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

Chapter 176. The Lobbyist
"You all go help," Gu Li said, not wanting to see so many people surrounding him. He needed to think things over more carefully.

“It’s not easy for anyone along the way. You should go and help with the physical work. We can’t rely on Fengyu and the others for everything.”

Gu Baihe and the others readily agreed, and together they quickly settled in.

Liu Pingkang found this sheltered spot, which was actually quite good. Although it was cold that night, it wasn't too bad for everyone.

Several larger families followed Gu Kaiyuan's example and enclosed their land with tarpaulins, plus fires around the perimeter, so they could sleep peacefully that night.

Gu Baijiang tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Listening to his two sons snoring beside him, he sighed, silently got up, and went to the fire outside. It wasn't that he didn't want to go out for a walk, but that he didn't have the courage.

"Lord Gu, you can't sleep," Zhou Gang said, having walked over at some point and sitting down next to him.

Gu Baijiang didn't even want to talk to him; this guy surnamed Zhou had just tricked him.

“I know what you’re worried about,” Zhou Gang said, not expecting an answer. He moved closer to him as if they were old friends. “To be honest, we don’t have any major grudges between us. The previous incident was started by your granddaughter.”

We've become friends through a misunderstanding, so we should keep in touch often.

Gu Baijiang snorted coldly, "I wouldn't dare."

He would lose a piece of his flesh every time he visited, so he dared not let the snake into his house.

"I have some news, I wonder if Lord Gu would be interested?"

Zhou Gang didn't expect Gu Baijiang to answer him, but went straight to the point, "Knowing that you, Lord Gu, are wealthy, my master wants to do a deal with you."

This time, Gu Baijiang was no longer indifferent as before. Instead, he looked at Zhou Gang with some surprise and asked, "Lord Zhou, which one did you vote for?"

“Let’s not talk about that now,” Zhou Gang said with a smile. “Do I know that Lord Gu thinks the Third Prince is no match for the Gu family?”

Gu Baijiang said, "I don't know what Lord Zhou is talking about. I am just a disgraced official who has been demoted. I can't even take care of myself in the future. How could I have the family fortune you mentioned? Your master behind you is probably mistaken."

However, if Lord Zhou had truly found a reliable master, he wouldn't be stranded here.

Zhou Gang ignored Gu Baijiang's sarcasm, "There's no other way. For the sake of my family, I have to make this choice."

In fact, our situations are quite similar. Why doesn't Lord Gu leave us another option?

"As long as Lord Gu is willing to help, my master promises to reinstate you to your former official position and grant your daughter a principal position."

Gu Baijiang remained unmoved. The Third Prince would provide these things anyway, so why should he seek refuge with someone else and leave another stain on his reputation?

Moreover, it seems he was holding back something this week, making those promises off the cuff. Who knows if he was just boasting or trying to extract secrets from him?

“If the Third Prince were truly concerned, he wouldn’t have let Lord Gu suffer like this,” Zhou Gang said, not angry that Gu Baijiang hadn’t replied. He hadn’t expected Gu Baijiang to agree today anyway.

It's normal for the two families to be wary of each other now that they've just fallen out.

"Sigh, it's all because the olive branch from above came too late; otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on bringing Gu Baijiang up for compensation." Gu Baijiang stood up, becoming wary of Zhou Gang. It seemed Zhou Gang had already sided with one of the princes. He didn't want to ask any further questions, fearing he might get dragged into the mess again.

"It's getting late, Lord Zhou, you should go back and rest. I won't keep you company." He'd rather go back and listen to his two sons snoring than face any more tests.

After Gu Baijiang left, Zhou Gang stood up with a smile and patted his clothes. He had said what he needed to say. If some people refused to listen to reason and wanted to suffer the consequences, he would wait and see what would happen to them in the end.

He turned back to his seat, unaware that a probing gaze had been following him.

The next five days were filled with overcast and rainy weather, making everyone miserable.

Some people have started to have skin allergies, and their bodies are covered with red bumps.

Liu Yun is in the same boat; she feels unbearably itchy all over, yet she cannot express her suffering.

"This damn weather, I wonder when it will clear up. If we can't get to the post station, that would be fine too," Liu Yun complained as she secretly scratched herself under the covers.

Gu Antong, who was sleeping next to her, had her back to her, her eyes full of disgust.

That damned Gu clan members took all the extra blankets they had prepared, forcing them to squeeze into one blanket.

"An Tong, when the Third Prince left that day, did he tell you when you could come back?"

With her back to her, Gu Antong rolled her eyes impatiently, but her voice was very gentle, "Mother, how would I know? It wasn't just me and the Third Prince in the carriage that day, why would he say these things to me?"

"Speaking of which, I should ask my grandfather. The Third Prince spoke to him privately several times while he was here."

Gu Antong was also anxious. Without the adornment of fine clothes and jewelry, even if she had dressed up carefully before, she would still only look like a girl from a humble family. Having seen the elaborate attire of noble ladies in the capital, the Third Prince probably wouldn't have paid much attention to her.

Now that she knows the Bai family hasn't abandoned Bai Suihe, she feels resentful towards Bai Suihe again. As a family, they don't know how to help her. If they could prepare some nice clothes for her and buy her some cosmetics, she's confident she could amaze the Third Prince.

And what about Gu Kaiyuan, who is also her third uncle? He only knows how to side with the Bai family. I don't believe that as Bai Suihe's man, his words are completely useless.

And regarding the previous entanglement with the Zhou family, the couple didn't show up, which means they simply didn't care about their niece.

If she were to enter the Three Emperors' Palace in the future, she would definitely ignore these two people if they tried to approach her again.

“Your grandfather’s temper is getting weirder and weirder these days, I don’t even dare to get close to him.” Liu Yun scratched herself, her face full of fear. She had witnessed Gu Baijiang’s ruthlessness that day.

How can someone be so cruel to his mother-in-law who raised his three sons, and then act as if nothing happened? It's chilling.

"What about Dad? He can always get some information from Grandfather." Gu Antong was also very anxious, but in their current situation, there was no use in being anxious, as they didn't even have anyone to gather information.

“Your father is also in a difficult position,” Liu Yun said, speaking up for her husband. “Look at your second uncle, he’s always by your grandfather’s side. He can’t afford to make any mistakes at this time, or he’ll be replaced by your second uncle.”

Gu Antong scoffed, "Mother, what are you thinking? You think that Second Uncle, that good-for-nothing, can replace Father?"

I think you should be wary of Third Uncle; I always felt there was something about him that was hard to understand.