MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 53

 Glossary

 ·Hongye (红叶): Qin Yuan's loyal maidservant.

 ·Bai Que (白雀): A maidservant serving Zhao Niangzi.

 ·Qin Yuan (秦鸢): The female protagonist, Marquise of the household.

 ·Gu Jinghui (顾靖晖): The male protagonist, Marquis Gu.

 ·Cuiming (翠茗): Qin Yuan's other maidservant.

 ·Old Madame Gu (顾老夫人): Gu Jinghui's mother.

 ·Zhao Niangzi (赵娘子): The widow the Marquis brought back.

 ·Gu Shiliu (顾十六): Gu Jinghui's personal attendant.

 ·Rong Mama (容嬷嬷): Old Madame Gu's trusted attendant.

 ·Lu Mama (卢妈妈): The stewardess in charge of the needlework room.

 ·Sixth Madame Gu (六夫人): Wife of the sixth son, Gu Jingjun.

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Chapter 53: A Chicken Talking to a Duck

Hongye rolled her eyes and said irritably, "I've relayed the Marquis's words exactly as he said them. Believe it or not, that's your business."

Bai Que: "...Hey... don't you walk away!"

Hongye shook her off and hurried into Wutong Yuan. She said to the two matrons guarding the gate, "Keep the courtyard gate secure. Don't let any stray cats or dogs from outside come in."

Bai Que had never been treated with such disrespect. She shouted angrily, "You, stop right there!"

As she spoke, she tried to charge inside.

The two matrons quickly grabbed her and pushed her back out, saying repeatedly, "Miss Bai Que, please don't make things difficult for us. Wutong Yuan isn't like before; not just anyone can barge in and call for people."

Bai Que's face flushed red, and she screeched, "You two, let go of me! If you stop me now, don't regret it. I will definitely report you to the Marquis. You'll be sorry then!"

Hearing this, the matrons felt somewhat intimidated and stopped pushing her, but they still guarded the door firmly, not letting her in.

Bai Que had no choice but to stand waiting under the blazing sun for Marquis Gu to come out.

Then, she would make these bullying servants of Wutong Yuan know what it meant to regret deeply.

Gu Jinghui had sharp ears and eyes. While Qin Yuan didn't know what was happening, he heard everything clearly and couldn't help but darken his expression.

Qin Yuan didn't know why his expression had turned unpleasant again, but she couldn't be bothered to ask and pretended not to notice, simply enjoying her meal.

After a while, Marquis Gu would feel better on his own anyway.

Sure enough, Gu Jinghui suddenly said, "Mother said she wants to hear you tell that story you mentioned this morning."

Qin Yuan: "?"

What story?

Gu Jinghui didn't look at her and said, "The one about the person named Qin wiping out the Cuis."

Qin Yuan: "..."

She caught on and glanced suspiciously at Gu Jinghui. "Why didn't you tell Mother the story yourself?"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"Mother wants to hear it from you."

Gu Jinghui would never admit that he couldn't tell it properly.

"Alright,"

Qin Yuan had guessed as much.

She had used an allusion to hint at him, never expecting he wouldn't recognize it at all.

It was truly a case of a chicken talking to a duck.

When dealing with military men, she really couldn't be so scholarly anymore.

This was a lesson.

Outside the room, the curtain rustled loudly; it sounded like Hongye had returned. She didn't come into the inner room to report but sat at a small table, eating while complaining quietly to Cuiming, "It's so annoying, I can't even eat a meal in peace."

Cuiming asked, "What happened?"

"That maid from Fengxuan Pavilion kept insisting I falsely relayed the Marquis's orders and even tried to rush in and make a scene. I had the matrons stop her outside. So unruly, what do they think Wutong Yuan is?"

Cuiming frowned. "What urgent matter do they have that they must come at mealtime?"

Every time they come to fetch someone, it's either during a meal or when it's time to rest.

It's really quite disgusting.

Hongye put her bowl down heavily and said, "I don't know. It didn't look urgent to me. If it really were urgent, even if she didn't believe me, she should have gone to find Old Madame Gu first, then report me to the Marquis. But no, she's stubbornly waiting outside for the Marquis."

Cuiming, being cautious, still sent a young maid out to check.

The young maid came back smiling and said, "Sister Bai Que is still waiting outside, standing right under the sun. Isn't she afraid of getting heatstroke?"

Hongye sneered, "See? What kind of urgent matter could it be? She won't stand in the shade, insists on standing under the sun, just to make us uncomfortable."

Inside, Gu Jinghui's face turned a dark red.

Qin Yuan heard it too but pretended not to.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Hongye had always been quick-tempered. Having held back until now, she needed an outlet for her anger.

This was all caused by Marquis Gu himself. If he remained silent, she could play along with him, pretending to be deaf and dumb until the end of time.

Gu Jinghui couldn't eat anymore. Since Qin Yuan was still eating, he picked at his food aimlessly to keep her company.

Qin Yuan chewed slowly and deliberately for a long time before finally putting down her chopsticks. She then leisurely rinsed her mouth, washed her hands, and brewed a cup of white tea.

Watching her, Gu Jinghui felt the anger in his heart subside and joined her in slowly savoring the tea.

After finishing the tea and looking at the intense sun outside, Qin Yuan stretched and looked at Gu Jinghui as if to say something, but then swallowed her words.

Seeing her lazy eyes and brows, her long, fair arms stretching softly, Gu Jinghui was reminded of his mother's Persian cat. He asked softly, "Would you like to rest some more?"

Qin Yuan shook her head. She asked, "What kind of books are in your study, husband?"

Gu Jinghui thought she wanted to look for books in his study and said, "Mostly military texts and miscellaneous journals."

His study contained military documents, some books on military strategy, records of strange tales, and popular novels like "The Three Heroes and Five Gallants." He suspected none were what Qin Yuan wanted to read.

Gu Jinghui thought to himself whether he should buy some poetry and literature collections for his young wife to keep in the study. It would be nice for the couple to occasionally read and write together.

Qin Yuan said, "I plan to set up a study here in Wutong Yuan. If you are willing, husband, we could share it."

This was just a casual remark.

Most men preferred to handle affairs in the outer courtyard study, not sharing space with the women of the inner household.

Gu Jinghui held multiple posts; surely, he had many official documents unsuitable for outsiders to see.

Unexpectedly, Gu Jinghui hesitated, started to speak, stopped, and then after a long moment said, "Alright, you decide, Yuan'er. It's just that in a few days, I'll be taking my turn on duty at the camp. I'll be away from home for half of every ten-day period and won't be able to keep you company."

Qin Yuan knew he had misunderstood again but couldn't very well explain, so she simply said, "You work hard, husband."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"What hardship is that? It's much more comfortable than enduring sandstorms on the northern frontier," Gu Jinghui said. "It's just that the camp is far from the city, so I can't come back often. If you have any matters, go find Mother and Rong Mama. I'll leave Shiliu with you. If there's an emergency, have Shiliu come find me."

He paused, then added, "Just not too frequently."

If it were too frequent, the lieutenants would joke that he was overly attached to his wife.

Qin Yuan said with a smile, "Alright, you've thought of everything very thoroughly, husband."

After they finished speaking, they again had nothing to say.

Gu Jinghui originally wanted to go out to seek advice from his father-in-law, but Bai Que was still waiting outside. If he went out now, it would look like he was worried about Fengxuan Pavilion. So he picked up the book he had left here last time and hadn't finished reading, planning to sit with Qin Yuan for a while.

But Qin Yuan shooed him away. "Husband, your injuries don't seem fully healed yet. You should rest more to avoid a prolonged recovery affecting your official duties."

Unable to withstand his young wife's concern, Gu Jinghui, feeling pleased, went to the side room to rest.

Only then did Qin Yuan call Hongye and Cuiming over to talk.

The two gave a general account of what they had seen and heard today.

Cuiming said, "Mama Lu claims the accounts were cleared with Sixth Madame Gu's side, but now the physical inventory in the needlework room doesn't match the ledger. It's unclear whether she misremembered herself or embezzled."

As the saying goes, those near mountains live off mountains, those near seas live off seas.

No matter how lean the affairs these stewardesses managed, there were always ways to skim money, just more or less.

The confidantes of the masters naturally held the lucrative posts with rich pickings.

Those with some seniority and backing, but not the strongest connections, got the leaner posts.

Leaning against the Marquis household, pinching a bit here, scraping a bit there, over time, they could accumulate quite a lot.

Cuiming looked at Qin Yuan, wanting to know how she would handle this matter.

In the side room, Gu Jinghui also strained his ears to listen.

(End of Chapter)

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