Chapter 23 She no longer had to pretend to be affectionate
He thought he would be blamed by Qin Yuan, but unexpectedly, Qin Yuan said softly: “My sister…she drank a little too much today. My husband, please don’t take what she said to heart. I have already reprimanded her, and I believe mother will also say something to her.”

She seemed very worried that he would hold a grudge and be dissatisfied with the Qin family.

How could he, a grown man, be so stingy?

Gu Jinghui relaxed, picked up the teacup on the small table, took a sip, and said generously: “It’s okay.”

He didn’t notice Qin Yuan’s hesitation to speak at all.

Qin Yuan turned her face away uncomfortably.

The teacup was the one she had just used, and there were still faint marks of lip balm on the edge.

This man is really…

If a sour talent like Lin Ziqi were to encounter such a scene, he would definitely compose a charming poem and say something like “leftover tea stains lip balm”.

But Lord Gu was not interested in her at all.

Really… not fussy about details.

Gu Jinghui drank the tea in two or three gulps, then held the teacup in his hands and played with it. His narrow and sharp eyes stared at the cute little mole on the tip of Qin Yuan’s nose, and he continued, “I won’t blame your sister for listening to the nonsense people outside said, but I am a little unhappy that she asked you in front of so many people without considering you at all. For your sake, I won’t bother with her.”

Qin Yuan turned around and sighed softly, “There is no smoke without fire. These words have reached my sister’s ears, and she has come to me to ask me. This shows how outrageous the rumors are. My husband’s act of repaying his gratitude is now being said like this… I am also angry for my husband, and I feel ashamed when I return to my parents’ home.”

After hearing this, Gu Jinghui’s body tensed up again and he said angrily, “These bastards who gossip about others are slandering the reputation of my mansion. I…I must find someone to deal with them properly.”

Qin Yuan seemed relieved and said, “That’s great. Otherwise, Madam Zhao hasn’t even finished her mourning period yet. If people spread such rumors, would she have to die to prove her innocence? When the two children grow up, will they suspect that their mother and the Marquis have an affair? The Marquis had good intentions, and he even abandoned his family for the sake of the two children. If this is the result in the end, I really feel sorry for him.”

Gu Jinghui’s face became darker as he listened to Qin Yuan’s thoughtful thoughts.

But after hearing the end, he turned his anger into joy, took Qin Yuan’s hand, and said proudly: “Madam, why do your words sound sour? How about we eat dumplings tonight?”

Hongye couldn’t help but roll her eyes quietly again.

Qin Yuan tried to pull her hand back and said angrily, “I am concerned about you, but you actually thought of dumplings.”

Gu Jinghui seemed to have some leverage over Qin Yuan, and laughed heartily, “I knew you’d been bothering me about going to Fengxuan Pavilion these past two days. I’ve watched those two kids grow up since they were little. They’re only five years old, and just came to the capital from Saibei. They’re not used to it yet, and they’re a lot more distant from me than before, so it’s inevitable that they’re a little clingy. When you get along with each other in the future, you’ll know how lovable those two kids are, and they’ll get close to you, too.”

Qin Yuan snorted.

Gu Jinghui’s heart softened even more.

This humming sound inexplicably reminded him of the Persian cat that his mother loved. It was extremely delicate and usually ignored people. It was very arrogant, but occasionally it would come close to him and cling to him softly, making people love it so much that they would not want to let go.

The daughter-in-law is sweet and soft, and equally proud and lovable.

She had indeed been wronged these days, so it was no wonder that her mother beat him.

He was just about to say something nice to coax Qin Yuan, but Qin Yuan said, “My Lord, have you ever thought about how someone would dare to spread this news after returning victorious and gaining a great reputation? Do these people have any ill intentions towards the Marquis’ Mansion? Madam Zhao and the two children should not be known to others.”

These words made Gu Jinghui take it seriously.

If someone deliberately discredits the Marquis’s Mansion and him, what is he planning to do?

The matter of Madam Zhao and the two children was no secret in the northern frontier, but only people around him knew about it. Why did it spread everywhere in the capital and even reached the ears of his sister-in-law?

Maybe, it was for this sister-in-law that he thought of changing the marriage.

Thinking of this, Gu Jinghui said solemnly: “Madam, you must believe me. Although I regard those two children as my own, they are definitely not my children, and Madam Zhao and I have never had any private relationship.”

Qin Yuan nodded perfunctorily: “Of course I believe you, but it is necessary for outsiders to believe you as well.”

Along the way, Gu Jinghui seemed to be thinking about something. As soon as he returned home, he said, “I have something to do with my mother. You go back to Wutong Garden and rest first.” Qin Yuan said, “I also want to go to my mother and talk to her.”

After returning to her parents’ home, she chatted with the old lady about trivial matters in her mother’s family and thanked her. It was a good opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She also wanted to get the household supplies as soon as possible.

Gu Jinghui sighed helplessly, took Qin Yuan’s hand and said, “I know I haven’t been with you much these past two days, so you don’t have to be so clingy.”

Qin Yuan: “…”

Her pretty face flushed red.

She could not have imagined that Gu Jinghui missed her so much.

Ok.

This saved her the trouble of pretending to be in love.

Then Gu Jinghui coaxed her in an unnaturally soft voice, “Be obedient and go back to rest first. I won’t go anywhere today and will accompany you well.”

Gu Shiliu, who was standing aside, wished he could crawl into the crack of the ground and disappear.

Qin Yuan had no way to defend herself and had to take Hongye back to Wutong Garden.

Hongye kept giggling along the way.

“Why hasn’t the Marquis come back yet?” Hong Ye kept looking at Qin Yuan’s face at dinner time, muttering from time to time, “Don’t break your promise again.”

Qin Yuan was too lazy to pay attention to her.

In the evening, Gu Jinghui was carried back by Gu Shiliu.

His undershirt was torn and stained with blood, his forehead was hot and his eyes were tightly closed.

Qin Yuan was startled.

The two were full of energy when they parted, but it hasn’t been long since then and they have become like this.

Seeing Cuiming and Hongye busy making the bed, Qin Yuan quickly ordered: “Go and get the Xiangfei bamboo couch out.”

You have to lie down so as not to put pressure on the wounds on your back and legs. When the weather is hot, it is more comfortable to lie down on the bamboo couch.

Gu Shiliu, who was standing by, muttered with swollen eyes: “Madam, we need to call a doctor quickly. The Marquis has suffered a lot today.”

Qin Yuan asked: “What on earth is going on?”

Gu Shiliu stammered, “The Marquis was beaten by the old lady.”

“Ah?” Cui Ming asked in surprise, “Didn’t the Marquis be beaten before?”

In the morning, the Marquis was beaten with a stick, but he acted as if nothing had happened. He dealt with Steward Wang and the coachman in high spirits, and rode to the Qin Mansion on horseback. Cui Ming thought that the Marquis was worthy of being a veteran on the battlefield, and he didn’t care about such a minor injury at all.

Gu Shiliu threw the can down and said, “The Marquis was beaten twice.”

Hongye asked, “What did the Marquis do to make the old lady so angry?”

Gu Shiliu looked at Qin Yuan in embarrassment, stamped his feet and said, “The Marquis, hey, don’t mention it, it was all caused by Fengxuan Pavilion.”

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(End of this chapter)