Chapter 609: Chapter 609: What Are Your Plans

Inside the room.

Qin Yuan’s voice was soft, her movements gentle, but Marquis Gu’s heart was profoundly shaken.

Could it be...

Outside the window.

The chilling autumn wind blew a yellow leaf from the tree, tracing a poignant and lonely arc in the air, withering, falling into decay, and despairing.

Once it falls from the tree, the leaf loses its vitality.

What follows is inevitable decay and demise.

...One leaf heralds the autumn.

When Qiujie came to invite the Marquis and Madam to talk in the main room, the courtyard was unusually quiet, where there should have been many maidservants under the corridor, none were seen at this moment.

Hong Ye and Cui Ming’s absence could be overlooked, but even Mo Zhu and others were not there, prompting Qiujie to peek into the window, noticing the Madam was drying the Marquis’ hair, which made her smile involuntarily.

Marquis Gu, hearing the commotion, finally recalled his wandering mind, looked over, and Qiujie hurriedly spoke through the window: "Old Madam has prepared good wine and dishes in the main room, waiting for Madam and the Marquis to dine and talk."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "You go back first, we will come over shortly."

Qiujie whispered, "Old Madam has not been happy since her return, even Seventh Miss acted spoiled, Lan and the others tried to cheer her up, but none succeeded."

Qin Yuan nodded and said to Qiujie, "Thank you for the reminder."

After watching Qiujie leave, she turned to see the steam rising from Marquis Gu’s head, and in a moment, his once damp hair was dry.

Qin Yuan: ...

Marquis Gu had deftly handed over a comb, smiling: "Good Yuan’er, how about helping me comb my hair?"

Qin Yuan had no choice but to take it, casually picking up a hairpin and fixing his hair.

Marquis Gu looked into the mirror repeatedly until satisfied, quickly changed his clothes, and led her to the main room holding her hand.

When they arrived, Sixth Master Gu and Gu Baoshu were already there.

Old Madam Gu sat with a stern face, her hands rapidly fiddling with prayer beads, anyone could see her intense anger.

Upon their entrance, Sixth Master Gu and Gu Baoshu simultaneously looked at them, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Yuan thought their relief came too early.

After everyone was seated following the greetings, Old Madam Gu put down her prayer beads, striving to keep her tone calm: "Third son, you’ve been working hard outside these days, mother sees it, I didn’t want to interfere, but today I simply couldn’t endure."

Gu Jinghui shifted uneasily.

Gu Baoshu shrank obediently like a quail, her eyes darting around, thinking that if their mother focused on Third Brother, she might spare her.

Old Madam Gu continued: "Third son, do you know what happened today at Duke Zhen’s Mansion?"

She didn’t need Marquis Gu to answer, and continued herself: "The Crown Prince fell into the water, the cause was related to the You Family, not our Treasure Bead, yet we still stood outside to apologize. Treasure Bead went to check on the Crown Prince, but they blocked her, saying they couldn’t bear it, fearing she would doom the Crown Prince...

This clearly despises our Treasure Bead for being a posthumous child. Who exactly is to blame for Treasure Bead’s plight?

Thinking about it infuriates me, our Dingbei Marquis Mansion sacrificed so many lives for the Da Xing Kingdom, not for the child to endure such grievances."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened with emotion.

Marquis Gu dared not look anymore.

Sixth Master Gu stood up abruptly, enraged: "This is too much, do they think the Gu Family is insignificant, to say such things."

"Mother, Sixth Brother don’t get angry, I left right away at the scene, didn’t just stand there enduring silently, the Crown Prince being weak doesn’t mean it’s my fault."

Gu Baoshu hurried to reassure.

The Crown Prince’s fall into the water wasn’t entirely unrelated to her, the Empress Dowager fearing her hard fate kept her from marriage plots, this way they wouldn’t scheme her marriage anymore.

Old Madam Gu glared at her: "You foolish child, even if they think this way, they shouldn’t show it, human hearts are hard to fathom, no matter their thoughts, they must hide it. Otherwise, the lives sacrificed by Dingbei Marquis Mansion are lost in vain, lacking dignity is unacceptable." Unkingly and unministerial."

Qin Yuan silently sipped her tea, on such matters, only the Gu Family could speak.

Sixth Master Gu sat again, looking at Marquis Gu: "Third Brother, you should say something."

Marquis Gu helplessly asked: "What does mother plan to do?"

Old Madam Gu said: "Your mother and sister are aggrieved, what plan should you have?"

The man in charge of the family, if unable to stand up for the family, lacks dignity.

Gu Jinghui’s suppressed anger surged again.

It wasn’t only his mother and sister who were wronged, but his wife too!

"What plan do I have?"

Gu Jinghui’s expression grew cold, his voice hoarse: "If not for this title, there are many things I would like to do."

Ten years ago, he watched the Crown Prince who vowed lifelong companionship perish, saw his father and brothers depart for the Northern Border, witnessed coffins returned.

If it weren’t for his mother holding him back, he would have traded his life long ago, how could he live on in disgrace.

His mother said, the family was empty, and dying would shame the ancestors underground.

He simply left everything and went to the Northern Border.

Death would be preferable there.

Otherwise, whom could he justify his existence to?

And now, his mother spoke of this again.

Old Madam Gu slapped the table: "A gentleman’s revenge is never too late for ten years. Back then we were weak, and easily manipulated. Mother only wanted to protect you, never imagined you’d charge into the Northern Border, not returning for ten years, achieving great deeds, yet still swallowing grievances from this handful of women, mother feels utterly stifled."

Times have changed, the Gu Family has risen once more.

Gu Baoshu promptly said: "Right, treating me poorly is treating my brother poorly, today they schemed repeatedly, reducing our Gu Family to mere fodder."

Sixth Master Gu glanced at Gu Baoshu.

At this moment, don’t add to the chaos.

Recalling past events...

Gu Baoshu was just a child, it’s his own weakness and lack of talent that’s to blame.

Indeed, as mother said, living without clashing will not work.

Gu Family’s resurgence was thanks to Third Brother.

He should be the one to make decisions.

Gu Baoshu was dissatisfied: "Sixth Brother, you didn’t go to Duke Zhen’s Mansion today, you escaped a calamity. Everyone there was calculating, treating us like meat, it wasn’t only about my marriage, they even targeted my sister-in-law. Trying to publicly humiliate my Third Brother. Who can tolerate this?"

With a crashing sound, the tea cups and fruit trays on Old Madam Gu’s table fell, shattering into pieces, and the prayer beads that were never out of her hands dropped to the ground.

"What?"

Old Madam Gu’s body swayed violently, Qin Yuan and Marquis Gu immediately rose to support her, "Mother."

Sixth Master Gu and Nanny Rong also crowded around, faces full of concern.