Soon, all sorts of rumors spread throughout the camp.

Lord Gu was completely unaware of this and excitedly spurred his horse back home.

The Snow-Treading Black Steed was a thoroughbred, and in no time it left Gu Shiba far behind. As it crossed the main street, a golden dog suddenly darted out from the side. The Snow-Treading Black Steed didn't have time to stop, and kicked the dog into the air.

With a "thud," the dog fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Whoa!” Lord Gu hurriedly turned around, jumped off his horse, and examined the scene carefully.

It was a Dali Shar Pei, now completely limp, its eyes half-open and half-closed, emitting a weak whimper; it was feared that its bones were broken.

Whose hunting dog is this?

Lord Gu stood to the side and asked.

Many people were watching the spectacle from all around, but no one said a word.

Families who can afford to keep Dali Shar Pei dogs are either rich or noble. These dogs usually run ahead to scout the way when hunting and have the ability to save their lives. When bitten by a wild beast, their fur will stand on end, and the prickly fur will make it difficult to swallow, so they can only spit it out.

They usually appear in groups, so it's hard to tell where this Dali Shar Pei that suddenly appeared came from.

They waited and waited, but the hound's owner still did not appear.

Lord Gu had no choice but to instruct the surrounding vendors: "I'm taking this injured dog to see a doctor. If the dog's owner comes, please ask him to go to Renhe Hall to look for it. If he's not at Renhe Hall, please ask him to go to the Dingbei Marquis's residence to look for it."

The vendors hurriedly replied, "We will certainly convey your message, Your Excellency, please proceed."

Lord Gu picked up the injured dog and laid it across his horse, then walked toward Renhe Hall, which was not far away.

Gu Shiba had just stepped onto Hengjie Avenue when he saw a group of people blocking the center of the street, making it impossible to pass. He had no choice but to slow his horse down.

What happened?

Gu Shiba approached and asked.

"The Marquis of Dingbei rode his horse across the street and trampled a hunting dog," a passerby replied.

Gu Shiba was startled, "Where is the Marquis of Dingbei?"

A passerby said, "They said they went to Renhetang to find a doctor to check on their dog. I wonder whose hunting dog it is. The Marquis even left a message for the dog's owner."

Gu Shiba tossed a piece of silver to a passerby, saying, "Thank you," before quickly turning his horse around to find his master.

But they hadn't gone far when a group of men delivering betrothal gifts blocked their way with great fanfare.

"What a coincidence!"

No matter how anxious Gu Shiba was, he could only wait for the men to carry the betrothal gifts past.

The horse beneath him sensed its master's anxiety and shifted its hooves restlessly in place.

The dowry from the other party seemed endless.

I wanted to change lanes, but this was a solitary path.

They waited for a full quarter of an hour.

Gu Shiba, suppressing his temper, spurred his horse through the crowd and finally caught up with Renhe Hall. He dismounted, tied his horse to the hitching post in front of the hall, and before he even entered, Xiao Dong, who had heard the commotion, came out to greet him. Upon seeing him, Xiao Dong asked, "Why are you so late?"

Gu Shiba hurriedly asked, "Where is the Marquis?"

Xiao Dong looked unwell and said, "The Marquis was almost stabbed on his way to deliver the dog, but he's already gone."

Gu Shiba's legs suddenly went weak.

"Who would dare to assassinate the Marquis in the capital? Was the Marquis injured?"

Xiao Dong simply said, "The Marquis said that if you find him, he will let you go directly back to the manor to find Sixteenth Brother."

Gu Shiba hurriedly rushed back.

The journey became slower and slower as they rushed, with many delays on the way back to the manor. It was an hour later before they finally found Gu Shiliu.

"sixteen!"

Gu Shiba was about to cry.

As soon as Gu Shiliu saw him, he said, "You blockhead, why are you only coming back now?"

Gu Shiba: "..."

Gu Shiliu said, "What a great opportunity to make a contribution has been lost."

Gu Shiba's heart returned to his stomach.

"What happened? Is the Marquis alright?"

Gu Shiliu said regretfully, "The Marquis is of course good. He was almost assassinated near Hengjie Avenue today. You were not there and missed the opportunity to make a contribution. The Marquis returned just in time to find that there was a commotion next door. Several members of the Yelü clan were captured. You were not there either."

Gu Shiba suddenly ripped off the headscarf from his head and threw it on the ground.

"I had no choice. On the way back, I was stuck in traffic everywhere I went, like I was being watched. Isn't that weird?"

"I'm afraid it was arranged by someone. The Marquis felt something was wrong, so he left his horse at Renhe Hall and came back by leaping across the rooftops."

Gu Shiliu patted Gu Shiba on the shoulder and comforted him, "It seems that this group of people originally wanted to hold you and the Marquis back, but unexpectedly, they only managed to hold you back."

Gu Shiba realized what was going on and said, "The Yelü clan wanted to assassinate the Marquis and cause trouble, so they could take the twins away in the chaos?"

“Not bad at all,” Gu Shiliu said, “After the Marquis was assassinated, he sensed something was wrong and rushed back through the back door of Renhe Hall, making his way back as fast as he could. Actually…”

"Actually what?"

Gu Shiliu said, "Actually, Old Lady Qi had already noticed something was wrong and secretly sent me a message. However, the people on Master Cheng's side only knew that someone would take them away in the chaos today. They didn't know that Zhao had the ability to instruct the Yelü clan to assassinate the Marquis."

Gu Shiba asked, "So, does that Zhao family really have dealings with the Yelü family?"

Gu Shiliu nodded repeatedly.

Gu Shiba said, "How can the Marquis bear this?"

Gu Shiliu smiled and said, "The current Marquis no longer cares about these things."

Wutong Garden.

Lord Gu lay back in the medicinal bath, his long neck resting against the tub, revealing his prominent Adam's apple. A few strands of black hair clung to the hollow of his collarbone, and his handsome, sharp features were softened by the wisps of white steam filling the room.

"Yuan'er, this medicinal bath is really hot. I'm not afraid of the cold or the heat, but I can't stand the heat."

Qin Yuan said through the door, "Doctor Li said that soaking like this is necessary to nourish your body and dispel the cold. The weather hasn't completely turned cold yet, so it's the perfect time for a medicinal bath. Haven't you heard of treating cold-related illnesses in summer? Although it's late summer and early autumn now, it's still quite timely. You should soak for at least an hour before coming out. If the water gets cold, just call someone to add more."

Lord Gu was soaking in the medicine, sweat trickling down his forehead and down his exposed bronze chest into the dark brown liquid.

If it weren't for the strong, bitter smell of medicine, the scene would have been quite erotic.

Lord Gu resignedly said, "Alright, but you have to stay outside with me and chat for a while. Otherwise, I really can't stand it."

Qin Yuan: "..."

Is this the legendary Lord Gu?

Why is she so clingy?

Unaware that his young wife was disliking him, Lord Gu coughed lightly twice before weakly saying, "On the way back today, I was almost assassinated. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I'm afraid I would have been riddled with thorns by the Yelü clan."

The precious book given by General Jin says that men should learn to play the victim and show weakness so that women will feel sorry for and be considerate of them. Lord Gu plans to put this method into practice. As long as his little wife softens her heart, she will stop asking him what the punishment will be if he commits another offense.