Qin Yuan hesitated for a moment: "How about letting my nephews stay with me too?"
Gu Baozhu said, "Mother, sister-in-law, we still have me. Why don't we let them come with me?"
Old Madam Gu glared at her. "You're still just a kid yourself. I was just about to tell you not to cause trouble for your sister-in-law here. She's the one who manages everything inside and outside. If you don't behave and cause trouble, you'll exhaust her. She's not much older than you, and it's not easy for her to manage so many things. You have to help her and not act on your own whims."
Gu Baozhu's face darkened, but she dared not refute, and couldn't help but stick out her tongue in frustration.
But Lord Gu, who was walking over, saw it and scolded, "What kind of behavior is this? What will people think if they see this?"
Gu Baozhu could only stand there blankly to the side, her face expressionless.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm also worried about Baozhu. Why don't we, the sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces, all stay together? That way, Mother will be at ease."
In the end, Madam Gu kept Rong Mama with her before getting into the carriage and returning home.
Lord Gu also wanted to stay here, but Qin Yuan kindly persuaded him: "Your mother is alone in the mansion, you should go back and keep her company. Besides, you have official business to attend to tomorrow. If you leave here, you'll have to get up before it's dark, which is too tiring. I don't want you to work so hard."
Hearing this, Lord Gu felt very pleased and said, "That's good. Sister-in-law Cheng can stay here with you too. I can keep an eye on things over there while I'm at home."
Lord Gu left Gu Sixteen, Gu Eighteen, and most of his guards at the family temple, ordering them to protect them carefully. Only then did he ride his horse to catch up with Madam Gu's carriage and return to the city together.
Qin Yuan then instructed Hongye: "Take some people and tidy up the rooms. Tonight, Baozhu and I will sleep together, Lan'er will sleep in the inner room with us, and Kang'er and Fu'er will sleep in the outer room. Ask Rong Mama how to arrange things."
Rong Momo smiled and said, "This old servant can sleep in the outer room with the young masters. This place is not like the manor. As long as there is room to sleep, that's fine. If Madam is a light sleeper, this old servant can sleep with the young lady."
Qin Yuan quickly said, "It's already troublesome enough for Granny Rong to sleep with those two brothers. Besides, I have Hongye and Cuiming here, which is more than enough."
Hongye then followed Rong Mama inside to tidy up the room.
Qin Yuan frowned and thought carefully. She asked Cui Ming to ask people what kind of incense they carried in their sachets or pouches. She also asked the abbot of the temple for sandalwood and other items. She then chose a quiet meditation room to sit down.
A moment later, Cuiming arrived carrying a nanmu tray. On the tray was a piece of embroidered satin covered with scriptures, and on the satin were various sachets and pouches of different sizes.
"Hearing that it was Miss who wanted it, untie them and put them up. Because today is a special day, there aren't many people carrying incense."
Qin Yuan nodded, reached out and picked through the items, took out the usable ones, and ground them finely with the sandalwood given by the little monk using a wooden mortar and pestle.
Cuiming asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to add fragrance now?"
Qin Yuan didn't answer, but only asked her, "How have Sixteen and Hongye been doing these days?"
Cui Ming laughed and said, "It seems Hongye is planning to scare us one day. She's keeping it a secret. We can clearly see the tension between them, but they don't know it yet. They think they're doing a good job of avoiding suspicion."
Qin Yuan then asked, "Where's Hongmian?"
"It can still hold up."
Qin Yuan nodded: "In terms of intelligence and shrewdness, Hongmian and Hongye are about the same, but in terms of shrewdness and skill, Hongye is not as good as Hongmian. You keep an eye on things from the sidelines and keep an eye on things for me. If Hongmian can put this matter aside quickly, then that's fine. If not, we can only try to separate the two of them."
Cui Ming nodded in agreement. As the two talked, Qin Yuan's hands were also busy. She said, "When we rest at night, have them sprinkle it outside each room. The fragrance is unique and can stay with you for a long time. It's better than nothing to use it for protection."
"Miss, you have considered everything very carefully."
Qin Yuan sighed, "The ancestral temple is not like the mansion, so it's best to be careful. You should also be more vigilant at night."
Cui Ming's expression also turned serious. She nodded and said, "I will give them proper instructions later. They must be even more careful when they are outside. We can't let our guard down."
Qin Yuan came out again and said to Sixth Master Gu, "Sixth Brother, don't overwork yourself tonight. The family temple is not like the mansion. It would be best if you rested in the meditation room and didn't wander around."
Gu Shiliu also came over and said, "I was just about to tell all the gentlemen, ladies and wives that the outside world is not like home. Recently, there have been thieves around, so you should be especially careful when going out at night."
Knowing that Gu Shiliu was well-informed, Sixth Master Gu didn't ask any further questions and immediately said, "Third Sister-in-law, don't worry, I will never leave the meditation room."
Qin Yuan then went to talk to Madam Dai and the others. The women all admired her now and agreed.
Dai said, "We're here to perform a ritual, so we'll stay quietly in the house tonight. The ancestral temple is far from the city, so it's best to be careful."
Everyone else echoed this sentiment.
Only Madam Xu showed a hint of disdain, but outwardly she still agreed, saying, "We are here to perform the ritual for our aunt, so we must naturally follow the rules. Please rest assured, Madam. However, Miss Seven is a free spirit and may not be able to stay put. Madam should keep a close eye on her."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Baozhu rested with me and took great care of my nephews and nieces. Now that she's older and more sensible, she naturally won't run around and worry her family."
Madam Xu's face turned pale.
Dai and the others said, "To be honest, the old lady really didn't hold back when disciplining Miss Baozhu, and she really spoiled her, unlike the pampered children of ordinary families. This is good, though. This is how children from military families should be raised so that they can live up to their wealth."
Someone said, "We all heard that Baozhu played polo with the Yelü clan to save face for the Marquis's family that day. She almost fell under the horse's hooves but didn't lose the ball and was even rewarded by the Emperor. She really brought honor to our Gu family."
The more Madam Xu listened, the angrier she became.
He thought to himself that everyone in this world was a hypocrite, praising the powerful and belittling the weak, subtly flattering Qin Yuan, a mere young wife, to embarrass her.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I'll tell Baozhu about it when I get back. All the aunts and sisters-in-law in the clan praised her so much. If she doesn't do even better in the future, I'll be letting everyone down."
After chatting and laughing for a while, Qin Yuan walked away.
Madam Xu, along with her children, slowly made their way to the front to find Sixth Master Gu. They found him standing under a pine tree in the corner of the courtyard, deep in thought. Madam Xu then urged them, "Hurry up and call him Uncle."
"Uncle!"
The children shouted in unison.
Sixth Master Gu gave a few perfunctory replies and then had his servant take them inside to play.
Madam Xu said, "Brother-in-law, please take care of your grief. My mother is at home crying because her daughter died so young, leaving behind three children. She's so pitiful. She's almost gone blind from crying. We should keep in touch so that the younger generation doesn't become estranged."
Before she could finish speaking, Lan Jie'er's heart-wrenching cries rang out.
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