Gu Jinghui was talking about Gu Baozhu, but Gu Baozhu looked at Qin Yuan with displeasure.
Qin Yuan found it somewhat amusing.
Clearly, Gu Baozhu felt that she was the reason her third brother scolded her, and it seemed that he had been cursing her in his heart these days.
Gu Jinghui then said to the two children who were standing there dumbfounded, "Quickly greet your godmother."
Neither Brother Cheng nor Sister Yu made a sound.
Qin Yuan said, "Alright, don't make things difficult for the child. Let's get down to business."
Gu Jinghui glanced at them with disappointment and asked Gu Baozhu unhappily, "What exactly happened?"
Gu Baozhu said loudly, "That's exactly what happened. Zhao Niangzi went to my mother's place, saying she wanted to go back to her hometown in Jizhou. My mother said that she was a widow with two young children, how could she just leave like that? She was trying to persuade her. When no one was watching, the two of them ran out to look for me. They only dared to come to Wutong Garden to find you after I took them with me."
Upon hearing this, Hongye secretly rolled her eyes.
Cheng Ge'er pleaded, "Father, Mother wants to go back to our hometown. We've never met anyone there before. Neither Yu Jie'er nor I want to leave you. Please persuade Mother; she listens to you the most."
Upon hearing this, Yu Jie rubbed her eyes and cried again.
Gu Jinghui glanced at Qin Yuan and, seeing that she remained silent, said, "Good child, stop crying. You are reluctant to part with your godfather, and your godfather is reluctant to part with you. I have already sent Sixteen to your father's clan to invite people. Why is your mother making a fuss about going back?"
Qin Yuan then understood why Sixteen hadn't been seen for the past two days.
Gu Baozhu was stunned.
The two children were also stunned. They had always thought of Gu Jinghui as their father, and although others talked about it in private, they would never say it to their faces.
This is the first time they've spoken so seriously about their father, and the person mentioned is Gu Jinghui.
They really weren't Lord Gu's biological children.
Cheng Ge'er lowered his head.
Gu Jinghui added, “You’ll understand when you grow up. Your mother takes care of you, and it’s always good to have your husband’s family around to protect you. Otherwise, gossip will be hard to bear, and people’s opinions can be terrifying.”
“I was planning to send Cheng-ge’er to the Imperial Academy in a few days, and Yu-jie’er should also start getting tutored. Once the tutors are brought up at sixteen, your mother can do whatever she wants. Why is she making such a fuss now?”
Everyone: "..."
Qin Yuan didn't want to speak either.
Gu Jinghui had made all the arrangements for them, but they didn't want to follow the path he had laid out. When he realized this, he would naturally understand.
It wasn't her place to spoil his fun.
But it must be said that Gu Jinghui was really good to these two children.
Unfortunately, this thoughtfulness was destined to be distorted because of Zhao Niangzi's ulterior motives.
After a long pause, Gu Baozhu finally asked, "So, what does Third Brother mean?"
“What I mean is you should go back and stay there. This is not your business. Didn’t your mother punish you with three months of confinement? How did you get out? Don’t think I don’t know that you went out to a party and spread rumors about your third brother. Zhao Niangzi and the two children live in the mansion. What did you say about them? You deserve some credit for making it impossible for them to stay.”
Cheng Ge'er looked at Gu Baozhu suspiciously.
Gu Baozhu muttered, "I already know I was wrong, so it's not my fault. Zhao Niangzi herself was talking to my sixth sister-in-law and that's exactly what she meant. And you're so good to Cheng Ge'er and the others, how could anyone not have wild thoughts?"
Gu Jinghui's anger suddenly dissipated by half, and he lost the energy to argue with her.
"I think you really need to be taught a lesson. With that mouth of yours, are you going to marry someone who has no parents, no brothers, and no sisters-in-law?"
Gu Jinghui said to Qin Yuan, "Yuan'er, tell a few old women and maids to send our Seventh Miss back."
Gu Baozhu stomped her foot and said angrily, "I can walk by myself."
Gu Jinghui threatened coldly, "If I find out again, you really can forget about ever coming out for the Lantern Festival again."
Upon hearing this, Gu Baozhu disregarded Zhao Niangzi and the two children, angrily turned around, lifted the curtain, and ran away.
Gu Jinghui then said to the two children, "Do you want to stay here and play for a while, or have someone send you back to your rooms? If the old lady finds out you're gone, she'll probably be looking for you everywhere. If you want to stay here, I'll send someone to tell Rong Mama or Qiuju."
He hadn't noticed it before, but now he increasingly felt that the two children lacked manners.
They really are copying what they see.
They've all gone astray following in the footsteps of Zhao Niangzi and Gu Baozhu.
However, they do not respect Yuan'er, and Yuan'er will not teach them.
I still need to go to school quickly; I can't just stay at home all the time, hanging out with those ignorant old women.
Before the two children could speak, Gu Jinghui added, "Don't play with your Aunt Baozhu anymore. She's crazy and might corrupt you. Besides, you're not like her."
He wouldn't say exactly how they were different.
Qin Yuan knew he was referring to Gu Baozhu as the only young lady of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion, implying that no matter how outrageous she was, she could still marry into a decent family.
But they are different, especially Yu Jie'er. If she is raised incorrectly, she will have a hard time getting married.
But seeing that the two children didn't understand what he was saying at all, Qin Yuan felt exhausted just looking at him.
Yu Jie'er choked back tears and said, "Father, can't you take Yu Jie'er to find Mother? Tell Mother not to go back? Father used to do that."
As she spoke, she glanced at Qin Yuan, who was sitting next to Gu Jinghui, through teary eyes.
Cheng Ge'er also looked at Gu Jinghui with anticipation.
The pleading look in their eyes made it impossible to refuse.
Gu Jinghui sighed and said, "Your godfather can't go. There's a difference between men and women. You're all grown up now, and your godfather can't hold you all the time anymore. You don't understand now, but you will in the future. Your godfather is doing this for your own good. In two years, you and Cheng-ge'er won't be as close as you are now. When you get married, your godfather will probably only be able to see you once every few years. If your mother wants to leave, your godfather can't stop her. If she wants to take you with her, your godfather can't stop her either."
"Wow."
Yu Jie cried her heart out.
Gu Jinghui looked uncomfortable too, but he just wouldn't hug her again.
Qin Yuan: "..."
So this is how Lord Gu coaxes children.
But she couldn't say much, so she ordered Hongye to go to the main room to inform Rong Mama and then call Xiaohong over. Cuiming helped to soothe the child, but the more she tried to comfort him, the more the child cried.
Fortunately, Xiaohong and Qiuju arrived shortly afterward and managed to coax the two children away with a few words.
Hongye then said, "Granny Rong asked me to pass on a message to the Marquis and his wife: don't worry about the main house. The old lady will decide whether Zhao Niangzi stays or goes."
Qin Yuan looked at Gu Jinghui and said, "Since Rong Mama has said so, it's best if we don't go. But you should also tell Rong Mama and Mother about your plans."
Gu Jinghui nodded and said, "Mother knows what's important and won't let Zhao Niangzi go. She's just trying to save face."
Qin Yuan pouted; he had figured it out again.
Gu Jinghui suddenly said, "I remember there are still empty courtyards facing the street in the mansion. When Sixteen brings the people here, let's partition off that courtyard for them to live in, and build a gate facing the street for them to enter and exit. They can enter the mansion through the side gate. They'll live close by, and it'll be divided into two separate households. If this keeps going on, I can't stand it anymore."
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