Gu Jinghui paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You and I are truly of one mind as husband and wife."

Qin Yuan smiled slightly. In the morning light, her skin was as smooth and lustrous as fine jade porcelain; she was truly a beautiful woman.

Lord Gu was stunned.

It wasn't until Gu Shiliu couldn't help but cough softly that he snapped out of his daze.

Gu Shiliu braced himself and said, "My lord, I have something important to report."

Qin Yuan then said, "My lord, I'll head back to Wutong Courtyard now. The stewards and matrons must be getting impatient."

“Alright,” Lord Gu said gently, “I’ll be there in a bit.”

Hongye couldn't help but smile slightly.

Cui Ming lowered her head.

Qin Yuan walked away with her two maids, but Hongye's mocking words still carried on the wind: "Oh dear, I'll be there in a bit."

Sixth Master Gu said, "Of course you think it's bad. The Minister and the Education Commissioner are both idiots. Since they're willing to publish a poetry collection with them, they obviously think it's bad too. Eighth Brother has made something of himself. You should take it to Mother to see. Mother was mentioning it to his sister-in-law in the last two days."

Gu Shiba's eyes lit up: "I don't have a single plan."

"How did Zhao know that this old woman's surname was Yang?" Gu Shiba asked hastily.

"How did you know, Lord Marquis?"

Lord Gu's face darkened. "Let's discuss this in the outer study."

"Why do you say that?" Geng Ai asked, trying to understand.

Gu Shiba didn't care about Geng Ai's feelings.

"...Um...you still have time to think about it? Did you show it to the myna bird right away? Myna bird, does he really think it's bad?"

After finishing his daily duties, the Marquis asked Hongye, "How is the accounting book being prepared?"

Gu Shiba was stunned.

Sixth Master Gu pondered for a moment and said, "I'm afraid it's not that complicated."

"Is he really going to just leave Gu Shiba like that?"

"Is it because Gu Shiba asked you what you had found out early this morning, and why did you still show it to Zhao Shi?"

Master Gu said, "You only know that this old woman's surname is Yang, and you also know that Geng Aijun and Brother Cheng have a close relationship. This was witnessed by Da Hong and Zi He themselves."

Hongye made a firm decision.

That sharp-tongued maidservant has only been well-behaved for two days.

The Marquis continued, "You're also happy to see the Xu family in a bad mood. You're holding your anger in, but you still have a way to vent it. You're going to settle these accounts to keep a record. Do you think Zhao Shi thinks the same way?"

Hongye suddenly asked, "Eldest sister, you went to the Eighth Madam's courtyard with Doctor Li the other day. We already know that you have a disease that can cause you a lot of mental strain, which is quite worrying. Why did you still have to settle accounts for so few days?"

"The Marquis really can't be separated from our young lady for a moment these days. If the Second Miss knew, her eyes would turn red with anger. Last time she and the Madam came to the manor, they saw the Marquis and the young lady being affectionate, and the way she was so angry was really funny."

"Belonging to the superior is knowledge."

"Okay, then you go."

Sixth Master Gu said with a pained expression, "A decisive decision has only brought more trouble. It seems we have no choice but to make one. Before we open our mansion, we should find a family to foster those two children, like General Jin. They can take good care of them for a while and make sure we have enough to eat and wear."

"Gu Shiba said that Sun the accountant's reaction that day was perfectly normal. If I, as a young accountant, didn't have a lot of connections, you can see that I would have been dismissed."

The Marquis laughed and said, "A person who thinks far ahead will not have immediate worries. You are only after the power of managing the household affairs. You are plotting against your cousin. Do you think you are a dead man? Besides, Xu Zhen's disappearance is a sign that the Xu family will probably get away with it."

...

Qin Yuan nodded.

Sixth Master Gu asked, "How come Geng Ai has no connection with Yelü's people anymore?"

Afterwards, fearing that the two children would be heartbroken because they had been abandoned by their mother, the old lady and Zhao were very careful in everything they did. They mentioned this to us in private, but we never expected it to turn out that way.

Qin Yuan poked Hongye with her finger: "Him, no matter how cunning he is, he can still be fooled by Gu Shiba, yet he believes me in everything."

Lord Gu turned his head slightly to listen carefully, but unfortunately he did not hear Qin Yuan's reply.

The two walked to the corridor and bumped into Granny Yang, who was excitedly holding a book. Seeing my eighth brother's expression, she came up to me and presented her treasure, saying, "Eighth brother, take a look at your new collection of poems. It's so exquisite and not stingy. Eighth sister-in-law is really amazing. Your maid, Shen Changle, is also quite capable. Does he know that the Minister of Rites and the Education Commissioner have both added poems and written postscripts for the collection? Plus, there are paintings by artists. In just a few days, I have had it all engraved and bound."

Hongye covered her head and protested, "We're all working for our master, so I can always lie to you. Besides, you think the guy surnamed Sun is alright, and I think so too. How can that be called lying? It can only be called great minds think alike."

Gu Shiba said, "That would be terrible, but it would also prevent future troubles. Our parents' identities are clear, and Cuiming's actions are vicious. We would be caught in the middle and find it difficult to manage. After Brother Qi was beaten, few people had any complaints about the Marquis's Mansion. The problem was that the people who came to settle us mother and son were bad. I'm afraid even the old people outside the manor are convinced."

Geng Ai smiled and said, "He listed the item you mentioned separately and said he's sure he can catch a small one."

Qin Yuan said, "Could it be that I am just a person who is disliked, but my accounts are kept clean?"

Lord Gu frowned.

Hongye said sullenly, "That accountant Sun is very careful, yet he found out something."

Sixth Master Gu said, "Today you asked about Brother Cheng and Sister Yu. After Cuiming left, did they meet with us or talk about anything? Who instigated the princess to enter the manor this time? You saw that the two children didn't hide anything, which shows that they were instructed by Geng Ai in private."

People have always been compassionate towards the strong. Now that the Eighth Madam is so ill and has had children with the Eighth Master, those matters will probably be brought up again.

After sending Granny Yang away, the two left the inner study to hastily discuss their matter.

Gu Shiba was stunned. After a long while, he said, "How long has Zhao Niangzi been in the manor? And she's already doing such things. That old woman is all alone. It was only because the old lady was kind-hearted and pitied me for having someone in my family that she kept her in the servants' quarters to keep watch at night. It was also to give me something to do. I never thought she would actually be involved with Zhao Niangzi."

"My lord, I discovered something big last night."

"Really?" Hongye perked up again.

"It's possible."

Sixth Master Gu patiently flipped through a few pages and asked, "If it's wrong, did he show it to Mother?"

Gu Shiliu was greatly surprised.

Gu Shiba asked, "What does Zhao mean by that?"

Geng Aijun looked at the naughty myna bird expectantly.

Then Hongye's words cheered him up again.

The Marquis laughed.

Hongye persists.

But that was the master's family matter, so I didn't say anything.

You've put so much effort into this, it's all for nothing.

"More real than pearls."

Gu Jinghui snapped out of his daze, listened to Gu Shiliu's account of what he had seen and heard, and asked thoughtfully, "Was that old woman surnamed Yang?"

Hongye suddenly realized something.

Sixth Master Gu sighed and said, "The items that Geng Aijun ordered the servant to send to the lower rooms should have been for that old woman. Lord Gu did not use secret codes when exchanging information with the servants, but all of that old woman's communications were done in secret codes. It is clear that Lord Gu knows that old woman, and that old woman knows Lord Gu."

“I’ve traveled around with the Zhao family to broaden my horizons, so you’ll naturally trust me.”