Gu Kaiyuan and Bai Suihe sat in the carriage eating pastries, unaware that the two children of the Gu Family had a fever.

They inevitably discussed the black-clad men from last night.

"Do you think they’ll come again?"

Gu Kaiyuan’s lips curved slightly, "If it were those people from last night, they probably won’t have another chance.

However, the mastermind behind them will likely continue to send people over. As long as they haven’t got what they want, they won’t give up."

Bai Suihe’s pupils narrowed, as he saw Gu Kaiyuan nod slightly, "I’ve been prepared for a long time. If anything happens, you should keep your distance, as their target isn’t us."

Bai Suihe, "But after all, even if we’re not valued, we’re still part of the Gu Family. Are you sure that even if we’re far away, we won’t get involved?"

Gu Kaiyuan, "The more people know, the less of a secret it becomes, so their current target will only be Vice Minister Gu.

Even if people know it at the last moment, they’ll only share all secrets with the eldest son."

As long as Gu Baijiang is alive, we won’t be valued. As long as the balance is maintained, we won’t get involved. Gu Kaiyuan had already played through various scenarios in his mind.

Just like last night, even the Gu Family couldn’t point out anything unusual about him. Even when others praised him for his filial piety, they had to chime in with compliments.

The open-minded Gu Kaiyuan now only wanted to use the Gu Family to enhance his own reputation, as a final contribution to the descendants of their branch.

"But speaking of which, where did the old man get the silver?" Bai Suihe was even more curious about this point.

"The Third Prince wouldn’t ignore it; they’ve probably been in contact.

But perhaps the silver given wasn’t much, you see how stingy he was."

Gu Kaiyuan looked at Bai Suihe with a half-smile, "Did you forget what we did previously?"

Bai Suihe thought of the emptied Third Prince Mansion, and couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty; they indeed took quite a few things.

Dong Mei and Chun Xiang wished they could cover their ears. How could they, mere maids, be allowed to hear such talk?

"Miss, Chun Xiang and I want to go for a walk." Dong Mei feared hearing more things they shouldn’t and mustered the courage to interrupt their masters.

Gu Kaiyuan didn’t plan on keeping it a secret in the first place, "It’s fine, it’s good for you to know some matters, so you’ll know how to handle them in the future."

Both Dong Mei and Chun Xiang were loyal. Even though they could have stayed in the capital living a comfortable life, they chose to follow without hesitation. Gu Kaiyuan didn’t treat them as outsiders because of this.

"There’ll be many dangers on the way ahead. Your main task is to protect your miss. Don’t bother with anything else.

Especially those from the Gu Family, don’t believe whatever they say and don’t get entangled with them."

Dong Mei and Chun Xiang looked solemn and nodded earnestly, "Rest assured, sir, we will protect the miss." Even if it costs their lives, they cannot let the miss get hurt.

Bai Suihe, "Everyone relax a bit, as long as we stick with these escorts along the way, there shouldn’t be much of a problem."

For the past two days, she quietly observed these escorts; though greedy, they weren’t bad people.

For those troublemakers in the group, they merely gave minor punishments without beating people to death.

If you gave them silver for convenience, they accepted it graciously. But if you didn’t, they wouldn’t ask for it proactively.

Moreover, last night, they drew their swords to help immediately, saving Gu Baijiang from falling into the hands of those black-clad men. It shows they have a moral bottom line and a sense of responsibility.

"I also think Liu Pingkang has many shortcomings, but he handles things fairly." Because of this, Gu Kaiyuan proactively engaged with Liu Pingkang.

If you pay him enough, and don’t provoke him, then he won’t make trouble for you and might even help out in critical moments.

...

The next two days were peaceful, everyone adapted to the rhythm, and whenever they stopped, they would rest and prepare some food for themselves.

However, there were only so many supplies bought earlier; over the past day or two, most had been consumed.

Eventually, everyone had to rely on the hard black bread provided by the escorts, keen to reach the next post station soon.

During break stops, some thought of buying something from nearby farmers, but before they could get close, the villagers shut their doors tightly, ignoring their shouts, so they gave up.

Chun Mei and the others were well-prepared, but with six mouths to feed, even an ample supply ran out. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"When we stop to rest, let the masters take a break, and I’ll drive the ox-cart with Datou to see if we can buy something in town." Huang Pingguo checked and found they had only two pounds of flour and a little pig fat left.

They could endure hunger, but not the miss and the little one in her womb.

Dong Mei shared the same thought, and all eyes turned to Bai Suihe to make a decision.

Bai Suihe had an abundant supply in her space, but she couldn’t bring it out, "It’s a bit far from town here, by the time you get there, the city gates might be closed."

Gu Kaiyuan, "Yes, if you go now, you’ll miss it, and even if you buy something, you can’t bring it out of town. I’ll take a trip into the mountains later."

Bai Suihe could enter her space to replenish her nutrients, but Chun Mei and the others wouldn’t know.

"We’ll go with the sir to the mountains," Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo quickly said, "What we learned in the mansion should come in handy."

Gu Kaiyuan, "No need, you stay here to protect your miss.

With you here, I can be more at ease."

Bai Suihe knew Gu Kaiyuan had martial skills, "Listen to your sir."

But she turned to Gu Kaiyuan, "Just look around nearby, don’t venture deep into the mountains."

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I treasure my life and want to see our baby."

These exiled prisoners can’t have weapons, so since Gu Kaiyuan planned to go into the mountains, he needed Liu Pingkang’s permission and had to borrow a knife.

"Go quickly and come back," Liu Pingkang readily lent his sword to Gu Kaiyuan, not fearing his escape with his family there. "We’re not familiar with this mountain, and I heard there are fierce beasts up there, better not go too deep."

Gu Kaiyuan thanked him and then left with the sword.

"This third master Gu is quite a figure, how come we never heard of him before?" Guo Baoshu found it odd; the eldest and second sons of the Gu Family were well-known in the capital, but not much was known about the third son.

"What’s strange about it? Scholars prefer scholarly children. Look at this third master Gu, more like a knightly general, it’s no wonder he’s not favored by Vice Minister Gu." Ma Zhi put away his whip, preparing to light a fire.

"This third master Gu was truly born into the wrong fate. If he were born a military general, wouldn’t he be favored?"