Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Speculation
Xu Shuanghong’s face changed slightly; she already guessed what Gu Baijiang was about to do, but at this point, she was powerless to stop it.
Seeing her daughter’s face turn pale in an instant, she could only sigh inwardly; this was fate.
Sure enough, Gu Baijiang proceeded to announce that this meal also marked the completion of the concubine ceremony, and he had reserved a room upstairs for them.
Ignoring how pleased Gu Kaichen was and how bitter Fan Mei Bao felt, the already sensible Gu Anwei stood up, "Grandfather, I’ll go bring my mother over."
"Stay put," Gu Kaichen swiftly pulled him back, "This old man’s business is not for you to meddle in. Sit quietly."
Gu Anliang received a pleading gaze from his cousin across the table. Seeing that no one noticed, he was about to stand up discreetly, but was pulled back by Gu Antong next to him.
"Sis, what’s wrong?" Gu Anliang asked in a whisper.
"This is the second branch’s matter; we shouldn’t get involved."
"But shouldn’t Second Aunt agree to taking a concubine?"
"Second Aunt agreed long ago; this is just a formality." Gu Antong pulled him back to his seat, "We, as the younger generation, should listen to the elders’ instructions."
"But Second Brother..."
"Look, is Grandfather watching you?"
This silly brother, if he ruined this, wouldn’t the Fan sisters become his enemies?
Solving one sister now was only beneficial to her.
Gu Anliang didn’t notice if Grandfather was watching him, but his father’s warning glance made him lower his head, and the meal suddenly lost its flavor.
This meal was filled with different thoughts, and the only one truly happy was Gu Kaichen. In the middle of the meal, he even sneaked out to have the waiter deliver water to the room, but didn’t notice the contemptuous glance from his own brother.
After the hearty meal, Gu Baijiang told Gu Kaichen to take Fan Mei Bao back to the room, and asked the waiter to cook two more dishes to send to the shared room, leisurely sipping tea.
"Shuanghong, now that we are in-laws, we’re like one family. In the future, my unruly son will need more of your guidance."
Xu Shuanghong, "How dare I, it’s thanks to your care that we three women have a way to live. Mei Bao entering the Gu Family is her good fortune..."
The two exchanged pleasantries, but everyone was aware that Gu Baijiang was waiting.
About half a stick of incense later, the waiter came to say that the dishes had been sent over to the shared room, and then Gu Baijiang stood up to leave.
"These leftovers..." Gu Kaiping glanced at the remnants on the table, twitching his mouth, "How are we supposed to send these to Old Third?"
The servants at the mansion used to scoff at such scraps.
"Then don’t send them," Gu Baijiang had no intention of sending them anyway, "Since it’s still early, you all should hurry and buy supplies, especially staple foods."
Due to the addition of Xu Shuanghong and her daughters, they had been tightening their belts, eating gruel every day to make it to now.
"Don’t worry, just the quilts..."
Gu Baijiang pulled out a silver note and handed it to Gu Kaiping, "Buy three quilts, and remember to choose thick ones."
☆
The Gu Family’s strategic operations reached Gu Kaiyuan right after he finished eating. But it was just a concubine, was there a fear she might run away, hence the rush?
However, upon careful consideration, the 21 days of public mourning had passed, and since no one pursued it, some small celebration was permissible.
(The mourning period varies in different regions; the common custom is to observe a seven-day mourning period, refraining from social gatherings and adhering to vegetarian meals. Customs differ by location, and for this fictional dynasty, the three-year mourning is not observed.)
Bai Suihe remarked, "What a pity, a beautiful flower planted in cow dung."
Though the Fan sisters had ulterior motives, it was truly unfortunate for someone as beautiful as Fan Mei Bao to end up with Gu Kaichen.
"But your father’s actions are baffling to me, rather resembling a pimp."
"Pimp?" Gu Kaiyuan, hearing a new term, could tell it wasn’t a pleasant one, full of curiosity.
"Madam," Bai Suihe said candidly, "Do you think he might someday send someone to you too?"
Gu Kaiyuan was startled, shaking his head quickly, "I don’t preside over my father’s affairs to such a degree; even if he did, I wouldn’t dare accept."
"Just kidding, look at how scared you are," Bai Suihe, an advocate of monogamy, couldn’t quite accept this ancient custom, hence her outburst.
"Haven’t you wondered what your father’s intentions are? If I remember correctly, with our current status, we’re not even eligible to take a concubine.
If word got out, Liu Pingkang could thrash us even without higher intervention."
"The arrival of the Xu family women is a conspiracy; Xu Shuanghong’s target may be Father, but her two daughters are likely aiming for the Third Prince."
"Is it that complicated? To place people near the Third Prince, they have to make this big a detour? They underestimate the Third Prince, lacking the intelligence to covet that position.
Their petty scheming is barely worth notice; where does their confidence come from?"
Gu Kaiyuan said, "That’s unknown. Perhaps it’s intentionally to disgust Gu Antong."
Having watched many palace dramas before, Bai Suihe widened her eyes, "Are you saying it’s the doing of women from the Third Prince’s harem?"
"That possibility can’t be ruled out. If Gu Antong can’t even handle these two women, she’s not worth the trouble.
But if she fails to contain them, her days ahead might be tougher, facing more intricate schemes."
Bai Suihe felt a chill down her spine, "The inner palace is truly not simple, was it all laid out so early on?"
"Who knows? They might also be sent by someone else." Gu Kaiyuan consoled her, patting her back, "Any intruders in our household in the future can be directly dealt with."
Bai Suihe glared at him, "Am I such a violent person? At most, I would have them sold."
Gu Kaiyuan, "..." The madam likely doesn’t realize that slaves being sold off also meet a poor end, shunned by the host, nowhere good for them.
"By the way, have Dongmei and the others not returned from shopping?" The post station is backed by a small town; though small, there are numerous shops here, and knowing of their arrival, the shops even stay open after dark.
"Not yet. Do you have anything specific to buy?"
Bai Suihe shook her head; whether or not they find what they need, her secret storage was the most stocked," The oilcloth from before has some damage, do we need to buy more?"
Gu Kaiyuan, "I’ve already instructed Zhuang Datou and the others, and I told them to buy extra raincoats. As we move further, we’ll be facing the rainy season."
Although Bai Suihe didn’t know their exact location, she knew they were headed toward Lingnan, where the temperature is somewhat higher, with less snow and not as cold.
But reaching that region, the seasonal rain would be the real headache.
At that time, not only would the roads be hard to traverse, but clothes might also hardly dry.
