Gu Jinghui let out a cold snort from deep within his throat, and said in a chilling tone, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Seeing his unfriendly tone, Gu Jingjun shrank back and muttered, "It's all over the manor. Even if others don't say it, I'm not blind."

"Having eyes is useless; you might as well gouge them out."

Gu Jinghui's voice became even colder and more ruthless.

Gu Jingjun said, "Third brother, your menacing demeanor is frightening even to me. Doesn't your delicate sister-in-law fear it? You're only good at wielding swords and spears; you can't even appreciate gentleness, write poetry, or paint. I think you'd be a good match for that Zhao lady from the north. Her two children are quite fierce and won't get along with my kids. Who knows, your sister-in-law might be bullied by them in the future."

Gu Jinghui's narrow eyes shot out a cold light, and his stern face was truly filled with murderous intent.

Gu Jingjun took a few steps back warily.

"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. If you dare to spout this nonsense again, don't blame Third Brother for crippling you."

Leaving behind a cold, sharp remark, Lord Gu walked away.

The fearless Sixth Master Gu quickly grabbed him, saying, "Third Brother, you really have to give me money, money to save my life."

Lord Gu said coldly, "Say some nice things about me, say that your third sister-in-law and I are a match made in heaven, a perfect couple, and that we will be forever united, grow old together, and have many children and much happiness, and then I will give you the money."

Sixth Master Gu: "..."

Before he could regret it, Gu Jinghui had already given him a cold look and strode away.

Unbeknownst to Master Gu, his third brother had already taken this matter to heart, and the household accountant would soon receive orders not to give him a single copper coin except for his monthly allowance.

Gu Jinghui, burning with an unnamed fire, rushed back to Wutong Garden.

The garden was quiet, with only a few maids guarding the corridor.

"Where is Madam?"

"Reporting to the Marquis, the Madam is resting inside. Cuiming and Sister Hongye have been sent out by the Madam to supervise the stewardesses' work."

Gu Jinghui nodded, and without asking anyone to serve him, he walked into the house with his hands behind his back.

The maids were still hesitating whether to go in and announce the news.

Lord Gu has already entered the inner chambers.

There was no one in the outer room; on the table were calligraphy copybooks and large characters that he had just written that morning.

On the pen mountain, there are still brushes that have been washed recently.

Gu Jinghui carefully examined and meticulously appraised the items.

Qin Yuan has beautiful handwriting; it appears elegant and smooth, but in reality, it contains strength and occasionally has sharp strokes, just like the person she is.

His heart gradually calmed down.

Qin Yuan has already married him and is destined to be his wife, bearing his children. This is a fact that cannot be changed by a few words from others.

He and she will be deeply in love and live happily ever after, blinding those people.

Moreover, his young wife cares about him and is completely devoted to him.

Once those obstacles are gone, better days are ahead.

Gu Jinghui turned around and was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of a jade-patterned stationery sheet. It had something written on it in delicate, elegant calligraphy.

The daughter of a civil official is indeed exquisite.

He couldn't help but pull it out to take a look.

The stationery is exquisitely made, with magnolia blossoms as the base, and the pink paper exudes a faint fragrance.

Gu Jinghui glanced at the few lines and saw words like "remember" and "longing," and his heart pounded so hard he couldn't read any further.

There was a noise outside the door, and he hurriedly put the letter back where it was.

Immediately afterwards, Hongye's voice rang out from under the eaves: "Has anyone come looking for Miss?"

The maids replied, "No, Madam said that if anyone brings news, we should invite them to sit in the flower hall."

"Very good. This is very important for Madam's money-making business. You all need to be careful."

The maids chatted around Hongye, while Gu Jinghui turned and left, returning to his side room.

"This Hongye, it's been so long, and she still doesn't know how to call me Madam. She really needs to be taught a lesson."

Gu Jinghui picked up the teapot; the tea was cold.

She reached out and picked up a pastry from the table, but it wasn't the hibiscus cake she loved.

In short, nothing is going right.

When Hongye heard that the Marquis had returned, she hurriedly went into the inner room to serve him. Seeing that no one was in the room, she realized that the Marquis had returned to his side room. She didn't interfere, so she took a small stool and stood outside, chatting casually with the maids.

A moment later, Madam Cai arrived and hurriedly asked, "Is Miss Cuiming here?"

Hongye smiled and said, "Cuiming went with Mama Lu to check the accounts of the sewing room."

Mrs. Cai was taken aback and asked, "Why do you need to check the accounts all of a sudden?"

The accounts are only reviewed once a year.

Could it be that Lady Hou is not at ease after taking over and wants to take over again?

Or did you discover something amiss?

Hongye said, "Previously, Madam had the stewards reconcile the accounts with Sixth Madam. The old accounts were under Sixth Madam's management, and the new ones would be under Madam's management. Logically, Madam Lu should know everything by now. But this morning, Madam Lu said she wanted to buy embroidery thread. Madam asked her how much embroidery thread she needed over the years, how much she bought this year, and how much she had left. She couldn't answer any of these questions. So Madam asked Cuiming to help her reconcile the accounts, so that they wouldn't be a mess when it came time to close the accounts at the end of the year."

These words not only made Cai's mother nod in agreement, but Gu Jinghui, who was sitting inside, also nodded in agreement.

Madam Cai said, "Madam Hou is meticulous and thorough in her work."

Hongye said smugly, "You'll see how many good things the lady has to offer later."

Madam Cai said, "I came here because I want Miss Cuiming to tell Madam Hou something. Since Miss Cuiming is not here, I think it would be the same to ask Miss Hongye to do it."

Hongye asked, "What is it? Madam is resting. Can you tell me first, Mother Cai?"

Madam Cai whispered, "Last time I asked Miss Cuiming to contribute a share, but somehow Zhao Mama, who works for the Sixth Madam, found out about it. Just now, the head maids were discussing matters in Songtao Pavilion, and she was spreading the word everywhere, even encouraging everyone to contribute. I find it all very strange."

The red leaves nodded.

Madam Cai continued, “There’s no such thing as a business where you only win and never lose. I thought about that when I gave my gift, but now that everyone is contributing, it’s fine if we make a profit, but if we lose money, I don’t know what they’ll say about you behind your back. This whole thing started because of me, how can I not worry about you?”

Hongye said, "Granny Zhao and the Sixth Madam also came this morning to give their gifts. Madam, you've made it clear that business can be profitable or not, and we can't regret it if we lose money. If you withdraw halfway, we will refund you the market price at the time, deducting the costs. All of this is written down in black and white."

Madam Cai grew anxious and said, "Everyone is in high spirits right now. They've said what they wanted to say, but who's going to listen? If something happens, Madam will lose all her authority among the stewardesses."

Hongye said, "But if we disagree now, they will hold a grudge after we make money."

Mrs. Cai sighed.

Inside the room, Gu Jinghui also frowned.

Hongye said, "Madam has thought of everything. Madam, there's no need to be upset. There are no secrets in the world. Madam agreed to share with you because she foresaw this day. I will convey your feelings to Madam."

Madam Cai's tone became more relaxed as she said, "I never expected Madam to be so shrewd."

Hongye said, "Madam has been studying and learning principles since childhood. She learned great truths from the sages in the books, which is different from us."