Chapter 225: Well Done
The two of them went together to the large courtyard where the servants lived to visit Brother Qi.
Someone had already received the news in advance and drove out the miscellaneous people to avoid offending Qin Yuan.
When they arrived, Qi Yuntian had just taken medicine and was in a daze. Gu Shiliu gently shook him awake.
"The Marquis and the Marchioness have come to see you. If you have any difficulties, remember to tell the masters."
Qi Yuntian looked about twelve or thirteen years old, with a thin and weak frame, which made his head seem a bit large, like a bean sprout.
Hearing this, he hastily reached for his clothes, intending to put them on.
Gu Shiliu said, "Find something better."
After a while, he found one.
After putting it on, Qi Yuntian struggled to get out of bed to pay his respects.
Gu Shiliu hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Putting on your clothes is enough, no need to get out of bed."
Qi Yuntian said anxiously, "How can I not pay respects when the masters come to see me?"
Gu Shiliu replied, "This is what the masters have instructed. If you move around and worsen your injury, what then? You should just lie down properly."
Qi Yuntian’s eyes reddened, and he nodded.
Once the room was tidied up, Gu Shiliu invited the masters in.
Qi Yuntian lived with four or five others, so it was inevitably a bit messy, and the smell wasn’t very pleasant. Due to the direction it faced, it was also somewhat stuffy.
As soon as Qin Yuan entered, she covered her nose with a handkerchief.
Gu Jinghui comforted Qi Yuntian for a while, and then gave him silver and medicinal herbs. Cui Ming stepped forward and placed the food boxes prepared by the Old Madam and Qin Yuan next to his bed.
Qi Yuntian had never received such treatment. Unable to get out of bed due to discomfort, he performed a salute from his bed, tearfully saying, "It’s just a minor injury, thank you, Marquis and Marchioness, for your concern. Once I’m healed, I’ll work hard to repay your kindness."
Gu Jinghui showed a look of sympathy, saying, "This time, you’ve really been put through a lot. My adopted son and daughter grew up at the Northern Border and are rather reckless. I originally wanted to bring them to apologize with me, but the Old Madam punished them, so they didn’t come. Please don’t take it to heart."
Qi Yuntian said, "I wouldn’t dare."
Gu Jinghui asked, "Is there any inconvenience while you’re recuperating in the mansion now?"
Upon hearing Gu Shiliu lightly cough, Qi Yuntian timidly said, "I have an old mother who is blind and finds it hard to get by. I used to visit her every five or six days, but now with the mansion sealed, I’m really worried about her."
Before Gu Jinghui could speak, Qin Yuan said, "Husband, I think it’s quite inconvenient for Brother Qi to recuperate here. This room is poorly oriented, and it’s summer now, making it easy for wounds to become inflamed. With so many people living in one place, he can’t rest well. It would be better to move him to Doctor Li’s courtyard to recover. Xiao Dong can look after him conveniently, and it’s easier to change dressings and such."
Gu Jinghui readily agreed, saying, "The Marchioness is considerate, and her suggestion makes sense."
Qin Yuan continued, "There are many vacant rooms in that courtyard. If Brother Qi is worried about his old mother, she can temporarily stay in the mansion. Once his wounds are healed, we can discuss further arrangements. Brother Qi, what do you think?"
Qi Yuntian was overjoyed upon hearing this and cried, "That would be wonderful, thank you for your kindness, Marchioness, and Marquis."
Gu Shiliu immediately said, "I’ll arrange someone to take care of it right away."
Gu Jinghui: "..."
Alright then.
Qi Yuntian was soon moved to an empty room in Doctor Li’s courtyard.
Xiao Dong ran over to see the excitement, exclaiming, "You moved over?"
Qi Yuntian, being a bit older than Xiao Dong and somewhat reserved, replied, "Yes, I will trouble you for your help in the future."
Xiao Dong nodded and shook his head, "It’s fine, Madam has arranged for a servant here. My master is here, so it’s convenient for you to have consultations, and you don’t have to go so far."
Qi Yuntian hadn’t felt such kindness in a long time, and his eyes reddened, but he said nothing in the end.
Soon after, his blind mother was also brought into the mansion and settled down.
His mother, constantly worried at home, didn’t care about smallpox and came as soon as she could. She felt her child’s face and cried a lot.
Qi Yuntian said a few kind words, then Doctor Li and Xiao Dong attended to his mother’s consultation.
They, along with Doctor Li, received their meals from the main kitchen under Qin Yuan’s instructions.
This matter quickly spread throughout the whole family, with everyone saying that the Marquis is magnanimous and the Marchioness is kind and thoughtful.
Sixth Master Gu and his servant had finished dinner and were cooling off in the pavilion.
Sixth Master Gu shook his head and said, "If it weren’t for Third Sister-in-law’s intervention, how could this have ended so beautifully."
The servant also said, "The masters in the mansion care for us servants, and we’re all willing to serve them wholeheartedly. No one wants to serve someone like Young Master Cheng. Doesn’t everyone’s family have someone who’s been on the battlefield under the master’s command? It’s not like only Young Master Cheng’s father lost his life for the master. It was just luck and rebirth."
The servant’s words were half sincere and half pretense.
Sixth Master Gu didn’t like the pair of twins, and naturally, his servant didn’t either.
Marquis Gu stood with his hands behind his back, dazed in the shadows for a while.
His clothes, books, and belongings were sent back to the outer courtyard study by Hong Ye and Gu Shiliu.
When asked, the answer was that the Marchioness felt it was best to be cautious before opening the mansion formally and temporarily living apart was advisable.
Knowing well that his young wife was angry with him, he felt helpless. Gu Jinghui was stifled beyond words but couldn’t find anyone to talk to.
Stepping out to stand for a while, he overheard the Sixth Elder and his servant’s conversation.
Feeling bored, Marquis Gu turned back to the study.
"Yuan’er is really ruthless."
Marquis Gu fiddled with the incense bag in his hand, muttering irritably yet fondly.
The young wife had made her stance clear, and he couldn’t bring himself to shamelessly make amends. After muttering for a while, he put down the incense bag and picked up a scroll, starting again from the first line. But he couldn’t concentrate; his mind was in chaos, repeatedly pondering over Qin Yuan’s words.
Although Qin Yuan had said it was just a speculation without evidence, his gut feeling was that she was right.
"Shiliu, what kind of background does Mrs. Zhao have to possess such a malicious mind? And what about Pang Hai?"
Unable to enjoy the soft embrace and fragrance of Wutong Garden, a dejected Gu Jinghui lived alone in the outer courtyard, dining and resting, calling upon Gu Shiliu for consultation.
Gu Shiliu furrowed his brows and said, "The Marchioness has asked twice about Pang Hai. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now it seems Pang Hai might actually be from Jizhou, merely claiming to be a member of the Pang Family due to some secret in his background."
"What did the Marchioness ask?"
Gu Jinghui promptly laid down his scroll.
"She asked me if I had ever seen Pang Hai at the Northern Border and if Pang Hai had ever mentioned Jizhou. Now that I think about it, although I seldom met with Pang Hai, I do remember him being a bold, tall man who enjoyed making friends."
"He claimed to be from Jizhou, occasionally mentioning things about Jizhou in conversation. Moreover, there are many fellow villagers from Jizhou in the army. If he wasn’t familiar with the local customs, he wouldn’t be able to hide it."
Gu Jinghui said, "At the very least, he must have been to Jizhou or grew up there. He’s just assumed the identity of a member of the Pang Family."
Gu Shiliu nodded.
Gu Jinghui immediately devised a plan, saying, "Send a message to General Jin, asking those in the Great Camp who were once close to Pang Hai to carefully recall what he mentioned."
Gu Shiliu said, "I also have an idea."
"Tell me."
"Mrs. Zhao used to be at the Northern Border and often interacted with the wives of your subordinates. There’s no guarantee she didn’t say something."