Qin Yuan lowered her head and hummed in response.
It's common for newlyweds to dote on their wives. She prided herself on her beauty, intelligence, and competence, believing that even the hardest heart would soften. Therefore, it was only natural that Lord Gu would show her some affection.
In her past life, she and Lin Ziqi also enjoyed a period of blissful happiness, but in the end, the couple drifted further and further apart.
Qin Yuan felt she had seen through the meaning of "love," so she became more indifferent.
But the way Lord Gu was wholeheartedly entrusting his entire fortune to her still gently touched Qin Yuan's heartstrings.
Qin Yuan added, "I will definitely not let my husband down."
Gu Jinghui gently squeezed the soft, delicate, and smooth little hand in his palm and said softly, "I know."
The two walked down quietly.
As they approached Wutong Garden, Steward Cao came forward and said, "My lord, my lady, the chief clerk of the Prince Qi's residence has delivered some gifts and is waiting in the front hall."
Qin Yuan said, "Okay, I'll go take a look."
Gu Jinghui said, "I'll go to the front yard and deal with him. If you have other things to do, go ahead and do them."
Qin Yuan said, "I'm just organizing the family reunion banquet for Brother Cheng and Sister Yu, and a few other things. We'll talk about them when you come over tonight."
Gu Jinghui smiled and nodded emphatically, saying, "Okay."
Butler Cao stood to the side, and for some reason felt that he was somewhat superfluous.
Gu Jinghui turned to him and said, "Let's go."
Butler Cao: "...Yes!"
Why are you so cold and aloof when you're with him?
Steward Cao followed Lord Gu into the front hall with long strides.
Inside the hall, the chief secretary of the Prince of Qi's residence was looking at a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall with his hands behind his back. Hearing their footsteps, he hurriedly turned around and bowed respectfully.
After the two sides exchanged greetings, the Chief Secretary did not take a seat, but presented a small jade box with both hands and a forced smile.
"Lord Gu, these are incense pills sent by His Highness Prince Qi."
Lord Gu nodded and said, "Very well."
Steward Cao, who was standing nearby, quickly reached out and took it, handing it to Lord Gu.
Lord Gu gestured with his eyes, and Steward Cao placed it on the sandalwood table next to the armchair.
Lord Gu asked, "Thank you for your trouble. Did His Highness Prince Qi send you with a message?"
The chief clerk said, "His Highness the Prince of Qi asked me to pass on a message to his wife."
"say what?"
"We'll know the outcome before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Lord Gu understood that this referred to the price reduction of pepper, so he responded, "Please sit down, Chief Secretary."
"I will not sit any longer. Your Excellency is very busy, so I will not keep you any longer. I will take my leave."
Lord Gu then said, "Steward Cao, please see the Chief Secretary off for me."
Steward Cao acknowledged and then saw the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Qi's residence out.
The chief clerk asked quietly, "Why is it not the lady who is receiving the guests, but the marquis who is doing it?"
Steward Cao said, "Madam is now in charge of the entire household, and all matters, big and small, are handled by her. The Marquis happened to be at home with nothing to do, so he came out to see you."
The chief clerk laughed and said, "No wonder, you startled me."
Steward Cao said, even he himself didn't believe it, "Our Marquis is usually very kind and doesn't put on airs at all."
The chief clerk pretended to believe him and nodded, saying, "That's right, that's right."
Gu Jinghui sat in the hall and played with the jade box for a while. The small jade box was carved with peony flowers, with large double petals, layer upon layer, rich and graceful, lifelike.
Gu Jinghui was a man accustomed to seeing fine things, so he could naturally tell that the box was quite valuable. While examining it closely, he suddenly remembered what the General Jin had said in the precious book: to please a woman by giving her valuable gifts. This was the Deng in the story of Pan, Lu, Deng, Xiao, and Xian.
Although he was not as wealthy as Deng Tong, he still had a substantial private treasury, making it extremely easy for him to send Qin Yuan some nice things.
But what should I give as a gift?
Aside from the refined hobbies of scholars, the young wife only loved making money.
Gu Jinghui thought for a moment, then called out to Gu Shiliu. After calling a few times, the servant guarding the gate outside replied, "My lord, Gu Shiliu went to look for Gu Shiba. The two are not in the manor."
Gu Jinghui then remembered that Sixth Master Gu had mentioned something in the main room, and said, "Why hasn't he come back yet? I wonder what he's been doing."
The servant said, "Perhaps it's something urgent. Gu Shiba was frantically looking for Gu Shiliu everywhere. Gu Shiliu was dragged out of Sixth Master's room by him."
Gu Jinghui snorted and didn't say anything more.
Gu Shibai's actions suggest he must have discovered something.
Gu Jinghui took a deep breath, bent his knuckles, and tapped lightly on the table, hoping they could find some useful information.
His once capable lieutenant in the northern frontier is now unable to gather any information or find anyone; he's practically become a useless good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat.
Ultimately, as Yuan'er said, he was able to navigate the northern frontier with ease, but he was subject to many restrictions in the capital. It wasn't that his subordinates were useless, but rather that he had accumulated little experience in the capital, making it less convenient for Gu Shiba and his group to do things as before.
Just then, a servant outside called out, "My lord, Mr. Songshan has arrived."
"Please invite him in," Lord Gu quickly ordered, pulling himself out of his thoughts.
Mr. Matsuyama, dressed in a dark blue straight-cut shirt and carrying a folding fan, swaggered in and, without any formalities, sat down directly in the armchair at the lower end of the table.
Lord Gu immediately recognized that the folding fan in Mr. Songshan's hand was the ivory bone fan that Sixth Master Gu cherished the most. He usually only took it out to look at it but was reluctant to use it. He smiled knowingly and said, "Sixth Brother has brought out his treasures to show respect to Master. It seems that he has set his mind on writing great poems. Perhaps our Gu family can really produce a refined scholar."
Mr. Songshan opened his folding fan and waved it lightly, then nodded and said, "Sixth Master's determination to overcome shame is commendable. As his elder brother, Marquis, are you not moved at all?"
Lord Gu: "..."
What started as a few sarcastic remarks has backfired spectacularly; it was a real miscalculation.
He pretended to be ignorant, saying, "I was touched, but what can a rough soldier like me write in poetry? I'd rather read a few more pages of military strategy than waste my time on that."
Mr. Songshan said, “Everyone has their own talents. Your Excellency is very talented and should not be confined to the world of poetry. I was saying that Your Excellency should invite me to lecture on the Spring and Autumn Annals. However, I have been in your residence for many days, and Your Excellency’s relatives, brothers and nephews have seen me more often than Your Excellency. At this rate, I don’t know when Your Excellency will be able to finish listening to the Spring and Autumn Annals.”
Lord Gu sighed and said, "Sir, you startled me. I thought you were going to force me to write a poem. To be honest, I also wanted to join in the fun while watching you write poems, but the ones I came up with after racking my brains were not even as good as my brother-in-law's."
Mr. Matsuyama twitched his lower lip.
"Didn't you say last time that you wanted to hear about Sima Zhao feigning illness? I only got halfway through when you had to leave, and you never mentioned it again. Could it be that you think the storm outside isn't coming and have taken a chance?"
Upon hearing this, Lord Gu's expression changed.
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