Chapter 383: Entering the Prince’s Residence
Chapter 383: Chapter 383: Entering the Prince’s Residence
If Gu Kaiyuan were here, he would only praise him as a wily old fox. Who would have thought that Gu Baojiang had such brains and knew to keep a backup plan? It wasn’t an injustice that he hadn’t found this sum of silver.
Returning overnight to the new Gu Mansion with these chests, the masters of the first branch who heard the commotion in their rooms all ran out. Seeing chests of silver piled in the courtyard with a group of guards standing watch nearby, they formed a rough guess in their minds.
Gu Antong’s face was filled with joy. She finally didn’t have to enter the mansion with a shabby dowry.
Gu Kaiping ran toward Gu Baijiang with an excited face. "Dad, these..."
"These are all the dowry I prepared for An Tong. The Third Prince’s men will be guarding them these next few days. Don’t touch them."
Looking at the large chests, Liu Yun couldn’t help but swallow hard. She wondered just how much silver this was. She also wondered if it was too much for her daughter to take so many things to the Three Emperors Mansion. They still had to live their own lives. If they gave it all away, what would they eat?
Gu Kaiping thought the same thing. However, with so many guards around, it wasn’t appropriate for him to say much. He could only pull Gu Baijiang into the study. "Dad, how could you give it all away? Does our family not need to survive?"
"What else could I do? These things didn’t belong to us in the first place." Gu Baijiang was unwilling to bring up the batch of lost silver again. If he spoke of it, not only would he offend the Third Prince, but he feared even the eldest branch would hold it against him.
"But there’s so much. We could have kept one or two chests..."
"How about you go and tell the Third Prince yourself?" Gu Baijiang retorted.
Gu Kaiping didn’t have that kind of courage. He shook his head in fear. "Let’s forget it then. But how much is in there?"
"Four hundred thousand taels." Speaking of this, Gu Baijiang felt a pang of heartache. This was all his money... He wondered which damned thief took it. He swore that if he ever found them, he would tear them into a thousand pieces.
After leading people around in such a huge circle, Gu Baijiang was both terrified and exhausted. Now that he had finally stopped to rest, he couldn’t even bother washing up and collapsed directly onto the bed.
However, the people of the eldest branch couldn’t sleep. Liu Yun stood by the window, staring hotly at the chests in the courtyard. "Your father really said he’d give all of this to An Tong as her dowry."
At this moment, she truly envied her daughter for having such a great blessing. But more than that, she felt a deep reluctance to part with the wealth. Their family was so poor, yet they weren’t keeping a single thing.
"This should be something Dad arranged with the Third Prince beforehand," Gu Kaiping said, his heart just as unsettled. Knowing there was such a sum of silver was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes only to know it immediately didn’t belong to them was another. How could he resign himself to this?
"Then do you think your father kept a backup plan?"
Gu Kaiping’s eyes lit up. Based on his understanding of his father, it was entirely possible. If that were the case, then it didn’t matter. As long as they could cling to the great tree that was the Third Prince, there would be much more in the future.
Gu Antong tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. When she first learned that all these chests were meant to be her dowry, she had indeed been thrilled. However, her rationality quickly returned. The Third Prince did all this for the sake of these very chests.
In that case, the one thousand taels of silver brought over today as an entrance fee was technically a betrothal gift, but in reality, it served as the dowry. She feared that the moment these chests entered the mansion, they would be taken away directly and have absolutely nothing to do with her.
But even if she knew all this, what could she do? In a few days, she would still have to smile and enter the mansion as an add-on to this silver. Judging from the previous assassination attempts, the women in the backyard probably wanted to tear her apart.
She didn’t even know if what her grandfather did was worth it. If he hadn’t touched those military funds and had just remained an honest Assistant Minister, would she have lived an entirely different life?
Only now did she deeply realize how dangerous it was to have her fate resting completely outside of her own hands. Lying in bed, her eyes grew colder and colder as she began to ponder what she should do next.
At the Third Prince Mansion.
Hearing the guard’s report, Rong Ruiyuan let out a long sigh of relief. It was good enough that the silver was secured. He had previously sent men to search for it, but he hadn’t expected Gu Baijiang to be so cunning. Who would have thought he would hide such a massive batch of silver in a mass grave?
Thinking about how he would soon possess the financial power to compete with his brothers, he paced excitedly back and forth in the study. Soon after, he sat down again and began writing furiously. He needed to carefully list everything out; every bit of this silver had to be used where it counted most.
Three days passed quickly, and Gu Antong entered the mansion with those chests.
Aside from the red decorations hanging in her small courtyard, which added a touch of festivity, the entire Third Prince Mansion was exceptionally quiet.
"Gu Shufei, please have some pastries first." Cai Hua, the maid bought by Liu Yun, had previously served in a wealthy household. However, when her former masters fell into ruin, the maids were sold off again. She and another young girl were purchased by Mrs. Gu and renamed Cai Hua and Cai Li.
They were supposedly bought to serve the young miss, yet in just two days, they had entered the Third Prince Mansion and become the maids of the concubine.
To them, this was not a good thing. The inner courtyard of the household they had previously served had been completely chaotic, let alone a Prince Mansion. Yet as servants, they had no right to refuse. Now, they could only hope that their new master, Gu Shufei, possessed the ability and shrewdness to ensure their survival.
"The Third Prince hasn’t arrived yet." Gu Antong did not lift her red bridal veil. This was vastly different from the wedding she had envisioned.
Although a concubine was still a concubine, she would be entered into the imperial registry and held an official rank. While she couldn’t compare to a primary or secondary consort, she should still have her own proper arrangements. However, being quietly sent to this small courtyard with only the maids she brought with her was simply unjustified.
"No one has come over yet," Cai Li said, her eyes darting around. "Should I go out and ask?"
"Don’t go. I was stopped and sent back the moment I reached the door," Cai Hua said, pursing her lips. "They said the Third Prince is busy and will come over later."
Gu Antong thought of the chests that had been carried away the moment she entered the mansion and guessed what the Third Prince was likely doing at this moment.
She knew the Third Prince harbored grand ambitions and could understand it, but she still felt a bitter taste in her mouth. By tomorrow, many people in this mansion would likely treat her as a laughingstock.
However, to leave a good impression, she restrained her temper, told the two maids to rest on the side, and sat upright on the edge of the bed.
She waited late into the night. Just as Gu Antong could hardly hold on any longer and almost lay down, Rong Ruiyuan finally arrived.
Seeing Gu Antong still sitting quietly and waiting for him, he felt a bit more satisfied in his heart. Her temperament wasn’t bad.
After lifting her red bridal veil, he dismissed the two maids...
Bai Suihe felt her popularity had been exceptionally good lately. She had merely offered a few ideas to several madams, yet the calling cards delivered to her door and the banquet invitations came wave after wave.
While Zhang County was gradually improving, the vanguards of the various major families had arrived in Lingnan one after another.
The team sent by Mrs. Bai was among them. Unlike the others who traveled light, hers was another long escort team transporting cart after cart of goods.