Qin Jijiu asked blankly, "Why would someone surnamed Qin want to exterminate the entire Cui family? What's going on?"
Gu Jinghui eagerly waited at the entrance of the Imperial Academy, blocking his father-in-law's way, hoping that the most learned man in the Great Xing Dynasty would tell him something. Unexpectedly, his father-in-law didn't know anything about it.
Seeing the troubled look in Shang Qin Jijiu's eyes, Gu Jinghui quickly added, "It was Yuan'er who told me. It's a story from a book, very famous, and many people know it."
Qin Jijiu: "..."
My daughter said, "Why are you looking for her father?"
On second thought, how many books could Gu Jinghui have read?
From a young age, Yuan'er was adept at reading between the lines and would never use an obscure allusion to embarrass Lord Gu.
"Oh, oh, that," Qin Jijiu realized and said with a smile, "You've been waiting here just to ask about this, my dear son-in-law? Well, that's a long story. Qin Heng has been thinking about you every day. Come on, come back with me and have some drinks, and we'll tell you slowly."
Gu Jinghui immediately replied, "Yes, Father-in-law. Wait a moment, I'll be right back."
After Qin Jijiu nodded, Gu Jinghui took his servant to nearby shops to buy wine, food, fruits and vegetables.
It's inappropriate for a son-in-law to arrive empty-handed.
Qin Jijiu stood by the carriage, stroking his beard, and smiled at the coachman, saying, "My eldest son-in-law is quite polite."
Lord Gu held a higher official position and came from a higher social class than him, yet he remained extremely respectful to him.
This made Qin Jijiu look very respectable.
Especially since it was right in front of the Imperial Academy, where people were coming and going, and he was being watched by everyone, Qin Jijiu was very pleased.
The coachman smiled and said, "Congratulations, sir. The Marquis respects you and also cherishes our young lady."
Qin Jijiu nodded.
The eldest daughter is beautiful and sensible; how could she not win the Marquis's heart?
It's nothing like what the youngest daughter said; the Marquis only has that woman surnamed Zhao in his heart.
This caused Cui to toss and turn for two more nights, as he dared not go to the concubines' places.
"The young lady is gentle yet opinionated. She can live well no matter who she marries. I have never worried about her."
As he spoke, he waved to Lin Ziqi, who was standing there looking in their direction: "Ziqi, come here."
Lin Ziqi strode over, bowed, and asked, "Father-in-law, why are you standing here? Is there something you need?"
“Your brother-in-law stopped me here earlier to ask me something. I invited him to come to my house for a visit. You should come too, and bring Qin Heng along as well. Tell him that his brother-in-law has arrived on a BMW and that he should ask for leave to go home for dinner.”
Lin Ziqi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go find Qin Heng now."
Knowing that his brother-in-law was going to have dinner at home, Qin Heng immediately followed Lin Ziqi out of the Imperial Academy. When they arrived at the gate, they saw Qin Jijiu talking enthusiastically with Gu Jinghui, while a servant was leading the black horse with white hooves that haunted his dreams.
"Brother-in-law, you've arrived."
Qin Heng immediately pounced over, his eyes fixed on the horse, scrutinizing it closely.
Lin Ziqi and Gu Jinghui exchanged greetings, but had nothing to say to each other.
Qin Jijiu smiled and said, "Let's go, let's go, we'll talk about it when we get home."
Qin Jijiu and Lin Ziqi boarded the carriage, Gu Jinghui rode a horse, and Qin Heng said with longing, "Brother-in-law, can I ride a horse too?"
Although he was a little intimidated by the handsome Gu Jinghui, the horse was really too tempted by him.
Gu Jinghui understood, reached out and pulled Qin Heng, and with a scream, Qin Heng was sitting on the horse.
Qin Heng blushed and said, "Brother-in-law is amazing."
Qin Jijiu peeked out with a grin and said, "My lord, please don't spoil him. He's still a child and doesn't know his place."
Gu Jinghui shook his head. "It's alright. My younger sister can ride horses and loves playing polo. What man doesn't love horses?"
Qin Heng felt even more that his brother-in-law understood him.
Riding a fine horse alongside Gu Jinghui is something he can brag about for half a year.
Lin Ziqi, who hadn't ridden horses much and didn't like riding them, was speechless.
Qin Jijiu would occasionally speak to Lord Gu through the window, while Qin Heng would chatter incessantly about his opinions on the fine horse. Lin Ziqi sat quietly in the carriage, only occasionally exchanging a few words with Qin Jijiu.
And so they arrived at the Qin residence.
Lin Ziqi felt that the journey was much longer than usual.
When Cui learned that the Marquis's son-in-law had arrived, she hurriedly ordered people to set out the latest fruits and had a servant bring over some refreshing drinks such as sour plums and lemons that she had bought from outside.
If Lin Ziqi had come alone, he would never have been treated like this.
After finishing his preparations, Cui stopped him and said with a smile, "Wan'er has only been here a short time, and you've arrived too. Let's have a meal together before going back."
Lin Ziqi asked, "Why is Wan'er here?"
Madam Cui chuckled twice and said, "She came to ask me for two dishes, so I kept her around to chat for a while. She was planning to go back, but you all happened to arrive, so we decided to have a meal together before she went home."
Lin Ziqi could only nod.
He understood that Qin Wan looked down on the Lin family for being poor, as their food and drink couldn't compare to the Qin family's. His mother was used to being frugal and couldn't stand Qin Wan spending money on food and drink, so she always stopped her. Qin Wan had thrown many tantrums about this. Today, she must have come to the Qin family for a treat while he was studying at the Imperial Academy.
The mother-in-law was trying to cover for Qin Wan.
But what could he say?
Gu Jinghui bought a wide variety of gifts, including a bouquet from Xiangwu House.
Madam Cui smiled so much her eyes narrowed into slits and said, "The son-in-law has come, why did he bring anything?"
Gu Jinghui said, "I came here unexpectedly and just bought some cooked food and fruit from a street shop so that you wouldn't have to trouble me too much. Please don't blame me for being abrupt."
Qin Jijiu laughed heartily and said, "It's alright that you're being so cautious, my lord. Ziqi is a regular at my house. You should come often in the future too. Please don't be so polite."
Lin Ziqi: "..."
Madam Cui smiled and withdrew to the backyard, where she said to Qin Wan, "The Marquis and Young Master Lin came together, and they brought quite a few things. They were very courteous. Judging from their manners, they seem to care a lot about Qin Yuan."
Qin Wan chuckled and said, "How could that be? He's just putting on a show. If he really cared, why didn't he bring Qin Yuan along?"
Lord Gu was a nobleman, and he never lacked proper etiquette.
In her past life, she and Lord Gu went out to a banquet together, and they were able to get along well on the surface. Who would have thought that behind closed doors, they couldn't even exchange a single word?
“Last time, Ziqi and I were buying things for my cousin in the West Market. We ran into her standing alone. When we asked her why the Marquis wasn’t with her, she just changed the subject.”
"Mother, that woman surnamed Zhao in the Marquis's mansion and her sister-in-law are very troublesome. They are like snakes and rats in a nest. Even if Qin Yuan had three heads and six arms, she couldn't deal with them."
Mrs. Cui glanced at her dubiously.
Well, she's already married, there's no point in saying anything more.
"What's the deal with Mr. Lin's cousin? Why wasn't she mentioned before? Why is she coming now that you're married?" Madam Cui felt something was amiss.
“My mother-in-law used to be busy taking care of Ziqi while he was studying, so she couldn’t look after her. Now that she has nothing to do, she wants to find someone to keep her company. My cousin grew up with my mother-in-law, but we haven’t seen her since the Lin family came to the capital.”
"Then why come again? Isn't my cousin engaged?" The more Cui listened, the more suspicious she became.
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