Chapter 416: The Visitor
As for everything happening in the capital, Bai Suihe knew nothing and had no intention of finding out. However, she had already received an expedited letter from home—the Bai Family was on their way to Lingnan.
Staring at the letter, Bai Suihe remained silent for a long time, only snapping out of it when Gu Kaiyuan returned.
Gu Kaiyuan had reaped a small harvest from his trip out today. The moment he walked through the door, he handed the newly processed official deed directly to Bai Suihe. He asked, noticing her expression was a little off, "What’s wrong?"
"The Bai Family is moving to Lingnan."
"Isn’t that a good thing?" Gu Kaiyuan had already guessed as much. The head of the Bai Family was a man of great foresight; he clearly wanted to leave the capital to avoid the brewing risks.
"I’m just worried that their sudden departure might arouse suspicion from those in power."
Gu Kaiyuan chuckled lightly. "Don’t worry. Since my father-in-law and the others have decided to do this, they must be fully prepared.
"Aren’t we in Lingnan? Your parents and two brothers missed you and traveled thousands of miles to visit. What could anyone possibly say about that?"
"But they’ve transferred most of their businesses..."
"Then there’s even less to worry about," Gu Kaiyuan said, feeling that Bai Suihe was sometimes overly cautious. He patiently explained, "The Bai Family’s businesses in the capital are all highly profitable ventures. Those powerful nobles would love nothing more than to get a piece of the pie. Now that the Bai Family is giving them such an opportunity, they will naturally cooperate fully.
"As for where the Bai Family goes or what becomes of them in the future, what does that have to do with those nobles?"
"But the Bai Family is, after all, one of the wealthiest families in the Rong Dynasty. Would those in power really let them leave with peace of mind?"
Gu Kaiyuan patted Bai Suihe’s head. He wondered what kind of world his wife had traveled from that made her feel so insecure here. "It hasn’t reached that point yet.
"The struggle for imperial power hasn’t officially begun. Even if the Princes have ambitions, they wouldn’t dare make any major moves right now.
"It’s the best choice for my father-in-law and the rest of the family to leave at this time. If they delay it by a few years, things might take an unpredictable turn."
Later, when he returned to the capital for revenge, his mother-in-law and the others had provided some assistance. However, Gu Kaiyuan also knew that the Bai Family was going through a difficult time back then. The struggle among the Princes had been brought out into the open, and anyone with even a little power in the capital was dragged into it, let alone these wealthy merchants.
The battle for the throne required not only the support of court officials but also mountains of gold. Naturally, their gazes turned toward these wealthy businessmen. No matter how skilled the Bai Family was at business, and despite the connections they had behind the scenes, they were inevitably swept into the maelstrom.
"I hope that’s the case." Even though Bai Suihe had grown up in modern society, she had never experienced so much deception and treachery. She lacked political acumen, and such matters had never concerned her. When it came to court politics, she was a complete novice.
Despite his reassurances, she still felt somewhat anxious. Although the bandits along the way had been wiped out, the Bai Family’s relocation would certainly be a massive undertaking.
Little did she know, the head of the Bai Family was far cleverer than she had imagined.
Their belongings had long since been shipped out in batches through an escort agency over several trips. By the time the family members actually departed, they were practically traveling light.
Although others didn’t understand why the Bai Family was leaving the capital, it had little impact on them, so no one paid it much mind.
However, the Gu Family was a different story. Because of Gu Kaichen, Gu Baijiang had hidden at home for another two days, perfectly missing the latest news of the Bai Family’s departure.
By the time he found out, they had already left the capital’s borders.
All his previous schemes had vanished into thin air. What gave him the biggest headache was that the Third Prince later demanded he find a way to contact the Bai Family, preferably to coax them into returning to the capital.
But that was a story for later. Regardless, the Gu Family wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the Bai Family anymore.
Knowing that the Bai Family was coming, Bai Suihe and the others couldn’t comfortably proceed with their own plans. They handed their tasks over to their subordinates, packed their bags, and returned to Zhang County.
Since this would be the first stop on the journey to Lingnan, waiting here was undoubtedly the right move.
Houses in Zhang County were incredibly difficult to buy nowadays. Even if they had land, rushing to build a new one wouldn’t be fast enough. Bai Suihe simply ordered the servants to tidy up their current courtyard in the county, planning to leave this large estate for the Bai Family to stay in.
As for themselves, they had other smaller courtyards. Their family of three could comfortably stay anywhere.
While preparations were in full swing here, the Bai Family finally arrived amidst their anticipation.
Watching the long caravan enter the city drew a large crowd of onlookers. Even Xu Ziyuan was alerted, thinking that another high-ranking official or noble had arrived.
Upon learning that the Bai Family was relocating to Lingnan, Xu Zitian’s mind began to race. If such a wealthy household could be persuaded to stay in Zhang County, it would be crucial for the development of the entire county.
He could no longer sit still in the county office. Donning a long robe, he took a few subordinates and headed straight to the Gu Family’s residence.
Seeing the servants bustling about carrying things outside the main gate, he ordered Tian Zhuang to call for Gu Kaiyuan.
Gu Kaiyuan was quite surprised to see the County Magistrate. He quickly bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Lord Xu."
"There is no need for formalities, Mr. Gu." Before coming, Xu Zitian had naturally done his research. He had heard about the Gu Family’s affairs, though he reserved judgment on them; every family had its own story. "It’s so lively here today, so I came to join the fun.
"I heard that distinguished guests have arrived. I wonder if I might shamelessly invite myself in for a cup of wine?"
Since he had put it that way, what else could Gu Kaiyuan say?
"You are too polite, Lord Xu. Your willingness to grace our humble abode brings light to our home. Please, come inside."
Gu Kaiyuan hadn’t expected the Bai Family’s reputation to hold such immense allure, enough to make a County Magistrate act on mere hearsay.
However, on second thought, it made sense. With the Bai Family’s wealth, if they were willing to stay in Zhang County, the county’s development would step onto a whole new level. Faced with such a political achievement, probably no official could resist the temptation.
In the courtyard, Mrs. Bai kept her eyes locked on Bai Suihe. Only after confirming that her daughter hadn’t lost weight did she shift her gaze to the baby in Bai Suihe’s arms. "This must be my granddaughter. She looks just like you."
Bai Suihe looked down. The baby’s features had filled out a bit now, but she could only be said to resemble her by four parts. Her eyes and brows actually looked more like her father’s.
But since her mother said so, she went along with it. "I think so too."
"You wrote in your letters that everything was going smoothly, but I just couldn’t put my mind at ease." Mrs. Bai reached out to take the baby, examining her carefully. "Now it seems your letters weren’t lying. They say blessings and misfortunes are intertwined, and that truly makes sense. Having stayed far away from the capital, you seem much more cheerful now."
Her daughter had been too bound by the rules in the past. Her current vitality was completely different from before, as if she were a brand-new person.
But after enduring such a great ordeal and now being the mistress of her own household, it was only natural that she had grown a backbone and changed for the better.
"This is my welcome gift for the child," Bai Jingwen said. He had been standing to the side, quietly watching his legitimate daughter and granddaughter. True to his usual style, he directly shoved a gift list into her hand.