Futile Devices Scans

Gu She raised a brow slightly, seemingly surprised by Tao Mo’s blunt honesty. Relaxing back into his seat, he watched Master Tong’s shifting expression with visible interest.

Master Tong seemed to sense his gaze. After a long pause, he finally said word by word, “Your Excellency jests. My daughter was never married.”

Tao Mo replied, “That man said his name was Cai Fengyuan.”

Master Tong frowned. “What Cai Fengyuan, Meat Fengyuan—I’ve never heard of him. Rumors in the marketplace are not to be trusted. As the magistrate of a county, how can Your Excellency simply repeat hearsay without distinguishing right from wrong?”

Tao Mo said, “But Cai Fengyuan spoke with great emotion.”

“Emotion?!” A fierce light suddenly flashed through Master Tong’s eyes. His hand instinctively lifted before slowly curling into a fist and settling back onto his thigh. In a deep voice, he said, “That Cai Fengyuan has malicious intentions and seeks to ruin my daughter’s reputation. I ask that Your Excellency judge wisely.”

Tao Mo began, “But—”

“Your Excellency!” Master Tong cut him off sharply.

Tao Mo’s heart skipped. Eyes wide, he stared at him.

Master Tong said, “Since this Cai Fengyuan speaks with such certainty, let him come to my residence and confront me directly!”

At that moment, a servant from the Tong residence suddenly rushed in. “Master, there is someone outside named Cai Fengyuan requesting an audience.”

Master Tong froze, then suppressed his fury and said, “Let him in!”

Watching his expression, Tao Mo felt a faint unease. Turning toward Gu She, however, he found him entirely calm and composed.

As though sensing Tao Mo’s gaze, Gu She’s eyes swept lazily toward him. Tao Mo’s unease instantly melted away, only to be replaced with nervous restlessness.

A short while later, footsteps finally sounded from outside.

Stretching his neck to look, Tao Mo saw that it truly was Cai Fengyuan.

At this moment, Cai Fengyuan was dressed in plain mourning clothes, head lowered, his steps visibly hesitant. When crossing the threshold, he nearly stumbled.

Master Tong let out a cold snort.

“This student, Cai Fengyuan, greets Master Tong.” Clasping his hands together, he bowed deeply.

Master Tong sat high in the hall without moving. “Young Master Cai is too courteous. We have never met before—how could I deserve such a grand salute?”

Cai Fengyuan’s body trembled slightly. After a long moment, he finally said, “This student came to beg forgiveness.”

“What crime have you committed?” Master Tong’s tone was rigid.

With a thud, Cai Fengyuan dropped to his knees. “This student… before completing the proper marriage rites… privately pledged himself to Miss Tong…” By this point his face was already scarlet, and he could barely force out the words. Unable to bear watching him struggle, Tao Mo chimed in, “He and Miss Tong truly loved each other.”

Master Tong’s gaze snapped toward him.

A chill spread across Tao Mo’s face, and he no longer dared to speak.

Suddenly, Cai Fengyuan collapsed fully onto the floor and burst into tears. “It was I who harmed Yinghong! I harmed Yinghong!”

Master Tong’s face turned ashen. His arms trembled lightly as the fists on his knees loosened and clenched repeatedly. After a long while, he finally forced out a sentence. “You… you bastard!”

Tao Mo wanted to speak, but seeing his expression, he did not dare. Instead, he turned toward Gu She for help.

Lazily, Gu She said, “There may be some misunderstanding here.”

“A misunderstanding?” Master Tong suddenly grabbed the teacup at his side and hurled it straight at Cai Fengyuan’s head.

The teacup grazed past Cai Fengyuan’s cheek, and scalding tea splashed across the left side of his face, making his entire body shudder.

“If it was all a misunderstanding, then where did Yinghong’s two-month pregnancy come from?!” Master Tong’s hatred finally shattered through the icy restraint, sharp as frozen shards stabbing Cai Fengyuan with unbearable shame.

Tao Mo took a long moment to react. “Pregnant?”

“You’ve done a wonderful thing indeed!” Still unsatisfied, Master Tong slammed the table and rose, kicking hard toward the utterly shattered Cai Fengyuan.

“Stop!” Tao Mo cried out in alarm, throwing himself forward.

Cai Fengyuan only felt a gust of wind sweep over his head. Looking up again, he saw Tao Mo pinning Master Tong beneath him, both sprawled on the floor to the left. “Master… Tong?” he asked helplessly.

Tao Mo struggled to stand.

“Don’t move!” Master Tong nearly felt his bones had shattered from the fall. Even speaking left a bloody taste in his throat.

Tao Mo instantly froze.

After catching his breath, Master Tong said, “Get up.”

Tao Mo tried struggling upright again.

“Don’t move!” Master Tong barked once more.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Tao Mo’s forehead.

Master Tong said again, “Quickly. Get up.”

Tao Mo carefully shifted slightly.

“Don’t… move!” Master Tong’s voice had already weakened.

This time Tao Mo was prepared and quickly froze once more.

Taking a deep breath, Master Tong slowly said, “Get up, but don’t press on my waist.”

“……Oh.” Tao Mo examined their awkward positions before finally rolling off Master Tong.

Only then did Master Tong let out a long breath, feeling as though he had survived another lifetime. Seeing a hand extended toward him, he grabbed it without thinking and borrowed the strength to stand. “Many thanks.”

“You honor me.” The other party sounded clearly flattered.

Master Tong suddenly flung away the hand and, with his backhand, slapped the man across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the entire hall.

Slowly climbing to his feet, Tao Mo murmured softly, “Master Tong, please calm your anger.”

Master Tong turned around furiously.

Tao Mo did his best to straighten his chest. “Everything can still be discussed. There’s no need for violence.”

“Discussed?” Master Tong sneered through gritted teeth. “My daughter is already dead. What is left to discuss? If he had only come to ask for her hand back then, my Tong family would never have suffered the tragedy of white-haired parents burying their black-haired child. I cherished that daughter like a precious jewel after finally having her at thirty years old, only to end my old age without descendants at my side! Everything was caused by him!”

With half his face swollen, Cai Fengyuan stammered weakly, “I only wanted… one day… to win distinction in the imperial examinations and marry Yinghong in glory.”

“Glory?” Master Tong spun around and glared viciously at him. “By glory, do you mean Yinghong pretending to be fierce and overbearing just to scare away marriage proposals? Or that she would rather abort the child than reveal your name?!”

Cai Fengyuan’s neck nearly shrank into his shoulders. “I… I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t know?” Master Tong jabbed a finger at his nose. “Can one sentence of ‘I didn’t know’ erase Yinghong’s death for nothing? Do you know how much Yinghong sacrificed for you? Even in the end… she never once blamed you!”

Cai Fengyuan’s eyes widened, but no tears remained to shed.

Tao Mo quietly edged over beside Gu She and whispered, “What… should be done now?”

Gu She replied leisurely, “Your Excellency handled things quite well.”

“Really?” Tao Mo’s eyes instantly lit up.

“Quite heroic.” He was referring to Tao Mo’s dramatic dive earlier.

Tao Mo said shyly, “As the magistrate of this county, this is naturally part of my duty.”

“Your Excellency!” Master Tong suddenly shouted.

Tao Mo’s shoulders shrank. “What is it?”

Master Tong trembled with fury. “I want to sue him! I want to sue Cai Fengyuan!”

Cai Fengyuan stood there numbly, looking as though his soul had already left his body.

Tao Mo looked at him, then at Master Tong, before quietly asking, “Master Tong wishes to accuse him of… consensual illicit relations?”

Master Tong’s body shook violently. The flushed color drained entirely from his face.

Unable to bear it, Tao Mo said softly, “Actually, this matter…”

“Enough, enough!” Master Tong’s fury suddenly collapsed. Waving at Cai Fengyuan, he said, “Go! I never want to see you again. From today onward, you are forbidden from ever stepping foot in Tanyang County again. And I especially do not wish to hear any more rumors outside that might damage Yinghong’s reputation.”

Cai Fengyuan’s eyes were lifeless, as though he heard yet failed to understand.

“Master!” came a cry from outside. “Has that bastard come?”

Before the words had even finished, a haggard woman rushed in. Her eyes swept across the hall before instantly locking onto Cai Fengyuan. Immediately she lunged at him, shrieking, “It was you, wasn’t it?! Was it you who killed Yinghong?!”

“Madam.” Master Tong wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist, tears finally spilling from his own eyes.

“It was him! He killed Yinghong, he killed Yinghong…” Madam Tong clawed and struggled wildly, desperately trying to reach Cai Fengyuan.

Blankly, Cai Fengyuan muttered, “It was me… it was me…”

“Cai Fengyuan.” Tao Mo stepped forward worriedly.

Suddenly, Cai Fengyuan bent both knees and kowtowed three solid times toward Master Tong and Madam Tong. Then, without another word, he turned and bolted outside.

Tao Mo was startled and immediately chased after him.

But Cai Fengyuan had already gone mad with grief. His speed was like a streaking meteor.

By the time Tao Mo reached the entrance of the residence, Cai Fengyuan had already vanished without a trace. Hurriedly, he asked Gu Xiaojia, who was standing guard outside.

Gu Xiaojia had only just pointed eastward when Tao Mo dashed off in that direction.

Gu Xiaojia stared blankly at Gu She, who had emerged behind him. “Young Master, what happened in there?”

Gu She sneered coldly. “Retribution never fails.”

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