Marquis Gu thought to himself, no matter how much he talks to him all day long, it doesn’t help at all.

No matter what the Qin siblings say, Sixth Master Gu follows obediently.

Truly perplexing.

Besides, what could two men be talking about in terms of longing?

Could it be that this worrisome fellow no longer fancies women and is now attracted to men?

Qin Siyuan is a scholar, the promising scholar his father-in-law holds in high regard. If he gets led astray by his sixth brother, what would that be?

As the saying goes, "Jade must be carved to become a vessel," Sixth Brother probably needs a few more beatings to be made right.

From afar, Sixth Master Gu suddenly sneezed loudly.

Qin Siyuan laughed and said, "Sixth Master hasn’t even started longing, and he’s already caught a cold. I was right, these days, just focus on reading scriptures, don’t think about writing poetry. After the Advanced Scholar exam, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to gather, besides, I still need to frequently visit Mr. Songshan for some scholarly questions, then we’ll meet again."

Sixth Master Gu blushed and explained, "My body has improved a lot while training with Xiao Dong recently. Maybe I sweated earlier and then caught a chill in the breeze."

After the two reluctantly parted ways, just as he was about to pull his brother aside for some scolding, people from the Duke Zhen’s Mansion arrived, forcing Marquis Gu to give up.

Gu Baoshu followed Qin Yuan in entertaining the ladies. Seeing Miss You, Gu Baoshu curiously asked, "Why have you come from your home?"

Miss You replied, "Because both my mother and sister-in-law aren’t feeling well. They had an upset stomach the whole night after not knowing what they ate, seeking an Imperial Physician made them slightly better."

Gu Baoshu said, "I really don’t know what to talk about with others. They all have families, our topics don’t align."

Miss You laughed and asked, "Did the Princess not come?"

Gu Baoshu said, "Even if she came, my sister-in-law would handle it. By the way, didn’t you mention someone would come for that Life and Death Document soon, scaring me into constantly worrying even while resting at home, yet no one showed. Were you just deliberately scaring me?"

Miss You said, "Yes and no. What are you doing holding that thing? You can’t eat or spend it. If you ask me, better to give it out as a favor! The Ninth Princess went to the palace specifically to request it from the Emperor back when. If I were you, I would hand that Life and Death Document over to the Ninth Princess."

Gu Baoshu laughed, "I didn’t win it myself. If my third brother hadn’t stepped in, I’d probably have been in big trouble. My mother spanked me afterward, and I recovered for quite a while. That Life and Death document is naturally in my third brother’s hands. It’d be better to discuss this with my third sister-in-law instead of me."

Miss You’s eyes lit up and she asked, "I heard your third brother particularly cherishes your third sister-in-law?"

"Absolutely!"

This was a topic Gu Baoshu had much to say about, so she eagerly delved into the story.

Miss You kept nodding and sighing, occasionally chiming in to let Gu Baoshu say more.

In the midst of conversation, someone came in and announced, "Princess Fuyun and Ninth Princess have arrived."

Miss You said, "They couldn’t set up an altar in the city, so they rushed over now."

Gu Baoshu said, "We should go out to greet them as well."

She secretly worried that the Seventh Princess and Ninth Princess would give Qin Yuan a hard time, which Miss You noticed, smiling and said, "Having your third sister-in-law is enough."

Who would still bother trying to make things difficult for the Dingbei Marquis’s wife now?

Princess Fuyun and Ninth Princess humbly offered incense, stood before Old Madam Gu briefly, and then exchanged a few words with Qin Yuan.

Gu Baoshu stood aside with Miss You, listening intently.

Princess Fuyun appeared weary, seemingly heavy-hearted, standing beside the Ninth Princess, lacking her usual arrogance.

Upon seeing Qin Yuan, she remarked, "Dingbei Marquis’s wife has truly been troubled this time."

Old Madam Gu sighed, "This daughter-in-law of mine is really capable. If it weren’t for her, the mansion would’ve fallen into chaos. She arranged everything so orderly without a single mistake."

Upon hearing this, Princess Fuyun looked at Qin Yuan with a complex expression.

A mix of sympathy, a bit of pity, and some relief.

How it melded together was quite subtle.

Qin Yuan paused for a moment and quickly understood.

Unexpectedly, the rumor of Marquis Gu’s illness had eased Princess Fuyun’s hostility towards her—something of an unexpected delight.

Princess Fuyun asked, "Third Sister-in-law, do you know Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang?"

Before Qin Yuan could reply, Old Madam Gu curiously asked, "Why does Princess Fuyun inquire about these two? Mr. Songshan is staying briefly in our mansion, as for Young Master Nantang, I’ve never seen him."

Princess Fuyun said, "Because of the poetry competition at the Imperial College, the poems of Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang were circulated. I read them and I liked the ones by Young Master Nantang very much."

Ninth Princess laughed, "Old Madam may not know, Zhang Hanlin highly praises the poems of Mr. Songshan and Young Master Nantang, often saying he must find a way to meet them."

Old Madam Gu understood and nodded, saying, "If Zhang Hanlin praises them, they must be quite good."

Only then did Qin Yuan speak, "As Mother said, Mr. Songshan is residing in the mansion. Young Master Nantang is a good friend of Mr. Songshan; he has visited before, I have seen him from afar, but haven’t spoken much."

Ninth Princess then asked, "What does Young Master Nantang look like?"

With a blush, Qin Yuan replied, "I didn’t look closely, Young Master Nantang should be about the same age as Zhang Hanlin."

Princess Fuyun intervened, "Third Sister-in-law is the daughter of Lord Sacrificial Officer, surely she follows the teachings of a lady, it wouldn’t be proper to stare at strange men."

Ninth Princess glanced at her but said nothing.

The two princesses sat for a short while and then took their leave.

Miss You whispered to Gu Baoshu, "Your third sister-in-law is truly a beauty; even I feel a fondness for her, no wonder both your mother and you like her so much."

Gu Baoshu nodded, saying, "Of course, my third sister-in-law is wonderful. I even plan to play polo with her in the future."

Miss You said, "You better learn a few skills from her. If you had a fraction of your third sister-in-law’s ability, you’d get beaten less often, and suffer less when you get married."

The two murmured quietly for a while, then Miss You asked again about the looks and demeanor of Young Master Nantang. Gu Baoshu said, "How would I know? Even Mr. Songshan doesn’t see him often."

Seeing she couldn’t get much information, Miss You said her goodbyes.

Throughout the half day, guests came and went without pause.

Only when the sun set did the crowd disperse.

Mrs. Xu brought several female relatives closely related to Mrs. Xu’s bloodline; those close to the Gu family who regularly interacted with the Marquis Mansion remained in the temple to perform three days of rituals.

The rest of the people took carriages back to the city.

Even Old Madam Gu was persuaded to return to the mansion.

Qin Yuan said, "Mother, the household can’t be without someone in charge; Treasure Bead and I are more than enough here."

Old Madam Gu still hesitated, "The children are too young, I usually manage everything."

Qin Yuan said, "Isn’t Sixth Brother also here? Sister Lan can rest with me, Hong Ye and Cui Ming will surely take good care of her."

Between the lines, she implied leaving the father to look after Brother Kang and Fuguo’er.

Old Madam Gu sighed, "I’m just worried about them. If your sixth brother can take proper care of himself, it would already be commendable, let alone expecting him to take good care of the children."