The faces of everyone in the room showed disbelief.
Although Cuiming knew that Hongmian was testing her, she couldn't help but sneer, "Why are you still looking for Hongye? Hongye took a day off for you and is exhausted. She just took her medicine and is resting now. Besides, I'm not used to sharing a room with other people. I'm sure the people in your room don't want to share a bed with you either. You should find someone else."
Hongmian concealed her unease and forced a smile, saying, "That's the only way."
Cui Ming rolled her eyes at her and walked away gracefully.
Hongmian silently picked up her clothes and went to another room to find an empty bed to sleep on. Fortunately, the night was not too cold, and she could just endure it.
Cui Ming returned to the inner room and couldn't help but complain to Qin Yuan, "I really admire her. She did something wrong to someone, and she can still act like nothing happened and even squeeze into a bed with them. She really can do that. Calling her an ingrate is too kind."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "There are all kinds of people in this world. In the end, Hongye's feelings were misplaced. But it's better to realize it sooner rather than later. Wouldn't it be even more painful to find out later?"
Cuiming asked, "Will Miss still need her in the future?"
“She’s such a smart and capable person, why not use her? It’s just not appropriate for her to stay in Wutong Garden any longer. Why not assign her to do something else? Where should we go?” Qin Yuan smiled and looked at Cui Ming.
Cuiming thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we send her to the sewing room? Mama Li and Mama Lu often compete against each other, and we need someone like her to stir things up, so that I can save some energy."
Qin Yuan smiled and agreed.
Cuiming doesn't usually stand out and speaks little, but she is much more decisive than Hongye in handling matters.
It's good that Hongmian went there to learn a lesson.
But given Hongmian's temperament, I'm afraid she won't stay long before causing trouble.
Qin Yuan sighed.
Cuiming knew what she was thinking, so she comforted her, "Miss, don't worry about not having anyone to help you. Now that we've established ourselves in the manor, no steward or matron dares to disobey us. There are quite a few good maids in the garden, just not as outstanding as Hongmian, but they'll get better with proper training."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "I'm not worried about tiring you two out. At first, I was thinking of training more capable people so that the Wutong Garden wouldn't be in such a mess and make life miserable."
Unexpectedly, so many things happened in the manor, and the steward's power was easily seized.
Cui Ming smiled and said, "This really proves the saying, 'What's yours is yours.'"
Qin Yuan clicked her tongue and said, "You might as well say that everything is preordained by fate and nothing is up to us. I wonder what other people will think of me if they hear this. I guess most of them will think that I have become arrogant and conceited after suddenly becoming rich and powerful."
Cui Ming said, "This is not me flattering Miss. Miss has only been in the Marquis's mansion for a short time, but everyone admires her. Even the ladies in the clan all speak highly of her."
The implication is that the deceased Sixth Madam was inferior to others and had no one to blame but herself.
As for the others, there's no need to pay them any attention.
Qin Yuan said, "When people are in a high position, who would be so tactless as to gossip? The more they praise us, the less we can afford to make any mistakes. As the old saying goes, it's impossible to please everyone. We may think we've done a good job, but those who have been offended may harbor resentment. They may not say anything now, but they'll wait for an opportunity to vent. Right now, everyone is praising me, which is thanks to the old lady and the marquis's favor. We're currently in a position of power, so naturally no one will be so tactless as to say it out loud. But we must be extremely careful not to get carried away and make any mistakes. Only then will we know what it means to be a fallen phoenix, worse than a chicken."
Cui Ming was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "Miss doesn't look sixteen at all, she looks sixty."
Qin Yuan was also stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Alright, let's go to sleep. Let's not worry about others here. Even Hongye and Hongmian are asleep."
Cuiming smiled too. After helping the young lady to bed, she sat blankly outside the threshold, lost in thought.
Lord Gu returned to the manor under the starlight. Seeing that the main room was dimly lit, he knew that Qin Yuan had already gone to sleep. A small, frail figure sat in the shadows under the eaves, seemingly the maidservant of his young wife. He asked, "Are you on night watch tonight?"
Cuiming then came to her senses and, seeing that it was the Marquis, hurriedly stood up and bowed: "The Marquis has returned. The Madam has already gone to sleep. Tonight was supposed to be Hongye's turn to be on duty, but she was crying a lot. The Madam prescribed some medicine for her, lit incense, and put her to sleep, so this servant took her place to be on night duty."
Lord Gu frowned and said, "Why is Hongye still crying? Hasn't the matter been resolved?"
It was rare to see the Marquis showing concern for their affairs, and Cuiming was flattered. She quickly explained, "Hongye is crying because she trusted the wrong person and this has happened. She also feels that she has suffered a lot of grievances."
This grievance clearly stemmed from Gu Shiliu.
Lord Gu sighed, "You women are such a hassle. None of you are as sensible and magnanimous as Madam. I'm afraid Gu Shiliu doesn't even know about this right now."
Cui Ming asked in surprise, "Gu Shiliu still doesn't know about this?"
Lord Gu nodded: "If possible, how could Gu Shiliu have let this matter be brought to Hongye's attention? If he can't even do this right, why would I have brought him and Hongye together in the first place? If he regrets trusting the wrong person, he can just put in more effort next time. Everyone makes mistakes."
Cuiming quickly lowered her head and said, "This servant understands."
Lord Gu waved his hand and said, "I'm back now, you don't need to stay here anymore, go back and rest. When Hongye wakes up, you can tell her everything in detail. Madam values the two of you and has put in a lot of effort for Hongye's sake, so you shouldn't make her worry like this."
Cuiming hurriedly agreed and withdrew.
Back inside, looking at the soundly sleeping Hongye, he sighed, "It's true what they say, fools are lucky. Your master is so worried about you. You should be more careful."
Thinking about Lord Gu's good intentions towards Qin Yuan, he smiled and said, "Miss is truly blessed. Who would have thought that such a good marriage would be brought by the ever-ambitious and competitive Second Miss? We have also benefited from this good fortune. It shows that man proposes, God disposes. Heaven has its own arrangements. In the future, we should broaden our minds and accumulate more good deeds."
Upon realizing this, Cuiming felt a sense of lightness in her body and mind, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her, causing her to drift off to sleep.
From that day on, the thoughtful and anxious Cuiming changed her mindset and gradually became more open-minded. With Qin Yuan's help in recuperating, she actually lived more than thirty years longer than in her previous life.
When Qin Yuan woke up in the morning, she saw Lord Gu lying beside her with his eyes closed, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
"why are you laughing?"
Hearing the noise, Lord Gu opened his eyes and looked over, his originally serene face turning sharp.
Qin Yuan muttered, "Seeing my husband right beside me, I couldn't help but smile. These past few days..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lord Gu became smug, his eyes filled with affection, and whispered in her ear with a smile, "Good Yuan'er, I knew you couldn't live without me."
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