After all, they were siblings. Although he disliked her, Lord Gu still didn't say one thing: his seventh sister was someone who couldn't control her mouth.
They embellished and spread rumors about their family affairs, otherwise Zhao wouldn't have been rumored to be his favorite concubine.
Qin Yuan knew, and Lord Gu also knew that Qin Yuan knew.
But seeing Qin Yuan protecting Gu Baozhu, Lord Gu naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to bring it up. He couldn't help but secretly hope that if Madam could teach Seventh Sister well, that would be wonderful.
"Since Sixth Brother became close to the Qin family, he has become much more successful, as if he has become a different person. Seventh Sister should be able to as well," Lord Gu muttered to Gu Sixteen in private. "Baozhu may also become a well-bred young lady."
Gu Shiliu secretly rolled her eyes.
It's possible to teach Gu Baozhu to be less troublesome and more shrewd, but to make her a well-bred young lady is much harder than making Gu Liuye pass the imperial examination.
Gu Shiliu replied after careful consideration, "Seventh Miss will surely learn better by following Madam."
Lord Gu wholeheartedly agreed.
In reality, Gu Baozhu, who had made such a solemn promise, only managed to soothe her two crying nephews for a short while before she couldn't resist riding out to a teahouse for tea and only returned home before curfew.
Qin Yuan naturally received the news as well.
Hongye was shocked and asked, "Seventh Miss, isn't the Old Madam angry about what you're doing?"
Her daughter has never been this wild in her entire life.
The Seventh Miss has just been released from confinement, how dare she?
Even though Cui Ming remained silent, her face was full of disapproval.
Qin Yuan was busy looking at the menu for the family reunion banquet and didn't even look up.
“The daughters of military officers are different from those of civil officials. They’ve been like this since they were little. Going to operas, drinking tea, watching variety shows, going to restaurants and teahouses are all common occurrences for them. They’re very carefree. If it were a few years ago, the old lady would have kept her in check, but now that the Marquis has returned, girls are pampered guests. As long as they don’t go too far, we let them have their way.”
Hongye: "..."
Cui Ming: "..."
After a while, Hongye stuck out her tongue and said, "Goodness, the difference between the Marquis's mansion and our mansion is too great. Seventh Miss really lives a carefree life."
Cui Ming nodded, "If our young lady hadn't married into the family, how would we know that they live like this?"
Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It's because the Marquis's family dotes on their daughter and is rich, otherwise they wouldn't do this. Every family has its own rules and way of life. Let's observe more, think more, and speak less."
Customs vary every ten miles, and traditions differ every hundred miles.
In some places, women are not even allowed to leave their homes, but in nearby areas, they can go out and do business. It all depends on the local customs.
Most of the officials in the capital came from other provinces, and their customs varied.
The Qin family was a once-prosperous but now fallen Southern noble family, known for its many rules and meticulous calculations.
Fortunately, Qin Jijiu was not the kind of pedantic scholar who would try to gain fame by setting rules for his daughter. Her life in the Qin family was difficult, but she managed to get by.
Most military generals came from the Yan and Zhao regions, and their daughters did indeed live more unrestrained lives than the daughters of civil officials. However, in a few years, civil officials would be respected in the court, and the way scholars restrained women would gain the upper hand. The demands placed on women by the common people would also become increasingly strict.
After a long pause, Hongye said, "I must say, our young lady is truly blessed to marry into a family like the Marquis's. Her children will suffer much less and have less to worry about in the future. When others go out to socialize, they have to be mindful of how others feel, but our young lady is the one who has to be the one to give others the cold shoulder."
Cuiming became interested and said, "In that case, we should be more friendly to Yanhong and the others when we see them in the future. Following Miss, we've really risen in status. Before, I would never have dreamed of being in charge of the sewing room and being flattered and fawned over by everyone."
Yan Hong complained last time that Qin Juren's mother was very difficult to deal with. At first, Qin Juren would try to appease the second young lady, but now he's started raising his voice and being very demanding. Life is tough for them, the personal maids.
Hongye immediately said, "Miss is blessed, and we who serve Miss are also blessed. In the future, when we go to temples and Taoist monasteries with Miss, we should donate more merits."
Cui Ming scoffed, "How much money do you have?"
Hongye said, "Miss promised me wealth and honor in the future. Can't this rich man afford to donate lamp oil? Putting everything else aside, once I make money from pepper, I will donate ten taels of silver to Puji Temple and pray that I will be just as blessed in my next life."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Alright, I've promised you a life of wealth and honor, so you'd better work hard."
Cuiming smiled and said, "It's getting late. Let's hurry and help Miss to rest. Only when Miss is well-fed and rested will she have the energy to enjoy life with us."
Seeing that it was getting late, and with Lord Gu still busy in the front yard, Qin Yuan didn't wait for him and went to rest. She didn't know when he returned.
The next day, the Dai family came early in the morning to visit. Both families had already sent out invitations to guests and decided to hold a family reunion banquet that day.
Cuiming prepared clothes, shoes, and socks for the twins, along with purses, sachets, and other items, and sent them to the main room. Old Madam Gu also gave them two pieces of mutton-fat jade pendants to wear when they attended the event.
Butler Han gathered everyone to clean the hall, while Hongye helped Qin Yuan supervise the stewards and stewardesses in preparing for the banquet.
Madam Dai asked, "Didn't we agree on a date? Why is it so urgent now? My master sent the invitation overnight, without letting me get involved at all. I didn't know if you were busy enough, so I came to check on you."
Qin Yuan sighed, "That's right. The original plan can't be used anymore. Yesterday, Sixth Master filed a lawsuit against the Xu family. The Chief Clerk came to check on Sixth Sister-in-law's health. I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on much longer. It'll be over in the next few days. The Marquis said he wants to hold the family reunion banquet as soon as possible. It's also for the sake of the two children, so it's inevitable that it's a bit rushed."
Upon hearing this, Madam Dai was greatly alarmed, her face filled with panic, and she asked, "Could it be that the Sixth Madam...?"
Qin Yuan nodded heavily.
Mrs. Dai sighed and said, "No wonder, it's definitely better to get better sooner. Is it that urgent?"
Qin Yuan said, "My two nephews were called back yesterday to take care of me while I was sick. I was so busy here that I couldn't look after them. It was my seventh sister who helped comfort them. I haven't experienced any major events before, so I need to prepare everything in advance to avoid being caught off guard."
Madam Dai sighed, "Of course, she's so young, how could she have prepared all this so early? If you need my help, just say so, please don't be shy."
Qin Yuan agreed.
Mrs. Dai quickly replied, "You're busy here, so I'll head back now and come back tonight."
“Okay,” Qin Yuan saw her out.
Today was indeed very busy and chaotic. When the magistrate came to the mansion to ask questions, Steward Cao handled everything.
Qin Yuan summoned Steward Han and asked, "The positions of Accountant Sun and Steward Zhang have become vacant. Do you have any candidates you can recommend?"
Butler Han thought for a moment and said, "The original deputy is quite good, Madam, why don't you continue to use him for the time being?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
"I am young and new to the manor. I have been entrusted with this important task thanks to the trust of the old lady and the marquis. It is inevitable that I have not thought things through. Our manor is large and has many rules. Without the guidance of elders, it is easy to make mistakes. If it is a matter within the manor, it will be fine. The stewards and matrons will always mention it to me. But if it is a matter outside the manor, it will be a disgrace to our manor. I hope Steward Han will help me."
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