Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Mr. Songshan, have you discovered something?"

Mr. Songshan said, "Sixth Master, Eighteenth Master, and I have repeatedly pondered and examined the matter, and we feel that it is rather strange that the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's birthday banquet is held before the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Furthermore, her birthday banquet is not held on a fixed date in previous years."

"But they're all in August?"

Mr. Songshan shook his head: "I questioned the merchants who deliver goods to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and they said that some deliveries are also in July and September—it is clear that the birthday banquet is just a pretext."

Since a birthday banquet is to be held, the scale must be substantial, and the household will inevitably increase its procurement.

Those who can do business with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion are not small businesses; they keep detailed records of their accounts from previous years, and are probably even more knowledgeable than the people in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Otherwise, how could they hold onto their business so firmly?

"A cover?" Qin Yuan frowned.

There are many ways to collect money in officialdom, and celebrating the birthdays of elders is one of them.

Local officials derive the bulk of their annual income from the tributes they receive from their subordinates. These tributes are usually categorized under various names, such as holiday gifts, birthday presents for family members, and so on.

It was the norm for officials to curry favor with their superiors, secure their positions, and then solicit tributes from merchants and gentry.

Some people don't care about such things; their mother celebrates her birthday three times a year.

But once one reaches such a high position as the Duke of Zhenguo, one should not act in this way.

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is part of the Crown Prince's lineage, and the current Empress Dowager is the Emperor's birth mother..."

Mr. Songshan stroked his beard and said, “Extraordinary events always have extraordinary plans. If the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion is not blinded by favor, then it must have some ulterior motive, and it has the approval of the Crown Prince and others. Moreover… this birthday banquet was held in a hurry. The merchants all said that they had not received any news beforehand and thought that it was to avoid the Empress Dowager’s birthday. Unexpectedly, the You family suddenly sent word that it was going to be held, and they were told to purchase quickly without delay. The deadline was naturally very tight.”

It seems like a rather spur-of-the-moment decision.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "The Empress Dowager only has one son, the Emperor, but she has more than one grandson, the Crown Prince. I suppose this matter has been approved by the Emperor."

Mr. Matsuyama nodded.

The two exchanged a glance, and Qin Yuan said in a deep voice, "What's giving Empress Lin a headache right now is the marriage of her two children."

Mr. Songshan clapped his hands and laughed, "If that's the case, then it makes sense. If the candidate can be decided before the birthday celebration, it would be a good omen to bestow a marriage on the birthday. Didn't the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion want to use the Seventh Miss to send a picture of a beautiful girl playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) to the Crown Prince? Besides, Princess Fuyun's husband is the top scholar from Jiangxi and has served in the Hanlin Academy for many years, winning over many people from Jiangxi for Prince Qi. The Crown Prince is weak, and none of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are willing to give him their legitimate daughter. Empress Lin wanted to suppress Princess Fuyun but ended up giving Prince Qi some help. In her haste, she didn't act so carefully."

Qin Yuan nodded.

Previously, the You family wanted to use Gu Baozhu to send out pictures of beautiful women, but now they've simply invited the women to their home.

It is indeed a bit hasty.

“That makes the You family seem like a den of dragons and tigers,” Gu Baozhu said, her interest piqued. She slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, “Third Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. I protected you that day.”

"You'd better take good care of yourself," said Sixth Master Gu, who had been listening silently. He rolled his eyes at his sister and said, "Third Sister-in-law is already married. If the Crown Prince sets his sights on you, things will get complicated."

Gu Baozhu snorted coldly, raised her fist, and said disdainfully, "If he has the guts, let him come at me. Can that sickly guy withstand one punch from me?"

Qin Yuan ignored the brother and sister, keeping her head down and remaining silent.

In his previous life, the Crown Prince's consort remained undecided for a long time. In the end, the eldest daughter of Minister Niu was chosen. After that, Minister Niu was promoted one after another and was put into the cabinet. However, after the Crown Prince passed away, he was squeezed out.

now……

Mr. Songshan said, "It is easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Even if you are highly skilled in martial arts, you will regret it if you are ambushed by someone in the dark."

"Did you hear that? Third Brother said it long ago: there's always someone stronger than you, so never be overconfident."

Master Gu seized the opportunity to discipline his younger sister.

Gu Baozhu said, "Then I'll just pretend to be sick and not go. I'll go to the academy to study after the festival. What can he do to me then?"

Mr. Songshan disagreed: "You still have to go. If you don't go, how will you protect your third sister-in-law? If it's really about the Crown Prince's marriage, the Empress will definitely come in person that day. Besides, the Ninth Princess is not yet engaged."

Qin Yuan raised her head, tapped the table lightly, and sighed, "What you say is absolutely right, sir."

"What does this mean?" Gu Baozhu asked in surprise, why couldn't she understand?

Mr. Songshan glanced at her and said bluntly, "The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion may not be willing to part with their daughter, but they still have a son, don't they? The Ninth Princess is a royal princess; how can she be made a concubine?"

Gu Baozhu was stunned for a long time before she exclaimed in shock, "This is outrageous! My third brother is a war god, how can he be manipulated by others? Besides, there are rumors outside that my third brother is impotent. If Empress Lin agrees to the marriage again, wouldn't she have no face left?"

"Gu Baozhu!" Upon hearing this, Sixth Master Gu blushed and hurriedly stopped her, "Look at the filthy things you're saying, you've picked them up from hanging out outside all this time."

Gu Shiba glanced quickly at Qin Yuan, then hurriedly lowered his eyes.

"I..." Gu Baozhu hurriedly stopped talking and looked at Qin Yuan expectantly.

Mr. Pian Songshan, still expressionless, continued, "Perhaps it's for this reason that Empress Lin thinks Marquis Gu will be grateful. After all, they are fighting for the world now. What does face matter when it comes to the world?"

If she cared about her reputation, Empress Lin would not have achieved such immense wealth and status.

They're fighting and grabbing, and they're still worried it won't be enough.

Qin Yuan said, "Don't worry, sir, I've noted it all down and will be more careful in the future."

Gu Baozhu also realized what was going on and said, "Then I'll just protect my third sister-in-law and not go to school for now. We'll talk about it after the Ninth Princess is engaged."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "There's no need for that. Your third brother will find a way to protect me."

After Empress Lin realized that Marquis Gu and Prince Qi had formed an alliance, she would not let the Ninth Princess's move go unpunished.

only……

She definitely needs to be more careful to avoid being implicated.

Mr. Matsuyama nodded and said, "It's good that you have a plan. Now let's talk about how to select and verify the information."

Gu Baozhu exclaimed, "Is that all? This concerns the safety of my third sister-in-law!"

"Third Sister-in-law's safety?" Sixth Master Gu was shocked.

Gu Baozhu rolled her eyes: "Sixth Brother, do you really think the Ninth Princess would be interested in you?"

Sixth Master Gu also rolled his eyes at her.

Gu Baozhu said, "Even if the Ninth Princess takes a liking to the Sixth Brother, the Empress will not agree. That leaves only the Third Brother. With the Third Sister-in-law's outstanding qualities, how could the Third Brother agree to marry the Ninth Princess?"

Sixth Master Gu looked at Qin Yuan in alarm, his face pale and speechless.

Mr. Songshan said, "Alright, this is just my speculation, to keep you on guard so you won't fall into someone else's hands. Don't be so easily alarmed and lose your composure."

Seeing that Qin Yuan remained calm, the brother and sister also calmed down.

Gu Shiba, standing to the side, couldn't help but admire him. He felt even more that his lord was truly blessed. His wife was young, yet she remained calm and composed in the face of chaos. Ordinary women would have panicked upon hearing such things, but his wife remained as composed as ever.