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

Chapters 648 and 649. Signs
The three of them discussed things in the study for a whole day. This time, the two of them didn't dare to stay there any longer. They left their child and wife in the small fishing village and hurriedly went out.

Bai Suihe arranged for a boat to take them to the island that very day, ostensibly to let the children see where their cousin was studying, and if they thought it was suitable, they could also enroll there.

Wu Shuzhen and the others had heard before that their sister-in-law, Bai Suihe, had already acquired a large amount of land overseas, but she had only been in a hurry before and had not been able to visit the island. Given this rare opportunity, they agreed without hesitation.

Gu Xingyang watched the ship sail away, her mother still waving to her from the ship. She also raised her little hand and waved it a few times, "Daddy, I have to go out for a while now. I'll leave things at home to you."

“Bring more people,” Gu Kaiyuan said without asking any further questions. Several years ago, he and his wife had reached a tacit understanding that they would help their child if she needed them, but they would no longer interfere with her choices or career.

They don't care how many people Gu Xingyang has or how many businesses she owns.

"Don't worry, Father, I won't put myself in danger." Gu Xingyang smiled, her eyes crinkling. Only her family could see this side of her now. "Take good care of my mother. If things get really chaotic, we can go out to sea to avoid it. I'll come find you when things settle down."

Gu Kaiyuan's eyes flashed, "How about I go to the island and bring back more skilled fighters?"

Gu Xingyang said, "My dear father, I'm just going out for a walk. I'm not going to do anything big. Besides, even if I were to do something big, the time isn't right now."

Don't worry, I'm just inspecting the "industry."

"As long as you know your limits," so it's okay to muddy the waters a bit now, but it's definitely too early.

After the father and daughter talked for a while, Gu Xingyang waited for her subordinate to report that everything was ready, and immediately waved and leaped onto her horse.

Seeing the horse depart, the worry in Gu Kaiyuan's eyes finally became apparent. It's good that the child has grown up and has his own ideas, but how could the parents not worry?
Now that his wife has arrived on the island, she won't be coming back for a while, but there's still a lot to do here, and this time it's his turn to oversee things.

☆

In just one year, agricultural taxes were increased, followed by residence taxes (for stationary merchants), transit taxes (for itinerant merchants), and taxes on salt, iron, tea, wine, and so on. There was no tax that was not increased.

I heard that the emperor plans to build a temporary palace in the south, and will travel between the two places depending on the weather, completely ignoring the drought in the north that has already caused widespread suffering.

That year, some people had already fled to Lingnan, but the government seemed indifferent to all of this.

Unscrupulous or ruthless officials would drive them away, while kinder officials would grant them household registration and assign them to reclaim wasteland, thus giving them a way to survive.

There was no disaster relief subsidy from the imperial court, nothing at all. After all, there was no further news from above, and they dared not open the granaries for disaster relief.

With so many disaster victims flocking in, conflicts with the local indigenous people were constant.

Lingnan, which had been well-governed by the late emperor, began to fall into chaos.

Some of the disaster victims, always thinking of getting something for nothing, or feeling resentful and unbalanced, gathered together some people and began to burn, kill, and loot.

This area plunged the entire Rong Dynasty into chaos.

But the people in the capital seemed oblivious to these events and continued their revelry.

Several of these elders sensed something was wrong and have already taken their families to their hometowns to live in seclusion.

The new emperor didn't have much interest in these people. They were all quite old, and staying in the capital would only be a matter of seniority. He readily approved their requests and then promoted some of his own confidants. These old officials left the capital, silently shaking their heads.

This new emperor is a puppet of several powerful families, yet he remains oblivious to his own limitations. These families only care about personal gain and know nothing about governing a country. If things continue like this, he is destined to become a ruler who brings about the downfall of his kingdom.

Seeing that things were about to descend into chaos, they decided to go back and stay put, conserve their energy, and nurture future generations to await the next benevolent ruler, so that the family could continue to prosper.

Thinking of this, everyone can't help but think of Grand Tutor Lu, who disappeared a few years ago. It seems that he had already foreseen this day and repeatedly asked to resign while the old emperor was still alive.

Although the old emperor wanted to keep him, he also knew about Grand Tutor Lu's health condition. He bestowed many rewards upon him and arranged for someone to escort him home. Thinking back to his glory days, it was a stark contrast to their current hasty retreat.

Sigh, who can we blame? We can only blame them for not being able to let go of their power back then. But it's not too late now; if they run fast enough, they can still preserve their strength.

The new emperor, Rong Ruiqin, listened to the chorus of agreement from the court and was in high spirits.

So what if my father and the others didn't favor me back then? In the end, it was I who sat on this throne.

All those brothers fought and struggled, but none of them were as good as him at leveraging their strengths.

As for those aristocratic families, he has already fulfilled his promise and bestowed upon them boundless glory. In a few more years, he can gradually relinquish the power in his hands. He must be the one to become a wise and benevolent ruler who will be passed down through generations.

Then, turning his gaze to his brothers in the court, the eldest of whom was Prince Ning, Rong Ruiyuan, was the one he had envied so much when he was in his prime, but now he had to grovel before him. Among these brothers, he was the least threatening.

Although this emperor had another daughter some time ago, he became the laughing stock of the entire capital.

How can someone who can't even have a son have the audacity to talk back to themselves?
If someone wants to pass on the tradition of breaking the pottery bowl in the future, they'll have to ask for my permission.

At worst, one of his sons in the harem could be a good-for-nothing to inherit his fortune; that wouldn't be a bad idea.

As for the other princes, they are all cowering there obediently now, and we can settle accounts with them slowly in the future.

Rong Ruiyuan noticed the scrutinizing gaze from above and lowered his head even further.

After a year, all his remaining ambitions were exhausted, and he could only eke out a living.

The emperor would not want to see these princes wielding power. All their previous efforts had become a laughing stock, and with the women in his harem joining forces, he was having a hard time both at home and outside.

Thinking of that row of daughters again, my back is even more hunched. I can't understand why it's like this.
Everyone can sense the undercurrents beneath the surface of the court, but what can be done about it?

They're not the ones ruling the country now, so it's good that things are in chaos. What if things turn around?

And so, the princes tacitly helped to cover it up, while only the fool sitting at the top remained smug.

Do they not understand the principle of uniting several powerful families?

That's like asking a tiger for its skin. You'll see, it won't be long before it turns on you. Aren't there already signs of that?