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

Zhou Gang drank several cups of water. Just then, a maid brought out some pastries, and he ate most of them in one go. He didn't forget to make up for it while he was eating, saying, "I was in a hurry to leave this morning and forgot to have breakfast. Please forgive me, Lord Gu."

What else could Gu Baijiang say? He could only send someone down to bring up some more pastries, for fear of being accused of not being hospitable enough.

By the time Gu Baijiang had finally finished eating and drinking, the pastries that had been served earlier were almost gone, and the ones that were served later were also fewer.

Zhou Gang patted his belly comfortably; it had been a long time since he had eaten so heartily.

The main problem was that he used the money to rent a house and buy some land, making life increasingly difficult for his family.

"Lord Gu must be living a very comfortable life. I've never had these pastries before. Were they sent from the palace?"

Gu Baijiang's lips twitched slightly. This guy had eaten and drunk his fill, yet he still dared to mock him—a classic case of cursing someone after putting down their bowl.

"Lord Zhou, you are joking. These pastries are readily available on the streets of the capital. Surely you haven't tasted them before? That shouldn't be the case."

Zhou Gang, “…” He used to look down on these sweet things. Everyone knew that he loved the smell of fruit and loved eating fruit, but that was all in the past.

"Is that so? I really didn't notice. I'll buy some when I see them later. They taste pretty good." After saying that, she felt she could eat some more, so she picked up another piece and put it in her mouth, not forgetting to call out to Gu Baijiang, "Lord Gu, you should eat some too."

“This is my residence, so there’s no need for Lord Zhou to make arrangements,” Gu Baijiang said irritably. “Since Lord Zhou likes it, please pack up the rest and take them with you when you leave.”

"I'm so sorry," Zhou Gang said with a smile. "Then I'll trouble you, Lord Gu, to bring me some more of the good food you have so I can take it back for my family to enjoy together."

Gu Baijiang was so angry he laughed. No wonder that person could become an imperial censor. With such a shameless attitude, he couldn't help but admire him.

Gu Baijiang felt that if he let him continue talking, who knew what he was after? He was only superficially patronizing the place, and he wouldn't let him continue to freeload.

"That's all we've purchased. If Lord Zhou finds it unsuitable, that's fine..."

Zhou Gang then stopped, took another sip of tea to moisten his throat, and said, "I came here today not only to visit an old friend, but also to ask Lord Gu for help."

Gu Baijiang waved his hand in fright, "Lord Zhou, you think too highly of me. I'm just a nobody now, barely able to take care of myself, how can I help others?"

"To be honest, it wasn't really Lord Gu who helped me. I came here to settle an old score." Zhou Gang looked at Gu Baijiang with a half-smile. Had this old guy forgotten? But it was quite possible.

Gu Baijiang's expression froze. He had been thinking about too many things and had indeed forgotten about this matter.

Now, as soon as he hears that someone is asking for money, he knows what's going on and feels a little regretful. Why did he write that IOU in the first place?

"Seeing you like this, it seems you've remembered. I'm relieved."

"When is it convenient for you? Let's settle the four thousand taels of silver."

Gu Baijiang slammed his hand on the table. "Zhou Gang, I advise you not to go too far. Don't forget who you are now, trying to extort money from me." "Hehe, Lord Gu can say whatever he wants, but I have an IOU. If all else fails, I'll go to the yamen. I believe someone there will be willing to stand up for me."

“You and I both know where that cop came from. Your daughter is only wearing a dress, yet she's worth so much. I refuse to believe there's no justice in this world.”

Zhou Gang clapped his hands and laughed, "No matter what, you wrote this note yourself, and you and your son also put your fingerprints on it. I'm here to collect the debt, and with this note in hand, I'm in the right no matter what."

I've certainly learned something new today. Lord Gu's flip-flopping is quite skillful. If you don't resolve this today, I'll have no choice but to go see the authorities.

Gu Baijiang considered their current situation. After all, he had the connection of the Third Prince, so he was naturally not afraid of a mere commoner. "Then go ahead. I'll see if you can command those officials."

Zhou Gang knew this would be difficult before he arrived; he knew all too well how difficult it was for an ordinary person to challenge a person in power.

Although no one from the Gu family holds an official position in the court, the Gu family has the support of the Third Prince, and their daughter is even a concubine of the Third Prince. With just this connection, these foxes in the capital can easily make him suffer.

"Lord Gu is really quite impressive. Everyone knows how I got this IOU. Don't you think I should go out and spread the word for you?"

"If word gets out that the royal family has taken in such a vicious woman, you probably couldn't buy back your granddaughter's good reputation even if you paid double the money."

Zhou Gang knew how to strike at the heart of the matter, and he immediately grabbed Gu Baijiang.

The Gu family is now relying on Gu Antong, a concubine, to maintain its facade. Judging from the number of times she has returned to the mansion to ask for money, one can imagine that she is also having a hard time in the backyard of the prince's mansion. If this matter were to be publicized, wouldn't those high-ranking women in the backyard hurry up and seize the opportunity to bring her down?

Without this connection, it would be even more difficult for the Gu family to operate in the capital.

Both foxes were weighing their gains and losses. In the end, Gu Baijiang sighed and said, "This matter has been over for so long, and it was just a fight between two children. On that day, in order to appease them and prevent things from getting worse, I had no choice but to write that note."

Don't be fooled by our current success; things aren't actually what you think.

After our home was confiscated and we were exiled, we had nothing left. This mansion was provided to us by the Third Prince out of pity. We're just here to get three meals a day; we really can't afford this much silver. Otherwise, I would have given it to them.”

"At the time, Lord Gu was so arrogant, saying he would repay the money double. It's impossible that he didn't have any money." Zhou Gang didn't believe his story and asked in a low voice, "The amount of military pay you withheld that day was not small. It's only right to pay back debts. I don't think you want me to make a big fuss about this."

Gu Baijiang narrowed his eyes, then burst out laughing, "You've been keeping an eye on our family for this reason."

They're probably just pretending to collect a debt today; they really want to find out about that sum of money.

I'm not afraid to tell you, that money isn't in my hands now. It was brought into the Third Prince's residence as part of his dowry when my granddaughter entered the palace.”

Gu Baijiang is now fearless. Although Gu Antong did not make a big fuss that day, she could not avoid some people with ulterior motives. After all, those large boxes required several strong men to carry them in.

"How is this possible? You gave it all?" Zhou Gang felt like he'd been struck by lightning; it seemed he wouldn't be able to achieve either of his goals. "You trust the Third Prince that much?" (End of Chapter)