Chapter 835 - 62: Severing Kyushu’s Lifeline, Gu Lin Takes Action

Yingtian Prefecture.

Gu Lin continued with his daily schedule, from start to finish, without displaying any impatience.

Moreover, the most crucial aspect is—

Because of the connection to the Imperial Censorate, even if he behaves this way, it will not affect his interference with the court’s affairs.

This is indeed what sets the sons of the Gu Clan apart from others.

The confidence bestowed upon them by the Gu Clan makes their disposition much more composed compared to others.

And this composure, in the current situation, only leaves many feeling despair.

That feeling is—

They have already made their moves, yet the enemy seems not to have seen them at all. No matter how much preparation is made, the enemy remains standing there, and they have no way to deal with him.

Encountering such an opponent, how could one not feel despair?

To the present.

These people have only one hope left.

That is for Gu Lin to die sooner.

The sons of the Gu Clan, who have traversed from chaotic times to unification, are truly beyond their challenge!

Faced with Gu Lin’s approach, they can only continue to wait.

Fortunately, Gu Lin is not young anymore.

They probably will not have to wait much longer; once Gu Lin, this towering tree, falls, no one in the world will be able to stop them.

Under such inexplicable circumstances, the turbulent waves in the court astonishingly came to a miraculous halt.

When these people no longer had other thoughts.

The entire court similarly no longer had other thoughts, merely dealing with affairs as usual.

No one wanted to see the newly rising sun of the Great Song suddenly sink.

This is actually the main reason why Gu Lin did not take direct action.

Because their actions were merely for profit, at least they had yet to harbor intentions of chaos against the nation or the Gu Clan.

But as news from Jiangning Prefecture arrived.

——Such a peaceful atmosphere abruptly came to a halt.

And unlike before.

This time, the one wanting to take action is Gu Lin!

...

At night.

The night is as dark as ink, the moon hidden, stars sparse.

The study in the Champion Marquis Mansion is brightly lit.

Gu Lin sits poised at the desk, having just reviewed a scroll of official documents, when hurried footsteps are heard outside the door.

"Patriarch, urgent report from Jiangning Prefecture!"

A dust-covered Personal Guard quickly enters and presents a wax-sealed secret letter.

Gu Lin’s expression remains unchanged as he calmly opens the letter, his gaze sweeping across the paper.

Initially, his face is as calm as an ancient well, but as he reads further, his knuckles gradually whiten, a layer of frost gathering between his brows.

Finally, he slams the letter onto the desk, producing a muffled thud that makes the candlelight flicker violently.

"Outrageous!"

A low roar, suppressing his anger, breaks the silence of the study, causing the few young members of the Gu Clan standing by to widen their eyes almost instantly.

They had never seen Gu Lin this angry!

Gu Chengqian, the most expressive, cannot help but take a step forward, cautiously asking, "Father, what grave matter angers you so?"

Gu Lin takes a deep breath and pushes the secret letter to the front of the desk: "Take a look yourselves."

The three gather around, and upon seeing the contents of the letter, each involuntarily gasps.

"This... the scale of smuggling is so vast?" Gu Xiuyuan furrows his brows.

He is Gu Lin’s eldest son.

Styled Bozhen.

Gu Lin actually holds high hopes for him, which can be seen merely from his name.

As it is said, "The road ahead is long and difficult, I shall seek the truth above and below," his name plainly reveals his hopes.

Unfortunately, not only Gu Xiuyuan but also the other twenty-eight generations, are unlikely to produce anyone who can be considered outstanding, even falling short of Gu Lin and Gu Rui.

Gu Lin furrows his brows, ignoring the three’s discussion.

Countless thoughts flash through his mind.

Just by reading this letter, he can deduce many things, definitely more than Gu Xu!

The Great Song relies on canal transportation as its lifeline, with millions of bushels of grain, tens of thousands of goods annually relying on this major artery from north to south.

Yet now, this lifeline has been silently hollowed out.

For the Great Song.

This can certainly be considered fatal!

Gu Lin can confirm, if it is not uncovered, the Great Song might one day perish because of such actions!

"Father," Gu Xiuyuan’s voice interrupts his thoughts, "the amount of contraband mentioned in the letter could equal a county’s annual revenue."

Gu Lin nods slightly, his gaze deep, pondering briefly before speaking: "Do you understand what this implies?"

——It is still a test.

As prior generations of Gu Clan ancestors have done, Gu Lin ceaselessly teaches his offspring.

At his words, several fall silent.

Though they can conceive a bit, they still fail to grasp the core of the issue.

After a moment, Gu Xiuyuan cautiously responds: "Such massive smuggling will certainly cause a sharp drop in court revenue, and with these contraband goods bypassing taxes, priced cheaply, legitimate merchants will struggle to compete, likely leading to market disorder."

His expression grows grimmer, "And to operate smuggling of this magnitude, the forces behind it must be deeply entrenched, likely infiltrating every phase of canal transport."

Gu Lin slowly rises, pacing in the study, withholding any judgment on his children’s answer.

"Well said, but still has not touched the deepest menace." He speaks coldly, even now with some anger, "This is not only a withholding of court tax revenue, but also a destabilization of the nation’s foundation."