Gu Baoshu was startled and asked, "What do you mean by this?"
Qin Yuan replied, "I’ll explain it to you in detail when we get back."
Sixth Master Gu outside said, "You’re now busy chatting with Third Sister-in-law, wouldn’t it be better to think about how to ask for forgiveness from Mother when you return?"
Only then did Gu Baoshu quiet down.
Upon returning to the Marquis Mansion, the main gate opened, and the servants hurriedly removed the threshold. Housekeeper Han, who was guarding the gate, couldn’t be bothered with anything else and first asked, "Is Seventh Miss safe?"
Gu Baoshu hurriedly poked her head out and said with a smile, "Safe, safe."
Housekeeper Han seriously examined her, saying, "With the Marquis and others protecting you, I thought there’d be no problem."
Then he whispered, "Old Madam knows about it and is very worried. Not to speak out of line, but if you get into trouble with the kind of life you lead, not being punished would be unreasonable."
Gu Baoshu sighed, feeling melancholy, "This punishment, I’m afraid I can’t escape. But both Third Brother and I received gifts from the Emperor, and Sixth Brother also showed his face before the Emperor. If my mother knew about this, would she hit me less?"
Housekeeper Han winked and whispered, "Perhaps... But isn’t Nanny Rong always the one handling your beatings?"
Seeing the threshold has been removed, Housekeeper Han moved aside.
The carriage drove straight in.
Gu Baoshu first went back to her own courtyard for a bath and ginger tea.
The Gu Family brothers and Qin Yuan went to the main room.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Qiujie came up, greeted them, and quickly said, "Old Madam is very worried, please go over quickly!"
Qin Yuan seldom saw Qiujie like this, nodded, and asked, "Has Old Madam had dinner?"
"She has eaten, not much. The young ones have eaten well."
Sixth Master Gu said, "They are being taken care of very well by Mother."
Qiujie had yet to reply.
Marquis Gu said, "Mother has raised so many children, and Nanny Rong is an old servant, not to mention Xiuxiang from the small kitchen is also skilled at cooking, you can rest assured."
As soon as the three entered the main room, several children rushed over.
Brother Kang ran over first, hugged Sixth Master Gu’s leg, and looked up asking, "Dad, is Auntie okay?"
Sixth Master Gu picked him up and quickly put him down, frowning, "No problem, are you okay today?"
After Brother Kang was put down, Fuguo’er came over, also fussing for a hug.
Sixth Master Gu complained, "I almost strained my back hugging him just now, you are too heavy now."
Fuguo’er looked somewhat disappointed.
Qin Yuan, standing by, said, "Sixth Brother, you can squat down to talk to the children, they just want to be close to their father."
Sixth Master Gu looked at Fuguo’er, thought about it, squatted down, hugged him, and asked, "Why are all of you so attached to Father today?"
Fuguo’er buried his head into his father’s embrace, whispering, "Because today I heard bad people were coming, I was a bit worried about Dad and Auntie."
Weak-bodied Sister Lan now slowly came over, didn’t even speak before being pulled into Sixth Master Gu’s arms.
The three children clustered around Sixth Master Gu, speaking softly, making Marquis Gu’s heart twinge a little, causing him to sneak a glance at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan was too busy discussing today’s events with Old Madam Gu to notice him.
Seeing her son and daughter-in-law enter with smiles, Old Madam Gu felt relieved, and after hearing her daughter-in-law recount the events, her worries further subsided.
"This is a blessing in disguise."
Then she happily asked Gu Jinghui to show the Python Robe and Jade Belt bestowed by the Emperor, saying, "Now Sixth Elder is so diligent, perhaps Brother Kang and Fuguo’er will also make us proud by becoming Advanced Scholars one day."
Sixth Master Gu laughed, "It’d be great if they became Advanced Scholars. If not, I won’t be disappointed, perhaps Sister Lan will bring home an Advanced Scholar son-in-law."
As soon as these words came out, Sixth Master Gu realized something was wrong.
Sure enough, Old Madam Gu’s face sank, and she said, "Nanny Rong, bring the family rules, we must discipline this girl properly."
Nanny Rong glanced at Old Madam Gu’s face and went out without saying much.
Marquis Gu said, "She indeed needs proper discipline, too clueless, without someone’s warning, who knows how she’d end up in trouble. Our Marquis Mansion would be implicated."
Old Madam Gu slapped the table heavily and said, "Isn’t that right! I’ve spoiled her too much, made her think she’s someone remarkable. She can play polo and knows some fancy moves, even tries to mimic the chivalrous heroes from the stories, fighting injustice everywhere. Yet she hopes to marry a scholar, this is truly laughable. I’ve lived all these years and only heard of scholars marrying knowledgeable and understanding wives, never heard of a scholar marrying a chivalrous heroine."