Hong Ye rolled her eyes and said irritably, "I conveyed everything the Marquis said, believe it or not."
Bai Que: "...Hey... don’t go."
Hong Ye shrugged her off and walked briskly into Wutong Garden, saying to the two nannies guarding the gate, "Keep the garden gate closed, don’t let any cats or dogs from outside come in."
Bai Que, never having been treated like this, shouted angrily, "Stop right there."
As she spoke, she was about to charge in.
The two nannies quickly hugged her and pushed her back, repeatedly saying, "Miss Bai Que, please don’t make things difficult for us. Wutong Garden is not like it used to be, where anyone could barge in and shout."
Bai Que, her face flushed, shrieked, "Let go of me. You’ll regret stopping me now; I’m definitely going to report y’all to the Marquis. You’ll be in deep trouble then."
Upon hearing this, the nannies felt a bit fearful, they stopped pushing her but still guarded the door, not letting her in.
Bai Que was helpless and could only stand under the sun, waiting for Marquis Gu to come out.
When the time comes, she will make the servile lot in Wutong Garden understand what it means to regret endlessly.
Gu Jinghui, sharp of ear and keen of eye, heard everything clearly even though Qin Yuan seemed unaware, prompting a frown to cloud his face.
Qin Yuan didn’t know why his expression soured again, but couldn’t be bothered to ask, she went on enjoying her meal happily.
Anyway, after a while, Marquis Gu would return to his normal self.
Indeed, Gu Jinghui suddenly said, "Mother said she’d like to hear you talk about that story you recounted this morning."
Qin Yuan: "?"
What story?
Gu Jinghui didn’t look at her, saying, "It’s the story about the Qin family extinguishing the Cui family."
Qin Yuan: "..."
She caught his meaning, looked at Gu Jinghui doubtfully, and said, "Why don’t you tell her?"
"Mother wants to hear it from you."
Gu Jinghui wouldn’t admit that he couldn’t recount it.
"Alright,"
Qin Yuan guessed some of it.
She had given him a hint with some anecdote, but he hadn’t understood it at all.
The words fell on deaf ears.
With dealings among military generals, one shouldn’t be too scholarly.
It was a lesson learned.
Outside, the curtain rustled heavily, indicating Hong Ye’s return, yet she didn’t enter the inner room to report but sat next to the small table, eating while quietly complaining to Cui Ming, "Really annoying, can’t even eat properly."
Cui Ming asked, "What happened?"
"The maid from Fengxuan Pavilion kept insisting I misrepresented the Marquis’ orders and tried to barge in to make a scene, so I made the nannies stop her outside. Really, no manners, what does she think Wutong Garden is."
Cui Ming frowned, "What urgent matter could they have to come at mealtime?"
Each time they come for someone, it’s either during mealtime or when it’s time to rest.
It’s truly irritating.
Hong Ye put down her bowl heavily, saying, "I don’t know, it didn’t seem urgent to me. If it was, even if she doesn’t believe me, she should have gone to the Old Madam first, then the Marquis to lodge a complaint. But instead, she’s stubbornly waiting outside for the Marquis."
Cui Ming, cautious in her actions, still sent a little maid out to check.
The little maid returned smiling, "Sister Bai Que is still waiting outside, standing right under the sun, not afraid of getting heat stroke."
Hong Ye sneered, "See that, can it be urgent? Not standing under the shade but rather under the sun is just to annoy us."
Inside, Gu Jinghui’s face was dark red.
Qin Yuan heard it too, but pretended not to listen.
Hong Ye was explosive by nature, having endured till now and needing an outlet to vent.
This trouble was created by Marquis Gu himself; if he doesn’t speak, she’d accompany him to remain deaf and mute forever.
Gu Jinghui couldn’t eat anymore, since Qin Yuan was still eating, he picked at his food absentmindedly.
Qin Yuan chewed slowly and deliberately for a moment before putting down her chopsticks, then leisurely rinsed her mouth, washed her hands, and brewed a cup of white tea.
Gu Jinghui watched her do all this, his anger subsiding, and he began leisurely enjoying tea too.
After drinking tea and looking at the fierce sun outside, Qin Yuan stretched lazily, glanced at Gu Jinghui as if she had something to say but swallowed the words.
Seeing her languid eyebrows, her slender, white, smooth arms stretching gracefully, Gu Jinghui seemed to see again the Persian cat his mother had raised, softly asking, "Do you want to rest a bit more?"
Qin Yuan shook her head, asking, "What kind of books are in the Marquis’ study?"
Gu Jinghui thought she wanted to go to the study to find books to read, he said, "They’re mainly military books and miscellaneous notes."
His study held mostly military dispatches, some military books, miscellaneous curiosities, and novels about heroes, probably not what Qin Yuan wanted.
Gu Jinghui secretly wondered if he should buy some poetry and song anthologies for his youthful wife to stock in the study, enabling them both to occasionally read and write together, which seemed nice.
Qin Yuan said, "I plan to set up a study within Wutong Garden, if the Marquis wishes, you can also share it with me."