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

Chapter 319 319. Traveling together
Although they have been adopted, they are still of the same clan and lineage. If the Third Prince cannot ascend to that position, the Gu family will be in great danger.

It would be too unfair if they were implicated like Old Madam Zhou.

“I’ve been discussing this with the clan leader these past few days, but there are a lot of different opinions within the clan.”

Some people thought that if the Gu family were to regain their official positions, they would seek revenge, so they wanted to avoid trouble. Besides, the family's influence in the court served as a deterrent to others.

Bai Suihe frowned. "Didn't you even discuss the gains and losses with them?"

"It all comes down to interests," Gu Kaiyuan later realized. Although Gu Baijiang did not provide any assistance to the Gu clan, as long as he was in the court, local officials would not dare to make things too difficult for the Gu clan.

Sometimes, just this one title can solve a lot of problems. For example, paying taxes and serving in the military will be taken care of to some extent because of Gu Baijiang.

"What did the clan chief say?" Bai Suihe knew that if there were people who objected, then it must be more than just a few, and she was afraid that even more people would be persuaded.

“He is also hesitant now. He is thinking of returning to his homeland, but some people don’t want to go through the trouble and feel that since they have already come here, they should stay here.”

Bai Suihe said, "This is difficult. If all else fails, we can leave our own clan."

However, this means they will have to bear a bad reputation in the future.

"Don't worry," Gu Kaiyuan reassured him. "I didn't want to tell you this and make you worry, but it's not like there's no solution."

Bai Suihe, "..."

"Today I talked to my great-grandfather about some ways that large families can share risks and preserve their lineage."

Bai Suihe said she didn't understand. She was just an ordinary person and didn't know the intricacies of large families.

“That is because some people are far-sighted,” Gu Kaiyuan continued without keeping them in suspense. “These large families are well aware of the saying that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. No one knows when the guillotine will fall on their head. So every few generations, they will quietly branch out.”

Bai Suihe understood immediately. "This needs to be done very discreetly. I'm afraid preparations should begin as soon as the baby is born. It's not appropriate for us to do this now, is it?"

Gu Kaiyuan said, "That's true, but the family genealogy is in the hands of my great-grandfather, and he has the final say on how it's compiled."

Bai Suihe thought of the old family genealogy book that was already covered in starch, "I'm afraid it's not easy to change, is it?"

“It’s normal for the family genealogy to have been damaged along the way. We can easily make a new copy.” Gu Kaiyuan had already told Gu Li the method, and now it was just a matter of whether he was willing to do so.

"But what about our relationship with the Gu family...? Who in the entire capital doesn't know about their relationship?"
"As long as we don't go back to the capital for a short time, who will take it seriously?"

As time goes by, or until the matter is settled in the imperial court, no one will pay attention to them anymore.

"Don't you want to be in charge of power like you were in your previous life?" Bai Suihe asked tentatively, but also with a hint of regret. Gu Kaiyuan really had military talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to rise to the position of general in such a short time.

Gu Kaiyuan said, "I did that for revenge. Power is not important to me. In this life, I only want to protect you."

Gu Kaiyuan looked at Bai Suihe with burning eyes, taking the opportunity to express his loyalty.

Bai Suihe felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and quickly turned her head away, staring at the roof. "Won't you regret it?"

"You want me to become an official?" If Bai Suihe wanted it, he could work hard for it. Bai Suihe quickly shook his head. The battlefield was cruel, and the difficulty of rising from a lowly soldier was unimaginable. Although power was tempting in this dynasty, it was also deadly.

"There will be a long period of turmoil ahead. Getting involved at this time will only make us cannon fodder. We'd be better off raising our children."

Bai Suihe truly thought so. However, the rise and fall of dynasties is unpredictable, and she knew nothing about this fictional dynasty, let alone the course of history. It was best to just lie low for now.

As for the future of their descendants, that's their own life, and they should make their own decisions.

The couple talked for a while longer before slowly falling asleep.

☆

The departure of the Zhou family members stirred up some people's nerves, and those who did not leave were also getting restless.

Gu Kaiyuan's side gained many more persuaders. These people didn't care about Bai Suihe's current physical condition at all and kept praising Gu Kaiyuan, but Gu Kaiyuan rejected them all.

The Gu family knew that Gu Kaiyuan wanted to stay here, and they discussed the matter.

But no matter how they tried, no one could persuade Gu Kaiyuan, so they could only place all their hopes on Gu Baijiang.

Gu Baijiang had not yet obtained what he wanted, nor had he received any promises, so of course he would not give in so easily.

Once he returns, he will have to hand over a large portion of his silver. At that time, the Third Prince will get what he wants and won't have much affection for him. He understands this principle.

While he wouldn't go so far as to abandon his benefactors after using them, he could at most maintain a life of wealth, which was not what he wanted.

"Stop talking, wait for news from Lord Ming." Gu Baijiang said this and went out, but as soon as he reached the door, he saw Zhou Gang and Chen Dafu walking towards him.

"Lord Gu, we were just saying we were going to look for you. I didn't expect we were so in sync." Chen Dafu laughed heartily, as if the previous conflict between the two families had never existed.

"Gentlemen, what are you doing here in such a hurry to pack your bags?"

Gu Baijiang was in a bad mood and had no interest in dealing with the two of them.

“Lord Gu, now that we are all free, and it’s a rare treat to be in Lingnan, why don’t we take a walk and see the sights?” Chen Dafu said with a cheerful smile. “We’ve come all this way, so we should appreciate the scenery here.”

Gu Baijiang looked at him suspiciously, "Lord Chen has quite the refined taste, but with my old arms and legs, I can't keep up with your antics. You can invite Lord Zhou to join us; he'll have company then."

Zhou Gang quickly waved his hand, "There are mountains everywhere here, what's there to see?"
"Lord Gu, I've come to ask when you're returning to the capital. We could travel together then."

"I haven't finalized my schedule yet, so I won't keep you any longer, Lord Zhou. Why don't you find someone else?" Gu Baijiang was now very wary of the people around him. After all, many people wanted his life and the money in his hands. If he wasn't careful, he was afraid he would lose his life without realizing it.

"Sigh, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Lord Gu, but my stepmother has already gone ahead. We've all been through the hardships along the way, and we thought that having more people would give us more courage." Zhou Gang didn't think he could keep this news a secret, so he decided to say it openly. Maybe he could gain some sympathy and also ruin his stepmother's reputation.

"It's just that our return date is uncertain, and we're afraid of delaying everyone's journey," Gu Baijiang said, wishing that everyone would leave as soon as possible so that he could have some peace and quiet.

(End of this chapter)