Gu Shiba was dedicated to protecting the Marquis's reputation and couldn't stand the word "illness," so he leaned closer to the guard and quietly waved his fist, saying, "You better be..."
The guards dared not murmur anymore, shook their heads, and hurriedly slipped away.
At this moment, the Marquis inside the house called out to him again: "Eighteen, eighteen."
"Here it comes, here it comes." Gu Shiba said helplessly in a low voice, "I knew you couldn't live without me."
As soon as they entered the main room, they saw Qin Yuan tilting her head and talking to Lord Gu: "This whole thing started because of you. You have to find a way to resolve it, or I will never listen to you."
Her tone was coquettish and her appearance was stunning.
Gu Shiba quickly lowered his head, keeping his eyes down and not daring to look again.
Lord Gu then said, "Eighteen, go to Sixteen's house and tell him that Sixteen has already asked his master to arrange a marriage. If the two families have not yet made a decision, then don't make a fuss and just quietly back out."
Gu Shiba was stunned.
Lord Gu glared at him: "Hurry up and go."
Gu Shiba was quite disappointed and said, "Sixteenth's family did this, didn't Sixteenth know at all? If Master does this, won't Sixteenth's mother resent Master?"
Lord Gu chuckled and said, "If you're worried that no one will want the red cotton, then you can take it."
Gu Shiba hurriedly shook his head: "Who would dare to marry someone like her? I am not worthy of such a woman."
Lord Gu looked at him with a half-smile.
Gu Shiba realized what was going on and said with an embarrassed smile, "I'll go right away."
"Go quickly, I'll wait here for your reply. Prince Qi and the others are waiting for me over there, so don't let anything go wrong," Lord Gu instructed.
Gu Shiba hurriedly left the mansion and headed straight for Gu Shiliu's house. In the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, he arrived at the door and heard laughter and cheerful voices inside, indicating that relatives and friends were gathered together.
Gu Shiba frowned and hesitated outside the door, unsure of what to say.
"Isn't this Brother Eighteen?"
A young man who bore a resemblance to Gu Shiliu came out and saw Gu Shiba standing outside the door: "Are you here to congratulate my brother?"
Gu Shiba responded and asked, "Where are your parents?"
"They were sitting and talking with Uncle Li's family, so why are they talking to my parents again?"
Without answering the boy's question, Gu Shiliu opened the door and strode inside, saying, "The Marquis has a message for you to give to your parents."
The boy scratched his head, looking puzzled: "My brother got engaged today, but he's not here. Instead, you guys have been coming and going."
Gu Shiba said irritably, "Isn't this all your brother's fault? He's been disappearing and reappearing these past few days, and no one can find him to talk to. Such a small matter has caused such a commotion. The Marquis and his wife are so busy, yet they still have to take time out of their schedules to deal with this."
"The Marquis and his wife?" the boy asked, puzzled. "Why did my brother's engagement involve them?"
Gu Shiba coughed, not intending to go inside to see the others, and urged, "Hurry up and call your parents out, the master has something for me to convey."
The boy sensed something was amiss and immediately went inside to call for his parents.
A moment later, a middle-aged couple rushed out in their slippers. Upon seeing Gu Shiba, they asked, "Has Shiba gotten into some trouble? Why has the Marquis sent you two to speak with him today?"
Gu Shiba said, "Uncle, Aunt, this marriage of Shiliu cannot be arranged."
inside the house.
Hongmian, shy and nervous, was completely absorbed in what she was saying to Gu Shiliu's cousin-in-law across the street.
Hongmian's mother said, "Hongmian, your cousin-in-law is asking you what you do on a daily basis when you serve the madam?"
"Huh?" Hongmian came back to her senses.
Hongmian's mother squeezed her hand reassuringly.
outside the house.
Gu Shiliu's mother looked troubled. "Why didn't this child come back to tell us sooner? What are we going to do with this? We just exchanged birth charts and agreed on the dowry and betrothal gifts."
Gu Shiliu's father said, "I knew you didn't handle this properly. How can you rush into arranging your eldest son's marriage just for your second son's sake, without even letting him meet her? I don't know what the Li family is so anxious about, pushing so hard. Their daughter is still so young. If you arrange it, Shiliu won't be able to get married for several more years, and he won't be able to have a grandson. How difficult it will be to manage this family in the future. Isn't this disrupting the order?"
Gu Shibai was furious when he heard that.
“Uncle, Aunt. Sixteen risked his life to go to the north with the Marquis, and he brought all the money back with him. We can’t let him suffer such a big deal as getting a wife.”
Gu Shiliu's mother immediately protested, "Everyone is my own flesh and blood. How could I possibly wrong this one and make do with that one? I only thought that the Li family was well-off and that the girl my second son had his eye on was related to me, so that we could get along well as sisters-in-law in the future. That's why I had this idea."
Gu Shiliu's father said, "Alright, the Marquis has already spoken about this matter, and we know it. We will no longer interfere in Gu Shiliu's marriage. He can decide for himself."
Gu Shiliu's mother added, "He's the eldest son; his younger siblings all depend on him. The eldest son's wife can't be..."
Gu Shiliu's father sneered, "Would the person our master has his eye on be worse than the one you've chosen? Gu Shiliu is happy, our master is happy, what does it have to do with you? Don't you understand?"
Gu Shiliu's mother paused for a moment, then sighed dejectedly, "Fine, he's grown up and doesn't even discuss his marriage with the family anymore. It's my fault."
Gu Shiba secretly rolled his eyes.
“I have conveyed the master’s words. How you two families handle this is your business. The Marquis values Sixteen highly, so naturally he will find a good match for Sixteen. This person is also someone Sixteen has chosen. She is also a personal maid who serves the madam. She has grown up with the madam since childhood, and her character and appearance are both outstanding.”
Gu Shiliu's father squinted and smiled, "That's good, that's good. Shiliu has been with the Marquis for so many years. The Marquis is kind and the Madam is praised by everyone. He would never wrong him. This is the boy's good fortune."
Gu Shiliu's mother, however, was not very happy.
Gu Shiba was too lazy to look at her face anymore, so he said, "Then I'll be leaving. The Marquis is still waiting for my reply. I've already delivered the message."
“Alright, alright, Eighteen, thank you for your trouble. When you see Sixteen, tell him to come home. I have something to say to him,” Gu Sixteen’s father said with a smile. “Please pass on my message to the Marquis: thank you for valuing our Sixteen.”
Gu Shiba finally cheered up and said with a smile, "Uncle, don't worry. Shiliu is always clever and never suffers a loss. The one he's set his sights on must be good. Character and appearance..." As he spoke, he glanced into the room and winked, "Much better than that one."
Gu Shiliu's father understood immediately and smiled broadly. After Gu Shiba left, he turned back to look at his wife, whose face was dark, and said, "Shiliu is highly regarded by his master. If you really want him to take care of more children in the future, then don't try to influence his marriage."
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