"It's so late, do we still have to try them all?"

Qin Yuan's eyes sparkled, and her tone was gentle and affectionate.

Normally, Gu Jinghui wouldn't have had time to think about anything else and would have just gone along with her.

But today, Lord Gu insisted: "Yes, no need to redo your hair, just dress like this, I'll help you choose."

Qin Yuan sighed, "Alright."

I really don't know what's gotten into this guy this time.

Cuiming and Hongye then came up to help remove the headdress and put on new ones.

Lord Gu lay reclining on the daybed, chatting idly with Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan asked, "Why did we hear shouting outside just now?"

Lord Gu said, "One of the Yelü clan members has left."

Qin Yuan simply said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

Lord Gu watched as Cui Ming adorned her hair with jade, agate, and feather hairpins in front of the mirror, and added, "I've also sent Yelü Xianyong back."

Qin Yuan smiled gently.

Lord Gu added, "Sixteen even got a beating for letting him go."

Hongye was startled and turned around abruptly. Disregarding social hierarchy, she asked Lord Gu, "Lord Gu, was the sixteenth beating too harsh?"

Lord Gu chuckled mischievously, "Why are you asking this? This is a military secret; unrelated people shouldn't inquire about it."

Hongye blushed, but ultimately said nothing more. However, she stood beside Qin Yuan, completely distracted.

Qin Yuan, seeing this, said, "Alright, you can leave Cuiming here alone. Go out and see if the hot water in the small kitchen is ready."

Hongye quickly retreated.

Qin Yuan didn't turn around, but asked the mirror, "Alright, stop acting strangely here. Did Sixteen really get beaten up?"

"It's just a minor injury," Lord Gu said. "Otherwise, how could it look like he was really punished?"

Qin Yuan sighed, "Of all the of you who have been acting for days, only Yelü Xianyong didn't notice."

Lord Gu couldn't help but laugh.

“These past few days, I’ve been drinking and eating mutton with him every day, and I’m starting to get tired of it. He’s really an honest man, and he’s quite capable. If Yelü Xianyong abandons him, I will definitely take good care of him. When you’re in the thick of things, who can tell? I don’t think Yelü Guzha can tell either.”

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Congratulations, my husband! Congratulations!"

Lord Gu looked at her slender and graceful figure and smiled, "What's there to be happy about?"

Qin Yuan said, "Congratulations, my husband, you will have a great general in the future."

Lord Gu sighed, “I think Yelü Xianyong is a loyal man who always upholds righteousness. Even if he is misunderstood by Yelü Guzha, I’m afraid he won’t side with me.”

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Yelü Guzha can be considered a cunning and ruthless man. Yelü Xianyong cherishes their past friendship and will not easily leave. However, a cunning and ruthless man's actions are inherently ambivalent between good and evil, and he is also suspicious and treacherous. Now that Yelü Guzha is constrained at every turn, his actions will only become more insidious. Yelü Xianyong acts with integrity, and a rift will inevitably develop between them over time. Husband, there is no need to worry too much. This plan to sow discord has already been finalized. Before long, Yelü Xianyong will come to join you."

Lord Gu laughed and said, "Your view is the same as Mr. Songshan's. I'll wait and see."

Qin Yuan added, "I also want to congratulate my husband on now becoming a black sesame dumpling. In the future, when he fights against the Prince of Qi, the outcome will be fifty-fifty."

Lord Gu was amused by these words and burst into laughter.

The gloom in my heart vanished instantly.

"King Qi has been a black sesame dumpling since childhood. I don't know how many schemes he has plotted against me. If I could be evenly matched with him, I would be very satisfied."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I think my husband isn't incapable of using schemes, he just doesn't want to. But now he's using them quite well, hasn't he?"

Lord Gu managed to calm himself down and laughed, "Don't praise me anymore, or I'll lose my bearings."

Qin Yuan said, "My husband has made rapid progress recently, which shows that Mr. Songshan has put a lot of effort into it. Our family will be reunited for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but we will leave him all alone. That would be terrible."

Lord Gu sighed, "There's hardly anyone left in Mr. Songshan's family. We're afraid he'll feel uncomfortable if we invite him to celebrate the festival with us."

The two chatted for a few minutes.

Qin Yuan had changed into a new set of jewelry. This set was made of jadeite inlaid with gold, with excellent color. Under the light, the green and gold colors complemented each other, making it rich, gorgeous, and so beautiful that it was hard to look directly at it.

Lord Gu sighed, "Why does Mother have so many headdresses? Each one is more beautiful than the last. I really can't choose one."

Qin Yuan thought he wanted to choose the best outfit for her, so she said, "When I go to the palace, I shouldn't dress too conspicuously. As a subject's wife, I should be mindful of my duties and not steal the limelight from the noble ladies."

Lord Gu was filled with admiration.

What woman wouldn't want to dress up nicely on this day, lest she be looked down upon?

Lord Gu said, "This set is very nice. Let's look at the next one."

Since Qin Yuan didn't want to stand out, it made sense for Lord Gu to choose the least attractive outfit.

Qin Yuan sighed, "I should go to sleep after I change into this set. I usually go to bed long ago at this time."

Lord Gu said, "Alright."

Cuiming then helped fetch the headdress.

Without Hongye's help, things are indeed a bit inconvenient.

Qin Yuan watched as Cui Ming put the jewelry into the box and asked, "How does Aunt Wen spend the Mid-Autumn Festival every year while she's in the nunnery?"

Lord Gu's smile faded, and he said calmly, "Who cares about her? She wants to go to the nunnery herself and won't see anyone. Naturally, she feels that life is best there. Before, when she was in the manor, she was like someone who didn't care about worldly affairs. She didn't even take care of my sixth brother. He's been with us since he was little. If you didn't know better, you'd think he came out of my mother's womb. As for Baozhu, she was even worse. She started making a fuss about going to the nunnery as soon as she finished her confinement period. Poor Baozhu was born posthumously. Not long after she was born, her own mother abandoned her. Luckily, she had my mother, otherwise, Baozhu would have been so pitiful."

Lord Gu values ​​family ties, so he feels deeply indignant for Sixth Master Gu and Gu Baozhu, and is very dissatisfied with the cold-hearted Aunt Wen.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "Did Aunt Wen go to the nunnery to practice Buddhism for the sake of the old Marquis?"

Lord Gu sneered, "Even when my father was alive, they only saw each other a few times a year. Aunt Wen lived in the most remote courtyard, which has long been sealed off now. She rarely left that courtyard, and even my sixth brother rarely saw her. She did like to listen to operas, though. The opera troupe in the manor was kept just for her, and there were enough performances in the courtyard. They even built a small stage for her. I watched the operas, but I didn't care about anything else."

Qin Yuan suddenly felt that Sixth Master Gu was also quite pitiful.

He was physically weak and could only watch his father teach his brothers martial arts. He was also not close to his own mother. Perhaps this is why he liked the women in the brothel.

Lord Gu continued, "What's most hateful is that when Sixth Brother wanted to get married, my mother had already found several girls for him. Then she sent someone through the nunnery to say that she had already arranged a marriage with a girl from the Xu family. Look at how Sixth Brother and his wife are doing now, and the Xu family is causing such a fuss with us. I wonder what she'll do to Baozhu's marriage this time!"