Chapter 495: Stupid

Chapter 495: Chapter 495: Stupid

Gu Antong looked at her in annoyance, wondering how there could be someone so wooden. It seemed replacing this maid was an urgent matter. She would wait for Cai Hua to return and see what her mother had to say.

The person in charge of the kitchen was the Third Prince Consort’s subordinate. Aside from using Silver to get things done, relying on her status was impossible. She could only swallow her anger today. So what if the food was a bit bland? She would just treat it as a diet. Looking down at her plump figure, she found it quite impressive, but she could feel herself growing heavier every day. If this continued, she didn’t know if the Third Prince would still like her voluptuous appearance.

At that thought, she instantly lost her appetite. She simply waved her hand and said, "Forget it, I don’t have much of an appetite today either. I’ll just have some fruit later. You can take these and share them among yourselves."

"Yes, My Lady," Cai Li curtsied.

Seeing that Cai Li didn’t even try to persuade her and just directly agreed, Gu Antong felt she was even more inconsiderate. Keeping such a maid by her side would not only fail to be of any help, but her stupidity might even bring disaster.

"Cai Li, do you have any grievances following me into the Third Prince Mansion?" Otherwise, how could a lively maid turn into this? Gu Antong suspected things were not as simple as they appeared.

"I wouldn’t dare," Cai Li said respectfully. "Being able to serve you, My Lady, is already a tremendous blessing. It’s just that there are many rules in this mansion, and I am rather clumsy. I am afraid of breaking a rule and bringing trouble to you."

"At least you have some self-awareness." Gu Antong didn’t pry further. Whether she was truly foolish or just feigning it, such a person could not be kept around.

Fortunately, Cai Hua returned shortly after, even bringing her favorite pastries. This was the difference between them. Cai Li couldn’t blame her, as her master, for making a choice.

"Mrs. Gu said she will help keep an eye out." Cai Hua recounted all the details of her outing before taking out the items one by one. "These are all the things you ordered me to buy, My Lady. Please check if anything is missing."

"No need. I trust the way you handle things." Gu Antong gave the items a cursory glance. If Cai Hua couldn’t even handle this small task, she wouldn’t dare to use her. "What did my mother say?"

"Mrs. Gu said she will figure something out, but she doesn’t have a suitable candidate at the moment. She asked you to bear with it for a little while longer, My Lady."

"She can’t even handle such a small matter?" Gu Antong felt a surge of irritation. "The people in the main courtyard are staring at us every single day. I can’t afford to keep a fool by my side any longer."

"How about this? We can send Cai Li back to the Gu Family first."

"Under what excuse?" Gu Antong thought it was a pity, though being short one servant was fine; she could just make do with the mansion’s staff for now. She had been enjoying unparalleled favor in the mansion recently, and some people had already expressed their loyalty to her. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to win over some hearts at this time. However, rashly sending someone out of the mansion required a proper excuse.

"When I came back, I heard that Mr. Gu has been highly regarded by the Third Prince and will be sent out on an assignment. The Gu Mansion must be busy and chaotic right now, so we can have Cai Li go back to help out for a while."

"That works. Perhaps Mother will come up with a new plan in the next few days. If all else fails, we can just say she fell ill outside."

The master and servant quickly finalized their plan. It was too late for today, but they would send her out first thing tomorrow morning.

After eating a few more pastries, Gu Antong dismissed her servants to have their meal. Once she was alone in the room, she sat in front of the mirror. Her face had grown rounder, making her look fair and tender. She lightly pinched her cheek, instantly leaving two red finger marks.

She couldn’t help but frown. Last night, the Third Prince had been increasingly rough with his touches. Was it because of this? She was actually a bit panicked, feeling that this was somewhat abnormal. However, when the Imperial Physician checked her pulse yesterday, he had said she was in perfect health. Could it really just be that she had been eating too much lately?

Returning from visiting friends, Gu Baijiang brought back good news during dinner.

Although Gu Kaiping was heading back to Lingnan again this time, he would be accompanying the Third Prince’s trusted advisor. The goal was to win over the local powers there. If done well, it would be a massive achievement. If he had felt a bit dissatisfied earlier due to his low rank, all that remained now was pure excitement. For the Gu Family to have a share in such an important matter meant the Third Prince hadn’t forgotten them.

"When you get there, you must listen to Mr. He. Do whatever he tells you to do," Gu Baijiang instructed. "The Third Prince has always valued him highly, and he is one of his close confidants. You absolutely cannot afford to offend him."

"I know, Father," Gu Kaiping replied. "You know better than anyone that I never cause trouble. I work like an old ox wherever I go."

Gu Baijiang clearly didn’t take his words seriously. "Even if you want to accept some bribes, remember to know your limits.

"Unlike me, you don’t know how to leave yourself a way out. Don’t get yourself dragged into anything, and don’t let anyone get blackmail material on you.

"Just focus on doing your job with peace of mind. In the future, if you can return to the royal court, will you ever lack any of those things?"

"But what about things at home?" Gu Kaiping asked.

"You don’t need to worry about the matters at home. Just live well on your salary and handle your official duties properly. That will be enough." Gu Baijiang was still a bit uneasy and wanted to accompany him, but he had other matters to attend to in the capital. "This time, let your wife from the Liu Family go with you. You’ll need someone by your side to serve you."

"Father, there’s no need for that. With so many things happening at home, we can’t do without her." Gu Kaiping glanced at Xu Shuanghong. If the inner courtyard was truly handed over to this woman, he feared that the next time they returned home, they would feel like mere guests.

Gu Baijiang thought about it and realized he was right. Gu Antong still needed Liu Yun to run errands and manage affairs for her. Now that the Marquis Mansion had also shown some goodwill, they needed to maintain that relationship well.

But he was still his son. After dinner, Gu Baijiang brought him to the study and asked, "It’s not a good idea for you to go alone without anyone to serve you. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

The unspoken understanding between men emerged at this moment. "Father, you wouldn’t mind if I took a concubine?" Gu Kaiping asked.

"Why would I mind? That bastard Gu Kai has already broken all the rules anyway. We’ll just reestablish those rules in a few years.

"What do you think of Fan Mei Bao?"

Gu Kaiping jumped up in fright. "Father, you’re not joking, are you? I have no such intentions toward Fan Mei Bao. She belongs to Gu Kai."

Gu Baijiang frowned. "Why are you making such a fuss? I remembered wrong. I meant Fan Mei Lin."

Gu Kaiping was truly speechless. To think his father could even get this wrong; it seemed he didn’t care much about Xu Shuanghong and her daughters either.

"I don’t think it’s appropriate." Gu Kaiping truly didn’t fancy Fan Mei Lin. Aside from not finding her attractive, he didn’t want to have any more ties to Xu Shuanghong.