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

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: That Is a Misguided Statement

How one handles subordinates can greatly reflect a person’s magnanimity and ability.

Gu Jinghui was somewhat curious about what choice his young wife would make.

Would she pick them up heavily and put them down lightly, impose heavy punishment, or let things lie for the sake of peace, pretending ignorance?

Qin Yuan said, ”I have already stated, if she has any entanglement with Sixth Madam, it has nothing to do with me. Water that is too clear has no fish; as long as she generally follows the right path, I do not intend to investigate closely.”

”But today, she has offended me directly, so we need to take a closer look, lest others think I’m easily fooled.”

Cui Ming asked, ”Miss, do you plan to thoroughly audit Mrs. Lu’s accounts to set an example?”

Qin Yuan replied, ”Yes and no.”

Hong Ye was puzzled, ”What do you mean?”

Qin Yuan said, ”My intention is not just to manage these few women.”

Cui Ming understood, ”Miss intends to govern the household.”

”Yes, my intention is to govern the household, naturally I cannot be soft-hearted, but I also cannot make too many enemies. Whether she acted carelessly or was instigated by others, if I let it slide, wouldn’t it mean everyone perceives me as someone easy to bully? Yet, I also can’t be too harsh on her.”

”Instigated by others?” Hong Ye asked, ”Could it be Sixth Madam?”

Qin Yuan replied, ”Whoever is scheming and plotting is the one causing trouble.”

Since she married into the Marquis Mansion, Sixth Lady Gu has not been peaceful.

If she weren’t naturally calm and prepared, she might have been agitated and grown distant from Gu Jinghui.

Now, Sixth Lady Gu continually shows weakness and goodwill, hinting that she should have a child soon to secure her position as the Marchioness, expending all her wits on this.

Cui Ming sighed, ”The Marquis Mansion is truly a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair, much more complicated than the Qin Family.”

At these words, Gu Jinghui’s hands clenched into fists in the side room.

If simplicity were compared, the Lin Family has only a widowed mother, making it much simpler.

Then he heard Qin Yuan laugh, ”The Qinghe Cui Family is an aristocratic family, and father, being a Sacrificial Officer, strictly maintains the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring, not allowing concubines and their children to cause trouble; even favored concubines are not overly indulged, which cost mother quite a bit of effort.”

”All father’s official connections and relatives seeking refuge with the clan are managed by mother. The Qin Family has a weak foundation, and father’s salary is not high, if not for mother’s plans, it would be very difficult.”

Hong Ye said, ”I thought Miss might have complaints about the madam.”

Qin Yuan said, ”As an illegitimate daughter, survival is difficult, naturally, there is dissatisfaction with the legitimate mother’s intentional suppression, but as the main wife, I can understand the legitimate mother’s hardships. It’s just the difference in position.”

The more Gu Jinghui listened to Qin Yuan talk, the more he felt he had married a treasure.

Though Hong Ye’s maid often speaks carelessly and offends, she wasn’t wrong in her observations.

His young wife is a person who understands reason, unlike others.

Qin Yuan continued, ”Mr. Dongpo said: ’Life is like a journey against the current, I am also a traveler.’ There’s no place where everything is perfect; just having my mother treat me well exceeds countless blessings. Many women in the world marry into families and spend most of their days serving their mother-in-law. It’s not unheard of for daughters-in-law to be disliked by their mother-in-law and suffer to their demise. Mother never imposed rules on me and, due to the Marquis’ influence, she’s always afraid I’ll be wronged; what more could I be dissatisfied with?”

Gu Jinghui breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Cui Ming giggled, ”Miss married more to the Old Madam than to the Marquis.”

Qin Yuan laughed joyfully as well.

Cui Ming’s words were only half-right, she married the Marquis Mansion, not just the Marquis.

Voices rose again outside the courtyard, along with several exclamations.

Hong Ye asked in surprise, ”What’s happening now?”

Qin Yuan said, ”I’m afraid Sixth Madam is here.”

Gu Jinghui strained to listen, indeed recognizing Sixth Lady Gu’s voice.

Hong Ye said, ”I’ll go see if Miss’s guess is right again.”

Just as she spoke, the curtain made a sound, and she had already run out of the room to the corridor.

Inside the room, Cui Ming asked, ”Miss, could it be that Sixth Madam is here for the people of Fengxuan Pavilion?”

Qin Yuan smiled, ”Originally, I pitied that girl standing in the sun, wanting to remind the Marquis to dismiss her dreams and avoid other troubles, but worried it might make him feel awkward, so I kept silent. Who would have thought it would draw this great Buddha here.”

Gu Jinghui’s expression darkened.

Before long, Hong Ye returned, followed by Sixth Lady Gu and several housekeeper moms, making the corridor more lively.

Before Sixth Lady Gu even entered, she asked with a smile outside the window, ”Third Sister-in-law, are you free?”

Qin Yuan came to greet her, ”Sixth Sister-in-law is here, having no time also means finding time, you must have good news for me.”

Sixth Lady Gu said, ”Third Sister-in-law, you indeed have foresight.”

Cui Ming and Hong Ye couldn’t help but giggle.

Qin Yuan also laughed.

Not knowing what her host and maids were laughing about, Sixth Lady Gu joined in.

Hong Ye led the way in, and the group entered the hall, with Cui Ming quickly arranging for tea to be served.

Several housekeeper moms stood aside with smiles plastered on their faces, significantly more respectful.

Without waiting to be seated according to rank, Sixth Lady Gu said, ”I just got the news and came quickly; the shopkeeper of my dowry shop heard that someone is selling a large batch of pepper, is Third Sister-in-law interested?”

Qin Yuan invited Sixth Lady Gu to sit down, then said, ”Of course I’m interested. I’ve also sent people out to inquire, and the Marquis also sent Seventeen out to check prices. We should hear back in a few days, and then we can compare before deciding.”

Sixth Lady Gu smiled, ”Naturally, I’ve also invested in this, so we should compare diligently.”

Qin Yuan thanked her, exchanged a few casual words, and then Sixth Lady Gu said, ”So Third Brother is also helping Third Sister-in-law inquire. Before, Third Brother never got involved in these matters, I thought he wasn’t familiar with household affairs.”

Qin Yuan simply smiled.

Gu Jinghui, when he talked about pepper in the main room, certainly didn’t seem unfamiliar with household affairs.

She mused, ”Perhaps the Marquis, seeing me collect a lot of silver and make ledgers, feared I’d fail and diminish his prestige, so he thought of ways to help me.”

She spoke of everything yet seemed to speak of nothing.

Sixth Lady Gu sighed, ”Third Brother really cares for Third Sister-in-law. My Sixth Master only knows how to enjoy himself outside, never willing to manage household affairs, leaving everything inside and out for me. Not to laugh at Third Sister-in-law, but ever since I had a child, my energy is no longer the same; without extra heads and arms, how can I manage everything? For us women, the most important thing is children. Once we have children, husbands are secondary.”

Between the lines, she was talking about having children again.

Qin Yuan smiled, ”Sixth Sister-in-law, you’re capable and diligent.”

Seeing Qin Yuan had no more to say, Sixth Lady Gu continued, ”I also brought a few housekeeper moms. They heard that Sixth Sister-in-law wanted to do pepper business and all wanted to invest and follow along to make money. Since they work hard managing affairs from early till late, us making money should include them too, so they’ll remember Third Sister-in-law’s kindness later.”

Qin Yuan sternly replied, ”Sixth Sister-in-law, this is not appropriate.”