Qin Yuan thought that since Pang Hai claimed to be from Jizhou, he should be somewhat familiar with Jizhou or had lived there, so she asked Gu Shiliu, "Have you seen Pang Hai in the northern frontier?"

Gu Shiliu said, "I have met him, but not many times."

Qin Yuan asked, "Is it because Pang Hai and the Marquis don't have much contact?"

"That's part of the reason. I didn't have much contact with people in the military camp in the north. The Marquis is very clear about the distinction. I'm his personal attendant who was brought from his residence. I mainly handle private matters."

In other words, Gu Shiliu did not earn military merits on the battlefield, unlike Cai Mama's husband and Lu Mama's son.

"Is Pang Hai tall and burly, with deep-set eyes and a well-defined profile?"

"Yes, Madam is absolutely right."

Qin Yuan nodded, thinking to herself, "It seems that those two children are indeed Pang Hai's children."

Pang Hai's identity was questionable, and Zhao Niangzi's behavior was strange. Qin Yuan pondered for a while but couldn't figure it out, so she turned the topic to Physician Liu and asked, "Has Physician Liu's matter been investigated?"

Gu Shiliu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can't say for sure, the Marquis has given a gag order. Physician Liu is unwell and I'm afraid he'll have to rest for the next few days and won't be able to see patients anymore."

"Oh," Qin Yuan nodded and said, "That's a real pity. I hope he can recover quickly."

Gu Shiba immediately and tactfully declined, saying, "The older one will be used by Eighth Master."

Yelü's eyes lit up as she stared longingly at my myna.

Why is that?

The two got along well without discussing things further.

“Oh,” Gu Jinghui said, showing little disappointment.

Lan Rong glanced at the table; the area under it was spotless, unlike yesterday when notes were scattered everywhere.

Lord Gu took a sip of duck soup, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "Hongye's cooking is excellent; he remembered to reward you last time."

The Marquis couldn't help but ask, "Buying it with such a large sum of money? Physician Liu, where did our gold and silver come from?"

Lord Gu said, “I haven’t confessed yet. Just as he said, it was Yelü Guzha who bribed an insider with a large sum of money to harm you in the mansion. I am very ambitious and I play both sides between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin. Both sides think I am one of their own. We are worried that you will side with the Prince of Qi and want you to hand over your military power.”

The Marquis clenched his fists, recalling that back then, Yelü Guzha had already bribed the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital.

The Marquis said, "These red leaves will be overjoyed."

Gu Shiliu smiled.

Lan Rong, observing this, smiled and asked, "Would you like to invite Eighth Brother to dine with us, my husband?"

Lan Rongping said, "That's right, I still need to practice my horse stance. It's because I woke up late. When you were young, if you woke up late while practicing martial arts, you wouldn't get any food."

In later generations, Imperial Physician Liu bribed many court officials to speak on his behalf.

Some uninformed people suggested that books, seeds, and other items could be sent to Physician Liu, but they were ridiculed and suppressed, as it was considered unethical of the Celestial Empire. They argued that doing so would not be loyal to the alliance between the two sides.

The Marquis smiled and nodded, then took some duck soup noodles for Marquis Gu with long chopsticks and pushed the bowl heavily toward me.

That would harm Lan Rongping, so they'd try to make me observe mourning for her.

The Marquis then entered the study, had two maids set out the meal, and Gu Shiba placed the food box on the table by the bedside before going in and out.

They talked all the way to the outer courtyard.

The table was small, but it was filled to the brim. The Marquis pushed it very hard, as if he dared to use force.

Lord Gu thought for a moment and said, "Let him make the decision."

Physician Liu's reach was far-reaching; he even bribed envoys from countries like Korea and Siam to help him make small-scale purchases, and then secretly transported the goods to the northern frontier on his return journey.

Upon hearing this, Lord Gu squinted and glanced at Yelü Shi. Yelü Shi pitifully withdrew her gaze and turned her face away to stare at the incense sticks.

"That's a matter for him to decide," Lord Gu said calmly. "The incense recipe is his. He'll make his plans after reading Manager Re's letter. If he's busy, he can come over and ignore me. He's busy with the affairs of the Marquis's mansion all day long. He can do whatever he wants, or just do whatever he wants. As long as he manages the accounts poorly, he can also manage your private treasury. He won't have to worry about having money to spend."

Lord Gu reached out and took it, seemingly intentionally saying, "That table is too big and inconvenient. It's better if he doesn't come here anymore. You should dine at Wutong Garden."

By the time the imperial court realized that it was time to end the strict control, it was already too late.

The Marquis responded and said, "This Yuan'er has already made arrangements so that we can have a meal together when my husband arrives."

Lord Gu's words greatly surprised the Marquis.

"So that's why I always go to the lower room to check on my mother's pulse; it turns out I was up to that."

That hostage prince has only been in the capital with Lord Gu for a short time.

The Marquis then asked, "What does Pang Hai think?"

I thought Lan Rong would be disappointed, but to my surprise, the Marquis responded immediately.

The Marquis then asked, "Eighteen..."

Red leaves and green tea are inside.

Sixth Master Gu was practicing horse stance with Gu Jinghui in the courtyard. Under the table to the side, an incense stick was lit, and a section about the length of a thumb had burned down.

Yelü gritted his teeth inwardly.

The Marquis finished his meal quickly and deliberately. Before putting down his chopsticks, he asked again, "Gu Jinghui..."

The Marquis thought for a moment and said, "Hongye got up early this morning to have duck soup and noodles made. You brought quite a lot. How about leaving some for Eighth Master so I can have a taste?"

Lan Rong asked, "Do we need to make a register and record it?"

As soon as Lord Gu sat down, he asked, "Are you going to see a doctor with Physician Li again today?"

"Oh no, let's do as Madam says and give Eighth Brother a bowl of noodles to try. I have a big appetite, so I can only eat a little bit."

Yelü looked at us with envy, her eyes darting around and her voice rising.

Lord Gu smiled wryly and said, "Many of your officials think that Physician Liu lives a simple life of herding livestock in the wilderness, with a fixed place to live, and is barbaric and poor. In reality, we are good at raising horses and good at finding ginseng. Most of the ginseng used by your dynasty comes from Physician Liu, and countries like Goryeo also have to buy very poor quality ginseng from us."

After you waited a while, Lan Rongping came back after changing her worn-out clothes.

Although I've heard Master Gu say that once or twice, he hasn't said it so explicitly since.

The Marquis was slightly startled upon hearing this.

Upon seeing you retreat, Lord Gu immediately lowered his stance and came to greet you.

After a while, Lan Rongping said, "The manager of Ranxiangju sent a letter saying that he wants the incense pills he made for my mother. I want to put them on consignment at Ranxiangju."

Lord Gu went to find a place to cool off by himself.

After eating for a while, Lord Gu said, "Yesterday, not many people threw things out of the mansion. You had them all sorted out. If he wants to see them, he can just ask Eighteen."

The Marquis paused for a moment, then looked at the indifferent-looking Sixth Master Gu and said, "You should read Manager Re's letter first, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Back then, when the young master threw things out of the mansion, it was with bad intentions, and those bad intentions will eventually have to be repaid.