Chapter 585: Chatter, Chatter, Chatter

This is truly a case of premeditated guile meeting unintentional entrapment, impossible to evade.

Gu Baoshu cursed inwardly non-stop, barely managing to force out a smile on her face.

This indeed is what Mr. Songshan spoke of; the difficulty of guarding against hidden arrows that are harder to fend off than open attacks.

I wonder how my Third Sister-in-law is handling this.

Could she also be entangled with these shameless creatures?

The smile on Gu Baoshu’s face grew somewhat twisted.

At her side, Song Wenyu quietly let out a sigh of relief, thinking how fortunate it was for her plight to be avoided, clearly this was aimed at Gu Baoshu.

This sickly Crown Prince, whom no one wants to marry, could die at any moment, leaving someone widowed.

Miss You noticed that the plan had snared its target, and happily interjected, "The Ninth Princess might not know, but these days Treasure Bead has been learning decorum at home with her Third Sister-in-law; their kinship is quite profound. She was a guest at my house today, and after only a short separation, yearned to go look for her."

The Ninth Princess responded with an "Oh," her elegant brows lifting slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips as she looked at Gu Baoshu, "Now this is odd. Didn’t you disregard her before, saying she had your Third Brother wrapped around her finger, punishing you just to vent on her behalf, yet now you’re on such good terms? Truly, the daughters of these small officials know how to charm people."

This was insolent, but no one dared say a word.

The National Academy Sacrificial Officer garnered much respect from scholars but was not held in high regard by the nobles, and of course, who could compare with the royal family in terms of status?

Yet the words shouldn’t have been spoken in such a way.

Gu Baoshu pursed her lips, defending her good Third Sister-in-law’s reputation, "Ninth Princess, that was a long time ago now. My Third Sister-in-law is well-versed and reasonable, now in charge of the household affairs, admired by everyone in the mansion and the clan alike. Naturally, my mother wants me to learn from her. Previously, I didn’t know how to manage the dowry, nor the domestic finances. The maids and old nannies in the courtyard were clueless too, the account books were a mess, and now I’m gradually learning."

Song Wenyu exclaimed in surprise, "You’re only learning now? I was managing my own courtyard’s accounts at seven or eight."

The Ninth Princess stretched lazily, dismissively, "Gu Baoshu is the only girl in her family, inevitably indulged and pampered. I’ve heard that her Sixth Brother is also clueless about household affairs, and the Dingbei Marquis doesn’t concern himself with such matters, thus the Dingbei Marquis’s wife took charge as soon as she married in. As for competence, she’s about our age, perhaps a few years older, but how capable can she truly be? It’s merely Old Madam Gu is generous and loving towards her daughter-in-law, and without anyone else to take charge, the household staff flatter her."

Song Wenyu remained silent.

Miss You laughed and concurred, "Isn’t that true? It’s simply because there are fewer people in the Dingbei Marquis Mansion, coupled with Duke Dingbei’s old lady and the Dingbei Marquis giving face, otherwise just managing the elders in the mansion would be overwhelming."

The Ninth Princess snorted, "Take the palace for example, Mother controls the Six Palaces, the affairs are complex, yet the Empress Dowager and Mother advocate simplicity and economy. I’ve been overseeing one palace since early on and received the palace staff’s continual praise. But they’re merely flattering words, and behind the scenes, they still look for ways to be lazy and profit from embezzlement. Would you believe? An egg costs one cent in the market, but once it enters the Imperial Kitchen, it’s priced at one tael of silver each. Even when I eat an egg, I must count them carefully."

Everyone’s ears perked up, feeling that the Ninth Princess considered them confidantes.

Song Wenyu laughed, "The Empress Dowager and the Empress enforce thriftiness, comparable to the Empress Zhangsun of the Tang Dynasty."

Gu Baoshu tugged at her lips but said nothing.

Everyone chimed in agreement with a few words.

The Crown Prince gently raised a hand, signaling the Piano Maid to stop playing.

The chatty young ladies immediately fell silent, and the Ninth Princess respectfully asked, "Were we disturbing you with our chatter, Crown Prince, as you listened to the zither?"

With a weary and pale face full of indulgence, the Crown Prince smiled, "I was worried the zither music was interfering with your lively conversation. Earlier, I found your discussion quite interesting, why did you stop? If Mother hears you’ve compared her to Empress Zhangsun, she would certainly feel uneasy. Mother came from humble origins, as did the Empress Dowager. They often speak of the hardships of civilian life, stressing that every thread and morsel comes hard-earned and should be cherished, avoiding excess and luxury."

Everyone again offered compliments and agreement.

The Crown Prince coughed several times, gently adjusting the Jinxian Crown on his head, smiling, "This year it’s rare for the Empress Dowager to agree to a birthday celebration. It’s thanks to the persuasion of both Father and Mother. Now that the world is at peace, and with no battles at the Northern Border, the Empress Dowager shouldn’t overdo it on thrift, celebrating with the people, agreeing to partake in shared joy."

Song Wenyu sighed, "The Empress Dowager and the Empress serve as role models for all women in the land with their every action. We should follow their example and practice frugality."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The Crown Prince smiled at Gu Baoshu, "If it weren’t for your Third Brother’s splendid military achievements, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t be in the mood for a birthday celebration, and Father and Mother wouldn’t be able to fulfill their filial duties."

Gu Baoshu, with a wooden expression, said, "The Emperor’s wisdom, combined with the blessings of our ancestors, enabled my Third Brother to drive the Yelv Family out of the Northern Border."

The Ninth Princess’s eyes twinkled as she laughed, "With such merits, why didn’t Father grant the Dingbei Marquis a marriage? I’ve heard the Dingbei Marquis remains unmarried to defeat the Yelv Family and is still childless at this age. Father should rightly reward him with several beauties."

Gu Baoshu couldn’t help but glare at the Ninth Princess, gritting her teeth, "My Third Sister-in-law is quite wonderful. My mother often says marrying my Third Sister-in-law was a blessing earned by my Third Brother in his past life."

The Crown Prince hurriedly apologized to Gu Baoshu, "Little Sister Baozhu, my Ninth Sister was just jesting, don’t take it to heart. If you must blame someone, blame me for bringing up your Third Brother."

Gu Baoshu immediately said, "This humble daughter wouldn’t dare let the Crown Prince apologize. It was unintentional on your part, but it matters to the listener. If these words reach my Third Sister-in-law, and annoy my Third Brother, he’ll surely have quite a fit. Besides, my mother stated that my Third Brother can’t be like my Sixth Brother, bringing in woman after woman, wasting noble daughters’ time. Now not even my Sixth Brother takes concubines, publicly vowing to observe three years of filial piety before considering marriage."

At these words, everyone...

It seems the Dingbei Marquis is indeed compromised physically.

Otherwise, Old Madam Gu, who cherishes the Dingbei Marquis’s wife so much, wouldn’t even entrust the domestic matters to her.

Anyone in her position would be trying their best to flatter and win favor.

The Ninth Princess mockingly covered her mouth with one hand, pointing a trembling finger at Gu Baoshu with the other, "You, you, is this truly so?"

Gu Baoshu nodded earnestly, "Indeed, absolutely so. My Third Brother will never take a concubine, nor will he glance at other women."

The Ninth Princess glanced at Miss You.

Miss You subtly nodded.

The Ninth Princess lowered her hand, her face clouded in dismay.

Gu Baoshu speaking up like this, it’s likely all of the Capital City will soon know the Dingbei Marquis is truly unfit, thwarting Mother’s plans for her to marry into the Dingbei Marquis Mansion.

After all, the Royal Family cannot bear such disgrace.