Suddenly, the man's deep, resonant voice came, "I will consider what you just said. Let's make a decision when I return."
As he finished speaking, he gently brushed his slender fingers across the tip of her nose and sneered, "Consider it as doing this for you!"
Gu Qianlu's brow twitched, a pang of bitterness shooting through her heart, but a satisfied smile naturally appeared on her lips.
“I knew it. My husband is not a heartless person. Miss Lin would be very happy if she knew.”
Upon hearing this, the man remained silent, leaning back on the mahogany couch, closing his eyes to rest, his expression unreadable.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Gu Qianluo leaned back on the wooden couch and continued to admire the beautiful scenery outside the window, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.
The Marquis's carriage slowly passed through village after village. In late spring and early summer, the sun was blazing, and the intense sunlight shone through the leaves onto the carriage.
The dazzling light made Gu Qianluo unable to open her eyes, so she had to pull down the carriage curtain and move her body to a place where she wouldn't be exposed to the sun.
The man, who hadn't spoken for an hour, suddenly said, "If Madam is tired, she can lie down and take a nap."
Hearing this, Gu Qianlu glanced at the man sideways. Seeing that he hadn't opened his eyes, her tense heart relaxed again. "I'm not tired."
"I suggest that you rest for a while, my wife. After lunch, your aunt will come to pay her respects."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianluo's tightly closed eyes suddenly widened, larger than copper bells, and she exclaimed in surprise,
"Why didn't you tell me beforehand, my husband? Now we're rushing here, and I'm afraid it will cause delays. Then the concubines will definitely gossip about me behind my back."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinheng finally opened his arms, stretched out his stiff limbs, and calmly said,
"No rush. You are the mistress of the house. Even if they don't eat, they will still wait for you there."
Gu Qianlu raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes at him.
"This won't do! Quick! Tell Zhuying to hurry up. I don't want to be seen as arrogant and self-righteous in the inner quarters."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinheng raised his eyebrows, crossed his arms, stared at her intently, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Very well! I will do my best to maintain your reputation for being magnanimous and tolerant!"
After a while, the carriage finally came to a smooth stop in front of the Marquis's mansion after traveling for two hours.
Chen Jinheng got out of the car first, and then carefully helped Gu Qianluo out of the car.
Upon hearing the news of Chen Jinheng's return to the mansion, Butler Yin stood guard at the gate early in the morning.
Upon seeing this scene, his eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly recalled the appearance of the Marquis and his wife when they were young, and he couldn't help but stare in a daze.
Following behind Steward Yin, Granny Liu, with a broad smile, teased,
"This Miss Gu is no ordinary person! She even managed to make our iron tree in the manor bloom."
"Yes! It still depends on meeting the right person. Look at that Aunt Qin before, she used all sorts of tricks to try to win the Marquis's favor, but in the end? It was our Lady Marquis who won the Marquis's heart the most."
"That's right, the Marquis doesn't like women who are too scheming."
"Our second young master is just following the Marquis's wishes! It's just a pity that Miss Lin's infatuation is in vain."
As soon as Gu Qianluo's feet touched the ground from the carriage, Chen Jinheng suddenly scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the inner courtyard of the Marquis's residence, giving instructions.
"Granny Liu, the madam is tired and has sent some maids to help her wash and change."
Seeing this, Gu Qianluo buried her head in his chest, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, and said coquettishly,
"Chen Jinheng, put me down! It's not like I can't walk. If you keep acting like this, how am I supposed to maintain my standing in the Marquis's mansion?"
Chen Jinheng winced in pain from the punch to his chest, but his eyes were full of affection as he said softly, "She's my own wife, I can hug her whenever I want!"
Upon seeing this, Granny Liu broke out in a cold sweat. If the Lady of the Marquis saw Gu Qianluo in this sticky manner, she would surely scold her for being impolite. She quickly stepped forward to report.
"Don't worry, Second Young Master, everything has been arranged."
Hearing this, Chen Jinheng reluctantly put her down. "Luo'er, go and wash up first. I'll wait for you in the front yard."
Gu Qianlu nodded slightly before slowly walking through the main gate of Luoying Palace.
As she turned around, she noticed two beautiful figures standing outside the gates of Luoying Palace.
She understood now; Chen Jinheng was doing this to deliberately save face for her in front of her aunt.
Outside the Luoying Palace, Aunt Zhu and Aunt Xu secretly leaned against the wall, constantly peeking inside.
Five days have passed since Gu Qianluo entered the household, and none of them have seen what she looks like.
As concubines, they were to pay their respects to Gu Qianluo later, so the two of them came early to scout things out.
When they saw Gu Qianluo being held in Chen Jinheng's arms, the two of them stomped their feet in anger.
Aunt Zhu, who considered herself more beautiful than a celestial being, took out a bronze mirror and compared herself to Gu Qianluo, saying jealously,
"Is the woman in your arms our mistress? She's not even as pretty as me! I wonder what your husband sees in her!"
Aunt Xu, standing beside her, glanced at her sideways and said sarcastically,
"Look at what you're saying. No matter how ugly she is, she's still our mistress. No matter how beautiful you are, you're just a concubine."
Aunt Zhu, feeling annoyed, stepped forward and squeezed Aunt Xu's fair little hand.
"What's wrong, Xu Manlian! From what you're saying, it seems my husband has taken favor with you?"
Aunt Xu covered her thin lips and laughed triumphantly.
"I haven't received any special favor, but yesterday, my lord sent many things to my courtyard."
"I suppose the new bride, fearing I'd be neglected, sent me these things to comfort me."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhu chuckled and bent over, about to mock, "Hahaha! It's just a pile of rags, isn't it? I received those too!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Xu's eyes suddenly darkened. "You...you have it too? Then tell me, what does my husband mean by this?"
"You stupid fool! The master did this to put our minds at ease!"
"She only has the title of mistress; no matter how much she is favored, she can never surpass the person in the official's heart."
"You mean that one from Lingyan Pavilion?"
"Who else could it be but her? We should give this new mistress a good talking-to, tell her to be careful not to offend the master's darling. Otherwise, she might end up getting us into trouble!"
Inside the Luoying Palace, Gu Qianluo lay comfortably in the bathtub, her stomach rumbling with hunger, but she didn't even lift her eyelids.
The maids leaned against the wooden tub, bathing and grooming her. Some washed her hair, some rubbed her hands, and some cleaned her face.
Outside, the sounds of Aunt Xu and Aunt Zhu laughing and joking drifted in like flies.
She pursed her lips, picked up a ball of bubbles in her hand, and blew them away in the wind, seemingly unconcerned about the words she heard.
The maids beside her naturally heard the concubines' laughter, and each of them lowered their heads awkwardly and went about their own business.
Having been married into the Marquis's household for only five days, she was already exhausted. Too many distractions filled her ears. She glanced at the maids beside her and said with a wry smile.
"You all go down first, I want to be by myself for a while."
Upon hearing this, the maids lowered their heads in embarrassment, not daring to utter a sound, but stopped what they were doing and retreated three meters away.
Gu Qianluo slightly raised her eyes and saw that they were still guarding her side. A hint of anger rose in her brows.
"Why haven't you all left yet? Are you not even obeying my orders?"
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