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

Chapters 637 and 638. The Visitor
The news was quickly received by all the palaces, and soon, several more figures left the palace.

When the emperor woke up and learned of this, he did not say anything.

Tomorrow, the court will probably be filled with memorials about establishing an heir. He's getting old, his children have grown too ambitious, and none of the women in the harem truly care for him.

Thinking about his life, it's truly pathetic. Although he possessed the wealth of the world, it seemed as if he had nothing at all.

In his earlier years, he was still able to control the court, and his sons could only cause minor trouble. But in the last two years, they have gone too far, and he has lost several sons. In his cold eyes, none of these princes are kind and benevolent. No matter who becomes the crown prince, they will inevitably have to go through another fierce struggle, and probably even more will die.

He brought hope with each of his sons, and now these sons, who came with such hope, are also hoping for his early return to the West.

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The drought in the north is getting worse, and some places can't even guarantee drinking water. Some villages are even considering fleeing the famine.

Even so, the local government is still suppressing the situation, refusing to issue travel permits, which is forcing everyone to have no way to survive.

As a result, riots broke out in several counties and towns. Several county government offices were smashed and looted. By the time reinforcements arrived, the culprits had already fled to who-knows-where.

They couldn't possibly detain all the people in the entire county, so the matter eventually had to be dropped.

Having learned from this experience, other county governments dared not repeat the same mistake. They readily released the road guides, as the villagers were there to make money, not to risk their lives. There was no need to fight to the death with these peasants, whose lives were precious.

As the number of people fleeing the famine gradually increased, the news could no longer be suppressed.

When the emperor found out, he vomited several mouthfuls of blood, cursed his unfilial son, and fainted.

He was convenient enough, being unconscious and unaware of his surroundings, but the court was in chaos.

There was only one position available, and the emperor had not left an edict. Everyone was eager to make a desperate effort at this crucial moment, and no one cared about the severe drought in the north.

To make matters worse, other neighboring countries with predatory eyes on the border have also learned of this and have made several probing attempts, large and small, and are now beginning to amass troops on the border.

Now they are all waiting, waiting for the old emperor to pass away, waiting for the internal strife in the Rong Dynasty to begin, and waiting to get a share of the spoils.

☆

Bai Suihe never expected to see the Chen family again after so many years. Chen Dafu had been retired for many years, but he still harbored a wishful thinking that if his descendants could be successful in the future, they could have more hope by going to the capital.

So he didn't go back to his hometown, but instead bought a piece of land in the suburbs of Beijing, and settled there with his whole family.

The whole family didn't come straight to them; they rested in the county town for a few days before finally coming to their door.

"Long time no see," Chen Dafu said, bowing to the couple. "You two have made a fortune, why are you still living in this tiny place?"

Gu Kaiyuan said, "Lord Chen, you really haven't changed at all." His mouth was still just as annoying as ever.

Chen Dafu didn't care. He looked around at the village in front of him. It was truly a place of great wealth and power, turning a remote little village into a sturdy little castle.

Cement, which has become popular in recent years, is used to its fullest extent here; there isn't even much soil to be seen in the entire village.

"This place is really nice, though a bit remote. I'm so tired from all the bumps and jolts trying to find you." Gu Kaiyuan said, "I've always said that no one visits a temple without a reason. May I ask what brings Lord Chen from so far away?"

"Didn't I send you the news before?" Over the years, Chen Dafu had indeed sent them quite a few messages, especially when he was still in the imperial court: "There is a drought in the north."

"We all know that, but we're in Lingnan, so it shouldn't have much of an impact on us, right?" Gu Kaiyuan chuckled, knowing that given the current state of the court, things were bound to descend into chaos sooner or later.

He had already withdrawn his men, and they were probably already halfway there by now.

"Has someone started fleeing the famine?" Bai Suihe frowned. "Isn't Lord Chen in the capital helping to manage the situation?"

"I am a retired old man, I have no ability."

"You're quite self-aware," Gu Kaiyuan said with a smile as he poured him a glass of water. "You guys aren't fleeing too, are you?"

Chen Dafu's expression froze, while Madam Chen, standing beside him, said with a smile, "You guessed it. I heard that a large number of refugees are flocking to the capital, and things are going to be unsettled. We thought we'd avoid the brunt of their attacks and take this opportunity to come here and see my unfilial sons."

At that time, Gu Kaiyuan hired several children and helped them accumulate wealth, buying estates in Lingnan and becoming small landlords.

“Lingnan is quite nice, no worse than Beijing, and it’s not as cold, making it a good place to retire,” Gu Kaiyuan praised. “You have good taste.”

Chen Dafu stroked his beard. "That's true. My boys have received a lot of help from you here. I've come here today specifically to express my gratitude."

As he spoke, an attendant placed pastries brought from the capital on the table. "You know our family is rather poor and we don't have any good stuff. We could only bring you some local specialties from the capital. You've been gone for so many years, so try them and see if the taste has changed."

"This is too kind," Gu Kaiyuan felt that the old man Chen in front of him was somewhat unfamiliar. It was one thing for this guy not to take advantage of them, but this time he even gave them gifts. He probably had something to ask for.

When Bai Suihe saw the maid bringing up the pastries, she smiled and greeted her, "Lord Chen, Madam Chen, please try our local specialties."

Without any hesitation, Chen Dafu picked up a piece of pastry, took a big bite, and then said with a smile, "We've been eating and sleeping in the open along the way, so we should eat some fine food."

Bai Suihe looked at Gu Kaiyuan and thought, "No way, he was so generous just now, even giving them pastries, and now he's complaining about being poor." She couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you stop to eat along the way?"

That shouldn't be the case. Lingnan has developed quite well in recent years. Although she hasn't been to the capital again, she has heard from others that there are plenty of post stations and restaurants along the way, and the conditions are much better than before.

"Oh! It's not that I'm short of money..."

"Here it comes, here it comes, it's that familiar taste," Gu Kaiyuan and his wife thought to themselves at the same time, and they also perked up, wondering what kind of request Old Man Chen would make next.

As if he hadn't noticed the couple's serious preparations, Old Man Chen finished one pastry, then took another, and continued until he had eaten most of the plate. After taking a sip of tea, he said, "I was really rude just now."

Your pastries are quite good, you should try some.

Gu Kaiyuan said, "Eat more if you like."

This was just a polite remark, but Chen Dafu and his wife actually continued, finishing the entire plate of pastries before finally smacking their lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Bai Suihe was genuinely worried they might choke, so she kept having the maid refill their tea.