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

Chapter 314. Inquiry
Early the next morning, not only the exiled families, but also Zhu Ziqiang followed them into the city.

If these people can be pardoned, they should leave Tamura as soon as possible. It's too dangerous to live with them.

When they arrived at the town gate, they found it already packed with people, many of whom were looking at the notice.

Gu Kaiyuan saw some familiar faces; these were the people who had come with them all the way.

I had just gotten off the oxcart when someone called out to me.

"Brother Zhou," Gu Kaiyuan greeted him cheerfully. This was Zhou Gang's stepbrother and also the biological son of Old Madam Zhou. "You've arrived so early too."

Zhou Ping smiled broadly, "You've all come to see the notice too."

This is great news! The Empress Dowager has granted a general amnesty, and we are all within the scope of the amnesty.

I just asked the guards at the city gate, and they said that as long as the village chief issues a certificate, we can re-register our household registration.

Whether we stay here or leave is entirely up to us.

Alright, now we don't need to go in and ask around, we have all the information.

Fearing the news might be inaccurate, the Gu clan members asked several more people to confirm it was true, and they all cheered.

"Brother Gu, I'm not going to chat with you anymore. I need to get back to the village right away."

"Brother Zhou, are you going back to the capital or staying here?" Gu Kaiyuan called out to them.

Zhou Ping scratched his head, "I'm not afraid of Brother Gu laughing at us, but my brother and I don't want to go back and get involved with Zhou Gang anymore. It's just that my mother is worried about my maternal grandfather, so she wants to go back and take a look. Then we can find a village near the capital to settle down."

Gu Kaiyuan nodded. It was normal for Madam Zhou to have this idea. Her parents were getting old, so of course she wanted to be by their side to take care of them.

Gu Kaiyuan pulled the people aside and whispered, "It's fine if you want to go back, but you should still tell your mother that Zhou Gang has probably already switched allegiance to another master."

Zhou Ping's expression changed. His family had been dragged down by Zhou Gang time and time again. If it happened again, it would probably be a disaster.

"Is this information accurate?" Zhou Ping still clung to a sliver of hope.

Gu Kaiyuan was only willing to offer advice because he saw that Old Madam Zhou was kind and had suffered a lot. He was unwilling to take on any more responsibility. "I only have a vague feeling about it, and I can't guarantee anything."

You should go back and discuss this with your mother, and then you can investigate it yourselves later.

He has done all he could to help, and Gu Kaiyuan can no longer be involved in how Zhou Ping and the others choose to proceed.

Zhou Ping cupped his hands in greeting, "We will remember Brother Gu's kindness. Regardless of whether this information is accurate or not, it is very important to us."

After Zhou Ping finished speaking, he immediately led his oxcart away in a hurry. He dared not be careless about this matter, nor did he dare to make the decision himself. He could only go back and ask for help.

Chen Dafu then leaned over and asked, "Gu Kaiyuan, when did you become so familiar with the second son of the Zhou family?"

They were too far away to hear what the two of them were whispering about, but Chen Dafu's curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't resist coming closer.

"I just asked about those notices, and I also wanted to ask Madam Zhou how they are doing now."
After all, we've been through thick and thin together, so I asked a few more questions.

What? Lord Chen has already made his decision? What are your plans next?

“Sigh, my old bones are getting old. If I keep going back like this, they’ll probably fall apart,” Chen Dafu whispered to Gu Kaiyuan. “Are you going back too? Could you take our whole family with you? Don’t worry, we’ve bought an oxcart this time, so it won’t delay your journey.”

Gu Kaiyuan: "Lord Chen, didn't you say you didn't want to make a fuss before? Why did you change your mind so suddenly?"

"Hey, I definitely wouldn't have changed my mind if it were anyone else, but it's because of you, isn't it?"

"You certainly won't just go back like that then. With the escort agency, everyone will be safer..."

Many people were secretly plotting this, hoping to get a security escort from Bai Suihe and benefit from it.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Lord Chen. My wife is heavily pregnant and about to give birth, so we won't continue the journey."

Moreover, Tamura is a nice place, with beautiful mountains and clear waters.

We've built up a modest business here, so we'll stay and live a comfortable life."

This was also said to those who were slowly getting closer to him. He really wouldn't be returning to Beijing now. Even if he wanted to make a long journey, he would have to wait until the baby was older.

Those who had gathered around, wanting to know when Gu Kaiyuan would leave, were now in a bad mood. If Gu Kaiyuan didn't leave, how could they take advantage of him?
Ask them to hire a security escort agency for the journey? Don't be ridiculous. The cost of that is considerable, and if they only hire a single agency, they probably won't even be able to leave the Lingnan region.

“I understand,” Chen Dafu was rather cunning. He couldn’t very well let Bai Shi continue traveling with them while heavily pregnant. “I heard that your wife is due to give birth around this time. You can spend the New Year here before going back. That’s fine too.”

After all, Beijing is more prosperous, which will be an advantage for the child in the future.

If we don't leave now, we can wait until after the New Year. It's the same thing; a few more months won't make a difference.

When the weather is warmer, everyone will no longer have to suffer like that.

Gu Kaiyuan shook his head, "We won't leave here until the children grow up. You can't just abandon them because we've bought land and mountains."

Chen Dafu: "Does the Bai family really need this little bit of money?"

“The Bai family is the Bai family,” Gu Kaiyuan’s face darkened. “They have already helped us a lot. We can’t keep relying on the Bai family’s aid. I’m planning to plant fruit trees on these mountains in the spring, plant some tea on the mountaintops, and raise some chickens and ducks to become a small landlord.”

Gu Kaiyuan spoke casually, but those with ulterior motives became anxious, "What's so great about staying in this godforsaken place? If you want to farm, there's plenty of land around the capital."

I've heard that this place is infested with snakes, insects, and rodents in the summer, and it's also very humid, making it unsuitable for living at all.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Gu Kaiyuan said, looking at the villagers who had also gathered around. “They have lived here for generations and they are doing just fine. It’s all because of people like you spreading rumors and demonizing this place.”

"If you don't believe me, ask the village chief and the others. Every place has its shortcomings; you just need to find ways to overcome them."

Hearing that Gu Kaiyuan had such a strong sense of belonging to them, the villagers' goodwill towards him increased dramatically. "Since you think going to the capital is so good, then you should hurry back."

"Yes, we don't actually welcome you. You've taken over our land."

"With so much land, even if we have to pay the land tax three years later, we can still support ourselves."

Some quick-thinking individuals have already begun to imagine that many of these people will eventually leave, and what will happen to the land they've cleared...?

(End of this chapter)