After the incense pills were purchased, King Qi asked, "What is the use of this incense?"
"One ingredient is called Sandalwood and Borneol Pills. Ladies burn them when reciting Buddhist scriptures or doing their daily practice to calm their minds and refresh their spirits. Another one can soothe the stomach and calm the nerves. It's very good for those who can't eat or sleep in the hot summer."
King Qi nodded, "Let's go back."
The prince's carriage swiftly turned around, and the Prince of Qi picked up the incense ball, held it to his nose, and asked, "How much does this incense ball cost? Can ordinary people afford it?"
"Ten pills for one tael of silver. Ranxiangju said they don't make many. Many women from ordinary families buy them because they can regulate the body and have some medicinal uses. They are different from ordinary perfume pills used to scent clothes. Ranxiangju said they use common spices and are new stock, so the price is low. They won't sell them again in the future."
King Qi nodded slowly.
Upon returning to the Qi Prince's residence, the Prince went to his study first, took off the sachet he was wearing, ordered someone to light the incense balls, and sat quietly for a while.
The fragrance quickly filled the room.
After a while, King Qi got up and took out a small hairpin from the box on the table. He examined it carefully, his brows relaxed, and he murmured, "It seems that the fragrance left in my carriage last time was also the work of this young lady."
He couldn't forget the scent from that time. He thought he was just imagining things, but he didn't expect that she was really good at making medicinal fragrances.
After the incense pills turned to ashes, King Qi ordered his chief guard to come and "investigate the Lady of Dingbei. Be thorough."
...
When Gu Jinghui returned to the outer courtyard, he heard Sixth Master Gu calling him, "Brother, Third Brother."
"What's wrong?"
Gu Jinghui frowned.
He was so busy he barely had time to breathe, and the last person he wanted to talk to right now was Sixth Master Gu.
Sixth Master Gu insisted on clinging to him, happily presenting his treasure.
"Third brother, look at this. Do you think my writing is good?"
Gu Jinghui took the letter and read it aloud.
"The illness in the manor has now been cured, the lotus flowers in the garden are in full bloom, the lotus leaves block out the sky and the fish play in the pond, making it impossible to tell which way is which. If you can come, I will warm some fine wine to welcome you, and we will go boating on the lotus pond and get drunk together!"
"Did you write this?"
Gu Jinghui was quite surprised.
"Of course I wrote it. I would like to invite Qin Siyuan to my residence for a gathering, and also to discuss the next poetry recital."
The printing of the poetry collection gave Gu Liuye a renewed sense of courage, and he was eager to continue his efforts.
Gu Jinghui said, "It's well written. At least to me, it looks very good and has a lot of literary flair."
"real?"
Sixth Master Gu looked at Third Brother with suspicion.
Although I was happy to hear my third brother praise me, his knowledge is limited. He said it was good and that I had great writing skills, but that might not be true.
"real."
Gu Jinghui thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we have someone send it to your third sister-in-law to take a look?"
“Okay,” Sixth Master Gu readily agreed.
My third sister-in-law is family, so it's no big deal if she loses face.
Qin Siyuan had long said that one should not be ashamed to ask questions when pursuing knowledge, and besides, his third sister-in-law's knowledge and insights far surpassed his own, which he greatly admired.
The servant took the letter to the second gate to find the old woman to deliver the message.
Gu Jinghui asked, "Sixth Brother, how many collections of poems did Shen Changle send you? Give me some, I'll send some to General Jin and the others to see."
"No, thank you."
Sixth Master Gu was somewhat resistant.
Why?
Gu Jinghui was greatly puzzled.
Sixth Master Gu said, "General Jin and the others don't like poetry. These are things that refined people and scholars like. If you give them these, they'll just say a few nice words out of politeness, but then they'll just leave them gathering dust in a corner. It's better to show them some martial arts and treat them to wine and meat."
Gu Jinghui glanced at him and said, "Bring me a few dozen copies first, that's an order."
Sixth Master Gu: "...Alright..."
Gu Jinghui ignored him and instead instructed his servant, "Go to the entertainment district and find a storyteller who can tell stories from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Tell him to come and stay at the manor for a few days. Whenever he has free time, he can tell stories for me. We can discuss the payment."
Since reading is too slow, you might as well listen to what others have to say.
He always manages to finish reading the book.
His sixth brother's words made him realize that his young wife might be thinking the same thing about him behind his back.
The servant hesitated for a moment, "Does Your Excellency wish to hire a solo storyteller or one of the newer types who includes musical accompaniment?"
"If you can explain it well, you should be able to explain the Three Kingdoms period clearly. It would be even better if you could explain the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods clearly as well."
The servant boy ran off.
Sixth Master Gu asked, puzzled, "Why is Third Brother suddenly listening to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms? And why did he have to invite people home to talk about it?"
Gu Jinghui couldn't admit that he couldn't concentrate on his studies, and his young wife was unwilling to teach him, so he had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure.
“I have my own uses,” Gu Jinghui said sternly.
Sixth Master Gu: "..."
The letter was quickly returned, and the servant said, "Sixth Master, Madam said it was very well written. However, the two young masters have been staying at the Imperial Academy for a long time and haven't seen Sixth Master and Madam for quite some time. Should we postpone it for a few days?"
Lord Gu looked at Sixth Master Gu.
“Madam’s consideration is reasonable. They have been living in the Imperial Academy for so long, living in fear and anxiety. They have finally returned, only to find that their sixth brother and sister-in-law are not well. I don’t know how heartbroken they must be. If you continue to only care about playing, the children may resent you in the future.”
Sixth Master Gu thought for a moment and said, “It’s alright. We can let the two children go boating with us then. Brother Siyuan is very learned. I benefit greatly from every time I listen to him speak. If the two children get to know him early on, they might absorb some of his literary talent. They can’t spend all day taking care of Madam Xu at her bedside.”
Seeing that he was so decisive, Lord Gu stopped trying to persuade him, as he had a lot of things to do himself.
Master Gu then instructed his servant, "Report what I said to the Lady of the Marquis."
Lord Gu said, "You are quite meticulous."
Sixth Master Gu said, "I appreciate Third Sister-in-law's concern. Third Brother, I won't say any more. I'll go write the invitation now."
Having received his orders, the servant hurried to the second gate and found an old woman to help him deliver the message.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan smiled and instructed the old woman, "Go tell Sixth Master that I understand. My cousin is also familiar with the two children at the Imperial Academy. As long as Sixth Master has his own plans, that's fine."
The old woman agreed.
Cui Ming sighed, "Sixth Master really likes our young master."
Hongye, however, sees it differently.
"It should be said that the young master of the paternal hall likes the sixth master."
"Why do you say that?" Qin Yuan raised her eyebrows and asked with a smile, "Tell me in detail."
Hongye said, "After the young master entered the Imperial Academy, he buried himself in his studies and had little social interaction with others. Among those he did associate with, none were like Sixth Master. Sixth Master also had a bad reputation among scholars, which shows that no one treated him sincerely. Take Scholar Lin for example, he knew Sixth Master before him, but he was indifferent to him. But the young master treated Sixth Master sincerely, and Sixth Master is not ungrateful. Since they were both sincere, they naturally became closer."
Cui Ming said, "You're right."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "That makes sense. I warned my cousin before that Sixth Master was a bit frivolous and had a lot of concubines and mistresses. I didn't expect that after Sixth Master met my cousin, he seemed like a different person. If he can stay like this for a long time, Sixth Master will definitely be reborn."
Just then, a stewardess came to report: "The Marquis has invited a Mr. Songshan from outside to stay at the manor for a while. It is said that he is an excellent storyteller, and the Marquis said that he should be well taken care of."
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