Chapter 620: The Fisherman Gains

"Ah ah ah ah~"

The Marquis howled inwardly.

His sister’s actions were beyond his comprehension.

Yet all of it was done for the sake of protecting his wife.

The Marquis was numb.

A cough from the other side of the door snapped him back to reality. Without thinking much, he pushed the door open and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Qin Yuan, coughing, waved her hand to indicate she was fine.

Xiao Dong snapped back to reality, exclaiming, "Senior Sister, why did you suddenly choke?"

Then he looked at him with a smile: "Brother-in-law has returned."

Gu Baoshu just looked up, put down her chopsticks, her eyes darting around, "Xiao Dong, you’re a bit strange. Why do you call me Third Sister-in-law Senior Sister and Third Brother Brother-in-law? When did Third Sister-in-law become Doctor Li’s apprentice? How come I didn’t know?"

Qin Yuan took a sip of tea and calmed herself: "If I didn’t apprentice myself, how could I have learned the needle technique. But I don’t plan to make this public, Xiao Dong doesn’t consider you an outsider, so don’t let it slip."

Gu Baoshu was delighted: "Naturally, we’re all family, I won’t leak a single word."

Qin Yuan stood up to welcome the Marquis to sit, asking, "Husband, would you like to have a bite to eat here? We didn’t expect you to return from court at this hour."

The Marquis nodded with a wooden expression.

Qin Yuan hurriedly instructed someone to arrange the Marquis’s favorite dishes from the small kitchen.

The Marquis glanced at Gu Baoshu, who was eating happily without looking up, and worried greatly about her future—who would dare to marry his family’s Treasure Bead now? It would truly take a brave soul.

What to do?

His mother didn’t know yet, but if she found out, the sky would probably fall.

Gu Baoshu, noticing, held a large bone in her hands, looked up with an oily face, her bright eyebrows raised suspiciously: "Third Brother, why are you just watching me eat? I was invited by Third Sister-in-law, not here to mooch food."

"Eat, eat, don’t worry, even if you indulge all your life, Third Brother can still support you."

This sudden generosity left Gu Baoshu puzzled and frowning.

Everyone finished the meal, each with their own thoughts.

While Qin Yuan arranged for the small kitchen to pack a food box for Renhe Hall, the Marquis said to Xiao Dong: "The Secretariat finally decided today that henceforth the army will purchase golden sore medicine from Renhe Hall. Now your master can rest assured, right?"

Xiao Dong happily expressed his gratitude.

"This is great. With my master’s ointment business doing well, he won’t envy my powder business anymore."

The Marquis became interested in his powder, questioned to the bottom of it, then left him to go.

Gu Baoshu escorted Xiao Dong out, discussing along the way how to expand the business.

Gu Baoshu said: "I’m going on a long journey, you make more powder for me, besides keeping me safe on the road, I can also sell it for you when I arrive."

Xiao Dong readily agreed: "Then I’ll prioritize yours first and put Brother Heng’s order on hold for a few days."

Gu Baoshu suddenly took out a silver note from her sleeve and handed it to Xiao Dong: "Well, I have high hopes for your business, this money will be our business partnership capital. Once we make money, you can give me a share, okay?"

Xiao Dong: ...

This small business, does it really need the Seventh Miss of Dingbei Marquis Mansion to get involved?

Gu Baoshu said: "Third Sister-in-law wants me to learn how to manage dowry, I understand the principle of sitting idle and exhausting wealth. But I can’t open a shop, apart from collecting some pepper with Third Sister-in-law, I don’t know what else to do. Your business looks promising, I’ll invest in it first, a small business, so I’ll start with fifty taels of silver for you as capital, and after selling, just give me a share after covering the cost."

"...Alright then," Xiao Dong thought for a bit and accepted.

At worst, just consider these fifty taels as Gu Baoshu buying his powder.

Gu Baoshu added: "Since I now have a stake in the business, the money Qin Heng took for the powder must also include my share."

"...Of course."

One or two taels’ worth of the goods payments, all yours.

Xiao Dong didn’t mind.

Gu Baoshu laughed heartily, saying: "I’ll hurry Qin Heng to give me the money and see if he still has the face to claim it’s none of my business."

Xiao Dong understood.

It turned out that while the snipe and clam fought, the fisherman gained. Xiao Dong was the fisherman here.

Anyway, there’s no reason to return money that got into his pocket, Xiao Dong encouraged: "Right, do it quickly, once you leave, you’ll have to write letters to urge him."

"Exactly," Gu Baoshu felt like meeting a kindred spirit, planning to leave the mansion for a while.

The Marquis, following Qin Yuan back to Wutong Garden, remained silent and ponderous along the way. Returning to the inner room, Qin Yuan asked, "Is it something in the court?"

The Marquis wasn’t keen to elaborate, only briefly mentioned: "Nothing major, today on the court, the ministers impeached Duke Zhen’s Mansion and King Jin, the Emperor, to cover up for both families, ordered a marriage.

However, the concubine slots in King Jin Mansion are full, so the You Family’s daughter can only enter as a wife. This wife position was only vacant due to a concubine’s sudden illness and death last night in King Jin’s Mansion."

Since the Crown Prince is weak, the Princess Consort and concubines’ natal families in King Jin’s Mansion were not initially of high status. Now suddenly, with a marriage connection to Duke Zhen’s Mansion, surely Empress Lin and the Crown Prince are not happy."

Miss You is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke Mansion, yet she became a wife in King Jin’s Mansion, and the higher-ranked Princess Consort and concubines are dauگhters of minor officials, thus the internal stability of King Jin’s Mansion is disrupted.

The enemy’s misfortune naturally pleased Qin Yuan, humming a tune as she removed her jewelry, undid her hair, changed into sleepwear, and prepared for a nap. But she saw the Marquis sitting on the bed with a sullen expression and tightly furrowed brows, seemingly troubled by a myriad of emotions.

"What’s wrong with you today? If there’s anything troubling you, feel free to talk to me."

The Marquis returned to his senses with a sigh, stayed silent, and merely followed Qin Yuan onto the bed, lying straight and still, eyes void of spirit as he gazed blankly at the layered gold patterns on the red canopy above.

Qin Yuan’s drowsiness vanished too, but she dared not rush him, so she patiently waited for him to speak.

After a long while, the Marquis finally spoke weakly: "Yuan’er, mother is getting older, and she feels much pity for Baoshu’s background, always indulging her, accommodating her. But if she were a man, it wouldn’t matter, no one could say anything. Yet as a woman, she must have some restraint, you have to guide her properly."

So his worry was about Gu Baoshu, Qin Yuan hastily asked: "Did someone say something outside?"

Other things aside, as for Gu Baoshu’s matters, even with a silver tongue capable of rallying troops, she couldn’t produce a lotus from her mouth to console the Marquis.

The Marquis said sullenly: "Today Prince Qi mentioned that the Crown Prince wouldn’t dare lay his eyes on Baoshu anymore, as a candidate for the Eastern Palace has already been decided, and the Empress Dowager’s birthday will finalize it with an edict. I think Baoshu is quite safe now, there’s no need to send her to White Crane Academy to hide anymore."

Qin Yuan glanced at the Marquis,

Since he already knew, it was necessary to help delay and cover up.

As long as she could delay until Gu Baoshu reached White Crane Academy, by then the distant flower would outshine the near one, and Old Madam Gu wouldn’t be so upset anymore.