Little did he know, as soon as this decision spread, the women in the backyard finally got a good night’s sleep. No one wanted to be burdened with such a troublesome matter, so the housekeeper taking over was the best outcome. At the same time, they all made up their minds to find the housekeeper first thing in the morning to collect their overdue monthly allowances and this month’s stipends. They certainly weren’t going to shortchange themselves.

The next day in the royal court, having temporarily settled the matters of the backyard, Rong Ruiyuan was met with exactly what he expected: yet another memorial of impeachment against him. He didn’t even want to defend himself anymore. After receiving a scolding from the Emperor, he obediently admitted his faults and stood quietly to the side.

Seeing his deadpan demeanor, Rong Ruixue found the spectacle rather dull. It was truly a case of “when you’re covered in lice, you stop scratching, and when you’re drowning in debt, you stop worrying.” This perfectly described Rong Ruiyuan’s current state. Rong Ruixue even wondered if there was any need to continue impeaching him tomorrow.

Rong Ruisi sneered at Rong Ruiyuan. So he was playing the victim. In that case, they could hold off tomorrow and give him a brutal wake-up call again in a few days.

Currently in the court, because of his handling of the Gu Family, everyone had lost trust in the Third Prince. The fact that no one had stepped forward to speak on Rong Ruiyuan’s behalf these past few days showed just how much of a failure he was. Even the Emperor’s gaze toward him had grown increasingly cold. The Emperor had wanted to prop up a target, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see his own son completely unable to control the courtiers. It was making the royal family a laughingstock for the whole world.

The Emperor wouldn’t ask too much about Rong Ruiyuan’s handling of the Gu Family. After all, they were just a useless chess piece; discarding them meant nothing. But true brilliance lay in squeezing every last drop of value out of a piece before throwing it away. Yet this fool had discarded them so swiftly. What did that mean? Was he afraid the Emperor couldn’t see clearly? Or did he simply not want to see?

These days, Rong Ruiyuan was completely isolated in the court. Even the maiden families of the Princess Consort and the secondary consorts—whom he had painstakingly married into his household—were now treating him with outright hostility, stopping just short of severing ties entirely. He wondered, “After all my meticulous scheming, how did I end up in such a difficult position? This isn’t what I envisioned at all. Where exactly did things go wrong?”

He couldn’t find the answer himself, and the bunch of useless trash he kept around couldn’t give him an explanation either. Now he could only play the coward and try to find a breakthrough. Yet, no matter which path he took, it seemed to be a dead end.

Dragging his exhausted body back to the Prince Mansion once again, Rong Ruiyuan looked up at the sign for the Prince Ning Mansion and found it exceptionally ironic. He thought, “I was merely drugged, and it isn’t incurable. Why did these people turn on me so quickly?”

The housekeeper stood trembling at the door to welcome him. The Prince’s expression was poor again today; it seemed it would be another day of walking on eggshells.

Entering the mansion with a cold face, Rong Ruiyuan ordered his strategists to wait for him in the study. These men no longer possessed their previous arrogance and high spirits. They stood in the study, as timid as quails.

“Weren’t you all so eloquent before?” Rong Ruiyuan demanded. “Tell me, what should I do now?”

The strategists all focused their gazes on Ding Ke. Among them, he had the best way with words. Seeing their anticipation, Rong Ruiyuan also turned his eyes toward him.

Ding Ke’s scalp tingled with anxiety. “Prince, right now, inaction is better than action. With the continuous string of incidents in the mansion, coupled with the Eldest Prince and Second Prince currently being in the limelight, we can appropriately step back and let them fight among themselves.

“Sometimes, not competing is a form of competing. For now, we can only wait quietly for a good opportunity.”

As soon as he suggested this method, the other strategists echoed their agreement. Rong Ruiyuan stared at them coldly. Did they think he didn’t understand this logic?

“The mansion is currently in financial straits,” he said. “What is the status of those merchants you went out to contact previously?”

They had managed to arrange a few matches earlier, but the dowries those women brought in couldn’t solve the problem at all. Those merchants were exceptionally cunning. They offered either illegitimate daughters or distant relatives. Since the dowries provided weren’t enough to fund his grand schemes, Rong Ruiyuan figured he might as well give the women as perks to his subordinates to foster greater loyalty. Therefore, what he was inquiring about now were the wealthy merchants who could offer substantial fortunes, as only that could solve his immediate crisis.

Everyone fell silent. No one was a fool. Now that the Prince Ning Mansion had the incident with Gu Shufei, the Gu Family had lost both its people and its wealth. With such a glaring example right in front of them, who would dare send their daughters in?

“We are still trying hard to reach out,” Ding Ke said, biting the bullet. “However, there are some rumors outside that are unfavorable to our mansion, so everyone is taking a wait-and-see approach.”

As for how to dispel the rumors, Ding Ke and the others didn’t dare bring it up, afraid that the task would fall on their heads. This kind of impact was not so easily eliminated. It required a long time and new scandals to distract the public—neither of which they could manufacture.

“Then which of you will take a trip to Lingnan?” Rong Ruiyuan asked. “Tell He Guangtian to speed things up. Also, find a way to bring the Gu Family back to me. Since this whole ordeal started because of them, they will be the ones to end it.”

The strategists looked at each other in dismay. No one wanted to take on this grueling errand. The final preparations Gu Baijiang had made clearly indicated his intention to completely sever ties with Prince Ning. Only by doing so would their family have room to breathe.

“What? Is no one willing to share my burdens?” Rong Ruiyuan asked sharply.

Ding Ke, the poor scapegoat, was pushed forward once again. Enduring everyone’s stares, he braced himself and said, “I am willing to make this trip.”

“Then I will leave it to you,” Rong Ruiyuan said. He was just about to give further instructions when the housekeeper’s voice rang out from outside, “Reporting to the Prince, a letter has arrived from Lingnan…”

Prince Ning had previously ordered that any mail from Lingnan must be presented immediately. Not daring to delay, the housekeeper could only shout loudly from the door.

A look of joy flashed across Rong Ruiyuan’s face. Perhaps this was the turning point he needed. He had the guard beside him bring the letter in. Skimming it rapidly, he slammed it onto the desk. “Fool! Who told him to act on his own?”

The strategists didn’t dare make a sound. They truly wondered what He Guangrong had done this time.

“Prince, has a problem arisen on Mr. He’s end?” one of them asked. Peers were natural rivals. While these strategists appeared harmonious on the surface, there was no lack of infighting among them. He Guangtian was a strategist just like them, but he was far better at flattering. The Prince had secured a position for him and even bestowed upon him a seventh-rank official title. It wasn’t as if the rest of them harbored no resentment over this.

“This idiot dismissed Gu Kaiping,” Rong Ruiyuan spat. He hadn’t expected He Guangtian to take matters into his own hands. This would completely enrage and offend the Gu Family. Would they still return to help him clean up this mess?

“Mr. He is indeed a bit too hasty,” a strategist immediately stepped up to kick him while he was down. “I’m afraid the Gu Family now harbors a grudge against you, Prince.”

“Indeed! How could he dare make such a decision? If this gets out, who knows how people will twist the story against us!”

Rong Ruiyuan rubbed his forehead. It was bad enough that these fools couldn’t share his burdens, but they were also constantly creating more trouble for him. If he were in the Gu Family’s shoes, he would likely hold a grudge by now. Why would they ever be willing to come back and help him? Come to think of it, he only had his own impatience to blame…

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