"Why wait until after the return ceremony to talk about it?"
Gu Jinghui asked persistently.
Qin Yuan smiled without speaking,
Gu Jinghui stared at her lips, reddened from the hot tea, as his throat moved. He was about to say something when Qin Yuan glanced at the hourglass placed in the corner and said softly, "It should be time now, shouldn't it?"
"What?"
Gu Jinghui asked curiously.
Qin Yuan changed the topic, saying, "Marquis, tomorrow is the day of the return ceremony. My mother personally drew up the list of return gifts to maintain my dignity. You and I, as husband and wife..."
The implication was more than clear.
Before Gu Jinghui could finish listening, he took over the conversation seriously, "Yuan'er, the return ceremony is such an important matter. I've always remembered it. You, you..."
His face flushed red, and after stammering for a while, he finally managed to finish the sentence with difficulty: "You are my lawfully wedded wife, and in the future, you will be the mother of my children, who is to be buried with me as the old feudal lord. Whatever dignity you deserve, I will give you. Rest assured."
He looked as if he was about to swear an oath to prove his sincerity.
Even his ears turned completely red.
Qin Yuan only meant it as a reminder, so she nodded and said, "That's good. I will remember everything my husband has said in my heart."
The room suddenly fell silent.
Gu Jinghui hesitated to speak and instead held the teacup, slowly sipping from it.
The slightly bitter tea swirled in his mouth, and in the end, it even left a trace of sweetness.
At that moment, a young maid called out outside, summoning Hong Ye, who went out.
Qin Yuan lifted her eyelids and glanced lightly at Gu Jinghui.
For some reason, Gu Jinghui suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Soon, the talkative Hong Ye returned with a sullen face and reported, "Marquis, Madam, Lady Zhao has sent someone again to invite the Marquis. It is said that Sister Yu was out playing with the Marquis today and caught a chill, and she is crying to see her father."
"Oh?" Qin Yuan said.
Hearing Qin Yuan's somewhat elongated tone, Gu Jinghui felt inexplicably guilty.
"Marquis, do you want to change and go over to have a look?"
Qin Yuan turned her face and asked, her tone and demeanor as calm as if she were asking him whether he wanted tea or dinner, without a hint of emotion.
Gu Jinghui didn't want to see Qin Yuan upset or angry about this, but he also didn't like seeing her so indifferent.
Without waiting for his answer, Qin Yuan said nothing more, only sipping her tea slowly.
Her every move was long and nonchalant,
as if she didn't let anything affect her,
including himself.
Gu Jinghui suddenly stood up and said, "Madam, I will be back as soon as I can. These past two days, you've been wronged because of the children's matters. I will make it up to you in the future. Don't worry about the affair related to tomorrow's return ceremony."
Qin Yuan responded mildly, "You and I, husband and wife as one, there's no need for you to stand on ceremony, Yuan'er doesn't mind. Tomorrow, we will leave at 7:45 AM. How does my husband feel about that?"
Gu Jinghui quickly walked out, nodding, "Very well, Madam, you take charge."
Once outside the house, Gu Jinghui slowed down his steps, and Gu Shiliu, not knowing the reason, followed along slowly.
Inside the room, Hong Ye sneered, "And what is it next time? A son is sick, a daughter is sick, and then Lady Zhao will claim to be ill?"
Gu Jinghui stopped for a moment and let out a barely audible hum, immediately hearing Qin Yuan's indifferent voice: "You see, when it happens frequently, you don't even bother to speak sharply in front of the Marquis. This becomes second nature, and in a few days, you won't care about it anymore either."
Hong Ye mumbled, "Miss, what are you saying? Should I use Lady Zhao's whole family to cultivate myself?"
Gu Jinghui felt the muscles on the right side of his face twitch involuntarily.
He maintained a dark, silent expression as he exited the courtyard gate, and Gu Shiliu wisely kept quiet, following closely behind.
Outside the gate, the nanny sent by Lady Zhao saw him and beamed at the two gatehouse nannies: "I told you, the Marquis cares for Sister Yu. Lady Zhao was just crying terribly, but now there's no need to worry."
Gu Jinghui couldn't be bothered to respond to her.
Gu Shiliu asked, "Why don't they call the Marquis inside the yard this time?"
The nanny looked at Gu Jinghui's expression and complained, "Madam has strict rules. The Wutong Garden has changed the gatekeepers again, barring entry."
Gu Shiliu chuckled, "This is not like the Northern Border. Each courtyard in the marquis mansion follows this rule. Isn't it the same each time you visit the Sixth Madam's courtyard?"
The nanny fell silent.
Gu Jinghui, his hands behind his back and his expression stern as water, strode vigorously towards Fengxuan Pavilion, the nanny scurrying behind, out of breath.
Qin Yuan wasn't idle either.
She summoned several young maids from the yard into the house and said, "I still have a few maid vacancies in this room. If any of you are willing to come in and serve, let Cui Ming know by 3:00 PM tomorrow. But let me speak plainly upfront, don't think about getting close to the Marquis himself. If you have such thoughts, don't even come. Better seek advancement elsewhere to avoid embarrassment if you're driven out and your family's reputation earned in the Marquis Mansion over generations is ruined."
Once familiar hearts scramble for favor, it's not just a simple case of not being of one mind.
Qin Yuan liked to set rules first.
A few maids, upon hearing this, were tempted. The Marchioness had brought only two close first-class maids, and the four other young maidservants from her entourage were not very old. They were in need of help at the moment, and if they served well, they might just contend for a first-class maid position.
Once Cui Ming took them away, Qin Yuan then told Hong Ye, "Today, I looked at the registry. The Marchioness has six first-class maid positions with a monthly stipend of three taels; twelve second-class maid positions with two-tael stipends; and twenty-four third-class maid positions with one-tael stipends."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Hong Ye's face light up with excitement, "We're rich, we're rich, I've finally made something of myself; my monthly silver has increased to three taels."
Cui Ming entered, and Hong Ye jumped on her joyfully with incessant giggles.
"Cui Ming, we get three taels of silver every month, the marquis mansion is really generous."
Cui Ming laughed along, giddy.
After they had enough fun, Qin Yuan said, "This is only the beginning. When our dowry shops make a big profit, I'll reward you with several hundred taels of silver, so that you may live more lavishly than a minor lady official."
Hong Ye shrieked and hugged Qin Yuan, rubbing her face against hers, asking, "Really? Truly, my Miss?"
Cui Ming, however, frowned, "Miss spends quite a bit in the Marquis Mansion. I see they all like handing out rewards. Relying on the monthly stipend alone surely won't suffice; you might need to use some dowry silver. Besides, Miss never managed shops before; it's better to be cautious."
Qin Yuan nodded, "Cui Ming is right; it's always good to be cautious."
These two close maids, who grew up with her, suffered a lot in their past life, Cui Ming even losing her life early. In this life, she won't let them suffer further.
Reborn once, can she not protect those around her?
After a moment of excitement among the three, Qin Yuan prepared to rest. Hong Ye asked in surprise, "Won't you wait for the Marquis to return tonight?"
Qin Yuan shook her head, "No need to wait for him, you two just sleep at the foot of the bed as usual."
"But..."
Cui Ming said, "Tomorrow is the return ceremony; Miss needs to rest well."
Hong Ye said nothing more and, holding a thin blanket, joined Cui Ming in lying down with Qin Yuan.