After leaving the courtyard, and seeing no one on the road, Gu Shenwei jogged in small steps toward the stone house where he had once lived. He needed Old Zhang, the horse feeder, to carry out the "stratagem" he had devised long ago.
Old Zhang was not inside the house. As usual, he was in the stable, tending the Eighth Young Master's mounts. During the several months he had lived with the young man, he had barely spoken a word, but when he was with the horses, it was as if he were chatting with old friends at a gathering, rambling on without end. He did not even notice Huan Nu approaching.
Watching the old man, who was closer to livestock than to people, Gu Shenwei felt more and more that he was completely out of place in Golden Peng Fortress.
"Cough."
Old Zhang abruptly turned around. His originally peaceful, amiable face instantly became gloomy and rigid, as if he had changed masks in the blink of an eye.
"I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Old Zhang said nothing, not even offering a greeting, so Gu Shenwei had to speak first.
"I can't help."
Old Zhang's refusal was simple and direct. Then he began to busy himself, signaling that the entire matter was over.
Gu Shenwei did not leave. He could find no one else to help him. In this Stone Fortress, he did not have a single true friend. After Old Zhang had added fodder, wiped down the horses, and cleared away the manure, he could no longer pretend to have work to do. Only then did Gu Shenwei speak again. "I want to see the Eighth Young Master."
"The master isn't here."
"I want to expose a conspiracy. It happened right beside the Eighth Young Master."