Although the owner of Shuhaige did not speak, he opened and closed a folding fan in his hand repeatedly.
He was clearly quite pleased with himself.
The shopkeeper, beaming with joy, quickly went downstairs to instruct his staff to go to Cangzhou to invite a top-notch lampsmith to make lamps for the shop. After giving the instructions, he went out of the shop to check the wooden poem wall shelf placed at the entrance.
Seeing that Master Gu and the others had not left, he glanced at them with a mocking look and sneered, "Let's see how long you can be so smug."
Sixth Master Gu and Shen Changle were alright, but Sixteenth Master Gu, being a martial artist, had excellent eyesight. He immediately took out a small stone from his sleeve and threw it over.
The shopkeeper's knee went numb, and he collapsed onto the poetry shelf, causing the shelf to fall down with him with a loud crash.
"What's wrong with the shopkeeper?"
The waiter exclaimed in surprise, and the shop was in complete chaos.
The shopkeeper, with a struggle to his feet, grimaced and clutched his back, saying irritably, "I think I twisted my back."
Looking back, the three men had already ridden away into the distance.
"What bad luck!" the shopkeeper cursed. "I'm doomed whenever I see them."
"Who?"
The young waiter hurriedly asked.
"It's nothing, forget I said anything. Go quickly and ask a doctor who specializes in treating sprains and bruises to take a look. Otherwise, you might have to stay in bed for a month."
The shopkeeper dared not name names. This matter was indeed a bit strange. Perhaps the person surnamed Gu was his nemesis. What if he called out his name and caused even more trouble?
...
Sixth Master Gu and Shen Changle went to the painter's house to discuss matters, while Sixteenth Master Gu went to find the head beggar in the city for questioning. After questioning him, he went to the Jin family to pick up two women and then returned to find Sixth Master Gu.
Master Gu was taken aback and asked, "Why did you bring two maids back from outside? What are they doing here?"
The Gu family has always used servants born into the family.
Gu Shiliu said, "The Marquis instructed me to bring two maids skilled in martial arts from the Jin family to serve the old lady and the madam personally."
After a long pause, Master Gu asked, "Is it that the Yelü clan is about to stir up trouble again?"
Gu Shiliu said, "I can't say much more. The one who raided the family temple last time was Yelü Xianyong. Judging from his tone, I'm afraid Yelü Guzha might have some underhanded tricks up his sleeve."
Sixth Master Gu suddenly realized: "No wonder you insisted on coming out with me today."
Gu Shiliu smiled and said, "The Marquis instructed that whenever the master of the manor goes out, I must arrange for someone to protect him. It just so happens that I can do that today."
Master Gu sighed, "How long do we have to keep guarding against this?"
Gu Shiliu said, "It's not that I'm being nosy, but I'm afraid Sixth Master will have to be careful all the time. It will probably be better when...the new era begins."
Sixth Master Gu was preoccupied with his thoughts the whole way back to the Marquis's residence. After returning, he went to talk to Marquis Gu.
Knowing that Lord Gu had not yet returned, she was preoccupied with something and could not concentrate on painting. So she took the poems given to her by Shen Changle and sat in the pavilion in the outer courtyard to copy them one by one. When she got to Miss Dong's poem, she couldn't help but put down her pen and sighed, "Why is it that every woman is better at reading than me?"
Gu Baozhu chimed in from the side, "There are others who are better at martial arts than you."
Master Gu was startled and turned around sharply to see her. He said with embarrassment and annoyance, "You're a year or two older now, yet you're still acting so strangely and unsteadily. How can you be a scholar's wife? I heard that Brother Siyuan's mother is also a lady from a respectable family, and she never shows her teeth when she smiles. With your appearance, I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to catch her eye."
Gu Baozhu felt a little wronged and pouted, saying, "Sixth Brother, you never used to talk to me like this."
Sixth Master Gu softened his tone and said, "You were still young before, and besides, Third Brother's future was uncertain in the north, and I was in poor health. So, I wanted you to learn more martial arts, so that you could find a husband and carry on the banner of the Gu family army. In recent years, Third Brother has been doing better and better, and this year he returned to the capital in triumph. Your mother and brothers all want you to marry into a good family and have children. Naturally, we hope that you will be virtuous and chaste."
Gu Baozhu was first shocked, then annoyed, "Being virtuous and chaste is impossible. I think Mother's idea was good. Third Brother also said that I have a lot of talent in martial arts and has been training me hard every day. Do you think I would work hard to become a virtuous wife and mother after I have mastered martial arts?"
These words left Sixth Master Gu speechless with astonishment.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Sister Baozhu, don't you want to become the wife of a scholar who has passed the imperial examination?"
Gu Baozhu turned her head away and said, "Actually, it was just a thought of mine. Xu Zhen is obsessed with becoming the wife of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and has also taken a fancy to your brother Siyuan. I thought that she has always been fond of taking advantage of others, and this Qin Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations) must be a good one. If she can have him, so can I. But Third Sister-in-law also said that there are so many rules for daughters-in-law of scholar families. I don't want to go through all that trouble and end up feeling uncomfortable."
This means they intend to let Qin Siyuan go.
Master Gu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“I always said that although Brother Siyuan is talented and handsome, it’s not like everyone is vying to marry him. Our Sister Baozhu was born into a life of luxury. Her status, family background, and wealth are all top-notch. She’s been exposed to weapons and violence since she was a child. She’s not familiar with the rules of scholars. There’s no need for her to cut off her feet just to wear a nice pair of shoes. As long as she opens her mind, what kind of shoes can’t we get? If Sixth Brother isn’t capable, Third Brother can find a way to get them for you.”
Why did you have to fight with Xu Zhen for no reason? It's really bad luck.
We must be extremely careful next time we arrange a marriage; the Xu family is a real scourge.
Gu Baozhu's eyes widened, and she gave a thumbs up: "Since Sixth Brother started studying poetry and painting, his speech and knowledge are completely different from before. Let me make this clear: if Sixth Brother really becomes a famous scholar in the future, you must give me more calligraphy and paintings."
Sixth Master Gu was delighted but also a little embarrassed: "We're siblings, why did you suddenly bring this up?"
"Qin Heng said that the paintings of famous scholars will be very valuable in the future. I was thinking that Sixth Brother would paint a whole truckload for me. They won't take up much space, and they'll be valuable. If I run out of money later, I can just sell them."
Sixth Master Gu retorted angrily, "A whole cartload? Do you think I'm a donkey?"
“It’s not tiring for you, it’s just writing and drawing, why be so stingy.”
Gu Baozhu's words infuriated Sixth Master Gu.
However, Gu Baozhu completely ignored her sixth brother's feelings and said, "Sixth brother, didn't you want to draw the Cuju picture from that day? I'd like to invite all the noble ladies from the polo team to our house for tea. You can accompany them and draw another picture of the Ten Beauties for us, how about that?"
"Ten Beauties" painting?
Sixth Master Gu didn't drink any water, but he choked and coughed.
"Sixth Brother!" Gu Baozhu said with a look of disgust, "How come you choked on your own saliva like this? You need to be more demure that day, don't embarrass me."
"……you……"
Sixth Master Gu coughed a few more times before finally stopping, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where did you learn all this stuff?"
He was similar to the libertines who frequented brothels.
This girl is not a good match.
Gu Baozhu said, "This was taught to me by You Da. He said that the Crown Prince was determined to choose a stunning beauty to enter the Eastern Palace. The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers were unwilling to marry their eldest daughters to the Crown Prince, and they were also unwilling to offend the Emperor and Empress Lin. After receiving this news, they searched everywhere for stunning women, and the portrait painters were too busy to keep up."
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