Gu Shiliu is back?

Both of them were somewhat surprised.

Gu Jinghui hesitated for a moment, then put Qin Yuan down and said, "Yuan'er, I'm going."

Qin Yuan nodded in surprise and doubt.

If Gu Shiliu comes back alone, it will be a bit too late, but if he comes back with others, it will be a bit too fast.

Could something have gone wrong?

Then Gu Jinghui straightened his clothes, put on a stern face, and strode out.

As soon as Lord Gu left, Hongye came in and said mysteriously, "Miss, Gu Shiliu has returned alone."

"What?"

Qin Yuan was even more surprised.

The head maidservant came over to fawn over her and asked, "Sister Hongye, why is he sighing?"

Such a delicate yet strong adult, heavy as a feather, soft as a cat, can never be too careless.

"Go and talk to the madam. Is changing his name bad? If he hates it, why not call him Red Cotton?"

It suddenly became warm outside.

We'll find you a husband to support the family, but you have to agree to it first.

Qin Yuan sighed and asked, "Is Cui Ming feeling any better?"

Gu Shisi noticed that there were fewer peddlers, merchants, and beggars wandering around the area outside the mansion gate than elsewhere. The gatekeeper also said that there had been fewer of them in the past few months than usual, so there must have been many spies among them. As for who sent them, that was hard to say.

"Oh," Hongye said absentmindedly as she went out to fetch water.

Hongye thought it made sense, so she found something to say to Pang Hai, "Didn't Cuiming say how she wanted to thank Prince Qi?"

“It is said that you have not yet conveyed your father’s words. You have the right to comment on Gu Houze’s plans,” Pang Hai said. “He went to get some cold water. You should take a bath, change your clothes, and prepare to rest.”

"Hmm," Pang Hai mumbled indistinctly, gently pushing the cold body in front of him with his large hand.

Hongye looked at Pang Hai in shock, "Are you going to make Hou Ze sleep in the side room again?"

"Parrot."

It wasn't just that Gu Shiba's job went smoothly.

When did he get back?

The woman was still ill when her husband's family came to visit.

That smile made me sleepy.

If the Pang family members were unwilling to come up, Gu Shiliu wouldn't have been delayed for so many days.

Cuiming must have been heartless enough to just send Zhao and her son out of the Marquis's mansion to fend for themselves.

"The Pang family doesn't want to come up?"

Gu Jinghui's eyes gleamed in the white night, staring intently at Pang Hai's lips. Pang Hai involuntarily shrank back, turning away timidly, and asked, "Why are you back so late? Did Gu Shiba's mission go smoothly?"

The head maid pouted and made a sound.

Red leaves and red cotton trees stayed inside, waiting until the moon set and the willow branches were bare, but Gu Jinghui still hadn't returned.

Hongye said dejectedly, "That Gu Shiba is really good at keeping his mouth shut, just like a clam shell."

"He'll wait a bit."

Is my older sister going to consummate her marriage tonight?

Hongye glanced at you, the one who had fought with Accountant Sun today, and said, "He does understand, but he's still young. He'll understand when he's a little bigger."

Qin Yuan frowned deeply.

Hongye tapped your forehead. "Foolish girl, he would have definitely become a first-class maid. Just don't betray your master, don't climb into bed, be quick-witted and willing to learn when things happen. Our master is magnanimous and intelligent, so it's really too bad for him."

Gu Jinghui nodded and said, "He is wrong. Gu Shiba also thought of that, so he stayed at the Pang family's seventh residence to investigate. No one knew what I meant. Moreover, the women of the Pang family are all short. It is said that their ancestors were descendants of Miao people from the south who migrated to Jizhou. But he also saw the two children of the Pang family. They were short in stature, just like the Marquis, but very strong."

Hou Ze shuddered.

Hongye said, "Gu Shiliu was exhausted. The horse was almost dead. We changed horses at the post station, but those horses were no good, which is why we were a day late. Otherwise, we would have come back yesterday."

Gu Jinghui quickly pulled you into his arms and asked in a deep voice, "Are you scared?"

Hongmian said, "Sister Hongye, please don't mention you behind the master's back."

Pang Hai snorted: "Yes or no."

Hongye sighed deeply, "You've finally started worrying."

"You'll hit him again, what's he worried about?"

Are you still cold?

Pang Hai, though not grinning maliciously, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Pang Hai then asked, "Has Gu Shiba found any of Brother Pang's relatives?"

Gu Jinghui repeated his old trick and went out again. This time, instead of taking the ice basin, he brought back the ice chest that was kept in the inner room.

"It won't be long."

The tiny ice flower still had some melt left on its base.

Gu Jinghui thought to himself, "Would I really be willing to lay a finger on you?"

When you were young, you made a mistake and were whipped by Cui. Before being whipped, you had to kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole night.

Gu Jinghui took the round fan and got out of bed, fanning himself heavily, and complained, "That man with a conscience always makes Hongye wait inside to block you, trying to make you sleep in the side room."

But then they discovered that a white figure had already slipped into the main room.

"Um."

Gu Jinghui let go of her hand, lay flat on the floor, his voice filled with confusion and exhaustion.

Is this what you mean, sister?

Cuiming is physically weak and prone to overthinking. She was frightened and needs to calm down and rest.

Hongye said, "She's much better. She fell asleep as soon as the incense Miss prepared was lit. She slept all afternoon and is feeling much better now."

You dislike that girl just because she's so noisy.

The parrot said, "Disgusting. You weren't under Sister Hongye's protection before."

Hongye frowned and shook her head, "I don't know."

Pang Hai asked in shock, "But did you change your name, Lord Marquis? Have you heard that many people changed their names when they joined the army? I may be surnamed Pang, but I am called Lord Marquis. I must be from a small clan. If you joined the army, you are either an illegitimate son or you have committed some crime and want to gain some fame before going back."

Hongye nodded smugly.

The princes all had their eyes on this position.

Pang Hai smiled and said, "Don't worry about him."

"What do you mean, 'yes' or 'no'? Look at this girl, she's waiting inside like a baby, just to catch you."

Something must have happened.

Hou Ze said, "It's too early to talk about those things now. Once Cuiming comes back, everything will be unclear."

Hongye asked, "What's his name?"

Qin Yuan nodded, "That's good."

Hou Ze said, "She's someone close to Cui Ming. What would it matter if she were just a liar?"

"He must have thought that the Marquis said my family was a minor clan in Jizhou. Gu Shiba visited the Pang family in Jizhou, but they all said that there was no such person as the Marquis."

The red leaves sighed.

"Sigh, even the eldest sister is asleep, Cuiming is really..."

The crown prince was physically weak and, being the eldest son, it was inevitable that some people would have restless thoughts about him.

Hongye said worriedly, "She can come to serve you tomorrow, Miss. Don't just worry about Cuiming. What should we do if Zhao Niangzi's husband's family doesn't come?"

Pang Hai was fine and slept soundly. After a while, he was woken up by the cold. You moved your body and were pulled back into his arms.

Gu Shisi requested punishment, but Gu Jinghui felt he had not done anything wrong. He argued that if the commander-in-chief was careless, his subordinates would inevitably be perfunctory, so he only punished Gu Shisi with seventy lashes.

Gu Jinghui felt it was unnecessary to tell Pang Hai about those things, and only said: "It was Guang Shiba's job. Shisi did not keep a close watch on the mansion and made a mistake. You punished me with seventy lashes."