Qin Yuan sat for a short while before being sent back to rest.
Gu Jinghui walked slowly beside her, and the two remained silent the whole way. Hongye and Cuiming also dared not utter a sound.
After a long pause, Gu Jinghui said firmly, "What happened last night was something I didn't think through. It won't happen again."
Qin Yuan, who had been admiring the Taihu stones in the distance, turned her gaze to Lord Gu upon hearing this and said, "I'm glad you don't blame me for not waiting for you to return last night. These two maids of mine grew up with me. Hongye is always quick to speak, and last night she talked about the people around Lady Zhao. It was all for my sake, so I hope you won't blame her."
Gu Jinghui was taken aback for a moment, then said, "No, she, she's fine."
The two of them fell silent again.
Hongye and Cuiming looked at each other, their eyes filled with smiles.
Yesterday's words were given at Miss's behest; otherwise, how could we have skinned Zhao Niangzi alive?
Qin Yuan left in a hurry in the morning, and only when she walked back did she see the plaque hanging at the gate of the courtyard, which read "Wutong Garden" in seal script. It should be taken from the meaning of the phoenix perching on the parasol tree. It is very suitable for the lady of the Marquis to live here.
Qin Yuan asked Gu Jinghui, "Did the Marquis have anything to do this morning?"
Gu Jinghui said, "I'll stay with you."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "I need to organize my dowry. Also, should I take over the affairs of Wutong Courtyard?"
Gu Jinghui paused for a moment, then said, "Of course."
He then realized that his young wife had a rather methodical way of handling things.
When it comes to setting rules and demanding power, she speaks frankly and openly, showing no trace of the bride's shyness.
Qin Yuan and the others entered the house and counted the dowry. Gu Jinghui went out and called Gu Shiliu over. The two talked for a while, and then Gu Jinghui came back and sat down with a book in his hand.
"Won't our accounting here disturb the Marquis's studies?"
Qin Yuan had Hongye serve Gu Jinghui tea and some snacks before asking her questions.
Gu Jinghui shook his head. “It’s alright. I don’t know much about the inner quarters either. It’s good to know a little bit now and then. Once you’ve finished preparing your dowry, I’ll have my sixth sister-in-law and the steward hand over the affairs of Wutong Garden to you.”
Qin Yuan smiled with satisfaction.
Putting aside the management of the Marquis's residence, the Wutong Courtyard must be handed over to her first. Otherwise, the people in the main courtyard will not know who the real master is, and she will not feel at ease living there.
"Cuiming, light some incense in the room so that the Marquis can read more easily."
In return, Qin Yuan further improved Gu Jinghui's treatment.
Cui Ming immediately went to get the incense chips that Qin Yuan had prepared, put them into the double-crane-headed, bulging-bellied bronze incense burner, lit the charcoal fire, gathered up the incense ash, and covered the burner with the lid. Before long, the fragrance wafted out with the wisps of smoke.
Gu Jinghui didn't like these things. The sachet he carried with him was filled with eye-catching and mind-enhancing fragrant pills. But seeing that Cui Ming's movements were elegant and refined, and the scent wasn't too sweet, he couldn't help but ask a question.
"Where did this fragrance come from?"
Cui Ming said, "My lord, this was prepared by our young lady herself."
Gu Jinghui said, "It is Madam."
Cui Ming immediately replied, "Yes, yes, the incense was made by the lady herself when she was at her parents' home."
Gu Jinghui muttered, "No wonder I've never smelled it before."
Cuiming didn't hear clearly and hurriedly asked, "What did the Marquis just instruct?"
"It's nothing. If Madam wants to make incense in the future, she can just ask Sixth Sister-in-law for the spices. There is a spice shop in the family."
Cui Ming happily agreed.
Turning around, she walked to Qin Yuan's side and whispered, "The Marquis has feelings for Miss."
Qin Yuan was busy fiddling with the abacus, while Hongye and several other housekeepers were pretending to count the items on the list, preparing to register and put them into inventory.
Upon hearing this, the head housekeepers smiled and said, "Our young lady is so lucky."
Gu Jinghui did not stay overnight in the bridal chamber on their wedding night, which made them uneasy. Whether the maids could establish themselves in the Marquis's mansion and live well depended entirely on whether the lady of the house had any dignity.
They all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Gu Jinghui cared about Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan said calmly, "Whether you live a good life or not depends on yourself. You all need to be very careful and keep a clear account of the dowry shop and the estate. My future good life depends on them."
How long can you rely on whether a man sees you or not?
When he doesn't care about you, he won't even consult you.
It's not as practical as having money.
Thinking about the jewelry she received from Old Madam Gu, Qin Yuan's mood truly improved.
Hongye and the others thought Qin Yuan was just being stubborn, but they were actually happy inside.
Before lunch, the dowry was counted, and Qin Yuan had a clear idea of how much money she had. This life was much better than her previous one.
In her previous life, her dowry was meager. After repaying the money Lin Ziqi borrowed to save face for the betrothal, there wasn't much left.
Lin's mother felt that she had already done a great job by raising her son with great effort.
Lin Ziqi simply buried himself in his books.
All the family's expenses depended on her dowry, so Qin Yuan was exhausted and did everything she could, which forced her to develop her business acumen.
This skill enabled Lin Ziqi to climb from a poor county magistrate in Jiangxi to the position of prime minister.
Now, her dowry is hundreds of times larger than in her previous life, amounting to a staggering 700,000 taels.
No one tried to take her dowry.
She has the advantage of being given a second chance at life and knows many opportunities ahead of her.
Qin Yuan thought that even if Gu Jinghui still wanted to play the role of staying together with Zhao Niangzi for life in the future, she could still live a good life on a mountain of gold, relying on her status as the wife of a marquis.
Gu Jinghui watched as Qin Yuan's abacus clicked away rapidly, her fingers flashing like afterimages, a smile always on her face—a smile that seemed far more genuine than the one she wore when she smiled at him.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
