Chapter 450: Silver Note
Chapter 450: Chapter 450: Silver Note
Since they were at the gates of the Imperial Palace, it was impossible to know how many of the Emperor’s spies were watching. No matter how reluctant he was, First Prince Rong Ruixue could only relent. "Third Brother, just go back and rest easy. As for the silver you owe Zhou Gang, I will have someone deliver it later."
If he had someone deliver it personally, it remained to be seen whether Zhou Gang would even dare to accept it. That way, this favor wouldn’t be a total loss.
If Rong Ruiyuan borrowed the silver now, it would likely never be returned, so he might as well handle it himself. Besides, what kind of nonsense was this? He clearly only owed four thousand taels of silver, yet he wanted to borrow ten or twenty thousand. Was he not afraid of biting off more than he could chew?
"Let’s not trouble you, Eldest Imperial Brother. Just give the silver to me. I still have to take my concubine to apologize in person. This way, we will appear more sincere."
"Then I will lend you four thousand taels of silver." With people constantly coming and going, he couldn’t act completely stingy.
He genuinely never expected Rong Ruiyuan to be so shameless as to ask for a loan in broad daylight. He had miscalculated today and fallen right into this massive trap. Second Brother and Fourth Brother were certainly cunning, abandoning him here all alone. He would definitely settle this score with them later.
"Listen to yourself, Eldest Imperial Brother. Don’t we have to prepare some generous gifts for a formal apology? When our royal family goes out, we represent Imperial Father’s dignity. If it’s too shabby, people will talk. Surely, Eldest Imperial Brother wouldn’t want to see that happen, right?"
"Even so, you don’t need that much..."
"Then please just lend me ten thousand taels of silver for now, Eldest Imperial Brother, and save your younger brother from this dire situation."
After Rong Ruiyuan spoke, he glanced at the two guards stationed at the gate. Anyone guarding this area was undoubtedly one of Imperial Father’s trusted aides. He was confident that, in order to avoid leaving a bad impression on Imperial Father, his eldest brother would swallow this bitter pill.
Sure enough, with his back to the palace gates, Rong Ruixue gritted his teeth and ordered someone to fetch a ten-thousand-tael silver note. "Since we’re blood brothers, I’ll help you out, but even brothers must keep clear accounts. Remember to pay it back soon. After all, my silver doesn’t just grow on trees."
"Of course." Rong Ruiyuan took it personally, even waving it in front of him. "Thanks to you, Eldest Imperial Brother. Later, I will bring my concubine to your residence to express our gratitude in person."
Rong Ruixue gritted his teeth. "There’s no need for that. Just make sure your concubine learns some proper manners."
It was incredibly frustrating. He didn’t even know Gu Antong, and the Gu family was so ignorant of the current situation. Yet here he was, playing the fool today and helping them pay off this debt.
Rong Ruiyuan offered his thanks, immediately returned to his carriage, and ordered them to head straight back to his manor.
As soon as he returned, he went straight to Gu Antong’s courtyard. "You’ve done me a great service this time. Take this five-thousand-tael silver note and make some preparations. Settle the debt with the Zhou family first, and keep the rest as your reward."
Neither arrogant nor impatient, Gu Antong accepted the silver note and solemnly thanked him. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"No need to thank me. I will be sure to properly thank my Eldest Imperial Brother later." He laughed as he spoke. "However, after this incident, your reputation will be ruined."
"If I can help solve Your Highness’s problems, my little reputation is nothing."
"Oh, you’re quite open-minded about it. Aren’t you afraid of dragging down the Gu family’s reputation?"
"This was all a grave mistake I made out of ignorance, and I am truly sorry to Miss Zhou. If possible, I am willing to do everything in my power to make it up to her," Gu Antong said, her head bowed and her voice filled with remorse.
She only hated that she hadn’t been able to endure it a little longer back then. She should have found an opportunity to deal with her privately and ruined her face while she was at it. They had been on the road to exile, yet she still dressed up so provocatively. She deserved to be ruined.
"Don’t do such reckless things in the future." Rong Ruiyuan didn’t care about the petty jealousy of young women. "Get yourself ready. I’ll have the butler prepare a gift, and we will head to the Zhou family’s home in a moment."
"How could I dare trouble Your Highness? It would be enough for me to bring the gifts and apologize myself." Although Gu Antong had an extra thousand taels of silver in her hands, she wanted more.
Knowing that Zhou Gang’s family was difficult to deal with, she didn’t dare scheme for the silver, but she wondered if she could intercept and keep those gifts for herself.
"I must make this trip. The matter is already known to the entire court, and I am doing this to put on a show for those stubborn old ministers."
Gu Antong felt a bit disappointed but didn’t push the issue. "I wonder how His Majesty views this matter. Will it have a negative impact on Your Highness?"
"Rest assured. Imperial Father values court affairs the most; he doesn’t want to waste time focusing on trivial matters of the inner courtyard.
"However, because of this, Eldest Imperial Brother and the others have suffered a great loss.
"Just as you predicted, they used this opportunity to submit memorials, trying to convict me. We took advantage of the situation and gave them a little push. Today in court, all Imperial Father saw was an entire hall of officials voicing their support for Eldest Imperial Brother and his faction. That’s right—not only did we get off lightly this time, but Imperial Father now harbors even deeper suspicions against them."
At this point, Rong Ruiyuan’s gaze toward Gu Antong grew even gentler. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Gu Shufei, you truly are my brilliant strategist. Keeping you in this inner courtyard is honestly a waste of your talents."
Gu Antong wrapped her arms around his waist. "Your Highness shouldn’t say that. Being able to stay in the inner courtyard and devise strategies for you is my way of doing whatever little I can..."
At the Gu family’s home.
Gu Baijiang sat in his study and smiled silently when he learned that the Third Prince had taken Gu Antong out of the city.
Bai Suihe’s shop business was booming. She was becoming increasingly close with several other madams and received a constant stream of invitations every day. Gu Xingyang’s greatest excitement each day was following her out of the manor.
Gu Kaiyuan had been depressed for a few days, but he soon became too busy to worry about anything else.
A large number of powerful and noble figures had begun extending their reach toward Lingnan. Naturally, someone like Gu Kaiyuan, who held vast amounts of resources, could not avoid being investigated. These people had come here to purchase property and expand their families’ wealth, only to find that someone had beaten them to the punch. It was impossible for them to travel all this way just to return empty-handed. Therefore, those with substantial local assets became the focal point of their negotiations.
Gu Kaiyuan hid for a while, but knowing he couldn’t keep avoiding them forever, he finally opened his doors to welcome guests. Without giving these nobles a chance to speak, he placed all the assets he wanted to sell out in the open. Using the method Bai Suihe had provided, he allowed them to look first, consider their options, and finally engage in a bidding war.
This novel operation silenced the prominent aristocratic families who had originally harbored grievances. At the same time, they grew even more curious about Gu Kaiyuan and his wife, having already investigated their backgrounds inside and out.
This was likely another idea concocted by that legitimate daughter of the Bai family. If even a married-out daughter possessed such insight and could come up with such a brilliant plan, it was no wonder the Bai family was so immensely wealthy.
It was just a pity that the Bai family had always kept a low profile in the capital and had now relocated their entire household. Otherwise, they would have definitely tried to build a relationship with them. With the Bai family’s guidance, their own family businesses might not have suffered repeated shrinkages. They did want to get acquainted with this legitimate daughter of the Bai family, but the timing wasn’t right at the moment. They would have to wait until they brought the female members of their own households over before proceeding.