded: "Thank you."

After confirming Ye Shi'an was unharmed and informing him, Liu Yuru had Shen Ming accompany Ye Shi'an to court as usual before turning back herself.

Upon returning home, Liu Yuru immediately sent someone to the Ministry of Justice. They found a slick customer, brought money, and bribed the Ministry of Justice officials while inquiring about the situation.

The Ministry of Justice officials accepted Liu Yuru's money but claimed they didn't know the details, only promising to take care of Gu Jiusi if he ended up in their custody.

Restless at home, Liu Yuru left all arrangements to Ye Yun and waited anxiously for news. After lunch, Shen Ming and Ye Shi'an finally returned. Hearing of their arrival, Liu Yuru immediately stood up and rushed to meet them. As soon as she saw their figures, she asked urgently, "How did it go?"

"Don't worry yet."

Ye Shi'an entered the room and poured tea for Shen Ming and himself. Shen Ming, much more agitated, quickly interjected, "Let me explain this—Liu Chun is dead."Liu Yuru was taken aback, rising to her feet in astonishment. "Liu Chun is dead?! How did he die?"

Ye Shi'an glanced at Shen Ming with some exasperation. "How can she understand with such a vague statement? Let me explain."

Ye Shi'an set down his teacup and spoke seriously. "After the Ministry of Justice took Liu Chun away for his case, they also searched his residence and investigated his accountants. They indeed found large amounts of silver hidden in his home, and his daily expenses were extravagant. He usually covered this up by claiming it was from his brother's business back in their hometown, but these are just speculations for now. He hasn't confessed, and his brother is far away and hasn't been apprehended yet."

"But uncovering these matters is only a matter of time," Liu Yuru said gravely. Ye Shi'an nodded. "Exactly. Actually, as soon as he entered the Ministry of Justice, someone came to pull strings. But I mentioned it to my uncle, and he specifically went to the Ministry to warn them. Since the Censorate is watching this case, the Ministry has many reservations. However, we still don't know how powerful Liu Chun's backers are or what the outcome of this struggle will be."

Liu Yuru nodded and continued listening. Ye Shi'an took a sip of tea and went on. "But last night, for some unknown reason, he suddenly died in the Ministry of Justice Prison."

Liu Yuru looked up at Ye Shi'an. "What does this have to do with Jiusi?"

"He was poisoned," Ye Shi'an said solemnly. "This morning, they caught the prison guard who poisoned him. The guard couldn't withstand the interrogation and revealed the mastermind."

Hearing this, Liu Yuru understood. She clenched her fists inside her sleeves, trembling with anger. "Filthy..."

Her voice shaking, she couldn't help but raise her hand and violently overturn the tea set on the table, furious. "Utterly filthy!"

"Don't be so agitated," Ye Shi'an stood up, quickly comforting Liu Yuru. "It's clearly a frame-up against Jiusi. As long as it's fabricated, we can find a way to prove it."

Liu Yuru didn't speak, clutching her fists and breathing rapidly.

After a moment, she immediately said, "I need to see him. I must ensure his safety."

"Right," Shen Ming chimed in urgently. "We can find evidence, but the Ministry of Justice is just like the County Government Office - they start with dozens of beatings. What if they cripple him?"

Ye Shi'an remained silent. After a brief pause, Liu Yuru finally said, "You don't need to handle this matter. I'll find a way."

Liu Yuru looked up earnestly. "Even if I have to buy my way through, I'll clear a path."

Hearing this, Ye Shi'an gritted his teeth. "I'll go beg my uncle."

"I'll go find Brother Zhou!" Shen Ming immediately offered. Liu Yuru nodded. "You go find Brother Zhou and have him sound out Lord Zhou. For now, we shouldn't act recklessly. I'll go find Jiusi and see what he says."

After the three had settled on their plan, they went their separate ways.

Liu Yuru stood at the doorway and instructed Munan, "Take one thousand taels to establish connections. No matter what, I must see Jiusi once."

Munan acknowledged and left. By afternoon, he returned and reported to Liu Yuru, "Madam, I found someone - he's on night watch duty tonight. He took five hundred taels and has already distributed it among the other guards. They'll arrange for you to secretly see him tonight, but it can't be for long - only fifteen minutes. What do you think?"

"Good."

Liu Yuru responded decisively, then asked, "Is he alright?""I asked the jailer. They said you were just brought in at noon and seemed fine. The higher-ups ordered continued interrogation, but since our money arrived promptly, they're just going through the motions and won't make things difficult."

Hearing this, Liu Yuru finally felt relieved.

She had prepared quilts and other necessities for prison life. When the appointed time arrived that evening, Liu Yuru drove to the prison and, through the jailer's arrangement, finally saw Gu Jiusi.

Gu Jiusi was sleeping soundly in his cell. He wasn't covered with the blanket, lying with his back to the cell door facing the wall, appearing to be sleeping quite comfortably.

Liu Yuru approached anxiously calling, "Jiusi!"

Gu Jiusi was startled for a moment before suddenly turning over in surprise. "Yuru? What are you doing here?"

"I bribed the jailers," Liu Yuru said urgently. "Are you alright? Have they tortured you?"

Gu Jiusi shook his head. He walked up to Liu Yuru, separated by the prison bars. Liu Yuru took his hands, lowering her head to examine them while saying in a choked voice, "After you were taken away this morning, I went to find Brother Ye. Brother Ye made inquiries and learned that Liu Chun was poisoned to death, and the poisoner claimed you ordered it. I was afraid this matter wouldn't end here and might implicate everyone, so I told everyone to stay put for now. I used my own money to bribe the jailers so I could come see you."

Gu Jiusi remained silent, watching as Liu Yuru kept her head lowered, her eyes red, looking like she was about to cry while checking if he was injured.

Seeing he wasn't speaking, Liu Yuru looked up at him. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I was thinking," Gu Jiusi smiled, his eyes filled with nothing but this girl as he said gently, "is this how you went around giving orders today?"

Liu Yuru was taken aback. Seeing her somewhat dazed expression, Gu Jiusi couldn't help but chuckle softly. "That would surely break people's hearts."

"What time is this for joking!" Liu Yuru became angry at his words, her composure finally breaking as tears began falling. Wiping her tears, she scolded angrily, "Do you know how much silver I spent to see you? And you still have the mind to joke with me! Gu Jiusi, are you brainless or heartless? Can't you see how worried I am?"

Hearing her words, Gu Jiusi sighed softly. Reaching through the wooden bars, he pulled her into an embrace.

The wooden bars were hard, separating the two of them, yet Liu Yuru still felt as if she had suddenly found support.

People are strange like that. Actually, this person didn't need to do anything or say anything - just one embrace felt more important than any words or actions.

Leaning against him, Liu Yuru sobbed quietly. "I know you're smarter than me. You need to tell me what to do and what not to do."

"I understand," Gu Jiusi gently patted her back. "Don't worry, I have a good grasp of the situation. The person behind this must be Lu Yong. The amount involved this time must be enormous, which is why Lu Yong is so panicked and eager to pin the blame on me. Since we know he's behind it, everything becomes manageable."

"Mm." Leaning against him, Liu Yuru calmed down considerably and asked softly, "Then what should I do next?""First, don't let Shi An get involved in this mess. If Lu Yong wants to interrogate me, his first step will definitely be to bribe people in the Ministry of Justice to use his own men for the interrogation. So he'll certainly use Ye Shi'an's friendship with me as grounds to prohibit both Shi An and Censor Ye from interfering in this case. The more Shi An interferes, the less likely His Majesty will allow him to touch this case. Therefore, Shi An must not handle this case. If Lu Yong still insists on this, have Shi An explain to His Majesty that as a friend, out of friendship, he needs to confirm my safety. Let him serve as a supervisor to oversee the Ministry of Justice's handling of this case in a reasonable, lawful, and legitimate manner."

"Alright."

Liu Yu Ru responded decisively. Gu Jiusi thought for a moment and continued: "The second matter - there are currently at least two breakthrough points. You can look for evidence of him ordering someone to kill Liu Chun, or evidence of his embezzlement from the treasury. But regardless of what evidence you find, you must understand His Majesty's intentions."

"His Majesty's intentions?"

Liu Yu Ru seemed confused. Gu Jiusi sighed: "You need to figure out whether His Majesty wants to protect Lu Yong or not."

"If His Majesty is determined to protect him, and you still bring the case to light and expose it, His Majesty might push me to the execution block to take the blame in order to protect him. So before taking action, you must clarify His Majesty's attitude toward Lu Yong - whether he wants to protect him or not."

"Someone like Lu Yong," Liu Yu Ru grew angry upon hearing this, "Would His Majesty still want to protect him?!"

"Yu Ru," Gu Jiusi smiled bitterly helplessly, "Those in power have fewer bottom lines than you imagine. They care more about outcomes than justice."