Hongye couldn't help but sigh again: "Prince Qi is the Emperor's own son. I heard that his maternal family was a prominent family in Daxing back then. They treated gold and jade like dirt. They had five or six hundred singers and dancers. My mother always complained that she almost got to be sold to live a better life when she was a child."

Qin Yuan narrowed her eyes but didn't reply.

King Qi's maternal clan was indeed one of the most prestigious families, with countless talented individuals, many of whom were skilled in business. They had trading teams in the East China Sea and the Western Regions, amassing unimaginable wealth.

The building was difficult to construct, but collapsed quickly.

Mo Zhu interjected, "The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion doesn't like to keep these kinds of people. I heard from Mama Fei that the mansion used to have a family opera troupe, but it disbanded later."

Qin Yuan said, "Well, if Mother likes to listen to it in the future, we can gradually cultivate her. It's not difficult; it will only take a year or two."

The wealthy salt merchants of Yangzhou often kept their own opera troupes, some even employing several different singing styles. As long as one could find a master craftsman or veteran opera master to train the troupe, it was not difficult.

Hongye looked longingly at her and said, "If that were the case, we could listen to operas for several days in a row during the New Year and other holidays."

Qin Yuan smiled.

"A grand opera that lasts for days and nights must be performed by a troupe from the entertainment district, otherwise their voices will become hoarse from singing."

Hongye blinked her eyes and fell silent.

Mo Zhu continued, "Actually, the old lady doesn't really like listening to opera. Back then, the manor kept a family opera troupe because Madam Wen liked to listen to it, so the old Marquis kept it. So Sixth Master also likes to listen to these things. Concubine Zheng was bought from the brothel. A while ago, she was making a fuss about buying a lady from the brothel who plays the pipa. Later, Sixth Master took a liking to writing poetry, so nothing came of it."

Hongye listened with a look of amazement.

Qin Yuan was also hearing this for the first time, and glanced at Hongye with a smile. This Aunt Wen was none other than Aunt Wen, the birth mother of Sixth Master Gu, and she sounded very favored.

Hongye felt a little guilty under that gaze and asked, "Mozhu, how do you know so much?"

Mo Zhu was somewhat proud and smiled lightly, "I am just like Hong Mian, a servant born into a family. My mother used to serve in Madam Wen's courtyard. Later, she was betrothed to my father and left. When I grew up, I entered the mansion again to ask for a job. I was lucky enough to be assigned directly to Wutong Courtyard."

Hongye said, "So you're so young, yet you're already so experienced."

It's not easy to get into Wutong Garden, but Mozhu's parents have connections.

Mo Zhu smiled and said, "My parents are both born into this family, so we have many relatives and news gets to us faster than others."

Qin Yuan listened silently to their discussion without saying a word. When they reached the main room, she said, "Mo Zhu has many family members in the mansion. In the future, you should give Hong Ye and Cui Ming some pointers so that they don't offend people for no reason. You can help them with their work and learn from them. If you can help me manage things in the future, I will be able to relax."

"This means Mo Zhu is going to be given an important position," Hong Ye said with a smile. "Mo Zhu, you should thank Madam right away."

Mo Zhu quickly expressed his gratitude.

Qin Yuan said, "Hongmian is capable, and I think you're not bad either. It's just that Hongmian is outgoing, while you should be more reserved. I'll be entrusting most of the Sixth Madam's affairs to Hongye for oversight, and I'll feel more at ease if you help her."

Mo Zhu said, "Madam, rest assured, I will do my job well and dare not make the slightest mistake or negligence."

As they were talking, they arrived at the main room.

Kang Ge'er and Fu Ge'er were talking to Gu Baozhu when they saw Qin Yuan come in. They quickly stood up to greet her.

Gu Baozhu wore a pinkish-purple palace dress, with a simple hairpin in her hair and pearls the size of a fingernail embedded in her ears. She swung on her earrings as she talked and laughed.

Hongye whispered, "Seventh Miss is dressed differently than before."

Qin Yuan knew why.

Gu Baozhu took a fancy to her cousin Qin Siyuan and wanted to dress up in a more refined manner.

I really don't know if Qin Siyuan is some kind of sugar daddy or what, one Xu Zhen is gone and another Gu Baozhu has come along.

Qin Yuan smiled and helped her two nephews up. Seeing that they had dark circles under their eyes and looked somewhat haggard, she asked them how they had been sleeping and eating these past few days, and how long they had been taking care of them each day.

Kang Ge'er said, "We are young, and our wet nurse told us to do what we can and not to get sick from overworking ourselves, which would only make our mother sad. But we are worried about our mother's condition, so we can't sleep well."

Granny Zhao said a lot, which made him and his younger brother very scared. They were worried about their mother's health and their future without her.

The Xu family and the Gu family have already fallen out. Father already disliked his uncles, and they won't care about them anymore.

The two children were exhausted and lost a lot of weight just a few days after they returned home.

Qin Yuan took a small jade box from Hongye's hand and handed it to Kang Ge'er, saying, "This is incense that your aunt has prepared for you. Have your wet nurse light it tonight so you can have peace of mind and sleep better. I know you are worried about your mother's health, but you are still young. There are many things that adults can do. You need to eat well and sleep well so that you can grow up properly and be worthy of your mother."

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu quickly said, "Your third aunt is right. Take it quickly and thank her."

Gu Baozhu wrinkled her nose and stared at the small box.

Kang Ge'er thanked them first, then took the box and said, "Third Aunt, don't worry, my brother and I will eat and sleep well, grow up well, and be filial to our grandmother, father, third uncle and third aunt."

Fu Ge'er also expressed his opinion.

Kang Ge'er then handed the jade box in his hand to the wet nurse so that she could hold it.

Gu Baozhu asked, "What kind of incense did you mix, sister-in-law?"

Qin Yuan said, "The incense is for calming the mind and nourishing the brain. They are worried about their sixth sister-in-law, who is at the age of growing up. This incense can nourish the liver and kidneys, calm the mind and help her sleep. After lighting it, she can sleep peacefully until dawn. Even adults can't stand it if they do this all day long, let alone children."

Gu Baozhu sighed and said, "Why does my sister-in-law know everything? Did you manage to unravel the mystery of the incense that Prince Qi gave you last time?"

Qin Yuan said, "The incense he used was passed down from the late Empress Dowager. It must have been made by a master perfumer. I am not very knowledgeable and I am afraid I cannot decipher it in a short time."

Gu Baozhu clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"The late Empress Dowager? This is the incense that the late Empress Dowager passed down to the Empress Yuan? That is indeed precious. Sister-in-law, the late Empress Dowager was the Empress Yuan's aunt. Everything in her family is very precious. Anything she takes out is extremely valuable. It's okay if you can't decipher it. Didn't Prince Qi himself say that he couldn't find anyone to match this incense all these years?"

Qin Yuan was shocked.

The late Empress Dowager and the former Empress were actually aunt and niece.

No wonder the Emperor's attitude towards Prince Qi was so strange.

Old Madam Gu was annoyed and said, "Gu Baozhu, why do you say these things for no reason? You can't control your mouth, what are you going to do?"

Gu Baozhu originally wanted to get closer to Qin Yuan, so she started a conversation. But after only a few words, she was scolded by Old Madam Gu.

"Mother, these aren't secrets, otherwise how would I know?"

Madam Gu said angrily, "Don't mention palace matters."