Chapter 664: All Are Loyal and Righteous

"I want to follow the Eighth Prince, too," Ying Ge said slowly.

"How could you too..."

"Du Ying, since this is their choice, just let them go," Gu Shuo said, cutting off Du Ying’s angry words.

"Mr. Gu, the Eighth Prince is of royal blood." Du Ying didn’t want them to get entangled in such matters again.

"Du Yi is right. If the person Qian Ning gave her life to save dies so easily, wouldn’t everything she did have been in vain?" Gu Shuo said.

Despite this, Du Ying was still deeply dissatisfied.

"When the General wakes, I will go to him and ask for punishment."

Du Yi had made his decision, but he didn’t dare act on his own authority. He was a Hidden Guard of the Xiang family, and would be for his entire life.

"Do as you please."

Du Ying turned and walked away.

Luo Wen stepped forward, patted Du Yi on the shoulder, and followed Du Ying out.

"Young Master Zhan, Mr. Gu, this subordinate must go prepare the carriage for the General. I will take my leave first." Luo Xuan cupped his hands in a salute to the two of them and walked out of the courtyard.

Zhan Chi looked at the vast estate. "The General’s mansion has quite a large staff. The maids, servants, and steward can all find work at the Zhan Mansion, but the concubines from the rear courtyard won’t be so easy to place."

Gu Shuo agreed. Xiang Minghou was being exiled from the Capital City. No matter his future plans, he couldn’t possibly take so many concubines with him. And due to their own status, it would be inappropriate for either the Gu family or the Zhan family to take them in.

Figuring out how to settle them was indeed a headache.

「The General’s Mansion, Rear Courtyard」

When the eight concubines heard the General’s Mansion was being seized, for a moment they didn’t know what to do. The General was severely injured and unconscious. If they left the mansion, they had no idea where they would go.

"How is he? Has the General woken up?"

"No. Dean Chen is watching over him. His injuries are very severe."

"The steward just came by. He said the General’s Mansion will be seized tomorrow, and the General will be exiled from the Capital City. He told us to make plans for ourselves soon."

"Plans?"

Huaihua and Sansan looked at each other. It seemed that since entering the General’s Mansion, they had never once thought about the future. Subconsciously, they had always believed they would spend their entire lives in the mansion’s rear courtyard.

"It is indeed time to make plans," Peony said softly.

"Peony, have you thought of something?" Baixiang and White Spirit looked toward her.

"The General saved us back then and gave us a place to live. Now his life hangs by a thread. We absolutely cannot abandon him at a time like this."

"Peony is right. The General has taken care of us for many years. We can’t be so ungrateful."

"We’ll go with the General to the frontier."

"I know how to cook. Even at the frontier, I can work as a chef. Earning money to support the General won’t be a problem," Shaoyao said, patting her chest confidently.

"Working as a chef on the frontier... can you really make money doing that?"

"Why not? People have to eat. Good skills are what’s important."

"That’s one way, I suppose. But if we go to the frontier, I don’t know if anyone will want to listen to music." Huaihua was a very skilled qin player.

Hua Qiao rolled her eyes. "Life on the frontier is hard and impoverished. People have trouble just getting enough to eat. Who would have money to listen to music?"

"Tsk, that’s true. To think I have this skill with the qin, only to find out now that it’s useless," Huaihua lamented.

"Oh, don’t worry. There’s always a way," Xinghua interrupted. "The eight of us working together, are you saying we can’t even support the General? The most important thing right now is to prepare a comfortable soft bed for him. His injuries are so severe, the jolting of the carriage could make them worse."

Baixiang had a sudden realization. "Oh, right! I have a fine silk mattress somewhere. I’ll go get it and put it in the carriage."

Standing outside the door, Gu Shuo listened to the lively discussion inside and felt a sense of relief. ’No wonder the little girl liked the General’s Mansion so much,’ he thought. ’Everyone here, from the maids and servants to the concubines, is of first-rate character.’

It was truly heartwarming to see a household get along so harmoniously.