From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 764: Chapter 766: Inheriting the Title

Bai Jingyang suddenly sneered in the direction of the main room. "Even our good older brother has to observe the three-year mourning period this time. I wonder if the Holy Emperor will still save a spot for him at his side after three years.

"Right now, he hasn’t even received Cao Zhong’s Holy Decree. He might not even manage to get his hands on the title of Marquis."

Kuang Yunqiao’s eyes lit up. "Exactly. So many people find it difficult to be reinstated after observing Ding You, let alone a close courtier to the Holy Emperor. There might already be people plotting how to take his place right at this very moment."

Just the thought of Bai Jinglie potentially running into such misfortune made Kuang Yunqiao feel exceptionally gleeful.

However, their joy didn’t last long before an old maid servant rushed into the courtyard, telling them to go out and receive the Holy Decree.

Kuang Yunqiao was speechless.

After a lengthy barrage of reprimands, it all boiled down to one thing: the Marquis Wu’an Mansion had completely lost all its face and dignity through this single Holy Decree.

Old Madam Bai knelt at the front, teetering on the verge of collapse. It wasn’t until the end, when the decree announced that Bai Jinglie would inherit the Marquis title, that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But the eunuch paused dramatically, waiting a long while before reading the rest. It made Old Madam Bai feel as if her head was about to explode—the hereditary aspect of the Marquis title was abruptly ending with Bai Jinglie.

Holding onto her last breath, she waited until Bai Jinglie saw the imperial envoy out. At that point, Old Madam Bai couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed directly onto the maid servant beside her.

After a flurry of chaotic panic, they barely managed to save her life. For the rest of her days, Old Madam Bai would be confined to her bed.

Kuang Yunqiao gloated, "The foundation passed down from our ancestors has been destroyed in your hands. Are you proud of yourself now? I don’t know how you’re going to explain this to our ancestors in the afterlife."

Bai Jinglie shot her a sidelong glance. "If you didn’t listen carefully to the Holy Decree, I wouldn’t mind having someone go to your courtyard to read it to you a few more times."

Anyone who wasn’t foolish knew exactly who the reprimands at the beginning were aimed at.

"You..."

Bai Jinglie turned to the newly elevated Marchioness, Deng Mei’e. "Madam, I will have to trouble you to take charge of the mansion’s affairs from now on. The monthly allowances that certain people receive should also be adjusted accordingly."

Kuang Yunqiao’s expression stiffened. She suddenly remembered that she was never recorded in the clan genealogy. If she had been, the second young master, Bai Jingyang, wouldn’t have only received a mere ten percent of the family assets.

Deng Mei’e cast a glance at Kuang Yunqiao. "Yes, Marquis."

Those few short words were also a declaration of who would be running the household from now on.

Bai Jinglie led his trusted aide into the study. Now, he had finally achieved his wish and obtained the title of Marquis Wu’an.

Yet, he felt a slight chill in his heart. He had dedicated himself to serving the Emperor for all these years, but to his surprise, he still hadn’t received any preferential treatment.

"What exactly is going on here?" Bai Jinglie asked his subordinate with a cold expression. "Why was the hereditary aspect of the title revoked? I haven’t done anything inappropriate recently, have I?"

"Marquis," Wang Lei said, quickly adapting to the new respectful address upon hearing him refer to himself with his new title. "Could it be that our actions in Lu City have been discovered?"

"That shouldn’t be the case," Bai Jinglie replied. "Mrs. Gu Jin is so far away. She wouldn’t be able to figure out whether this was the Holy Emperor’s intention or our own private scheme.

"Have someone look into whether any new figures have appeared by the Holy Emperor’s side recently.

"There have long been people eyeing my position, eager to take my place."

"But Marquis, you have to observe the mourning period for three years," Wang Lei pointed out.

Bai Jinglie leaned back in his chair and massaged his temples.

When Bai Yugang was alive, his heart was always in his throat. Now that the man was gone, he still left behind such a massive mess for him to clean up.

People always said that children were karmic debts, but he was the one saddled with such a father, suffering in silence.

"Yes, I still have to observe the mourning period. Who knows what the situation will be like three years from now?"

The Emperor hadn’t yet sent anyone to take over his duties, but he figured it wouldn’t be long before that happened.

Thinking of the sweet profits he had just tasted from the sea trade, Bai Jinglie took a deep breath. "Tell our subordinates to stay sharp during this period, and you need to make sure to keep them on our side.

"Isn’t there the practice of a special recall? Then find a way to make the Holy Emperor recall me from my mourning."

Wang Lei, however, wasn’t so optimistic. Throughout history, how many officials had ever actually received a special recall?

Furthermore, the Princely Heir—no, the Marquis—the things the Marquis did weren’t exactly irreplaceable.

Seeing that his subordinate still hadn’t caught on, Bai Jinglie explained, "Right now, our only option is to manipulate the manpower..."

As long as the subordinates didn’t put their hearts into their work, making it impossible for his successor to handle things properly, he refused to believe the Emperor wouldn’t grow anxious.

"Isn’t that a bit risky?" Wang Lei hesitated. "The Holy Emperor previously placed his own people by your side, likely because he had this exact plan in mind."

There was one thing Wang Lei didn’t say outright: the people working at the bottom were completely replaceable. If they didn’t perform well, there were plenty of others eager to take their spots.

"Just pass down these orders for now," Bai Jinglie said. "I’ll consider the rest later."

Over the years, he had accumulated quite a bit of private property. Originally, he had been quite satisfied. The Glass Workshop provided steady dividends every year, and with his savings over the past few years, he was actually wealthier than the ancestral estate of the Marquis Mansion itself.

But once he got involved in the sea trade, he realized that his previous endeavors were nothing more than child’s play.

For the past year, he had placed all his focus on the sea trade, inevitably neglecting the Glass Workshop somewhat.

The dividends handed over from the Glass Workshop this year were significantly lower than in previous years, but the profits from the sea trade were a sum that could shock anyone.

All of that money went straight into the Emperor’s private treasury, and even the small cut he managed to skim off the top was far more lucrative than several years of his previous work combined.

As for whether Gu Wenheng noticed anything, what did it matter? Right now, he was probably on edge, mistakenly believing that this was all the Emperor’s doing.

「Meanwhile.」

Gu Wenheng sent the letter out and then put the matter aside.

Aside from handling the official business at hand, Gu Yi’s wedding was also fast approaching.

Jin Qianqian was currently hosting Gu Shulin and his wife in the side hall, and as the head of the household, Gu Wenheng was naturally present as well.

"These boys have caused you a lot of trouble over here," Gu Shulin said. Seeing the row of young men standing shoulder to shoulder, he felt that feeding them all must have been quite a burden.

They always said that growing boys could eat their fathers out of house and home. With so many strapping young lads, each raised to be tall and robust, he couldn’t imagine how much money Gu Wenheng and his wife had to subsidize for their upkeep.

"Not at all. They’ve all found things to do now, and they even help us out occasionally," Jin Qianqian said with a smile. The truth was, these boys were sensible and tactful. Whether inside the mansion or out, they always knew when to lend a helping hand.

"If there’s anything you need, just give them the order. The only thing these boys have going for them is their brute strength anyway," Dai Ling said, looking a bit uneasy.

Gu Wenheng was completely different from the village boy he used to be. The imposing aura of an official he radiated made it difficult for her to even straighten her back.

"They are all good young men," Jin Qianqian praised, causing Gu Yi and the others standing nearby to beam with delight.

Gu Wenheng gave a light cough, and the boys instantly restrained their expressions, standing there even more respectfully.

Gu Shulin shot them a glance and nodded in satisfaction. "We let you tag along to learn more things, but if any of you start harboring crooked thoughts, don’t blame the clan for being merciless."

The boys of the Gu family stood ramrod straight. They could even see the shadow of the Old Clan Leader in Gu Shulin’s demeanor.