Qin Yuan, who was listening outside the door, hurriedly asked, "Why did the Yelü clan assassinate the Marquis? Was the Marquis injured?"
Even through the door, Gu Jinghui could hear his wife's anxiety. A thought struck him, and he deliberately remained silent.
As expected, Qin Yuan disregarded her shyness and pushed open the door, heading straight for the bathtub to check.
The successful Marquis Gu was somewhat flustered, but he pretended not to notice.
Qin Yuan asked urgently, "...Are you...are you injured?"
Lord Gu leaned back against the bathtub, lazily shook his head, and said with a slight parting of his red lips, "No."
"Really? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Qin Yuan's gaze was involuntarily drawn to Lord Gu's broad chest and strong arms, and she slowly looked down into the dark brown water...
Lord Gu chuckled dryly twice and said in a hoarse voice, "I was so engrossed in this medicinal bath that I didn't pay attention, and you just barged in."
As she spoke, she slowly sank into the water, leaving only her head above water. She looked innocently at Qin Yuan with her face flushed, as if she was embarrassed by her gaze.
Qin Yuan's face suddenly flushed, and she became very uncomfortable.
Lord Gu gently coaxed, "It's too damp in here. I can hear you even if you talk to me from outside. Come on, hurry up and go out, don't get your hair wet."
Qin Yuan had no idea how she got out.
Lord Gu chuckled to himself, then quickly stopped.
...
These past few days, Qin Wan has been treating Lin Ziqi coldly, unlike her usual attentive self.
Lin's mother whispered to Yu's wife in private, "What does she mean by this? Could it be that she has other ideas because your cousin has a headache?"
Madam Yu said, "How could that be? Didn't you give up the marriage with the Marquis of Dingbei and insist on marrying my cousin?"
"Does she look like she's going to settle down and live a peaceful life with your cousin?"
Lin's mother curled her lip, making her already deep nasolabial folds even deeper, and appearing even more mean.
Madam Yu's eyes darted around.
"Aunt, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
"Just say it. What would it look like if we, aunt and niece, kept things from each other? You're not an outsider."
Madam Yu said, "My cousin is frail and suffers from headaches from time to time. We should be more considerate of his wife these days, since we still need her to find doctors. Once my cousin passes the imperial examination, will her opinion even matter?"
The implication was that Lin's mother should cause Qin Wan less trouble these days.
Lin's mother said with a dark face, "You're right. We can't push this little hussy too hard. We need to loosen the reins a bit and tighten them a bit. That's the way to set rules. Right now, the most important thing is your cousin's imperial examination. We can talk about the rest later."
Madam Yu smiled and said, "Yes, Aunt is always thinking of my cousin. It's truly my cousin's blessing. It's only right that I be filial to you."
Lin's mother laughed and said, "That's right. Raising him from infancy is not easy. If my son can pass the imperial examination, my good fortune will come later."
He smiled and looked at Madam Yu, then added, "You too."
Madam Yu put her hands together and said, "Amitabha, I pray to Buddha every day to bless my cousin to pass the imperial examination as soon as possible. If my cousin can pass the imperial examination, I will be willing to be a vegetarian for the rest of my life."
Lin's mother said happily, "Oh my goodness, if Ziqi can pass the imperial examination, it will also be thanks to your sincere efforts."
The aunt and niece were chatting happily when Yan Hong overheard them. Feeling indignant for Qin Wan, she stormed into the inner room and said, "We contributed so much dowry money, yet she deserves less credit for just spouting a few random words."
Qin Wan asked, "What's wrong now?"
Yan Hong then repeated it.
Qin Wan said, "I'm the only outsider in this family. Even the farts of that guy surnamed Yu smell good. I'm too lazy to even be angry."
Yan Hong remained silent.
After a while, Qin Wan asked, "Isn't it time for the son-in-law to take his medicine?"
Yan Hong called to her maid through the window, asking, "Has the young master's medicine been prepared?"
The maidservant said, "It was already fried a long time ago and has been simmering."
Yan Hong asked, "Miss, are we going to deliver the medicine now?"
Qin Wan nodded.
Yan Hong then instructed, "Go and bring the medicine, along with the candied fruit we bought last time."
The maid went out for a while, then turned back and said, "The medicine was poured away by Miss Biao."
Yan Hong was furious and said, "This is outrageous! She's so good at using others' talents to curry favor. She's only been gone a short while and she's already trying to curry favor with her son-in-law. She's shameless."
The little maid trembled and dared not speak.
Qin Wan sneered.
Yan Hong then pinched the little maid with all her might, causing the little maid to cry out in pain.
"This servant was wrong. This servant will definitely take better care of the medicine next time. This servant will never dare to do it again. Please, Sister Yan Hong, forgive this servant."
The Lin family wasn't large, so it was easy for everyone to find out that Qin Wan had punished the maid.
Lin's mother rushed out and stood outside, shouting, "What are you doing now? Ziqi is still sick and needs to rest, and you're here beating the maid."
Qin Wan came out and replied, "Daughter-in-law is scolding her. She was told to prepare medicine for her husband, but the medicine has disappeared. What if her husband misses taking his medicine? She's so careless and only knows how to eat for free. She might as well be sold off."
The little maid was so frightened that she screamed inside.
"Please don't sell me! I'd rather die here than be sold! Please!"
Yan Hong shrieked, "What use are you? You can't even keep an eye on the medicine. A packet of medicine costing several taels of silver, where did you put it? You couldn't even afford to pay for it if you sold it."
Lin's mother's face flushed red and then turned pale. After a long while, she finally said, "I saw that Xiaolian was alright, so I had her take it to Ziqi to drink. I thought it was something serious that warranted you scolding and beating the servants here. We are a scholarly family, how can we treat our servants so harshly? What will people think if they hear about it?"
Madam Yu rushed out of Lin Ziqi's study, still holding a bowl of medicine in her hand. She said, "Sister-in-law, it's all my fault. I saw the medicine simmering on the stove and was afraid that it would lose its potency if left too long. I didn't ask you before giving it to my brother. Please don't blame that little maid."
Qin Wan smiled and said, "I see. Then let her off for my cousin's sake."
He turned and shouted into the room, "Stop hitting!"
The sobbing and crying subsided.
Qin Wan said with a half-smile, "The capital is not like our hometown. People who know you say you're helping your cousin-in-law, while those who don't say your behavior is inappropriate. Ziqi even said he'd find you a good marriage after you pass the high school entrance exam. Even if you don't understand, he should."
Madam Yu, pale-faced and swaying, leaned against Lin's mother, sniffed, and said, "My sister-in-law is right. I will be more careful in the future."
Lin's mother said angrily, "You're always making a fuss. You can find a lot of faults in anyone. Xiaolian and Ziqi are cousins. They grew up together when they were little, so naturally they are closer. It's just that I brought him a bowl of medicine."
Madam Yu sobbed, "Aunt, dear Aunt, please don't quarrel with my sister-in-law because of me. My sister-in-law is only doing this because she cares about my cousin. If you make a scene now, how can my cousin concentrate on his recovery?"
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