Chapter 382: Found
Chapter 382: Chapter 382: Found
Gu Baijiang followed the Third Prince to a small courtyard. Hanging prominently above the entrance was a plaque that read "Gu Mansion."
"Lord Gu, this is a token of my sincerity," Rong Ruiyuan said. He took a property deed from an attendant beside him, under which lay a thick stack of contracts. "This three-courtyard estate, along with all the servants inside, will now be at your disposal."
Gu Baijiang accepted the deeds respectfully with both hands. "Your Highness’s immense grace... This old man will dedicate his utmost loyalty to you from now on."
Rong Ruiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly. "In three days, I will welcome An Tong into my estate. I assume Lord Gu has already made preparations?"
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. She shall have a dowry that stretches for miles..."
Back at the estate, the Third Prince had provided a thousand taels of silver and a set of wedding garments, making it explicitly clear that this was the true dowry. Any other dowry items brought into his estate would no longer have anything to do with the Gu Family.
Only his short-sighted daughter-in-law’s eyes would light up at the sight of that thousand-tael silver note, completely oblivious to the fact that the family was losing far more.
Having received a satisfactory answer, Rong Ruiyuan turned and returned to his carriage. A few of his brothers were making a fuss about coming over for a wedding toast, so he needed to make his own preparations as well.
Having lived in the capital for so long, Gu Baijiang naturally knew who the original owner of this new Gu Mansion was. The previous owners had been caught up in the recent wave of property confiscations. The estate had fallen into the hands of the Third Prince, who simply had it tidied up before presenting it as a gift to him.
The thought that his former home now also belonged to a new owner left a bitter taste in his mouth.
After taking a stroll around the premises, he realized this estate was roughly the same size as their previous Gu Mansion, which brought him a measure of satisfaction.
Although the servants left in the estate had been assigned by the Third Prince, Gu Baijiang didn’t dare trust them. He hurriedly summoned his own butler over to identify everyone, then sent his people to the Third Prince’s villa to fetch the First Branch of the family. Only then did he rush off in a carriage.
Gu Baijiang didn’t know how long he had been driving in circles, shaking off numerous potential tails, before he finally arrived at a dilapidated small courtyard.
Seeing the rusty padlock still hanging on the door, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued to drive in circles.
Right before nightfall, he returned to that same small courtyard, this time bringing the guards arranged for him by the Third Prince.
They smashed the rusty padlock and entered the weed-choked yard. The guards who had followed him remained silent, quietly waiting for Gu Baijiang’s orders.
When Gu Baijiang opened the hidden tunnel, he was absolutely dumbfounded. Where were his things?
He clutched his chest, his face suddenly turning deathly pale. He had hidden it so covertly—he hadn’t even dared to set foot here again after stashing everything. Who could have taken it?
But that wasn’t right. When they came in, the padlock on the door had been the original one. Could this silver have just vanished into thin air?
As for the other tunnel entrance, he had ordered it completely sealed off long ago, and everyone who knew about it had been eliminated. Who else in this world could possibly know?
"Lord Gu?" the guards waiting outside for orders were growing a bit impatient. Why was he taking so long?
Hearing their urging, Gu Baijiang leaned weakly against the wall. This was more than half of his net worth, and it was all gone!
As the calls from outside continued, Gu Baijiang knew that if he didn’t go out now, these men would definitely barge in, making the situation even harder to explain. He had no choice but to clench his fists tightly. The sharp pain in his fingers shocked him back to his senses, allowing him to return to the courtyard with an expressionless face.
"Have the people tailing us been dealt with?"
The guards looked perplexed, but one still answered respectfully, "Lord Gu, have you forgotten? Those tailing us were dealt with long ago."
"How can you be so sure?" Gu Baijiang said, feigning a profound tone. "This place is a smokescreen I intentionally set up. I have to be absolutely certain that our pursuers are eliminated before I can take you to the real location. Otherwise, if there is even the slightest loss, none of us will be able to bear the consequences."
Hearing this, the guards felt it made sense. They ordered a few men to go out and inspect the area carefully, and surprisingly, they actually managed to catch a few little mice.
They couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for Gu Baijiang. No wonder the Third Prince was willing to risk offending His Majesty just to bring this man into his fold.
Once Gu Baijiang confirmed it was safe, he proceeded to his next hidden cache, his heart pounding with anxiety.
He had split his silver into two portions. The stash here was originally meant as a gift for the Third Prince, while the other location held the foundation of the Gu Family’s future.
He had no idea which blasted thief had picked this place clean. Now, with no way out, he had no choice but to offer up his last remaining assets. From now on, his large family would truly have to live in poverty.
But his biggest fear right now was whether the other cache had been emptied out as well. If that were the case, the Gu Family would truly never be able to rise again.
It was a pity that Bai Suihe hadn’t known the Gu Family had kept this ace up their sleeve, inadvertently giving them a moment to catch their breath.
As night fully descended, the group walked through a mountain ravine. Numerous torches were lit within their ranks, startling flocks of nocturnal birds into flight.
The guards could tell at a glance that this was a mass grave, and their faces turned pale. This Lord Gu really knew how to hide things; who would have ever thought someone would stash so much silver in a place like this? After all, this was a place that even the bravest of men wouldn’t dare pass through during the day.
The moment they drew near, everyone felt an eerie chill in the air. But they had a mission to complete. Even with fear creeping into their hearts, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and press on.
After passing an unknown number of solitary graves, they finally reached the farthest corner. Various small burial trinkets were scattered on the ground. Everyone tread carefully, trying their best not to step on anything, silently reciting scriptures and bowing repeatedly with their hands clasped. They truly had no intention of disturbing the dead.
No one dared to speak a word here. The occasional SNAP of breaking twigs made their hearts pound wildly in their chests.
"Wait for me here," Gu Baijiang said, looking at the narrow crevice ahead. Once again, he stopped the men from following.
The guards really wanted to curse. Was this going to be another ruse? Toying with them in the dead of night and bringing them to a place like this—did this guy have some kind of grudge against them?
"Lord Gu, we certainly hope you aren’t playing another trick on us."
Gu Baijiang nodded distractedly. If this place had also been cleaned out, his life was practically forfeit anyway, so offending these men would be the least of his worries.
Squeezing through the narrow crevice and pushing aside the dense vines hidden in the ravine, a small cave entrance appeared before him. If the guards had been made to do this, they probably would have shrieked in terror.
The ground was paved with dried bones, making the scene look even more ghastly in the flickering torchlight.
Mustering his courage, he used a stick to sweep the bones aside, clearing just enough space for him to pass. When he finally made it inside the cave and saw the chests still sitting there, Gu Baijiang let out a long sigh of relief.
Just to be absolutely certain, he walked over, fumbled under one of the chests for a ring of keys, and opened it. Seeing the silver still nestled safely inside, he was finally at ease. Their family’s lifeline had been preserved.
He reluctantly caressed the silver ingots one by one. With a heavy sigh, he called the men in, ordering them to hurry up and move the chests out.
Seeing so many chests, the guards immediately ordered everyone to get moving. At this moment, their only thought was to haul these chests out and escape this eerie, ghastly place as quickly as possible.