Lord Gu thought to himself, "I've been lecturing him all day long, but it's been completely useless."
Master Gu listened to and obeyed whatever the Qin siblings said.
It's really baffling.
Besides, what's the point of two men talking about longing for each other?
Could it be that this troublesome man has now lost interest in women and started to prefer men?
Qin Siyuan is a scholar who passed the imperial examination. He is the most promising student his father-in-law has always thought highly of. What would it be like if his sixth brother led him astray?
It is said that jade cannot become a useful object without being carved, so I'm afraid my sixth brother will have to endure a few more beatings before he can become one.
From a distance, Sixth Master Gu suddenly sneezed loudly.
Qin Siyuan laughed and said, "Sixth Master, you've already caught a cold before you've even started missing me. I'm right. You should just focus on chanting scriptures these next few days and stop thinking about writing poetry. After the imperial examination, we'll have plenty of opportunities to get together. Besides, I'll be visiting Master Songshan often to ask him some questions, so we'll see each other then."
With a flushed face, Master Gu explained, "My health has improved a lot recently from training with Xiao Dong. Perhaps it's because I was sweating a lot and then caught a chill."
After the two had finished their tearful farewell, just as Lord Gu was about to call his younger brother aside and scold him, people from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion arrived again, so Lord Gu had no choice but to give up.
Gu Baozhu accompanied Qin Yuan in entertaining the female guests. Upon seeing Miss You, Gu Baozhu asked in surprise, "Why are you the one who came to your house?"
Miss You said, "It's because my mother and sister-in-law are both unwell. They had diarrhea all night, I don't know what they ate. They had to see the imperial physician before they felt a little better."
Gu Baozhu said, "It's just that I don't know what to talk about with other people. They're all married, and we can't really talk to each other."
Miss You smiled and said, "The princess didn't come?"
Gu Baozhu said, "If they come, my sister-in-law will handle it. By the way, didn't you say last time that someone would come in a few days to ask for that waiver of life and death? I was at home recovering from my injury and I was still thinking about it, but no one came. Were you just trying to fool me?"
Miss You said, "Yes and no. What are you doing holding that thing in your hand? You can't eat it or spend it. In my opinion, you might as well use it as a favor! The Ninth Princess went to the palace to beg the Emperor for your sake. If I were you, I would just give this life-or-death contract to the Ninth Princess."
Gu Baozhu laughed and said, "This is not something I won. If it weren't for my third brother's intervention, I'm afraid I would have been in grave danger. My mother later gave me a beating, and I had to recover from the injury for a long time. The life-or-death contract is naturally in my third brother's hands. It would be more effective to talk to my third sister-in-law about it than to me."
Miss You's eyes lit up, and she asked, "I heard that your third brother dotes on your third sister-in-law?"
"Of course!"
Gu Baozhu had a lot to say about this, and she immediately started talking non-stop.
Miss You kept nodding and sighing, occasionally offering a word to encourage Gu Baozhu to say more.
Just then, someone came in and said, "Princess Fuyun and the Ninth Princess have arrived."
Miss You said, "They couldn't set up a sacrificial tent in the city, so they came here now."
Gu Baozhu said, "Let's go out and greet them too."
She secretly worried that the Seventh and Ninth Princesses would make things difficult for Qin Yuan, but Miss You noticed this and said with a slight smile, "Your Third Sister-in-law is enough."
Who would be so foolish as to make things difficult for Lady Dingbei these days?
Princess Fuyun and the Ninth Princess offered incense in a very low-key manner, stood in front of Old Madam Gu for a moment, and then exchanged a few words with Qin Yuan.
Gu Baozhu pulled Miss You to stand aside and listened attentively.
Princess Fuyun looked haggard, as if she was preoccupied with something. Standing next to the Ninth Princess, she was no longer as arrogant as before.
Upon seeing Qin Yuan, he said, "Madam Dingbei, you have gone to so much trouble this time."
Madam Gu sighed, "My daughter-in-law is truly capable. If it weren't for her, the manor would be in chaos. She manages everything smoothly from top to bottom, without making a single mistake."
Upon hearing this, Princess Fuyun's gaze towards Qin Yuan became complicated.
I felt a mix of sympathy, pity, and relief.
When combined, they create a somewhat subtle effect.
Qin Yuan was stunned for a moment, then she understood.
Unexpectedly, the rumor that Lord Gu was ill actually lessened Princess Fuyun's hostility towards her, which was a pleasant surprise.
Princess Fuyun asked, "Does Third Sister-in-law know Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang?"
Qin Yuan had not yet spoken.
Madam Gu asked curiously, "Why does Princess Fuyun ask about these two people? Mr. Songshan is staying at the mansion for a while, but as for that young master from Nantang, I have never met him."
Princess Fuyun said, "Because of the poetry contest at the Imperial Academy, the poems of Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang have been circulated. After reading them, I really liked the poems written by Young Master Nantang."
The Ninth Princess smiled and said, "Madam, you don't know, but Zhang Hanlin highly admires the poems of Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang, and always says he wants to find a way to meet them."
Madam Gu understood, nodded, and said, "If Zhang Hanlin says it's good, then it's naturally good."
Qin Yuan then spoke, “Just as Mother said, Mr. Songshan lives in the mansion. Young Master Nantang is a good friend of Mr. Songshan and has visited him before. I have seen him from afar, but we haven’t spoken much.”
The Ninth Princess then asked, "What does Young Master Nantang look like?"
Qin Yuan blushed and said, "I haven't looked closely, but Young Master Nantang should be about the same age as Zhang Hanlin."
Princess Fuyun came to the rescue, saying, "Third Sister-in-law is the daughter of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and she must be very virtuous. How could she stare at a strange man like that?"
The Ninth Princess glanced at her but said nothing.
The two princesses sat for a while before taking their leave.
Miss You whispered to Gu Baozhu, "Your third sister-in-law is truly a beauty. I can't help but like her. No wonder your mother and you both like her so much."
Gu Baozhu nodded and said, "Of course, my third sister-in-law is wonderful. I'm even planning to take her to play polo in the future."
Miss You said, "You should learn from her. If you have some of your third sister-in-law's skills, you'll get beaten less often and suffer less when you get married."
After the two chatted for a while, Miss You asked about the appearance and manner of Young Master Nantang. Gu Baozhu replied, "I've never seen him before. Even Mr. Songshan doesn't see him often."
Seeing that she couldn't get any more information, Miss You said goodbye.
During this half-day, guests came and went in an endless stream.
They were busy until sunset, when finally everyone was gone.
Madam Xu, along with several female relatives closely related to the Xu family, and the Gu family, who had close blood ties and frequent interactions with the Marquis's residence, stayed at the temple for three days to conduct religious ceremonies.
The rest of the people took a car back to the city.
Madam Gu was also persuaded to return to her residence.
Qin Yuan said, "Mother, the family can't be left without someone to take charge. Baozhu and I are doing our job here."
Madam Gu was still somewhat hesitant: "The children are still young, and I take care of them daily."
Qin Yuan said, "Sixth Brother is here too. Lan'er is resting with me. Hongye and Cuiming will definitely take good care of her."
The implication was that the father should take care of Kang Ge'er and Fu Ge'er.
Madam Gu sighed, "I'm just worried about them. It's good enough that your sixth brother can take care of himself. How can I expect him to take care of the children?"
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