Gu Baozhu gave a good demonstration of her horsemanship in front of the boys, which drew applause and cheers from them.
Qin Heng stared wide-eyed, and Gu Baozhu smiled and teased him, "You must not ride enough. I'll teach you a couple of tricks and I guarantee you'll learn quickly."
Fu Ge'er said, "Auntie shouldn't be biased; she should teach us too."
Qin Heng was initially hesitant, but upon seeing this, he immediately agreed.
Seeing that Gu Baozhu was focused on Qin Heng, Xiao Dong gave up on trying to get closer to her.
The group spent the afternoon playing around the training ground and got to know each other quite well.
Gu Baozhu and Kang Ge'er made a promise that Gu Baozhu would invite her to watch the fireflies that night. Qin Heng, standing nearby, asked, "Do you want to compose a poem together too?"
Gu Baozhu rolled her eyes and feigned shyness, saying, "I won't embarrass myself by showing off my limited poetic talent, but I've heard that your cousin's poems are excellent."
Qin Heng said somewhat dejectedly, "My cousin's poems used to be only slightly better than mine. My father always said that he was good at everything, but he always lacked a spark when it came to poetry. Recently, he had a stroke of luck and suddenly became excellent. But let me tell you a secret: although my cousin's poems are good, they are not as good as Mr. Songshan's or my sister's. You'll see tonight if you don't believe me."
Gu Baozhu: "...I really didn't expect this..."
It turns out that the annoying third sister-in-law was not only beautiful, but also an excellent poet.
Then I definitely have to join in the fun tonight.
Gu Baozhu was riding horses and having fun in the training ground, completely forgetting the important task she was supposed to be doing that day. It wasn't until the guests had all left and Gu Shiliu came to call them to have dinner that Gu Baozhu remembered and said anxiously, "Oh no, oh no, I actually forgot to help my sister-in-law see the guests off."
Qin Heng reassured her, "It's alright, my sister is kind-hearted and won't punish you."
Gu Baozhu rolled her eyes and said, "It's not that I'm afraid of my sister-in-law, it's that I'm afraid my mother and third brother will punish me."
What you fear most is what happens.
Dinner was served in the main room, with two tables set up in a lively atmosphere.
The children sat at one table.
Cui made an excuse that she had something to do at home and couldn't leave anyone behind, so she went home first. Qin Jijiu and Qin Siyuan were kept by Master Gu to compose poems, and they were having a good time talking with Mr. Songshan in the front hall, so they didn't come over.
Gu Jinghui then asked, "How is Baozhu today?"
Gu Baozhu looked at Qin Yuan pitifully.
Qin Yuan suppressed her laughter and didn't speak. Old Madam Gu said angrily, "She was only well-behaved for half a day, helping Yuan'er greet the guests, and she was quite decent. But in the second half of the day, she went crazy and almost caused someone to fall off the rope. Then she disappeared without a trace, like a monkey that went into the mountains."
Gu Baozhu was extremely embarrassed and angry, but she dared not utter a word in rebuttal.
Gu Jinghui pondered, "So, three months of solitary confinement only works for three and a half days."
Gu Baozhu quickly retorted, "Third Brother, you've gone too far. Today I was teaching my nephew and the guests how to ride horses. Isn't that helping out?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "There wasn't much to do in the second half of the day. Everyone was busy watching the show, and the whole family left together. Although Baozhu was missing, Madam Jin and several of my sisters-in-law helped out, so there were no problems."
Old Madam Gu's anger subsided slightly. Seeing Qin Heng there, she didn't say much to her. She simply said, "You always do things on a whim. You suddenly ran away without telling your sister-in-law. Everyone was watching the show and only realized you were missing when it was over. There's no reason for people to frantically look for you, the host, when they're about to see off their guests."
Gu Baozhu said, "I will never dare to do it again."
Only then did everyone begin to eat.
After finishing their meal, they sent Gu Baozhu out to play with the younger generation, which suited them perfectly. They quickly ordered the maids and servants to prepare tools for catching fireflies, ready to make a big splash.
Seeing that everyone had left, Old Madam Gu asked, "Third son, why did His Highness the Crown Prince and the Ninth Princess suddenly come today?"
Gu Jinghui said, "Perhaps it's because of the capital inspection that the Emperor wants to use me as a pretext to deal with the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. I heard that it's also because of the Crown Prince's marriage. The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers are unwilling to give their daughters to the Crown Prince, and the Emperor is so angry that he made such a fuss."
Madam Gu was displeased: "Why should you be caught in the middle of their tug-of-war? Don't forget how your father was trapped in the northern frontier back then. You would have become the sinner on both sides."
Gu Jinghui said, "I know. We can hardly bear the Emperor's favor."
After glancing at Qin Yuan, Old Madam Gu asked again, "What is the meaning of the youngest daughter of the Chang family? Didn't the Chang family swear back then that they would never enter the capital?"
Gu Jinghui said, "I only learned today from the Eighteenth Announcement that the Ninth Princess brought her here."
Although Chang Qingling's arrival in the capital was around the time of her official appointment, she certainly shouldn't have been unaware of it.
Madam Gu sighed, "Over the years, I've lived a secluded life behind closed doors, and many of our old friendships have been neglected. We rarely visit each other anymore. You've been back for more than half a year now, and it's time to start rebuilding things."
"Yes, son will make proper arrangements."
Qin Yuan lowered her eyes and listened quietly. The old lady kept her here to listen in, probably wanting her to gradually get involved in the Gu family's internal affairs.
Gu Jinghui thought for a moment and said, "It is said that Chang Qingling was engaged, but her husband died of illness less than a year after the marriage. The two families had a falling out, so she went back to her parents' home and dressed like a young lady. I don't know why she went to the capital alone. Now she lives in the old Chang family house and is under the protection of the Crown Prince."
Qin Yuan then understood why the Ninth Princess had brought the person with her.
Madam Gu said, "Dressed up as a young lady? Is the man so ill that they haven't even consummated their marriage? Why did they marry their daughter off in the first place? The Chang family really doesn't value their daughter."
Gu Jinghui didn't respond, but glanced at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan immediately understood Lord Gu's meaning, lowered her head, and her ears turned bright red.
Madam Gu was too busy reminiscing to notice the situation between the two. Rong Mama chimed in, "Will Miss Chang be visiting the Marquis's residence frequently in the future?"
Gu Jinghui remained silent.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Gu said, "Judging from today's situation, it seems unavoidable. Once you arrive, just hand the invitation to me. Yuan'er, don't get involved... Third Brother is a man, so you shouldn't get involved either."
Gu Jinghui asked suspiciously, "Isn't that how it should be?"
Madam Gu choked for a moment, then said, "Hmm."
Qin Yuan understood that this was Old Madam Gu making a statement—Lord Gu and this Miss Chang, as well as the Chang family behind her, would not have close ties.
Rong Momo said, "My lord, the old lady was just giving a casual remark. This Miss Chang has been sitting here for a short while, and she has mentioned you more than ten times, and she keeps mentioning her sister. The old lady just doesn't want to cause any more trouble. You know that the Marquis's mansion and the Chang family had a falling out back then."
Gu Jinghui responded, "Mother, don't worry. I never even see her. Besides, how old was she when the Chang family left the capital? I never spoke a word to her. She just had nothing to say and used me as a cover."
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