He is still one with the Gu Family for now, so naturally, he doesn’t want others to see his family’s jokes.

Gu Kaiyuan disdained the actions of the Gu Family, but he was also self-aware that this was not something he could stop.

Suddenly, the sound of rebuke and pleas for mercy came from the carriage ahead; it was Mrs. Gu teaching her son.

"What nonsense are you talking about, you brat? Can you handle this matter?"

"Mother, I don’t intend to handle it; I just want to give him a strong dose.

You always say that family harmony is precious, but what have you gained from constantly giving in?

I’ve told you long ago to separate their branch from ours, but you insisted on keeping the family together because ’parents are present,’ and now we end up like this — it’s all Zhou Gang’s fault."

"And what would happen even if we separated?" Mrs. Zhou knew her son harbored resentment, but he never voiced it out of consideration for her. Is today the day he wants to vent?

"Even if we split, we will still end up like this, unless you brothers are willing to be expelled from the clan to avoid being implicated by him."

Zhou Fan remained silent. Indeed, although they were not born from the same mother, they were all members of the Zhou Family by the same father. How could they clear this up?

"But you shouldn’t have given him a few hundred taels of silver." Even after being harmed this much, his mother was as soft-hearted as ever.

Mrs. Zhou replied, "Although not my own flesh and blood, to outsiders, we are one.

Using a few hundred taels of silver to settle their family is indeed the wisest choice for us."

Looking at her son and daughter-in-law in the carriage, Old Madam Gu felt that she must clarify things today; otherwise, the family could easily harbor further resentment.

"You all know Zhou Gang. No matter how good you are to him, he won’t appreciate it, but he can hold a grudge for life over the slightest slight.

I’m old and cannot act rashly; I must consider you as well.

If money can solve the problem, then it’s not a problem. But with him stirring up trouble again and again, those few hundred taels of silver could be considered as severing ties with him.

When you reach Lingnan, try to stay as far away from him as possible, and over time, this relationship will dissolve."

"But I still feel uneasy," Zhou Fan felt somewhat better after hearing his mother’s explanation, but thinking about the grievances suffered over the years, he still felt uneasy.

"Consider it slowly in the future."

After finishing her words, Mrs. Zhou closed her eyes. She was not someone who meddled in others’ affairs. Reminding Gu Kaiyuan was merely an attempt to curry favor.

She also realized these days that the Gu Family would not settle quietly, and the more chaotic the group, the better it was for her family to keep a low profile.

Fortunately, this family’s issues served as a buffer, helping the Zhou Family avoid much embarrassment.

After spending a night as usual in the wilderness, they had only traveled a short distance the next day when Liu Pingkang received a report from the escort up ahead that another group of prisoners had been delivered and was waiting for him to receive them.

The addition of people meant added trouble. It was vexing to have barely trained the current batch only to face another group.

As the convoy halted, Gu Kaiyuan realized what was going to happen was indeed happening.

"Do you want to go and see?" Bai Suihe asked cautiously after seeing him lift the curtain twice.

"No need, it’s a matter between my father and the Gu Family elders. We younger ones need not get involved."

Bai Suihe nodded, "Though you think like this, you might not be able to stay detached. The Third Prince is traveling with them; perhaps you could reveal some of this."

In the previous life, the Gu Family kept it hidden, and the Gu Family members didn’t know such a significant figure was among them.

After causing some events, the Third Prince had an extremely low impression of the Gu Family, so much so that when he later helped the Gu Family regain their status, he selectively forgot the entire Gu clan.

As a result, this family’s clan members were truly unfortunate, without further depiction in the book, indicating they were just cannon fodder.

Since they were all cannon fodder, Bai Suihe didn’t mind pulling together some alliances, knowing that even if the alliances weren’t strong, they would be better than nothing.

Gu Kaiyuan felt such an action wouldn’t be greatly impactful, but frustrating the Gu Family was indeed a satisfactory outcome, "When the time comes, I’ll find an opportunity to greet and inquire about the well-being of the clan’s elders."

When the convoy resumed its march, it was already an hour later. Gu Kaiyuan observed Liu Pingkang returning angrily but chose not to approach and provoke him. Instead, he grabbed some jerky and went to find Ma Zhi.

"Lord Ma, what just happened? Why did we suddenly stop?"

"It seems to have something to do with your family," Ma Zhi said, accepting the jerky and patting Gu Kaiyuan’s shoulder. "Your clan has arrived."

Gu Kaiyuan was shocked, "Our clan members?"

"Didn’t you know? Your family’s troubles have implicated the entire clan, and everyone within five degrees of kinship has been exiled."

Gu Kaiyuan said, "I really didn’t know. The moment the Holy Decree arrived, I was still confused.

I don’t even know how many clan members have arrived. I should go notify my father."

"You should inform your father, but they might come looking for him soon without needing you to inform them." Thinking of those aggressive fellows, Ma Zhi kindly advised, "Since you haven’t been walking with the Gu Family, try to distance yourselves for now. As for your father, don’t worry, our leader won’t let them cause trouble."

As long as things didn’t go too far, they wouldn’t intervene.

Even if the Gu Family suffered some hardships, they wouldn’t prevent it.

If they had such troublesome relatives, they would likely feel angry too.

"I noticed Mr. Liu seemed very upset earlier. Did something else happen? Are they just some prisoners, or does someone dare to give Liu Pingkang a hard time?" Gu Kaiyuan was genuinely curious.

"The local county government’s officials abandoned these people without care, nor did they leave any provisions. Feeding such a large group is a major issue."

This matter naturally involved their interests, and Ma Zhi was also a bit worried.

These prisoners’ provisions should have been provided by the local authorities, but now they’ve washed their hands of it, leaving the burden on them.

Even going back afterward might not guarantee getting those provisions, and dealing with this would upset anyone.

Gu Kaiyuan looked down at the ground; this matter was actually easy to resolve. In the previous life, the Gu Family had no shortage of money, and Gu Baijiang had spent over a thousand silver notes to avoid a beating.

This time could also let Gu Baijiang bear the cost, considering he caused the trouble.

"Don’t worry too much. As long as you follow behind our carriage, they wouldn’t dare to confront you." Given Gu Kaiyuan’s frequent contribution of prey to their table and the Bai Family’s generous silver, Ma Zhi loyally reassured.