On the bed, Old Madam You finally opened her eyes.
"Mother is awake!" Madam You rushed over, sobbing, "Mother, you must stand up for our eldest daughter! She has been bullied terribly!"
Old Madam You opened her lips, phlegm gurgling in her throat. Ru Hua hurriedly said, "Madam, the Old Madam has just woken up, I'm afraid she might not be..."
Before she could finish speaking, Madam You became angry: "Are you the only one in this house who cares about the old lady? Are you the only one who is useful? None of us are as considerate as you."
"Stop arguing," Madam You finally managed to say, "The eldest girl has been wronged, and I will make it up to her in the future."
"Mother," Madam You cried uncontrollably.
Old Madam You beckoned to her eldest son and instructed him haltingly, "If anything happens to me this time, you will be in mourning. We have offended the Marquis of Dingbei's family badly this time, and we have also become related to the Prince of Jin's family by marriage. The Crown Prince will not live long, and there will be more disputes in the future."
"...Mother, I've remembered it."
...
Wutong Garden.
Qin Yuan returned with a heavy heart. She wrote some words under the lamp for a while before waiting for Lord Gu to return.
Lord Gu had a cold and stern expression. His handsome face was as if it had been carved by a knife and axe, and his sharp eyebrows and eyes were cold. The little maid who had been transferred in to serve him trembled as she went up to him, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Greetings to Lord Gu."
Qin Yuan looked up and saw that his brows were slightly furrowed and his dark eyes were deep. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Have you finished discussing with Mr. Songshan?"
Lord Gu's expression softened slightly: "Nothing can be hidden from you. Regarding the Mo family... as you said, there are indeed some strange things going on. I hope it's not the worst..."
The Mo family and the Gu family had a close relationship in the past. Mo Xiaoni and the brothers grew up together and could be described as childhood sweethearts.
Lord Gu's mind flashed back to the scene of his fourth brother and Mo Xiaoni together, and his heart and mouth were filled with indescribable bitterness.
Seeing the maid's restrained manner, Qin Yuan said, "Go and tell someone to boil water. You can wait outside and don't need to come in."
The maid breathed a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew.
Qin Yuan then asked, "What are you planning to do with those twins? I don't know when Xiao Hong and Zi He can be transferred here; I'm short-staffed here."
Lord Gu was somewhat puzzled: "You haven't gone to see Sister-in-law Cheng yet?"
Qin Yuan said, "I didn't have time. I got back late, and it's not convenient to go over. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning. Hasn't Mother already made arrangements?"
Lord Gu nodded: "I was just asking. You can make the arrangements as you see fit." As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh: "Pang Hai... let's just call him Pang Hai for now. He's tall and strong. I never thought he was the Lord's man... or maybe he wasn't... Did he entrust his children to me on his deathbed so that Zhao Shi and those two children could stay by my side?"
Qin Yuan studied his expression for a moment, then took a light step forward, gently brushed off non-existent dust from her clothes, and smiled, "Daxing has been established for so many years, and there have been constant wars in the north. Isn't it perfectly normal to use spies?"
Lord Gu understood this as well.
Emperor Taizu once said that border generals must be skilled in using spies. While it is common for military strategists to plant spies and officials in both sides' territories, this is the first time one has been brought to his side.
"Judging from Zhao's actions, it is indeed perfectly normal."
Thinking of the old woman's confession in the dungeon, Lord Gu's narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of murderous intent flashed across his face.
Since this favor is mixed with calculation, then there's no point in being willing or unwilling to give it up.
Qin Yuan laughed and said, "It's better to know now than not to know. If we hadn't seen through it, who knows what trouble it would cause in the future? Then it would have truly become a case of raising a tiger to cause trouble, and it would have been too late to regret it."
Lord Gu couldn't help but put his arm around Qin Yuan's slender waist, sit under the lamp, and inhale her fragrance, saying, "Even the biggest problems seem insignificant with just a few words from you."
Qin Yuan lowered her head slightly, her eyebrows and eyes gentle, her long, dark hair loosely piled on the side of her neck and then flowed down, shimmering slightly under the light, like a fine piece of satin.
Lord Gu's originally cold and hard body and mind quickly melted away in this gentle embrace.
Just as he was feeling relaxed and happy, he heard Qin Yuan say, "In my opinion, even heroes have always been susceptible to the allure of a beautiful woman. There is a beautiful woman trap among the Thirty-Six Stratagems. However, since you made a vow that you would not start a family until you defeated Yelü, this beautiful woman trap cannot be used."
Lord Gu's lips curled slightly.
Qin Yuan continued, “You value camaraderie and cherish your parents and brothers, which is why the other side carefully arranged for Pang Hai and Zhao Shi and her son to travel among you. If you had family, they would have used the identity of the widow of your benefactor to stir up trouble in the inner quarters and create chaos. If you had been indulging in the pleasures of the world all these years, I'm afraid the Yelü clan wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat.”
Lord Gu grasped her small, jade-white hand and said softly, "Indeed, although I am mindful of Pang Hai's kindness and treat them well, I have never overstepped my bounds. I have no family in my official post in the northern frontier, and I am only served by servants. I am busy from the moment I open my eyes every day, and I can only spare a moment to look after the two children..."
Therefore, Zhao and her two children became a casual pawn, but after Yelü's defeat and retreat, they became a pawn in the endgame.
It must be said that it is extremely poisonous.
In her past life, Qin Wan had already lost when she encountered such an opponent.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Fortunately, my husband is a true man who is upright and honest. Otherwise, he would have been tricked by them. The trap that the Yelü people painstakingly set up could not trap my husband in the slightest."
Lord Gu was eager for Qin Yuan to praise him more, but he said, "It's not that easy in the business world. I've been in the northern frontier for so many years, but they still don't understand me at all. It's also because I don't have any weaknesses that they can't find a way to take advantage of me."
Qin Yuan rolled her eyes inwardly.
He flattered her, saying, "Indeed, if she were a soft-hearted and lustful woman, who knows what Zhao would have done? The Gu family army would have become theirs in the future. Fortunately, our ancestors have blessed us, and my husband has never done anything to bring shame upon them."
Lord Gu felt inexplicably guilty and changed the subject, saying, "Zhao had been associating with many female relatives of generals before, and I'm afraid she spread a lot of information. However, we are deep in the northern frontier, and the march is subject to many changes and changes. She couldn't spread anything useful. After coming to the capital, she brought trouble upon herself. In any case, it's good that you are here."
After the two talked for a while, the maids brought hot water, and after Lord Gu washed and bathed, the couple went to bed.
Qin Yuan tossed and turned in bed. Lord Gu asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you still thinking about what happened during the day and can't sleep? Don't worry, I won't let them get away with this. Mother also said that our Gu family won't suffer any losses."
Qin Yuan said, "I know, I just suddenly remembered that the principal wife and concubines in the Prince of Jin's mansion have been taken. What rank will Miss You have if she marries into the Prince of Jin's mansion? The Prince of Jin has always followed behind the Crown Prince. Now that this has happened, the Crown Prince should know that he has big ambitions, right? Yelü, that dog, wants to use the Prince of Jin to humiliate you. We should let them fight like dogs."
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