Chapter 506 - 507: Way Out
Chapter 506: Chapter 507: Way Out
At the end of the letter, the writer didn’t forget to add that this was a rare opportunity. If Bai Suihe handled it well, it could also benefit the Bai family.
"I’m afraid that last sentence reveals their true purpose," Bai Suihe said, curling her lips in a disdainful smile. "Now that the Bai family is no longer in the capital, how many prominent relatives and friends could Gu Baijiang, a man from a humble background, possibly have? They plan to use the Bai family as a token of loyalty, using us as a stepping stone. They really think they’re the only smart ones in the room."
Nanny Pang also shook her head. "People pushed to a dead end always act a bit crazy. Otherwise, with the intellect that allowed Gu Baijiang to pass the imperial examination, he wouldn’t have let Liu Yun bring this kind of humiliation upon themselves."
"Nanny Pang, do you think Gu Baijiang told Liu Yun to write this letter?" Bai Suihe asked.
"I believe so," Nanny Pang replied. "Based on my understanding of the Gu family, this is the most likely scenario."
Bai Suihe smiled and shook her head. "This time, you might have guessed wrong. The only person in the entire Gu family with any real scheming ability is Liu Yun.
"She came from the Marquis Mansion. I heard that back in the day, her concubine mother fought evenly with the Marquis’s wife in the inner courtyard. Without some real skills, that wouldn’t have been possible.
"Gu Antong is her daughter. Only a mother planning for her child’s future would ask me to financially support Gu Antong.
"If it were Old Master Gu, he probably would have just talked about how difficult things are for the Gu family..."
After saying this, Bai Suihe found it somewhat amusing that they were even analyzing it. "But there’s no point in talking about this. We’re both eager to draw a clear line, so naturally, we won’t get involved with them again.
"However, now that the letter is in my hands, do you think I should write a stern reply to refuse them?"
Bai Suihe was truly worried that if she didn’t make things explicitly clear, the other party would play dumb and keep sending letters one after another. Anyone who didn’t know the truth might assume the two families were still close.
"You shouldn’t write back, Madam," Nanny Pang suggested. "Later, we can have someone at the post station pass on a message. Just say that our two families no longer have any ties and that they shouldn’t send any more letters.
"Even if the Gu family achieves wealth and status, we won’t try to latch onto them."
This approach lacked any secrecy, but it would slowly spread the news within a small circle, making their stance perfectly clear. In the future, more and more noble families would be migrating to Lingnan, so this would serve as a clear signal to everyone.
They now had a decent foundation here in Lingnan. Who knew if the Gu family might try to exploit their name for other schemes?
Bai Suihe pondered for a moment. "Have someone keep an eye on the post station first. When the right person comes along, we’ll find a way to have them pass the message."
Different people passed through and stayed at the post station every day, but some of them couldn’t be trifled with. They could only wait patiently for the right opportunity. They chatted about the matter a bit more before brushing it off.
When Gu Kaiyuan returned, Bai Suihe handed the letter directly to him to read. Gu Kaiyuan merely sneered. "Liu Yun really knows how to scheme, but I’m afraid she won’t be entertaining these thoughts for much longer."
Hearing his certainty, Bai Suihe immediately sat up straight. "A letter arrived from the capital."
"Yes," Gu Kaiyuan said, his eyes crinkling with a smile and his tone noticeably lighter. "Gu Antong has already received the grand gift I sent her. According to the news, she is growing plumper by the day. I believe it won’t be long before she becomes quite the spectacle in the Prince Mansion."
Bai Suihe stroked her chin, deeply curious about what Gu Antong would look like in the end. It was a bit of a pity that she couldn’t witness the final result with her own eyes. Then, something else occurred to her. "What about Rong Ruiyuan?"
"It was used on him as well," Gu Kaiyuan replied. "But our people have already withdrawn. Besides, matters involving the royal family aren’t so easy to pry into."
"As long as it was used, that’s fine." Bai Suihe thought this was already a good outcome. "Even if the Imperial Physicians help him detoxify, he’ll still need time to recover. That will be enough to put him at a disadvantage among the other princes, and enough to keep him scrambling for a while.
"However, your people must stay safe. Don’t let them get caught."
Gu Kaiyuan was entirely confident in this regard. "Don’t worry, I’ve arranged everything. Moreover, the person involved was personally sold off by Liu Yun, and sold far away.
"They’ve long since ’perished’ halfway to their destination. It’s completely impossible to trace them back to us."
Gu Kaiyuan had already swept away all their tracks. Although he was reincarnated, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could clash head-on with the royal family. Speaking of which, he had to thank Liu Yun for her cooperation. In an effort to vent her anger—or perhaps to stop the maid from saying anything detrimental about Gu Antong—Liu Yun had unknowingly sought out the barbarian traveling merchants whom Gu Kaiyuan had specifically hired people to impersonate. This made the matter even more impossible to trace.
After the deed was done, those people had long since restored their true appearances and taken a different route out of the capital. Even if the Emperor himself sent investigators, they wouldn’t find a single clue.
Just as the couple had guessed, back in the capital, Rong Ruiyuan was forced to swallow his bitter anger.
"What is wrong with you all? It’s been so long, and you still haven’t found anything!" Rong Ruiyuan roared at the guards sent by the Emperor. This time they had managed to drug him with a sterilization potion. What about next time? Would they deliver lethal poison right to his lips?
"Reporting to the Third Prince, we have found a few suspicious points and are currently following those leads," the Guard Leader replied, also feeling a massive headache coming on. They had been investigating day and night and had indeed discovered some anomalies. The inner courtyard of the Prince Mansion was far from clean; every woman had her own schemes.
They had unearthed plenty of dark secrets. However, the most suspicious lead right now was the maid who had been sold off by Gu Shufei. It was simply too coincidental. A servant girl who wasn’t highly valued had been sold far away at this precise time. But all of this had been orchestrated by Gu Shufei and her mother. It didn’t make sense to assume they were in on it—after all, who would inflict such a vicious drug on themselves?
Recalling how Gu Shufei looked even rounder when he saw her today, the Guard Leader couldn’t help but sigh. The person who administered this drug truly knew how to make someone wish they were dead. If a woman grew as round as a ball, how could she ever maintain her husband’s favor?
"You fob me off with the same excuses every day! I need a result right now," Rong Ruiyuan snapped, feeling unsafe everywhere he went. "Tell me about these suspicious points. Who do you think is the most suspect?"
"The main consort and the two secondary consorts are all suspects," the Guard Leader reported. "They all have their people planted in Gu Shufei’s courtyard. Under orders, these spies were all supposed to drug Gu Shufei, though they hadn’t found an opportunity yet. According to their confessions, the drugs were given to them by the consorts.
"However, when we questioned the consorts, they completely denied any involvement, claiming the servants were framing them.
"We are currently investigating these claims, and I believe we will have more information within the next couple of days."
Rong Ruiyuan was well aware of the underhanded methods used by women in the inner courtyard. His own mother had survived through similar struggles over the years. But inner courtyard conflicts shouldn’t have involved him. How could he possibly tolerate this? "Then go and investigate! Don’t hold back. If someone dares to reach for my throat, they shouldn’t blame me for being ruthless."
The Guard Leader hesitated, looking as if he wanted to speak, but ultimately kept silent. In truth, he felt that the women in the inner courtyard were the least likely suspects. If the Third Prince lost his ability to have children, it would spell total disaster for all of them.