That was Gu Jinghui's voice, dark and gloomy, carrying an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

Qin Yuan frowned. Shouldn't she be the one who's angry?

She was the one who was abandoned on her wedding night.

But that's not how you say it, Qin Yuan raised her hand.

Her hair was only half combed, with a small portion of loose hair cascading over her shoulders. Cuiming obediently put down the hair she was holding, and she and Hongye walked out from beside Lord Gu with their hands hanging down and their bodies close together.

Gu Jinghui stood inside the room, his imposing figure radiating coldness and displeasure.

It looks like a big block of ice.

It's a bit scary.

Qin Yuan stood up, took two steps, stopped a distance away, and obediently asked, "Where has Yuan'er done something wrong to offend her husband?"

Gu Jinghui stared at her with an ambiguous expression.

Qin Yuan added, "If there is anything inappropriate, please tell me, and I will correct it. We are husband and wife, and I will do my duty."

She appeared docile and spoke softly, but there was a sharp edge to her words.

She always talked about the unity of husband and wife, which was a subtle way of implying to Gu Jinghui that humiliating his wife was the same as humiliating his husband.

She fulfilled her duty, but what about Gu Jinghui's?

She wanted to see what Gu Jinghui had to say.

Gu Jinghui obviously understood as well, and said angrily, "You are very good, you are perfect in everything you do, so perfect that last night you didn't care at all whether your husband came back or not."

Qin Yuan had initially thought that Zhao Niangzi had said something to anger him, but upon hearing this, she was somewhat surprised. She asked, "Did my husband return last night?"

Gu Jinghui snorted with a straight face.

His cheeks and chin were bluish, and overnight, a lot of stubble had grown. His eyes were very tired, as if he hadn't slept all night.

Qin Yuan said, "But the maids don't know when my husband will return."

Her eyes seemed to say, "Didn't you just get back?"

Gu Jinghui chuckled lightly, took a few steps closer, leaned down and lowered his voice, saying, "When I came back, you were all sleeping soundly, so I had to go to the study to rest."

Qin Yuan: "..."

Gu Jinghui pressed further, "Didn't I tell you I'd be right back? You just ignored me, didn't you?"

That soft "hmm" sound, filled with warmth, tickled Qin Yuan's ears.

She couldn't help but shrink her neck and chuckle softly.

Gu Jinghui was momentarily distracted, then became annoyed again.

Qin Yuan didn't want to provoke him, so she stopped smiling, put on a timid look, twisted her fingers, and said softly, "That woman spoke so seriously last night, I think the Marquis will probably have to stay here. Besides, I'm new here and I'm very scared without my husband to accompany me, so I had the maids come in to keep me company. Why didn't you wake me up when my husband came back?"

She tactfully explained her situation.

The coldness emanating from Gu Jinghui dissipated considerably, and he even reached out and grasped her hand.

His hands were large, with a thin layer of calluses between his fingers, likely from martial arts training. They were somewhat rough, making her hands itch.

“Last night,” he coughed a few times, then softened his voice and said, “I neglected you last night. I forgot that you are still a child.”

Qin Yuan lowered her head, letting Gu Jinghui hold her hand, and asked shyly, "What time did you come back last night? Did you get used to staying in the study?"

"I only stayed for an hour before coming back. The study was very quiet," Gu Jinghui's voice softened.

Qin Yuan blinked.

He then asked, "How is Lady Zhao's son? What did the imperial physician say?"

Gu Jinghui mumbled, "It's alright."

After saying that, he added in an unfriendly tone, "You slept soundly last night."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I was probably too tired. I got up early yesterday morning to put on makeup and didn't dare to eat much. I was also jostled around in the sedan chair the whole way to the Marquis's residence. The ladies chatted with me, but I didn't know any of them. I had to remember their names and habits one by one, so it was inevitable that I was a little tired."

Gu Jinghui sighed and said, "Are all the daughters of civil officials as delicate as you?"

This is the second time she has been described as a delicate young lady from a civil official's family.

Qin Yuan countered, "What are the young ladies of the Marquis's mansion like?"

“You’ll see her soon,” Gu Jinghui said. “My younger sister is quite mischievous, and Mother doesn’t really discipline her, letting her run wild. As her sister-in-law, you’ll have to teach her a thing or two, to help her control her temper, so she won’t be disliked when she marries into another family.”

Qin Yuan smiled, pursing her lips, but didn't reply.

Was Gu Jinghui praising her? Let's assume so.

His younger sister was the same sister as Gu Jingjun, the sixth master of the Gu family, and was the posthumous child of the old marquis. Naturally, she was also on the side of Gu Jingjun's wife.

Judging from Lord Gu's tone, he is quite close to this half-sister.

Qin Yuan withdrew her hand and said, "My lord, please hurry up and freshen up. We should go and serve tea. We'll be laughed at if we're late."

After Gu Jinghui agreed, Qin Yuan called Cuiming in to continue combing his hair, and then ordered Hongye to call a servant to prepare grooming supplies for the Marquis.

Seeing that Qin Yuan had calmed down Lord Gu with just a few words, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Jinghui was always accompanied by his servant, Gu Shiliu. Most of the servants in the Marquis's mansion were born into the family and entered the service when they reached a certain age. They would be given a name by their master.

Gu Jinghui was too lazy to think of a name, so he used numbers instead.

Previously, Gu Shiliu was in charge of the Marquis's food, clothing and daily necessities. Now that the Marquis is married, it is inconvenient for him to enter the house to serve him. So he carefully explained the Marquis's habits and where his things were placed.

"When the Marquis was in the northern frontier, he ate and drank with the soldiers and was used to doing things himself. He didn't have many daily necessities, so he kept them in a few boxes in the west wing room next to the north wall. From now on, I'll leave them to you, Miss."

Hongye went to the west wing to retrieve the clothes that the Marquis would wear when serving tea, ironed out the creases, and selected accessories such as sachets and pouches before carrying them into the inner room.

At this moment, Qin Yuan's hair was already combed. Cui Ming opened the makeup box, which contained various hair accessories for Qin Yuan to choose from.

Qin Yuan thought that she had already worn the hairpin yesterday, so it was not appropriate to wear it again today. When serving tea to her mother-in-law, she needed to dress properly and formally, but not too much.

"Let's use that jade flower comb set, and pair it with a gold hairpin."

Qin Yuan looked at Cui Ming in the mirror as she put on her hair ornaments.

Gu Jinghui put his hands behind his head, leaned back on the couch, and stared at Qin Yuan.

Hongye noticed that they actually looked like a loving couple.

Who knew that the two of them didn't consummate their marriage at all last night?

Hongye couldn't help but curse that Zhao Niangzi in her heart again.

If it weren't for this wretched woman causing trouble, the young lady and her son-in-law would be so loving.

Hongye presented the clothes on the tray, saying, "My lord, these are the clothes I have chosen. Would you like to change into them now?"

Gu Jinghui nodded: "Let's put it aside for now."

After Qin Yuan had finished putting on her hair ornaments and stood up to check her appearance, Gu Jinghui said, "Madam, please help me change my clothes."

Qin Yuan: "..."

Hongye: "..."

Didn't they say they would do everything themselves?

If this continues, it will be too late to offer tea.