Lord Gu was still at home, keeping himself seducing his young wife.

Completely unaware that the emperor's praise had placed them in the eye of the storm.

“Yuan’er, I did drink a bit too much yesterday, otherwise I would have remembered to go to the outer study to rest, really.”

His attitude was serious and his words were sincere, but his intentions were truly sinister.

Qin Yuan said calmly, "Then, has my husband remembered now? What did you want to say last night?"

Lord Gu glanced at her face and smiled, "We had breakfast together, so perhaps I remembered."

Qin Yuan asked, "I forgot to ask my husband yesterday if he had lunch?"

Lord Gu immediately beamed with joy and said, "Madam sent someone to deliver it to the outer study, how can we not use it? Sixteen and I will use it together."

Qin Yuan said awkwardly, "Since we're already sleeping here, let's have breakfast here too."

The arrangements for the twins do indeed need to be discussed.

Gu Jinghui finished his drink quickly and suddenly said, "Yesterday, I went to trick this old woman, but he guessed right. The old woman realized she had revealed her secret and bit the poison sac outside her front teeth. Who would have thought you were a suicide soldier?"

How come Hongye's maid can find out everything, while the first wife is so vague about even those things?

Hao Nanchan shook her head.

Hao Nan was speechless for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's the gist of it. As the saying goes, 'Those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water.' There's a trick to everything. Even those who aren't outside the government get rich through layers of corruption. Who gets more or less, who takes the blame, how superiors distribute the money, and how much or how much subordinates give in tribute are all matters of skill."

Qin Yuanzhong laughed and said, "Speaking of that, you seem to recall a story. Back when Emperor Liu Bang first established the Han Dynasty, the old officials were well-versed in etiquette. Liu Bang felt that he lacked the dignity of an emperor, so Confucian scholars formulated the etiquette for the court sessions and urged the officials to practice it. Without the distinction between emperor and subject, the sense of imperial honor was lost."

Looking back now, it seems that Physician Liu's intention was to help Old Madam Gu.

It's just that some things haven't been put on yet.

Qin Yuan remained calm and continued eating as usual, showing no reaction whatsoever to the unusual man upon hearing this matter.

Hao Nan laughed and said, "My husband is in charge of a small army and is stationed in the northern frontier. How could he possibly understand the intricacies of the matter? You are just talking nonsense and showing off your limited skills before an expert."

Gu Jinghui hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Hao Nan laughed and said, "You were just giving me empty advice. This fake Granny Yang probably had a poison sac hidden with her accomplices; she's a suicide squad. Didn't Physician Liu repeatedly try to check Mother's pulse afterward?"

Lord Gu knew Qin Yuan was targeting him, his sharp eyes fixed on his face.

"Yuan'er, what do you think we should do?"

Lord Gu initially seemed to understand, but then looked at Qin Yuan and said, "He hasn't read many books. Why don't you tell him about the knowledge of that division?"

Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Yes, times have changed. The brotherhood you showed during the war and the hierarchy before the truce are still the same, so things have become chaotic. As the saying goes, it's easier to conquer a country than to defend it."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "You originally didn't have any ideas... but now it seems... I'm afraid you'll have to. This matter needs to be discussed further... We've already opened the government office for the past two days, so let's think about it carefully."

Gu Jinghui said, "You understand."

Hao Nan thought for a moment and said, "During the Han Dynasty, Chen Ping, an important minister, distributed sacrificial meat very fairly before a small ceremony to worship the gods of the land outside the village. Everyone praised him. Chen Ping said that if he were to rule the heavens, he would also distribute the meat in a way that would be recognized by the heavenly people. Since then, the story of Chen Ping distributing meat has disappeared. It can be seen that there is no small matter involved in the distribution of meat."

Lord Gu then remembered something else and asked, "All these years, how come Eighth Sister-in-law has managed to skim off so little profit?"

Gu Jinghui secretly admired him.

The implication is that even a small family has no means of making a living, and with each generation contributing, the savings accumulate over time, eventually reaching a considerable sum.

Hongye and Cuiming quickly set the table, and breakfast was eaten in a quiet manner. Qin Yuan ate with relish as always, but Lord Gu seemed to have something on his mind. He ate a little here and a little there, occasionally glancing at her, but he didn't say anything.

Qin Yuan said, "That's true. Which manager is just trying to make a quick buck? They always make sure you get everything. If Eighth Sister-in-law really dared to take it all for herself, no one would have stood up for her, and it would have caused a scene."

Lord Gu: "..."

The two finished their breakfast quickly, though their mood wasn't great.

Qin Yuan served him a bowl of soup. In the pale white bowl floated small, emerald-green dough balls, about the size of a fingernail and shaped like lotus leaves, which looked very appetizing.

Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Eighteen is rather slow to react. Did I ask you anything else?"

"Try this chicken soup lotus leaf dough. It's a new idea from the kitchen. I sent it to the main room a few days ago, and my mother said it was delicious. It's perfect for summer. We squeeze out the juice from the lotus leaves to make the dough, and then use a mold to press out the small dough balls. They look delicate and are refreshing to eat."

After some thought, Qin Yuan was quite certain that there seemed to be no unusual activity in the northern frontier at that time in later generations.

Having experienced the treacherous nature of war and spent his youth in the brutal north, Gu Jinghui was capable of defeating the cunning and cruel Yelü clan. He knew exactly what to do just by thinking about it.

You're the one who can make decisions for me.

Hao Nanchan sighed, "What you say is very true, Madam. You have come to your senses. Did you handle the Qi family's affairs badly? The hearts of those old people can be broken, and they are the foundation of your Dingbei Marquis's Mansion."

The words were spoken in an extremely polite and subtle manner.

The two I'm referring to are, of course, the twins, a boy and a girl.

Is he dead?

"Eighteen noticed it and had all his front molars knocked out. Half of his teeth were gone, so he can't even speak properly anymore."

Lord Gu said, "In times of war, one cannot be concerned with such things. Families who live and die together are all brothers. If that's the case, I will not be able to unite the army."

Lord Gu pondered for a moment and said, "Is it like dividing up the spoils? If the spoils are divided badly after being robbed, the soldiers will fight amongst themselves."

Qin Yuan continued, "Before Emperor Liu Bang first established the Han dynasty, he was filled with anxiety. I often saw his ministers gathering in the sand dunes in the palace before court, and I wondered what they were discussing. Zhang Liang told me that it was because he had neither rewarded meritorious officials nor punished those who had committed crimes, which made them uneasy. Before Liu Bang followed Zhang Liang's advice to reward meritorious officials and punish those who had committed crimes, the world was indeed at peace, and the people were loyal to him. This shows that the distinction between reward and punishment is extremely important."

It's not that I felt sorry for him because of his appearance.

Gu Jinghui was startled. "Could it be that there's nothing unusual happening in the northern frontier?"

Hao Nanchan sincerely asked for advice.

Lord Gu took Qin Yuan's hand and said, "Yuan'er, stop talking nonsense. You usually read military books and follow the military command techniques passed down through generations of the Dingbei Marquis's family. What he said doesn't make any sense to you. No wonder your father-in-law said you should read less and become a scholar-general."

Qin Yuan then changed the subject, saying, "Knowing that this fake Granny Yang has no ulterior motives for staying in the servants' quarters, my husband should still find a way to guard the servants' quarters."

Qin Yuan also realized that if Old Madam Gu didn't cause any trouble, Gu Jinghui would have to stay home in mourning, and his military power would naturally be handed over.