Chapter 77

Chu Li took a sip of tea and smiled, "How did Miss arrange for Gu Litong?"

"Miss didn't care about him," Su Ru pouted and huffed, "He was expelled from the manor, and Miss thought the eldest son did nothing wrong. If it weren't for the eldest son restraining her, Miss would have dealt with him long ago!"

"He is a talent after all," Chu Li said, "Should we just let him leave?"

"What else can we do?" Su Ru tilted her head to look at him, "Chu Li, are you thinking of wiping him out completely?"

Chu Li shook his head with a smile.

"Isn't that too harsh?" Su Ru didn't believe him, glaring at him in dissatisfaction, "It's already bad enough. His life is ruined, and he won't appear before us again. It's no different from being dead."

Chu Li looked at her helplessly, "Chief Steward, what do you think Gu Litong will do after being expelled from the manor?"

Su Ru smiled, "What can he do?"

Chu Li said, "Don't forget, as a guard in the West Garden, he knows a lot about the Duke's Manor. Would the Duke of Ren's Manor let such a talent go? If he joins the Duke of Ren's Manor, would they accept him?"

Su Ru's smile froze.

Chu Li shook his head and sighed, "Gu Litong knows the personnel and the character of everyone in the manor. If the Duke of Ren's Manor gets him, they can use everyone's weaknesses to their advantage, just like I did with Zhou Yuting. Who could stop them?"

Su Ru frowned in deep thought.

Xue Ling stood behind him, ready to refill the tea. Hearing this, she also frowned, wondering if they really needed to eliminate him. These words from the young master were surely to cut off all potential threats!

Su Ru raised her head and sighed, "It seems we have to bring him back."

"Yes, he can atone for his sins," Chu Li nodded, "Don't kill him outright."

He sighed inwardly. Facing a person like the third miss, every matter was a test. If he only focused on personal grudges, his vision and heart would be narrow, making it hard to be valued.

Gu Litong, having reached this point, had completely ruined his future, and would struggle at the bottom for the rest of his life.

His heart was at ease, and he didn't need to kick him when he was down. Instead, it was an opportunity to show his magnanimity.

"Ah..." Su Ru frowned and shook her head, "The eldest son's anger won't be easily calmed. Miss will have to persuade him."

Chu Li said, "No matter what, Gu Litong is still very talented... This matter should be handled as soon as possible, to avoid delays. The Duke of Ren's Manor might already be taking action!"

"I'll send people right away!" Su Ru stood up abruptly.

Her apricot-yellow silk robe fluttered as she used her lightness skill and disappeared from the courtyard in a blink.

Xue Ling said, "Young master, will Gu Litong really join the Duke of Ren's Manor?... Isn't he afraid of being assassinated by the manor?"

"What do you think?" Chu Li smiled, "He's in a desperate situation now, and can't afford to think too much."

Xue Ling frowned and nodded helplessly.

Chu Li shook his head, "So we can't underestimate anyone. Everyone has value."

Xue Ling nodded lightly.

Chu Li said, "Alright, I'll start the medicinal bath today. Prepare a special wooden tub, a bit taller and narrower than a regular bath, so I can stand in it and not waste the medicine."

"Understood, I'll prepare it. When will you start, young master?"

"Tonight."

"Alright."

She turned and left the courtyard to find someone to make the tub.

Chu Li didn't know if the medicine would work. The Vajra Sutra had been stuck, making him itchy and frustrated.

In the evening, as Chu Li was about to bathe, Su Ru floated in.

She still wore her apricot-yellow silk robe, her beautiful face dark. She pushed the door open and walked straight into the pavilion.

Chu Li was squatting on the ground, looking at the Heavenly Spirit Tree, which had grown about an inch in a day, beyond imagination.

The Sutra of Withering and Flourishing was indeed miraculous, able to accelerate growth.

Seeing Su Ru enter the pavilion silently, Xue Ling, who was good at reading the situation, carefully handed her a teacup and quietly left.

Chu Li smiled and sat opposite Su Ru, taking the white jade teacup from Xue Ling and sipping it, "Chief Steward, who upset you? Do you want me to take care of it?"

"You can't help!" Su Ru glared at him and huffed, "There's trouble."

"Is it Gu Litong...?"

"Yes, Gu Litong has disappeared!... I sent people to look for him, but they couldn't find him all day. I think someone took him away!"

"The Duke of Ren's Manor?" Chu Li frowned.

He didn't expect his prediction to come true. The Duke of Ren's Manor acted too quickly.

"It's not clear yet," Su Ru shook her head and sighed, "We were a step too late!... Now we're in trouble!"

"Does the manor have tracking experts?" Chu Li frowned, "We need to find him as soon as possible. Whether it's the Duke of Ren's Manor or another force, they definitely have ill intentions toward us!"

"I've already sent tracking experts," Su Ru pursed her lips and huffed, "If it's really the Duke of Ren's Manor, it's very troublesome!"

Chu Li said, "If it's really the Duke of Ren's Manor, we need to investigate carefully. Why did they get the news so quickly? How did the information leak?... There must be an insider."

"An insider..." Su Ru sighed and nodded, "Definitely."

Chu Li smiled, "We have insiders in the Duke of Ren's Manor, right?"

Su Ru glared at him, "Why are you asking this!"

Chu Li smiled, indicating he understood.

Clearly, there were insiders. The dukes' manors infiltrated each other, and no one could hide from each other. He was also in danger, needing to be cautious not only of the Great Thunder Sound Temple but also of the Duke of Ren's Manor, as he had killed their experts before.

Su Ru's bright eyes stared at him without blinking, her gaze like water.

Chu Li felt uneasy under her gaze and waved his hands, "At this point, I don't have a good solution."

Su Ru smiled, "Chu Li, you're full of tricks, you can definitely come up with a solution!"

Chu Li paced a few steps, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Su Ru's hope grew, and her smile became brighter, "Come on, tell me!"

Chu Li stopped, "It's risky."

"Stop stalling, just say it!" Su Ru glared at him.

Chu Li cleared his throat, "Chief Steward, you should know who the insiders in our manor are, right?"

Su Ru nodded, "Yes, we can't find all of them, but we can find a few."

"Then try to let the insiders hear a secret."

"A secret?"

"A secret about Gu Litong. Say it's a feigned retreat."

Su Ru's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "You're full of tricks!"

Chu Li said, "This plan might not work, but it's better than nothing. Also, let our insiders spread the word to Gu Litong that the Duke of Ren's Manor hates traitors the most. Once they lose their value, their fate will be terrible. This will make Gu Litong hesitant to reveal too much."

"Alright, a two-pronged approach," Su Ru nodded.

Chu Li said, "Actually, there's another plan."

"Tell me, tell me!" Su Ru pushed his left arm.

Chu Li smiled, "Chief Steward, have you thought about letting Gu Litong atone for his sins?"

"You said that before!" Su Ru huffed.

Chu Li shook his head, "It's not the same thing."

"Tell me quickly!" Su Ru glared at him, "If you keep stalling, I'll show you!"

Chu Li waved his hands in surrender and smiled, "Actually, we can make Gu Litong an insider."

"An insider?" Su Ru was taken aback.

Chu Li nodded, "The principle of making the false real and the real false. The Duke of Ren's Manor's princess is a formidable person and might not believe our previous plan, but instead, she might trust Gu Litong even more."

"Lu Yurong is indeed very capable," Su Ru pursed her lips and shook her head, "Few people can make Miss suffer!"

Chu Li said, "If Gu Litong becomes an insider and Lu Yurong trusts him, it's the best outcome. If she's half-convinced, we don't lose anything."

Su Ru looked him up and down.

Chu Li smiled, "Do you think I'm too heartless?"

"You're treating Gu Litong like a pawn," Su Ru shook her head, "You don't treat human life seriously!"

Not caring about emotions, only about interests, treating people like pawns, this was a common trait of those in power. Miss was actually like this too, but she was a born noble princess, raised with such education.

Chu Li said, "If it were someone else, I would have brought them back. As for him..."

He huffed, "Not killing him directly is already merciful!"

Su Ru tilted her head to look at him, "You're so smart, why didn't you deal with him earlier?"

She thought that with Chu Li's intelligence, dealing with Gu Litong would be a small matter, and there was no need to wait until now.

"I'm inherently kind and want to be good to others," Chu Li smiled.

Su Ru glared at him.

Chu Li said, "Alright, to be honest, I didn't take him seriously. He's just a bit clever."

In fact, he had a certain confidence, able to see through the other party's plot and turn it to his advantage. Dealing with him was a piece of cake, and he could act at any time.

The plans he mentioned were just off the cuff, not wanting to get involved to avoid angering the eldest son, who controlled the Duke's Manor. Offending him would bring no good.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Chu Li continued, "Besides, I'm not that delicate. I'm not a tiger whose tail can't be touched. If he doesn't overstep, I won't bother with him. Since he offended the Chief Steward, he can't be tolerated anymore!"

Su Ru smiled and glared at him, "You!"

Chu Li's words made her happy even if she knew they were flattery.

In the end, Chu Li's words and actions were consistent, not just empty flattery. He ignored Gu Litong's previous provocations and was now helping her out.

"Alright, I'll report to Miss," Su Ru stood up gracefully, "If Miss adopts it, you'll get credit."

Chu Li waved his hand and smiled, "What credit is this?"

"Hypocrite!" Su Ru glared at him and left gracefully.

Chu Li began preparing for the medicinal bath, gathering the ingredients and starting to boil them to test the effect.

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