Chapter 637: Chapter 473 Changed the Mind
"Heās currently still a Standard Sixth Rank, thinking about these things is too early." Wu An planned to close his eyes and rest, having understood He Jishengās intentions.
He wanted to sow discord between him and his teacher and others, making him resentful, thus dissatisfied with his teacher, dissatisfied with Gu Chengyu.
But Wu An found it strange, though He Jisheng had some disagreements with his teacher before, he had never done something like this to provoke.
Could it be because of the addition of Gu Chengyu? Wu An suddenly smiled, was He Jisheng jealous?
By the time Gu Chengyu and others arrived at the mansion, it was precisely 3:45 PM, the carriage entered through the side gate.
"Where are the people detained?"
Ming Yan handed the carriage to a servant of the outer courtyard and turned back, "Theyāre temporarily settled in Qilan Courtyard."
Gu Chengyu nodded; Qilan Courtyard was an empty courtyard in the inner compound, where Ji Fuhu used to live next door.
Just as Gu Chengyu was about to take Ming Yan to Qilan Courtyard, the steward from the outer courtyard hurried over.
"Sir! The Second Old Master Gu has arrived, Iāve already had him taken to the side hall to wait." Since the master hadnāt given special instructions, Steward Chen only dared to call him Second Old Master Gu.
Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyu frowned, how could they have coincidentally run into each other? Could it be that Gu Changbai knew it was Ming Yan and them who caught Gu Wanfang?
Seeing Gu Chengyu frown, Steward Chen couldnāt help but feel uneasy. Previously, whenever the master knew Gu Changbai was coming, he instructed to receive him in the side hall, could it be that today the master didnāt want to see Gu Changbai?
"You go back to the inner court first, Iāll go and meet my second uncle." Gu Chengyu instructed Ming Yan; no matter the purpose of Gu Changbaiās arrival, he had to meet him.
Ming Yan understood Gu Chengyuās intention and responded, then turned and went to Qilan Courtyard.
When Gu Chengyu arrived, Gu Changbai was sitting in a round chair deep in thought.
"Second Uncle! Coming over so late, have you figured things out?" Gu Chengyu sat at the chief seat as soon as he entered the side hall.
Gu Changbai waited for him this late; it was either knowing they had caught Gu Wanfang or to talk about the visit to Jingyuan Prefecture or Yingnan Mansion last time.
Gu Changbai hurriedly stood up from his chair, smiling, "Last time I was mistaken, you were right, staying in the Capital is indeed costly."
Gu Chengyu was somewhat surprised. He glanced at the smiling Gu Changbai, curious as to why Gu Changbai had changed his mind. Could it be that Gu Changbai had already consulted with the people behind him?
Would Gu Changbai give up? And what about Xiao Yao? He wondered slightly, could it be that Gu Changbai knew Gu Wanfang had been caught by them and thought he wanted to use it to blackmail him?
Or had they changed their strategy, preparing to attack from elsewhere? In any case, he would not give them leverage here; those people might realize appealing to his softer side wouldnāt work and try another method.
And what method could there be? Naturally, it would be through his parents. If they targeted his parents, it might indeed bring Gu Changbai close to his father.
"Itās good that Second Uncle can figure things out. Donāt worry, with Fang staying in the Capital, Iāll keep an eye out for him. Tomorrow Iāll have someone ask the boatman when the ship to Yingnan Mansion sets sail."
Gu Chengyu couldnāt help but test the waters as he closely watched Gu Changbaiās expression, waiting to see if his response matched his expectations.
Sure enough, when Gu Changbai heard of going to Yingnan Mansion, he looked a bit uneasy.
"I havenāt been back to the old land in years and miss your father and oldest uncle very much. I think itās better to return to Jingyuan. With brothers and nephews to look after in Jingyuan Prefecture, itās much better than being a stranger in Yingnan Mansion. Iām not young anymore, itās time to return to my roots."
After saying this, Gu Changbai felt a moment of blankness. These two sentences were his true thoughts as well; itās hard to leave oneās homeland, and the older one gets, the more one misses it.
Gu Chengyu slightly curled his lips; after all, he was about to return home shortly. Even if Gu Changbai returned to Jingyuan Prefecture, he wouldnāt be able to stir up any trouble.
"Returning to Jingyuan Prefecture, weāll have to renovate the old house to see if we can still live in it." Gu Changbai recalled his old homestead, right next to the third brotherās household.
Just as well that the two houses were close; living at the third brotherās place permanently wouldnāt be appropriate.
Actually, if Xiao Yao hadnāt been taken away, he also planned to return to Shangling Village in the coming years.
Gu Chengyu looked at him in surprise after hearing this, then spoke, "When Second Uncle left back then, the house wasnāt paid for, so it was considered the villageās. Now itās been bought by my family and a new courtyard has been built."
After so many years, Gu Changbai was still thinking about that old house? When they left back then, the village chief had told them that without payment, the house would belong to the village.
Gu Changbai was utterly shocked upon hearing this, and his face turned slightly pale. "The house is gone? Then where shall we live when we return?"
Gu Chengyu grew a bit impatient, suddenly losing interest.
He also found it strange that a mysterious person would spend so much effort on someone like him, who was just a Secondary Sixth Rank, and his mansion held no secrets that would require spies.
Even if Gu Changbai lived in the mansion, he wouldnāt even have access to his study, so what use could he be? It was indeed puzzling.
"What are Second Uncleās plans then?"
Seeing Gu Chengyuās loss of patience, Gu Changbai could only murmur, "Iāll return to Jingyuan Prefecture first, and Iāll inevitably have to bother your family then. As for Fang staying in the Capital to study, what does nephew think?"
Gu Chengyu inwardly scoffed, thinking that once Gu Changbai returned to Jingyuan Prefecture, who knew how he might incite his parents!
"Since Second Uncle has decided, Iāll have someone check tomorrow when the ship sets sail." Gu Chengyu picked up a teacup, ready to see him off.
Gu Changbai hadnāt mentioned Gu Wanfang since entering, which meant he certainly didnāt know Gu Wanfang was at his mansion, and he now just wanted to send him away as quickly as possible.
Gu Changbaiās words were cut short when he saw Gu Chengyu offering tea to say goodbye, so he had to sullenly close his mouth.
"Prince! Iāve followed your instructions and informed him."
In Prince Jing Mansionās study, a man dressed in black bowed to the man wielding a writing brush.
"Hmm! Leave! Keep a close watch, and donāt let Gu Wanfang slip by; he might know something."
Prince Jing, without looking up, was sketching a landscape painting as he spoke.
"Yes!" The black-clad man received the order and quickly disappeared from the study.
"Prince! Iām afraid Gu Changbai canāt handle big matters, itās more reliable to insert a couple of people as servants in the Gu Mansion." Xiao Chengzi had no hope for Gu Changbai, thinking he wasnāt a clever person.
Prince Jing laughed a little, "How could those servants get close to the study? There arenāt many servants in the Gu Mansion and theyāre well-managed; his familyās capable people are quite numerous. Besides, the status of a servant is ultimately inconvenient."
Having finished the painting, Prince Jing put down the brush to admire his masterpiece.
Xiao Chengzi had many questions to ask, but didnāt know where to start.
Finally, unable to hold back, he spoke up, "Prince! Mr. Gu is just a Sixth Rank official, not a noble son, nor a court minister, nor has he done anything secret for the Emperor, why do you value him so highly?"