"No."

Qin Yuan turned her face away and ignored him.

Soon, Lord Gu understood the true meaning of that smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Jijiu suddenly asked, "My dear son-in-law, have you taken advantage of this great opportunity to study more? How is your reading of the Spring and Autumn Annals going?"

Qin Heng quickly cast a sympathetic glance at his good brother-in-law.

Qin Siyuan lowered his head, pretending not to see.

Sixth Master Gu stared at him with envy.

Old Madam Gu was quite bewildered, while Madam Cui's face was utterly speechless.

Lord Gu clenched his fist in his sleeve, thinking to himself, "What a stroke of luck! The story Mr. Songshan told me is still fresh in my mind, and I can use it to deal with my father-in-law."

He cleared his throat.

“Father-in-law, although there are many affairs in the household, I have taken the time to read some books under your encouragement. There are some things I don’t understand about the Spring and Autumn Annals that you gave me.”

"Oh?" Qin Jijiu stroked his short mustache, his eyes wide open, and asked, "Is there anything you don't understand? Tell me."

Gu Jinghui said solemnly, "Duke Huan of Qi unified the world with 'benevolence and righteousness.' Why did Duke Xiang of Song fail and become a laughingstock for pursuing 'benevolence and righteousness'?"

Qin Yuan turned to look at him.

Gu Jinghui glanced back smugly.

Qin Heng's eyes widened excitedly, wanting to answer first, but he quickly shut his mouth.

Qin Jijiu said, "This is a long story. Siyuan and I will tell you in detail later."

Master Gu hurriedly said, "This junior would also like to hear."

Qin Siyuan suppressed a laugh and replied.

"Of course I'll call you."

Seeing the Gu brothers' eagerness to learn, Qin Jijiu couldn't help but slap the table beside him, making the teacups shake.

"I never expected that the Gu family's son would be so studious. My in-laws are very good at educating their son. As the chief priest, I am ashamed that I cannot teach my own son well."

Qin Heng felt inexplicably wronged.

Madam Gu felt ashamed and said, "Father-in-law, you flatter me. I have never taken care of them. It was only after Yuan'er came that my two children became so eager to learn."

"oh?"

Qin Jijiu was stunned; he hadn't realized his eldest daughter possessed such abilities when they were at home.

Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Mother is trying to find a way to praise me again. It doesn't matter if she praises me in front of others, since they don't know my background anyway. But if she praises me in front of my parents, it will be easy to give herself away."

Everyone laughed for a while.

Madam Gu said, “My dear father-in-law, what I’m saying is true. You don’t know my sixth son. He usually likes to hang out with those scholars who failed the imperial examinations. It’s common for them to go boating on the lake, composing poems and exchanging verses. But the people he associates with are not very learned and are just there to make him spend money. I think my sixth son is well-behaved and has a weak constitution, so I don’t force him to do anything. It’s just a hobby, which is better than him wandering around and causing trouble all day long.”

Sixth Master Gu's face turned slightly red.

"Ever since Yuan'er married into the family and invited the young master to visit, the sixth son has been constantly talking about studying hard. Recently, after the family was sealed off, he has been even busier with reading and painting, as if he has become a completely different person. He recently published a collection of poems, which was no easy feat..."

After Madam Gu finished speaking, Qin Jijiu listened with a beaming smile. Good heavens, Qin Yuan was indeed his most prized daughter; she had successfully educated the entire Gu family.

Look at the overflowing gratitude of Old Madam Gu, the ambitious look of Sixth Master Gu, and the thirst for knowledge in Lord Gu's eyes. His daughter truly has the talent of Mencius' mother.

Qin Jijiu disregarded the fact that he was at the Dingbei Marquis's residence and immediately delivered a speech praising Qin Yuan from beginning to end.

After all, Qin Yuan's success is his success in teaching and nurturing students.

Marrying a virtuous wife brings prosperity to three generations.

He has been kind to the descendants of the Marquis of Dingbei.

Qin Yuan was restless as she listened.

Although she had lived two lives, she couldn't resist her father and mother-in-law sitting together praising her, while her brother-in-law and cousin chimed in, and her husband beamed with delight.

After finally finishing praising them, Madam Gu said, "It's not easy for our in-laws to come all this way. We've prepared a family banquet. Although the Marquis's mansion is small, there are still a few scenic spots that are worth seeing. Why don't we have the third and sixth sons accompany us for a walk around, and we ladies can chat together?"

Qin Yuan smiled outwardly, but inwardly thought, "Have they been praising me so much that they're hungry?"

Gu Jinghui said, "Why don't we let my two nephews join us at the table? They should also meet their elders."

Sixth Master Gu quickly agreed, "Yes, let them get some scholarly air by getting close to them."

After discussing it, the two ordered someone to invite the two young masters over.

The women went to the main room to talk, while Gu Jinghui and Sixth Master Gu strolled around the mansion with Qin Jijiu and his son.

Qin Yuan helped Old Madam Gu, with Cui Shi walking beside her. The maids, holding umbrellas, escorted them all the way from the front hall through the screen wall and the second gate.

The road leading to the upper house is quite scenic. Along the way, you'll see artificial mountains made of Taihu stones, stone arch bridges, lotus ponds, bamboo groves, and waterside pavilions.

Every time Cui brought Qin Wan to see Qin Yuan, they came and went in a hurry.

This time, I saw the spacious and exquisite Fangzhi Dingbei Marquis's Mansion; every corner was a scenic view.

Cui sighed inwardly, thinking how extravagant the expense was, truly befitting the wealth accumulated by generations of the Marquis of Dingbei.

Even the main branch of the Cui family in Qinghe had a garden that was no more impressive than this.

The Marquis of Dingbei's residence was located in the capital city, where land was incredibly valuable. To possess such a mansion was an unparalleled honor earned through bloodshed, quite different from the accumulation of wealth by aristocratic families over hundreds of years.

Cui sighed and lamented.

Qin Wan couldn't handle this wealth.

Qin Yuan didn't expect that Cui Shi's trip would make her feel so uneasy so easily.

Madam Gu was also the daughter of a military family. When she spoke with Madam Cui, things were a bit awkward, but since both of them wanted to be on good terms, they were able to keep chatting, albeit with some stumbling.

Madam Gu said, "My in-laws have arrived. My naughty little daughter has been punished with confinement. Otherwise, we would have made her come out to meet people. My sixth son's wife is sick and can't move around. Fortunately, we will visit each other often in the future."

Madam Cui smiled and said, "Every family has its own troubles."

“That’s right,” said Madam Gu, as if she had found a kindred spirit.

Qin Heng was waiting to finish his meal so he could go horseback riding with his brother-in-law.

Sixth Master Gu was waiting to go boating on the lake with his good brother.

They all urged the banquet to begin.

Madam Cui glared at her clueless youngest son.

Madam Gu smiled and said, "He and the third son get along very well. They are the same kind of people and don't like to read much."

Madam Cui sighed, "How can my son compare to his brother-in-law? It's alright if the Marquis doesn't like studying; his superb martial arts skills mean he's inherited the mantle. The Marquis of Dingbei is a hereditary title. My son, this troublemaker, his father was just a scholar. Without any official rank, he'll probably end up as a commoner."

What Cui didn't say was that if Qin Heng didn't excel in his studies, he would be even worse off than the sons of other officials.

Even if other people's children don't excel in their studies, they can still become wealthy men.

The Qin family didn't own any valuable assets. Qin Heng didn't excel in his studies, so he could only make ends meet. Naturally, he couldn't marry a woman from a good family.

Her two children, though born of the principal wife, will likely have to live at the mercy of the illegitimate children in the future.

The thought of this saddened Cui.

Just as Madam Gu was about to offer a few words of comfort, Gu Shiliu said from outside, "Madam, Madam, the Marquis requests that you hurry out and accompany him to receive the imperial decree."