Gu Shiliu quickly replied, "Master, how could Madam not have you in her heart?"

Gu Jinghui slowly put on his clothes, turned his head and asked, "Really?"

Gu Shiliu: "..."

The Marquis has always said that his wife has him in her heart, so why is he asking me this now?

But he was quick-witted and immediately said with a sincere expression, "Really, I swear."

"Then tell me, how come Madam has me in her heart?"

Gu Shiliu: "..."

It's too difficult.

real.

Then, Gu Jinghui said again, "It's agreed that there will be a reward."

Gu Shiliu immediately perked up.

"My lord, isn't it obvious? Your wife cares for you every day; what else could it be but that she has you in her heart?"

"Okay, continue."

"Madam also likes to visit the old lady. My mother said that she is good to my grandmother because she cares about my father. If Madam doesn't care about you, why would she be so close to the old lady? Every time the old lady sees Madam, she is all smiles."

"Hmm, anything else?"

Gu Jinghui felt it wasn't enough.

"And... well..." Gu Shiliu thought for a moment and said, "Didn't Madam quarrel with Miss Qi because of you, Lord Marquis? You can't let Madam down. I think Madam and you are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."

Despite his best efforts to suppress it, a smile still involuntarily crept onto Gu Jinghui's brows and eyes. "Here you go."

He casually took out a silver note and tossed it to Gu Shiliu.

Upon taking a look, a smile bloomed on Gu Shiliu's face.

When Qin Yuan woke up from her nap, she saw Cui Ming and Hong Ye huddled together, whispering to each other about something. The two of them were laughing heartily, as if they had gotten a great deal.

"What's wrong?"

Hongye handed a silver note to Qin Yuan and said, "Miss, this is Gu Shiliu's silver note. He said he wants to buy pepper."

Qin Yuan leaned lazily against the pillow and glanced at Hongye's hand. It was a fifty-tael silver note, just enough to buy about a pound.

"Did Gu Shiliu give this to you?"

Hongye smiled and said, "I just saw him looking at the silver notes and almost bumped into a pillar. I asked him a couple of questions. He received a reward from the Marquis and wanted to save it up for his wife. I told him that Miss has excellent judgment and is skilled in business. She has never made a loss. So he asked me to ask Miss to include him in the money as well."

Qin Yuan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Alright, you went through all that trouble to get me sixteen reward coins, I have to make sure he earns enough to support his wife. He barely had time to enjoy these banknotes before they ended up in your hands, he's had a tough time too."

Cuiming smiled and said, "Miss didn't see how much Hongye was hurting over Sixteen's loss."

Hongye said smugly, "Since ancient times, a silver tongue can be worth a thousand soldiers. I have learned some skills from you, Miss. Do you think I can't even stand up to Gu Shiliu? Shiliu is not stupid. Once the money is in his pocket, it will be gone as soon as he loosens his fingers. But with you, Miss, whether you make a profit or a loss, he will not suffer any loss."

Qin Yuan said, "You see things more clearly than I do."

Hongye asked, "Miss, can I get an advance on my monthly allowance? Can I also receive a share?"

Qin Yuan said, "Aren't you afraid of losing out?"

Hongye said nonchalantly, "Miss is already planning to reward me with several hundred taels of silver, do you think I'm afraid of losing a few taels?"

Cuiming quickly followed, saying, "Miss, count me in too."

Qin Yuan nodded, "Alright, Cuiming, go get an account book. We'll make an account just for pepper. The old lady, Rong Mama, Gu Shiliu, you, and Hongye should all write it down. We'll have a dedicated account for this purpose. At the end of the year, you can decide whether to sell it and get some money or keep it. Then we'll change the account book."

Cuiming nodded happily and brought over the account book, while Hongye ground ink for her.

Hongye asked, "Why are your hands shaking?"

Cui Ming said, "I've never kept accounts for myself before."

Hongye instructed, "You also need to write a receipt; I'll give it to Sixteen later."

Cui Ming asked Qin Yuan, "Does this receipt need to be stamped?"

Qin Yuan nodded: "Of course we need to. Even though we're family, we still keep clear accounts. I also need to give money to the old lady. You can write it all down for me, I'll affix my seal, and you can sign it."

The three of them chatted happily and soon finished the account book. They agreed that Cuiming would record and keep the account book, Hongye would check the accounts, and Qin Yuan would keep the receipts.

Qin Yuan carefully collected the receipts from the old lady and Rong Mama, put them in her purse, and planned to give them to them when she paid her respects the next day.

The curtain outside the corridor rustled a few times, and a young maidservant whispered, "Sister Hongye, Sixth Master has come to see the Marquis, but he is still resting. What should we do?"

Hongye looked at Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Please have some tea in the hall, Sixth Master. The Marquis suffered a bit of heatstroke in the main room today and is resting. If you don't have anything urgent, Sixth Master, you can come again tomorrow. If you have something to discuss with the Marquis, please wait a moment."

She wasn't sure if Gu Jinghui would meet with Sixth Master Gu.

They kept the beating they received that day a closely guarded secret, but since Lord Gu went to the main room for a meal today, it seems that he can still be seen, albeit reluctantly.

The maidservant went to report back.

A moment later, the maid returned and said, "I have arranged for Sixth Master Gu to sit in the hall. Sixth Master Gu said he has important news to tell the Marquis. I have already informed Sixteenth Master Gu."

Qin Yuan had met this younger brother-in-law on the day of the tea ceremony. He was a scholarly man, not as tall as Gu Jinghui, and dressed in a Taoist robe like a scholar of the time, with a thin belt around his waist that made him look slender.

In her previous life, Master Gu was not famous, and Qin Yuan had not paid any attention to him. However, since Marquis Gu had no sons, the title should eventually be passed on to Master Gu's son.

Hongye had gathered a lot of information in the past two days and came back saying that Master Gu had taken five or six concubines, half of whom had given birth to children. The most favored concubine now, Concubine Zheng, was a famous actress bought from a brothel. She was skilled in dancing and had bright, beautiful eyes. It cost a lot of money.

"What's the matter that you're in such a hurry to talk to the Marquis?"

Hongye muttered to herself.

A moment later, the sound of boots was heard, followed by several men greeting each other.

This is Gu Jinghui going to see Sixth Master Gu.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Help me change my clothes so that I can be prepared if the Marquis orders me to see Sixth Master."

Sure enough, just as she finished washing up and changing into her outer robes for receiving guests, a maidservant came from outside and said, "Madam, the Marquis requests that you come to the hall to see Sixth Master. He has important matters to discuss with you."

Hongye said, "Miss, you are truly a diviner."

Qin Yuan said, "What's so difficult about that? We've only been married a short time. When Sixth Master comes to see the Marquis, he'll surely want to see me."

Sixth Master Gu was in poor health and enjoyed associating with scholars. Perhaps it was out of a desire for refinement, or perhaps he still harbored the idea of ​​taking the imperial examinations. Both of his sons were studying at the Imperial Academy. Whether for his own sake or for his children's future, Sixth Master Gu wanted to be close to her.

When Madam Gu chose a girl from the Qin family as her daughter-in-law, she also harbored the idea of ​​changing the family's social standing and ensuring that the Gu family's descendants would pursue a literary career in the future.

Hongye asked, "Then, Miss, can you guess why Sixth Master came here?"