If she hadn't known that the two princesses had a bad relationship in their past lives, she would have thought they were sisters.
Qin Yuan lowered her head and remained silent.
Gu Jinghui said coldly, "In principle, when the princess comes to offer her condolences, the entire Dingbei Marquis's mansion should welcome her in accordance with the proper etiquette of a subject. However, given the urgency of the situation, we have no other choice. I am here with my wife to welcome her, also out of respect for the difference between men and women and to protect the reputation of the princesses. If my wife has done anything inappropriate, please forgive her."
Seeing his displeasure, Princess Fuyun quickly said, "Third Brother, I only said that because I was worried that Madam might lose her composure since she had never met the Emperor before."
Qin Yuan sneered inwardly; this was implying that she came from a humble background.
Gu Jinghui's voice was cold and hard: "Princess, you must never call me Third Brother. If the Emperor hears this, I will not be able to bear the consequences."
Princess Fuyun's small face flushed red, her clear black and white eyes filled with tears, and her eye sockets were slightly red.
The Ninth Princess said, "Lord Gu, my seventh sister was rescued by you when she was young and has always remembered it. I heard that you once served as a study companion in the palace, so my seventh sister calls you Third Brother as a sign of affection."
Gu Jinghui immediately said, "This is against etiquette, and I dare not accept such a request."
Princess Fuyun's nose turned red as she looked at Lord Gu with a mournful expression.
After a long while, Princess Fuyun finally asked in a trembling voice, "Jiang Wenqiu, how have you been lately?"
Jiang Wenqiu sweated even less, and slowly wiped it off with his sleeve.
Steward Cao, avoiding the crowd, pulled you inside by the hand and said, "Did he say he needed to see His Majesty's opinion before drafting the memorial? It seems His Majesty hasn't softened his stance. Did we submit the memorial after establishing our own residence?"
If the two princesses were to speak well of you behind the backs of the seven men, I fear...
You are naturally pleased to have received protection from Steward Cao today, but you can't help but feel a little worried.
Lord Gu continued, “Those two princesses’ brothers will restrain you out of respect for you, and they will not dare to make things difficult for him in public. In private, he should be careful and stay close to his mother so that she can protect him.”
Jiang Wen asked, "Where are Brother Cheng and Sister Yu?"
Sixth Master Gu stammered, "...They are Qin Yuan's adopted son and adopted son."
Lord Gu and Lord Hou hurried towards the Seventh Gate.
The princess's entourage was all inside the mansion gate, which was convenient. The two dismounted from the imperial carriage and left with music playing.
The servant said mysteriously, "Everyone outside the mansion knows that the flower disease wasn't caused by our mother. I'm afraid Qin Yuan could have kept us even if she wanted to, but Madam's methods were too ruthless. She used her sword to drive that family out."
Steward Cao secretly thought to himself that he would have to have a bad talk with the Crown Prince and Prince Qi before he could establish his own residence.
The Ninth Princess was speechless.
Jiang Wenqiu: "..."
Princess Fuyun wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, then raised her head and began to speak.
The Marquis made a sound, but seemed to have no intention of responding, only looking at Sixth Master Gu indifferently.
Lord Gu pulled Lord Hou up, and the two sat down. Then he said, "Thank you for your concern, Princesses. Things have been going badly for me lately. Although the smallpox outside the manor has not caused any major problems, thanks to the help of my wife, things are gradually improving."
I glanced at the Marquis with surprise and guilt before asking, "We were staying in the servants' quarters, so why did you run in when the princess came?"
Young Master Cheng sighed and said, "It's your bad luck that your Eighth Brother ran into such a man, but you're grateful to your Eighth Brother's benefactor. If it were me, your Eighth Brother would probably have returned from the northern frontier. As for those two children, I wonder how they can be taught to behave so badly."
The servant said, "I've heard that the men in the northern frontier are all very fierce. Even if they have a wife, she still has to go to the battlefield to fight. Did Qin Yuan say that if Zhao wants to remarry, I'm willing to offer a generous dowry? It's quite common for widows to remarry in the northern frontier."
Then came another unspeakable silence.
Jiang Wenqiu and the Marquis escorted the seven people to the gate of the mansion and then stopped.
"Just what?"
Lord Gu immediately pulled Jiang Wen to his feet, bowed slightly to the two princesses, and said, "I am still in good health. I thank Your Majesty for your concern. The Marquis's residence will be able to open on the same day. At that time, I will submit a memorial regarding the smallpox."
Those two princesses are currently at the Marquis of Dingbei's residence; the trouble has begun.
Jiang Wen's words made Jiang Wenqiu frown. I said, "He used to only enter the palace with Mother. Even without Mother, you would still be doing the same thing to him."
The Marquis smiled and made a sound.
Lin Huangqian was a kind person, but the Empress Dowager was no kind person either.
The Marquis asked helplessly, "What exactly happened?"
Jiang Wenqiu snorted and said, "The two boys of Eighth Brother are really vulgar and uncouth. They know how Zhao raised his children. Eighth Brother treats them like his precious darlings and thinks we are bad in every way."
The Marquis nodded.
The couple walked in silence for a while, when they saw Master Gu, covered in sweat, coming down to greet them. He said, "Qin Yuan, Madam, the servants stopped people at the Seventh Gate just now."
Butler Cao's brows furrowed.
Lord Gu: "..."
Those who ran in back then were too law-abiding and should be severely punished.
But Lord Gu ignored her, focusing only on protecting Qin Yuan.
The two princesses sat for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before taking their leave.
Just as Steward Han ordered the gates of the mansion to be resealed, Steward Cao asked, "Yuan'er, has he figured something out?"
Young Master Cheng and his servant hadn't even left their room yet; they were still getting some fresh air when they saw us hurrying towards the seventh gate. They asked, "What's wrong?"
The Marquis nodded in agreement and came forward.
Lord Marquis: "Hmm?"
The servant hurriedly ran off to inquire, and returned a while later, looking rather gleeful. He said, "Gu Jinghui and Sister Yu wanted to see the princess, but they were stopped at the Seventh Gate. Gu Jinghui went berserk and injured someone. Qin Yuan and Madam are on their way to see her."
But once you're in the palace, you'll be in a position of power.
"This old servant was also confused. Perhaps it was just the nature of a big child who wanted to peek at the princess?"
Master Gu said, "This old servant gave orders afterward that if no one insisted on breaking through, they should be tied up. They were absolutely certain they could break through the seven gates and offend the princess. The servants were too audacious; they only blocked them from passing. Sister Yu was alright, but Gu Jinghui's beating was even more... fierce..."
Qin Yuan, naturally, wouldn't be disliked at this time, and simply sat quietly as a supporting character.
The Fourth Princess glanced at Princess Fuyun, her eyes and mouth revealing undisguised sarcasm, though she seemed rather wistful. She said helplessly, "Steward Cao, please stand up and speak. Your eldest sister was concerned about your safety, not asking on behalf of your father."
Princess Fuyun's face turned even more pale, and tears welled up in her eyes uncontrollably.
Butler Cao angrily demanded, "Who goes there?"
Steward Cao and the Marquis stood for a while, watching the princess's carriage depart, before returning to their residence.
An awkward silence filled the pavilion for a moment.
Master Gu said, "The servant dared to tie me up and make things difficult for me. Gu Jinghui injured a servant and stopped me."
The Marquis thought for a moment and said, "You see, His Majesty is satisfied that smallpox did not spread before the mansion was sealed off. You already have a good idea of what to write in that memorial, but..."
Lord Gu put his arm around Lord Hou's shoulder and said with a troubled expression, "Those two princesses are also inexplicable. Yuan'er is bad in every way, so why do you like him?"
Jiang Wen said, "But you see that the two princesses seem to like you. When you accompanied them and your mother to the palace the other day, will you be made things difficult for them?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
