Marquis Gu seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes flashed, his fingers beside him unconsciously curled slightly.

Gu Baoshu proudly raised her chin, gesturing animatedly, "Isn’t that right? Xu Tang competed with me, losing two out of three rounds. Unwilling to accept defeat, he insisted on another match. I wanted him to concede wholeheartedly, so I agreed. We made a pact that if he lost again, he’d call me ’Dad’. Just now, if he hadn’t summoned me, he would have no choice but to call me ’Dad’.

Qin Yuan exclaimed, "I didn’t expect you to be so good at cuju. I heard Xu Tang is exceptionally skilled, that’s why he was kept in the palace to entertain. No one in the palace could match his ball skills, plus he’s notoriously cunning, many have fallen for his tricks. You’ll still need to be wary when encountering him in the future."

Gu Baoshu shook her head indifferently, "His reputation surpasses his actual skill. If he’s foolish enough to scheme against me, I can rightfully break his leg—I just hope he tries."

Seeing neither Old Madam Gu nor Marquis Gu reprimanding her, she seized the opportunity to boast, attracting admiration from the children who looked up to her immensely.

After the meal, Nanny Rong took the children out, and Gu Baoshu said to Qin Yuan, "Brother Heng said he wanted to play cuju with me, and introduce me to Xu Tang to get acquainted. Yet, he hasn’t been seen these past few days, and I’ve been too busy to look for him."

Qin Yuan knew Qin Heng probably fell victim to Mrs. Cui’s schemes, and laughed, "Weren’t you looking to make friends? Now you’ve forced someone to call you ’Dad’, seems you’ve made an enemy. It’s alright he’s not around, he can help mediate later."

Gu Baoshu’s eyes twinkled, "No matter, if Xu Tang can’t stand me, all the better. I’ve plenty of tricks for him."

An attitude like she was only worried things wouldn’t get chaotic.

Marquis Gu finally couldn’t resist reprimanding, "Calm down, don’t think you’re invincible just because you’re skilled in martial arts. Remember, there’s always someone stronger out there."

Old Madam Gu, silent until now, spoke, "Treasure Bead, behave before you go to the White Crane Academy, alright? Even when you are there, keep a low profile. They say teeth that are too hard break quickly, the tongue that is soft lasts the longest. Mother only wishes for you to live without worry."

Gu Baoshu held her teacup, nodding along, but it was apparent she hadn’t taken it to heart.

Sixth Master Gu quickly changed the topic, "Third Brother suddenly called us all here, is there something urgent?"

Marquis Gu sighed first, picked up his cup, took a few sips, then put it down and picked it up again, repeating this three to four times before saying, "I won’t hide it from you; a lot has transpired outside these days..."

Gu Baoshu immediately showed interest, "Third Brother, I’ve been asking around, but haven’t heard anything."

Marquis Gu shot her a sidelong glance, mocking, "And what can you find from asking Shi Ba and the others? If they reveal anything to you, they deserve a beating." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Seeing she went silent, Marquis Gu lightly cleared his throat and solemnly said, "The details are difficult to elaborate on one by one, but you must be cautious when leaving the mansion. Now, I... I’ve allied with Prince Qi; the Crown Prince and Empress Lin are currently attempting to win over Dingbei Marquis Mansion, they might lose patience soon."

Qin Yuan and Sixth Master Gu remained silent, only Gu Baoshu blinked and asked, "Didn’t you say Prince Qi was like a black sesame dumpling? Aren’t we at Dingbei Marquis Mansion loyal only to the Emperor and uninvolved in Royal affairs?"

Marquis Gu paused before saying, "We at Dingbei Marquis Mansion are loyal to the Emperor, but the Emperor doesn’t trust Dingbei Marquis Mansion, leaving us no choice... You’ll go to White Crane Academy after the festival, don’t stir up trouble in the Capital City, avoid anyone like You Da or Song Erlang. I know you can’t keep secrets, but this matter concerns the life and death of the Gu Family, surely you understand its gravity."

Gu Baoshu froze momentarily, muttering, "What’s this about? We’re merely gathering as ladies, what trouble could arise?"

Sixth Master Gu hurriedly tugged at her sleeve, saying, "Just listen to Third Brother, You Da is too cunning, if you’re close to her, who knows what secrets you might inadvertently share. Even if you know nothing, and she can’t extract anything, should she cause trouble once, tying you to the Crown Prince’s boat, how would Third Brother handle it?"

Gu Baoshu was indignant, "Am I that foolish?"

Qin Yuan laughed, "You’re not foolish, just different from their intelligence. Comparing your weaknesses to their strengths, you’ll naturally fall short. Let’s lay low first, once the court situation stabilizes, it won’t matter anymore."

"You’re the one who truly understands me, Sister-in-law," Gu Baoshu was touched, "I certainly won’t hinder Third Brother."

Sixth Master Gu glanced at Gu Baoshu, quietly sighed.

Old Madam Gu tightly clenched the prayer beads in her palm, her expression stern, "Old Third... what exactly has been happening these days...?"

Gu Jinghui stopped withholding information, speaking slowly, "Recently someone set fire to the prison at the Capital Governor Mansion, nearly abducting Monk Zhiguang, fortunately, we received the news and pursued overnight, unexpectedly capturing several members of the Yelv Clan."

Everyone was shocked, hurriedly asking, "How could this be? What else?"

Gu Jinghui remained stoic, his voice very low, "...And... a few death warriors, they belong to Earl Chengen."

Qin Yuan exhaled heavily.

Earl Chengen is Empress Lin’s brother, deeply beloved by the Emperor, until now Monk Zhiguang was merely suspected to be connected to Empress Lin, but this confirms it.

The room was silent, the sound of pins dropping was audible, outside the window, the laughter of the young maids watching cat and dog fights was clearly heard.

Just a window’s distance, two different states of mind.

Qin Yuan paused before asking, "What happened to Monk Zhiguang?"

If Monk Zhiguang perishes, this matter would become irresolvable.

Furthermore...

Her eyes glanced at the solemn-faced Old Madam Gu.

Qin Yuan thought, the corpse in the dry well, who is it really, needs an answer too.

Gu Jinghui said numbly, "Abducted by bandits."

"Bandits?"

Everyone was shocked again.

Gu Jinghui nodded, "Yes, bandits, now they’re all hiding in the Imperial Manor in the suburbs of the Capital City."

Gu Baoshu couldn’t contain herself any longer, jumping up, "Why not order a search from manor to manor?"

Sixth Master Gu reprimanded, "Reckless, the Imperial Manor in the Capital City suburbs belongs to the Imperial Family, how can they be searched carelessly? Furthermore, Monk Zhiguang’s escape falls under the jurisdiction of the Capital Governor Mansion and the Five Cities Military Department, Third Brother shouldn’t interfere, alarming the Crown Prince and others, we can only act covertly."

Qin Yuan nodded in agreement.

It seems Sixth Master Gu has gained much from his recent interaction with Mr. Songshan.

Gu Baoshu could not refute, angrily sat down again, and cursed, "What use is the Capital Governor Mansion? Xu Zhen has yet to be found, let alone now that bandits are hiding in the Imperial Manor—it’s beyond control."