Chapter 257 Times have changed At this time, the chief clerk of the Ministry of War came forward and whispered in Yan Kuan's ear, "Sir, a few months ago, three people from the Ministry of War did come. At that time, you asked me to arrange them as I pleased, so I arranged for them to do odd jobs in the backyard." "Oh, so that's how it is! Then take this little brother to meet his friends!" Yan Kuan said with relief, and then he started to give orders. The chief clerk immediately made a gesture of invitation to Gu Chan, "Little brother, please follow me." Gu Chan nodded and left with the chief clerk. Yan Kuan smiled and warmly invited Ren Yin to go into the small room for tea and chat. The backyard of the Ministry of War. When Gu Chan followed the chief clerk over, she was completely stunned. Because this is just a shabby little yard! Not only is it smelly, but there are also piles of firewood, toilets, and clothes everywhere. After the two came in, the chief clerk couldn't help but put his hands over his mouth and nose and said, "Little brother, go in and find your friend! I have something to take care of. When you guys are done chatting, go to the lobby in front." "Thank you, Master." Gu Chan thanked him politely.
The chief clerk waved his hand nonchalantly, turned around and left with a look of disgust on his face. Gu Chan walked into the yard, looked up, and saw a funny scene. At this time, Shen Yang, Wang Tianxiao, and a woman were sitting in a triangle in front of a large wooden basin, scrubbing the dirty clothes inside vigorously. Gu Chan was stunned and almost laughed out loud. Fortunately, she held it back and deliberately coughed twice. The three of them immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. "Why is it you?" Then the three of them exclaimed in unison. The key point is that they never expected that Gu Chan would appear here. Gu Chan walked up to them and said with a smile, "Is this how you came to the Military Department in Kyoto to study?" "Uncle, don't mention it. We have been doing odd jobs for several months and we are exhausted." Shen Yang came back to his senses and complained with a bitter face. Wang Tianxiao suddenly became furious, rushed up, grabbed Gu Chan's clothes and yelled, "What a bullshit recommendation document, it cost my family 200,000 taels of silver, and now you look like this, I've been doing odd jobs here for a few months, I'm exhausted." "Let go!" Gu Chan shouted coldly. Wang Tianxiao was so frightened that his neck shrank and he quickly let go. He had been beaten more than once in Wuheng County on the border before, so naturally he didn't dare to act rashly in front of Gu Chan now. Gu Chan glared at him and said sarcastically, "Why, do you think you are still the eldest son of the Wang family? Isn't your uncle a high-ranking official in Kyoto? Why doesn't he come to help you? I guess he knows exactly what your situation is, right?" "My uncle sent someone to tell me to work hard in the Ministry of War and make a name for myself. He will help me make arrangements then." Wang Tianxiao said proudly. "Do you know that your father is dead, and all the male members of your Wang family have been killed, and all the female members have been abducted as slaves by the enemy army?" Gu Chan said in a deep voice. Wang Tianxiao was stunned on the spot after hearing what he said. He glared at Gu Chan and yelled, "You are lying, my father is not dead. My uncle said that all my family members have fled to Zhongyuan City and are living and working in peace. Nothing happened at all." "Humph! Your uncle doesn't want to take in a stray dog like you, lest you embarrass him. So he found an excuse to reassure you and let you continue to do odd jobs here. He doesn't want you to go out and embarrass him. And let me tell you, when the enemy invaded Wuheng County, your father became a traitor and helped the enemy to deal with everyone. The news that your father collaborated with the enemy and was a traitor has long spread throughout Tiancang Country." Gu Chan told the truth mercilessly. Wang Tianxiao's legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground, covering his face with his hands and crying bitterly. At this time, the woman sitting next to him quickly stood up and asked, "Manager Gu, how are my parents?"
"Girl, who are you?" Gu Chan asked. "My name is Ding Xiang, and my father is the former county magistrate of Wuheng County!" Ding Xiang hurriedly introduced herself. Only then did Gu Chan realize that the pretty girl in front of her was actually Fatty Ding’s only daughter! It must be said that Fatty Ding is not good-looking, but his daughter is really pretty. She has the temperament of a lady from a noble family. Her little face is not so beautiful that it can topple a country, but at least it is enough to make a man fall in love with her. It's a pity that times have changed and she is no longer the eldest daughter of the county magistrate, but just a servant doing odd jobs in the Ministry of War. Seeing that Gu Chan didn't say anything, Ding Xiang hurried forward and grabbed Gu Chan's hand and said, "Manager Gu, please say something!" "Don't worry, your whole family has safely fled to Zhongyuan City and is living and working in peace. However, the imperial court wanted to find a scapegoat to deal with the loss of the border, and your father unfortunately became the scapegoat. He is going to be beheaded by the emperor. Now he has been brought to the capital by the censor, awaiting the emperor's decision." Gu Chan explained. "Oh my God! How could this happen?" Dingxiang's face turned pale as paper in an instant. After a long sigh, her legs went limp and she sat down on the ground and cried bitterly. In contrast to them, Shen Yang seemed very calm. He neither cried nor made a fuss, nor did he ask Gu Chan about the Shen family's affairs. He just sat there quietly, looking at the two people crying so sadly on the ground, with a look of great pity on his face. Gu Chan stared at him curiously and said, "Why don't you ask? Don't you care about the Shen family?" "What's there to ask? Second uncle, you can come to Kyoto safely and appear in front of me. Doesn't that prove that my Shen family is safe now?" Shen Yang said with a smile. "Well, you are indeed smart, unlike these two idiots who only know how to cry." Gu Chan said sarcastically with a laugh. As soon as she said this, Wang Tianxiao and Ding Xiang stopped crying immediately. The two wiped their tears, stood up from the ground, sat back on their stools, and continued to wash the clothes in the wooden basin in silence, because they now understood that the Ministry of War was their only support now. Although doing odd jobs here was a bit tiring, at least they could still have three meals a day. But if they leave here, it is not certain whether they can still live such a stable life. Seeing that the two had calmed down, Shen Yang spoke to comfort them, "Don't be so desperate. According to the current situation, you are not at the end of your rope yet. You still have a way out." "What way out?" they asked in unison. Gu Chan also became interested. She squatted beside Shen Yang, holding her cheeks with both hands and said with a smile, "Yes! I am also very curious. What do you mean by their retreat? Tell me quickly." "Uncle, please sit down first. Let's sit down and talk slowly." Shen Yang said softly. Then he immediately stood up, moved a small stool to the side, and pulled Gu Chan to sit down. Gu Chan naturally liked this boy very much. After sitting next to him, she immediately put her arm around his shoulder. The two of them sat side by side like two buddies, and their behavior seemed very intimate. (End of this chapter)