两对夫妻别墅互换当面做

That is the nature of the royal court, where everything is dictated by self-interest.

Before leaving, Qi Yu also cast a meaningful glance at Gu Chen.

Upon stepping out of the Golden Luang Hall, the Duke of the Liang State approached Gu Chen, and the two walked together.

"My respects to Your Grace," Gu Chen said with a bow and a clasped hand salute.

The Duke of the Liang State, Lu Sheng, responded with a smile, "No need for such formalities."

Then, giving Gu Chen a few appraising looks, his eyes brightened as he said, "Good lad, I felt something was off when I saw you in the royal court just now, and indeed, you have reached the Vajra Stage."

Gu Chen smiled and replied, "I\'ve only broken through in the last couple of days. The Duke has keen eyesight."

The Duke of the Liang State, eager, asked, "Have you broken through to the realm of Cast Copper and Forged Iron?" Stay tuned for updates on mvl

Gu Chen shook his head, "Advancement isn\'t that quick."

Hearing this, the Duke of the Liang State nodded and said, "I was a bit too eager. Even with a natural martial body, it\'s not possible to advance so swiftly and step into the realm of Cast Copper and Forged Iron immediately after reaching the Vajra Stage."

Afterwards, he patted Gu Chen on the shoulder and laughed loudly, "In the future, when you have time, come and visit my residence more. You and Xin Lan are about the same age; she\'s also crazy about martial arts. The two of you young people must have a lot to talk about. Although she\'s a girl and won\'t say it, I can tell she has thoughts about you, and I think highly of you."

At this, Gu Chen felt helpless but didn\'t want to refuse the Duke of the Liang State\'s offer outright and simply nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, the Duke of the Liang State pretended to be displeased and said with a stern face, "What, is my Xin Lan not good enough in family background or looks to be unworthy of you, young man?"

"Of course not," Gu Chen quickly shook his head.

The Duke of the Liang State showed a \'that\'s more like it\' expression and continued, "You should know, now that you\'ve been conferred a viscount, you are also one of Da Xia\'s elites. You can actually resign from the Jing Tian Department, especially now when chaos looms throughout the world; staying in the Jing Tian Department is far too dangerous.

With the status of a viscount, you can join the appropriate circles and try to get involved in the royal court sooner. There\'s no need to remain within the Jing Tian Department, skirting the line between life and death every day."

Hearing this, Gu Chen replied with a faint smile, "I appreciate the concern of the Duke, but Commander Chen has done me great kindness, and I cannot leave the Jing Tian Department. Besides, with the world in such disarray, the Jing Tian Department is in dire need of people. I have even less reason to withdraw."

"Well done!"

The Duke of the Liang State burst into laughter, "Good lad, I underrated you. When I was young, I had the same thoughts as you. As one grows older, one becomes more cautious; it seems I was the one short-sighted."

Gu Chen responded, "Your Grace\'s considerations are correct, but everyone has their own path to follow after all."

As they walked and talked, the two had already left the imperial city. When the Duke of the Liang State arrived at his coach, an old servant was waiting there for him.

"Well, this is it then. Remember, when you find some free time, come and visit Xin Lan at my residence," he said.

After these words, the Duke of the Liang State boarded his coach. The old servant nodded to Gu Chen, then drove the coach away.

Afterwards, Gu Chen also returned to Gu Mansion.

That morning, when the royal guards had taken Gu Chen away, Gu Chengfeng\'s whole family had seen it. Gu Chengfeng, out of worry, didn\'t even go to report for his duties, and had a colleague ask for leave on his behalf so he could keep watch at home.

After all, given Gu Chen\'s current reputation, Gu Chengfeng, as Gu Chen\'s uncle, had indeed received some privileged treatment within the Royal Sword Guard.

Asking for leave was hardly an issue.

"Big brother has returned!" Uncle Zhang, the gatekeeper, shouted loudly.

In an instant, everyone from Gu Mansion rushed out, fearful that something had happened to Gu Chen.

Seeing that Gu Chen was all right, Gu Chengfeng sighed with relief and asked, "What did the Crown Prince and the princes call you for?"

Seeing how worried his uncle\'s family was about him, Gu Chen felt warmth in his heart, and he proceeded to tell them about what had happened at court that morning.

In fact, Gu Chen had not mentioned the death of Cao Zhen to avoid causing his uncle and the rest of the family undue worry.

As expected, once he told them, they were all shocked.

"Cao Zhen is dead?!"

Gu Chengfeng looked at Gu Chen in astonishment and said, "Big brother, come with me. I need to talk to you."

Immediately, Gu Chengfeng pulled Gu Chen aside. With a serious expression, he asked Gu Chen, "Tell your uncle the truth, big brother. Was it you who killed Cao Zhen?"

Seeing no one else around and since Gu Chengfeng was his uncle, Gu Chen had nothing to hide and simply nodded, acknowledging it candidly.

"During the mission, I overheard that Cao Zhen and his accomplices were planning to deal with me. Once I was dead, they would turn their attention to the Gu Family. Therefore, I had to act first for self-preservation," Gu Chen said.

Hearing this, Gu Chengfeng inhaled sharply, not expecting his nephew to have such audacity, which bordered on recklessness. He dared to kill a scion of Da Xia\'s nobility.

"Big brother, Cao Zhen is the sole heir of the Marquis of Pingxi!" Gu Chengfeng said anxiously, looking at Gu Chen worriedly, "Given the Marquis of Pingxi\'s status and position, if he investigates this matter later and finds out, he definitely won\'t let it go easily. By then, you\'ll be in danger!"

Gu Chen\'s demeanor remained calm and assured as he said, "No need to worry. In the short term, he won\'t make a move. That\'s enough for now."

Just give Gu Chen some time to settle into the Vajra Stage; afterwards, unless the Marquis of Pingxi takes action personally or leads an army himself, Gu Chen will have nothing to fear.

Having dared to take action, he had naturally taken the Marquis of Pingxi into consideration. Moreover, Cao Zhen had pushed him too far and intended to kill him, so leaving Cao Zhen alive was only asking for trouble; it was better to deal with the matter once and for all.

As for the Marquis of Pingxi, it\'s fine as long as he\'s not targeted in the short term.

But Gu Chengfeng still wore a worried expression. He knew Gu Chen was doing this mostly for Gu Qingyan, and it was because of Gu Qingyan that Gu Chen had incurred the hatred of Cao Zhen.

"Second uncle, there\'s no need to worry. Now that I\'ve become a viscount, I belong to the same level as them. I am a noble of Da Xia, so if anyone wants to deal with us in the future, it won\'t be so easy," Gu Chen said with a smile, appearing very relaxed.

For some reason, as he watched Gu Chen\'s smiling face, the weight on Gu Chengfeng\'s heart gradually lifted.

He chose to trust Gu Chen, who, after all, had proven himself time and again.

"Let\'s put this matter to rest, second uncle. Don\'t let auntie and Qinyan look into it any further," Gu Chen said to Gu Chengfeng with a serious tone.

Gu Chengfeng took a deep breath, his expression solemn. He understood that the more one knew, the more dangerous it was; he nodded firmly in acknowledgment.

Afterward, the two of them, along with Xu Qinge and Gu Qingyan, returned to Gu Mansion and had a reassuring breakfast.

They had been so worried that they hadn\'t eaten breakfast while waiting for Gu Chen.

During breakfast, Gu Chen said, "Second uncle, auntie, Qinyan, let\'s go to the inner city to buy a set of rooms."

As soon as he spoke, Gu Chengfeng and his family were stunned. Gu Qingyan\'s beautiful eyes twinkled incredulously as she looked at Gu Chen and said, "Big brother, what did you say?"

Gu Chen smiled and repeated, "I said, after breakfast, let\'s go buy a set of rooms in the inner city."

Gu Chen had always planned to buy a residence in the inner city of Tiandu. Today was a good opportunity, since his second uncle, Gu Chengfeng, was around. It would be perfect for the whole family to pick out a house together in the inner city.

With the resurgence of the Demon Sect and the world on the brink of chaos, Gu Chen might be tasked with a mission at any time with an indefinite return. Rather than delay, he decided to take the family to choose a residence in the inner city that day.

"Big lad, are you serious?" Auntie Xu Qinge asked, looking steadily at Gu Chen, her beautiful face filled with great expectation.

"Of course," Gu Chen responded with a smile and a nod.

Gu Chengfeng frowned and said, "Big lad, do you know how expensive the houses in the inner city are? We can\'t afford them."

"We can afford it," Gu Chen said with a light laugh.

"Big brother, it\'s not possible. I\'ve done the calculations. Even with what the court awarded you before, we\'re still short by quite a lot," Gu Qingyan said softly from the side.

Having seen the prosperity of the inner city, she naturally yearned for it as well, but because of the incident last time, she seldom went out to the streets.

However, after hearing from Gu Chen that Cao Zhen was dead, Gu Qingyan felt much clearer at heart, and her mood greatly improved.

Seeing the disbelief on his uncle\'s family\'s faces, Gu Chen\'s eyes held a hint of amusement. Reaching into his bosom, he suddenly pulled out a stack of banknotes and placed them on the table. There were several tens of thousands of taels.

Auntie Xu Qinge\'s mouth instantly formed an "O" as she exclaimed, "Big lad, where did you get so much money from?"

Gu Qingyan\'s delicate face was also full of shock as she asked, "Big brother, this… did you strike it rich?"

Gu Chengfeng pondered deeply and with a furrowed brow asked, "Big lad, you haven\'t done anything against the heavens, have you?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen immediately said, "Second uncle, where did your mind go? Rest assured, the sources of this wealth are all legitimate, fortuitously gained from a mission."

"That\'s good to hear," Gu Chengfeng said, feeling relieved as he nodded.

Upon hearing that they were going to the inner city, the servants of Gu Mansion were also very happy. They would share in the good fortune and would be able to live in the inner city in the future.

Later, after breakfast, Gu Chen took his second uncle\'s family to the inner city, found a broker, and began their search for a house.

The broker was very enthusiastic. After all, those who could afford houses in the inner city were either rich or noble, and they could not afford to offend any of them. They warmly introduced various options to Gu Chen and his uncle\'s family.

After spending the whole afternoon looking, they finally found a place that suited their hearts. Of course, it took an entire afternoon mainly because Auntie Xu Qinge and sister Gu Qingyan were rather picky.

In the end, they chose a triple courtyard house that was about the same size as the current Gu Mansion in the outer city, but the price was much higher due to its excellent location.

But Gu Chen wasn\'t concerned about the money now. After all, wealth had limited use to him. Once he saw that everyone agreed, he paid without hesitation.

With the actual gold and silver in hand, the broker became even more excited and told Gu Chen they could move in within a few days; they would clean up the property as fast as possible.

Gu Chen nodded. Having bought the house, he felt as if he had settled a matter in his heart.

…

Time passed quickly, and the leave granted by Chen Yu came to an end. Gu Chen and the others returned to the Jing Tian Department.

Upon seeing Gu Chen, Chen Yu\'s eyes brightened, evidently noticing that he had reached the Vajra Stage.

"The speed at which one with a celestial martial physique cultivates is truly astounding!" Chen Yu did not hide his admiration for Gu Chen.

Then, Chen Yu added, "Since you are now a martial artist of the Vajra Stage, starting today, you are the first-rank Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen immediately stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you, my lord."

Chen Yu smiled faintly and shook his head, stating, "Your achievements today have little to do with me; it\'s all due to your own efforts. Ordinarily, to be promoted to first-rank Metropolitan Procurator, you would need to pass an assessment mission, but you have accomplished a great feat in Xu\'an County, so that requirement can be waived."

After saying this, Chen Yu became serious and said, "I\'ve called you here because there is something I need to discuss with you. Early signs of disorder are emerging in Qiongtian Mansion, and I need you to go there and hold down the fort in the mansion city."