112: The emperor who colluded with demons

Gu Yan'er was startled, her voice trembling slightly as she said, “I absolutely did not mean that.”

“Never mind,” Jiang Lan waved his hand, “Get up and tell me what happened with your father.”

Gu Yan'er wouldn't speak without reason; since she brought it up, she must have believed he would help.

But Jiang Lan couldn't understand why Gu Yan'er was so certain he would help her.

Gu Yan'er did not get up but remained kneeling on the ground.

“My father lived a life of integrity, but he stumbled upon the Emperor colluding with demons, which led to his downfall and the ruin of our family.”

Jiang Lan paused.

The Emperor, colluding with demons?

Upon hearing Gu Yan'er's words, Jiang Lan's first reaction wasn't disbelief, but rather that it seemed a bit outlandish.

He believed that Gu Yan'er wouldn't speak carelessly.

To fabricate such an absurd lie to avenge a dead person would be overly preposterous.

Most importantly, what she said couldn't be verified at all.

Whether it was true or false, Jiang Lan would know just by asking around.

“Alright, you can get up now.”

Gu Yan'er stood up, her right hand at her side, constantly fidgeting with her skirt, clearly a bit nervous.

“If what you say is true, I will help you.” Jiang Lan's eyes held a hint of amusement, “But why are you so sure that I will help you?”

“I...”

Jiang Lan interrupted, “From now on, don't refer to yourself as ‘I’ in front of me; just say ‘I’ or use your name.”

He corrected Gu Yan'er's self-address for no particular reason, simply because it didn't sound quite right to him.

“I... I've heard many stories about Sir in the Demon Suppression Division these past few days. Everyone says Sir hates evil as much as he hates his enemies and never shows mercy to demons...”

Gu Yan'er continued, her skirt now wrinkled from her tight grip:

“Before, I only wanted to serve Sir well, but as I listened to everyone talk, my mind became more active, and that's why I decided to try.

“I didn't expect you to agree, but if I didn't say anything, I... I would always feel a thorn in my heart.”

A smile appeared on Jiang Lan's lips.

“You're quite clever. But if I remember correctly, the madam said you had been a courtesan for half a year already?”

“Yes, after my father was convicted, our home was ransacked, and I... I also ended up in that place of pleasure.”

“You said your father witnessed the Emperor colluding with demons. How exactly did they collude?”

“I don't know.” Gu Yan'er shook her head, “It's just that my father returned in a hurry that day, and without explanation, he wanted to take me and our family out of the capital. But before we could even leave the city gates, we were stopped by the guards.

“After returning home, my father only mentioned it briefly.”

Jiang Lan looked at Gu Yan'er.

“Could it be that your father committed some crime and was just making an excuse?”

“No!” Gu Yan'er's almond eyes widened slightly, her hand clutching her skirt tightly, seemingly with some anger, but she dared not express it in front of Jiang Lan, “My father lived a life of integrity, always cautious. Sometimes, our family couldn't even afford daily necessities, and even the small courtyard where we lived was bestowed by the Emperor!”

Jiang Lan's brows furrowed slightly.

“I understand. Tomorrow, you will come with me to the Division. Regarding the Emperor, if what you say is true, I will act.”

His agreement to Gu Yan'er was not merely about avenging her father.

To put it bluntly, he and Gu Yan'er did share a bond, but that bond wasn't strong enough to make him kill the current Emperor.

A large part of his reason for agreeing came from the demons mentioned by Gu Yan'er.

As the Emperor of a nation, if he truly colluded with demons, then he certainly deserved to die.

Moreover, demons, to him, meant lifespan.

Why would he not collect lifespan when it was available?

Gu Yan'er stared, biting her lower lip lightly, her expression seemingly disbelieving.

She hadn't expected Jiang Lan to agree so easily.

Gu Yan'er immediately moved to kneel again.

Jiang Lan narrowed his eyes.

“Didn't I say not to kneel?”

Gu Yan'er's movement immediately froze.

“Let's go.” Jiang Lan rose from his seat, “I'll take you to get something to eat.”

It was already noon, and Jiang Lan had been traveling, so he was a bit hungry.

Gu Yan'er bowed respectfully and said softly,

“Sir, I'll go make it for you.”

Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow.

“You can cook?”

Gu Yan'er was, after all, considered a young lady from a good family. Even if her father was incorruptible, it was impossible for their household to have no servants.

Even if it came to cooking, it certainly wouldn't have been Gu Yan'er's turn.

As for after being sold to Chun Quan Courtyard, she would have even less need to cook.

The madam was counting on a newly debuted girl to fetch a good price.

If she were to be tainted by the smoke and grime of the kitchen, wouldn't that lower her value?

Gu Yan'er nodded somewhat shyly.

“A little.”

Jiang Lan scrutinized Gu Yan'er from head to toe.

“Never mind. There's no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar at home, not even firewood. Let's go.”

Gu Yan'er: “...”

This Sir, he's not someone who lives a normal life either.

It's a home, after all, how can it have nothing at all?

Jiang Lan had no intention of explaining.

He was usually too busy just hunting for demons; where would he find time to cook for himself?

Taking Gu Yan'er out, Jiang Lan didn't look for any particularly fancy restaurant, but rather went to a small tavern not far from his home.

As soon as he and Gu Yan'er entered, they attracted the attention of countless diners.

However, after seeing Jiang Lan's attire, their gazes all retracted, and they dared not look at Jiang Lan again.

Jiang Lan was wearing the official uniform of the Demon Suppression Division, and everyone here was a commoner; they didn't have the guts to provoke the Demon Suppression Division.

He casually ordered a few dishes, and once the waiter had served them all, Jiang Lan lowered his head to eat, asking,

“Have you thought about what you want to do?”

Gu Yan'er paused, then said with deep sincerity,

“I wish to serve Sir for the rest of my life.”

Jiang Lan felt a slight ache in his teeth.

Having lived two lives, how could he not control his lower body?

Women would only slow down his blade.

However, at a time like this, he couldn't possibly just send her away.

But keeping her in the Demon Suppression Division all the time wasn't really appropriate either.

A few days would be fine, but Jiang Lan had never heard of anyone bringing female family members to live permanently in the Demon Suppression Division.

Perhaps, he should acquire some property?

Buy a mansion, get some servants. If Gu Yan'er was willing, she could tend to flowers and keep birds in the mansion.

Although he had to go out to kill demons, there would always be times when he returned.

When he returned, he could have Gu Yan'er warm his bed.

The more Jiang Lan thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Buy a larger courtyard, and then bring Uncle Chen's family over as well. Aunt could also keep Gu Yan'er company and chat with her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lan decided to go look later.

The two sat in silence, eating for a while longer.

After two quarters of an hour, they had finished eating. Jiang Lan stood up and placed a few pieces of silver on the table.

“You go home and wait for me; I'm going out for a bit.”

Gu Yan'er didn't ask further, timidly nodded, and stood up from her seat.

As they left, Gu Yan'er headed towards the small courtyard, while Jiang Lan went directly east to the brokerage.