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

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Lady Zhao’s Self-Injury Ruse

Gu Shiliu couldn’t elaborate with Hong Ye and rushed into the side room.

As soon as he entered, Gu Jinghui had a dark expression and asked: ”What have you been busy with these past few days?”

Gu Shiliu had served him long enough to know this was just an opening remark, and he didn’t need to answer.

Sure enough, Gu Jinghui continued: ”How is the investigation I asked you to conduct coming along?”

Gu Shiliu felt a bit aggrieved.

He was just one person, yet he had to serve the Marquis, protect the Marchioness, investigate the rumors, and occasionally carry out other tasks instructed.

He was simply stretched thin.

He mentioned several times about calling Seventeen to help, but the Marquis insisted that there was no need.

He wasn’t the Great Sage Equalling Heaven Sun Wukong, after all.

”Investigated some, but it’s too much for me alone; there are too many people in the mansion talking about it.”

Even though he said too many, in reality, Gu Shiliu felt that aside from the people under the Marchioness, everyone else was talking.

It’s quite troublesome to check each one.

But he had a rough idea and vaguely identified the source.

”Then tell me, what have you found out?”

Gu Jinghui at this moment appeared to interrogate like a scout in the military camp, his sharp eyes glistening with frost.

”I vaguely know these things are being spread by some people over there.”

No further details available.

”Well, let’s hear it.”

Gu Jinghui responded plainly.

”There’s Sixth Madam’s side, Seventh Miss, and...”

With each name mentioned, Gu Jinghui’s face froze a bit more.

”And who else?”

The Dingbei Marquis Mansion had only these few masters, who else could it be?

It certainly wouldn’t be his own mother.

Gu Shiliu glanced at Gu Jinghui and said: ”And Lady Zhao.”

”What?”

Gu Jinghui waved his hand in shock, causing the jade pillow to be pushed to the edge of the couch, then slipped off the smooth bamboo mat to the floor, making a crisp sound.

Gu Shiliu felt a touch of distress.

But Gu Jinghui paid no heed to these things.

”You’re saying Lady Zhao is outside talking about me... and me?”

These people weren’t necessarily saying the same things.

Sixth Madam’s people kept saying the Marquis cherished Lady Zhao and the two children, always providing the best, eating the finest, not allowing them to suffer any grievance. They were the Marquis’s most beloved, the future masters, urging everyone in the mansion to be mindful and cautious.

Seventh Miss frequently mentioned the importance of Lady Zhao and the two children in the Marquis’s heart during social gatherings, using it as a topic of conversation.

As for Lady Zhao.

She mournfully stayed in the mansion, exerting the air of being the Marquis’s children’s mother, while mingling with the wives and children of the Marquis’s subordinates.

In her words, she always said the Marquis was the children’s father, she was merely a woman relying on the Marquis Mansion. Fortunately, the Marquis held deep affection for them, securing their future.

These combined, had everyone in the mansion believing Lady Zhao was just waiting for the mourning period to end, ready to enter the mansion as the Marquis’s concubine.

If everyone in the mansion thought so, outsiders would too.

Rumors were spreading outside that Lady Zhao was a woman brought back from the battlefield by the Marquis, deeply cherished, had given birth to twins, maybe even with a claim to inherit the Marquis Mansion in the future.

”Absurd, absurd.”

Gu Jinghui disdainfully knotted his dark brows.

”You said...”

Gu Shiliu strained his ears to listen.

Gu Jinghui swallowed his words.

What use was there in discussing these matters now?

After a long pause, Gu Jinghui sighed, ”No wonder the Marchioness said those things.”

Words about dignity, how to arrange Lady Zhao and her children.

What about being unintentionally separated.

Gu Shiliu couldn’t help himself, ”I heard...”

Before finishing, Gu Jinghui asked: ”Heard what?”

”I heard Lady Zhao is ill, and moreover, she won’t allow anyone to summon a doctor, for fear...”

Gu Shiliu hesitated.

Gu Jinghui’s frown deepened, his face hardened, eyes flaring with anger.

Clearly infuriated.

”What’s she truly trying to do?”

Gu Shiliu said: ”Doesn’t the Marquis see, it’s Lady Zhao’s plea for sympathy?”

He, unmarried, needed to consider these matters for the Marquis.

Marquis Gu was taken aback.

Gu Shiliu: ”...”

The master truly hadn’t realized it.

Gu Shiliu had to speak plainly, ”Marquis, Lady Zhao has that kind of intention, causing the Marquis to be reprimanded by Old Madam, unable to find another way to reach you, and if she threatened her own life, technically you could ignore her, but with her slowly becoming ill, could you stand by? Eventually, those two little masters will come pleading, and by then, what will you do?”

Gu Jinghui frustratedly stood up, pacing like a headless fly.

After a long time, he said: ”Tomorrow I’ll return to the Great Camp, you tell Brother Cheng and Sister Yu that I’m headed there, they are of age to enter the Imperial College, can’t be taught by their mother anymore, let Brother Cheng reside in the outer court, find a tutor, Sister Yu...”

Gu Jinghui paused.

Either way, Brother Cheng and Sister Yu were Lady Zhao’s children.

Though he’s the adoptive father, he couldn’t solely decide, must discuss with Lady Zhao.

But he had no desire to see that woman now.

There was a knock on the door outside.

Gu Jinghui snapped back and asked: ”Who?”

Qin Yuan softly replied from outside: ”Husband, it’s me.”

Gu Jinghui was originally annoyed with Qin Yuan for trivial matters, but suddenly he felt guilty and wouldn’t see her.

”May I come in?”

Gu Jinghui said: ”Come in.”

Qin Yuan opened the door and entered, seeing the two with unpleasant expressions, further affirmed Gu Jinghui was upset over something else, unrelated to her. She smiled, ”Husband, what would you like for dinner?”

Gu Jinghui wanted to send her away quickly, ”You decide, I’m not picky. Send it here soon, I have matters to discuss with Sixteen.”

Qin Yuan wisely took her leave.

Gu Jinghui asked Gu Shiliu: ”What to do now?”

Gu Shiliu was also at a loss.

Lady Zhao was determined to be ill, nobody could stop her, the Marquis could distance himself from her, but couldn’t let her hurt herself.

Nor could he leave the two kids motherless.

But...

There was another knock at the door, a maid coming to serve the meal.

Gu Jinghui asked curiously: ”Didn’t the Marchioness just say she would arrange the meal?”

The maid smiled, ”The Marchioness had already arranged the Marquis’s meal, she came just to check if you had any particular cravings.”

Gu Jinghui’s expression eased, a complex look cast at the departing maid who had set the table, ”The Marchioness merely wished to dine with me.”

His young wife was quite clingy.

Gu Shiliu stared at the two sets of tableware, dazed, if he could, he wouldn’t want to dine with the Marquis.

Qin Yuan contently had dinner with the maids, rested for a bit, then lit the incense burner, completing the upper part of a poem titled ”Bodhisattva’s Blessing,” copying it onto floral stationery, instructing Hong Ye and Cui Ming to retrieve the old handwriting templates used for practice at home, placing them on the desk, planning to write two hundred large characters daily.

As for how long Marquis Gu and Gu Shiliu’s secret talks lasted, she knew nothing.