Chapter 381: Farewell
Chapter 381: Chapter 381: Farewell
Gu Antong needed to give birth to the Imperial Grandson as soon as possible. Only then could she tie herself firmly to the Third Prince. If Gu Antong proved capable, they could also set their sights higher.
However, for now, the father and son both wanted to resolve their immediate troubles. Gu Baijiang continued to ponder their next steps to ensure a more secure footing.
Gu Kaiping left the residence with the silver. He had to make the best use of these limited funds. Before leaving the capital, the prisoners’ shackles couldn’t be removed, so he couldn’t buy too many items; otherwise, they would become a burden. But with only this small amount in silver notes, he truly found it somewhat unpresentable.
As he walked, he spotted a gambling den ahead. He stared at it for a long while before finally gritting his teeth and walking past. He had never endured hardship, but he knew the saying that nine out of ten gamblers lose. Right now, he truly couldn’t afford to lose. Drawing on his past experience with exile, he bought some pastries, ready-made medicine, boots, and clothes. Holding onto his remaining twenty taels of silver, he turned around and headed back.
Seeing him return loaded with various bags, the butler praised him inwardly, thinking that this Young Lord Gu was truly a man of loyalty and righteousness who seemed worth befriending. He attentively helped place the items in the room, mentioned that a carriage would be arranged to take Gu Kaiping out of the city the next morning, and then went back to his duties.
Liu Yun walked over and inspected the items. "Are these all for Ming Peifeng?"
"He took great care of us previously, so this is my way of returning the favor. It’s a pity I don’t have much silver on me; this is the best I can do to help."
Liu Yun wasn’t an ungrateful person. "It’s only right. No one could have predicted the unpredictability of life." Just a few months ago, they were exiled prisoners themselves. Now, having returned to the capital, they were the ones sending an old acquaintance off to exile.
"As long as we have a clear conscience," Gu Kaiping said, repacking the items. "What did the Marquis Mansion say?"
"I’ve sent several visiting cards, but they were all rejected," Liu Yun replied. "I went to the Marquis Mansion in person today, but who would have thought they wouldn’t even let me through the door."
Liu Yun truly didn’t want to swallow this humiliation anymore. "The Marquis Mansion isn’t doing so well themselves. If they look down on us, there’s no need for us to shamelessly cling to them." They were nothing but snobs; they would regret it in the future.
"That is your maiden family, after all," Gu Kaiping sighed. "If we don’t visit them upon our return, people will definitely gossip. Besides, even though the Marquis Mansion has declined, they still hold a noble title. If we want to live well in the capital in the future, we will inevitably need their support."
As the saying goes, even a wrecked ship still has three good nails. With generations of inherited titles, they naturally possessed a network of powerful in-laws and old connections that the humbly born Gu family couldn’t possibly match.
Gu Kaiping consoled her, "I know you’ve been wronged these past few days, dear. Although the Third Prince has settled us in, this isn’t our own territory.
"Moreover, if I remain a commoner without an official post, who will our children rely on in the future? No matter what, the Marquis Mansion is the maternal home of our two children. Even if we can’t maintain a close relationship, just having some interaction can elevate their status.
"Our daughter is about to enter the royal family. We can’t offer her much backing, but the title of the Marquis Mansion’s granddaughter can still suppress some of those malicious schemers."
For the sake of the Gu family and his descendants, Gu Kaiping felt he was suffering a great injustice by having to coax this aging wife of his.
Liu Yun said, "Then I will try again tomorrow."
"Thank you for your hard work, dear."
The next day.
The couple busied themselves with their respective tasks. Gu Kaiping hurried to the city gates with his items, only to find the exile procession already waiting there. The number of exiles this time was quite large. To solve the population shortage in Lingnan, it was estimated that the Emperor had shown special leniency, commuting the sentences of death row inmates to exile. Unfortunately, they were no longer in the royal court and couldn’t pry into many matters.
He quickly located Ming Peifeng’s family. Their household alone consisted of several dozen people, all of whom had been implicated.
Ming Peifeng wasn’t surprised in the least to see Gu Kaiping. He walked over, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Lord Gu, I’ve truly troubled you. You even made a special trip to see me off."
Gu Kaiping hastily helped the man up. "Lord Ming, we are practically brothers, so let’s dispense with these empty pleasantries. It’s just that you know my family recently went through all sorts of hardships, so we don’t have much silver on hand. This is all I can do, and I hope you can make do with it for now."
Upon hearing this, Ming Peifeng had no choice but to suppress any thoughts of collecting old debts. After all, Gu Kaiping wasn’t the head of his household, and whatever silver the Gu family had was likely already branded with the mark of the Third Prince. He could only sigh at the fact that he had served the Third Prince for so many years, yet ended up in such a state without being able to utter a word of complaint.
Gu Kaiping didn’t dare to stay long. Seeing that someone else had arrived to see the Ming family off, he hurriedly slipped away. His trip today ensured that his efforts over the past few days hadn’t been in vain.
As soon as he returned to the residence, he heard Liu Yun say that the Third Prince had sent over the marriage certificate and would be welcoming Gu Antong into his estate in three days.
"So suddenly?"
Unlike Gu Kaiping’s surprise, Liu Yun was filled with worry. "Exactly. I also think it’s too sudden. At the very least, they should give us time to prepare her dowry." Such a rushed arrangement didn’t seem like the treatment a concubine deserved; it felt more suited to a lowly bedmaid.
"Where is my father?"
"He went out with the Third Prince."
Gu Kaiping felt as though he had missed an opportunity, but he was powerless to do anything about it now. He could only turn his attention back to Gu Antong. "Did my father say how we should handle her dowry preparations?"
"The Third Prince had someone deliver the wedding dress and gave us a thousand taels of silver for the purchases. I was waiting for you to come back and make a decision."
Hearing that they had provided both silver and a wedding dress, Gu Kaiping felt the Third Prince was very considerate and was quite satisfied. "That’s good. Go ahead and arrange things. Oh, right, buy two servant girls for Gu Antong." Once she entered the royal estate, she would definitely need helpers. Relying on servants assigned by the estate was too risky, as they could be someone else’s planted spies.
"But where can we easily find loyal servant girls at a time like this?"
"Even if it’s hard, we have to try. I saw a lot of people being exiled today. Those families must have trained some maids. As long as they’re decent, that’s enough. As long as we hold their deeds of sale, I bet they won’t dare to betray their master."
"You’re right. That makes sense," Liu Yun realized. Having managed a household for many years, she also knew how to judge character. She immediately rushed to head out but was stopped by Gu Kaiping.
"What did they say when you went to the Marquis Mansion today?"
Liu Yun’s expression stiffened, not expecting her husband to still remember this. "Same as before; I couldn’t get in.
"However, our Tong Er is now the Third Prince’s concubine. Tomorrow, I’ll submit a visiting card under Tong Er’s name."
"That’s a good idea. I refuse to believe the Marquis Mansion won’t give face to the Third Prince." Satisfied, Gu Kaiping suddenly felt he could stand tall again. "Alright, hurry up and go. Buy the girls, then get our daughter a few sets of jewelry and order a few more sets of clothes." A thousand taels in silver notes seemed like a lot, but its purchasing power was actually quite limited.