Qin Yuan continued, "Sister-in-law, take good care of your health; you never know when you might have your own child. That would indeed be a blessing."

Mrs. Dai nodded repeatedly.

Qin Yuan whispered, "The identity of these two children cannot be revealed yet. The Marquis still has use for them. Keep an eye on them, and you’ll be the first to be credited in the future."

Then she raised her voice, "Renovating the house won’t take much time, but even when it’s done, it’ll be after the festival. It would be nice if our two families got together for some fun. It’s no fun with too few people at home."

Mrs. Dai’s eyes slowly brightened.

"It’s just that my own health isn’t good, and I can’t endure any shock. I’ll have to trouble you for help, sister. Being able to accompany Auntie in the mansion for Mid-Autumn is a blessing for me, as long as you don’t mind us."

In the past, celebrating Mid-Autumn in the ninth branch was truly exhausting and frustrating.

Every time they mentioned that the couple had no children,

the ancestors would sigh and say it was bad luck.

Mrs. Dai was eager to stay in the Marquis Mansion, where Auntie had a noble status, spoke nicely, and was generous and considerate.

To have a comfortable festival—could such a blessing befall someone like her, almost ready to be buried?

What is it to have one’s home burned down?

The Marquis Mansion would compensate her with a new one.

If she could take the lead and earn the gratitude of the Marquis Mansion, that would be even better.

Qin Yuan laughed, "Then it’s settled."

"It’s settled," Mrs. Dai nodded emphatically.

Qin Yuan sat for a short while before getting up to bid farewell.

"I haven’t had time to handle affairs today, so I won’t stay long. When Xiao Dong arrives, let him come find me; I need to discuss something."

Mrs. Dai agreed, and Qin Yuan, accompanied by her maidservants, went to the business courtyard near the second entrance. It was indeed crowded with people.

Today, Hong Ye and Cui Ming weren’t around, and Qin Yuan arrived late, making her busier than usual.

Fortunately, they were mostly routine matters, which didn’t take much effort.

But it was quite a tongue-twister.

Half an hour later, Xiao Dong arrived, and Qin Yuan began to dismiss people, "Everyone, go have your meal and come find me after the noon break."

The crowd dispersed like scattered birds and beasts.

Xiao Dong said delightedly, "Is Sister planning to treat me to something delicious?"

Qin Yuan laughed, "Indeed, have you checked on Hong Ye and Cui Ming?"

"Of course I have," Xiao Dong laughed like a leaking balloon. "Master came to see them yesterday and said they were fine. He may or may not come today, so he sent me."

Qin Yuan ordered someone to fetch some dishes from the small kitchen, "Knowing you were coming, we’ve prepared the dishes you usually love. Take some back with you later."

"Great."

Soon, the table was filled with dishes.

Xiao Dong stared with his mouth agape, "Didn’t Sister always say to cherish blessings? How can we finish all this food?"

Qin Yuan smiled, "No worries, today I want to thank you, so I asked the kitchen to make all these dishes. If you can’t finish, should I invite Treasure Bead over to join us?"

Xiao Dong reluctantly said, "Then invite Seventh Miss to dine with us, such a waste pains my heart."

Children who have suffered really can’t stand waste.

Yang’er sent a little maid to invite Gu Baoshu.

Only then did Xiao Dong ask, "May I know why Sister wants to thank me?"

Qin Yuan replied, "Yesterday, your medicinal powder really helped me a lot. Without it, I would have suffered a great loss."

Xiao Dong felt a little proud, then a bit indignant. After steadying his emotions, he asked, "Did you fall into a trap?"

The master worried that in the future he might unwittingly stumble into the secrets of inner residences and die without knowing why, privately teaching him a lot.

"Yes, it was impossible to guard against," Qin Yuan sighed. "Luckily, I had silver needles with me. When I sensed something was wrong, I stuck myself with a few needles and used your powder to escape. Shouldn’t I thank you gratefully?"

The villains have already learned their lesson; this matter won’t be mentioned again. The master said your skills are minor, but I believe that even a grain of rice can shine brightly when used well."

Xiao Dong said, "You’ll see; I have thought of a few excellent formulas. Once they’re done, I’ll bring them to you."

Then he pestered Qin Yuan repeatedly, trying to find out who had plotted against her, but Qin Yuan managed to divert the conversation each time.

Xiao Dong felt a bit dejected, but luckily Gu Baoshu arrived shortly after, and after some chatter, they figured out who the villain was that plotted against Sister.

No wonder Sister said not to mention it again.

For a little medicine boy like him, the best future prospect is to take over the business of Renhe Hall; confronting a Prince is like an egg hitting a rock.

Xiao Dong was so dismayed he couldn’t even eat.

Qin Yuan placed a goose leg in his bowl, "Children shouldn’t meddle in adult affairs; your brother-in-law will handle everything! They didn’t gain any advantage, and they’ll suffer more in the future."

Gu Baoshu, while devouring the food, said, "That’s right, they tried to trap my sister-in-law. Haha, I skinned them and tossed them naked out the window, calling them adulterers. Surely, they’ll never show their faces again in this lifetime. And that’s just me, the little hero; if my third brother had intervened, who knows what would have happened."

The people of the jianghu act decisively to fulfill vendettas and right wrongs with vigor.

If scriptwriters knew of her deeds, they might bestow upon her a formidable nickname in the martial world.

Shouted out later, everyone would bow and greet, exclaiming they’ve long admired her.

That’s truly impressive!

Gu Baoshu’s words startled Xiao Dong quite a bit.

Even though common folks speak straightforwardly, such crude directness is rare, especially coming from a noble young lady yet to be married—it’s utterly shocking.

Qin Yuan had a bite in her mouth and nearly choked herself to death.

"Cough cough cough cough..."

It was life-threatening.

Only then did she remember, after meeting Marquis Gu yesterday, too many things were discussed, and she completely forgot about this matter.

She didn’t even know what rumors were spreading outside.

She also didn’t know what Marquis Gu had heard at court.

The dinner table buzzed with excitement, unaware that Marquis Gu had finished the morning court session and sought them out, thunderstruck as he stood outside the door, unmoving, his heart churned into chaos.

No wonder during court today, people looked at him strangely and spoke odd words.

After court, Prince Qi even guaranteed him, "Rest assured, the Crown Prince won’t dare to have the slightest thought about Treasure Bead. No one is as fierce as that girl; I misjudged as usual."

He even blankly replied, "I hope so, my sister mustn’t be desired by that sickly person."

Prince Qi laughed peculiarly, "I heard yesterday the Crown Prince, ignoring his illness, wept and wailed. Neither Empress Lin nor the Emperor could stop him, and the candidates have all been selected, just awaiting the Empress Dowager’s decree. So, you can ease your heart now."

He only knew that Gu Baoshu caught King Jin and Miss You in their tryst, but he didn’t expect it to happen this way.