Upon hearing the phrase "possessing both literary and martial talents," Gu Jinghui couldn't help but laugh.

Gu Baozhu also buried her head in Old Madam Gu's arms and laughed.

Madam Gu feigned displeasure and spat at Gu Jinghui, saying, "Your father-in-law hopes you can become a scholar-general. Why can't our Baozhu be a good woman who is both scholarly and martial? Baozhu, just go to Baihe Academy to study. After you finish your studies, if you want to get married, your mother will arrange a good marriage for you. If you don't want to, your third brother said that you can help manage the Gu family army."

Gu Baozhu jumped, immediately poking her head out and asking, "What if I were to find a husband at home?"

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. It would be even better to find a husband, so that the children born will be descendants of the Gu family."

Madam Gu made the decision.

Gu Baozhu looked at Gu Jinghui.

Gu Jinghui nodded and said, "That's right. Whoever has the best martial arts skills and the best strategy will inherit the Marquis's mansion in the future."

Gu Baozhu laughed and said, "No matter how much I love you, I can't break the rules. I'm not greedy, as long as you keep your word. In that case, I'll go to Baihe Academy to study, but..."

"Just what?"

Gu Baozhu said, "We should at least wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival before we set off."

"What do you mean, 'set off'!"

Old Madam Gu playfully tapped her on the head.

“That’s called going out. You really should study hard. It’s all my fault for raising you so badly. Let’s just let the Mid-Autumn Festival pass by. If you ask me, it would be better if you went. Otherwise, your third brother is still counting on you to compete in the embroidery competition at the Qixi Festival next year and the year after.”

Speaking of embroidery, Gu Baozhu felt a little guilty, as she hadn't touched a needle and thread in a while.

"Does the White Crane Academy also teach needlework?"

Gu Baozhu frowned.

“If that’s the case, I think Fengniang taught me quite well, and she suits my temperament. Why go to the trouble of choosing the distant one?”

Madam Gu was well aware of her scheming.

"Why would a perfectly good academy teach girls the Four Books and needlework? Just relax. When you go there, you'll be studying at the homes of famous scholars from Jiangnan. The students will be separated from the male students."

Gu Baozhu was even more pleased with herself and said, "Then I'll go."

“It would be foolish not to go,” Gu Jinghui said. “If it weren’t for Mr. Songshan’s help, we wouldn’t have found this opportunity for you. You can ask your third sister-in-law what kind of place Baihe Academy is and how difficult it is to get in.”

Gu Baozhu sat up and said with a smile, "Then I'll go and talk to Sixth Brother and Third Sister-in-law."

"Yes, go ahead."

Perhaps because she was going away to study, Gu Jinghui was exceptionally lenient with her.

Gu Baozhu left the main room and said to Gu Shiliu, who was still leaning lazily against the pillar, "Shiliu, I'm going to Baihe Academy to study for two years. Why don't you come with me?"

Gu Shiliu turned his head and looked at her without saying a word.

Gu Baozhu said, "You can come with me to the academy and study. You won't have to suffer like my third brother. When we have free time, we can spar. Otherwise, by the time I come back from Baihe Academy, my martial arts skills will probably have become rusty."

A smile appeared in Gu Shiliu's eyes, and he nodded.

Gu Baozhu was overjoyed and asked, "Sixteenth Brother, you agreed?"

Gu Shiliu nodded again.

Gu Baozhu made a face at the window and laughed, "Third Brother, don't blame me for poaching your people. It's because you, as the master, are unpopular and can't keep your people."

Gu Jinghui sneered, "If he's willing to follow you, then he can follow you."

Gu Baozhu exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Third Brother, you really agreed?"

“A man’s word is his bond,” Gu Jinghui said calmly. “From now on, he will follow you. Go to Baihe Academy and take him with you. These days, he will continue to work by my side.”

“Okay,” Gu Baozhu agreed immediately, even though she found it strange.

It would be foolish not to take advantage of a good deal!

After Gu Baozhu left, Old Madam Gu sighed, "Baozhu has never been separated from her mother in all her life..."

Gu Jinghui's eyes were dark and swollen, but he still forced himself to comfort her, saying, "Mother, the situation in the capital is unclear right now. If Baozhu stays here, she will easily become a target. Moreover, the Crown Prince has not yet decided on a wife. If, as Prince Qi said, Baozhu is chosen to enter the Eastern Palace, it will be troublesome."

Madam Gu spat, "Does the Lin family really think our Dingbei Marquis's mansion is made of clay, that we can do whatever we want with it? Even a clay figure has its own nature."

Gu Jinghui said, "The Crown Prince is ill and weak, and none of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are willing to offer their eldest daughters to the palace. Empress Lin and the Emperor wanted to win over the Crown Prince but failed, so they ordered me to preside over the capital inspection so that they could regain face. Now, in the eyes of outsiders, I am clearly the Emperor's favorite. The Lin family wants to find a ally among the military generals, and they will inevitably have designs on Baozhu. I only have this one sister, how can I bear to let her enter the Eastern Palace and live a life of widowhood?"

Who knows how long the crown prince will live?

Baozhu is too young to be the Crown Princess, so she can be dismissed as a Liangdi (a lower-ranking concubine). The Crown Prince might die before they can consummate their marriage, and even if a Crown Prince is left behind, what does that have to do with the Gu family?

He was unwilling to tie the Gu family to the Crown Prince's ship, and also drag a girl into it.

Old Madam Gu closed her eyes, turning the prayer beads in her hand. After a long while, she sighed and said, "There's never a moment of peace, not even 360 days a year. It's good to let this little monkey learn a lesson, so she won't cause trouble here. Her martial arts have improved a bit now, and she's always clamoring to go out and fight for justice. She's also making Lan'er and the others hard to manage. They're really following her example. It's good that she's gone, so I won't always worry that she'll set her sights on Scholar Qin and cause another incident like Xu Zhen's. It'll be difficult to maintain good relations with her."

Gu Jinghui was both annoyed and amused, and said, "Didn't she say that she was unhappy living in a civil official's family?"

Madam Gu rolled her eyes at her son and scolded, "You believe her? She's one way today and another way tomorrow. No matter what she does, she's always right. What if one day you find her stubborn and inflexible? Just send her far away, out of sight and out of mind."

Gu Jinghui sighed and said, "Then my son will have to worry about the scholars at Baihe Academy again."

Rong Momo couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Madam Gu said angrily, "What kind of brother is this, always scorning his sister?"

Gu Jinghui smiled and said, "My son was just expressing his feelings. I hope that Baozhu can concentrate on her studies at Baihe Academy. If she can be both literate and skilled in martial arts, that would be even better."

Madam Gu's lips trembled slightly, but in the end she didn't say anything.

Gu Jinghui chatted with his mother for a few more minutes before returning to Wutong Garden to wash and change. After he left, Old Madam Gu asked Rong Mama, "Do you think it would be good for Baozhu to go to Baihe Academy?"

Rong Momo comforted her, "Perhaps she'll have an epiphany and start studying hard after this trip. As the saying goes, like father, like son. Her father is clever and quick-witted, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and well-versed in military strategy. The Seventh Miss is no less capable."