Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Chapter 136. Revealing
Gu Kaiyuan wanted to take a walk in the deep mountains late at night, but Bai Suihe stopped him.

"We've had a long day, there's no need to take any more risks."

“I’ll be right back,” Gu Kaiyuan reassured him. “When you get back, take me inside to rest for a bit, and all the problems will be solved.”

Although I bought some things at the inn, if I want to live a good life, some things still need to be done properly.

He didn't just want to go out hunting; he also had some things to take care of.

Bai Suihe placed the dagger she had previously collected in her spatial storage into his hand, saying, "Then be careful and don't go too far."

"Should we do it the same way as before, borrow weapons from Liu Pingkang and his men?"

Gu Kaiyuan nodded. "I can't avoid saying goodbye to them, and I also need to tell them when I leave."

Liu Pingkang and the others naturally had no objections. Gu Kaiyuan would bring them some game every time he went into the mountains, and they needed to replenish their bodies after working so hard every day.

"Should I send someone to go into the mountains with you?" Liu Pingkang couldn't help but ask as Gu Kaiyuan left.

Gu Kaiyuan said, "I have no problem with that, but I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to be away for an extended period of time."

If anything goes wrong in the meantime, the charge of dereliction of duty alone will be enough to get them into serious trouble.

Liu Pingkang raised an eyebrow, indicating his unwillingness.

Gu Kaiyuan: "You probably don't know the background of that person from the Gu family, do you?"

Liu Pingkang: "Brother Gu, you know? Wasn't he supposed to be the Third Prince's advisor?"

Gu Kaiyuan: "Do you really think that a mere staff member is worth the entire Gu family working so hard for?"

Liu Pingkang had sensed something was amiss before, so of course he wouldn't miss this opportunity to uncover the truth. "Brother Gu, let's not beat around the bush between brothers. Just tell me what's wrong, and I, Liu Pingkang, will definitely be grateful."

Gu Kaiyuan didn't care about his change in attitude. With his current status, did he expect others to treat him with courtesy?
What brotherhood? It's probably not as appealing as a banknote.

"You can think about things more boldly."

"Hiss..." Liu Pingkang felt a toothache. "Judging from the other person's age and demeanor, this couldn't possibly be a third..."

Liu Pingkang pointed to the sky and saw Gu Kaiyuan nod slightly, and instantly felt a headache coming on.

There was an assassination attempt last night. Having such a powerful figure with them is practically a death sentence for them.

"What's that person doing here?"

Gu Kaiyuan: "I have no idea about that. Why don't you go and ask Lord Gu?"

Liu Pingkang was greedy, but not stupid. He rolled his eyes at Gu Kaiyuan and said, "If your father were willing to tell us, he wouldn't have kept it a secret forever."

"This person's purpose in coming here must be related to the previous interception and killing of those people, right?"

Gu Kaiyuan once again looked innocent, "I know even less about these things. As you can see, I am not valued in my family. When important people come, my family doesn't call me back to introduce me."

"Then why do you say it's that person?"

Gu Kaiyuan said, "I was fortunate enough to see it from afar before. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

It's getting late, I need to hurry into the mountains. I'd better have the brothers keep a close watch.

Gu Kaiyuan knew there would be various troubles ahead. It wasn't that he was being overly kind, but rather that he hoped these escorts could be helpful and, ideally, hold off the various factions so that their little family wouldn't be affected.

Liu Pingkang waved for everyone to leave, then immediately gathered his men together. If it really was that person here, then whatever they did or didn't did was wrong. Now they just hoped that person could leave safely.

As for whether Gu Kaiyuan would lie to him, Liu Pingkang didn't even consider it. Gu Kaiyuan wasn't the type to speak carelessly, and there would be no benefit in lying to him. In his view, Gu Kaiyuan was a smart man; hadn't he noticed that he hadn't gone near the Gu family all day?

He instructed the brothers to be on high alert and to keep a good watch for the next few nights. He also made sure to thoroughly inspect the surrounding area before returning to the carriage.

"Boss, is something the matter?" Guo Baozhu approached him.

"Nothing could be wrong, it's just that everyone should pay more attention."

"Boss, this isn't like you. Did Gu Kaiyuan say something?" Ever since Gu Kaiyuan left, the boss has been very different.

Besides, they used to take turns keeping watch every day, and it was generally acceptable, unlike tonight which is so serious.

"If I remember correctly, you're on duty for the second half of the night, right? Go and get some rest. If something goes wrong, you might lose your job."

Liu Pingkang was in no mood to talk to him at the moment, but he was also worried, so he went out for a walk.

Gu Baijiang saw that his two grandsons had fallen asleep and was about to rest when he saw Gu Kaiping bring over a cup of hot water. "Dad, have some water before you sleep."

"You should go and rest too," Gu Baijiang said after taking a couple of sips of his drink, then handed the bowl back to him and prepared to lie down.

Gu Kaiping spoke up, "Father, can you tell me why the Third Prince insists on traveling with us?"

"This is not because the Third Prince's carriage was damaged..."

"Father, do you think I would believe that?"
What is the Third Prince's status? How could his journey be delayed because of a carriage?
"I'm your eldest son, we're family, why do you have to keep these things from me?"

"I'm doing this for your own good. Sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing."

"So, Father's decision not to stop An Tong from taking care of the Third Prince is what I meant?"

Gu Baijiang nodded. "Back in the capital, you must have guessed my intentions, otherwise you wouldn't have let An Tong attend the princess's banquet."

Although the matter wasn't finalized at the time, An Tong had already been secretly betrothed to the Third Prince, and the Third Prince had promised her the position of a concubine.

Gu Kaiping's face lit up with joy, but then he became somewhat discouraged. "Father, you said it yourself, that was before."

"In our current state, how could we dare to even dream of becoming a concubine?"

The father and son thought the same way: being a concubine and being a secondary consort to a prince are two completely different things.

The concubine was listed in the imperial register and held a rank.

Even if the Third Prince were willing now, the Emperor would not agree.

“I have my own plan for this matter. You should have An Tong spend these days cultivating a relationship with the Third Prince. I won’t let her enter the manor with a low rank.”

Gu Baijiang sighed inwardly. He shouldn't even think about becoming a concubine, but he could try to become a secondary concubine.

He felt he had leverage to negotiate some terms.

Little did they know that the Third Prince's residence urgently needed this money, and that he couldn't afford to delay it any longer.

Rong Ruiyuan sat in the carriage without falling asleep, because the smell here was really unpleasant.

Ever since the burglary at his residence, he felt that not a single day of his life had gone smoothly.

He needs to attract talent and win people's hearts, and neither of these can be achieved without money.

Gu Baijiang knew his purpose, yet he pretended not to know it; his intentions were despicable.

He admitted that Gu Antong was quite attractive, and he had previously considered bringing her into the household as a way to reassure Gu Baijiang. Now, however, it seemed he needed to reconsider...