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

Under Zhang Zhao's deliberate obstruction, Zhou Gang was left waiting for a long time. Seeing the busy work at the Jingzhao Prefecture, he could only sneak away when no one was paying attention.

He knew in his heart that as long as Zhang Zhao was here, he would not get the better of him, and it was not appropriate for him to just turn around and leave. He could only wait for another opportunity.

Zhang Zhao, who had been watching him closely, sneered as the man left. Sure enough, people become more pragmatic after being exiled.

Zhou Gang had always been so tough, even daring to offend princes in the imperial court. I thought he would stand up to me again this time, just like before. But I didn't expect him to slink away in such a short time.

It's better if I leave; he can pretend I was never here.

I suppose I won't dare to come back here and make a fool of myself again.

Meanwhile, Gu Baijiang had been waiting, prepared to make a fool of himself again, and wondering what the consequences would be if he dragged the Third Prince into this again.

Who knew that things would pass by so peacefully, making Gu Baijiang inwardly despise Zhou Gang. He had been given a chance, but Zhou Gang didn't know how to seize it. So he shouldn't blame him for ignoring this debt.

Unexpectedly, three days later, Gu Baijiang heard news of Zhou Gang from elsewhere. This man actually went to the Third Prince's residence with an IOU and demanded that Gu Antong repay the debt.

Gu Kaiping and his wife were furious. Where did this unlucky person come from? An Tong had finally gained some favor in the inner courtyard and was hoping to give birth to a grandson for His Majesty as soon as possible. Why did this person come up to collect a debt at this time? The IOUs were all written by the Gu family. How could they find a married woman?

When the family rushed to the Third Prince's residence, Zhou Gang had already been brought inside. The gatekeepers, seeing them, also invited them in.

Upon entering, they found the Third Prince sitting in the main seat with a gloomy expression, while Zhou Gang knelt upright there.

They were taken aback, never expecting that Zhou Gang would actually take the matter to the Third Prince.

What exactly was the feud between them and Zhou Gang? Only they themselves knew.

The reason I was willing to write an IOU to appease the other party was because I didn't want Gu Antong's reputation to be damaged. If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have been more ruthless back then.

They didn't expect Zhou Gang to return to Beijing one day, so they thought they could just brush it off for now.

Because of this, they have been left with such a huge hidden danger. They still don't know how the Third Prince views them or An Tong.

Gu Baijiang, along with his son and daughter-in-law, bowed respectfully. This time, the Third Prince did not tell them to dispense with the formalities, but instead made them kneel beside Zhou Gang.

"You've got some nerve, writing an IOU so casually and expecting him to come to me to collect the debt." Rong Ruiyuan looked at the people kneeling below, his voice exceptionally cold. He was already overwhelmed with matters of state at court, and now he had to deal with this messy mess when he got back.

"Your Highness, there's a reason for this IOU..." Gu Kaiping couldn't hold back any longer and tried to explain, but Gu Baijiang pressed him down with one hand.

"Your Highness, it's all my fault. On the way, due to some reasons, we had no choice but to accept this debt. After returning to the capital, I forgot for a moment. Debts should be repaid, but unfortunately I don't have enough money on me, so I can only continue to delay."

The Third Prince didn't mention Gu Antong, nor did he have anyone summon her. This meant that Zhou Gang hadn't explained the whole story clearly, so there was no need to drag Antong into it.

The Third Prince sneered. Was he blaming him for taking all the silver?
But these weren't his family's assets. It wasn't a secret that he had received so much silver, and since his father hadn't pursued the matter, his other brothers could only keep quiet even if they had objections. They were only entrusting the Gu family with the money for a short period, yet they genuinely treated it as their own.

Moreover, as far as he knew, the number didn't add up, and he had always suspected that the Gu family was keeping some for themselves.

He had been keeping an eye on him these past few days, but he didn't expect Gu Baijiang to be so cunning, daring to test him like this.

"You dare to write an IOU like this without money?" Rong Ruiyuan asked sternly, his previous respect for the Gu family completely gone. "This is your private matter. Go back and handle it yourselves. Don't treat my Third Prince's residence like a marketplace where you can come and go as you please. If there's a next time, don't blame me for being impolite."

Zhou Gang looked up at the Third Prince. Since he had entered this mansion today, he was thinking of making a scene. Maybe the First Prince would see that he was still useful and give him a future.

"Your Highness, I have already tried to collect the debt, but Gu Baijiang is a scoundrel and refuses to acknowledge the debt at all."

Speaking of which, this debt has to do with His Highness the Third Prince…

"Shut up, stop making baseless accusations against others here," Gu Baijiang snapped at him. "I acknowledge this debt, but we really don't have the money right now. Give me some time. I've taken on a book copying job, and I'll pay you back little by little."

Zhou Gang said, "With the little income you make from copying books, it'll take forever to pay it back. I urgently need money; I'm barely making ends meet. I don't have that much time to give it to you."

"Didn't your granddaughter marry into the Third Prince's household? You've already sacrificed enough for her. Now that you, her grandfather, are in trouble, can't she help you in any way?"

Zhou Gang's lips curled up. He didn't believe that if he put this out there, Gu Baijiang would still dare to stubbornly hold on.

He believed others when they said they had no money, but he didn't believe Gu Baijiang's words. He didn't believe that so much silver could be given to the Third Prince. Since he was also a prince, he could bet on both sides.

If this matter can be handled well today, Zhou Gang will definitely be able to turn his life around. On that day, it will be time for him to settle accounts with everyone.

The Gu family members could all hear the threat in his tone. Even Rong Ruiyuan looked at Gu Baijiang with suspicion. He had suspected that the Gu family was hiding something before, and it seemed that he was not the only one who thought so.

Gu Baijiang was furious with this idiot. He had already admitted his mistake, so why was he being tricked like this?

He really shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then. If there had been an assassination attempt, he could have led a few people over and used them to kill the whole family. Instead, he's left behind such a huge problem.

But he forgot that every time someone tried to assassinate him, he was the one who ran the fastest and was the most afraid of dying, wishing he could dig a hole and hide himself. He would never think of such things.

Bringing his granddaughter into this is an attempt to force him to comply, but on what grounds?
At this moment, Gu Baijiang felt a sense of impending doom. Since his own life was a mess, he figured everyone else should suffer too.

But reason quickly prevailed, and after taking a deep breath, he said, "This is between the two of us, let's go outside and talk."

Zhou Gang knew that if he stepped out of this door today, it would be difficult for him to come back in. "No, it just so happens that His Highness the Third Prince is here. We can have him be our witness."

"This four thousand taels of silver is an astronomical sum for us, and it's the foundation of our family's future..." (End of Chapter)