Chapter 543: Chapter 544: Crowned King

Cai Hua was now completely destitute. To survive, she had used up all her savings to grease palms; otherwise, she wouldn’t have even been able to get a hot meal.

Following behind the other maid, she hurried all the way to the main courtyard. The maids serving the Princess Consort were quite surprised to see her arrive. However, on this joyous day, they didn’t want anything to dampen their mistress’s mood, so they simply handed over the customary silver reward and sent her away.

Clutching the small pieces of broken silver in her hand, Cai Hua’s face lit up with excitement. She couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she last touched a silver ingot. As long as she used it wisely, she could enjoy a few comfortable days again. Truth be told, she no longer held any high hopes. She feared her life would end in this mansion, and it likely wouldn’t take long. If Gu Antong continued to gain weight like this, she would become a royal scandal. The Third Prince would never stand for it, and the Emperor certainly wouldn’t allow someone like that to exist in the royal family.

Returning to their small courtyard, she quickly hid the silver before feigning a look of panic as she ran outside. "My Lady, the Third Prince has been granted the title of Prince Ning!"

In the past, Gu Antong would have been overjoyed to hear this news. Everyone knew that an ennobled Prince carried far more weight than a mere unranked Prince. It was a pity that, given her current state, she wouldn’t be able to step out of this courtyard even if the Third Prince ascended the throne.

"Prince Ning." Gu Antong couldn’t help but ponder, "Why this title? Is it meant to make Rong Ruiyuan quiet down and properly be an idle Prince?"

In the front courtyard, Rong Ruiyuan was pondering the exact same question. Why the title of Prince Ning?

In the previous dynasty, the figure bestowed with the title of Prince Ning had devoted himself to opera, literature, and Taoism. By remaining aloof and avoiding conflict, he had peacefully survived the reigns of three emperors. If Rong Ruiyuan had no ambition, this title would be excellent, but that was not the case. Therefore, when the decree fell, he felt no joy, even though he was the first among his brothers to be granted a princely rank. He even suspected that this was merely a consolation prize from his imperial father—a sign that he had been kicked out of the race for the throne.

"Prince," several advisors surrounded him, chiming in all at once with comforting and auspicious words.

"I told you to find a renowned doctor. How is it going?" Rong Ruiyuan demanded. Right now, he only wanted to have a child of his own as quickly as possible. That was his greatest bargaining chip in the fight for the throne.

No matter how foolish he was, he could still sense that ever since he was poisoned, his imperial father’s attitude toward him had drastically changed. The Emperor relied on him more in court and was much kinder in private. All of this was simply because Rong Ruiyuan was no longer a major threat to his throne—at least not in the next few years.

"We have already ordered people to search," one of the advisors said. They hadn’t expected Rong Ruiyuan to focus on this so sharply.

Over the past few days, they had exhausted every possible idea to resolve this issue. However, the best doctors in the world were already in the palace. If even the Imperial Physicians were helpless, how could they possibly find a solution? The group had planned to stall for time. After all, according to the Imperial Physicians, Prince Ning’s body could still recover in a few years.

"Then keep looking! Don’t try to brush me off with the same answer every day." Rong Ruiyuan casually tossed the Holy Decree onto the table. He was certainly not satisfied with just the title of Prince Ning. "Send people to search the neighboring countries as well. I don’t care how much silver it costs; you must bring that doctor to me."

The advisors lowered their eyes. Rong Ruiyuan certainly talked a big game. The silver they had previously extorted from the Gu Family was likely already half gone. If they didn’t find a new source of wealth soon, how were they supposed to feed the massive operation they were running? Were they just supposed to starve?

Faced with Rong Ruiyuan’s increasingly volatile temper, some of the advisors were already having second thoughts. Ming Peifeng, who had previously worked with all his heart for the Third Prince, had been made the scapegoat and banished far away to Lingnan, yet the Prince hadn’t shown him the slightest bit of gratitude. By now, Ming Peifeng was probably breaking ground and farming in Lingnan. In a few more years, he would become nothing more than a rustic villager.

Privately, everyone felt that it wasn’t worth it for Ming Peifeng. That man had been far too idealistic. To help Rong Ruiyuan achieve his grand ambitions, he had invested his own silver and exhausted his mind and body. In the end, he had implicated his entire family, yet Rong Ruiyuan never even mentioned his name again.

Even though the Third Prince disliked the Gu Family, who were part of the external officialdom, he had still arranged things properly for them. But as for behind-the-scenes advisors like themselves, the moment they outlived their usefulness, all their past merits vanished into thin air. The more they interacted with Rong Ruiyuan, the more his coldness chilled them to the bone. They feared that even if he were to ascend to the highest seat of power in the future, he wouldn’t offer any significant rewards to those who had contributed to his success. However, once you boarded a pirate ship, getting off wasn’t so easy. Now, they could only take things one step at a time.

Unaware of the undercurrents brewing among them, Rong Ruiyuan berated them once more before driving them out of the room. Being beckoned and dismissed at a whim made the advisors feel even more resentful. When they returned to their own courtyard, none of them could calm down. One of the advisors rested with his eyes closed for a moment, then announced he was going out to meet a friend to see if he could find a highly skilled doctor. With that excuse, he openly left the Prince Ning Mansion.

That night, when Gu Baijiang returned from outside, his face was quite pale. He didn’t even eat dinner and locked himself directly in his study.

"Rong Ruiyuan..." A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Baijiang’s eyes.

It could be said that his family had been torn apart for this man. Now, he had sent his granddaughter into the Prince’s mansion, only for her to be mistreated. She had even been harmed in the inner courtyard, yet no news had been passed along to them. What was Rong Ruiyuan trying to do? How could he burn bridges so callously?

He had thought that by betting it all, he could align himself with a wise lord and elevate the Gu Family to greater heights. But now, it was all over. Gu Antong had entered the mansion with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, only to silently vanish into the inner courtyard. So this was Rong Ruiyuan’s promise that he would not mistreat their family!

Gu Kaiping had been in Lingnan for so long, yet he had only sent back a single letter to report that he was safe. It was obvious that a minor clerk couldn’t possibly have much of a future. He had lost this massive gamble. He was a sinner to the entire Gu Family.

Stroking his own pockmarked face, his expression instantly twisted. Since Rong Ruiyuan was so unfeeling, he shouldn’t blame him for...

But immediately after, he slumped in defeat. What could he even do now? What power did he have left? Even if he tried to defect to the other Princes, they wouldn’t give him a second glance.

Right, he still had a backup plan. At this thought, Gu Baijiang hesitated again. If he really took that thing out, the Gu Family would truly have no way back. The faces of his two grandsons surfaced in his mind, preventing him from making a decision for a long time.

Outside the study, Gu Kaichen paced back and forth. It wasn’t that he was worried about his elderly father; rather, being confined to the mansion every day was simply too stifling, so he had come to plead for leniency. However, ever since his father returned, he had locked himself in the study. Even when Gu Kaichen pressed his ear against the window, he couldn’t hear a single sound from inside. This made him far too afraid to act rashly.

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