Chang Qingling stood up and bowed, then smiled gently and said, "It's alright. There are many people coming and going at the Marquis's residence, so it's understandable that Madam is sometimes too busy to attend to everyone. I was originally going to stay for a while and then leave, but I didn't expect to get along so well with Madam Lin, so I stayed a little longer."
Lin Ziqi held no official position, but out of respect for the Marquis's family, everyone still addressed Qin Wan as Madam Lin.
Chang Qingling spoke so tactfully that even if Qin Yuan disliked her, she would have to give her some face out of respect for Qin Wan.
Moreover, Qin Yuan had no reason to mistreat her.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I see. I didn't expect that you two could talk about the same thing. It's fate."
After the two women were seated, just as they were about to ask some polite questions such as where they were staying and whether they were settling in well back in the capital, Gu Baozhu leaned over and asked, "The Chang family are military families, and Madam Lin and my sister-in-law are both from the Qin family. They have been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. I wonder what brings Sister Chang and Madam Lin together so well?"
Her striking eyebrows were slightly raised, her eyes widened, and she was filled with curiosity. Anyone could tell that Gu Baozhu really wanted to know the answer to this question.
Qin Wan, who was sitting to the side, felt her face inexplicably hot, and she picked up her teacup and gently stirred the tea leaves to hide it.
Chang Qingling was stunned for a moment, then stammered, "It was just some idle gossip among young women."
Gu Baozhu was somewhat disappointed, but still pressed on, "What kind of gossip is that?"
Everyone: "..."
Qin Wan shifted her body uneasily.
In the heat of the conversation, I inadvertently revealed quite a bit about Qin Yuan and the Marquis's mansion. Now, after being questioned several times, I realize that this was inappropriate. If Qin Yuan finds out in the future, there might be some trouble.
Chang Qingling was a little annoyed, but dared not show it, so she could only make excuses, saying, "Sister Gu is still young. If I were to gossip with you, it would probably be about the Qixi Festival or polo. We women talk about nothing more than those kinds of things. Wait until you are older before you listen."
She was a married woman, and Qin Wan was also married. Although her words were somewhat impolite, she managed to get away with it.
But Gu Baozhu wasn't the type to be easily embarrassed. She stared with her clear eyes and said bluntly, "I don't believe it. Most of the members of our Gu clan are martial artists. Only Sixth Brother likes to write poetry and paint. There aren't many people in the clan who can have a pleasant conversation with Sixth Brother."
Qin Yuan couldn't help but cough.
Chang Qingling and Qin Wan both looked somewhat stiff.
Gu Baozhu looked at Qin Yuan obediently and quickly explained, "Third Sister-in-law, I, I just wanted to know what topics women from military families and scholars could talk about."
These words gave Qin Yuan a headache.
Chang Qingling's eyes darted around slightly, and she covered her mouth with her handkerchief, chuckling softly, "Oh dear, Sister Gu's words are puzzling. Could it be that Sister Gu and Madam have nothing to talk about?"
At the same time, he deliberately sized up the two women in front of him.
Qin Wan glanced at her sideways, a smile appearing on her lips.
Gu Baozhu didn't understand the implied meaning and hurriedly said, "Sister Chang, how did you know? My third sister-in-law manages the affairs inside and outside the Marquis's mansion and is busy all day long. I want to get closer to my third sister-in-law, but I don't know how to talk about it. I don't know anything that my third sister-in-law is good at, and I'm afraid my third sister-in-law hasn't learned what I know. That's why I asked Sister Chang and Madam Lin for advice. Please don't hesitate to teach me."
Qin Wan felt very conflicted after hearing this.
In her previous life, this spoiled sister-in-law always stood firmly on the side of Madam Gu and Madam Zhao, but she was not made things difficult for her. She died a few years after getting married.
She also knew that Gu Baozhu was just a spoiled little girl who didn't have any bad intentions.
But how did Qin Yuan manage to win over Gu Baozhu?
Chang Qingling laughed again, "So I misunderstood Sister Gu. But Madam has been in the manor for almost half a year now, how come you're still not very familiar with your sister-in-law?"
Qin Yuan was about to speak when Gu Baozhu, who was usually clueless, suddenly got angry and said sternly, "You're so boring. It's one thing to be careful about keeping things to yourself, but you keep trying to sow discord between me and my third sister-in-law. Let me tell you, my third sister-in-law and I are very close. We're the best of friends in the world. Don't waste your time. Do you think we're all stupid and can't see through each other? You're the smartest person in the world."
Qin Yuan: "..."
It turns out that Gu Baozhu knew that someone was trying to sow discord between them.
Chang Qingling was naturally unwilling to admit to being a troublemaker, and forced herself to retort, "You're already the best in the world, so why don't you know what to talk about with your third sister-in-law?"
Gu Baozhu put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "What do you know? My third sister-in-law has only been married into the family for a short time. My mother and third brother said I have a great talent for embroidery, so they kept me locked up for several months to study embroidery so I could show off my skills at the Qixi Festival. I hadn't been out for more than a few days when my sixth sister-in-law passed away. How could I have time to chat with my third sister-in-law? My third sister-in-law is beautiful and good at managing the household, and she is deeply loved by my mother and third brother. Of course I want to be close to such a good sister-in-law. She's the best in the world."
This statement is perfectly coherent.
Qin Yuan almost believed it.
Not only did Qin Yuan not believe it, but Qin Wan wouldn't believe it either.
It's no secret that Gu Baozhu never gets her hands dirty with needles, and yet she still manages to show off her skills at the Qixi Festival, which is absolutely hilarious.
Qin Yuan had no choice but to step in and smooth things over.
“Madam Chang, Baozhu is a bit childish, please bear with her. She’s just very curious and likes to ask questions until she gets to the bottom of things. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize on her behalf.”
She made this attempt to smooth things over extremely awkwardly.
But we had no choice but to fight.
Gu Baozhu was indeed a bit oblivious to social cues, but Chang Qingling also had her flaws. Qin Yuan was a little annoyed, so she stopped addressing Chang as "Miss Chang."
Chang Qingling understood, of course, and her expression turned rather unpleasant.
Just as Qin Yuan was about to have the wet nurse next to Gu Baozhu coax the person back, Gu Baozhu snapped at Chang Qingling again, saying with a stern face, "I know that my third brother was engaged to your eldest sister back then, but it didn't work out. That's all ancient history. Now that my third brother has married his sister-in-law, you'd better visit less often in the future."
Putting aside others, Qin Yuan was quite shocked by her words.
Whose unmarried daughter speaks like that?
Gu Baozhu really dares to speak her mind.
Chang Qingling wasn't going to take this lying down. She snapped, "Sister Gu is young and doesn't know how to speak properly. I won't hold it against you, but Madam Hou needs to give me an explanation. I'm not the kind of weak woman who can be bullied and told whatever she wants. I only came to offer my condolences today because of the relationship between our two families. If this is how you treat your guests, I'm afraid no one will dare to come to our door in the future."
Qin Yuan quickly gave Dai a wink, and the two of them came to persuade Chang Qingling, "Baozhu is young and doesn't know any better. She may have heard some nonsense from somewhere. You should be magnanimous and not take it to heart. Let's go for a walk and have some hot tea."
Chang Qingling remained unmoved and coldly laughed in front of everyone: "Fortunately, the Marquis is ill, otherwise, if Sister Gu had said these words, others would have thought that I had some improper thoughts about the Marquis."
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