Chapter 520 - 521: Idle Talk
Gu Xingyang reached out, wanting to pull the bowl over, but Gu Kaiyuan reflexively moved it away. "This is icy cold. Is our baby thirsty? I’ll have someone pour you some water."
Bai Suihe’s eyes crinkled in a smile. Gu Xingyang was becoming more playful like a normal child by the day. "Just ignore her. I already gave her some earlier before we added the ice. Her stomach is still quite weak, so a little taste is enough.
"Why did you rush back at this hour? It’s sweltering hot; you should have found a place to take shelter in the shade."
"It’s fine. There was shade all along the way. Only the stretch entering the county town was a bit sunny," Gu Kaiyuan explained as Lin Hua and the others led people in to carry the goods.
"Fresh seafood is inconvenient to travel with right now, so I bought some dried goods. Send them over to the families we’re familiar with later." Many people knew of Gu Kaiyuan’s trip, as he claimed to be organizing properties in nearby cities. Returning meant he had to bring souvenirs; that was how social connections were maintained. As it stood, they also received gifts from others every few days.
Bai Suihe instructed Fuling to handle it; this sort of thing was her specialty.
With so many servants attending them, it wasn’t a good time to speak freely. They waited until after dinner, when they returned to their inner chambers, for Gu Kaiyuan to share the results of his trip.
"I handled the paperwork over there and found a new buyer. After some time, I’ll find a way to transfer it to the newly appointed County Magistrate," Gu Kaiyuan said, knowing exactly what she wanted to ask.
"Is the person reliable?" Bai Suihe was afraid he hadn’t covered his tracks cleanly.
"Don’t worry. Their identity and background are perfectly normal, and the transfer was made through Mr. Gu."
Gu Kaiyuan knew people from all walks of life, making it very convenient to handle such matters. They could even forge an identity belonging to someone like Mr. Gu. No matter how formidable the executed County Magistrate’s family was, it wasn’t like they could confront the Duke Mansion.
"Right, did you just say you’re transferring it to the new County Magistrate? Why not Gu Kaiping?" Bai Suihe had felt something was amiss earlier, and her mind finally caught up.
"I had no choice. I initially wanted to transfer it directly to Gu Kaiping, but after thinking it over, I felt it was inappropriate.
"It would look far too coincidental for a property to be passed around, especially between two brothers.
"Anyway, the new County Magistrate is also the Third Prince’s man. They’re birds of a feather. With their guilty consciences, they either won’t dare to investigate deeply, or they’ll overcomplicate things. I suspect it’ll be the latter. They’ll probably suspect the new County Magistrate found something and assume the valuables were taken by the Third Prince’s faction."
To hide such wealth outside, they must have made various preparations. Now that the incident had mostly blown over, it was time for them to retrieve the treasure.
"I took matters into my own hands," Gu Kaiyuan said, a hint of apprehension in his voice. "It’s not that I want to protect the Gu Family, but rather that I’m afraid of being implicated by him again.
"If those people went crazy and suspected us, or thought he hid the treasure with us, the conflict would once again center on us. Shifting the focus to the new County Magistrate is the safest route."
Bai Suihe nodded. "You’re not wrong in thinking that way. Though it’s a pity we can’t use this opportunity to deal with Gu Kaiping, we have plenty of time ahead of us."
Gu Kaiyuan’s handling of the situation was flawless. Furthermore, it was even more meticulous than their previous plan. The Gu Family was tied to the Third Prince anyway. As long as the Third Prince met his downfall, the Gu Family would no longer be a threat.
"How is Gu Kaiping doing now?" Bai Suihe was somewhat curious. Gu Kaiping was rather mediocre. The Third Prince had assigned him a trivial job here, which was simple enough that he couldn’t possibly mess it up.
"He’s actually doing a decent job," Gu Kaiyuan said after a moment of thought, offering a fair assessment. "That County Magistrate He has some real ability. Since taking over, he has taken bold and decisive action, governing the entire county town quite well.
"He also keeps his subordinates on a very tight leash, demanding specific daily tasks from them. Gu Kaiping no longer has the capital to be arrogant, so he can only comply.
"After all, he studied for so many years and served as an Imperial Academy Examiner in the Hanlin Academy for so long. The work of a lowly clerk is still well within his grasp.
"There haven’t been any rumors leaking out, but I’m afraid this is just an illusion. It won’t be long before the Third Prince’s true purpose for sending them here is revealed."
"Have you noticed anything unusual?" Bai Suihe asked, knowing Gu Kaiyuan wouldn’t add that last sentence without a reason.
"After stabilizing the county town, this He Guangtian began making frequent contact with the merchants. Who knows what he’s scheming."
"Then the stability Chen Dafu and the others finally managed to establish will probably be thrown into chaos again before long," Bai Suihe said worriedly. "If this place is destined to become a battleground for the Princes, we need to accelerate our plans."
Gu Kaiyuan patted her hand reassuringly. "There’s no need to be that tense. His Majesty is still in good health. In my past life, he lived longer than I did, so things won’t devolve into chaos just yet." He pointed toward the county office. "Besides, we have County Magistrate Xu. He’ll be here for the next few years at least. Haven’t you noticed that even the great aristocratic families who moved here have to keep their heads down?"
Although Xu Zitian’s official rank wasn’t high, he had a good master who had the Emperor’s ear. A casual mention in a letter would be enough to cause immense trouble for anyone. As long as the Princes weren’t stupid, leaving a few of their own men here wouldn’t be an issue. But if they wanted to stir up trouble, they would probably have to get Xu Zitian out of the way first.
The last time Rong Ruiyuan refused to believe it, didn’t he make a massive fool of himself? It was said that he was reprimanded several times over the matter after returning to the capital. Even the sliver of power the Emperor had just granted him was revoked.
"Then what you mentioned earlier..."
Gu Kaiyuan chuckled lightly. "With his previous failure as a lesson, Rong Ruiyuan definitely won’t dare to use forceful methods this time. Didn’t Gu Baijiang give him plenty of Silver? As long as he’s willing to part with a fraction of it, he can purchase a massive property.
"He Guangtian’s second mission in Lingnan is probably to acquire more land at an extremely favorable price."
"Buying land at a time like this?" Bai Suihe was at a loss for words. They had seized the initial opportunity of being in the right place at the right time and had already reaped the benefits. When the major families arrived later, the prices were still somewhat reasonable, having only risen slightly.
But to buy now? Any smart person who understood the situation would hold on tightly to their properties; after all, it was the foundation of their livelihood. As a result, land prices had practically peaked.
Thinking of the historical dramas she had seen in her past life, Bai Suihe knew that human nature was complex. "I’m afraid this is part of their strategy to win people over. Now that major aristocratic families and famous wealthy merchants have flocked here, where the emperor is far away and his watchful eye falls short, it’ll be much easier for Rong Ruiyuan to build connections with them.
"But these are just our guesses. We can’t know for sure what Rong Ruiyuan is actually planning."