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

Chapter 643, Chapter 644: Current Situation
Bai Suihe also understood this principle well: "If we recall all the managers from various places, we're probably in for a tough battle."

The common people have already had their taxes increased, not to mention the merchants.

Gu Kaiyuan, "Should we give it to our daughter?"

Bai Suihe glanced at him and said, "Go and have a good talk with your daughter. If you want to be a hands-off parent, you have to see if she agrees."

Gu Kaiyuan was speechless for a moment, "...I just wanted to hand over the power as soon as possible."

Bai Suihe chuckled twice, "You're quite the father, aren't you? What? Have you forgotten your daughter is only a teenager?"

Gu Kaiyuan had actually forgotten this point. Gu Xingyang was now even taller than Bai Suihe, and she was also reasonable and organized in her work. She had already built up her own power, but he hadn't really looked into the specifics. He just couldn't treat her like a little girl anymore, but rather as an equal.

"It's because our daughter has made things easier for us," Gu Kaiyuan said with an awkward laugh. "Why don't my husband and I take over?"

Gu Xingyang's ambition was something he had long seen through. Gu Xingyang hadn't hidden it from them either. Gu Kaiyuan had also been working hard all these years, hoping to be able to help him one day.

Bai Suihe said, "Let her do whatever she wants. After all, this is what she wants. We can help, but we can't take the lead."

Don't forget, she has two brothers. I don't want our interference to cause trouble in the family later.

They did not treat their two sons with favoritism, but they still had to be wary of the possibility of encountering malicious people in their lives.

They try their best not to interfere in Gu Xingyang's businesses. This is not only for their two sons to see, but also to let everyone know, so as to avoid any future rifts between the siblings.

“They dare.” Gu Kaiyuan clenched his fist. “I’ll teach them a lesson later.”

Bai Suihe patted the back of his hand, "Don't be so nervous, I'm just taking precautions."

I told those two brats a long time ago that they have to fight for what they want, and not just focus on what's at home.

The outside world is so big, and Bai Suihe doesn't stop them from developing, but his sister is older and has already set her goals. They should understand the principle of first come, first served.

☆

Even in a small mountain village dozens of miles away, news of the old emperor's death still reached this place.

However, the people are more worried about the upcoming increase in taxes.

"Are they even letting people live? The new emperor is going to exploit us again as soon as he takes the throne."

"Shut up, are you out of your mind to say that?" The old woman standing next to her quickly covered her son's mouth and pleaded apologetically with the villagers on either side, "My son is ignorant and foolish, I hope you villagers will spare his life."

The village chief glanced at everyone and said, "We're all from the same village, so we know what we should and shouldn't say."

"Don't worry, village chief, we all know," the villagers quickly reassured them. These were the words they had been thinking, but someone had blurted them out.

The village chief then turned his attention to the Gu family. They had lived here for nearly ten years and, although they were already villagers, this family always seemed out of place.

What he feared most was that this family had a scholar who had passed the imperial examination and a student who had passed the lowest level of the imperial examination. If word got out of the village, the Wu family would surely be ruined.

Heaven knows if those officials will seize on this opportunity to claim credit. Gu Baijiang was still in shock that the old emperor was dead. After all, he had served the old emperor for more than ten years, and the ups and downs of the Gu family were all because of him.

He completely ignored the village chief's gaze, and anxiously asked Gu Anwei, who had brought the news, "Who is the new emperor?"

The village chief gave him a strange look. Even if the Gu family had some fertile land and some wealth, there was no need for them to care about who the emperor was.

"The original sixth prince," Gu Anwei's feelings were indescribably complicated. Rong Ruiyuan had once been his brother-in-law. Back then, his grandfather had placed his bets, and everyone was hoping that Rong Ruiyuan would ascend to that position.

Unexpectedly, after the princes fought over it, the sixth prince ended up benefiting instead.

If I remember correctly, the sixth prince should be around the same age as them, at most one or two years older.

"How could it be him?" Gu Baijiang occasionally got news from his grandson that the sixth prince was not among the princes who were vying for power in the court.

"Master Gu, there are some things we shouldn't meddle in too much of," the village chief kindly reminded them as he watched the grandfather and grandson discussing the matter. "Your young master just said that taxes will be increased, which will make life even harder for the villagers."

Your grandson is a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations). I wonder how his preparations are going this year? Is there any chance he can try for the Juren (a higher level of the imperial examinations)?

A scholar who passes the county-level imperial examination can be exempted from land tax on twenty mu of land. If he passes the provincial-level imperial examination, the exemption will double. At that time, could the village's land be registered under the name of the provincial-level imperial examination graduate? Even if it's just to give some benefits to the Gu family, those poor families might not be forced to the brink of despair.

Gu Baijiang said, "My grandson still needs to accumulate more knowledge. Don't worry, we're all from the same village, and we're willing to help if we can."

Gu Baijiang certainly wouldn't offend the village chief. His family would still have to live here in the future, and with only a few people in his family, he wouldn't dare to go against an entire village.

The village chief was somewhat disappointed; it seemed he wasn't planning to participate this year.

But he smiled and said, "Then thank you in advance, Mr. Gu."

Sigh, I wonder if there will be other taxes coming up; life is tough for everyone.

Gu Baijiang gave a few perfunctory replies and then took his grandson and the others home.

Since arriving in this small mountain village, they bought dozens of acres of wasteland and spent many years cultivating it into thirty acres of fertile land. Even though Gu Anwei passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he was only exempted from a portion of the taxes.

With two children in school, the annual expenses are considerable, forcing the family to tighten their belts.

“Dad’s back,” Liu Yun said. The changes in Liu Yun over the past ten years have been remarkable. Not only is her hair completely white, but she has also aged considerably, looking no different from an old woman from a farming family.

There's no other way; the men in the family are too incompetent, so only women like them can fill in.

Nowadays, the men in the family are treated like women, and the women are naturally used by the men; it's no wonder they age so quickly.

"Have you finished planting all the land on the east side?" Gu Baijiang asked casually when he saw his two daughters-in-law sitting in the yard today.

Just as they settled down, their clansmen arrived. After the commotion, they only had a little money left, so they hired someone to clear the wasteland. But hiring someone was a considerable expense, and after a year, they had hardly any money left. In the end, they had no choice but to have their two daughters-in-law work in the fields themselves for the past few years.

"Once everything's finished over there, my sister-in-law and I will tidy up the vegetable garden in the backyard; it's time to plant autumn vegetables." Liu Yun's arrogance had long since vanished; now she only thinks about how to create more value to support her son's education.
Only when children strive for success and pass the imperial examinations can their fate be reversed.

Xu Yulan looked up at her father-in-law, silently gulped down several mouthfuls of water. There was nothing for her and her sister-in-law to argue about now. Her father-in-law was in charge of the household, and the two sisters-in-law were like old oxen, working tirelessly.