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

Chapter 288. Merchants
"Lord Ming, so many days have passed, and there's still no news?"

Gu Kaiyuan asked for the private room next to theirs, and as soon as he opened the window a crack, he heard a sound coming from next door.

It seems that from now on, we can't discuss anything in the inn; there's absolutely no privacy whatsoever.

"No news yet," Ming Peifeng said impatiently. He had suffered so many days in prison because of this man.

He has already lost so much weight, but Gu Baijiang hasn't asked him a single question.

"Lord Gu, you can stay in Tiancun with peace of mind. I will inform you immediately if there is any news. There is no use in us being anxious here if we can't help."

“That makes sense, but life in the village is tough. We finally managed to build this house, but now we have to clear land and buy a lot of other things. And I don’t have the resources to handle everything right now…”

Gu Kaiyuan listened in disbelief. In his previous life, Gu Baijiang had always maintained a cold and aloof demeanor, even when facing Ming Peifeng, he still acted arrogantly.

Now he's actually being humble and even has a hint of ingratiation in his tone.

Gu Kaiyuan smiled contemptuously. In his previous life, it was the ten thousand taels of silver from the Bai family that gave him confidence and helped him solve so many problems, but his wife and children ended up in such a state.

I always acted superior to him back then, I never expected him to be so humble.

"Why are you out of money again? You only built a few small houses in the village. Did you build them all with silver?" Ming Peifeng now felt that Gu Baijiang's crime was not unjust at all; he was simply insatiable.

“We still have a family, we can’t just ignore them,” Gu Baijiang said righteously. “Don’t worry, when we get back to the capital, I will repay you double.”

Ming Peifeng had heard this sentence countless times. Although he knew that the Third Prince would not give up on Gu Baijiang, this family was a bottomless pit.

The money he had brought with him and the money given by the Third Prince had already been used to make up for the shortfall. Later, he tried to borrow money from his colleagues. He and his men lived a hard life, while others still spent money like water.

“Lord Gu, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help, but the mountains are high and the roads are long, and I only have a limited amount of silver. I’ve already given it to you so many times, and I don’t have much left. Besides, I have a large group of brothers to support, and I can’t let them go hungry while protecting your safety.”

Gu Baijiang said, “I know all this, and I know it’s difficult for you, Lord Ming, but we still have to make a living. Yesterday, the village chief came to urge us to clear the land. Our whole family is powerless, so we were thinking of spending some money to hire someone to do it.”

"I still have ten taels of silver here..."

Ming Peifeng had no choice. He had already taken care of her for so long, and it would be a loss if they fell out over such a small matter. So he could only grit his teeth and take out another ten taels of silver.

Gu Baijiang, however, was somewhat disgusted. What use would ten taels of silver be for their large family?

"Lord Ming, can't you help me think of a way? If you don't have any silver on you, you can borrow some from the local merchants..."

"Lord Gu, you have quite the nerve. Why should the merchants lend us money for no reason?"

“Give them a chance to be loyal to their master, and I believe they will not refuse.”

Ming Peifeng took a deep breath. What kind of creature is this? Why would the Third Prince choose to win over someone like this?
Is the Third Prince going to destroy the reputation he has painstakingly built in the capital?

Although they were far from the emperor's reach, several other people were watching them, eager to find fault with them. I've never seen anyone so eager to rush forward and die.

"Lord Gu, I hope I will never hear such words again. The master asked me to protect you, and this is all done in private. Do you want the whole world to know so that the other princes have a reason to attack the master?"

Why doesn't the master win over the many wealthy merchants in the Rong Dynasty?
Is it that they don't want to? No, it's that they're too afraid.

What would a prince like you need so much silver for? Nobody's a fool. The emperor wouldn't allow such a situation to occur, otherwise the Third Prince wouldn't have targeted the military stipends.

Just find a few wealthy businessmen, and all the problems will be solved.

"This place is so far from the capital..."

"Lord Gu, have you forgotten the people who have been chasing us all this way?"

Gu Baijiang then fell silent. Initially, the princes had tried to win him over, but after being rejected, they were truly determined to kill him.

If it weren't for Ming Peifeng and his men protecting him, he probably would have lost his life on the way.

He still remembered this kindness, and when he returned to the capital, he would definitely present a generous gift.

He's already in such a difficult situation, and Ming Peifeng is trying to fob him off with ten taels of silver, which is a bit much.

"Lord Gu, please don't complain about the small amount of silver. I only have a little over a hundred taels of silver right now, and I have so many brothers who need to support me."

These brothers must not be mistreated.

Later on, the voices carried a warning: if these people aren't appeased, who will protect the Gu family?

"By the way, try to stay in the village as little as possible when you're not busy, so our brothers don't need to be scattered to protect each other."

"Is it safe over in the village?" Gu Baijiang had been thinking about this question for days, and now he didn't dare to sleep soundly at night.

"Don't worry, our people have been keeping watch in the shadows, and there are also people stationed at the village entrance. We'll know as soon as any unidentified person gets close."

Gu Baijiang didn't take it seriously. These days, there have been many unfamiliar faces coming and going in the village. Fortunately, these people didn't try to blend in, otherwise his whole family would have died there long ago.

“Actually, I think you could have a good chat with your third son,” Ming Peifeng said, having exhausted all his energy to fill this bottomless pit, so he thought of diverting the trouble elsewhere.

"I heard that the Bai family from the capital is almost here. You have the Bai family behind you, but you don't know how to make good use of it."

The Bai family lacks everything, except money.

If the Gu family hadn't gone so far, I believe the Bai family wouldn't have minded lending a hand.

As far as he knew, the Gu family had received a lot of help in the past, but Gu Baijiang had forgotten the favors he had received once he became successful.

I heard that Bai Suihe suffered a lot of mistreatment from his wife when he was in the inner quarters. Later, on the road to exile, the three of them were also bullied by others. Little did they know that the other party took this opportunity to withdraw and completely sever ties with them.

The goods that the Bai family had two escort agencies deliver were worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver, not to mention the guards they had arranged privately, and the maids who would be coming soon. It was clear how much the Bai family valued this daughter.

Gu Baijiang and his group really lost the big picture for small gains; otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

He's dragged himself down with the family, exhausting himself and spending all his money and energy, almost to the point of being penniless.

(End of this chapter)