The little girl, despite her young age, had a good memory and repeated the story sentence by sentence.

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu's face turned ashen, unable to conceal her anger. She scolded, "Gu Baozhu, you are still an unmarried young lady, yet you dare to spout such nonsense in front of your third sister-in-law. I have carefully raised you for so many years, and I never knew when you picked up these bad habits."

Seeing that Old Madam Gu was very angry, Gu Baozhu quickly stepped forward, threw herself into her arms, and sobbed, "Mother, I know I was wrong, please forgive me."

Madam Gu sighed, rubbing her forehead: "You are the only girl in the Gu family this generation. You have grown up by my side since you were a child. No matter how much outsiders praise and flatter you, it is only because you are the daughter of the Marquis of Dingbei. How could you say such things that would damage your third brother's reputation?"

"Besides, your third brother treated that mother and child kindly out of gratitude. Where do you place your brother and Zhao Niangzi and her child by saying this?"

“If even family members say this, outsiders will only spread even more rumors. If you still consider yourself the daughter of the Marquis of Dingbei, then stop saying such nonsense.”

These words were quite harsh, and Gu Baozhu didn't dare to say another word. She could only sob and reply, "Mother, I was wrong. I will apologize to my third sister-in-law right now and will never say it again. If I do it again, may I be struck by lightning and may you punish me as you see fit, Mother."

Qin Yuan kept her head down, looking at her toes.

Gu Baozhu had been raised by Old Madam Gu for many years, and they had a deep bond. She understood the principle of maintaining a close relationship even among strangers.

Madam Gu said with a grim expression, "Mother, I've misunderstood. Third sister-in-law is right. My sister-in-law said the wrong thing and we should advise her instead of indulging her just because she's young."

Qin Yuan slightly pursed her lips.

In the end, Madam Gu punished Gu Baozhu by confining her to the house for three months, forcing her to read the "Four Books for Women" to correct her behavior and learn needlework. Gu Baozhu was so worried that she cried out in distress.

Learning needlework seriously is very hard work, and in the past, Old Madam Gu would turn a blind eye to it.

After studying for ten years, Gu Baozhu could only thread a needle and embroider two mandarin ducks that looked like ducks.

Now Gu Baozhu has to start learning from scratch.

Spinning, weaving, embroidery, and tailoring all required instruction from female masters.

Madam Gu said that she should temper her temper before getting engaged and that she should be offered a good marriage.

After dismissing Gu Baozhu, Old Madam Gu turned the conversation to the management of the Marquis's household.

“Over the years, I’ve wanted to be lazy and left all the household management to you without even considering whether you could handle it. You have to serve me, take care of Liu Lang, and raise our children. It’s really too tiring. Why don’t you let your third sister-in-law help you manage the household? It’ll be easier if more people share the burden.”

The words were beautifully spoken, but they stung Madam Gu's heart and made it bleed.

Although she knew that the management of the Marquis's mansion would eventually have to be handed over and that the Marquis's wife was the rightful mistress of the mansion, Madam Gu, who had held power for many years, was really reluctant to give it up and wanted to postpone it as long as possible.

Madam Gu forced a smile and said, "It's not like what Mother said at all. It's a daughter-in-law's blessing to be able to serve a mother-in-law like Mother. In the whole capital, you can count the number of people as kind and generous as the Marquis's Mansion on your fingers. Third Sister-in-law and I are both blessed."

These few words made Old Madam Gu laugh.

“Before, I was the only housekeeper, so there were bound to be oversights and shortcomings. With a smart and sensible person like my third sister-in-law helping me, I am very happy.”

After praising Old Madam Gu, he then praised Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan thought that Madam Gu was shrewd and calculating, unlike Gu Baozhu, who was easily provoked. She had to take it slow.

Madam Gu smiled and said, "Yuan'er is still young. Although she is quite clever, she has never managed a household before and still has a lot to learn. What I value most is her dedication to putting the Marquis first and keeping the Marquis's mansion in her heart. In the future, when the two of you manage the household together, with her help, you will have an easier time, and the Marquis's mansion will be more secure."

Qin Yuan then spoke up, "Mother, Sixth Sister-in-law, if there's anything I don't understand in the future, please feel free to ask me. I would appreciate your guidance."

"Haha," Madam Gu said with a laugh, "You're in such a hurry to take up your post."

Qin Yuan just smiled.

Madam Gu glanced at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law with envy.

To show that she was not greedy for power, Madam Gu Liu initially wanted to give Qin Yuan the kitchen and accounting departments, but Qin Yuan refused with a smile, saying, "I'm new here and don't know anything. I'll learn how to manage a household from my sister-in-law so I won't be clueless later."

These words sent a shiver down Madam Gu's spine. She glanced at Old Madam Gu, whose face was full of smiles, clearly indicating that she agreed.

Instantly, half of his fierce competitive spirit vanished.

Qin Yuan ultimately chose the tea room, carpentry workshop, and sewing room, all of which involved miscellaneous tasks with little to no financial reward.

Madam Gu breathed a sigh of relief, but overlooked the approval in Old Madam Gu's eyes.

After chatting for a while, Madam Gu took her leave, agreeing to meet again after lunch.

As soon as she left the main room, Madam Gu's face darkened.

"I never expected that this coward would actually stoop to make such a scene. Does she even consider herself a bride?" Madam Gu complained to her trusted nanny.

The trusted nanny was also very disappointed: "I thought that the Seventh Miss would make her lose her composure, but I didn't expect that the Seventh Miss would be the one who got so angry that she was put in solitary confinement."

Madam Gu said angrily, "She's a good-for-nothing. The old lady spoils her, the marquis spoils her, and the sixth master spoils her too. She's spoiled so much that she has a big temper but little ability. She was brought down by Qin Yuan in no time."

The trusted nanny warned, "Madam, the Third Madam is formidable. You must be careful. She has only been in the manor for a few days, but she has already taken tight control of the Wutong Courtyard. We haven't heard a word about what happened to the Marquis in the main room yesterday."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!