Chapter 513 - 514: Caring About Face
Gu Kaiping didn’t take it seriously, thinking that Gu Kaiyuan was just envious of him. Since childhood, all the good things in the family were always offered to him first to pick. As the younger brother, no matter how envious he was, he could only endure it.
Now that Gu Kaiyuan had left the Gu Family, did he really think he was something special? Today, as his older brother, he would teach him a lesson.
"Don’t give me that. You know absolutely nothing about the ways of officialdom. Have you ever heard the saying, ’Even a low-ranking County Magistrate can ruin a family’? I’m giving you a chance right now to properly apologize to me. In the future, I might just let you off the hook..."
Gu Kaiyuan looked at him as if he were an idiot. "How exactly did you earn your scholarly honors back then? Even if Old Mr. Gu used some underhanded tricks, it shouldn’t have left you this incurably stupid.
"To think they actually dared to let someone like you out. Are they really not afraid you’ll bring disaster to the family?
"Oh, speaking of which, I almost forgot. You’re just a petty official now. At most, you’ll be slightly implicated; you probably don’t even qualify to be formally condemned.
"TSK, TSK, TSK. You really are sliding backward. You used to only sit around in the Hanlin Academy, so you probably have no idea what low-level officials have to do."
Gu Kaiyuan’s contemptuous gaze made Gu Kaiping clench his fists. If it weren’t for the two guards standing behind Gu Kaiyuan, he would have taught him a lesson today no matter what.
Gu Kaiyuan, however, didn’t let him off the hook. "Petty officials do the most menial work. Any ranked official can dismiss you at will.
"Your good son-in-law, the Third Prince, is truly so kind to you. He sent you here to do a servant’s job. With your temper, you’ll easily offend someone without even realizing it.
"When that happens, you’ll get a beating and be shipped straight back to the capital. Then you’ll really lose face."
"What nonsense are you spouting? I came here to be a clerk..."
"Isn’t that the same thing? You’ll just be scribbling away under someone else’s orders. But I suppose that’s the only skill you have to show for yourself. It seems the Third Prince knows how to make use of people’s talents. Did you properly visit his residence to thank him before leaving the capital?"
Separated by a wall, Bai Suihe and Gu Xingyang were grinning in silent laughter. In reality, even if they laughed out loud, the people next door wouldn’t be able to hear them, but the two of them just enjoyed the secret thrill of it.
"Mother, Father’s eloquence is even better than his martial arts now."
"Of course. He hangs out with those shrewd businessmen every day. If he didn’t sharpen his tongue, he really wouldn’t be able to fit in."
Bai Suihe felt that ever since she started socializing with those ladies, words she once found difficult to say now rolled off her tongue effortlessly.
"This is really nice," Gu Xingyang said. She didn’t think life always had to be about fighting and killing. Wasn’t this kind of banter quite satisfying too?
From next door came the sound of Gu Kaiping’s dying struggle. "Shut your mouth! You don’t understand officialdom, and it’s not your place to speak about it.
"I came here today just to give you a chance. I’m a newcomer here, and I haven’t prepared many of the things I need yet."
Seeing that Gu Kaiyuan showed him absolutely no respect, he simply stated his purpose. Otherwise, if the conversation continued, he wouldn’t be able to bear it and would storm off in anger.
"I heard you’ve set up many businesses around here, and quite a few in Shao County as well.
"Now that I’m here, I can be your backer. Organize those properties and hand them over to me."
Faced with such an entitled tone, Gu Kaiyuan let out an exasperated laugh.
"What arrogance. You’re practically robbing me in broad daylight.
"We haven’t seen each other for a few days, and you’ve already evolved to be completely shameless."
He had heard the word "evolved" from Bai Suihe and the baby, and he felt it was the most fitting term to use right now.
Gu Kaiping didn’t understand the word, nor did he care. He just assumed it was a local slang Gu Kaiyuan had picked up.
However, he still grasped Gu Kaiyuan’s mocking intent. "You can run your mouth now. Believe it or not, in a few days, I’ll make it impossible for you to survive in Lingnan."
"Then I’ll just wait and see," Gu Kaiyuan said without a care. "When the time comes, we’ll see who gets driven out of here first."
Seeing that his brother was impervious to both threats and persuasion, Gu Kaiping changed his tune. "Tell me, what can you possibly achieve here?
"Although you don’t have to worry about food or clothing, what dignity do you have?
"Eking out a living under a woman’s thumb—how can you call yourself a man?"
"I actually think this kind of life is quite nice. At least I don’t have to beg," Gu Kaiyuan interrupted. "You went back and groveled, yet your good father and your good son-in-law still threw you right back out here. Now you’ve come knocking on my door to beg. Does that give you dignity?"
"You are really going too far! No matter what, we are blood brothers born of the same mother. Can’t you consider our past bond?
"As long as you help me get through this difficult period right now, I definitely won’t forget you when I achieve high rank and wealth. When that time comes, with us brothers united, what glorious days..."
"Stop. Don’t make empty promises here. You’re the only one who actually believes what you’re saying.
"I’m afraid that if you ever did reach that high position, the very first person you would deal with is me.
"We both know perfectly well how things stand, so why bother with these hollow words?
"If you came solely for this matter, then I can tell you very clearly: do whatever you want, but I have absolutely no ties left with the Gu Family. The main gate is right in front of you. Do you want me to have someone escort you out?"
"You..." Gu Kaiping had thought this was a sure thing; he never expected Gu Kaiyuan to be so utterly inflexible.
"Are you really going to go against me?"
Gu Kaiyuan slightly raised his chin. "I thought I had made myself abundantly clear. Why are you still deceiving yourself here?
"Is there any point in asking this over and over again?"
Gu Kaiping was so furious that he wanted to storm out, but unfortunately, he was currently strapped for cash. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Then lend me a few hundred taels of silver first..."
"HEH HEH HEH," Gu Kaiyuan sneered. "I won’t give you a single copper coin."
"You’ve really gotten too big for your boots..." Thinking of the clansmen who had accompanied him back this time, who were still waiting at the post station right now, he grew anxious. If he couldn’t send them away, they would follow him to Shao County. How on earth would he afford to feed them?
"You bet," Gu Kaiyuan retorted. He had spent plenty of time dealing with those shrewd merchants these past few days, and his eloquence had long been honed. "So from now on, you’d better stop plotting against me. I’m destined to soar in the sky, and you simply don’t have the ability to catch me."
With Gu Kaiping’s character, it wasn’t even certain if he could remain an official for the rest of his life, let alone climb to a high position. Where would he get the leverage to deal with him?
At this moment, Gu Kaiping was probably still pinning his hopes on Gu Antong, completely unaware that Gu Antong could barely even protect herself right now.
As for his two nephews, they did have some talent for studying. But by the time they climbed to high positions, he believed he would have long secured his own way out...
"Do you truly have no regard for our father’s grace in raising you?"
"Then let Gu Baijiang come and say that himself. Perhaps when he’s old and can’t walk anymore, with nothing left to eat, I might be struck by sudden kindness and provide for him according to the village’s standard for the elderly.
"But don’t forget, there are three of us brothers. I’ll only pay my own share."
Gu Kaiping now hated the fact that his body was too healthy. Otherwise, he would have loved to spit blood and faint right here on the spot, just to see how Gu Kaiyuan would clean up the mess.