This...

Gu Shiba was at a loss for words; Mr. Songshan had turned from guest to host.

But since he was requesting a favor and had already eaten their food, he couldn’t refuse.

Sixth Master Gu asked, "What does Mr. Songshan want to deliberate at length with my brother?"

Mr. Songshan waved his hand dismissively, "It’s not something that can be clarified in a short while. You’ll know by tomorrow."

Gu Shiba had no choice but to head to Wutong Garden. By now it was late, the lamps were lit, and the courtyard was bustling with people coming and going; many housekeepers were still reporting matters at this hour.

After the little maidservant informed Qin Yuan, she led him into the main house. Through the bead curtain, Gu Shiba said, "There’s a bit of progress regarding the matter Madam instructed today, but..."

"But what?"

Gu Shiba stammered, "Mr. Songshan said there’s something peculiar about it and wanted to discuss it with the Marchioness tomorrow. I thought it isn’t urgent tonight, and there might be new information by tomorrow. I’ll await Madam’s instructions."

Qin Yuan was taken aback.

"How did Mr. Songshan get involved?"

Gu Shiba stammered, "Uh, well... Mr. Songshan said this is more important than military scouts, and brought Sixth Master and me to investigate... Gu Shiliu isn’t here, and I can’t handle it alone. The guards in the mansion aren’t skilled in this either..."

Though his words were muddled, Qin Yuan understood and was momentarily stunned. She then slowly said, "Mr. Songshan makes a good point. We can discuss it tomorrow, but the Marquis’s unpredictable schedule is a bit troublesome."

She realized that previously, with both Shiliu and Shiba gathering information, and the sources not being as diverse as now, they managed. Now, with more information, and some of it questionable, they needed to verify and trace it, and lacked the manpower.

Marquis Gu probably hadn’t anticipated this either.

Seeing Qin Yuan give her consent, Gu Shiba breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly took his leave.

Qin Yuan gazed at the bead curtain, lost in thought while sitting on the Taishi Chair. Outside, the little maidservants were chattering away, but she didn’t bother to pay attention.

Hong Ye entered, lifting the curtain, "Miss, the Marquis sent a message saying he won’t be able to return to the mansion these few days. He said you should handle matters as you see fit if anything comes up."

Qin Yuan felt a bit disappointed, "Why isn’t he coming back again?"

Hong Ye laughed.

Qin Yuan asked, "Where’s the messenger?"

Hong Ye replied, "He’s still outside. Would you like to call him in for questioning?"

Qin Yuan nodded.

The messenger, a servant, stood respectfully outside the bead curtain, not daring to raise his head, with eyes cast down at his boot tips.

"Where has the Marquis been busy these days?"

The servant said, "I don’t know either. The Marquis has been on leave for days. The matters of the Capital Inspection are being handled by the officials of the six departments, with people from the Great Camp stationed outside to prevent the exchange of messages. I’m also stationed outside to monitor."

Qin Yuan was momentarily stunned and hurriedly asked, "Where did the Marquis go on leave?"

The servant hastily said, "I don’t know. I came to report immediately after receiving the message."

Qin Yuan found it bewildering.

Hong Ye asked, "Are you saying none of you know where the Marquis went?"

The servant nodded vigorously and then hurriedly added, "Yes."

Hong Ye asked again, "Then how did the Marquis instruct you to work? The Marquis sent a message early this morning."

The servant replied, "The Marquis has his own methods for relaying messages; the one who receives the message will pass it along. I was instructed to deliver the news. I truly don’t know the rest."

Hong Ye wanted to ask more, but Qin Yuan said, "Enough, you won’t get anything more out of him."

The servant breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Yuan continued, "If I want to ask the Marquis something, can I send a message to him?"

The servant said, "As long as it’s convenient for the Marquis, it’s fine."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "Let someone pass a message to the Marquis. Tell him that there is too much information coming from all sides now, and Shiba is overwhelmed. Mr. Songshan wants to discuss it with us tomorrow. Does the Marquis have any instructions?"

The servant carefully memorized it, repeated it to ensure accuracy, then bowed, "I’ll find someone to pass the message, and if the Marquis replies, I’ll report back immediately."

"Alright, you may go," Qin Yuan instructed. "If you haven’t eaten yet, then have someone take you to the small kitchen to see if there’s anything to eat."

She also had Hong Ye give him a piece of broken silver as a reward.

The servant left happily.

Qin Yuan turned to her desk, picked up the papers written earlier that day, and frowned in thought.

Knowing that Qin Yuan wasn’t in high spirits, Hong Ye stood quietly by her side.

The lamp on the desk suddenly flickered, making some noise, prompting Hong Ye to laugh, "A good omen, it’s a lamp flower."

Qin Yuan knew she was being cajoled and laughed, "It’s certainly a good omen, though I wonder what it’s for."

Hong Ye said, "Whatever you’re thinking about, it will be for that."

Before Qin Yuan could respond, a maid outside announced, "The Seventh Miss is here, Madam is inside..."

Before the words were finished, the curtain moved, and Gu Baoshu hurried in, "Sister-in-law, I’ve heard a secret today."

Qin Yuan asked, "What secret? You’re in such a hurry, and you didn’t even change your clothes. Have you eaten?"

Gu Baoshu paused, "I forgot," then looked around, stuck out her tongue, and made a face, "Lucky Third Brother isn’t here, or he’d say I can’t hold my temper."

Qin Yuan laughed, "The way of a general is to rule the heart first. To remain unaffected when a mountain collapses in front and not bat an eye when a deer starts nearby, only then can one manage gains and losses and face the enemy. Aren’t you supposed to join the Gu Family Army in the future? You need to be more composed; otherwise, those who have survived the battlefield might not respect you."

Gu Baoshu nodded, "Got it, got it, but it’s just us here," then turned to Hong Ye, "Good sister, can you get me something to eat?"

Hong Ye laughed, "What would the Seventh Miss like to eat?"

"I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow; just bring whatever you have," Gu Baoshu sat down on the embroidery stool, picked up an osmanthus cake, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Hong Ye left with a smile.

Qin Yuan said, "So, what secret did you hear about the Xu family?"

"Sister-in-law is indeed wise. Today, at an agreed match with Xu Tang, he couldn’t afford to lose, so he used dirty tricks, attacking my lower body, not to mention gathering some helpers to set traps, which I deftly defused."

Gu Baoshu was immensely pleased.

Indeed, Xu Tang suffered a significant setback at her hands today.

Since the other side often played dirty, she didn’t mind giving him a lesson. When Xu Tang and his helpers pretended to fight for the ball and attempted to kick her, she pretended to lose balance on the ball, staggered a few steps, grabbed someone’s arm for leverage, jumped, and landed precisely on Xu Tang’s foot, which he hadn’t yet retracted.

The pain made Xu Tang scream like a slaughtered pig, rolling on the ground with his face covered in tears and snot.

"Xu Tang won’t be playing ball for months. If I hadn’t noticed someone from King Jin Mansion and restrained myself, he wouldn’t have a usable foot now."