Chapter 317: Zhou Family
Chapter 317: Chapter 317: Zhou Family
"Then how did they get back? Did they set off on their own?" Bai Suihe couldn’t believe their family had that much courage.
"The exiled people before hired two escort agencies," Chunxiang quickly said, "Most of the ones who came with us have already left."
She finished and cautiously looked at Bai Suihe, "It seems like they deliberately agreed not to notify us."
Bai Suihe thought about it and understood what was happening; they were implicated because of Gu Baijiang.
The robberies along the way were mostly because of the Gu Family, so choosing not to notify Tian Village was definitely premeditated.
The only ones connected to the exiled at Tian Village were Mrs. Zhou’s family, and they hadn’t been informed either. That’s truly being fed up with Zhou Gang; the way Zhou Gang had been so inconsiderate in the past had worn out the last bit of goodwill.
"I’m really curious about what expression Zhou Gang and his family will have when they find out."
Chunxiang scratched her nose, "Their expression was twisted; it was really frightening to see at the time."
Bai Suihe looked up at her, "You saw it?"
Chunxiang nodded vigorously, "Today the Zhou Family also went into town to buy things, and when they heard the news, we were all there.
Previously, Mr. Zhou always looked dignified; who would’ve thought he could be this scary."
After saying this, Chunxiang imitated Zhou Gang’s expression at that time, "He was standing there with a stern face, clenching his fists tightly and his eyes wide open as he listened to the news about others leaving, including Mrs. Zhou. The way he gritted his teeth, I was genuinely afraid that if Mrs. Zhou and others were nearby, they’d be torn apart by him."
Bai Suihe sneered, "This is because he’s gone too far, never reflecting on his own problems and blaming others instead, truly hypocritical."
"We thought the same," Chunxiang pursed her lips, "At that time, he even grabbed the person delivering the news and loudly questioned why nobody informed them."
The person delivering the news, how would they know any of this? They stammered unable to speak, and were pushed to the ground by Zhou Gang. If it weren’t for his wife stopping him, Zhou Gang might have kicked him.
Thinking of this, Chunxiang looked gossipy again, "But I find it quite strange, it seems like the Zhou Family has gotten wealthy. Today they bought a lot of things in town.
I remember the silver Mrs. Zhou divided among them was considerable, but not enough for them to buy so much."
Bai Suihe became interested, "What did they buy?"
"A lot, especially his wife and that daughter. They even went into the biggest jewelry shop in town and came out with several boxes of jewelry.
Dongmei was curious and went to ask, spending nearly a thousand taels of silver in there, not to mention other things, filling an entire cart completely."
Along the way, Zhou Gang was always just staying in the village. Nobody was seen delivering goods to them, so where did they get this much silver?
"Miss, where do you think their silver came from?"
Bai Suihe, "It couldn’t possibly be from stealing."
Currently, in Tian Village, the wealthiest is their family, but all the valuables Bai Suihe has are hidden securely.
"Could it be that the Gu Family repaid the silver they owed them from before?" Bai Suihe thought for a moment, then felt it was impossible. If there were that much silver, wouldn’t Gu Baijiang have hired escort agencies to ensure their safe return?
Bai Suihe carried this question until nighttime, finally unable to resist asking Gu Kaiyuan.
Gu Kaiyuan, "Mr. Zhou is now being recruited by the eldest Prince."
"Why would the eldest Prince be interested in him?" Bai Suihe thought to herself: Is the eldest Prince blind or lacking in sense?
After all, his personality is genuinely unlikable. Being able to challenge the entire royal family on his own indicates extremely low emotional intelligence.
"There simply isn’t anyone else to use," Gu Kaiyuan chuckled lightly, "To win over Zhou Gang, the eldest Prince promised to take Zhou Family’s daughter into the palace when she comes of age."
Bai Suihe frowned. Zhou Family’s little girl is still just a child; the eldest Prince already has many wives and concubines. Isn’t it true that the offspring in the palace are older than Miss Zhou?
However, given this era, Bai Suihe could only sigh secretly, not intending to intervene further.
"How do you know these things?" To find out such hidden information?
Gu Kaiyuan, "I’ve been having the shopkeeper in the capital collect information everywhere. Don’t be deceived by the high status of the Prince Mansion; actually, as long as there’s silver, any information can be sold."
"It’s like a sieve," Bai Suihe clicked her tongue, "If I remember correctly, doesn’t the eldest Prince already have a Princess Consort?"
With a female head of the household, such vulnerabilities still exist?
"The battles in the back courtyard are numerous, giving opportunities to those with ulterior motives.
Sometimes, it’s not like you can just cover up certain information if you wish to; often, the one stabbing you in the back might be your closest person."
Also due to these people’s existence, Gu Kaiyuan could gather more information smoothly.
"So, what do they want Zhou Gang to do?" Helping others while also sending a daughter into it—how did ancient people calculate these deals?
"To keep an eye on the Gu Family and hopefully find out about that sum of silver."
Gu Kaiyuan looked at Bai Suihe under the moonlight outside, only to see her with her eyes closed and a mischievous smile at the corner of her mouth, "These people go to great lengths. It’s really hard work."
"Now that the notices are out, everyone is restless again, all wanting to go back as soon as possible, even if they can’t resume their posts. Returning to seek help from their in-laws, maybe there’s a chance for reinstatement.
Zhou Gang probably considered going down the path of Mrs. Zhou before, but it seems he forgot he had previously deeply offended them, and they didn’t leave any opportunity for him."
Gu Kaiyuan wouldn’t reveal that he had a hand in this. Since each family has its own plans, keeping them together would at least let them hold each other in check.
"Mrs. Zhou’s maternal family isn’t bad, right?"
"Her maternal family’s brothers are all officials; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent such a substantial dowry."
Bai Suihe felt puzzled, "Then why did she marry the eldest Mr. Zhou as a second wife?"
"This is something I do know," Gu Kaiyuan knew what Bai Suihe liked; he looked at her with her eyes wide open and staring at him curiously.
"I heard that before marrying the eldest Mr. Zhou, Mrs. Zhou had a childhood sweetheart engagement. Unfortunately, the other party wasn’t lucky and met an accident before the wedding. Mrs. Zhou was said to be very sad and refused to see anyone else for a long time.
Later, as she grew older and her nieces from her maternal family began growing up, having an unmarried aunt was always a topic of concern.
Though her parents and brothers didn’t mention it, her sister-in-laws did have their opinions, so Mrs. Zhou reluctantly agreed.
But considering her age, she could only choose between being a second wife or a concubine.
At that time, the eldest Mr. Zhou had a decent reputation and only one son, so her family chose the Zhou Family."
"So marrying is like being reborn, changing one’s fate." Bai Suihe sighed.