Gu Baoshu, at this moment, kept her listeners in suspense and said, "Sister-in-law, I said I would help, but there’s no time to talk about it now. I’ll just stick by your side and help entertain the guests; we’ll discuss it after we’re done."

Qin Yuan: "...Very well... Seventh Sister, would you like to change your clothes first?"

Gu Baoshu replied, "No need, I just changed them."

Qin Yuan was puzzled by her and could only say, "Then would you like to come with me to Wutong Garden?"

Gu Baoshu immediately nodded, "Okay."

It seemed as if she was just waiting for these words.

Qin Yuan was somewhat annoyed that Hong Ye wasn’t by her side and had to take Gu Baoshu back to Wutong Garden to change clothes.

Gu Baoshu, not seeing herself as an outsider, sat for a short while before finding her way to the inner chamber, where she saw Qin Yuan changing clothes and said, "Sister-in-law looks beautiful in this, so calm and serene."

"Serene?"

Gu Baoshu nodded, "Yes, I heard that the daughters of scholarly families all strive for serenity and elegance. Sister-in-law looks indeed very serene in this outfit."

Qin Yuan glanced at the pink palace attire Gu Baoshu was wearing and laughed, "Seventh Sister, you look very serene dressed like that too."

A flash of pride quickly crossed Gu Baoshu’s face.

"Is Sister-in-law being sincere?"

"Of course, I am. I rarely see Seventh Sister dressed like this."

"That’s because... I didn’t care before. Now that I’m dressed like this, I’ll become more and more serene."

Qin Yuan understood somewhat and tentatively asked, "Seventh Sister, you were very lively before, why the sudden change to a serene attire?"

She had changed into her large robe and went to the dressing table to choose a hairpin.

Gu Baoshu said, "Xu Zhen is only two years older than me and is already eager to find a husband’s family. My mother probably hasn’t stopped mentioning my marriage in front of the third sister-in-law. I heard that scholars like serene and elegant women, so I wanted to learn from Sister-in-law and slowly change my nature."

Qin Yuan: "..."

So that’s how it is.

Qin Yuan said, "No wonder Sister dressed in pink. You used to prefer bright red."

Gu Baoshu smiled with slight embarrassment, as if her shyness had passed, and said, "I heard people say that wearing simpler colors makes one appear more refined."

Qin Yuan said, "I think mother is very good at dressing, why not let mother teach you?"

Gu Baoshu said, "Mother likes to dress me up in a way that’s over-the-top wealthy; how could a poor scholar like that?"

"..."

Cui Ming, who was doing Qin Yuan’s hair, couldn’t help but shake a bit. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The two exchanged a glance in the mirror.

Gu Baoshu had her eye on a poor scholar, and this poor scholar preferred refined and serene women.

This scarcity is going to be a real battle.

Cui Ming thought to herself, "I wonder which poor scholar is so unfortunate to catch the eye of a young lady from the Dingbei Marquis Mansion."

Qin Yuan picked up a golden hairpin and chuckled, "You are, after all, a young lady from the Dingbei Marquis Mansion with an inherited and unchallenged title, and your brother is the War God Dingbei Marquis. Why do you wish for a poor scholar’s favor? There’s hardly a chance you’d choose a poor scholar for a husband."

Gu Baoshu’s expression changed slightly, looking somewhat displeased.

Qin Yuan acted oblivious and said, "Sister-in-law Cheng is probably on her way. I need to get ready quickly. Once this acknowledgment banquet is over, I’ll have one less thing on my mind."

Cui Ming promptly added, "The Marquis thinks the same. This acknowledgment banquet has changed several times back and forth, and no one expected it to be organized so hastily. Soon, Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu may have to come over to pay their respects."

Qin Yuan said, "Whether they pay respects or not doesn’t matter. The Marquis had lunch with them, saying he wanted Mr. Songshan to take a look at Brother Cheng’s aptitude. I guess he wants Brother Cheng to apprentice under Mr. Songshan; Brother Kang and Fuguo’er will likely have to stay home for the next few years, and Sixth Brother probably wants them both to follow Mr. Songshan as well."

Gu Baoshu, aware that the children couldn’t get along, immediately said, "How could that work? They went to Sister-in-law Cheng’s family, and naturally, her family would hire a tutor for them. Brother Cheng is tall and robust; he should find a Martial Arts Master. He can strive for a career in the military camp in the future, and besides..."

The conversation shifted back and forth.

Before long, Mrs. Dai arrived, wearing a newly made lilac-colored blouse and skirt, her face beaming with happiness.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "A joyous event makes the spirit bright. Sister-in-law Cheng, you look radiant, much more energetic."

Mrs. Dai said, "Adding a new member to the family is indeed joyful."

The three laughed as they headed to the flower hall, ready to receive guests from both families.

Soon, the entrance of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion was bustling with noise, carriages coming and going.

The guests were mostly Gu Jinghui’s comrades from the military, and colleagues that Gu Jingcheng had associated with for many years, most of whom came from military backgrounds.

Banquet tables were set up in the main hall, with a few tables arranged in the flower hall for the ladies.

Besides Madam Jin and Mrs. Dai, Qin Yuan recognized no one, but fortunately, with their support, she gradually became familiar with these ladies.

Among them, a few were acquainted with Mrs. Zhao; upon seeing her, their expressions were somewhat peculiar, yet no one dared to utter anything inappropriate.

Madam Jin whispered to Qin Yuan, "That’s Mrs. Ma; she regularly associates with Mrs. Zhao. Her husband is a subordinate general under the Marquis, always following the Marquis into battle with great valor."

Mrs. Ma was focused only on her food.

Qin Yuan remembered she arrived late, and shortly after exchanging brief pleasantries, she didn’t speak again.

Qin Yuan probed, "Mrs. Ma doesn’t seem to like talking much; is her frequent association with Mrs. Zhao because they are from the same hometown?"

Madam Jin glanced at Qin Yuan and said, "Deputy General Ma and Pang Hai are from the same hometown. Though Pang Hai claims to be from Jizhou, and Deputy General Ma is indeed from Jizhou, in terms of being townsmen, it’s still a bit distant. However, in the army, they like to become sworn brothers or acknowledge kinship. Even Old Marquis Gu had many godsons; the bonds were forged through life-and-death experiences."

This statement was quite intriguing.

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment. This basically meant Deputy General Ma and Pang Hai were sworn brothers by acknowledging each other as kin.

Mrs. Ma’s distant attitude might partly be due to this.

Qin Yuan said, "I’ve never heard of the Marquis acknowledging any godsons. Brother Cheng and Sister Yu are said to be his adopted children, often bullying the nephews in the mansion. If they were his biological children, the Marquis would surely discipline them a bit. If it weren’t for Mrs. Zhao making such a fuss that it’s impossible to stay in the mansion, the Marquis wouldn’t have been willing to let them go to Sister-in-law Cheng’s family."

Madam Jin shook her head, "I’ve never heard the Marquis acknowledging any godsons. Perhaps it’s because the Marquis is too young?"

The statement was clever, and Qin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.

Madam Jin laughed along as well.

Mrs. Ma lifted her head to glance at them, then averted her gaze to the side.

Qin Yuan said, "Sister, is Mrs. Ma distant because she believes what Mrs. Zhao says? I heard from the Marquis that someone was spreading rumors outside, saying Mrs. Zhao often frequented places connected to Brother Pang’s associates, claiming she bore the Marquis twin dragon and phoenix boys. The Marquis is inclined to take her as a concubine once her mourning period is over."

Madam Jin was just about to eat a pearl sticky rice ball when she nearly choked.

Attempting to brush it off, she saw Qin Yuan’s face right in front of her—a face as beautiful as a submerged fish, fallen geese, closed flowers, and hidden moons, with eyes gleaming brightly like stars, candidly awaiting her answer.