Chapter 444: Chapter 444: Resolution

Gu Antong never imagined that a mere four thousand taels of silver would prompt Zhou Gang to press her for debt right to her face.

The Third Prince had just sent someone to summon her over. The matter had already reached His Highness’s ears. There were simply no secrets in this mansion; those women in the inner courtyard were paying close attention as well.

She could easily imagine that for a long time to come, she would have to endure their cynical remarks and sneers.

This was her maiden family. It would have been one thing if they hadn’t helped her out before, but now they were bringing her such immense trouble.

"Tong Er, we really can’t get by anymore," Gu Kaiping said with a bitter face. "Our family doesn’t have any income. Right now, your grandfather and I both have to take on piecework from the bookstore just to barely maintain our livelihood.

"Where do you think we can find thousands of taels of silver to give him now?

"But if we don’t pay him, this matter will just keep escalating. What do you think we should do?"

What should they do? Gu Antong really wanted to say that they should face the consequences themselves, but ultimately, she lacked the confidence to do so. After all, this incident was partly caused by her.

Thinking of something, Gu Antong hurriedly pulled Liu Yun aside. "Mother, did the Third Prince know about these things just now?"

"He probably doesn’t know," Liu Yun said. She knew what her daughter wanted to ask. She had also been afraid earlier that these people might let something slip.

Gu Antong breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn’t know the full story, she could still smooth things over.

"Mother, this matter absolutely cannot implicate me. The women in the inner courtyard are truly too difficult to deal with. The reason I kept going back for silver before was to bribe people.

"In this inner courtyard, if you don’t have silver, you won’t even be able to get a hot meal.

"I know the family is struggling, but things are hard for me here too. This is a critical time for us all. Our family must work together to overcome this crisis."

"I know what you mean. Of course, we don’t want to drag you into this, but you saw it yourself—that Zhou Gang is no decent person. He’s very tough to handle."

They had spent so much silver to send their daughter into the Three Emperors Mansion, yet they hadn’t gained any benefits so far. Naturally, they didn’t want Zhou Gang to ruin everything.

"Go discuss it with Grandfather and Father. They definitely have a way."

Liu Yun didn’t understand. Her father-in-law and husband were standing not far away, so why did her daughter want her to pass the message?

"There are some things that are inconvenient for me to say myself. Mother, you want the best for me too, right?"

Liu Yun braced herself and agreed. She pulled the two men of the Gu Family aside and quietly whispered something. Zhou Gang had been keeping an eye on them the entire time. Noticing the change in their expressions, he sneered, thinking they were probably discussing how to dispose of him.

Did they naively think he would dare storm into this Third Prince Mansion all by himself? He had already made all the necessary arrangements. If he succeeded, he would go straight to the First Prince for a reward. If he failed, leaving his life here wouldn’t be a loss. His wife and children could use the incident to make a huge fuss, as there were plenty of people eager to see the Third Prince suffer misfortune.

"When Tong Er entered the mansion, she only brought a few silver notes with her, and they were all spent on bribes long ago," Liu Yun said, wiping her tears. "I only found out today after asking her that she has a very hard time in the inner courtyard. She is suppressed by the official consort and secondary consorts above, while many other women glare at her like tigers watching their prey from below. The servants are all snobs who only respect wealth. If she wants to live well in there, she has to pave the way with money.

"Even if we asked her to sell all the dowry we gave her, she wouldn’t be able to pay off this debt. Right now, An Tong is our only reliance. We absolutely cannot let anything go wrong with her."

The two men of the Gu Family understood this reasoning. Gu Baijiang was also somewhat disheartened by his probing today. He had finally figured out that the Third Prince was simply not a good master.

The man was already showing signs of burning bridges after crossing the river. Seizing this rare opportunity to meet his granddaughter, Gu Baijiang wanted to ask her a few questions and offer some advice.

He turned around and walked straight toward Gu Antong. "I know things are very difficult for you in the inner courtyard, but the family truly cannot offer you much help right now.

"We’ve already done what we should. The Third Prince has little affection left for our family now, but at least he won’t dare to go overboard. After all, everyone is well aware of what you brought into the mansion.

"He doesn’t want people to call him callous, nor does he want to chill the hearts of those who follow him.

"On the surface, he gave us a courtyard and servants, but our Gu Family hasn’t received any real, tangible benefits.

"You can put some effort into things on your end. We have no way out now, so you should use your own discretion regarding those etiquette rules.

"I assume your mother has already taught you about the affairs of the inner courtyard. For the sake of your future, you can only risk everything and fight for it now.

"Of course, the Gu Family is also working hard and will find a way to become your strong backing."

He saw the ambition in his granddaughter’s eyes, but this was all he could say for now.

Adding that last sentence was his way of reminding her that even if she attained a high position, her maiden family would remain extremely important.

Gu Antong hadn’t expected her grandfather to unload all this on her. How could she not understand the reasoning behind it? But she still needed capital.

"Grandfather, I understand all this, and I am making an effort, but I am empty-handed right now. What do I have to compete with them?

"Relying on the monthly silver provided by the mansion, I can’t even afford a decent box of rouge, let alone anything else."

Gu Antong cursed inwardly. The damned old geezer had previously told her father that he wouldn’t give all the silver to the Third Prince, which meant he had definitely hidden a portion of it.

That could be considered a rather smart move on his part, but the family was struggling so much now, and she desperately needed it. Was he still reluctant to take it out?

"As long as you gain a man’s favor, he will naturally be willing to offer good things to you with both hands," Gu Baijiang said, as if he hadn’t caught her hint. "Your most important task right now is to bear a child for the Third Prince. A mother’s honor has always rested on her child since ancient times."

Knowing that she could forget about getting any more silver from the Gu Family, Gu Antong couldn’t be bothered to keep pretending. "What about our current crisis? Let’s figure out how to get through this first.

"If we don’t give this man surnamed Zhou some silver today, I’m afraid he won’t let this go."

Zhou Gang was quite a slippery character. He let them whisper among themselves while he sat there boldly, drinking tea and eating pastries. What was even more outrageous was that he laid out the oil paper he had brought with him on the table and dumped all the guest pastries onto it.

Having a person like this at her door was simply an immense humiliation for Gu Antong. "Then you’d better quickly find a way to get rid of him. If this continues, what face will I have left?"

"Mr. Zhou, look at this mess," Gu Baijiang said. "This is actually all a misunderstanding. We never said we wouldn’t repay this silver.

"How about you give us a few days of grace, and we’ll do our best to gather the funds?"

Zhou Gang looked Gu Baijiang up and down. "You’re going to gather it?

"That’s a solution. Don’t blame me for not giving you a chance. I’ll give you two more days. If you don’t pay off this silver for me, then don’t blame me for taking my family to the yamen to demand justice."

Zhou Gang hadn’t expected their attitude to soften so quickly. He couldn’t even find an excuse to make a huge fuss out of it now.

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