My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

"Hehe," Hong Ye couldn’t help but laugh, "Look at you, so vigilant."

Xiao Hong stared at her eagerly.

Cui Ming smiled and nudged Hong Ye, "Why do you tease her all day?"

Hong Ye replied, "There are so many traps in Wutong Garden, can one little person occupy them all?"

Xiao Hong muttered, "Still, I want to know who has such good fortune to have been chosen by the Madam."

Qin Yuan glanced at Hong Ye.

Hong Ye said, "You little vinegar pot, so watchful. Hong Mian was originally a maid in Wutong Garden, I noticed her, promoted her to a second-class maid. She was originally called Parrot, but I had her change her name to Hong Mian, understand now? Relieved now?"

Xiao Hong blushed and laughed awkwardly, but then said, "Sister Hong Ye, I understand now. You promote those you fancy to red, what does Sister Cui Ming promote them to?"

Qin Yuan looked at Xiao Hong with interest; she was indeed a clever little one.

Cui Ming laughed heartily, "Promote them to green."

Xiao Hong pondered for a moment and said, "Then it seems I am destined to be with Sister Hong Ye."

Hong Ye said, "Of course, you’re trying to get close to me again."

As they walked to the front of the corridor, they heard the voices of Brother Cheng and Sister Yu.

Xiao Hong whispered, "Brother Cheng heard the Madam was coming, so he pestered Nanny Rong to test them on the characters they learned yesterday. He wants the Madam to know he’s been working hard."

Qin Yuan smiled and asked, "Has he been learning a lot of characters lately?"

Xiao Hong nodded, "Brother Cheng is very diligent now; whenever he has time, he practices writing. I’ve seen him cry secretly a few times, but after crying, he continues to study. Sister Yu doesn’t have such heavy thoughts."

Qin Yuan acknowledged with a sound.

Apparently, Lady Zhao’s actions had burdened the child greatly.

But he hadn’t given up, showing a bit of spirit.

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but think more highly of him.

The little maid saw them and immediately announced their arrival loudly, lifting the curtain to invite them in.

Upon entering, they saw Old Madam Gu, sitting energetically at the top, cheerfully watching Nanny Rong teaching Brother Cheng and Sister Yu to read characters.

Qin Yuan paid her respects.

Brother Cheng and Sister Yu also came to greet her, calling her godmother.

Qin Yuan smiled and asked, "Are you well?"

"We’re good," Brother Cheng replied, "Grandmother treats us well."

After greeting, Sister Yu stood to the side, twisting her fingers nervously.

Old Madam Gu laughed, "My dear, haven’t seen you in so long. What wind blew my little beauty here?"

Nanny Rong said, "Ah, it’s been so many days without seeing the Madam, the Old Madam has mentioned her countless times. Without the Madam, even the meals don’t taste good."

Qin Yuan laughed, "I’ve wanted to come every day, the little kitchen here is so delicious, I miss it. But these days I’ve been busy sorting accounts, and because of smallpox, I’ve been moving around less."

Old Madam Gu patted the seat beside her warmly, "Come, sit here, let us two have a good time together. As for Hui’er, he’s somewhat of a distant fragrance, the more we see him, the more we tire. With you not here, I always feel uneasy."

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Old Madam Gu held Qin Yuan’s hand, asking about everything, and Qin Yuan explained in detail.

Old Madam Gu said, "I heard someone say the Xu family made a big fuss the other day, luckily you managed to fend them off. But there’s still no news of Zhenzhen, it doesn’t seem promising. Once the mansion opens, I really don’t know how to give the Xu family an explanation."

Qin Yuan sighed, "The Marquis sent people to investigate Yu Yuantang, they say no one has seen Zhenzhen there, and the Marquis is at a loss. The Magistrate from the Capital Governor Mansion also investigated but found no trace. The Marquis is worried, but all this ultimately rests with Sixth Sister-in-law since it was she who told us Zhenzhen was going to Yu Yuantang."

Only the aunt and niece knew what they discussed.

Old Madam Gu hesitated and sighed, "What a pity, Zhenzhen is such a good child, she came to stay at the Marquis Mansion to find a good family, and now look. If the in-laws turn against each other, it will be troublesome."

Qin Yuan thought, given the Xu family’s behavior, this matter would be difficult to resolve amicably.

But she didn’t say anything.

Old Madam Gu asked, "And Sixth Elder..."

Qin Yuan understood Old Madam Gu was worried about Sixth Master Gu and Sixth Madam, and said, "Sixth Master is quite upset, and because of the smallpox, he moved to the outer courtyard to stay with the Marquis. He’s been talking about reading and writing poetry every day, and a few days ago, he even published a collection of poems."

Old Madam Gu’s previously furrowed brow relaxed, and she smiled, "Sixth Elder published a collection of poems? This child."

Qin Yuan said, "Yes, it was made with my cousin at Yu Yuantang that day. By coincidence, the Minister of Rites and the Lord Academic Administrator were also there, and out of interest, the Lord Minister composed a poem too. Sixth Master then compiled the poems into a collection, originally meant for some scholars to copy and distribute, to leave a small mark. The Marquis suggested that Sixteen find a way to have it printed, not only to give as gifts but also to sell in bookstores."

Old Madam Gu couldn’t help but laugh heartily, "Sixth Elder can actually think of this! This child has improved so much with your cousin. The friends he knew before only tricked him out of his silver, never did anything worthwhile."

"I do pity Sixth Elder, so I let him do as he likes. The child has had a hard time, weak since childhood, neither good in literature nor martial arts. We are of military merit, and those we associate with hold military positions. Since he doesn’t engage in military affairs, they don’t get close to him. Moreover..."

Old Madam Gu stopped speaking.

Qin Yuan knew she must be thinking about the troubled times the Gu family went through.

Marquis Gu felt the same, falling silent when the topic came up.

Nanny Rong, previously listening with a smile, picked up the conversation, "I wonder if Sixth Master has improved his poetry following Mr. Qin."

"He has," Qin Yuan said with a smile, "both my cousin and father like to encourage others to study, and Sixth Master seems to get along well with him. Since returning from the lake trip, he moved his books to the outer courtyard, studying tirelessly, determined to write a great poem to impress the people of the Book Sea Pavilion. Fortunately, Doctor Li advised that he is congenitally weak and shouldn’t push himself too hard, needing more rest and practice of exercises like the Five Animals Qigong. So, recently, Sixth Master has also begun training in stances with the Marquis again. I think Sixth Master’s second poetry collection should come soon."

"This child, while it’s good to be diligent in studies, there’s no need to rush so much initially. But what is this Book Sea Pavilion?"

Qin Yuan explained the previous happenings again.

Old Madam Gu held Qin Yuan’s little hand tightly, sighing.

"Good child, if it weren’t for your companion, Sixth Elder would be needlessly upset. Sixth Elder seems mild-mannered and agreeable, but he has a solitary disposition. Even his third brother sometimes has to give in to him. You must reward your companion well."

Qin Yuan thought to herself, Old Madam Gu truly cares for Sixth Master Gu, unwilling for him to suffer any distress.

In comparison, Marquis Gu is rather pitiable, still enduring the Old Madam’s reprimands at his age.