How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Guo Zixing realized that he had accomplished nothing these past few days, and his face paled, fearing that Commander Guo would think he was useless.

At this moment, Commander Guo was very understanding. “It’s normal for you to be disorganized when it’s your first time doing something. I’ve been too demanding of you. Postpone your studies for now. Go to the police station and take a position as the deputy director in the department where Zhang Xun works. Get some experience. When things are more peaceful next year, I’ll send you back to school.”

Guo Zixing was extremely embarrassed. Although General Guo said that he had set his standards too high, he was actually disappointed. Therefore, he was determined to turn the tables on the Lü family.

"As for the Huang family, you did the right thing. Anyone who dares to touch our family on our territory must have a death wish. Let's leave it at that for now and watch the Huang family run rampant. These old parasites have probably forgotten the name of me, King Guo the King of Hell."

Guo Zixing wholeheartedly agreed, but... thinking of Guo Ziyou, he couldn't help but have the urge to sow discord, "The Huang family has probably approached the second son, and then..."

As if reading his mind, Commander Guo said, "The second brother is ignorant, and you're ignorant too? I told you, we're brothers, unity is the most important thing, have you forgotten that already?"

Guo Zixing hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare. I'm just stating my position to Father. I won't release them no matter who tries to persuade me to."

Commander Guo pressed his temples wearily. "Alright, I don't want to emphasize it again. One time is enough. If you lay a hand on your brothers, don't blame me for being impolite." He paused, not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer, and changed the subject. "By the way, what are you planning to do about the Qiao family?"

Guo Zixing pondered for a moment and said, "I'm afraid my son is not destined to be with the Qiao family's daughter, but he did have a very pleasant conversation with the Zheng family's daughter at the Zheng family's house that day."

Commander Guo frowned as he recalled what he had seen and heard that day. "Miss Zheng? The one who studied abroad?"

Guo Zixing agreed. After considering for a moment, Commander Guo said, "You have good taste. Miss Zheng is poised and elegant, and she's a product of modern education, which suits your young tastes. She's also the only heir of Comprador Zheng, so the future business will likely fall into her hands. She's quite a practical person. But even if you like her, there are probably many others in the city who would like her. You can decide for yourself how to choose. As for the Qiao family, you should also go and refuse them yourself. Alright, go back now and finish these matters quickly. You'll be going to study next year."

Commander Guo dumped all the work on him, and Guo Zixing felt the pressure and retreated straight out.

Normally I'm bored with nothing to do, but now I'm juggling several tasks at once, and I can't seem to focus on anything. Thinking of Qingru, smiling sweetly in the villa, I can't help but feel pity, but after searching for so long, I fear she's probably in grave danger.

After mentally reviewing the situation, Guo Zixing strode towards the police station. The two daughters of the Lü family were missing, leaving only Lü's father as the only person who knew the truth. Considering the Japanese involved, he feared things would become difficult.

Then there are the Zheng and Qiao families. Speaking of which, the Qiao family has three daughters, so Mr. Qiao has three sons-in-law to choose from. It's hard to say who will inherit the family business. As for the Zheng family, needless to say, with thousands of acres of land and a single lineage, it all belongs to Zheng Peilan.

However, the Qiao family's daughter received a traditional education, emphasizing the importance of a wife's status and the three obediences and four virtues, which makes her easy to control. The Zheng family's daughter, on the other hand, values ​​freedom and has been pampered since childhood, so she probably won't follow her husband's lead.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he found it difficult to choose between the two options. Suddenly, he chuckled to himself, "If you choose them, they'll choose you. What advantages do you have that make you indispensable?"

Shaking his head, Guo Zixing stopped thinking about it. The most important thing now was the wealth of the Lü family. As long as he had the strength, what did a man have to worry about not having a wife?

Without any prior notice, Guo Zixing barged in. Sergeant Zhang was leisurely swinging his legs and singing when he was startled by Guo Zixing's sudden entrance.

"Oh dear, what brings you in? What brings you here?"

Guo Zixing said impatiently, "Where is Lü Peijun being held? Take me to see him."

"Oh dear, this...this..." Chief Zhang said awkwardly, "What's going on here? What do you want to see him for?"

"Stop with all the nonsense, just take me to see him, and give me a list of people who have met with Lü Peijun in the past few months."

Chief Zhang was in a dilemma. "Look at this, meeting Lü Peijun is easy, but I can't compile a list of people who have met him in a short time."

"What? Have many people seen him?"

“That’s not it,” Chief Zhang said, scratching his head. “Originally, the higher-ups didn’t allow us to meet people casually, but who knew a Japanese guy would come. He had connections at the embassy, ​​and I couldn’t stop him, so I let him in once.”

Guo Zixing didn't believe it. "Just once?"

"Two...two times."

"Twice?"

"It really happened twice, just twice, no more."

Guo Zixing lashed out with his whip in front of him, startling him. He still muttered, "Just... just twice. If you don't believe me, ask Zhang Xun. He knows too."

Speaking of Zhang Xun, Guo Zixing didn't see him anywhere. "Where is he?"

"He took his grandmother to see a doctor, didn't you know?"

Guo Zixing's face darkened. He had seen Zhang Xun these past two days, but the other party hadn't sent any messages. However, he couldn't say this to Chief Zhang. He put away his whip and told Chief Zhang to lead the way, "Go ahead, I'm going to the jail to see Lü Peijun."

Chief Zhang stopped blocking them and gave San'er a wink, "San'er, lead the way."

Guo Zixing was quite unaccustomed to being in prison for the first time. The cell was cold and damp, dimly lit, and filled with a foul odor mixed with excrement and urine. There were also occasional groans. The torture instruments were covered with dried blood, which had turned dark red and black from oxidation and was dripping with a viscous liquid.

Having never been to such a place before, Guo Zixing felt nauseous, but he forced himself to endure it.

After leading Guo Zixing to Lu Peijun's prison cell, Chief Zhang asked, "Do you want me to stay with you, or should I leave first?"

Guo Zixing waved for him to leave, and Sergeant Zhang sauntered out. Guo Zixing had no time to argue; at that moment, his entire focus was on Lü Peijun.

His long-untrimmed hair was disheveled and scattered, his beard was unkempt, and his prison clothes were filthy. With his hands and feet in shackles, Lü Peijun leaned helplessly against the wall. There was a chamber pot next to him, but he seemed unaware of it, just staring blankly, his gaze unfocused.

Guo Zixing held the keys in his hand, making a jingling sound, but it didn't attract his attention.

Holding the whip firmly in his hand, and making sure he had both the gun and the dagger, Guo Zixing opened the cell door.

The creaking sound of the prison door opening finally drew Lü Peijun's attention.

Seeing that Lü Peijun was not entirely unaware, Guo Zixing squatted down to face him and said, "Lü Peijun."

"Hmm," he said weakly, perhaps from being hungry for too long. "Is there anything to eat?"

Guo Zixing was taken aback, not expecting this. Lü Peijun hadn't broken the law, and without the Guo family's orders, no one had used torture. However, since he was in prison, the food was barely enough to keep him from starving.

"Answer a few questions for me, and I'll make sure you have a full meal every day."

Lü Peijun laughed, "That Japanese man said the same thing, but it didn't come to pass."

Guo Zixing frowned. "That's them. I mean what I say."

Lu Peijun asked in confusion, "Oh, why? Who are you?"

"I am..." Guo Zixing almost blurted out that he had revealed his identity, so he changed his words at the last minute, "I am your daughter's friend. She asked me to come."

Lu Peijun's eyes, hidden beneath her disheveled hair, flickered. "What exactly do you want? Our house has been ransacked; we can't give you anything."

Guo Zixing said, "I don't need anything." Then he suddenly thought that asking for nothing would be too fake, so he said, "I want you to marry your daughter to me. Would you agree?"

Lu Peijun suddenly laughed and said, "Young Master Guo, you have never had any dealings with my family, so why would you marry my daughter?"

Guo Zixing hadn't expected him to recognize him; this was a miscalculation. However, considering his past behavior of not keeping a low profile, he didn't have time to feel regret and continued, "You'll see when you see it."

Guo Zixing handed over a photograph, which Lü Peijun took with some skepticism. In the black and white photograph, two women smiled brightly, reaching out to shake osmanthus branches, while Guo Zixing stood to the side, leaning back with obvious disdain, as if afraid of getting the flowers on him.

The figure standing on the high place, turned to the side, was clearly his eldest daughter, Qingru.

Lu Peijun clutched the photo tightly, her voice trembling, "How did you get her photo? What happened?"

Guo Zixing pondered for a moment and said, "At first, I didn't know who she was. I only saw her being chased by the police and rescued by my maid. Later, as we got to know each other, I found out who she was. After we became familiar with each other, we gradually developed feelings for each other, and that's why I came to see you at her request."

Lu Peijun said calmly, "It was the Guo family that arrested me, and it was also the Guo family that said they would save me. Young Master Guo, how can you expect me to believe them?"

Guo Zixing seemed to have anticipated that he wouldn't believe him so easily, and said in a deep voice, "People of standing in the city know that I grew up in the countryside and wasn't close to my father. On the contrary, my second brother was quite trusted. I don't know anything about your family's affairs. By the time I met Qingru, everything had already turned out this way, and all I could do was try to salvage the situation."

Lu Peijun reverted to her aloof demeanor, saying, "It's fine to try to make amends. I'm just a poor family. I'll be content if you treat my daughter well. Whether you lock me up or whatever, it's none of my business."

Guo Zixing was getting anxious. "Uncle Lü, don't you want to go out?"

“There’s food, drink and lodging here, why bother? Just pass on a message for me: I really don’t have what they’re looking for. They’ve already searched my body and my house. It’s just a rumor, why take it seriously? I accept my bad luck, let’s just leave it at that.”

Guo Zixing asked, puzzled, "What is it? Uncle Lü, why were you locked up here?"

Lü Peijun took a deep breath and closed her eyes helplessly. "Fine, I'll just say it directly. My ancestors had a fortune, Lü Zhi! Did you know that?"

Guo Zixing nodded, his heart filled with shock, as if he were about to learn something extraordinary.

Lü Peijun continued, “My family lineage traces back to Lü Zhi, from Lü Gong upwards, to the Qin Dynasty. From that generation until the reign of Empress Lü, our family flourished, accumulating immense wealth. Later, the Lü clan was wiped out, but the patriarch had made preparations. He left behind the outward wealth, but the rest—the wealth plundered from the Qin King and countless tributes from various regions—was hidden by my ancestors in a secret place. They had maps made into jade pendants, which were mixed with ordinary jewelry and passed down through generations. The original plan was to cultivate a virtuous and capable person to restore the glory of our Lü family, but who knew that none of them would succeed in all this time.” At this point, Lü’s father became quite sorrowful, “Who knew that recently, our family’s secret would somehow be leaked, which brought disaster upon us, and even foreigners know about it. Alas… I absolutely cannot let this wealth fall into the hands of the Japanese.”

Guo Zixing was immediately excited upon learning this earth-shattering secret. "Yes, we can't let the Japanese get their hands on it. But, Uncle, just how much wealth is there that it could attract so many people?"

Lü Peijun said lightly, "To be able to revive a country, what do you think? To put it bluntly, the reparations paid by the Qing government at that time were just a small part of the Lü family's treasure trove."

Guo Zixing was so excited that he almost covered Lü Peijun's mouth. Such a big secret should not be known to outsiders.

At this moment, the Qiao family and the Zheng family are nothing compared to Tongtian's wealth.

"Who else knows this secret?"

“Originally, it was just me, not even my two daughters knew, but now…” Lu Peijun said with a bitter smile, “I don’t know where things went wrong, but I’m afraid quite a few people know now.”

A surge of excitement welled up inside Guo Zixing, and he said with delight, "Uncle Lü, please don't tell anyone else about this. I'm afraid even the Japanese only have a vague understanding of it. We should keep this secret."

Lu Peijun wholeheartedly agreed, "That's why I'd rather stay in jail than go out. Young Master Guo, I'd appreciate it if you could take care of my daughter."

At this moment, Guo Zixing responded without hesitation, "Don't worry, I will be appointed as the deputy director soon. With me protecting you, no one will dare to bully you."

Lu Peijun stretched out her dirty hand and tightly grasped Guo Zixing's, deeply moved, "I'm so glad I left everything to you."

Guo Zixing seemed oblivious to the dirt and mess, and readily nodded in agreement.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Guo Zixing, whose mind was elsewhere, gave a few instructions to the jailer and hurriedly left.

Lu Peijun remained silent for a long time as Guo Zixing walked away, only letting out a cold laugh.

The jailer brought Lu Peijun some fresh and delicious food. Lu Peijun was still wondering what was going on when the jailer said, "Hey, that's strange. Everyone seems to think highly of you. Old Lu, you're quite something."

Lu Peijun smiled without saying a word. After the jailer left, he pushed the food to the cell next door, picked up a chicken leg and ate it, ignoring the rest.

Under the straw over there, a dirty hand reached out and quickly devoured the remaining food bit by bit.

Lü Peijun smiled, looking at the small window in the ceiling of the room, from which a sliver of light shone. Lü Peijun stood beneath that beam of light, blending into the darkness of her surroundings, with only her eyes shining.

"Old friend, I have a feeling I'll be able to get out soon."

There was no answer from the other end, only the rustling sound of chewing.