"Good, good, very good," Mr. Songshan understood the weight of the situation and did not refuse. He graciously said, "When a wild goose flies by, it leaves a sound; when a person passes by, a reputation is left. I have already boarded the Gu Family’s ship. You’re not afraid—how could I be?"

At least, he, Mr. Songshan, was originally a scholar.

But Young Master Nantang wasn’t even a man.

Mr. Songshan felt rather nuanced inside, wondering how the scholars of the world would react if they knew the true identity of this Young Master Nantang.

He continued, "I’ve tolerated that Book Sea Pavilion for a long time. Clearly, it’s running the business of scholars, but their actions are worse than those of common market folks. If we can introduce the eminent scholar Young Master Nantang to the world, not only would the Marquis feel triumphant... it would ensure a greater victory."

What does this ’greater victory’ mean?

Only he, Mr. Songshan, knew.

Qin Yuan pretended not to hear the deeper meaning in Mr. Songshan’s words, stood up, and bowed, saying, "In that case, this matter will require your earnest attention."

Mr. Songshan quickly returned the bow, "That’s not necessary. I know that the Marchioness has many affairs to attend to and need not waste effort on these formalities."

Hurry along with your duties.

If I linger here any longer, I might just become a donkey under your command, likely to die on the path before achieving success.

Qin Yuan didn’t linger either and promptly headed toward the guest courtyard.

Hong Mian, who had been waiting outside, immediately followed her.

The affairs of the sewing room were overwhelming anyway, and since Cui Ming was resting, there was no point in bothering her. Following the Marchioness might present an opportunity to distinguish oneself again.

Qin Yuan naturally wouldn’t dismiss her, but as the group approached the guest courtyard, they heard Pang Yu shrieking, "You dog-eyed slave Yang’er, if my foster father knew you were stopping me, he’d surely skin you alive. There isn’t a place in this mansion I’m not familiar with, but you still try to interfere before my eyes, gossiping like that."

The sounds of attempts to restrain, mixed with screams, created a chaotic din.

Hong Mian chuckled lightly, "Already being supported by the Gu Mansion, yet still mentioning the foster father outside—aren’t they afraid Mrs. Gu, the foster mother, would be displeased?"

Qin Yuan turned her head slightly to glance at her and said, "Continuously thinking of their foster father shows their filial piety, but they shouldn’t make things difficult for their foster parents. They’re not young anymore; they should be mature and considerate. Since Hong Ye and Cui Ming aren’t around, you go and have a word with them."

Hong Mian was secretly delighted, feeling she made the right choice in following, and quickly replied, "No worries, madam. I will definitely speak to Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu properly; even the nannies, maids, and servants will be informed."

"I trust your handling," Qin Yuan nodded.

Hong Mian hesitated slightly, "Madam, I noticed you don’t have a capable senior maid by your side. Perhaps you could call Yang’er and Hehua to attend to you—they’ve been in the mansion for some time now and can’t really get proficient unless they serve daily."

Qin Yuan understood that Hong Mian was worried about the two robust children of the Pang Family. If a conflict accidentally arose, it could be troublesome.

"What you say is very true."

Without delay, she then directed a small maid to call Yang’er to the guest courtyard to serve.

Only then did everyone proceed into the guest courtyard, where they saw Pang Yu standing with her hands on her hips, hair disheveled and hanging down her back, her face brimming with rude arrogance as she widened her eyes and screeched at a group of servants.

Pang Cheng stood beside her, his fierce gaze like that of a young wolf cub.

"What is going on here?"

Qin Yuan only spoke when she approached closer.

"The Marchioness is here, go and announce her arrival."

Only then did the servants notice Qin Yuan’s presence, quickly making their salutations and hurrying off to make the announcement.

Pang Yu and Pang Cheng knew it was no longer appropriate to keep causing a commotion, so they held hands and came over to pay their respects.

"Greetings to our foster mother."

"Alright, have you had your breakfast?"

Qin Yuan casually inquired.

"Not yet..."

Pang Yu looked at Qin Yuan, hoping she would ask more questions.

Qin Yuan softly smiled in response, "I see. Did your mother have breakfast? Is she well? I heard yesterday that she was frightened. There are too many matters in the Marquis Mansion, and I haven’t had the chance to visit, so I finally found some time to come now."

Pang Yu could only reply, "I don’t know."

Qin Yuan looked disapproving, "As children, you ought to pay your respects morning and evening. Did your tutor not teach you this?"

Pang Yu’s pile of words stuck in her throat.

Pang Cheng tugged on Pang Yu and said, "We were just thinking it’s been a long time since we’ve been to the Marquis Mansion, we were eager to pay respects to Grandmother in the main house, but didn’t manage to, and I suppose Mother is already awake by now. Foster Mother, please sit in the hall for a while."

Qin Yuan nodded, "Very well."

Hong Mian immediately joined the two children and said with a smile, "Young masters, why don’t you have something to eat first? Old Madam went out yesterday and is probably tired; you won’t be able to see her if you go now. They aren’t very good at serving people, so I’ll help serve your meal. Eating well is essential for keeping your spirits up, and the Old Madam likes to see energetic children."

These words soothed the hearts of Pang Cheng and Pang Yu, and they followed Hong Mian away.

As Qin Yuan entered the hall, Mrs. Dai hurriedly came out to greet her. Guiding her into the inner room, she ordered her trusted maid to guard the door before asking, "Have those people been caught?"

Seeing that her spirit was still okay, Qin Yuan replied, "Some have been caught."

This implied that some were still at large.

Mrs. Dai shifted uncomfortably, stammering, "...then, then what about these two children..."

Qin Yuan took Mrs. Dai’s hand and said, "Were you frightened yesterday, sister-in-law? Did Doctor Li come to see you?"

Mrs. Dai nodded, "You wouldn’t believe me if I said I wasn’t scared. Thanks to your prior warning, I always kept some people around me, and had my eyes on those two, so nothing serious happened. Doctor Li saw me yesterday, and Xiao Dong will come again today."

After pausing, she continued, "Thank goodness there were always people from the Marquis Mansion guarding us, and the Marquis came yesterday too... But those two children, they were quite unbearable. They kept causing trouble yesterday—now they want to see the Marquis, then they want to see the Old Madam. I’ve been blocking them to prevent them from wandering around."

Yesterday, with bandits outside and an inside accomplice, the two children kept making a ruckus, wanting to escape with the bandits.

Mrs. Dai was truly worn out by it all.

Knowing that the mastermind was still free, Mrs. Dai was furious.

She had long grown tired of seeing those two troublesome children and would rather get rid of them for her peaceful life.

"That poisonous woman with the surname Zhao; the seeds she raised are certainly not good. If I hadn’t been watchful yesterday, they could have harmed me."

Qin Yuan said, "The Marquis has already investigated the background of these two children. I’m afraid they need to be kept as bait, so I must trouble you to keep an eye on them. They say strict teachers produce accomplished disciples; indulgent mothers often raise wastrel sons. You must discipline them strictly. We’ve raised them all this while—not expecting them to achieve great things, but at least to remember the virtues of ’loyalty and filial piety’."

Mrs. Dai’s eyes widened.

They once hoped to raise these two children to care for them in their old age. But gradually, they gave up on this idea, thinking it was sufficient to raise them for reputational purposes for the Marquis’ sake.

Did the Marquis give up as well?