After the banquet ended, Madam Gu sighed, "Finally, everyone has left."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Cheng's family is still here. Luckily, I was the only one who heard what Mother said. Mother will have to treat me to a good meal tomorrow."
Madam Gu laughed and said, "You little rascal."
Gu Baozhu hurried over and asked, "Mother, sister-in-law, why haven't I seen your family members?"
Qin Yuan: "?"
Madam Gu said, "Your two sisters-in-law's families have no contact with their parents, so there's no need for them to go through the trouble."
No one would find this statement inappropriate.
But Gu Baozhu persisted: "The Xu family is one thing, but why not the Qin family? Isn't Cheng-ge'er going to hire a tutor in the future? If he's going to pursue a literary career, he should get to know more scholars. Besides, we're related by marriage, so it's good for us to visit each other more often."
Qin Yuan: "..."
What do you mean by "Xu family"...?
This sister-in-law really has no sense of propriety.
and……
Madam Gu glanced at Gu Baozhu and said, "Whether or not Cheng-ge'er hires a tutor in the future is none of your business. Besides, he hasn't even started his formal education yet, so what need does he have to know any scholars?"
Gu Baozhu remained silent.
Madam Dai quickly replied, "Seventh Miss meant well. I was thinking of letting Cheng-ge'er move in for a while and get used to it before making any arrangements. Judging from his height, he might be better suited for martial arts. Whether he studies literature or martial arts depends entirely on his own abilities."
Zhao's identity is unknown, and no one knows what will happen to the two children in the future.
Enlightenment is simple; it just requires recognizing characters, reading, and understanding principles.
Old Madam Gu glared at Gu Baozhu, then smiled and said to Madam Dai, "You are a shrewd person. These two children are not familiar with you yet, so just take your time to arrange things. If you encounter any difficulties, just ask the third son for help."
Turning to Gu Baozhu, Madam Gu said, "Your sister-in-law's family has so many successful candidates in the imperial examinations that we can't even recognize them all. Do you really expect Qin Jijiu to be the one to educate Cheng-ge'er? You're really dreaming."
Gu Baozhu muttered, "The Qin family isn't just about Qin Jijiu."
Madam Gu was annoyed: "How many scholars are left in the Qin family? Your third sister-in-law's younger brother is still a child, studying at the Imperial Academy. Your cousin is busy preparing for the imperial examination. Does he have time to teach children to read? If you can't speak properly, go stand aside. I'm only letting you off the hook because you helped your sister-in-law entertain guests today. Don't cause trouble and upset people here."
Gu Baozhu then fell silent.
Qin Yuan, standing to the side: "..."
So that's what Gu Baozhu was planning.
The Xu Zhen affair hasn't even settled down yet, and now Gu Baozhu has appeared.
Gu Baozhu is my own sister-in-law, so it won't be easy to get rid of her if she has such thoughts.
Qin Yuan was somewhat worried.
It was already quite late. Gu Jingcheng and Gu Jinghui saw off their guests and brought the twins over. After chatting for a while, they had the twins kowtow to Old Madam Gu and Gu Jinghui and his wife, and then they were to take them home to rest.
Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er received quite a few gifts when they first met, all of which were placed in a box and carried by Dai Shi's maid to their new home.
Qin Yuan said to Madam Dai, "The family reunion banquet has already been held, so you can take your time with your housewarming banquet. There's no need to rush."
Madam Dai said, "We originally wanted to have a big celebration because we didn't have children before, and we always felt a sense of inadequacy and unease in the Ninth Branch. Now that I think about it, it was a bit too much. Why argue about it? Let's just hold it on the date we agreed on before. There's no need to make a big fuss about it."
Qin Yuan smiled and then accompanied Gu Jinghui to the gate of the mansion.
Madam Dai and Gu Jingcheng took the twins back to their own courtyard. They met with the servants who had come from the Marquis's residence to serve them, gave them a speech, made some arrangements, and then rested.
Inside the Wutong Garden.
Qin Yuan soaked in the bath for a while to relieve her fatigue. She changed into a scented dress, dried her hair, and then slowly came out. She saw Lord Gu sitting quietly on the daybed with his head bowed, his back straight and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
The red leaves and green tea bushes on both sides stood quietly, like statues.
"Why is Your Excellency sitting down?"
Qin Yuan asked Hongye, puzzled.
The red leaves shook their heads.
Qin Yuan asked, "Did you make a hangover soup for the Marquis?"
Cui Ming nodded.
What's wrong with you all? Why aren't you saying anything?
Hongye couldn't hold back any longer and whispered a complaint: "The Marquis forbids us from speaking; those who disobey will be punished according to military orders."
After saying that, he quickly glanced at Lord Gu.
Lord Gu remained completely still.
Cui Ming gestured towards the table, indicating to Qin Yuan that a bowl of hangover soup was still on the table, full and untouched.
Qin Yuan went over and gently nudged him. When he didn't move, she said, "Perhaps he's drunk and fallen asleep. Hongye, go out and call Sixteen to ask him how to serve him properly."
Hongye asked Gu Shiliu for help. Qin Yuan was sitting in front of the dressing table combing her hair when Cuiming dared to move and whispered to Qin Yuan, "The Marquis was so scary just now. He wouldn't let us get within ten steps or make a sound, or he would make us suffer."
Qin Yuan couldn't help but laugh, "I was looking at you guys just now and you were standing there like wooden stakes, I wondered what was wrong."
Hongye came in and whispered, "Sixteen said that the Marquis is drunk. Don't get close to him, don't pay attention to him. If it's cold, throw a blanket on him. If it's hot, don't worry about him."
Qin Yuan responded.
Hongye whispered, "So this is what it means when the Marquis is really drunk."
Cui Ming said, "Could it be that you were just pretending to be drunk before?"
Hongye muttered, "Is the Marquis happy or unhappy?"
Qin Yuan said, "Go to sleep quickly, so as not to wake the Marquis."
Hongye responded and then said, "Miss, why don't we keep watch tonight, so that the Marquis won't be left unattended when he wakes up?"
Cui Ming nodded in agreement.
Qin Yuan said, "That's fine, but you need to be careful not to step on me."
Hongye said, "In that case, let's sleep in the outer room."
Who could withstand a kick from Lord Gu?
Qin Yuan laughed.
Hongye asked softly again, "Is Miss happy?"
Qin Yuan was stunned for a moment.
Cuiming quickly nudged Hongye, signaling with her eyes that Lord Gu was still there, and whispered, "Of course Miss is happy. If they had stayed in the manor, who knows what trouble they would have caused. Now that they've gone next door and let in the fake Granny Yang and Brother Qi's mother, Zhao will be caught soon. How can she not be happy?"
Hongye nodded.
Qin Yuan said, "Cui Ming is right. Although we know that someone is watching them, the fake Granny Yang is in the main room and has evil intentions towards us, which makes us worry. Now that she has gone to the next room, we have fewer concerns. Once we catch Zhao Shi, everyone will be at ease."
After the family reunion banquet, everyone knew that the twins were now Gu Jingcheng's adopted sons. Not only had their status plummeted, but the children also had new parents. Given Zhao's nature, with a little provocation, they would probably be unable to resist taking the bait.
Cuiming and Hongye helped Qin Yuan to bed before gently closing the door, leaving a crack so they could listen for any sounds.
The only sound in the room was the faint sound of breathing.
Gradually, Qin Yuan's breathing became lighter and more even and steady.
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