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

Chapter 219. Irritability
The three brothers parted on bad terms. After watching the commotion, Gu Kaiyuan returned to find that everyone was asleep except for Zhuang Datou, who was keeping watch. He found a corner to sit down, told Zhuang Datou to go and rest, and sat there alone, staring blankly at the night sky.

He wondered who had sent these three women.

It's definitely not the Third Prince, because the Gu family is already tied to him. What he needs to do now is protect this family and get them to hand over the items.

The eldest prince and the second prince might be involved, but neither of them are easy to deal with, so they probably wouldn't resort to such a shady tactic.

The fourth prince, who had just begun to make a name for himself, always kept a low profile in the court. Later, when he realized he couldn't win, he withdrew and took his family to his fiefdom early on.

As for those princes who haven't grown up yet, they shouldn't be so eager to get involved.

But it's impossible for them; what would happen to their maternal families?

Although no one knows the exact amount of silver that Gu Baijiang has secretly hoarded, they can guess roughly how much. If one wants to develop power, this is a huge resource, and anyone with ambition would be tempted by it.

What a nuisance! Gu Kaiyuan broke off a tree branch and threw it into the fire. Why is this Third Prince so slow in doing things? If you want to accomplish great things, you should hurry up and get things done. Give me the benefits first.

☆

Rong Ruiyuan returned to the capital and stayed in the palace for several days before finally returning to his own residence.

Although the mansion had been renovated, it looked somewhat dilapidated without those precious ornaments.

Now, apart from the reception area, which is decorated quite nicely, the other courtyards are rather simple.

"Your Highness, what should we do about the main courtyard?" The steward seemed to have found his pillar of support when he saw the Third Prince return. Although he was carefully trained by the Imperial Household Department, being a steward was too difficult. There was only a little silver in the storeroom. In addition to paying for the household expenses, the upcoming wedding of the Princess Consort would be another considerable expense.

"Just handle it as you see fit," Rong Ruiyuan said, rubbing his temples. One thing after another was giving him a real headache.

"But there isn't much silver left in the manor."

"Didn't I just give you five thousand taels last time?" Rong Ruiyuan opened his eyes, a fierce glint in them.

"Your Highness, you gave this servant five thousand taels of silver, but with over a hundred people in our household, and after a month's worth of food and allowances, plus the purchase of basic necessities for each courtyard, we only have a few hundred taels left after careful budgeting." The steward was also bitter, having given countless gifts before the Imperial Household Department arranged this lucrative position for him.

However, less than a year after taking office, this lucrative position turned into a hot potato.

The mansion was looted overnight, and those in charge were the first to be held accountable.

I was given ten strokes of the cane back then, and after only a few days of rest, I had to get up and work again. My buttocks still ache slightly.

Rong Ruiyuan did the math and realized that the steward probably hadn't dared to lie to him, but he really hadn't won much money. "How's things at the estate?"

Thinking of the estate bestowed by his father and mother, which could bring in tens of thousands of taels of silver every year.

"As soon as autumn arrived, all the villages sent over their grain and profits. We won't see any income until after next spring's planting."

“…Take these five thousand taels and use them first,” Rong Ruiyuan took out the silver notes from his pocket, counted half of them and gave them to the steward. “There are too many people serving in the mansion. Those who are just loafing around should be returned to the Imperial Household Department.”

The steward said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid that won't work. The Prince's residence is going to hold a wedding banquet soon, and if we don't have enough manpower, we won't be able to manage."

"This amount of money probably isn't enough. The main courtyard still needs proper repairs, and the Princess Consort will be coming to deliver her dowry in a few days." Fortunately, when the imperial decree for the marriage was issued, the Imperial Consort had already sent someone to deliver the betrothal gifts, otherwise it would have been a huge embarrassment.

"Then you should take some people and make proper arrangements, but keep everything simple."

My father has always advocated for clean governance and integrity in court, rejecting extravagance and waste. As his son, I should naturally be at the forefront.

"Let's keep the wedding banquet simpler," Rong Ruiyuan thought, his head aching at the thought of it. He really wanted to postpone the wedding date again.

However, this date was set by the Imperial Observatory and approved by the Emperor, so there could be no changes.

“Your Highness,” the steward thought that the prince had been confused by anger these days, “the wedding banquet is handled by the Imperial Household Department, so there is no need to make it too simple. After all, you are a prince and cannot damage the royal family’s reputation.”

Rong Ruiyuan then remembered this matter, and his expression relaxed a lot. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have really forgotten about it. In that case, I'll trouble the steward to make a trip for me and keep an eye on the Imperial Household Department. The scale of the wedding cannot be lower than that of my two imperial brothers."

"Your Highness, please rest assured, this servant has personally gone to speak with you. It is just that Your Highness needs to provide a plan for how the main courtyard should be arranged."

Rong Ruiyuan frowned. "You can handle these matters yourselves. If you don't understand, just call the Imperial Household Department to deal with it."

The steward was almost in tears. "Besides the things that the household affairs are responsible for, we also need to make some preparations for the whole household."

The Princess Consort has already sent someone to take measurements, and they'll be delivering the dowry in a few days. Our household also needs to make arrangements.

Rong Ruiyuan was getting impatient. Why was getting married such a hassle? In the end, it all came down to money.

Thinking of the thief who had vanished without a trace, Rong Ruiyuan was filled with rage. That damned little thief, if he ever got caught, he would be torn to pieces and his entire family executed.

Rong Ruiyuan slammed the remaining silver notes onto the table. "Take these for now. If it's not enough, you'll have to figure out how to make it yourself."

The steward sighed. Even with so much silver, if they were frugal, they could still manage to get things done.

Since His Highness has said so, he, as a servant, naturally cannot say anything more. He just hopes that his master will not blame him in the future.

Rong Ruiyuan flicked his sleeves, preparing to go back to rest, but unexpectedly, just as he turned the corner, the steward followed him again, "Does Your Highness want to rest? The main courtyard is being tidied up, so why don't you go to one of the other courtyards first?"

"You dog of a servant, why didn't you say so earlier?" Rong Ruiyuan turned and headed towards his concubine's courtyard, needing to vent his anger first.

That damned thief, that damned Gu Baijiang, that damned... everyone is against him.

Once Rong Ruiyuan's figure disappeared from sight, the steward finally breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the Third Prince was also so irritable. He had been hiding it too well before, and he had been too blind.

Ugh, this damn life, when will I finally stop being a beast of burden?

"Butler, the kitchen staff are urging us, saying they're running out of rice. What are your plans?"

"Butler, the young ladies in the back courtyard say their clothes for this season haven't been made yet. When should we call someone in to take their measurements?"

……

The butler looked helplessly at the sky; this was the royal inner palace…