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

Chapter 269. Land Allocation
Zhou Gang was certain that Chen Dafu wouldn't admit it, and wasn't too disappointed. Instead, he continued, "We were both officials in the same court..."

“That was then,” Chen Dafu corrected them. “We’ve always addressed each other as ‘adults,’ but we all know in our hearts that those days are over.”

I'm just an exiled prisoner now, wanting only to enjoy my old age in peace, and I have no desire to get involved in your complicated affairs.

Zhou Gang sneered, "Lord Chen, stop pretending. I don't know which prince you chose, and I won't ask. But we have the same goal: Lord Gu embezzled money, and there's still no explanation."

He must still have that silver; otherwise, the Third Prince wouldn't have gone to such lengths to have people protect him.

Anyone would be tempted by such a large sum of money; otherwise, the repeated robberies and assassinations wouldn't have been an attempt to take Gu Baijiang away.

These crucial factors all lie with Gu Baijiang. You haven't made any progress and can't get close to them, and neither can I. Therefore, I think the best thing for us to do now is to join forces.

Gu Baijiang is too cunning. He took the initiative to apologize for the previous conflict and tried to chat with him whenever he had the chance, but the other party remained indifferent and never told him the truth.

As for the two boys from the Gu family, he chatted with them quite a bit, but unfortunately, they probably didn't know the whereabouts of that silver, otherwise he wouldn't have been unable to get any information out of them.

Chen Dafu tried to play dumb, but Zhou Gang pointed it out directly, "News has come from the capital that His Majesty has softened his stance. The Gu family will probably be able to return home soon. Don't you think about yourself or your family?"

Chen Dafu said, "Lord Zhou's information network is truly impressive. Even after arriving in Lingnan, you still managed to get news from the capital. May I ask who you are working for now?"

“Of course it’s the eldest prince,” Zhou Gang puffed out his chest. “The eldest prince is the eldest son, and he has done a good job in his duties over the years. His Majesty has no legitimate son, so the chances of winning are still very high. Lord Chen, would you like to consider it? I can help you make an introduction.”

Chen Dafu said, "Lord Zhou, you've really changed a lot. You used to attack the Crown Prince quite a bit in court, how come you're involved with him so quickly?"

"Don't put it so harshly. What do you mean by 'mixed together'? This shows that the First Prince has a broad mind and can tolerate what ordinary people cannot. This is what a wise ruler is like..."

Chen Dafu was speechless. Looking at Zhou Gang, who was talking big, he realized that Zhou Gang was indeed not thick-skinned enough to be an Imperial Censor, at least he couldn't do it.

He sighed and was about to leave when he saw fish leaping out of the water. His eyes lit up immediately. He had caught and eaten plenty of fish from the rivers along the way. He had to go back and get some tools. He was determined to have some fish soup today to nourish himself.

"So, Lord Chen, why don't you consider seeking another wise patron and we can cooperate..."

"Lord Zhou, I am now just an old man in exile, and I have no intention of getting involved in your disputes. Please do as you please." After saying this, Chen Dafu hurriedly left, and no one could stop him from eating meat.

Zhou Gang, “…” I’ve already told you everything. Have you forgotten that you haven’t told me who you’re working for?
The eldest prince still has a good chance of ascending the throne. Why would Chen Dafu not seize such a good opportunity? Is he stupid?
Chen Dafu, “…” He had never seen such an idiot before. How could the First Prince be so blind to recruit him? Judging by his judgment, it was best to stay away.

☆

Gu Kaiyuan waited until everyone had made their choices before he and Bai Suihe approached the village chief.

“There aren’t many places left,” the village chief had noticed them earlier. These two were the least in a hurry; while others were scrambling for land, they were enjoying the view. “There are only a few suitable plots for building houses, and they’re all a bit out of the way. Take a look.” Zhu Ziqiang, worried they wouldn’t know what to choose, explained, “This plot at the village entrance isn’t big, but it’s enough for the two of you to build two rooms. However, because it’s near the road and close to the water, it’s easily flooded during rainy weather.”

This place is at the foot of the mountain. If you choose to build a house here, you'll have to build a high wall. Wolves used to appear on this mountain, and wild boars often came down from it. I don't recommend you choose this spot.

There's also this mountain hollow, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with cliffs at the back. It's a bit desolate, but there's an advantage: there are still a few acres of land there that haven't been claimed yet. If you want, you can have your house and land together.”

These were the only three places he found, and it was a very difficult process, because the land suitable for reclamation had already been designated and building was not allowed at all.

Gu Kaiyuan looked at Bai Suihe, "Madam, what do you think?"

Bai Suihe hesitated between the foot of the mountain and the valley, "How about we choose the valley?"

There were already a few households at the foot of the mountain, but Bai Suihe felt that the valley was more suitable, so they could cook something delicious without having to hide it.

"Village chief, we want the land in the valley, but we don't know if the land here can be bought and sold?"

“You are not allowed to buy land,” Zhu Ziqiang looked up at Gu Kaiyuan. This young man should be able to understand the rules, so why would he ask such a question?

Zhuang Datou stepped forward and said, "Village Chief, we want to buy land."

As he spoke, he pulled out his household registration book from his pocket. "My hometown is in the next county. I don't know what the situation is like at home. I see that the mountains and rivers here are beautiful, so I want to buy some land to live on. I don't know how to go about the procedures."

Zhu Ziqiang finally understood why the young couple had someone with them. He had heard before that these powerful families would leave themselves a few escape routes, and it seemed that this was a loyal servant who had been released in advance.

After glancing at it and finding no problems with the household registration and travel permit, he handed the documents to Su Daquan, saying, "You'll have to ask Lord Su about this; he's also in charge of the registration and sale of these lands."

Su Daquan hadn't expected such an unexpected gain. He knew that land in their area was hard to sell, and if the government could sell more land, their lives would be much better.

“This young man has excellent taste. Our place is blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery…” Su Daquan immediately transformed into a top salesman and began to talk eloquently, “…I wonder which places you are interested in?”
We can arrange anything you like, and we can also help you make arrangements for the rest of the people.

The implication is that even land that has been allocated out can be sold as long as Zhuang Datou and his group take a liking to it.

Zhuang Datou looked at Bai Suihe, "Miss?"

Now that they've come this far, there's no need to hide anything, since they'll be serving the young lady and her husband from now on.

Zhu Ziqiang and Su Daquan were somewhat surprised, thinking that the man in front of them was a loyal servant of this young man, but they did not expect him to be this lady's servant.

(End of this chapter)