Gu Xin lowered the board in the carriage, spread out a quilt, and then put Dong Xue down. She slept in the middle herself and let Zheng Qiu sleep next to her.
She tucked Dongxue in, then turned to face Zheng Qiu and whispered, "Xiao Qiu, go ahead and say it. Dongxue is asleep. Bai Yi and Bai Er outside are my men. They won't ask you anything. Besides, Bai Yi told Yuan Yuan about your identity, and Yuan Yuan told me. There's nothing to hide."
Zheng Qiu turned to face Gu Xin and smiled knowingly, "That's right, otherwise, how could they allow us to ride together at night? I was just nervous."
Gu Xin smiled and patted her.
Zheng Qiu sighed and said, "The Prince of Donglin really did hand over the Tiger Tally and then stopped caring about court affairs. Therefore, the daughters-in-law he chose for himself were not from prominent families. All four daughters-in-law were daughters of wealthy families in Taizhou Prefecture. Only his son-in-law was of slightly higher status, but he was just the son of the headmaster of Jiangnan Academy. He was focused on the imperial examinations when he was young, and after passing the third-highest level, he did not stay in the court but returned to Jiangnan Academy to teach and educate people."
"The eldest son of the King of Donglin, who was also the heir apparent, passed away from illness a few years ago. During his lifetime, he only enjoyed studying but never participated in the imperial examinations, supposedly due to health reasons. The King of Donglin's second and third sons were twins; one was fond of business and managed all the properties of the Donglin Royal Palace, while the other was an idle rich kid. I don't know much about the King of Donglin's fourth son; I haven't been able to find out anything. As for the princess of the Donglin Royal Palace, she was pampered from childhood, and her husband was very good, so this princess's life has been smooth sailing. She is somewhat proud, quite intelligent, but naive about the ways of the world."
"As for the grandchildren of the Donglin Prince's Mansion, the eldest grandson, Bai Shijie, is currently married and has a two-year-old son with Zheng Shi. The first branch also has a daughter, Bai Shiying, who is of marriageable age but seems to be unmarried yet. The second branch has two sons, one a year younger than Bai Shijie and the other the same age as Bai Shiying, both of whom are studying at Taizhou Academy. The third branch has a pair of twin daughters, Bai Shishuang and Bai Shilu, who should be twelve years old this year. The fourth branch has only one fifteen-year-old son. The princess has a son and a daughter."
"As for the Princess of Donglin, I heard that she has been greatly affected by the death of her eldest son in the past two years. She spends most of her time copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall and doesn't care about outside affairs. She and the King of Donglin were childhood sweethearts and have been through so much together. The King of Donglin respects her very much, and I feel that she will not stop Bai Baozhu from finding out the cause of the King of Donglin's death."
Zheng Qiu told Gu Xin all the information she had received.
She naturally heard this information from the Zheng family. She had people in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, and she knew everything about the past of everyone there. Even her married daughters, she had people find out about their spouses' families.
However, she only knew the surface of the situation; she didn't know much more.
"Xiao Qiu, you know so much. It seems you've done a lot of preparation! Do you need my help with your matter? If I help, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort." Gu Xin offered to help Zheng Qiu.
She also felt that Zheng Qiu's situation was somewhat similar to Lu Zheng's.
Lu Zheng is doing alright; at least Lu Xue hasn't been spoiled by her stepmother.
She really disliked how second wives would torment the children of the first wife. What's the big deal about dealing with a small child?
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