Chapter 484: Return Journey
Chapter 484: Chapter 484: Return Journey
The carriage rocked gently along the way. Little did they know that the moment they left, Hu Waner had already begun exercising her authority as the lady of the house, thoroughly disciplining the disobedient concubines.
At this moment, the women were chatting and laughing, discussing how to embellish the amusing events of their trip when retelling them to their husbands back home. Mrs. Lin’s actions today had been incredibly satisfying and had greatly inspired them.
They realized the inner courtyard could be managed this way. Some began to draw inferences, plotting how to deal with the arrogant women in their own backyards.
Mrs. Qian sighed. "Zhang County won’t see a day of peace for a while."
"So be it. It’s high time for a proper cleanup," someone replied. "Otherwise, these men won’t remember who the true lady of the house is."
Bai Suihe marveled once again at how the customs of Lingnan differed from those in the Capital City.
Perhaps it was because there were fewer pedantic scholars here to introduce the bad habits of the Capital City. Coupled with the sparse population, women here could step out into the public eye and enjoy far more say than women in the Capital City. She only hoped that the noble families flocking here wouldn’t bring those toxic customs with them. Because of this, she was quite optimistic that these women would effectively reform the local atmosphere.
"Exactly. Don’t they love to talk about rules? We’ll lay out the rules for them one by one. I’ll go buy a copy of the legal code to study later. Surely they can’t challenge the laws established by the late emperor."
Chatting and laughing, the group found the return journey much smoother, seemingly faster than when they came.
Upon entering the city, everyone exchanged goodbyes and headed their separate ways. The moment Bai Suihe and Gu Xingyang stepped through their front doors, they saw Gu Kaiyuan and Nanny Pang waiting for them.
"You’re back." Bai Suihe smoothly handed the child over to Gu Kaiyuan. Father and daughter immediately started whispering to each other. With this little informant around, Gu Kaiyuan would instantly know everything that had happened during their trip.
"Madam, we received some excellent goods today," Nanny Pang said, her face beaming with joy. It seemed she was highly satisfied with the day’s harvest.
Bai Suihe’s eyes lit up. Ever since their pharmacy began purchasing herbs, they had mostly acquired common varieties; rare medicinal ingredients were truly scarce.
"Where are they?"
"I placed them in the medicine room. Let’s go take a look."
Without a moment’s delay, Bai Suihe followed Nanny Pang away.
Gu Kaiyuan watched them go, shaking his head. He turned to Gu Xingyang and said, "When you grow up, you must learn from your mother. Look at her dedication—she didn’t even spare me a glance. I’m afraid she’ll become a Divine Doctor in the future."
"Daddy, you’re jealous," Gu Xingyang said, clapping her little hands. "You’re probably saying the opposite of what you mean. If I studied that diligently, I would have left with Mother just now, leaving you all alone to suffer in cold isolation."
Gu Kaiyuan couldn’t help but pinch her little nose. "You heartless little thing, are you mocking your daddy?"
"I’m just stating the facts." Gu Xingyang waved her hands, trying to swat his hand away. "You can’t deny my human rights just because I’m small. You and Mother love getting handsy with me. It’s a bad habit, and you need to change it."
"Alright, alright. You and your mother are always right," Gu Kaiyuan said, releasing his grip. "Such a tiny person, yet so demanding.
"Do you want to go steal some medical skills? I’ll carry you over."
Gu Xingyang yawned. "Not today. Although the rocking carriage put me to sleep, it wasn’t very restful. I’ll play with Daddy after I wake up properly."
Gu Kaiyuan was speechless. What did she mean by "play with Daddy"? This child really knew how to turn words around.
"Daddy, how are things going with your business?" she asked. This concerned her precious pocket money, after all.
"Don’t worry, the appointment has been made. I’ll take you to watch the show when the time comes." Gu Kaiyuan saw right through her thoughts. He didn’t know who this child took after, being so fond of drama.
Just as he carried the child into the room and prepared to let her rest, Song He sent someone to report that a letter had arrived.
Gu Kaiyuan had no choice but to carry the child to the front courtyard. "Where is the letter from?"
"From the Capital City." Song He hurriedly handed over the letter. "It’s from Manager Mu. He also sent along a chest of books and account ledgers."
Gu Kaiyuan instructed him to move the items to the study before dismissing him.
At this moment, Gu Xingyang completely refused to go back to rest, insisting on sticking by his side. Helpless, Gu Kaiyuan could only place her on the soft couch nearby and begin reading the letter.
The letter contained obscure phrasing and utilized their unique method of correspondence. Without a second word, Gu Kaiyuan opened the chest of books and quickly found the necessary clues to decipher it.
"Daddy, what does the letter say?" Gu Xingyang was genuinely curious.
"The person Manager Mu previously arranged to infiltrate the Three Emperors Mansion has successfully reached Gu Antong’s side."
This was excellent news. Now that someone had been planted inside, new ideas began to form in his mind. Previously, he only wanted someone to monitor Gu Antong’s every move, but now, Gu Kaiyuan had changed his mind.
"Daddy, what are you planning to do?" Gu Xingyang blinked her eyes innocently. "You don’t still want to send someone to protect Gu Antong, do you?"
Gu Kaiyuan gave her an undignified eye roll; this daughter really knew how to strike a nerve. "Don’t worry, your daddy isn’t that kindhearted.
"There’s no way I’ll let Gu Antong grow stronger. The letter also mentioned that she has already gained a firm foothold in the Third Prince Mansion and has started devising schemes for the Third Prince. She’s really grown some wings."
Gu Xingyang said, "Daddy, it’s not like you don’t know that Gu Antong has some petty cunning. Wasn’t she like this in our previous life?
"Relying on that brain of hers, she came up with so many utterly heartless and wicked ideas. If you let her continue to grow like this, our whole family will be in danger."
"Of course I know that. I only kept her alive because I wanted to use her to take the Gu Family away. Now that her mission is complete, it’s time to put an end to this.
"Don’t worry about these matters, little one. Your mother and I will handle it."
Gu Xingyang giggled. "Daddy, even if I don’t get involved, I still know what you’re going to do. But what kind of medicine are you and Mother going to use? Can you tell me?"
"We still need to discuss that thoroughly." After all, this was also Bai Suihe’s enemy; he wouldn’t rush to a conclusion. Who knew if his wife wanted to give the other party a quick death or vent her foul anger? He would follow her lead.
Gu Xingyang mumbled something unintelligible. Gu Kaiyuan didn’t catch it at first, but when he asked again, the little girl had actually fallen asleep in seconds. As her old father, he could only stand there glaring in frustration, completely helpless against her.
By the time Bai Suihe finally emerged from the medicine room, the moon was already hanging above the treetops.
However, when she heard that they needed to prepare some "special gifts" for Gu Antong, she too fell into a dilemma.
She had quite a few bottles and jars of concoctions, yet none of them felt worthy of Gu Antong. After all, in their previous life, both mother and daughter had died because of Gu Antong. This karmic debt still needed to be settled.