A scumbag husband fakes his death to escape his marriage? I'll burn down his funeral hall and s

Chapter 131 It would be even better if they could capture him alive.

With the Empress Dowager's token, no one dared to stop them, and Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze entered the Dali Temple's prison without any trouble.

The prison was cold and damp. Chu Ruohan pushed Gu Junze's wheelchair step by step deeper into the prison.

The wheelchair made a faint sound as it rolled over the bluestone slabs, which was particularly clear in the empty prison.

The torches on either side cast long shadows of the two men, which flickered and swayed on the mottled wall.

Finally, we arrived at the deepest cell.

"Father!" Chu Ruohan rushed to the iron bars, tears streaming down her face.

In the prison cell, Chu's father was dressed in tattered clothes and looked haggard, but his eyes were still clear. He walked quickly to the iron bars and took his daughter's hand through them.

"Han'er..." Chu's father's voice was hoarse, "I'm alright, don't cry."

Seeing that her father was unharmed and had not been tortured, Chu Ruohan was relieved. "What about Mother and the others?"

"They were put in another cell."

Gu Junze turned his wheelchair forward and whispered, "Father-in-law, do you have any leads on the Dongzhu matter?"

Chu's father shook his head. "When Chu Ang returned from his business trip, he brought back an Eastern pearl, but at that time he had already handed it over to the government."

As he spoke, Chu's father sighed, "It was my oversight; I trusted him too much..."

Chu Ruohan lowered her eyes, her mind racing. The person who could hide the pearl in her mother's wardrobe without anyone noticing must be someone who served her closely or someone she trusted deeply and who could freely enter and leave the inner room.

Chu Ruohan was certain—Aunt Fang

The person sent to Ning'an Temple returned and reported that Aunt Fang and her daughter were not in the temple. The abbot said he would only offer one stick of incense and then left.

Even Song Ruyan, who was following Aunt Fang, has not been heard from since.

Song Ruyan is highly skilled in martial arts and it's impossible for her to get into trouble. Even Ying Qing couldn't subdue her in a short time.

Chu Ruohan guessed that she was still following Aunt Fang. Now, to find out their whereabouts, she could only wait for Song Ruyan to return and report...

"Han'er, come closer," Father Chu suddenly said in a low voice.

Interrupting her thoughts, Chu Ruohan moved closer as instructed.

Chu's father took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and quickly stuffed it into her hand.

“These are the testimonies of the caravan workers, the shopkeepers, and others, as well as his purchase of pearls,” he paused, “In short, keep them safe.”

Chu Ruohan felt that the paper still carried her father's body temperature, and quickly stuffed it into her sleeve.

Her fingers touched the edge of the paper and noticed some dark brown marks on it, which made her heart skip a beat.

“That beast Chu Ang…” Chu’s father gritted his teeth, “Most of the Chu family’s assets were secretly transferred by Chu Ang, and now only an empty shell remains.”

"This confession is the key evidence proving his crimes."

Fortunately, the officers did not search him, which is why the confession was preserved.

Gu Junze's eyes darkened: "Does my father-in-law mean that Chu Ang has long ago..."

“That’s right,” Father Chu sneered. “He had been planning this for a long time. The charge of secretly keeping the Eastern Pearls was also a trap he set. I discovered that he was secretly transferring assets and was about to expose him when he struck first.”

"I suspect he's not just after the money; he's probably involved in the court's factional struggles. One of the caravan's workers used to be with him, and he would go to see someone whenever he returned to the capital..."

"Time is running out," the jailer urged from a short distance away.

Father Chu gripped his daughter's hand tightly: "Han'er, remember, Chu Ang is ruthless, and the person behind him is even more mysterious and unpredictable. You must be careful. If necessary, produce this confession..."

When Chu Ruohan left the prison, she felt her steps were incredibly fast. She did not tell her father that Chu Ang had disappeared.

She still has too few capable people at her disposal...

Gu Junze took her hand, feeling the warmth in his palm. "Don't be afraid," he whispered, "I'm here."

The carriage slowly drove away from the prison. Chu Ruohan leaned against the carriage wall, listening to the sound of the wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs.

Suddenly, Gu Junze's body stiffened.

“Someone is following us,” he whispered.

Chu Ruohan's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively reached to lift the car curtain, but Gu Junze pressed her down. "Don't move," his voice remained calm, "pretend you don't know anything."

Could it be Chu Ang?

Gu Junze shook his head. "It wasn't just one person. Judging from the noise, there were four or five of them, and each of them was highly skilled in martial arts, no less than Ying Qing."

"Young Master?" Yingqing's voice came in.

"Find a way to bypass them and head towards the area where the Shadow Guards are active, but be careful not to alert them."

The carriage continued to move forward smoothly. Chu Ruohan suppressed her inner tension, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her unease.

The sound of the wheels continued rhythmically, each beat seeming to strike her heart, making her heart pound even faster.

Gu Junze narrowed his eyes slightly, listening intently to the sounds around him, using his keen hearing to discern the location and movement of the pursuers.

His hand quietly reached into his robes, gripping the hidden weapon there, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

“We can’t just sit here and wait to die.” Chu Ruohan lowered her voice, trying to make her tone sound firm. “We have to think of a way to get rid of them.”

Gu Junze nodded slightly, "It would be best if we could capture him alive."

He quickly scanned the car and suddenly noticed a jar of plum wine on the corner of the car, which he had bought to have a drink with Chu Ruohan.

A sudden inspiration struck him, and a plan came to mind.

"Follow my instructions in a moment," Gu Junze whispered, then patted the side of the car and said to Ying Qing, "Find a fork in the road ahead and stop. I need to get out to relieve myself."

Yingqing responded and soon stopped the carriage at a fork in the road.

Gu Junze opened the carriage door and was carried off the carriage by Ying Qing, who placed him in a wheelchair, but did not follow.

Chu Ruohan pushed him, slowly walking forward...

When the pursuers saw them stop, they immediately concealed themselves, but Gu Junze knew that their eyes were fixed on him and Chu Ruohan.

Gu Junze pretended to be drunk, holding onto the armrest of his wheelchair with one hand and the wine jar with the other, while deliberately humming an off-key tune, giving the impression of being completely unsuspectingly drunk.

He was still muttering drunkenly, "This liquor...it's really strong..."

Chu Ruohan understood immediately and scolded playfully, "You, drinking so much, don't you know your own body?"

The two of them sang in unison as they slowly walked toward a narrow path beside a fork in the road. The path was overgrown with weeds, and several crooked trees grew crookedly, casting dappled shadows.

Seeing this, the stalkers thought they had a chance and quietly followed.

Just as they were about to enter a bend in the path, Gu Junze's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he threw the wine jar in his hand backward.