Qin Heng then realized what a formidable person he had offended, and sighed, "I'm truly impressed by you. Why can't you just be the high and mighty seventh young lady of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion? Why do you have to get involved?"
"Then why don't you just be a good student at the Imperial Academy?" Gu Baozhu sneered. "I'm clearly better at fighting than you, and I'm older than you. Why can you interfere but I can't?"
Qin Heng opened his mouth as if to speak, but then found himself speechless.
The traditional boudoir precepts that work for most women are utterly meaningless to Gu Baozhu; saying them might even get her a beating.
But not saying anything would be really frustrating.
Qin Heng thought angrily, "A good man doesn't fight with a woman."
It's not that I can't fight back, it's just that I choose not to.
Gu Baozhu, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. She just kept shaking her fist and reasoning with him: "If you agree, you'll have one more ally. If you don't agree, you'll have one more enemy. Tell me, do you agree or not? Just say it, stop dawdling."
Qin Heng was on the verge of tears, and choked out, "Grandma, did I have a choice? Of course I agreed."
Gu Baozhu tilted her head, raising her eyebrows slightly: "You're wrong about that. I'm not the kind of person who forces people to do things against their will. I gave you a choice beforehand."
"Alright, whatever you say. I understand you're trying to win people over with virtue."
Qin Heng had lost the strength to refute.
Instead of wasting energy arguing with Gu Baozhu, he'd be better off taking a few more breaths.
Gu Baozhu said with satisfaction, "Alright, it's settled then. I'll go to the Imperial Academy to find you tomorrow. You should think of an explanation tonight and figure out how to introduce me to them."
"tomorrow?"
Qin Heng couldn't help but jump up and down again.
"Of course, speed is of the essence in war, don't you know that?"
Gu Baozhu looked at Qin Heng dismissively, "No wonder you've been following Xu Tang for so long and haven't found out anything, and you've made your sister worry for no reason."
Qin Heng, whose sore spot had been touched, lowered his head, feeling unconvinced but powerless to refute, and said in a low voice: "Fine, I'll go find them to play football tomorrow. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, each village will hold a football competition, and I'll use that as an excuse to hang out with them."
Gu Baozhu nodded in satisfaction, patted his left shoulder encouragingly, and said, "See you tomorrow. Just follow my lead. Don't worry, with me here, neither you nor Brother Qin will be in any trouble. Also, cheer up, so your third sister-in-law won't notice later."
Qin Heng's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down, grimacing as he said, "...Okay..."
Seeing the two men walk in with beaming smiles, Qin Yuan said to Xiao Dong, "Your two big customers have arrived."
Xiao Dong laughed and said, "Speaking of which, I just remembered something. Master was talking about the plaster for beating injuries today and asked me to come and ask about it. I almost forgot."
Qin Yuan snorted and said, "Why doesn't he come and ask himself?"
Xiao Dong shook his head and chuckled, "I don't know. Today, when Master saw someone from the Marquis's residence delivering things, he also asked me to ride a horse. He even said that the Marquis's residence is really troublesome. These past few days, Master has been restless. When I asked him about it, he scolded me, saying that I, a mere child, shouldn't worry about trivial matters. Well, I guess I'll just have to let the old man trouble himself. It's not that I'm not a good little apprentice."
Qin Yuan chuckled inwardly, knowing that Physician Li was starting to feel the strain, but she remained calm and said, "How would I know what he's thinking? Perhaps he's hesitant about whether or not he should say something."
Xiao Dong asked curiously, "What are you saying? You've made my master look like this. Adult matters are really complicated."
Qin Yuan said, "Perhaps Master is overthinking it."
Xiao Dong blinked and said, "I'll go back and talk to my master about it, and ask him to think about things in a simpler way."
Qin Yuan chuckled and said, "Go back and tell your master that the Marquis is currently busy with the capital inspection and has other matters to attend to at home, so he can't attend to them for the time being. The Marquis has made up his mind about this matter, and no one can change it."
Xiao Dong said happily, "Master said that if we can finalize the deal, he'll give me braised pork knuckle with rock sugar. I've been craving it."
Before Qin Yuan could speak, Kang Ge'er said from the side, "You should have said so earlier! The maid in the main room is a great cook. If you had told us when you came, we would have been able to eat by now."
Qin Yuan then instructed Hong Mian: "Go, tell the cook to make a few more Suzhou dishes, and also make a pot of braised pork knuckle with rock sugar. Hmm, also send a pot of spiced pig's trotters to Renhetang. If there are any lamb trotters left, cook a pot of spicy lamb trotters, that's delicious."
Xiao Dong grinned from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly.
Hongmian also went downstairs with a smile.
Qin Heng quickly came over and said, "Big sister, give me one too. I feel uncomfortable all over from riding the horse, and I can barely walk."
Gu Baozhu added from the side, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law. Heng-ge'er hurt his legs riding a horse today, and he also plays Cuju (ancient Chinese football) every day, which is really hard on his legs. He needs this to heal his legs."
Xiao Dong, who had been looking on with sympathy and was about to tell Qin Heng how to relieve pain and fatigue, couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard this.
Qin Heng ignored him and stared at Qin Yuan, pleading, "Big sister, please be kind to me too."
Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, "Alright, it's just a few dishes, no big deal. Cui Ming, go tell the kitchen to make another serving, plus wine, vegetables, and fruits, to make two sets, one for Renhe Hall and one for the Imperial Academy."
Since it's a banquet, naturally everything is included.
Qin Heng laughed and said, "My eldest sister still loves me the most. I haven't had a proper meal at home in a long time. Mother is always arguing with Father about my second sister and brother-in-law."
Qin Yuan simply said "oh" and didn't reply.
Qin Heng continued, "If you ask me, my second brother-in-law is just insatiable. He already selected two poems for the 'Firefly Collection,' but he wasn't satisfied. He even asked my second sister to come home and plead for more. You know what kind of person Dad is; he can't stand these kinds of things. He made an exception for my second sister's sake and immediately refused. My second sister cried and made a scene at home, making everyone unhappy."
Qin Yuan sneered, "I knew it! Otherwise, why would you be able to talk so much with Xu Tang? You know, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. Your second brother-in-law, you'd better watch out in the future."
His gaze then swept towards Qin Siyuan, intentionally or unintentionally.
Qin Heng sighed, "Mother said that my second sister married my second brother-in-law just to torment her."
Qin Yuan didn't say anything, but slowly picked up her teacup and took a sip.
This marriage was something Qin Wan had gone to great lengths to snatch away.
Qin Heng also realized this, and since he had once spoken up for Qin Wan, he immediately shut his mouth in embarrassment.
Fortunately, Qin Siyuan quickly broke the awkward silence.
Qin Siyuan asked, "Why didn't I see Sixth Master today?"
Qin Yuan also found it strange.
Logically, if Qin Siyuan was here, then Sixth Master Gu should have come too.
After listening to the commotion for a while, Gu Baozhu said, "My sixth brother has been busy these past two days illustrating the female characters in the 'Firefly Collection,' spending time with a group of painters. He's probably tired and still sleeping right now."
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