My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 574 Shameless
Qin Yuan raised his eyebrows: "Mr. Songshan, did you find anything?"

Mr. Songshan said, "Sixth Master, Eighteenth Master, and I have pondered this over and over again, and we feel that it is rather odd that the Zhenguo Gong's wife's birthday banquet is held before the Empress Dowager's. Furthermore, her birthday banquets in previous years were not set on fixed dates."

"But it's all in August?"

Mr. Songshan shook his head. "I've questioned the merchants who deliver to the Zhenguo Mansion, and they said they also deliver in July and September—so the birthday banquet is just a cover."

Since we are going to hold a birthday banquet, the scale cannot be small, and the mansion will inevitably increase purchases.

Those who can do business with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion are not small businesses. They remember the account books of previous years clearly. I am afraid they know more about it than the people in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. Otherwise, how can they keep a firm grip on the business.

"A cover?" Qin Yuan frowned.

There are many ways to collect money in official circles, and celebrating the birthdays of elders is one of them.

The bulk of local officials' annual income comes from tributes from their subordinates. These tributes always have certain names, such as holiday gifts, family members' birthdays, etc.

It was normal for officials to pay tribute to their superiors and secure their positions, and then go and solicit tributes from merchants and gentry.

There are those who don’t care. My mother at home celebrates her birthday three times a year.

But when one reaches such a high position as the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, this shouldn't be the case.

Qin Yuan pondered and said, "The Zhenguogong Mansion is the Crown Prince's line, and the current Empress Dowager is the Emperor's biological mother..."

Mr. Songshan stroked his beard and said, "Extraordinary events require extraordinary plans. If the Zhenguo Mansion isn't blinded by favor, then they have some ulterior motive, and they've got the approval of the Crown Prince and others. Furthermore... this birthday banquet was rushed. The merchants said they hadn't heard anything beforehand and thought it was being held to avoid the Empress Dowager's birthday. Unexpectedly, the You family suddenly sent word that it was going to be held, asking them to purchase without delay, so the deadline is naturally very tight."

It seems like it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "The Queen Mother only has one son, the Emperor, but she has more than one grandson, the Crown Prince. I think this matter has been cleared up with the Emperor."

Mr. Matsuyama nodded.

The two exchanged glances, and Qin Yuan said in a deep voice, "What's giving Queen Lin a headache right now is the marriage of her two children."

Mr. Songshan clapped his hands and laughed, "That makes sense. If we can decide on a candidate before the birthday, granting the marriage on that day would also be a good omen. Didn't the Zhenguo Mansion previously want to use Miss Seven to send the painting of beautiful women playing Cuju to the Crown Prince? Besides, Princess Fuyun's husband is the top scholar in Jiangxi and has served in the Hanlin Academy for many years, helping the Prince of Qi win over many people from Jiangxi. The Crown Prince is frail, and none of the three dukes or nine ministers are willing to marry him to a legitimate daughter. Empress Lin wanted to suppress Princess Fuyun, but she helped the Prince of Qi. In her haste, she acted without regard for her own principles."

Qin Yuan nodded.

Previously, the You family wanted to use Gu Baozhu to send the beautiful woman picture, but now they just invite her to their home.

It's indeed a bit anxious.

"You're making the You family sound like a den of dragons and tigers," Gu Baozhu said, getting excited. She slammed the table and said loudly, "Don't be afraid, Third Sister-in-law. I'll protect you that day."

"You'd better take good care of yourself," said Master Gu Liu, who had been listening silently, rolling his eyes at his sister and saying, "My third sister-in-law is married. If the prince sets his eyes on you, it will be troublesome."

Gu Baozhu snorted coldly, raised her fist, and said disdainfully, "If he has the guts, just come at me. Can that sickly fellow withstand a single blow from me?"

Qin Yuan ignored the brother and sister and kept his head down without saying a word.

In the previous life, the position of Crown Princess was undecided for a long time, and the one chosen in the end was the daughter of Minister Niu. After that, Minister Niu was promoted repeatedly and was pushed into the cabinet, but after the Crown Prince passed away, he was squeezed out again.

now……

Mr. Songshan said, "It's easy to dodge an attack, but hard to guard against an arrow. Even if you are a skilled martial artist, if you are attacked by someone, you will regret it forever."

"Did you hear that? Third Brother said it long ago: there's always someone stronger than you. Never be arrogant." Sixth Master Gu seized the opportunity to lecture his sister.

Gu Baozhu said, "Then I'll just claim to be sick and not go. I'll go to the academy after the holiday to study. What can he do to me?"

Mr. Songshan disagreed: "You still have to go. If you don't go, how can you protect your third sister-in-law? If it is really for the Crown Prince's marriage, the Queen will definitely be there that day. Besides, the Ninth Princess hasn't decided on a marriage yet."

Qin Yuan raised his head, tapped the table lightly, and sighed, "Sir, you are absolutely right."

"What does this mean?" Gu Baozhu asked in surprise. Why couldn't she understand?
Mr. Songshan glanced at her and said bluntly, "The Dingbei Marquisate is reluctant to part with their daughter, but don't they still have a son? The Ninth Princess is a daughter of the royal family. How can she be a concubine?"

Gu Baozhu was stunned for a long time before she said in shock, "How can this be? My third brother is a god of war, how can he be manipulated by others? Besides, there are rumors that my third brother is inhumane. If Queen Lin agrees to the marriage again, wouldn't it be a loss of face?"

"Gu Baozhu!" Master Gu Liu's face flushed as he heard this and he quickly stopped her. "Look at the dirty talk you're saying. You learned it from hanging out outside these days."

Gu Shiba quickly glanced at Qin Yuan, then quickly lowered his eyes.

"I..." Gu Baozhu stopped talking in a hurry and looked at Qin Yuan eagerly.

Mr. Songshan continued with a dull expression, "Perhaps it was for this reason that Empress Lin felt that Marquis Gu would be grateful. Now they are fighting for the whole world. For the sake of the world, what does face matter?"

If she cared about her reputation, Queen Lin would not have the immense wealth she has today.

They fight and grab, and still worry that it’s not enough.

Qin Yuan said, "Don't worry, sir. I've taken note of everything and will be more careful in the future."

Gu Baozhu also came to her senses and said, "Then I'll just protect my third sister-in-law and stop studying for now. I'll wait until the ninth princess arranges her marriage."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "That's not necessary. Your third brother will find a way to protect me."

After Queen Lin discovered that Marquis Gu and Prince Qi had formed an alliance, she decided that she would not waste the Ninth Princess's move.

only……

She really needs to be more careful to avoid being affected.

Mr. Songshan nodded and said, "It's good that you have an idea in mind. Now let's talk about how to select and verify information."

Gu Baozhu cried out, "Is that all? This concerns the safety of my third sister-in-law."

"Is my third sister-in-law safe?" Mr. Gu Liu was shocked.

Gu Baozhu rolled her eyes: "Sixth brother, do you really think that the Ninth Princess would like you?"

Mr. Gu Liu also rolled his eyes at her.

Gu Baozhu said, "Even if the Ninth Princess falls in love with Sixth Brother, the Queen won't agree. That leaves Third Brother. With Third Sister-in-law being such a beautiful woman, how could Third Brother agree to marry the Ninth Princess?"

Mr. Gu Liu looked at Qin Yuan in panic, his face pale and speechless.

Mr. Songshan said, "Well, this is just my speculation. I want you to be on guard so you don't fall into someone else's hands. You're so jumpy and you can't keep your composure at all."

Seeing that Qin Yuan's expression remained the same, the brother and sister also calmed down.

Gu Shiba, who was watching from the side, could not help but admire him and felt that his lord was really blessed. His wife was young but she remained calm. An ordinary woman would have panicked after hearing this, but his wife was calm as usual.