The young man in brocade robes emerged from behind the screen and said with a smile, "Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Perhaps this young master from Nantang doesn't care about power or wealth, but only about beautiful women. The Lady of Dingbei Marquis is the daughter of Qin Jijiu, so composing poems and painting are naturally beyond her. Which of these romantic talents doesn't love having a beautiful woman by his side?"
Prince Jin's gaze remained fixed on Qin Yuan's beautiful figure in the distance, and he smiled lightly: "So, this woman is quite useful. If I could keep her in my grasp, it would save me a lot of effort."
The young man in brocade robes smiled, his expression both lewd and obsequious: "Getting a little wife is a piece of cake."
Prince Jin slammed his hand heavily on the railing, staring at Qin Yuan with an air of certainty: "Haha, you're absolutely right. Once that little wench has tasted my flavor, she won't be able to let go. But you should be careful this first time. After all, she's been married for so long and still doesn't know what a man's taste is like. Gu Laosan is powerless against this delicate flower, so I'll do him a favor and pity her."
"Hahaha, Your Highness, rest assured, everything will be arranged perfectly for you. However, the Crown Prince still has other matters to attend to today..."
"It's alright. Any woman who encounters something like this will only try to cover it up. Who would dare to make a scene?"
Qin Yuan wrinkled her delicate nose slightly and covered the tip of her nose with a handkerchief, barely managing to suppress a sneeze.
Lotus whispered to herself, "Why do I always feel like someone is watching us?"
Qin Yuan looked at the two families of women who were talking noisily not far away and said with a smile, "Then let's follow the people from the Duke of Anguo's mansion. There are many people in this garden, so even if someone wants to make a move, they will have to lure us away."
"Yes, Madam is right. Let's go to where there are many people. Once the banquet starts, we'll be careful and it will be harder for us to be tricked."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "I wonder how Baozhu is doing. I haven't seen her even after all this time."
Gu Baozhu was also thinking about her third sister-in-law and absentmindedly answered her friends' questions. As she turned around the rocks, she heard a melodious zither tune. Everyone stopped and listened attentively.
Song Wenyu said, "The music is excellent."
Miss You smiled and said, "To understand the refined meaning from the music, I wonder what Miss Song discerned?"
Gu Baozhu immediately embarrassed her host family with her words: "My husband plays better than me. Although he always says he plays for the cows, I can still tell the difference between good and bad."
No one dared to say anything more, and an awkward silence fell.
Miss You sneered: "Of course. Your sixth brother just took a concubine, and I heard she's the head of a brothel. I suppose you listen to her often. In our family, the only ones we hear are the small opera troupes we keep in the mansion, nothing new. My parents wouldn't allow us to go to a theater to hear new songs."
Song Wenyu frowned, wondering how the topic had veered to this.
It is very impolite for an unmarried woman to say such things.
However, the nobles didn't seem to care much about these things.
No matter how uncouth one may be, it's still inappropriate to mention that the sister-in-law went to listen to her brother's concubine play the zither.
Neither of them knows how to speak properly.
Gu Baozhu seemed oblivious to the deeper meaning in Miss You's words, and laughed heartily: "How do you know that Aunt Zheng, whom my sixth brother took in, is skilled in playing musical instruments and singing? I secretly listened to her a few times outside the courtyard. Although I didn't understand much, I thought it was alright, but it was so soft that it made me sleepy."
Miss You laughed and said, "Does listening to this person play make you sleepy?"
Gu Baozhu took a couple of steps, looked around, and casually said, "It's alright, You Da. How come we're getting further and further off course? This place..."
Song Wenyu's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Miss You and said, "Did we accidentally wander into someone's courtyard in the mansion? It wouldn't be good if we accidentally bumped into someone."
Upon hearing this, Gu Baozhu slightly lifted her eyelids and quickly glanced at Song Wenyu, only to meet Song Wenyu's gaze in a fleeting moment before looking away.
It was immediately clear that the Song family was also wary of the Crown Prince.
Miss You smiled and said, "This is the place in the mansion where we collect and appreciate zithers. There is a zither room inside, where we have collected many fine zithers. When the brothers and sisters of the different branches of the family are in the mood, they will go there to play the zither. I can't even tell who is playing this zither. I only feel that there is a faint sense of anticipation, as if they are waiting for a friend from afar or a guest who has been waiting for a long time."
Song Wenyu nodded, "It seems..."
Gu Baozhu said, "Aren't we going to find my third sister-in-law to talk to? What are we doing listening to this here? I've never liked these things. I don't want to touch anything like music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. Why don't you go and enjoy the music, and I'll go find my third sister-in-law myself?"
Having said that, he lifted his foot to leave.
Miss You quickly grabbed her and said with a smile, "Your third sister-in-law wouldn't get lost in my house, would she? I don't think you're the kind of child who can't be separated from the adults even for a little while. We don't know who's in this music room. If there aren't any outsiders, how about we go over and sit down and rest for a bit?"
Song Wenyu remained silent.
Miss You has already ordered her maid to inquire who is inside.
The maidservant quickly returned to report: "The Third Young Master brought two noble ladies inside to listen to the zither. The zither player is the Third Young Master's newly acquired zither maid, who was once appreciated by Master Chen. The Third Young Master said that they are all acquaintances, so there is no need to be too reserved. If you feel uncomfortable, you can stay in the side room."
Song Wenyu's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, "Then let's go in. It's been a long time since I've seen the Third Young Master. I wonder which two distinguished guests he brought with him."
The maidservant timidly replied, "This servant does not know."
Song Wenyu was even more eager to try: "Baozhu, we've been walking for so long and we're a little tired. Why don't we take a short rest before we continue? It won't delay your search for the Lady of Dingbei Marquis."
The third young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was the handsome young man of many women's dreams, and everyone said, "Indeed."
Gu Baozhu had no choice but to say, "Alright then."
Miss You smiled knowingly, "Alright, then let's listen to the zither and drink tea in the side room."
The group then entered the music room. After lifting the heavy curtains, they saw several people sitting on the ground not far away. Behind the guqin sat a graceful woman in a light purple gauze dress, her fingers lightly plucking the strings.
Gu Baozhu had no interest in listening to this nonsense, and her face darkened when she saw who was listening to the zither.
Even Song Wenyu, who had been looking rather cheerful, was stunned and stopped in her tracks.
Who would have thought that the distinguished guests brought by the Third Young Master would be the two of them?
Miss You bowed with a smile, "We were unaware that His Highness the Crown Prince and the Ninth Princess would grace our humble abode with their presence. Please forgive our lateness in welcoming them."
Gu Baozhu and Song Wenyu also hurriedly followed suit and bowed down.
The Crown Prince raised his hand slightly and said slowly, "No need for formalities. I heard that Third Prince has acquired a zither maid who plays very well, so I came to listen. I didn't expect Ninth Sister to be so mischievous and come along too. I didn't want to disturb anyone, but I never expected to meet you all here."
The Ninth Princess said with a smile, "That's right, we're all old acquaintances, no need for formalities. We were just chatting together a few days ago."
She then smiled and said to Gu Baozhu, "It's been quite a while since I've seen you. I wonder where you've been gallivanting. Come and sit down, and tell this princess all about it."
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