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“Miss, we were wrong! For all these years, we’ve been repenting and secretly praying for Madam Jun’s soul. Please spare us.”

The three of them begged, kowtowing.

Gu Qingluan sneered. “My mother died abruptly. What use is your prayers?”

The three of them turned pale at her words.

The vendetta for their mother’s death was something unforgivable, so it was entirely expected that the First Lady would not forgive them.

The servant responsible for food spoke, “We do deserve punishment. Miss, I’m willing to accept any punishment you deem fit. 1 only request that you spare our family members. They are innocent and knew nothing of what happened years ago.”

“They are innocent, and so is my mother! Did you ever think about that before you carried out your actions?”

“We never intended to cause harm to Madam Jun, but Wang Shi manipulated us by using our family members as leverage. If we didn’t comply with her demands, both we and our loved ones would have suffered the consequences. Miss, you possess a compassionate nature, unlike Wang Shi, who is heartless. We implore you, to please spare our families.”

Gu Qingluan said, “i can spare them, but you must do one thing for me before that.”

The three of them looked at each other, their eyes brightening. “Please tell us, Miss!”

“Go to Shuntian Prefecture and confess voluntarily. At the same time, expose the crimes of Gu Zhicheng and Wang Shi.”

One of them trembled and said, “No, no, the family head will be furious. He won’t spare our families.”

“With my people protecting them, he won’t harm your families. This is your last chance, and the choice is yours.”

The three of them exchanged glances.

Could they refuse?

If they refused, not only would they lose their lives, but the First Lady might not spare their families either.

Following her orders, on the other hand, meant seriously offending the head of the Gu family and likely facing dire consequences.

The only difference was that if they agreed, their families would be under the First Lady’s protection.

So, in reality, they had no reason to refuse.

“Very well, we accept the First Lady’s conditions. Please, Miss, keep your promise and protect our families.”

Gu Qingluan wasn’t surprised by their choice.

She signaled for the servants to let them go.

Once the three of them left the Gu residence, they headed straight to Shuntian Prefecture to turn themselves in.

The Magistrate of Shuntian Province did not pay much attention when he heard about someone confessing voluntarily. However, when he learned that these confessors were planning to accuse the head of the Gu family, he was so startled that he jumped up from his chair as if his backside had been set on fire.

“What did you say?”

The messenger from the yamen (a traditional government office or administrative center in ancient China) repeated his words, looking genuinely fearful.

Accusing who? Accusing the head of the Gu family? Were those three people out of their minds?

Because it involved the highly influential Gu Zhicheng, they weren’t too surprised by the identity of the accusers.

“Where are those three who turned themselves in? Immediately detain them!”

The Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture adjusted his hat and gave hurried orders with an anxious expression.

As an official in the Emperor’s service, his jurisdiction covered both inside and outside the imperial city, where many influential nobles and aristocrats resided. Mishandling a situation involving them could endanger his own position.

Having served as the Magistrate of Shuntian Preference for many years, he had developed his own set of principles for handling such matters.

At this moment, he wanted to suppress the situation before it escalated.

Joke aside, the Gu family’s head was from the Chengyuan, the top-ranked first-class family. They were not some insignificant individuals.

With the status of the Gu family’s head, even those nobles and aristocrats couldn’t compare. As a mere yamen official, he couldn’t afford to offend someone like the head of the Gu family.

The messenger had a troubled expression. “This… it might be difficult.”

“What’s so difficult about it? Aren’t those three individuals of special status?”

The messenger shook his head. “The focus isn’t on the three individuals but on the servants who came with them from the Jun Residence.”

Jun Residence’s servants?

The Magistrate of Shuntian Mansion thought for a moment, and his expression instantly changed.

“Are… are they the Guardian Princess’ people?”

“That’s correct.”

The Magistrate of Shuntian Preference’s face turned ashen.

Wasn’t this a case of – ‘When the immortals fight, the mortals suffer?’