Hearing this, Gu Baozhu was extremely proud. She turned to Old Madam Gu to claim credit: "It was a close call. I was thinking that I am a young lady of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion, how could I let my ancestors down? So when the polo ball came, I only thought about how to hit it without any hesitation. I was a little scared when my third brother caught it."
Madam Gu touched her little face and praised her, "You have the looks of your father, you're not a coward."
Gu Baozhu's tail wagged even higher as she continued to chatter, "Mother, the Emperor even came to see our commotion. He sent word to my sister-in-law, Scholar Qin, and Sixth Brother. The Emperor rewarded Third Brother with a python robe and jade belt, and also gave me a jade ruyi and some silk. I'll have someone bring them over for you to see later. If you like them, you can keep them. I think if the Emperor sees my ball skills, he might reward me with something else."
"Right?" Old Madam Gu smiled so kindly that wrinkles appeared on both sides of her nose.
Qin Yuan felt a headache coming on after seeing this.
Madam Gu really dotes on Gu Baozhu; otherwise, she wouldn't have raised her to be so naive and carefree.
The Gu brothers remained silent and simply watched from the side.
Several children, however, surrounded Gu Baozhu, their aunt, asking her all sorts of questions and occasionally letting out screams.
Gu Baozhu felt she had escaped a disaster. She snuggled into Old Madam Gu's arms and said with a smile, "Mother, I'm starving. I just took a hot bath and my stomach is rumbling. Please let Xiu Niang make something to fill my stomach."
Old Madam Gu's face suddenly turned cold as she said, "I have bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork here, do you want some?"
Gu Baozhu sensed something was wrong. Before she could get up, Old Madam Gu grabbed her and pressed her onto her lap, saying coldly, "Don't think you can escape a beating today. It's bad for your health to be beaten after you've eaten your fill. You should eat after you've been beaten."
Qin Yuan took a deep breath to keep from laughing out loud.
Sixth Master Gu only uttered one word: "Serves you right!"
Pointing at Gu Baozhu, who was struggling in Old Madam Gu's arms, she said to the children, "Don't be like your aunt, or you'll be beaten and scream like a pig being slaughtered, which is really embarrassing."
Kang Ge'er and Fu Ge'er were so frightened that they took a step back.
Lan Jie whispered, "Grandmother is so fierce."
Gu Jinghui turned to Rong Mama and asked, "Rong Mama, have you brought the brambles?"
Rong Momo stepped forward with a blank face and said, "My lord, of course the brambles have been brought, but it is not appropriate for you to leave them here to look at. The seventh young lady is almost a grown woman and has some dignity."
Gu Baozhu: "...Waaaaah..."
Madam Gu then said, "I'm tired now, you should go back first, Baozhu and I still have a lot to talk about."
Gu Baozhu struggled to turn her face, her eyes staring pitifully at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan could only look back apologetically.
“Mother, we’ll head back now. Baozhu is young and doesn’t understand things, so please don’t upset yourself. Besides, although Baozhu is being foolish, she truly cares about Sixth Brother and the Qin family, Mother…”
Gu Jinghui pulled Qin Yuan away, saying, "Mother can't show favoritism."
Old Madam Gu angrily shouted, "Since when has your mother ever needed you to teach her how to do things?"
Gu Jinghui immediately quickened his pace.
Sixth Master Gu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about the children?"
Rong Momo said, "Sixth Master, go ahead and attend to your business. This old servant will keep a close eye on the young masters."
Sixth Master Gu also rushed out.
Through the window, one could hear Gu Baozhu's heart-wrenching cries.
Qin Yuan sighed, "Baozhu's personality needs to be properly disciplined, otherwise I really don't know when she will grow up. It's just a little heartbreaking to hear that."
Lord Gu said gently, "You can't do it this way. You won't be able to control the children in the future."
Sixth Master Gu shrugged and said, "From now on, Third Sister-in-law will play the bad cop, and you will play the good cop. The strict father and kind mother will be just fine."
As the three were talking, Gu Shiliu caught up and said, "My lord, Steward Han sent me here to report that there are rewards coming from the palace, and he wants you, your wife, and Sixth Master to go and receive the decree."
The three of them were stunned for a moment, then quickly came to their senses and hurried to the front hall.
Stewards Cao and Han had already invited the chief eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree to the front hall for tea, while a row of junior eunuchs holding trays stood under the eaves outside the hall.
Suppressing her curiosity, Qin Yuan followed behind Lord Gu, keeping her eyes down and mind at ease as she entered the front hall.
Lord Gu burst out laughing, "Lord Dai, why have you come in person?"
The man stepped forward to greet Lord Gu, and said with a smile, "I am not worthy of such a title. When you were in the palace, didn't you often call me Xiao Dai?"
“You were young and didn’t know any better back then. Now that you’re working with Steward Wang, you’re no longer just a young Dai.”
Lord Gu seemed quite emotional upon seeing his old acquaintances.
Qin Yuan also recognized this person; he was the Grand Eunuch Dai Sheng, Old Wang's adopted grandson, and a popular figure who was adept at navigating social situations.
Judging from what Lord Gu said, it seems that the two of them used to get along quite well.
Dai Sheng looked somewhat wistful, but didn't say much. He then greeted Qin Yuan and Sixth Master Gu with a forced smile before saying, "Lord Gu, Madam Gu, Commander Gu, after His Majesty returned to the palace, he spoke with the Empress about the events at the Imperial Academy today. Upon hearing that Lord Gu was brave and skilled in battle, bringing glory to our nation, that Madam Gu was kind and virtuous, and that Commander Gu was devoted to his studies, the Empress issued an imperial decree."
Everyone hurriedly tidied their appearance and then knelt and bowed towards the direction of the palace. Dai Shengfang said, "By imperial decree, I have heard that although the Lady of Dingbei is young, she is skilled in making incense and managing the household well. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon her a box of agarwood, a box of frankincense, a box of sandalwood, and a box of benzoin. I hope that you will continue to uphold these virtues, and that you and your husband will live in harmony and enjoy lasting happiness."
The agarwood produced in the land of Gara is very precious. Although frankincense, benzoin, and sandalwood are not as good as Gara agarwood, the best quality is still hard to come by.
This reward was given with great care.
Dai Sheng continued, “I heard that Commander Gu’s zither recently broke its strings, but he has not lost his spirit. Therefore, I request Your Majesty to write words of encouragement on the imperial seal. I hope you can overcome your grief and not wallow in sorrow. Instead, devote yourself to your studies and strive for continuous improvement. In the future, you will surely achieve great things and become famous among scholars, living up to the expectations of Your Majesty and me.”
Master Gu was extremely excited; this award truly pleased him.
Dai Sheng concluded by saying to Lord Gu, "When Her Majesty the Empress mentioned Lord Gu, she dared not say much, only that the inner palace should not interfere in politics. His Majesty remembers all of Lord Gu's merits. In the future, we will need your strong support in all matters of the court. His Majesty and I will certainly not mistreat meritorious officials. I hereby bestow upon you a three-shouldered robe with a gold dragon pattern, hoping that when you see this robe, you will remember His Majesty and I's expectations."
The three-shoulder garment was a piece of fabric worn with the python robe, one on each shoulder and chest, which swayed slightly as one walked, giving it a very imposing appearance.
The embroidery patterns on the three shoulders generally include dragon patterns, cloud patterns, bats, peaches, etc. The dragon pattern is the most prestigious pattern, and the gold weaving technique can make the dragon pattern even more dazzling.
It must be said that this reward was very thoughtful and dignified, and it also subtly highlighted Empress Lin's status.
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