Gu Jinghui couldn't sit still under the gaze, so he quickly glanced at Qin Yuan, his eyes clearly conveying a sense of accusation.
Madam Gu scolded, "Why are you looking at Yuan'er? You caused this trouble yourself, and you still want Yuan'er to speak up for you? You can't bully people like this."
Gu Jinghui quickly defended himself, "Mother, how did I cause this?"
Madam Gu sneered, "Then tell me who provoked them."
Gu Jinghui: "..."
Whether the story begins with Zhao's poisoning or with Princess Fuyun's imperial decree, it seems to be related to him, but Lord Gu feels extremely wronged.
Madam Gu said, "You're almost thirty, so I can't always scold you, but you should think about why these troubles only come to you and not others."
Gu Jinghui could only listen in silence with his head down.
Fortunately, his mother only talked today. A good man can calm the storm by being patient and take a step back to see the bigger picture.
Qin Yuan said, "Mother, the Marquis and I are still hungry. We need to prepare to welcome the princess later. I wonder if Xiu Niang has made enough food."
Da Hong laughed and said, "How can you accept being called 'sister' like that? Madam told you to learn to write less, so that you won't end up like Sister Hongye and Sister Xiao Hong, working in Wutong Garden to help Madam. You're a servant, so being able to read and write is enough. You're being too particular. If he's worried, perhaps we should ask Granny Rong what to do?"
Madam Gu said, "The princess is here to comfort the Marquis's family on imperial orders. The smallpox in the mansion has not yet been eradicated. You can go and pay your respects to the princess. Let his godfather and godmother go with you."
Neither Cheng Ge'er nor Gu Jinghui felt disappointed.
That's something I can agree to, since Fan Jinli came to bother you so early in the morning.
Yu Jie'er: "..."
Big Red's eyes lit up, and he asked, "So if you learn fewer characters, you can leave Wutong Garden?"
With a flushed face, she said, "I can write some."
Lord Gu opened his mouth as if to say something, but then said something else, and finally said, "Why call me Cuiming? Call me husband."
Gu Jinghui showed no sign of disappointment and quietly asked Da Hong, "Did Madam say anything else?"
The Marquis nodded with a smile.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Mother, what are you saying? I also brought food with me, I just wanted a bite from your little kitchen."
Da Hong said, "That's absolutely right."
The two walked into the inner courtyard laughing and joking before their expressions turned serious.
Da Hong replied, "Yes."
Da Hong walked over and said emphatically, "Madam, Gu Jinghui has finished reading the 'Eight Character Classic' and is clamoring to learn how to compose couplets too."
Hongye breathed a sigh of relief.
"You greedy cat," Old Madam Gu said, going along with her daughter-in-law's wishes, changing the subject, "Even with the two of you, it's enough to eat."
Da Hong quickly shook his head, "Yes, yes, it's just that we both have the surname Sun."
Gu Jinghui didn't speak, but his ears perked up.
Gu Jinghui stamped his foot and said, "Sister Da Hong, he should say something!"
The Marquis said, "Gu Jinghui is hardworking, but he also needs to work exceptionally hard like me to avoid becoming bad. Can he write all the characters he knows?"
Fan Jin asked, "Is the accountant Sun in the inner courtyard a relative of his?"
Da Hong thought for a moment and said, "Madam is busy welcoming the princess, so she can't worry about those things for the time being. She will be opening her mansion in a few days. She is patient and waiting. Just as Madam said, she has also learned how to write characters correctly."
Da Hong replied, "Yes."
A gentleman seeks revenge even when there is no grudge.
Seeing that everyone was looking over, Cheng Ge'er said timidly, "You, you just don't have a bit of a mischievous streak."
He was speechless and couldn't defend himself. Why doesn't he try to explain?
Da Hong immediately grinned, her long braid swaying back and forth.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu, Granny Rong, Hongye, and Xiaohong all looked over.
The Marquis pried open the Marquis Gu's hand, blinked, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering like fans, and asked, "Husband, what made him feel so good?"
The Marquis simply smiled.
Lord Gu was both annoyed and amused, and he loved Xing. So he pinched the tip of Xing's nose and coaxed, "Alright, your husband knows how powerful he is. Don't complain to Mother about him anymore, okay?"
As soon as Yu Jie'er pulled Fan Jin away from the lower room, she said, "You've figured it out. He's not a very kind person. I'm afraid Mother beat you badly enough, and then she still said those things."
Soon, Steward Cao and Steward Han were summoned. After giving their instructions, the Marquis instructed, "Have the gatekeepers do as you said and keep the two princesses' procession inside the mansion gate. Leave only a few necessary people to serve them in the inner courtyard. Have everyone else go to the seventh gate. They should be vigilant and prevent anyone from the inner courtyard from coming out and disturbing the two princesses. Remember this well."
Lord Gu thought for a long time before finally managing to say, "He mischievously thought about how he talked about you behind your mother's back, causing her to say that you were messing around with people inside."
By this time, the food under the table had already been ruined. After Qiuju finished serving the food, the Marquis laughed and said, "I'll talk to him again later."
Gu Jinghui hesitated for a while before saying, "Forget it, you can read something else. You'll only need to take a couple of days off anyway."
The Marquis was not surprised at all. You glanced at Gu Jinghui, who was also listening intently and looking out the corner of his eye. You then smiled and said, "Da Hong, did he learn to read a lot of characters during those days?"
The formalities were concluded.
Fan Jin asked, "Is his surname Sun?"
The Marquis said, "It's not enough to just recognize characters; you also need to be able to write them. He saw that Fan Jin and Sister Hongye can both write and calculate, and now they are in charge of the accounts. They have been a great help to you."
Madam Gu smiled and said, "Then you must come to my place more often in the future. Xiu Niang can cook many dishes. I am old and eat less, so it would be a waste of her skills."
Madam Gu asked, "Does Cheng-ge'er wish to get close to the princess?"
Before they finished their meal in a hurry, the Marquis and Yu-jie took their leave. Old Madam Gu also tried to persuade them to stay, waving her hand and saying, "Let them go and do their work. Don't linger outside."
The Marquis barely suppressed a laugh and said, "Why did you say that to Yuan'er, my husband? Yuan'er is truly speechless."
The Marquis sighed, "What can Yuan'er say? Cuiming herself is also talking. If you tell her, Cuiming will blame you. Mother is right, Cuiming is not bullying you."
The Marquis said, "You should still offer Cuiming a toast, lest..."
"Oh no, oh no, Auntie, you've made a mistake, haven't you?" Fan Jinli quickly covered Fan Jin's mouth and begged for mercy in a loud voice, "Please don't say that, you're enjoying hearing it."
Xiao Hong had already brought Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er in. When she saw them talking, she kept quiet and waited until then to greet them.
Gu Jinghui said, "Does he think you want to learn? The beginning of writing is very important. If your posture is right and it becomes a habit, your handwriting will look bad."
Da Hong then went to the side.
Cheng Ge'er sat beside Old Madam Gu and asked sweetly, "The princess has arrived. Are you all going out to pay your respects to her?"
Then Da Hong spoke.
Seeing this, Fan Jin raised his eyebrows slightly. You're willing to save your breath and just sit next to Lord Gu, silently watching Qiu Ju and the maids serve the dishes.
Gu Jinghui found it amusing, so he went to whisper it to Brother Cheng.
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