Chapter 568: Probing
Chapter 568 -569: Probing
Xu Yulan grew anxious. “Father, you have to consider our situation. How can we compare to those great noble clans?
“We’re just commoners now. If you don’t believe me, go ask around the village! Ask the people in our clan how they normally divide their assets when splitting up a household!
“If you insist on being so unfair, are you trying to force us to our deaths?”
Gu Baijiang instantly felt terrible. He suddenly remembered the promise he had made to their clansmen.
The last time he had Gu Kaiping take people back, the clan elders had sent a letter. They had given him a strict deadline: if he didn’t resolve the matter this year, their branch would be expelled from the clan.
This courtyard could fetch a good price, but after compensating the clan, there wouldn’t be much silver left over.
If he dared to refuse them, Gu Baijiang couldn’t even imagine the consequences.
The current Clan Leader wasn’t a soft-hearted old man like Gu Li; he was truly capable of making good on his threats.
“Right, we still owe the clan compensation,” Gu Baijiang said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone’s angry gazes converged on Xu Yulan. She really had a knack for bringing up the worst possible topic, digging up another creditor for them.
Xu Yulan’s voice trembled slightly. She had just spoken casually, truly not meaning to bring it up. “We can’t even fend for ourselves right now, how can we worry about them? Besides, we aren’t the ones who confiscated their property.
“Don’t look at me like that. Father was the one who made the promise, not me!
“If worse comes to worst, we’ll just go to Lingnan instead of Tian Village.”
Gu Baijiang swept a cold glance over them before fixing his gaze on Liu Yun again.
Liu Yun was filled with reluctance, but she knew this matter left no room for argument. No matter what, she had to hand over the house deed today. Taking a deep breath, she turned and walked back to her courtyard. When she emerged, she held the deed in her hand and gave it directly to Gu Baijiang.
“Father, is there any way we can pull some strings for An Tong? If all else fails, can we just bring her out and take her to Lingnan with us?”
Holding the deed, Gu Baijiang didn’t answer her. He simply turned and walked away in silence, his departing figure looking exceptionally forlorn.
“Damn it,” Xu Shuanghong thought. “I’ve spent the better part of a year toiling in vain. It seems I can’t stay in the Gu family anymore.”
Her mental abacus went CLICK-CLACK. If things went exactly as they said, life in Lingnan would not be easy.
“Are we really going to Lingnan?” Xu Yulan looked bewildered. If so, they would have been better off staying trapped in this backyard, where at least they wouldn’t have to worry about food and clothing.
“If you don’t want to go, you can stay here by yourself,” Gu Kaichen retorted. He had quickly accepted the reality. Here, he would only be endlessly confined to the backyard. If it had to be Lingnan, then Lingnan it was. At least he would be free.
Liu Yun remained silent for a moment before stumbling toward the study. She had to ask how Gu Antong was doing now.
Even if they couldn’t get her out of the Prince Ning Mansion, she had to find a way to see her one last time before they left.
Seeing her arrive, Gu Baijiang knew that if he didn’t make things clear today, Liu Yun might grasp at straws in desperation. So, he shared the news he had received.
He concluded, “The royal family will not allow such a scandal to surface. I’m afraid there is no hope left for An Tong. She sent a letter back home earlier; she is entirely aware of her situation and has already prepared for the worst.
“Otherwise, do you think I would willingly leave the capital? If we don’t leave now, I fear we won’t even be able to keep this house in the end.”
“That can’t be, right?” Liu Yun said. “After all, this was bestowed by the Third Prince. And didn’t you give him…”
“I know you are a smart woman,” Gu Baijiang interrupted. “But the human heart is unfathomable. Even you all think I held something back. Do you think Rong Ruiyuan wouldn’t think the same?”
“…So you really did hold something back,” Liu Yun murmured.
Seeing the expectation in her eyes, Gu Baijiang sighed. “Initially, I did hold something back. But some unknown thief stole it from me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be dragging you all through such bitter days.
“Our family is truly in dire straits right now. This house is our last hope. Only by selling it can we move our whole family to Lingnan and start over. Perhaps in a few years, there will be hope for us to return.”
He still harbored great hopes for his two grandsons. Going to Lingnan wasn’t entirely bad. Once there, he could focus on tutoring them; surely at least one of them could pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi scholar.
At this point, Liu Yun cast aside all thoughts of propriety and stared intently at Gu Baijiang. Seeing the exhaustion and a trace of remorse in his eyes, she knew instantly that he wasn’t lying.
Disappointment welled up within her. She wondered why, if he had hidden it back then, he hadn’t hidden it better.
“Father, if the item was stolen, there must be some clues…” She still clung to a sliver of hope. If they knew who stole it, perhaps there was a chance to get it back.
Gu Baijiang shook his head. He had been investigating these past few days, but there wasn’t a single trace.
Since he didn’t dare make a scene over such a matter, he was forced to swallow this bitter pill in silence.
“Go prepare. Take everything we can carry. I’ll sell the house, and then we can hire a few more carriages.”
“But are we really going to abandon An Tong? She’s a child of our family…”
“How can we help her? Why don’t you submit a visiting card to the Prince Ning Mansion right now and see if you can meet her before we leave.”
Gu Baijiang was soft-hearted in the end, but he also had an ulterior motive: if Gu Antong knew of the family’s hardships, perhaps she could spare a little more silver for them.
After all, such a large family would have no source of income in the future. They would have to rely entirely on their own efforts. Squeezing out a bit more now would give them more security down the road.
“Alright,” Liu Yun agreed, still unwilling to give up. Perhaps there was still a way to save An Tong. Even if the situation was hopeless, they would be leaving, and she feared there would never be another chance to see her. As a mother, how could she bear to part like this?
Gu Baijiang let her do as she pleased, though he knew that if he were Rong Ruiyuan, he definitely wouldn’t allow the visit.
Of course, there was one other possibility: if he could produce another large sum of silver, Gu Antong’s life would be much easier. But that was utterly impossible. Even if the silver hadn’t been lost, he wouldn’t use it to fill Rong Ruiyuan’s bottomless pit of demands.
The prince was a treacherous, backstabbing villain. By fleeing in defeat this time, Gu Baijiang intended to show the courtiers who wanted to align with Rong Ruiyuan exactly what kind of despicable man they were dealing with.
Exactly as expected, the moment Liu Yun’s visiting card was delivered to the porter of the Prince Ning Mansion, it was unceremoniously tossed right back out. Though no harsh words were exchanged, their attitude was crystal clear.
How could Rong Ruiyuan care about the lowly Gu family at a time like this? He had already brought his men to aggressively network with wealthy merchants. However, merchants were cunning by nature and refused to bite.
Some even explicitly stated that they wanted their precious daughters to serve Rong Ruiyuan directly, completely turning up their noses at the guards and stewards he offered as marriage prospects.
He did manage to hook a few small fry, of course, but even if those people agreed out of respect for Rong Ruiyuan’s status, they only offered up their unfavored concubine-born daughters.
After all, legitimate daughters, concubine-born daughters, and the degree of favor they held all determined the size of their dowries. Having hit a wall several times, Rong Ruiyuan was even less inclined to pay any mind to the Gu family.