Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Stirring Up Trouble
"Oh, you’re eating now," a middle-aged man with a shiny, oily face walked in with a large group, his gaze sweeping over everyone before settling on Fan Meilin and Gu Antong.
"Who are you, did you find the wrong people?" These strangers had walked in openly, and judging by their attire, similar to the locals they saw when they entered the city, the Gu family guessed it might be a mistake.
"Are you the Gu Family from the capital?" Liang Shan didn’t think he had found the wrong people, those guys outside the post station wouldn’t dare lie to him.
Seeing that none of them answered, he knew he had found the right people, "Which one is Gu Antong? Step forward, let me have a look."
Liang Shan’s eyes darted among the women; there were two young girls who looked decent, but the one at the back had an air about her, it was clear she was well-educated.
"Who are you?" At this moment, Gu Kaiping could no longer remain silent, querying women as soon as he arrived—his intentions were clearly not good.
"I am the uncle of the Third Prince Consort. I heard that the Third Prince was under the care of your Gu family for a while, and there was even a young lady who served him closely; I’m a bit curious.
Rest assured, I am not here to cause trouble. My niece is very kind and magnanimous. If she is a good girl, I could help send her to the capital. After all, since she has served the Third Prince, she cannot remain without status."
Gu Antong had never been so humiliated. She had known long ago that with her background, she could not become a principal wife, but she did not wish to enter the mansion in this manner.
Fan Meilin and her sister simultaneously looked at Gu Antong. Liang Shan knew his earlier speculation was correct; this young girl had good looks. He really didn’t understand why his niece wanted to bring someone like her into the mansion. Was she not afraid...
However, as her uncle, there was no way he would let his niece act foolishly. It was better to resolve this threat early on.
"Don’t talk nonsense," Gu Baijiang glared at him angrily. "I don’t know where you heard such rumors, but coming to ruin a girl’s reputation like this is a bit much.
You should leave here immediately. I can pretend this never happened."
"Who is this ugly wretch? And you dare threaten me," Liang Shan looked at Gu Baijiang with disgust. "Do you believe I can keep you from leaving this post station?"
"..." Gu Baijiang knew there was no way to recover his face, but this was the first time someone had insulted him to his face. "I am Gu Baijiang, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War..."
"You’re Gu Baijiang?" Liang Shan was momentarily surprised, then burst into laughter, clutching his belly. "With that ugly mug, you can be the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War? Since when does the court tolerate people like you?
Besides, even if you are Gu Baijiang, so what? You are exiled prisoners now, less than even the followers by my side, and still dare to put on airs in front of me.
Now I offer you benevolence, quickly let Gu Antong come with me, and I will send someone to escort her to the capital. Since she enjoys serving people, let her go back early to serve her master."
Gu Baijiang looked at the strong men behind him and knew this wasn’t something his family could handle. He spotted Chen Dafu passing by and, despite previous personal grievances, cried out high, "Mr. Chen, could you please inform the escort officer that there are troublemakers here attempting to take someone away."
Chen Dafu had been lost in thought and hadn’t noticed the situation, but upon seeing it now, he was truly frustrated. They had tried to distance themselves from the Gu family, but somehow ended up getting involved.
He didn’t respond, intending to leave, but two men blocked his way.
"I told you, you got it wrong. I’m just passing by," Chen Dafu said bitterly. "I can’t interfere with your affairs."
He had made his stance clear, surely they would let him go?
Yet he found himself pushed into the room, standing with the Gu family.
"I say, Mr. Gu, is it necessary to drag me into this?"
Gu Baijiang, "..." He’d encountered fools, but none so foolish, and he suspected Chen Dafu did it deliberately. Standing outside, couldn’t he just run away?
"We are exiled prisoners; we can’t go anywhere other than Lingnan. Please thank the Third Prince Consort for her kindness, but no one can defy the Holy Decree."
Liang Shan was indeed startled by this; yes, he had only thought about taking someone away, forgetting these people’s status.
Doing it openly was impossible, but covertly might work.
"Indeed, no one can defy the Holy Decree. My niece’s goodwill has been in vain due to you all.
In that case, I can only report back and let my niece find another suitable person to serve by the Prince’s side."
With that, he left with his men, leaving everyone bewildered.
Chen Dafu, taken aback, dared not linger, fearing they would return, and quickly slipped out of the room.
Out of the door, he patted his chest. That was close; the Gu family truly seemed to jinx him.
"I’m afraid they won’t let this go easily," Liu Yun said, worried. "The Third Prince hasn’t given a definitive word, but the Third Prince Consort seems to be in a hurry."
Xu Shuanghong feigned ignorance, asking, "Baijiang, why didn’t you let them take the eldest girl away?
Going back to the capital would surely be better than suffering with us here."
"Shut up," Liu Yun could no longer hold back. "The matters of our Gu family are no place for an outsider like you to meddle."
Xu Shuanghong looked aggrieved, but Gu Baijiang, instead of comforting her as before, turned to Gu Antong, "Don’t go out alone, and don’t wander around."
Gu Antong, understanding, nodded obediently.
Xu Shuanghong’s eyes flickered, pulling her two daughters to a corner, "You two as well; be cautious and don’t let anyone push you out to bear calamity."
Gu Baijiang lost his appetite, left the room after giving instructions, and returned looking relieved.
...
The post station was restless again that night. Ming Peifeng had brought people over, caught a few small rats, and sent a hastily expedited letter to the capital overnight.
They thought the matter would pass, but then the pursuers seemed to increase. Several times, Gu Antong narrowly escaped, fostering a deeper grudge against the Third Prince Consort.
Bai Suihe was once again surrounded protectively, watching the chaos ahead while munching on some candied fruits just delivered by Dong Mei.
"If it’s like this every day, we might as well have that Ming fellow travel with the group, specifically to protect the Gu family, saving us from headaches." Liu Pingkang, seeing everyone withdrawing behind him and the Gu family hiding behind Ming Peifeng, said with some impatience.
"If it weren’t for this damned mission, I’d have expelled the Gu family from the group, letting them fend for themselves."
The constant bad weather already dampened spirits, and their journey was further delayed by the Gu family.
