As the saying goes, it's not that you don't know the goods, it's that you're afraid of comparing them.
Compared to this, Gu Baozhu would have to throw it away.
Old Madam Gu couldn't help but sigh and said to Rong Mama beside her, "This little monkey, all that effort Yuan'er put into preparing her clothes the day before, she still looks like this no matter how hard she tries to dress her up."
She looks dignified sitting there, but once she moves, she loses all her ladylike air.
Why couldn't Gu Baozhu be both scholarly and martial, beautiful and intelligent?
Before Rong Momo could speak, Old Madam Gu continued, "What exactly happened to the third son? Will he be able to attend the banquet today? This is his wife's first time visiting someone's home, and he doesn't even know how to protect her."
Qin Yuan was already beautiful, and with such careful dressing up, even a heartless person would be moved.
He just can't get enough of looking at his daughter-in-law.
Rong Momo smiled and said, "The Marquis always keeps his word. If he says he will come back, he will definitely come back. Besides, the Madam is kind and intelligent, and with you protecting her, nothing will happen to her."
Old Madam Gu sighed, "The You family is really strange..." Seeing that Qin Yuan and Gu Baozhu had come over, she stopped and changed her words, "Let's go, Baozhu. Your sister-in-law has never been to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion before. Don't run around, don't just have fun by yourself, and protect her more."
Gu Baozhu frowned as she was being nagged: "Of course. If it weren't for my sister-in-law, I wouldn't have bothered coming. Wouldn't it be better to stay home and keep my nephews and nieces company?"
This made Old Madam Gu even more upset.
This child has a mouth and can eat properly, so why can't he speak properly?
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Mother, let's not stand here anymore. Look, a few more carriages have arrived. They look like the insignia of the Marquis of Wuding's mansion. Let's hurry inside."
The women in the Wuding Marquis's household were particularly gossipy. Old Madam Gu was impatient with their nonsense, so she nodded and let Qin Yuan help her walk inside.
Of course, she really didn't want to hear Gu Baozhu say anything inappropriate.
Although the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has few capable descendants now, it is still the Duke's mansion after all.
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.
The group was led into the garden by the welcoming woman, where several women from the You family greeted them. After exchanging greetings, they kept glancing at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan was already used to it; she was often stared at even when she didn't dress up much, let alone today when she had dressed up carefully.
Madam Gu remained expressionless, thinking to herself, "The You family is becoming increasingly undignified. I wonder which branch of the clan, whose women are not respectable enough to be brought here to help. It's all so disgraceful."
Fortunately, after passing through several flower gates, Miss You, the First Madam, and the Second Madam came to greet the guests, and Old Madam Gu's expression softened considerably. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went to the inner hall.
Miss You pulled Gu Baozhu along a few steps, falling behind her, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you dressed so virtuously today?"
A pair of eyes swept over Qin Yuan in front of him, and then whispered, "Your third sister-in-law is dressed so beautifully. The beads in her hair are of such high quality. They must have been given to her by your third brother."
What good things could the daughter of a poor scholar-official have? Such a fine headdress must have been given to her by her husband's family. She wore the best headdress on her first visit to the Duke's mansion.
That being said, the daughter of the chief priest was indeed quite alluring.
No wonder she was chosen by someone.
Gu Baozhu said helplessly, "It's all because of my mother. She said I'm too old and can't be like before. She wants to restrain me and wants me to be a proper young lady like my third sister-in-law."
This was the story they had agreed upon at home. To the outside world, they would say that she was too old to play outside anymore and that she needed to be kept in check. After a while, they would say that she had gone to stay at Madam Gu's family home for a short time.
"Pfft," Miss You laughed, "Are you stupid? Your third sister-in-law married the Marquis of Dingbei, and everything she wears and adorns is of the highest quality. It shows that a woman's marriage is the most important thing. Daughters of noble families like us are born more noble than others, so why should we try to act like scholars and pretend to be proper ladies? Your backing is the Marquis of Dingbei. With such a powerful backer, and if you marry an extremely noble man, who would dare to give you a hard time? You'll live a comfortable life."
Gu Baozhu was taken aback and glanced at Miss You with a strange expression.
Having been reprimanded by her third and sixth brothers before, she secretly hoped that You Da had been wronged, and now there was nothing she didn't understand.
The incredibly noble man that You Da spoke of was none other than the Crown Prince.
Third Brother and Sixth Brother were not wronging You Da at all; he was just a scheming, short-sighted, and pimping scoundrel.
Gu Baozhu said, "You don't know, my mother was so eager to change her social standing by asking my third sister-in-law to marry her. The Jijiu family is a noble family, and they have their own standards for clothing, food, housing, and transportation. My mother told me to learn from them so that I wouldn't be laughed at as a barbarian in the future. Also, my third sister-in-law is skilled in perfumery, and she has improved my mother's health a lot. She likes her very much and has given her many of her best things. Not to mention, my third brother is also a doting brother. My third sister-in-law wears and uses much better things than this. Today is the first time she has gone out with my mother as a guest, so she doesn't dare to be too ostentatious."
These words made Miss You envious.
The Zhenguo Duke's family once had a lot of money and grain, and lived a grand life, but they also had many unworthy children and grandchildren.
Generation after generation, even the most abundant family fortune cannot withstand being squandered.
Although she was the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion, it was only a matter of appearances. What good was it? Her sisters from other branches of the family would all try to compete for it.
Originally intending to tease Gu Baozhu into saying something sarcastic, Miss You unexpectedly overheard these remarks. She said sourly, "Who told your third sister-in-law to be so lucky? She's so beautiful and knows how to treat people. Not one of you in your family dislikes her. She's much more shrewd than my sisters-in-law."
Gu Baozhu seemed not to understand human speech and laughed, "My third sister-in-law is really lucky. My mother, third brother, sixth brother and I are all willing to treat her well. Besides being good-looking, she has many other advantages."
Miss You couldn't help but sneer, "It's not like when you said your third brother brought back a concubine's child from the north. If it weren't for that, your third sister-in-law wouldn't have had a chance among so many noble ladies in the capital."
Gu Baozhu quickly covered Miss You's mouth: "How dare you say such a thing? These are all rumors. That person is not my third brother's concubine, but the wife and child of my third brother's savior. It's bad luck to talk about this. That woman is too scheming and deceived our whole family..."
The two chatted animatedly, and many people had come to the banquet that day. They all walked slowly, listening intently.
Miss You exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing has happened! How dare that Lady Zhao do such a thing?"
Those listening in thought to themselves, "So this Marquis of Dingbei has gotten himself into such a romantic mess!"
Seeing Gu Baozhu looking around in surprise, everyone quickly pretended to be admiring the flowers and scenery, but in reality, they dared not utter a single word.
Gu Baozhu said, "She's incredibly daring. My mother and third brother used to really like those twins, but now they're afraid of her, so they had to find them a foster father from the same clan..."
Miss You smiled meaningfully and said slowly, "If you had said this before, I wouldn't have believed that your third brother was heartless towards the Zhao mother and son, but now... I do believe it."
Everyone held their breath, waiting to hear what Gu Baozhu had to say.
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