"Madam, do you still feel sorry?"

Chen Zhizhou carefully placed the hairpin on Gu Qing's hand and gently rubbed the back of her hand with his fingertips. "Following me, you will inevitably encounter some conspiracies and calculations. I am always worried that I can't take care of you. With this, you can protect yourself in the future."

Gu Qing was moved and carefully put the hairpin back into the box. The faint candlelight illuminated her gentle and delicate face, which made Chen Zhizhou's heart tingle slightly.

"These things you gave me are all excellent, how could I not like them?" Gu Qing lowered his head and smiled, hiding the moisture in his eyes.

Chen Zhizhou stood up and carried the man horizontally. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Gu Qing gasp softly, and he subconsciously put his arms around his shoulders: "Don't scare me."

"It's getting late, go get some rest."

That night, Gu Qing slept well.

The next day, perhaps because she hadn't slept so comfortably for a long time, it was already noon when she woke up.

The old lady sent some freshly made iced mung bean soup to relieve the summer heat. After Gu Qing finished it, he went to Jiaolan.

Situ Sheng's injury has healed a lot. Although the last time Gu Miao came to cause trouble affected the business for a few days, after the storm, Jiao Lan was still crowded with customers.

When everyone saw the lady coming, Qiu Rong immediately ushered her into the inner hall: "Madam, you are here. Our business has been very good these days."

"Last time you taught the troublemakers a lesson in public, and now no one in the capital dares to cause trouble for Jiao Lan anymore."

Gu Qing nodded as he looked at the account book, saying, "That's the best, but you should still be more careful. You can block an open attack, but you can't guard against an arrow from the dark."

Qiu Rong remained silent and lowered her head, saying, "Madam is right. Qiu Rong will be more careful and will not let those villains succeed."

The heat outside the window was getting heavier, and the time for the palace night banquet was getting closer.

Gu Qing glanced at the green shade outside the window and fell into deep thought.

In the previous life, the Princess of Northern Frontier framed Chen Zhizhou, but after seeing her last time, he found that the princess did not seem to be a vicious person.

What kind of secret is hidden behind this?

"Madam, have some tea." Situ Sheng's voice interrupted Gu Qing's thoughts. She came back to her senses and looked down at the person kneeling in front of her, her eyebrows slightly raised: "What are you kneeling for? Just stand up."

"You are a shop assistant, not a servant of my Chen family."

After these words were spoken, Situ Sheng's eyes showed a complex emotion. He was silent for a moment and then said, "I have never seen anyone as good as Madam. I think being a servant in Madam's service should be very happy."

Gu Qing looked at him. Situ Sheng was indeed quite good at speaking in front of him. Although his words were flattering, they were different from the false flattery of others. There was a bit more sincerity in them.

This is why she is willing to keep him. In the entire Jiaolan, only Situ Sheng is the one who makes her most curious.

But now I am not sure whether he is thinking about me wholeheartedly, so I dare not leave everything to him.

"What have you been busy with these days?" Gu Qing took the tea he offered and took a sip.

Situ Sheng subconsciously looked at her lips which were slightly moistened by the tea. They were crystal clear and rosy like cherries falling on a branch after the rain, and his young heart began to throb slightly.

He had never liked a woman, and didn't know what it felt like to like someone, but every time he saw his wife, he was overjoyed.

Situ Sheng lowered his head, not daring to look past the mark, as if looking any further would be a blasphemy to his wife.

Seeing him lower his head and remain silent, Gu Qing frowned slightly: "Is there something you can't say?"

"No, no!" Situ Sheng immediately said respectfully, "I was busy entertaining guests during the day, and at night I studied the book that Madam gave me."

"Oh? Do you like these books?" Gu Qing heard Cui Ru say that Situ Sheng could read ten lines at a glance and had an excellent memory.

At this point, Situ Sheng's face lit up with joy, and he spoke with considerable excitement: "I like it! I like everything my wife gives me."

"I'll do whatever Madam wants me to do!"

Gu Qing was silent for a moment. Seeing this, Situ Sheng became a little nervous and asked cautiously, "Madam, do you not like my answer?"

"I only like sincere words." Gu Qing's tone was light, "I don't like to interfere in your affairs."

Hearing this, Situ Sheng's eyes flashed with disappointment, but he managed to control his emotions well, raised his head and smiled again: "I understand."

"But what I said just now was the truth! I have never lied to my wife!"

"Yeah." Gu Qing responded: "In that case, I'll have someone send you some more."

Situ Sheng was overjoyed: "Thank you, Madam!"

Gu Qing looked at him and saw the genuine joy in his eyes, so he didn't say anything more.

Before leaving, he told Qiu Rong that he would not come to Jiao Lan in the next few days, and asked her to take good care of the business in the store and report any situation to the housekeeper of the Chen Mansion.

On the other side, Furong Tower.

Because the sun was too scorching, the young men and women in the capital city did not hold banquets outside, so whenever there was a banquet, they would gather at Furong Tower.

Qu Lingling sat in the corridor, watching people coming and going downstairs, with a somewhat depressed look on her face.

Gu Miao finally got his father's permission to go out to the banquet. When he saw someone, his eyes rolled and he approached: "Isn't this the elder sister of the Qu family? What happened?"

Qu Lingling disliked Gu Qing and naturally knew that Gu Miao and she were not on good terms. She sneered and said, "What's wrong? Isn't it because of your ancestor?"

"My family's ancestors?" Gu Miao sat down beside her. "Sister Qu, can you explain it more clearly? I really don't understand."

Both of them have their own ulterior motives.

At the same time, several noble ladies who were on good terms with Qu Lingling also came over to watch the two of them having fun, and occasionally joined in on the fun.

Even Wu Xian'er, who had just recovered, came over and stared at Gu Miao without saying a word.

Anyway, Gu Miao is a member of the Gu family. Since it was Gu Qing who harmed her, she naturally has some resentment towards Gu Miao.

"You really don't know? It seems you don't have much say in the Gu family." Someone started to criticize Gu Miao. Gu Miao's face changed slightly, and he finally managed to calm down: "What does this sister mean?"

"You just pretend to be a little white flower. Don't you know what Gu Qing looks like with fangs and claws?"

"Your sister is so shameless that she hooked up with a strange man and even beat up the daughter of a secretary in the street! Let's not talk about Du Qing being beaten, and there's also Wu Xian'er, who has a close relationship with the Duke of Zhao! She dared to do that!"

Hearing this, Gu Miao suddenly covered her face and sobbed. Everyone looked at each other and watched her act.

"My dear sisters, I feel really guilty. After all, she is my sister. She is already married to someone else, but she is still acting like this. It really brings shame to our Gu family."

As he spoke, Gu Miao wiped away a tear, which attracted quite a few people, including some men who came to gossip about him.

"Gu Qing is actually this kind of person."

"I used to think she was pretty, but I didn't expect her to be so domineering. Fortunately, she married Chen Zhizhou. If it were me, I would never dare to marry her home."