Lord Gu walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, then stopped and asked Sixth Master Gu, "Aren't you afraid to walk back alone?"

Sixth Master Gu swallowed hard and said, "If it were anywhere else, I would naturally be afraid, but I am not worried at all in the manor. There are guards and sentries, and outsiders cannot cause trouble."

Lord Gu smiled and nodded, "That may be true, but there are exceptions, and it's always good to be careful in everything you do."

Master Gu, not understanding what was going on, just stared wide-eyed. Then he let out a melodious whistle, and the treetops in the nearby forest rustled as if blown by the wind. Immediately afterwards, a dark figure floated down from above and bowed, saying, "What are your orders, Lord Marquis?"

Although Master Gu knew that there were secret guards protecting the prefecture, this was the first time he had ever met them, and he was stunned again.

"You escort Sixth Master to the vicinity of the outer courtyard," Lord Gu instructed the guards, then turned to his younger brother and said, "You go back first. I have something to do outside the manor, so I won't accompany you back to the outer courtyard."

Sixth Master Gu nodded blankly in agreement.

Lord Gu smiled and lightly touched the treetop with his toes, his movements extremely graceful and light. He paused briefly at the treetop before disappearing without a trace.

"Sigh," Master Gu stood there blankly for a long time before letting out a long sigh, "Third Brother's martial arts skills are getting better and better."

The guards stood silently by his side like shadows, escorting him to the outer courtyard gate before disappearing in a flash.

After standing at the gate of the outer courtyard for a while in a daze, Master Gu hurriedly returned to the house. He didn't care that it was late at night and quickly spread out Xuan paper to paint.

Lord Gu had already climbed over the city gate and was heading straight for the family temple in the suburbs.

His heart was burning with excitement, and he couldn't wait to unravel the mystery.

In fact, he already had a vague answer in his heart.

However, this matter is of great importance and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake; no amount of caution is too much.

...

When Qin Yuan woke up the next day, she was not surprised to find that Lord Gu had not returned home all night again. After washing and dressing, she went to the main room to pay her respects, where Gu Baozhu happened to be there as well.

After reporting on the various matters concerning the household recently, she asked for instructions: "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, my seventh sister will be going away to study. I was thinking of holding a grand celebration so that everyone in the household could relax. However, I did not expect that the clan would hold a large celebration, and it also coincides with the Empress Dowager's birthday, so we will have to go to the palace to offer our congratulations. This has put me in a bit of a dilemma, and I don't know what to do."

Madam Gu smiled and said, "Actually, it's nothing. I think it's better for them to do their thing and for us to do ours. We can just avoid those two days in the palace and the clan. The Marquis just sent someone to say that the clan is holding an ancestral worship ceremony, and our family should also worship properly and not miss it. Since that's the case, there's no need to simplify things. We can just follow the previous procedures."

Qin Yuan was taken aback: "The Marquis actually sent someone to deliver a message."

Madam Gu was also puzzled, saying, "Who knows why the third son suddenly sent someone back with a message?"

After the three of them had breakfast together and chatted for a while, Qin Yuan went to the council courtyard to handle affairs. Gu Baozhu sat for a while longer before leaving the main room.

"Third Sister-in-law, wait for me!" Gu Baozhu called out frantically from behind.

Qin Yuan stopped and waited until she got closer before asking, "Have you looked at everything Hongye prepared? Are you satisfied? Is there anything you want to add? Don't wait until you're far from home to think about it, then there's nothing I can do."

Gu Baozhu didn't mind: "What could I possibly be dissatisfied with about what Hongye has prepared? All the maids and servants in the manor say she is clever and capable. Besides, I need to carry some money with me, so I can just buy more if I need anything else. Moreover, I have a whole bunch of maids and nannies of my own, so I can't let them eat for free. They should also share the burden for their mistress."

Qin Yuan laughed.

Gu Baozhu asked, "Am I wrong?"

Qin Yuan said, "That makes a lot of sense, but not many people say it. I find it very interesting."

"What will you do if I leave and there's no one to make you laugh?"

Gu Baozhu sighed.

She is just too important.

Qin Yuan suppressed a laugh and asked, "What are you planning to do today?"

Gu Baozhu said, "First, I'll spend some time with my nephews and nieces in class, play with them for a while, then visit relatives and friends, and finally... well, we'll play football."

Qin Yuan knew that the last thing was the most important to her, and the previous things were secondary, so she said, "Be careful, don't just focus on winning. If the other party is underhanded, don't play the dragon costume anymore. Quickly let the guards come out and deal with them. Don't let them get hurt or delay the journey."

"I understand," Gu Baozhu replied hastily, "I still need to go find Sixth Brother. I'm leaving soon, and I don't know when he'll finish that polo painting. I need to urge him on."

After saying that, he disappeared in a flash.

Hongye couldn't help but laugh and said, "Seventh Miss, you have such fast feet."

Cui Ming laughed, "That's right. It must have been tough for all those old women and maids chasing after her, panting and out of breath. They were still worried about not being able to catch up."

Qin Yuan couldn't help but laugh, but when she saw the council courtyard, she stopped laughing.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, a crowd that had been waiting for a long time surrounded them. Some were there to discuss matters, some were there to collect things, and some were there to seek advice and judgment from their master. It was a chaotic scene, and the commotion didn't end until nearly noon.

They had just rested when the little girl said that Shen Chang Le was requesting an audience.

Qin Yuan asked in surprise, "You've already reached an agreement with Manager Leng so quickly?"

Hongye said, "Miss, it was late when you spoke yesterday. I only sent someone to deliver the message this morning. He's here now. That's too fast. Perhaps it's for something else."

Qin Yuan nodded: "In that case, let him come in and talk."

A short while later, Shen Changle came in.

After exchanging a few words, it became clear that they had received orders from Lord Gu to ensure that Shuhai Pavilion did not gain the upper hand, and having just received news from Hongye, they decided to come in and discuss the matter.

Qin Yuan couldn't help but feel a little strange. What was wrong with Lord Gu today? He wasn't going home, but he was taking care of a lot of things, and they were things he wouldn't normally worry about.

Shen Changle complained, "The Empress Dowager's birthday is just around the corner. Shuhai Pavilion has already spent a lot of money to hire craftsmen to make lanterns and has sent out invitations to famous scholars everywhere to help out. I can't think of a way to overpower her in this rush."

Qin Yuan lowered her head and thought for a while, then picked up her teacup and gently stirred the floating leaves with the lid. She said, "It's not difficult to find people. Now that the Marquis is in charge of the capital inspection, he should be able to find many famous ministers and officials in the court to come and help. Besides, there are some people on our side that Shuhai Pavilion definitely cannot invite."

Shen Changle breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Jijiu is the leader of the Qingliu faction, so he can probably be of great help. Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang are people the Shuhai Pavilion can't even persuade to come, but... well, they do have a Nine-Turn Lotus Lamp after all...