After watching the gatekeeper close the gate, Steward Han chuckled and said, "Who told our Marquis to be so fond of psychological warfare these days?"

Gu Shiba also laughed.

Inside the study.

Lord Gu sat behind the table and asked, "Has the Yelü clansman we released returned to the hostage residence?"

Gu Shiliu nodded: "Our people followed him from a distance and spared his life."

Lord Gu chuckled and said, "I want to see how big Yelü Guzha's heart is."

Gu Shiliu also laughed.

"He's been allowed to run rampant for too long; it's time he learned his lesson."

Lord Gu ordered a servant to come in and light the lamps and clear the table of food.

After a while, he said, "Try to urge General Jin again. It's the Empress Dowager's birthday and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The old lady and the madam will be going to the palace to receive the banquet. They need a few maids who know martial arts to protect them closely."

The visits and social interactions with other households could be delayed because the old lady was unwell and the family had just held a funeral.

No one dared to miss the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration.

Gu Shiliu agreed.

Lord Gu thought about it and was still worried, so he instructed, "We want the best. If there isn't anything readily available, I hope Madam Jin can come up with some ideas."

Gu Shiliu laughed and said, "General Jin will naturally understand. I will explain it to him again."

Lord Gu then asked, "Has anything been discovered at the Five Cities Garrison?"

Gu Shiliu said, "They registered and investigated household and business records very carefully, but Zhao and Xu Zhen did not find a trace of them."

Lord Gu stood up, put his hands behind his back, paced a few steps, and asked, "Did Madam say anything?"

Gu Shiliu said, "Madam suspects that Zhao Shi and Xu Zhen may have been hidden outside the city."

Soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison and the main camp, along with personnel from the Ministry of Works, dredged some of the city's sewers, discovered several places where human traffickers were hiding children, and helped the Prefectural Governor of the Capital solve several cases.

However, there was still no trace of Zhao and Xu Zhen.

Lord Gu stopped in his tracks. "It's not impossible. Then we'll just have to keep a close eye on the Yelü clan."

Gu Shiliu said, "Now, the younger brother and the eighteenth brother can get some bits and pieces of information from those beggars, porters, and street cleaners every day, but not much of it is useful. Yelü Guzha is trying to raise money to renovate the hostage residence, and the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin have secretly given him some gold and silver."

"The Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin."

Lord Gu squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "They're the ones who move around the most."

Gu Shiliu dared not utter a sound.

After a while, Lord Gu asked, "How is Brother Cheng doing?"

Gu Shiliu said, "Now that Yelü Guzha is too busy to take care of himself, the two of them made a scene, but seeing that no one was paying attention to them, they naturally quieted down."

Lord Gu's face was gloomy, and his expression was somewhat dejected.

He and his two children eventually drifted apart.

Gu Shiliu observed his expression and stammered, "But..."

"Just what?"

Lord Gu was getting impatient. "Speak if you have something to say. What are you doing?"

Gu Shiliu closed his eyes and said directly, "The message that Qi Laoniang sent back said that she had seen that fake Yang Pozi and Cheng Ge'er talking in a foreign language, which sounded very much like the Yelü language."

"What?"

Lord Gu slammed his palm heavily on the rosewood tabletop, which cracked and split in two.

Gu Shiliu shrank back in surprise.

Lord Gu angrily said, "This fake Granny Yang is actually a member of the Yelü clan?"

Gu Shiliu said, "Old Lady Qi isn't entirely sure either. I asked Xiao Hong and Zi He, and they haven't encountered it either, so I'm a little hesitant."

Lord Gu sneered, "Except for Brother Qi, all members of the Qi family have been to the battlefield. How could Old Madam Qi not recognize the Yelü language? If he says it sounds very similar, then it's probably true."

They all knew about Old Lady Qi's abilities.

Xiao Hong and Zi He served the two siblings closely without ever seeing them, which shows how secretive the fake Granny Yang and Brother Cheng were.

Gu Shiliu said, "This is a big matter. Let's find a way to implement it. Old Lady Qi's eyes are almost healed. When that time comes, we'll find a way to take her out for a walk, let her hear the Yelü people speak, and see if they sound like her."

Lord Gu barely suppressed his anger and said, "Fine."

It's always better to be safe than sorry.

If it's true...

A look of grief flashed in Lord Gu's eyes.

The two children grew up under his very nose. Their father died in the war against the Yelü clan. This fake Granny Yang was even secretly speaking the Yelü language with Cheng Ge'er.

Who exactly is this Zhao family member?

He looked up at the window and saw a crescent moon half-hidden in the clouds.

Everything was shrouded in an impenetrable fog.

"I need to go back to be with my wife."

At this time, he really needed to see his young wife.

Gu Shiliu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaping several times, Lord Gu entered the Wutong Garden from the outer courtyard and slowed his pace.

Small flying insects danced around the horn-shaped lanterns under the eaves.

After a while, when the weather cools down, these flying insects will disappear.

Autumn insects chirped mournfully in the corner.

Their good times are numbered.

The autumn night already carried a chilling atmosphere.

Lord Gu walked slowly across the corridor with his hands behind his back.

The maids announced in unison, "The Marquis is back."

Before the curtain was even drawn, Hongye's voice rang out: "Miss, hurry, the Marquis is back."

Then came Qin Yuan's voice: "Slow down, you're pulling my hair."

Cuiming complained, "You're always so clumsy. You're like a mouse seeing a cat when you see the Marquis. Marriage is a fundamental human relationship. Why are you so shy?"

The lively scene made Lord Gu's lips curl up involuntarily.

People will eventually go underground.

At that time, all grudges and grievances will come to an end.

While we're alive, all we crave is this present warmth and the simple joys of everyday life.

What is real and what is fake no longer seems so important.

Lord Gu strode in and saw Hongye and Cuiming trying on Qin Yuan's hair and makeup at the dressing table.

The entire set of pearl headdresses was held together by gold wire and scattered with red gemstones.

It added a touch of elegance to that pretty little face.

It's truly magnificent and elegant.

Lord Gu racked his brains but couldn't think of any words to describe it; he just stared blankly at it.

Qin Yuan felt uneasy under their gaze.

I felt like I was being drawn into Lord Gu's pair of dark, bright eyes.

Hongye and Cuiming also felt that they were being somewhat superfluous by staying there.

After a long pause, Lord Gu said in a hoarse voice, "It's really beautiful. It's especially beautiful under the lamp."

Qin Yuan was quite embarrassed.

"This is a set of jewelry that my mother gave me. She said I should wear it to the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."

Lord Gu did not express his opinion, but looked at the box on the table and asked, "Are there any others?"

Given Madam Gu's temperament, she would naturally not only provide one set of jewelry.

Sure enough, Qin Yuan said, "Mother gave me two more sets. She told me to choose from these."

Lord Gu walked over to the Luohan bed in a few steps, sat down, and leaned against the armrest, saying, "Try them all."

Qin Yuan was in a bit of a dilemma.

After all, combing hair takes a long time, and each set of jewelry is suitable for a different hairstyle.