Why wait until after the bride's return visit to her parents' home to discuss this?
Gu Jinghui pressed for more information.
Qin Yuan smiled without saying a word.
Gu Jinghui stared at her lips, which were red from being soaked in hot tea, his Adam's apple bobbing. He was about to say something when Qin Yuan looked at the hourglass in the corner of the room and said softly, "Judging by the time, she should be here soon."
"What?"
Gu Jinghui asked curiously.
Qin Yuan changed the subject, saying, "My lord, tomorrow is the day I return to my parents' home. My mother personally prepared a list of gifts for me to ensure I maintain this dignity. You and I are husband and wife, one body..."
The implication couldn't be clearer.
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Jinghui interrupted, saying seriously, "Yuan'er, I remember such a big event as your return to your parents' home. You, you..."
His face flushed red, and after a long pause, he managed to say the rest of his words with difficulty: "You are my lawfully wedded wife, the mother of my future children, and the old feudal lord who will be buried with me. I will give you all the dignity that is due to you, so you can rest assured."
It's as if they wish they could swear an oath to the heavens to show their sincerity.
Her ears turned bright red.
Qin Yuan had only meant to offer a reminder, so she nodded and said, "That's very good. I will keep your words in mind."
The room suddenly fell silent.
Gu Jinghui hesitated, then held the teacup and slowly sipped it.
The slightly bitter tea lingered on my lips and teeth, and in the end, it even tasted a little sweet.
Just then, a young maidservant called out to Hongye in a clear, crisp voice, and Hongye went out.
Qin Yuan lifted her eyelids and glanced lightly at Gu Jinghui.
Gu Jinghui felt inexplicably flustered. Soon, the quick-tongued Hongye returned with a sour face and said, "Reporting to the Marquis, reporting to the Madam, Lady Zhao has sent someone to invite you again. She said that Yu'er went out to play with you today and accidentally caught a cold. She is crying and wants to see her father."
"Oh?" Qin Yuan said.
Hearing Qin Yuan's somewhat drawn-out tone, Gu Jinghui suddenly felt a little guilty for some reason.
"My lord, would you like to change your clothes and go take a look?"
Qin Yuan turned her face and asked, her tone and expression as calm as if she were asking him if he wanted tea or a meal, without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Gu Jinghui certainly didn't want to see Qin Yuan get angry and throw a tantrum over this, but he also didn't want to see her like this.
Not receiving a reply, Qin Yuan remained silent, simply sipping her tea.
Every move he made was leisurely and serene.
She seemed to care about nothing at all.
He himself was among them.
Gu Jinghui stood up abruptly and said, "Madam, I will be back as soon as possible. I apologize for the trouble you've suffered these past two days because of the children. I will make it up to you later. You don't need to worry about the homecoming tomorrow."
Qin Yuan responded gently, saying, "We are husband and wife, so please don't stand on ceremony, my husband. I don't mind. We'll set off for our homecoming tomorrow at 3:45 AM. What do you think, my husband?"
Gu Jinghui hurriedly walked out, nodding and saying, "Alright, Madam, please make the arrangements."
Once outside the house, Gu Jinghui slowed his pace, and Gu Shiliu, unaware of why, followed suit.
Inside the house, Hongye said mockingly, "What will it be next time? The son is sick, the daughter is sick, and next time you'll say Zhao Niangzi is sick, right?"
Gu Jinghui paused, gave a barely audible hum, and then heard Qin Yuan say calmly, "See, after it's happened so many times, you've become too lazy to say anything sarcastic in front of the Marquis. That's called getting used to it. In a few more days, will you still care about this?"
Hongye muttered, "What are you saying, Miss? Do you expect me to use Zhao Niangzi's family to cultivate my character?"
The flesh on Gu Jinghui's right cheek twitched involuntarily.
He walked out of the courtyard gate in silence with a dark expression, and Gu Shiliu obediently followed without making a sound.
Outside the courtyard gate, the old woman sent by Lady Zhao saw him and beamed with joy, showing off to the two gatekeepers: "This old servant knew that the Marquis was worried about Yu-jie. Lady Zhao was crying so hard just now, but now there's no need to worry."
Gu Jinghui ignored her.
Gu Shiliu asked, "Why didn't you come into the courtyard to call for the Marquis this time?"
The old woman glanced at Gu Jinghui's expression and complained, "Madam has strict rules. She changed the gatekeeper at Wutong Courtyard and is blocking people from entering."
Gu Shiliu chuckled lightly: "This place is different from the northern frontier. This is the rule in every courtyard of the manor. Isn't it the same every time you go to the Sixth Madam's courtyard?"
The old woman fell silent.
With his hands behind his back and his face ashen, Gu Jinghui strode toward Fengxuan Pavilion, with his old woman running after him, panting.
Qin Yuan wasn't idle either.
She called a few young maids from the courtyard into the room to speak, "I still have a few vacancies for maids in this room. Whoever is willing to come and serve, please tell Cuiming before Shenshi (3-5 PM) tomorrow. But let me make this clear: don't even think about becoming someone close to the Marquis. If you have such thoughts, then don't bother coming. You'd be better off seeking advancement elsewhere, lest you be kicked out and lose face, and all the dignity your family has built up in the Marquis's mansion over generations will be gone."
When the people you know best start vying for your favor, it's not as simple as them not being of one mind.
Qin Yuan likes to establish rules first.
Several maids were intrigued upon hearing this. The Lady of the Marquis had only brought two personal head maids, and the other four maids who came with her were all quite young. They were short of servants at the time, and if they served well, they might be able to compete for the position of first-class maid.
After Cuiming led the person away, Qin Yuan said to Hongye, "Today I looked at the register. The Lady of the Marquis has six positions for first-class head maids, with a monthly allowance of three taels; twelve positions for second-class maids, with a monthly allowance of two taels; and twenty-four positions for third-class maids, with a monthly allowance of one tael."
As soon as she finished speaking, Hongye's gloomy face vanished, and she jumped up and down with a big smile, "I'm rich! I'm rich! I've really made something of myself! My monthly salary has increased to three taels!"
As Cuiming entered, Hongye pounced on her, giggling incessantly.
“Cuiming, we receive a monthly allowance of three taels of silver. The Marquis’s mansion is truly generous.”
Cuiming also grinned foolishly.
Qin Yuan waited until they had finished laughing before saying, "This is nothing! When our dowry shop makes a lot of money, I will give you several hundred taels of silver as a reward, so that you will be even more extravagant than the young official's wife."
Hongye screamed and hugged Qin Yuan tightly, pressing her face against hers, asking, "Really? Really? My lady."
Cui Ming frowned and said, "Miss spends a lot of money in the Marquis's mansion. I see that everyone likes to give tips. The monthly allowance is definitely not enough. I'm afraid we will have to use the dowry money. Miss has never managed a shop before, so it's better to be careful."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Cui Ming is right. It's always good to be careful."
These two maids, who had grown up with her, had suffered a lot in their past lives, and Cuiming had even lost her life at a young age. In this life, she would never let them suffer again.
Having been given a second chance at life, how could she not protect those around her?
After the three of them chatted for a while, Qin Yuan was about to rest when Hongye asked in surprise, "Aren't we waiting for the Marquis to return tonight?"
Qin Yuan shook her head and said, "No need to wait for him. You can sleep on the footstools again tonight."
"But……"
Cuiming said, "We're going back to our parents' home tomorrow, Miss, you should get some rest."
Hongye stopped talking, hugged the thin blanket, and stayed with Qin Yuan to rest with Cuiming.
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