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

Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Awakening to the Ruse

Qin Yuan noticed it and smiled, instructing Mo Zhu to pour tea for the Marquis, then asked Marquis Gu if he wanted to dine together later.

With gentle and soft words, the defiant and stern demeanor of Marquis Gu gradually softened.

Gu Baoshu secretly pouted in her heart but dared not show a trace on her face.

As Marquis Gu sat down, he turned his head to look at Gu Baoshu. Before he could speak, Gu Baoshu quickly stood up, saying, ”Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, I have some matters to attend to with Mother, so I won’t stay long. If Third Sister-in-law has anything to ask, just send someone to call me.”

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but find it amusing, saying, ”Alright, sorry to trouble you, Sister.”

She personally escorted her to the corridor before returning.

Marquis Gu puzzledly asked, ”What’s the matter now? I’m not a tiger; why does she hide whenever she sees me?”

Qin Yuan laughed, ”A tiger won’t force her to pick up an embroidery needle; that’s why she hides from you.”

Only then did Marquis Gu remember, chuckling, ”A villain must be beaten by another villain. I’ve tempered her enough that she’s truly changed; Sixth Brother and Mother spoil her too much at home.”

Qin Yuan laughed, ”Seventh Sister said she was originally a prodigy in embroidery; it’s just that your expectations for her came too late. Otherwise, she’d have surely brought glory to the Marquis Mansion at the Qixi Festival. At the year’s end, just wait for Seventh Sister to gift you a hand-embroidered fan cover. I’m curious, after the Qixi Festival, how do you plan to settle her?”

”Let’s see how long she can endure and how she performs,” Marquis Gu finished, pondered a moment, and then glanced at Qin Yuan with a smile: ”I only have high hopes for you; when will the Measles Goddess leave? My new role as Imperial Censor is being thrust upon me...”

”Imperial Censor?”

Qin Yuan, beside herself with embarrassment, looked at Marquis Gu with surprise and anger.

The Imperial Censor is only a low-ranked official; what’s the Emperor up to?!

Marquis Gu laughed, ”People are joking in private; it came up while I was talking to you, don’t worry. The Emperor trusts me with significant responsibilities but hasn’t appointed me to any position, meaning I’m only responsible for this Capital Inspection matter, just a temporary arrangement.”

Only then did Qin Yuan feel relieved, playfully said, ”Just keep speaking nonsense, startled me; I thought the Emperor did something again.”

The Emperor wrestled with the Crown Prince, Empress Lin, and the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, insisting on putting Marquis Gu on the roasting fire, turning a War God into a sword ready to be abandoned at a moment’s notice.

Qin Yuan felt deeply unjust for her own Marquis.

Originally, Marquis Gu had already drawn the suspicion of the Crown Prince and King Jin; he had reported secretly to the Emperor, who should have been aware, yet still placed Marquis Gu in this position.

Marquis Gu’s lips curled slightly; he reached out and tugged Qin Yuan’s hand, saying, ”I know you’re displeased, but I’m quite pleased.”

Qin Yuan glared at Marquis Gu.

But her face uncontrollably flushed.

”As husband and wife are one, I naturally have to consider things for you.”

Marquis Gu’s lips curled even higher.

Qin Yuan further asked, ”Did the Emperor agree to your request?”

Marquis Gu said, ”Not yet, the Emperor is still deliberating.”

The so-called deliberation is simply because what he proposed didn’t satisfy the Emperor.

Qin Yuan said, ”Marquis, Yuan’er has an idea, but I’m not sure if I should say it.”

Marquis Gu immediately said, ”As husband and wife are one, just speak freely.”

Qin Yuan smiled slightly, saying, ”Marquis spent ten years at the Northern Border, driving out the Yelv Family, an unparalleled achievement that honors our ancestors and fits this title, does it not?”

Marquis Gu blushingly steeled himself, fingers curling slightly in his sleeve, asked, ”Yuan’er, do you think so?”

Qin Yuan widened her eyes and nodded seriously, ”Naturally.”

Marquis Gu did not look at her and said, ”Indeed, you’re right.”

Qin Yuan slowly said, ”Military generals are unafraid of death, civil servants don’t love wealth; if the court remains quiet, there’s no reason to let generals dominate civil servants. If another war arises, Marquis should serve the nation, but now the world is peaceful. We can rest on our laurels; moreover, the title is hereditary... Marquis, don’t you think so?”

Marquis Gu gazed fixedly at his young wife, unable to speak for a long time.

The underlying meaning of these words was quite profound.

Actually, Marquis Gu had been somewhat unhappy these days.

What was the point of a military general dealing with civil servants’ Capital Inspection? Moreover, the Emperor expanded the scope to include First Rank and below, meaning the Emperor wanted to use him to tackle the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.

Civil servants already wanted to suppress military generals, but considering he had just returned triumphantly not long ago and held military power, they hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

This seemingly glamorous appointment was actually extremely perilous.

”Yuan’er... you... this...”

Loyalty to the Emperor and love for the nation are engraved in the ancestral instructions of the Gu Family, like a shackle that binds the hearts of generations of the Gu Family.

Gu Jinghui, no matter how dissatisfied inside, cannot express it aloud.

In recent visits, people either subtly hinted like Prince Qi, seeking to draw him in, or intended to align with or rely on him.

There wasn’t a moment’s peace.

Even Qin Jijiu’s household became bustling.

His long and sharp gaze met Qin Yuan’s pair of cold and bright phoenix eyes, calming the turbulent thoughts inside Marquis Gu.

Then, Marquis Gu heard her soft voice suddenly explode like a thunderbolt beside his ear, shocking him into speechlessness.

”Marquis, have you recently listened to Mr. Songshan narrate stories? Mr. Songshan surely narrated the part where Sima Yi pretended to be ill quite excellently.”

Marquis Gu’s ear subtly twitched, ”...”

He always knew his little wife was smart, capable, somewhat calculating, skilled, and quite talented, but he always found her to be fragile and dainty, needing affection and care. ℴ

Ever since Qin Jijiu sought strategies with alcohol that day, the little wife seemed to have released her inhibitions, and now unabashedly extended her little paw into his domain.

Quite surprising.

But somewhat expected.

Didn’t the father-in-law say she was good at scheming and decisive?

Since she could be decisive once, there would naturally be a second time. In fact, he didn’t quite resist, even somewhat liking the way the little wife planned for him.

Marquis Gu took a deep breath and sighed, ”Then I’ll find him for a chat.”

Seeing he agreed, Qin Yuan’s brows slightly curved, her eyes full of boundless affection, causing Marquis Gu to daze for a brief moment. Regaining his senses, he found Qin Yuan had already instructed the maids to have the food set up.

Pulled to sit by Qin Yuan at the table, it took Marquis Gu two bowls of soup to realize the taste—this situation made him feel like a muddle-headed monarch ensnared by a beauty trap.

”Among the Thirty-Six Stratagems, indeed escape is the best policy, who can resist the beauty trap; only those who resist have yet to encounter the one they cherish. If you can’t provoke, you can hide...”

Gu Jinghui suddenly understood.

”Everyone says heroes can’t overcome beauty traps; I simply didn’t believe it, often feeling that I could at least be considered a hero, yet no beauty ever held me captive—seems these were just myths. Unexpectedly...”