Gu Qing just said this, but when faced with the banquet menu, she did not explain at all. This made Chen's father and mother, who wanted to speak for her, anxious, but they didn't know how to respond.
"Oh! Now I understand. Even if you are usually frugal, this is fine. But it is a banquet after all. How can you give guests porridge and side dishes? Wouldn't it be a laughing stock if this gets out?" Old Madam Chen was silent for a long time before she uttered these words.
but--
What she said was true. After all, Gu Qing hated extravagance and waste the most, and she had no requirements for jewelry, clothing, housing and transportation.
I don’t like buying useless things on weekdays.
Gu Qing burst out laughing, and then she hurriedly explained, "Grandmother, you don't know that the court is currently plagued by internal and external troubles, and the world is plagued by constant disasters. If we want to hold an extravagant banquet now, with so many eyes in the court watching our Chen family, what should we do?"
Even the elderly Mrs. Chen could understand the profound meaning behind her words.
For a moment, Mrs. Lu was speechless, like a mute, and she stood behind the old lady without saying a word.
"I know, it's just a banquet, and it definitely won't make the Chen family go bankrupt, but times are different now!" Gu Qing added slowly.
Father Chen looked at Gu Qing with a touch of admiration and appreciation in his eyes. He held his beard with one hand and said quietly after a while, "Zhou'er is blessed to have a wife like you. It's a blessing earned through many lifetimes. What your mother always said was right."
"Father, please don't embarrass your daughter-in-law. Now that I'm married into the Chen family, we are one. The whole family prospers and suffers together. Even though Qing'er is just a woman, she understands this principle." Gu Qing nodded and smiled humbly.
The more graceful and elegant she was, the more it made Lu look bad.
Old Madam Chen slapped Madam Lu's arm with her backhand. "Look at you, you're still an aunt, but you're not as smart as Qing'er. The national treasury is empty right now, and His Majesty is in dire straits. If we hold a lavish celebration and it gets to the palace, how can we be so shameful!"
"Songs and poems are just a hobby for literati, and eating and drinking are just to fill the stomach. People won't care about so many things." Gu Qing raised his eyes and looked at Lu who was not far away, his eyes full of smiles.
Her words were a metaphor for—
It's just a poetry gathering, not a big deal. Even if the food and drink expenses are a little less, the dignitaries who come to the mansion have no place to complain.
What's more, anyone with a little common sense should think about whether now is the time to show off.
Mrs. Lu's face turned red and white, and she was still mumbling softly: "The natural disasters and man-made disasters outside are handled by local officials. We are in the capital, so these fires can't burn us..."
"You really have a pig's brain. I think you should go back and reflect on yourself. Starting today, you should copy the female ring a hundred times, without missing a single word. I want to read it word by word!" Old Lady Chen looked up and down at Lu with cold eyes and scolded her harshly.
Finally, Old Madam Chen seemed to be afraid that Mrs. Lu would try some clever tricks again. "Also, Qing'er recently found a few teachers to teach me how to read and write at home. Don't think that I am old and my eyesight is dim and I can be fooled easily."
Gu Qing's smile grew even wider. At first, she helped her grandmother find a teacher just to give her something to do.
Besides, this poetry gathering is organized by the Chen family, so if anyone wants to make things difficult, my grandmother will have a way to deal with it.
Who would have thought that she would bring this up?
Mrs. Lu had a tasteless meal. From beginning to end, she had only herself to blame for the suffering. When she returned to her seat, she was even scolded...
Before leaving, Mrs. Lu gave Gu Qing a fierce look.
Gu Qing never took these little things to heart.
Just a second or third wife, there is nothing they can do to her.
When Chen Zhizhou came back from outside, it was already midnight. Outside the window, the night was quiet and the stars were twinkling...
The wooden door creaked open, and the man walked quickly into the bedroom in the darkness.
Gu Qing, who was sitting at the table reading by lamplight at night, glanced back inadvertently and said, "I heard that someone has recently taken a fancy to the courtesan of Tianxiang Pavilion and is reluctant to leave. How about I help my husband find a matchmaker in a few days to marry that courtesan, so that he doesn't have to run back and forth every day and suffer so much?"
Hearing her say this...
Chen Zhizhou was obviously stunned at first. He never expected that the news would spread so quickly!
But, a moment later, a sly smile appeared on that handsome face: "Madam, why does your tone sound so sour? Are you jealous?"
"Jealous?" Gu Qing seemed to have thought of something. She raised her dandy eyes and glanced at Chen Zhizhou, then covered her mouth and nose with her hands, muttering, "What a smell! It's so pungent!"
Smelly?
Chen Zhizhou raised his sleeve and put it to his nose and sniffed gently...
He didn't smell anything strange.
But Gu Qing had already said so, so he had to turn around and walk out: "I was inconsiderate. I will go wash up first."
Who would have thought!
As soon as Chen Zhizhou walked out of the door, Gu Qing stood up and walked towards the door. She quickly pulled the bolt and told Cuiru, who was dozing off beside her, "Close the window too."
Cui Ru's eyes widened in shock. "Young Madam, are you planning to lock the Third Young Master out of the room?"
"You'd better be careful. If your third young master climbs in through the window tonight, you won't get a penny of your monthly salary this month!" After Gu Qing said this, he knocked Cui Ru's head lightly with his hand while laughing.
These words, coupled with her behavior, made Cuiru stunned for a moment.
Normally, when the young mistress heard that the third young master had gone to Tianxiang Pavilion to look for the courtesan, she should have been furious...
But why is she still smiling so brightly?
If the young lady didn't mind, why would she ask herself to lock the doors and windows?
At this moment, a scream came from the bathroom.
Gu Qing left a window a little open. She looked out through the window and saw a man wearing only underwear with his collar slightly open, being pulled by the ears and twisted as he came out of the house.
As Chen Zhizhou walked, he exclaimed, "Grandma, it's already so late, why don't you rest? Please...be gentler. I am an official after all. How can you treat me like a three-year-old child?"
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