After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

The cane showed no mercy, striking Sun Yang again and again. Gu Lin watched from the side, his heart pounding rapidly with each blow.

He watched as the man lying on the long bench turned from rosy to pale, and finally to ashen. Blood slowly seeped through the man's clothes on his buttocks. Yet, the magistrate sitting on the bench did not call for a halt.

Sun Yang's mouth was gagged with a cloth by the yamen runners. Gu Lin could still hear the other man's screams at first, but after ten strokes of the cane, the man's head, which had been held high, slowly drooped down and he could no longer make a sound.

After being flogged twenty times, Sun Yang lay sprawled on the bench like a corpse. The prefect looked at the man below, who was only half alive, and coldly said, "Lock Sun Yang in the dungeon."

Then, the prefect's gaze swept over Gu Lin, and he slammed his gavel down, saying, "Court adjourned!"

After the magistrate left the courtroom, Gu Lin was also escorted to the gate of the government office by the yamen runners. As soon as he stepped out of the government office gate, he saw the boy standing not far away.

"Uncle Gu!"

Zheng Hao waited there for quite a while. Even though he was 80% sure that the magistrate would release the person, he was unsure how the magistrate would release him.

Should we release Uncle Gu completely unharmed, or should we torture him before releasing him?

Fortunately, seeing that the young man in front of him was in good spirits and moved freely, Zheng Hao strode over and stood in front of Gu Lin.

Before Gu Lin could finish speaking, Zheng Hao asked with a slightly serious expression, "Uncle Gu, are you injured?"

Seeing the anxiety hidden beneath the other person's slightly tense expression, Gu Lin swallowed his original words and comforted him, "I'm fine. Just as the yamen runners were about to bring down the board, someone rushed in to stop the magistrate."

As Gu Lin looked at the young man in front of him, a thought flashed through his mind.

Gu Lin asked, "Xiao Hao, did you find a way to get the prefect to let me leave?"

The magistrate's previous actions were all aimed at convicting Gu Lin, but after that person barged in and whispered a few words to him, the magistrate changed his attitude in the blink of an eye.

Before leaving the government office, Gu Lin thought that Zhao's wife and the others had asked Fang Jiyue for help to get him out of trouble. But when he saw Zheng Hao come to pick him up, and after thinking about the changes in the prefect before and after, Gu Lin realized that things were not so simple.

Zheng Hao did not answer immediately. He carefully examined Uncle Gu to see if he was injured. After confirming that there were no marks on the exposed skin, Zheng Hao felt relieved.

Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu, let's get in the car first and then talk."

There were many people and eyes around the government office, so Gu Lin nodded and followed Zheng Hao onto the oxcart.

As Zheng Hao entered the carriage, his gaze swept over the young man in front of him with his slightly gray hair and dry lips, a hint of gloom crossing his brow.

He reached into the carriage wall, pulled out a drawer, took out a bamboo tube, and handed it to Gu Lin, saying, "Uncle Gu, have some water."

After taking the bamboo tube and drinking the water, Gu Lin felt like he had come back to life.

Gu Lin put down the empty bamboo tube, licked his moist lips, and asked Zheng Hao, "Tell me quickly, how did you rescue me from the government?"

Zheng Hao shifted his gaze slightly, moving away from Gu Shu's lustrous lips and then landing on the other's pink and white earlobe, saying, "Yu Ercheng came to the academy to find me at noon and told me about someone causing trouble at Haoyun Tower, and about you being taken away by the yamen runners, Uncle Gu."

“I was about to come back to save you, but Brother Peng and Brother Zhen caught up with us.”

Gu Lin looked at Zheng Hao, listening as he continued.

Zheng Hao said, "The father of the two Zhen brothers is the prefect of this prefecture. After hearing that Uncle Gu had been wronged and arrested, Brother Zhen Cheng came with me to the prefecture to see the magistrate. However, the magistrate was interrogating Uncle Gu in court at the time. We were afraid that things would change if we were late, so we immediately met with the magistrate's staff. After the staff learned of Brother Zhen Cheng's identity, they went to stop the magistrate."

Gu Lin was very surprised to hear Zheng Hao's words. He knew that the two Zhen brothers came from wealthy families, but he did not expect that their father was the prefect of this prefecture.

Then, Gu Lin felt a little worried and said to Zheng Hao, "Won't doing this cause trouble for you? Won't Zhen Cheng be blamed by his family?"

No matter how illustrious Zhen Cheng's family background is, the other party is currently just a scholar.

If a young man acts arrogantly and domineeringly because of his family's power, his elders may not mind. However, if he relies on his elders' status and position and offends his colleagues in officialdom without any sense of propriety, Zhen Cheng will definitely be punished.

Zheng Hao shook his head slightly and said, "Before Brother Zhen Cheng and I came to the government office, Brother Zhen Yuan went home and reported the matter to the prefect. After that, Brother Zhen Yuan brought the prefect's letter. Only after the magistrate's staff saw the prefect's handwritten letter did they dare to enter the courtroom to stop the magistrate from interrogating the suspect."

Hearing Zheng Hao's words, Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "I didn't expect the prefect to be so kind. We had spoken ill of him before, and we really misunderstood the prefect."

“Uncle Gu is right,” Zheng Hao agreed.

What he didn't tell Uncle Gu was that the reason the prefect was willing to write the letter was not only because the two Zhen brothers vouched for him, but also because he himself had sent a letter.

A few months ago, the prefect issued an order to reopen old cases and wrongful convictions, but it is easier said than done.

In the years that these cases occurred, the perpetrators could not be found. Now, for cases that are more recent, three or four years have passed, and for cases that are more distant, more than ten years have passed. Whether it is the former or the latter, the prefect and his subordinates are completely baffled and have no clue how to deal with them.

However, Zheng Hao knew a great deal about unsolved cases and mysteries.

After his enlightenment, besides the Four Books and Five Classics, Zheng Hao read mostly travelogues, mystery novels, and other miscellaneous books. Although the books were of various kinds, they were all carefully selected by Zheng Hao, and none of them were made up by anyone at will.

Most importantly, Zheng Hao is not just a theorist. He may not know how to interrogate a suspect, but he can put himself in the killer's shoes and deduce the killer's psychology and methods.

While others might find it difficult to put themselves in the killer's shoes and deduce their motives and methods, it was effortless for Zheng Hao.

Because he was not a good man to begin with, and had taken several lives on his hands.

In the original book, Zheng Hao was able to turn his disadvantage of being young into an advantage, thereby reducing Gu Lin and Liu Sanlai's wariness of him, and then killing the two of them in one fell swoop, which shows that he was no ordinary person.

In recent years, although Zheng Hao has become increasingly aloof and indifferent, showing no trace of the ferocity he had in his childhood, a wolf is still a wolf. He can temporarily hide his ferocity and grow up happily without worries, as Uncle Gu wished, but he will not let it truly be worn away.

If Uncle Gu hadn't been arrested, Zheng Hao could have continued to pretend, presenting a cool or gentle face to others, and firmly concealing his dark side.

However, he did not expect that those people not only wanted to seize Uncle Gu's hard work, but also wanted to kill Uncle Gu.

Zheng Hao absolutely could not tolerate it.

In the past, Zheng Hao would nip any potential threat to Uncle Gu in the bud when Liu Sanlai showed even the slightest sign of malice. But now…

Zheng Hao closed his eyes.

He is now in a weak position, and the vast difference in their status makes it impossible for him to deal with the prefect. But how could Zheng Hao be willing to sit idly by and wait for his death? If he can't deal with the prefect, someone else will want to bring him down.

Originally, following Uncle Gu's instructions and Mr. Zhou's teachings, Zheng Hao would have restrained his desires and smoothly passed the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination.

Now, he no longer intends to restrain his desire for power, nor to suppress his ambition.

Because he didn't want to be in a passive position when Uncle Gu was in danger.

He desperately craved power.

The Zhen brothers, Peng Zhizhi, and even Zhou Zicheng were his connections. Regardless of how the four would help his future career, he could no longer tolerate the fact that he needed to use their power to protect Uncle Gu. He could no longer bear the thought of Uncle Gu being taken away from him.

Relationships between people need sincerity and affection to maintain, but Zheng Hao believes that bridges built on mutual benefit are more stable.

He is currently in a weaker position in the group, which is both his disadvantage and advantage. Zheng Hao only needs to create irreplaceable value for the other party.

Zheng Hao did not feel embarrassed or burdened by this at all, because for him, it was an exchange of benefits and a process of absorbing nourishment to sustain himself.

Zheng Hao admitted that he was base at heart, and apart from Uncle Gu, he only cared about interests when interacting with others.

Even though no one had ever taught him these things, and the books he read were all Confucian and Mencian doctrines, the way of ultimate goodness, and the people around him, such as Uncle Gu and Sister-in-law Zhao, were all pure and kind, strangely, Zheng Hao seemed to have mastered these principles without a teacher.

Especially after what happened today...

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the young man in front of him whose face and lips were gradually turning red, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

The combination of sincerity and mutual benefit is the most stable.

Zheng Hao glanced at Gu Lin's slightly worried brow and said, "In a few days, the Academy will be holding a Peach Blossom Banquet, and students are allowed to bring their families to attend. Uncle Gu, can you come with me?"

Upon hearing this news, Gu Lin was somewhat stunned. After realizing what was happening, he looked at Zheng Hao with a hesitant expression.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Hao asked softly, "Uncle Gu, are you worried that no one will look after Good Fortune Tower on the day of your trip?"

Gu Lin shook his head slightly and said, "With Aunt Zhao and Lin Xiaoyao at the restaurant, it won't be a big deal if I leave for a day or two. But..."

Gu Lin's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "You scholars are the most rigid, taking the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues to your very core, and you especially love to restrict others. If I, a widowed young man, were to go with you to the Peach Blossom Banquet, wouldn't I be criticized behind my back? Would we still have any reputation left?"

Unexpectedly, the other party was troubled by this. Zheng Hao said seriously, "Uncle Gu, I am different from those rigid scholars. I have never thought of using rules to bind you."

Gu Lin glared at him and said, "You're the one I raised, and you still want to use rules to control me? Moreover, you not only have to refrain from controlling me, but you also have to refrain from controlling your wife and other women, do you know that?"

Zheng Hao pursed his thin lips and said, "Uncle Gu, if you are worried that others will attack and kill you, I can rest assured. The laws and customs of Daqian encourage widows to remarry. In fact, some of the husbands of the deceased are kind-hearted and will find a good husband for their wives to remarry."

After hearing Zheng Hao's words, Gu Lin's expression showed a hint of hesitation.

He hesitated earlier mainly because he didn't want to attend the banquet; now he hesitates more because he wants to attend the Peach Blossom Banquet.

Zheng Hao said to Gu Lin, "Uncle Gu, do you still remember that you promised to go on a spring outing with me?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin's previously worried expression softened slightly as he said, "I remember when you passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, I asked you what reward you wanted, and you said you wanted me to accompany you on a spring outing."

"Originally, I wanted to find some free time to take you out for some fun, but after arriving in the city, I have so many things to do every day that I've completely forgotten what I promised you."

At this point, Gu Lin's face showed a look of guilt.

Zheng Hao brought this up not to make Uncle Gu feel guilty, but to make him happy to travel and have fun with him.

Zheng Hao said, "The academy has already arranged the time and venue for us, so we don't need to find it ourselves. Uncle Gu can just come with me for a spring outing. Besides, other students from the academy will also bring their elders, brothers and sisters, so Uncle Gu doesn't need to worry about causing me any trouble."

Upon hearing Zheng Hao's next words, Gu Lin's initial hesitation vanished.

All the other students had their families accompany them to the banquet, and he couldn't let Zheng Hao go alone.

Gu Lin said, "I'll go!"

Seeing the young man in front of him go from being hesitant to striding forward with his head held high, Zheng Hao's gaze softened slightly.

At the same time, a pang of tenderness welled up in his heart.

His Uncle Gu should have been a gentleman who deserved to be cherished, but he suffered a lot of hardship in places he never saw.

Otherwise, having just returned from the government office, any other young man would have been terrified, but Uncle Gu quickly returned to his usual optimistic self and even comforted him.

Unsure of Zheng Hao's thoughts, Gu Lin asked, "When will the banquet be held? I'd like to prepare in advance."

Zheng Hao said, "It's winter now. When the peach blossoms on the mountain bloom in spring, the prefectural school will hold a banquet. Uncle Gu, you don't need to worry."

Gu Lin nodded, but his mind was already preoccupied with what he needed to prepare for the banquet.

Back home, Sister-in-law Zhao and Brother Zhao were already waiting at the door. As the oxcart drew closer, Sister-in-law Zhao hurried to greet Gu Lin and Zheng Hao as they stepped out of the carriage.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness Xiao Hao rescued you. Damn it, who was so cruel as to target a young man like you and make you go to the yamen?"

Seeing Zhao's wife crying and cursing, Gu Lin comforted her, "It's alright, sister-in-law, I'm back now."

Sister-in-law Zhao slowly stopped crying and said, "I've prepared a brazier and willow branches for you and Xiao Hao. You two stand here for a while, and your brother Zhao and I will go in and get them."

So, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao stood outside the house, waiting for Sister-in-law Zhao and Brother Zhao to bring out the brazier and willow branches. Sister-in-law Zhao then waved the willow branches at them and said, "Stepping over the brazier brings bad luck!"

Facing the water droplets swept by the willow branches, Gu Lin stepped over the scorching brazier and entered the house, with Zheng Hao following behind him, the flames sweeping across the hems of their clothes.

After stepping over the brazier and passing through the willow branches to dispel bad luck, Gu Lin came to Zhao's sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law Zhao said to him, "Alright, alright, I won't come here again."

Looking at Sister-in-law Zhao like this, and then turning to look at Zheng Hao and Brother Zhao beside her, Gu Lin's previously tired brows slowly relaxed.