Chapter 606: Dismissal
Seeing that they were tactful enough, the three guards prepared to leave. They no longer kept a close eye on the pair and even helped pick up the two packages of pastries, stuffing them directly into Gu Kaichen’s arms. “Go back and nourish yourselves well,” one of them teased. “You can’t even walk straight.”
The Gu Family father and son felt utterly humiliated, but there was nothing they could do against these men. In the end, Gu Baijiang gritted his teeth, forcefully dragged Gu Kaichen up, and the two stumbled away from the small fishing village.
After receiving such treatment right from the start, Gu Baijiang fell ill upon returning home. He still hadn’t recovered when Gu Kaiping came back, carrying his bundle of belongings.
“Father, I’ve been fired,” Gu Kaiping said, his face full of bitterness. He had known Rong Ruiyuan wouldn’t keep him around for long, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.
“What was the reason?” Gu Baijiang asked, even though he had already guessed this day would come.
“That damn He Guangtian was just nitpicking. There was a single incorrect character on a contract, and he pointed at me and cursed for ages. I truly couldn’t endure it anymore, so I snapped back…”
Gu Kaiping’s voice trailed off. He wondered if the matter would have blown over had he just endured it a little longer at the time.
Gu Baijiang sighed. He didn’t offer any blame—what was done was done, and there was no point in saying anything further. “Since you’re back, get some good rest. We’ll see if you can find work around here later.”
“Father, what kind of work can I even find in this county town?” Gu Kaiping’s previous anxieties completely vanished when he saw that Gu Baijiang didn’t blame him in the slightest. The tense string in his mind finally snapped, and he slumped into a chair. “I absolutely refuse to do the work of a Shopkeeper or a waiter. Father, how much Silver does our family have left? If worst comes to worst, we can buy a small farmstead. At least we’d have some income.”
“That isn’t a bad idea,” Gu Baijiang said, having already accepted reality. “When the time comes, we can stay on the farmstead. Even if life is a bit tough, there’ll at least be hope.”
“Father, are you truly willing to accept this? Our family lost everything for the sake of the Third Prince, and now he wants to drive us to extinction. Is there really nowhere we can go for justice?”
“Where could you possibly go for justice? They are the royal family. His trying to finish us off now is as easy as crushing an ant.
“But rest assured, Rong Ruiyuan will eventually reap what he sows,” Gu Baijiang continued. Everyone saw exactly how much the Gu Family had helped Rong Ruiyuan. Since Rong Ruiyuan only cared about immediate, petty gains, none of those old foxes in the imperial court would ever dare stake their futures on him.
“But I can’t just accept this…” Gu Kaiping muttered. Deep down, he still harbored resentment toward Gu Baijiang. If they hadn’t gotten involved in the royal family’s struggles back then, how could they have ended up as abandoned pawns today? He clearly had a bright future ahead of him, yet now it was entirely destroyed. However, since the family’s finances were still in Gu Baijiang’s hands, Gu Kaiping could only forcefully suppress his anger, no matter how furious he felt.
“Alright, you’re tired now. Go back and get some good rest. We can talk about everything tomorrow.”
After shooing his son out of the room, Gu Baijiang coughed incessantly. He just couldn’t hack up the stubborn phlegm lodged in his throat.
How could he not feel resentful? But in the Gu Family’s current state, what did they have left to fight with? Let alone seek revenge.
However, his earlier words to Gu Kaiping hadn’t just been empty comfort. There was no way Rong Ruiyuan’s actions could be hidden from the public. Although Gu Baijiang’s popularity in the capital wasn’t great, he could still manage to write a few letters to pour out his grievances.
Coughing a few more times, he finally arrived at his study and picked up a brush to write. The tragic plight of the Gu Family absolutely had to be made known to everyone.
***
Rong Ruiyuan currently felt that absolutely nothing was going smoothly. Every day, a different set of troubles came knocking at his door. Not to mention his brothers, who were constantly trying to find ways to pin crimes on him; memorials impeaching him were submitted to the throne daily.
His household wasn’t peaceful either. The Princess Consort refused to manage matters, and the two secondary consorts had started shirking responsibilities. They had once desperately coveted the household authority, yet now they couldn’t wait to throw it away.
“Prince, the goods in the mansion’s storehouses are all old, stale stock. We need to start making winter clothes soon, but how can we possibly use the fabrics in there?” Consort Zuo now somewhat understood why the Princess Consort had washed her hands of the matter back then. In any case, Consort Zuo certainly wasn’t going to subsidize it with her own dowry.
Consort An hurriedly joined in with her own complaints. “Last month’s monthly allowance hasn’t been distributed yet, and all the courtyards are already asking about it. If we don’t have it this month either, I won’t be able to give the other consorts a proper explanation.”
“Can’t you think of a solution yourselves? You used to want to run the household, yet now that you’ve been given the opportunity, this is how you manage things?” Rong Ruiyuan was furious. He had already suffered enough anger in the imperial court, and now he had to come home and deal with these trivial, petty matters. What use did he have for these women?
“Prince, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. I’ve asked the steward, and there’s no Silver left in the public funds. Where has your official stipend gone?”
Rong Ruiyuan nearly spat out blood in frustration. His stipend? What could the mere few thousand taels of Silver given by the palace possibly do? Even if he didn’t touch those few thousand taels of Silver, would it be enough to feed this massive family?
“Why don’t you figure something out first? I’ll pay you back later.”
The two secondary consorts exchanged a glance, neither wanting to take the first step. The room instantly fell silent.
In Rong Ruiyuan’s eyes, however, this meant that neither of these women could shoulder any responsibility. Enraged, he declared, “If you can manage it, then manage it. If you can’t, then hand it over to your Princess Consort…”
He assumed that by saying this, the two women would know when to stop and might even be intimidated by him. Then, the household’s difficult problems would easily be solved.
To his surprise, joy flashed across the two women’s faces. They immediately ordered the maids and older female servants behind them to place all the account books on the table. They then untied the keys and management tokens from their waists and said in unison, “We are foolish and clumsy. It is better to leave everything to the Princess Consort to handle. After all, she is the true mistress of this Prince Mansion.”
Watching them hand over their power so swiftly, without the slightest hint of reluctance, Rong Ruiyuan felt incredibly depressed. What kind of play were they acting out today?
“I was just…”
“Prince, your reprimands are entirely correct,” Consort Zuo quickly flattered him. “You have a keen eye for people and could tell at a glance that the two of us are unfit for such an important task. I shall return and reflect on my mistakes in seclusion immediately, and properly learn from the senior maids.”
Consort An also hurriedly took two steps back. “I am truly ashamed to have disappointed your trust, Prince. Your concubine will follow Consort Zuo back to reflect on my mistakes in seclusion. Your concubine will take her leave now.”
After saying that, the two secondary consorts fled the study as if running for their lives. They didn’t want to stay in this godforsaken place for a single moment longer.
Prince Ning could not give them children now, nor could he bring any glory to their families. Therefore, it was impossible for them to continue subsidizing him with their own Silver.
Especially given Gu Antong’s tragic end, the petty conflicts they used to have with each other seemed utterly ridiculous now.
Everyone was well aware of exactly how much the Gu Family had helped Rong Ruiyuan.
Back then, Rong Ruiyuan’s romantic affair with Gu Antong had indeed made them very uncomfortable, and they had caused trouble for her.
But that was fundamentally an issue of their standing. At that time, everyone was single-mindedly focused on fighting for favor, hoping to give birth to the eldest son as soon as possible. Fighting tooth and nail was a common occurrence in the inner chambers.
But Rong Ruiyuan was different. He was the beneficiary…