Chapter 380: Putting on an Act
Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Putting on an Act
The servants waiting on them here had all been trained by the Third Prince. Ming Peifeng didn’t say much else, though he still had to offer a few words of flattery. "His Highness is very considerate. He ordered all the daily necessities here to be prepared well in advance. Lord Gu, if you need anything, just tell the butler of this estate."
At this time, the butler who had been following behind them stepped forward at the right moment. "Mr. Gu, please let me know if you have any orders."
It seemed the butler was familiar with the Gu Family and didn’t directly address him as a lord, unlike Ming Peifeng.
"Then I will have to trouble you." Gu Baijiang didn’t dare to act arrogantly in front of these people. However, his pockets were currently empty, so he had no way to reward them with silver. After speaking, he turned back to look at Ming Peifeng. "Lord Ming, this journey has been exhausting. Why don’t we all go wash up first and talk after we’ve rested?"
After such a long and dusty trip, his old bones could barely hold up any longer.
Naturally, Ming Peifeng had no objections. He had already done everything he should and could; whatever happened next was up to fate.
Returning to this bustling capital, the First Branch of the family was filled with joy. This was a good start. They each returned to their rooms to rest, finally going back to the good days of having servants wait on them.
An Tong looked at the coarse linen dress she was wearing and instantly felt a wave of disgust.
Carrying her bundle back to her room, she found two older servant women bringing in a wooden tub of water—and nothing else.
The hopeful look in her eyes dimmed. Right, what could she expect anyway? The Third Prince couldn’t have prepared everything perfectly in advance. She picked out a relatively plain and elegant dress from her bundle. Looking at it, she was still somewhat dissatisfied, but it was already the best she had.
Two days later.
They had been confined in this courtyard for two whole days before the Third Prince finally reappeared. Right after they paid their respects, the Third Prince took Ming Peifeng and Gu Baijiang into the study. Not long after, Ming Peifeng came out with a pale face, his steps faltering.
Gu Kaiping hesitated to speak but eventually couldn’t help stepping forward to support him. If Lord Ming hadn’t helped them along the way, the graves of the Gu Family would have long been overgrown with weeds.
"Lord Ming..."
Hearing the worry in Gu Kaiping’s voice, Ming Peifeng gripped his hand. "Young Lord Gu, it will be hard on you all to follow by the Master’s side from now on."
"Where are you going?"
"The people coming to arrest me will be here soon. Although I’ve kept my life, it’s my turn to be exiled this time."
Gu Kaiping was stunned. "How did it come to this? Is it that serious?" His father had been charged with embezzling military funds, but Lord Ming had only been the County Magistrate for a few days, and it was all under the Third Prince’s orders!
"Young Lord Gu, we can be considered to have some friendship. I wouldn’t dare ask you for anything else, but I only beg that when His Highness succeeds, you might mention me in front of him. I would be forever grateful."
He wasn’t actually afraid of being exiled. The route to Lingnan had already been cleared out, so heading there now wouldn’t involve so much miserable trouble. Besides, Lingnan was merely demonized by the public. Having walked the path himself, he knew it wasn’t as terrifying as the rumors made it out to be. The Third Prince certainly wouldn’t give up such a massive territory, and sooner or later, he would send his own people over. As long as the Third Prince had ambitions, he would still need to employ him, so his days there wouldn’t be too bad.
Gu Kaiping immediately patted his chest in guarantee. "Lord Ming, rest assured. The Third Prince won’t forget you, and we will remember your kindness as well."
As they spoke, they reached the front gate. A few government officers were already waiting there. Ming Peifeng stepped forward to state his name and was immediately escorted away.
Gu Kaiping sighed. It was a pity he didn’t have much silver right now; otherwise, he would have done his part to help. Having put on a show of wanting to help but being powerless to do so, he finally sighed and turned back into the estate.
To show his concern, Gu Kaiping would occasionally ask the butler for updates. At first, the butler only maintained a superficial politeness with him, but he was gradually moved by his apparent sincerity and became willing to share news from the outside.
"Lord Ming has been exiled to Lingnan this time. That region needs development, which requires a population, so his entire family and all his clansmen were sent over. If you miss him in the future, Lord Gu, you can ask His Highness for news. We have our own people over there."
The butler now felt that Young Lord Gu was quite a decent person. Even after Ming Peifeng had fallen into such misfortune, he still kept him in his thoughts. Furthermore, this wasn’t anything secretive; the Gu Family already knew about it.
So, on this day, the butler excitedly brought him some new information. "Lord Ming and the others are hitting the road tomorrow. You can go and see them off."
Gu Kaiping was speechless. He only wanted to build up a good reputation for himself; he hadn’t actually planned to go...
Still, he agreed with a look of deep gratitude. "Thank you, butler. I will definitely go see Lord Ming off tomorrow."
Gu Baijiang was naturally aware of all the things his eldest son was doing, but he simply had no time to bother with him. After the Third Prince left the palace, they had already made an agreement: in a few days, once this place wasn’t attracting as much attention, he would bring people to retrieve the hidden items.
He had been on pins and needles these past few days, plagued by an ominous premonition.
A few days later.
The day to retrieve the silver had arrived. While Gu Baijiang was pacing in anxiety and reluctance, Gu Kaiping came to him with eager pleas.
"Father, what should I do about this? I’ve already let the word out. If I don’t go see him off and show some token of appreciation, I won’t be able to justify it."
Gu Kaiping rubbed his hands together. To put on a show, he had to go all the way. He couldn’t just show up empty-handed to send someone off, especially since the Gu Family was currently the focus of many people’s attention.
If this wasn’t someone else’s territory, Gu Baijiang would have kicked this unfilial son out. "Then go and give him a proper send-off."
"Father, but I don’t have any silver on me." Gu Kaiping did have some broken silver, but it was too shameful to present. He couldn’t let the good reputation he had worked so hard to build go to waste at the final hurdle.
Gu Baijiang directly pulled a fifty-tael silver note from his chest pocket. "This is the last of the silver I have on me. Figure it out yourself."
Fortunately, they didn’t have to pay for any of their expenses in this estate; otherwise, he truly wouldn’t have been able to part with it.
"Father, can our family’s silver still not be taken out?
"We also owed Lord Ming some silver before. Why don’t we take this opportunity to pay it back?"
Gu Kaiping wasn’t actually that generous; he merely wanted to use this chance to test the waters.
"You don’t need to worry about these matters," Gu Baijiang said.
Thinking of the massive amount of silver he was about to hand over, Gu Baijiang felt a tightness in his chest. He only hoped the Third Prince would remember this favor in the future.
"How are things with An Tong? Let her rest well these next two days. The Third Prince has requested an imperial decree, and it will be issued in a couple of days."
An Tong’s dowry would be the silver he had hidden away, which would accompany her into the Prince’s estate when the time came.
"The momo His Highness found a few days ago is currently giving her lessons. According to the Liu Family, that momo is exceptionally strict, and An Tong has already lost a lot of weight."
Gu Kaiping wasn’t feeling sorry for his daughter; he just wanted the old man to know how hard their First Branch was working.
Sure enough, the old man nodded in gratification. "Strict is good. We cannot afford any mistakes when it comes to royal etiquette.
"Later, have the Liu Family prepare some good things to properly nourish her health."