Chapter 64: Impossible to Suppress

Qin Yuan’s face couldn’t help but turn red. She turned around, hurriedly tying her clothes before asking, "Was that the Marquis practicing martial arts outside just now?"

Gu Jinghui walked up to her, emitting heat all over his body, which made her feel warm as well.

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but take a half step back, turning her face aside, and frowned, "I don’t know where Hong Ye and Cui Ming have gone."

Gu Jinghui looked intently at her blushing face and, very satisfied with her increasing redness, raised his handsome eyebrows and said, "Hong Ye went to find clothes for me to change into, and Cui Ming went to the kitchen."

"To the kitchen?"

"Yes, we’ll have breakfast together this morning, so we won’t go to the main house."

Qin Yuan had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Gu Jinghui added, "It seems like my injury has healed. The weather is too hot, so I exercised a bit, sweated a lot, and need to bathe before changing clothes."

Qin Yuan was momentarily confused, then understood what he meant.

"Shall I instruct the maid to bring hot water so the Marquis can bathe?"

"Yes, just leave it in the cleansing room."

Qin Yuan: "..."

Marquis Gu’s intentions were becoming more and more obvious.

After instructing a maid to bring hot water from the kitchen for the Marquis to bathe, Qin Yuan turned around to go to the cleansing room to wash.

Gu Jinghui suddenly said, "Lady Zhao fainted last night."

Qin Yuan: "...Oh..."

Gu Jinghui continued, "Luckily, I listened to you yesterday."

"What happened?" Qin Yuan became interested and decided not to go to the cleansing room, walked two steps, and sat on the spring stool by the bed, asking, "Did you instruct the nanny to carry her away?"

Gu Jinghui looked down at her bare, white jade-like feet and said, "I listened to your suggestion last night, just in case, I went to the main house through the side door and asked Nanny Rong to send someone to take care of Lady Zhao and her child."

Qin Yuan: "..."

Marquis Gu was being overly cautious.

But if he wasn’t like this, he wouldn’t be the ever-victorious general.

"Nanny Rong used the Old Madam’s soft sedan chair to carry them to Fengxuan Pavilion. Mother and Nanny Rong also went to Fengxuan Pavilion to check on the illness. I later fetched a doctor and was busy for nearly two hours. Mother said you all shouldn’t come by to pay respects this morning; she needs to rest."

Qin Yuan asked in surprise, "Mother stayed for two hours?"

Gu Jinghui said, "Not that long, she stayed for an hour and then took the two children back to the main house to rest."

Qin Yuan nodded.

She understood that the reason they were asked not to pay respects was to avoid any meetings.

That was fine too.

"But it did trouble Mother."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "In the future, if something like this happens, let me keep watch. Mother is getting old; it’s not good to always trouble her."

Gu Jinghui laughed, "No wonder Mother always mentions you; you are really good, and it’s well deserved."

After a pause, he added, "But you shouldn’t go either."

Qin Yuan asked, "Then who will go?"

Gu Jinghui winked mischievously and said, "Let Sixth Sister-in-law go. She is already on good terms with Lady Zhao and manages the household. It would be more appropriate for her to handle such matters."

Qin Yuan: "..."

Hong Ye, holding Marquis Gu’s clothing and accessories, came in just in time to hear this and snickered.

If there was anyone Hong Ye disliked most, it was Sixth Madam and Lady Zhao.

Hearing the Marquis arrange it this way, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Qin Yuan glanced at Hong Ye, who quickly stopped smiling, respectfully setting down the tray with the clothes and accessories, and said, "Madam, you’re awake."

"Yes, I called for you all just now, but no one was around."

Hong Ye said, "Maybe because the Marquis was practicing martial arts just now, the maids couldn’t help but go watch, so they didn’t hear Madam’s call."

Gu Jinghui said, "Alright, alright, Sixteen wasn’t here, so I told them to go do things. Usually, I don’t practice martial arts in the courtyard, but I’ve been a bit lazy these past few days due to the injury, just casually moving my muscles."

Qin Yuan said, "I didn’t say anything. Hong Ye, call someone in to help me wash up."

Hong Ye quickly said, "Is there even a need to call someone else? I’m used to serving you, changing to someone else would be troublesome."

Gu Jinghui saw how well the master and servant got along and knew this girl was favored, speaking so casually in their way, with Qin Yuan being unbothered.

Shortly, the maids also brought hot water, and Gu Jinghui washed quickly, then came out.

Qin Yuan was already seated at the dressing table, and Cui Ming had returned to help her do her hair.

Gu Jinghui didn’t change his clothes and leaned on the couch, watching Qin Yuan style herself.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Is the Marquis going to the Great Camp tomorrow?"

Gu Jinghui answered with a sound of agreement.

Qin Yuan said, "Then the Marquis should rest well today. Does the wound still need medicine?"

Gu Jinghui said, "It’s much better now; with or without is fine. Doctor Li’s ointment from Renhe Hall is really effective, even better than the army’s medicine."

Qin Yuan softly replied with an "Mm."

Her maternal family’s recipe is bound to be good.

It’s fortunate Marquis Gu knows its worth.

Gu Jinghui asked, "What do you plan to do today?"

Qin Yuan said, "I plan to go over the accounts of the needlework room today; the shopkeepers of the dowry shops should also be bringing the account books and news by now."

Gu Jinghui said somewhat regretfully, "We’ve been newlywed for just a few days and haven’t yet gone out to have fun. Now that it’s getting hotter, we could go boating on the lake to enjoy the silk and bamboo music to cool off."

Qin Yuan was a little stunned.

A few days ago, she remembered floating on the Qinhuai River with her childhood friend Dong Xinru, enjoying the lanterns at night, and listening to the silk and bamboo music on the painted boats, writing down half a poem, the other half still not filled in.

How coincidental that the Marquis brought it up, and his words were so elegant, almost like he was a different person.

Qin Yuan laughed, "Speaking of which, I remembered a childhood friend a few days ago. Back then, when my father was observing mourning at home, on our way back to the capital, we passed by the Qinhuai River. Our two families wanted to return to the capital together. My friend and I had heard that the night scenery of the Qinhuai River was beautiful, so we secretly rented a small boat, hid inside, and watched the lantern scenes for half the night."

A hint of amusement flashed in Gu Jinghui’s eyes as he asked, "How old were you then?"

Qin Yuan smiled, "About seven or eight years old."

Hong Ye laughed, "That time Miss Dong got caught by her family and was grounded for a long time, not allowed to go out."

Gu Jinghui’s eyebrows relaxed, his lips slightly curled, then he pressed them down, but they couldn’t stop curling up.

He simply made a loose fist with his right hand, placed it by his lips, gently coughed a few times to cover the laughter, but his long narrow eyes still curved.

Qin Yuan’s hair was done, adorned with twelve golden hairpins, and with the decorative flower paste, she looked dignified and wealthy. She turned her head, seeing Gu Jinghui in a daze watching her, and asked, "Did Husband go to my family’s home yesterday to seek advice from my father?"

Gu Jinghui blurted out, "How did you know?"

Qin Yuan laughed, "Not only do I know, but I also know that Father certainly encouraged you to pursue learning and even gave you books, asking you to read and discuss them with him."

Gu Jinghui coughed a few times and said, "You really anticipate accurately. I did indeed go to seek guidance from Father-in-law. Father-in-law not only taught me diligently but also said I am promising material, that if I read more books, I could become a Confucian General like Lu Xun from the Three Kingdoms."

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Her father’s old habits had surfaced again.

Gu Jinghui was about to say more when suddenly, the maids outside cried out in surprise.