Gu Baijiang really felt the warmth and coldness of human relationships these days, holding the anger in his heart, but he could only suppress it.

He secretly decided in his heart that when he returned to the capital, he would definitely teach these people a lesson, making them see things clearly.

Turning around to ask Gu Kaiyuan to pay the silver note, he found no one behind him.

Gu Kaiyuan was turned away from him, talking to the Gu Family Brothers about something. At this time, afraid of provoking Gu Baoshu further, he could only take out the silver from his sleeve.

After Gu Baoshu received the silver, took the room card, he didn’t show any gratitude, his face got darker, he snorted coldly, and turned away immediately.

There was only one room obtained, apart from Xu Huizhen who shamelessly followed Gu Baijiang into it, the rest of the Gu family returned to the dormitory.

Gu Antong was a bit unwilling, "Mother, why don’t we ask for a room too?"

"Forget it, just make do," touching the little silver they had, Liu Yun forced herself to refuse, "we don’t have much silver, we need to save for the journey ahead."

"Father?" Gu Antong turned to Gu Kaiping for help, "Can you talk to grandfather?"

"Your grandfather only asked for one room, he must have his reasons," Gu Kaiping didn’t dare to make this request, their future depended on his father.

When they were imprisoned, both he and his father were searched, where did his father’s silver note come from?

There must be something he didn’t know, he had been pondering this question these past few days.

The Holy Decree mentioned embezzling military rations and corruption. If these charges were true, where did the silver go?

Even if his father had a mistress, there must be a source for this silver, right?

The strangest thing is that their house was raided, but they weren’t interrogated, do they not care about the whereabouts of the silver?

Are these fabricated charges, or does the silver belong to someone else?

Gu Kaiping didn’t dare think too deeply about it, even though he was just at the Hanlin Academy, he knew the court affairs well.

Whenever he thought of his father already taking sides, he felt both excited and apprehensive.

This might only be a trial for the Gu family, if they get through it, wouldn’t he, the most outstanding of the family, still have a bright future ahead?

Because of this, he calmed down these past days and focused on being a dutiful son in front of his father.

"But with all this grime, it’s so uncomfortable." Gu Antong couldn’t stand it anymore, having bathed daily back at the mansion, going without for so many days now.

"Don’t be foolish," with suspicions in his heart, Gu Kaiping naturally had to keep a stricter watch on his daughter, "Why clean up nicely now?

Tomorrow, mess up your hair a bit, smear some dirt on your face."

"Wouldn’t that make me look like a beggar?" Just thinking about it, Gu Antong felt a bit frightened, "That would be too ugly."

This time, Liu Yun didn’t agree with Gu Antong, "Your father is right, now is not the time for appearances. The further we go, the more dangerous it might be. I’ve heard bandits become rampant near Lingnan, looking too good is not a good thing."

Holding her daughter, Liu Yun whispered in her ear, "If your father says so, he must have his reasons, be obedient and listen."

Gu Antong nodded in grievance, "I’ll listen to father and mother, but can we have a good meal?"

Seeing their children looking so pitifully at them, Gu Kaiping looked towards Liu Yun.

Liu Yun sighed, took out a silver piece from her sleeve, "Go see what food is available, let’s have a good family meal tonight."

"What about grandfather and them?" Gu Anliang, the eldest grandson of the family, always on Gu Baijiang’s mind, was naturally concerned at this moment.

"Your grandfather and them will eat in the room," Liu Yun patted Gu Anliang’s head, "We don’t have much silver; if we call everyone, we might only manage a few steamed buns."

Gu Anliang fell silent; when his grandfather and them had chicken soup earlier, he wanted meat.

"Anliang, let me take you to see, and then you decide." Gu Kaiping immediately took Gu Anliang away, wanting the old father to know about his son’s filial piety.

"Mother...", Gu Antong was a bit upset; why did father leave her behind?

"Your father has his considerations," Liu Yun, having been married into the Gu Mansion for over ten years, naturally understood Gu Kaiping. She recognized from his attitude shift these days that there were secrets in the Gu family she was unaware of.

As a married couple, Gu Kaiping should consider the future of their children, even if not for himself.

"Quickly tidy up this bed, after a day in the ox cart, we’re all sore..."

Gu Antong had no choice but to help her mother clean up, thinking of her sisters back in the capital, wondering if they talked about her behind her back.

...

When Gu Kaiping brought Gu Anliang to the lower-class room, he saw Gu Kaichen had already brought his family there; no wonder they didn’t see them in the dormitory earlier.

This lower-class room only had a single bed, did they think they could all lay on the floor here?

"Second brother, what is this?" The three of them stood at the door, unable to even get through.

Peering inside, just as Gu Kaiping suspected, the room was in worse condition than the one they chose before, just a single bed and a narrow corridor, hardly enough for one to lie down.

"You all came? This bed can only fit two," Xu Huizhen already found the room cramped, knowing why these people came.

"Mother can’t get us a room too? So many people crammed, you can’t rest well."

Gu Kaichen squeezed his head in, putting on a wronged expression.

"I can’t do anything, the escorts only gave this convenience for the Bai Family’s sake, maybe you should ask Ms. Bai?"

Xu Huizhen wanted to shift the problem to Bai Suihe, but Gu Kaichen didn’t have the courage.

Bai Suihe hadn’t come down since going upstairs, and those escorts lived next door, he was afraid of their whips.

Seeing Gu Kaichen silent, Xu Yulan simply pushed Gu Anwei forward, "Then at night Wei Er will stay with you, he can show filial duty for us in front of our parents."

Gu Kaiping’s originally unconcerned face changed, did the second brother’s family see something too?

He immediately pulled his son to the doorway, smilingly said, "Mother, we just went out and bought some buns, Anliang kept thinking of you, and as soon as he got them, he rushed to bring them over.

Where is father, I haven’t seen him?"

"Your father was squeezed out by you," Gu Baijiang didn’t expect that while he was using the toilet, his sons had come.

He had seen clearly from the back, the second brother’s family wanting to take advantage, while the eldest and the eldest grandson truly came for the elderly parents, with steaming buns in hand.

Xu Yulan and her family were eyeing the meat buns, even swallowing hard without giving their old father a glance.