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

Chapter 381 381. Farewell
Gu Antong needs to give birth to a grandson of the emperor as soon as possible, so that she can better tie herself to the third prince.

If Gu Antong were a little more ambitious, they could think about things more deeply.

However, both father and son wanted to resolve the immediate problem first. Gu Baijiang continued to think about how to proceed more prudently.

Gu Kaiping took the silver with him when he went out, as he wanted to use this limited amount of money to do the best he could.

Before leaving the capital, prisoners cannot remove their shackles, so they cannot buy too many of these items, otherwise they will become a burden.

But with so little silver notes, he really couldn't offer them up.

As I was walking, I noticed a gambling den ahead. I stared at it for a while, but finally gritted my teeth and continued on.

He has never suffered, but he knows the saying that nine out of ten gamblers lose, and he really can't afford to lose now.

Based on his previous experience of exile, he bought some pastries, some ready-made medicines, and some boots and clothes. With the remaining 20 taels of silver, he turned around and went back to his residence.

Seeing him return with so many bags, the steward thought to himself, "This young Master Gu is truly kind and righteous; he seems like someone worth befriending."

He diligently helped him put his things in the room and explained that a carriage would be arranged to take him out of the city the next morning before he went out to work.

Liu Yun walked over and looked through them. "These are all gifts for Ming Peifeng."

"He took good care of us before, so I'm just returning the favor. It's just a pity that I don't have much money on me, so this is all I can do to help."

Liu Yun wasn't ungrateful. "It's all as it should be. Nobody expected things to turn out this way."

Just a few months ago they were exiled prisoners, but now that they've returned to the capital, they're the ones sending their old friends to exile.

"As long as you can live with your conscience," Gu Kaiping said, putting his things away again. "What did the Marquis's mansion say?"

Liu Yun said, "I sent out visiting cards several times, but they were all turned away."

"I went to the Marquis's residence today, but they wouldn't even let me in the door."

Liu Yun really didn't want to suffer this humiliation anymore. "That's just how the Marquis's mansion is now. He doesn't look down on us, so there's no need for us to fawn over him."

Those are all snobbish people who look down on others; they'll regret it later.

“That’s your maternal family after all,” Gu Kaiping sighed. “If we come back now and don’t visit them, people will definitely gossip about us. Besides, although the Marquis’s family has fallen on hard times, they still have a title.”

"If we want to live a good life in Beijing in the future, we'll still need your help."

It is said that even a broken ship still has three nails. Generations of noble titles have been passed down, so of course they have relatives and friends who belong to them, which cannot be compared to the Gu family, which came from humble origins.

“I know that you have suffered these days, Madam,” Gu Kaiping comforted her. “Although His Highness the Third Prince has settled us in, it is still not our own territory.”

Moreover, if I continue to live like this, where will our children rely on in the future?

No matter what, the Marquis's mansion is the maternal grandparents' home of the two children. Let's not even talk about maintaining a good relationship; just having some contact can help raise the status of the two children.

"Our daughter is about to enter the royal family. We can't offer her much support, but the title of the Marquis's granddaughter can still keep some evil spirits at bay."

For the sake of his family and his children and grandchildren, Gu Kaiping felt he had suffered a great injustice and still had to coax this haggard old woman.

Liu Yun: "Then I'll go again tomorrow."

"Thank you for your hard work, Madam..."

The next day, the couple got busy with their own things. Gu Kaiping carried his things to the city gate and found that the exile team was already waiting there.

This time, quite a few people are being exiled. To address the population problem in Lingnan, the emperor will likely grant special leniency and commute the death row inmates to exile. It's just a pity they're not in court now, so they can't find out much about these matters.

They quickly located Ming Peifeng's family, which consisted of dozens of people, all of whom were implicated in the case.

Seeing Gu Kaiping, Ming Peifeng was not surprised at all. He walked over, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Lord Gu, thank you so much for coming all this way to see me off."

Gu Kaiping quickly helped the man up, saying, "Lord Ming is like family, so let's not stand on ceremony."

"But as you know, our family has just gone through a lot of hardships, and we don't have much money to spare. We have no choice but to leave you with this for now."

These words forced Ming Peifeng to abandon his previous desire to collect the debt, since Gu Kaiping was not in charge of the household, and it was likely that the Gu family's money had already been branded with the Third Prince's mark.

It's a pity that after serving the Third Prince for so many years, he ended up like this, and there's not much more to say.

Gu Kaiping didn't dare linger. Seeing that someone from the Ming family had come to see him off, he quickly and quietly left.

His trip made all his efforts over the past few days worthwhile.

As soon as he returned to the manor, he heard Liu Yun say that the Third Prince had sent over a marriage certificate and that An Tong would be welcomed into the manor in three days.

"So sudden?"

Unlike Gu Kaiping's surprise, Liu Yun was full of worry. "Yes, I also think it's too sudden. We should at least be given some time to prepare for the wedding."

Such a swift and decisive action is not the treatment a concubine should receive; it's more like the treatment given to those who serve as maids in private rooms.

"Where's my father?"

"She went out with the Third Prince."

Gu Kaiping felt he had missed something, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He could only turn his attention to Gu Antong, "Have my father said how to arrange the dowry?"

"The Third Prince sent over the wedding clothes and gave me a thousand taels of silver to purchase them. I was waiting for you to come back so I could make a decision."

Upon hearing that the money given was also for wedding attire, Gu Kaiping felt that the Third Prince was very thoughtful and was quite satisfied. "That's good. Go and make the arrangements. Oh, and buy two maids for An Tong."

Once inside the manor, one will definitely need an assistant, but relying on those assigned by the manor doesn't guarantee they'll be someone's mole.

"But where can you find such a thoughtful girl at a time like this?"

"Even if it's hard to find, we should still give it a try. Today I saw that many more people have been exiled. These families must have some maids. As long as we have their indentures, they won't dare to betray their masters."

“Yes, what you said makes sense,” Liu Yun also came to her senses. She had been in charge of the household for many years and knew how to judge people. She was about to leave in a hurry, but Gu Kaiping stopped her.

"What did you say when you went to the Marquis's residence today?"

Liu Yun's face stiffened. She hadn't expected the master to still remember this. "It's still the same. I couldn't enter the manor."

However, since Tong'er is now a concubine of the Third Prince, I will use Tong'er's visiting card to send my official letter tomorrow.

"That's a great idea. I don't believe the Marquis's mansion wouldn't give the Third Prince face." Gu Kaiping was satisfied and instantly felt his back straighten up again.

"Alright, hurry up and go. Buy the person back, then buy some jewelry for your daughter, and order a few more outfits."

A thousand taels of silver may seem like a lot, but it doesn't really have much purchasing power.

(End of this chapter)