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

Chapter 644 Authentic?

Qin Yuan was taken aback: "Sir, are you saying that Baozhu is mixed up with those bandits?"

Mr. Songshan nodded: "Many people have seen them acting like brothers. If something happens, how could the Five Cities Garrison and the Prefectural Governor's Office not find out that Miss Seven has been in contact with them?"

If it were anyone else, it wouldn't be a problem, but the Crown Prince and his entourage also wanted to cause trouble for the Marquis's mansion.

If someone intends to frame another, something will inevitably happen.

Qin Yuan sighed, and countless thoughts raced through her mind in an instant.

Mr. Songshan added, "They also went to Li Xingshou's place, and may have even met the Emperor."

"...What...what's going on?"

Mr. Matsuyama added, "The Seventh Miss went with your younger brother."

Qin Yuan sighed, "Please explain in detail, sir."

After hearing what Mr. Songshan said, Qin Yuan hurriedly ordered someone to invite Gu Baozhu. A little while later, the maid returned and said, "Seventh Miss did not return to her own courtyard today."

Qin Yuan grew anxious and ordered someone to ask Gu Shiba if he knew Gu Baozhu's whereabouts.

Just then, Gu Baozhu returned to the mansion through the side gate. Upon learning that her third sister-in-law was looking for her, she immediately rushed to Wutong Garden. As soon as she entered, she asked, "Why is my third sister-in-law in such a hurry to find me?"

She was still wearing the clothes she wore for playing polo. Despite being out all day, she showed no signs of fatigue and was full of energy.

Qin Yuan asked curtly, "Tell me properly, what did you do after you came back from playing polo?"

Gu Baozhu chuckled and said, "I went to see Heng-ge'er to take care of some business. On the way, I went with him to Lin Ju's house, chatted for a while, and came back after I finished my business."

Mr. Matsuyama asked, "Miss Seven, could you tell me what you did?"

Seeing Qin Yuan's anxious expression, Gu Baozhu no longer hid anything. She sat down, picked up her tea and took a few sips, saying, "After listening to what Mr. Songshan said, I felt that the two people's origins were a bit strange. Besides, we made an appointment to play polo again tomorrow, but I have to go to the sacrificial ceremony after I finish playing polo. I don't have time to accompany them, so I went to find someone to play polo with to help me keep an eye on these two people."

The younger sister-in-law wasn't without her own wits. Qin Yuan's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly as she said, "It's good that you're on guard. The master is worried that you've gotten involved with them. If they do something bad, and someone with ulterior motives frames both of our families, we'll be in trouble."

Gu Baozhu glanced at Mr. Songshan and asked curiously, "When I went to see you today, you weren't like this. What news have you received this time?"

Mr. Songshan nodded: "That's right. After you left, I ordered Feiyun Pavilion to investigate and found that these two people are probably the leaders of Black Wind Stronghold."

I'm a little worried that their search for Li Xingshou wasn't just for pleasure. Besides, they just happened to run into the Emperor today. If trouble arises later, will the Marquis's mansion and the Qin family escape unscathed?

Gu Baozhu looked shocked: "His Majesty? Could the distinguished person who met with Prime Minister Li Xing really be the Emperor?"

Mr. Matsuyama nodded.

Gu Baozhu gasped.

The people of Black Wind Stronghold were called rebels by the imperial court, and both the rebels and the emperor had their eyes on the same prostitute.

This is really...

"But... I still can't believe it. How could the Emperor travel without guards? I rode around on horseback and found nothing."

Mr. Songshan laughed and said, "You are still young and there is a lot you don't know. Jinqian Street is not far from the palace, and it is not good for the emperor to openly patronize prostitutes. If a tunnel is dug, no one will know. Even if there are rumors, they are just rumors and the Censorate will not dare to take them seriously and impeach him."

Qin Yuan seemed to be deep in thought.

In Hangzhou Prefecture, there is a three-story building called Panlou, which was built by salt merchants from Yangzhou who were captivated by the beauty of West Lake. The building consists of five buildings: east, west, south, north, and central. Among them, Fan Yi, a famous courtesan of Hangzhou Prefecture, practiced her zither.

Fan Yi entered her residence, the Embroidery Garden, daily via a covered walkway. Those wishing to catch a glimpse of her beauty and hear her elegant music could only bid for a seat in the side tower. Legend has it that Fan Yi's jade-like feet never touched the ground, and that before she left her profession, she lived in the Embroidery Garden and performed for customers in the Pan Tower.

As more and more people came to visit, its value increased.

When Lin Ziqi inspected Hangzhou, he tried to get close to a courtesan, but upon returning, he said that even famous courtesans were nothing special.

She pressed him for details before she learned that the Hangzhou prefect had presented Fan Yi to Lin Ziqi to curry favor, and that their secret meetings always took place through a tunnel from the back of the prefectural government office to the embroidery garden.

The so-called purity and innocence are just fabrications to elevate one's status and fool those rich, pretentious fools.

The Golden Coin Street is not far from the palace, and digging a tunnel would make it convenient for the two to meet in secret. However, as the saying goes, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet," and this secret will probably become known to many.

Qin Yuan frowned and said, "If it really is a secret passage, then it's troublesome. That Li Hangshou seems to have hit it off with Brother Ximen, and this person is deliberately getting close to him..."

Since ancient times, adultery has resulted in death.

Although Li Xingshou was a veteran of the pleasure quarters, he was still a human being with feelings.

She has a very close relationship with the emperor, and ordinary people are no longer worthy of her attention. Today, her behavior towards Brother Ximen suggests that she may have already developed feelings for him.

If this woman falls in love, then the outcome is unpredictable.

One side falls in love, while the other plots scheming; the outcome is already clear before it even begins.

Gu Baozhu also gasped.

Mr. Songshan said, "Seventh Miss wants to make a great contribution, but I'm afraid they might be planning some trick to trap both of our families. Whether the assassination attempt on the Emperor succeeds or fails, it's enough to make her famous in the martial arts world for a lifetime."

At this moment, the bright moon hung high outside the window, and everyone in the room felt a chill. It was indeed almost Mid-Autumn Festival.

Even the mournful chirping of autumn insects grew increasingly desolate, as if they knew their days were numbered.

The room was completely silent. After a long while, Qin Yuan said, "It would be best to inform the Marquis about this matter."

Mr. Songshan and Gu Baozhu naturally had no objections. Qin Yuan immediately instructed Gu Shiba to send a message to Lord Gu, asking him to return to the mansion as soon as possible, as there was something important to discuss.

Mr. Songshan took his leave: "I'll head back now and wait for the Marquis to return. We've been receiving news from morning till night lately, so we must keep watch."

Gu Baozhu also stood up: "Then I'll go back and change my clothes and have something to eat. When Third Brother comes back, Third Sister-in-law will send someone to call me."

After seeing the two off, Qin Yuan lowered her head and pondered for a long time before getting up and going to her study.

Even if the Marquis were to depart from the camp immediately, it would still take him an hour or two; she needed to think it over carefully.

……

The main camp outside the city.

Lord Gu sat in his tent, reviewing the documents submitted by the military advisor, which recorded the activities of officials in charge of various departments in the capital during these days.

"The Prince of Jin is indeed restless," Lord Gu sneered, "secretly recruiting henchmen behind the Crown Prince's back..."

The soldiers guarding the gate shouted, "General Jin requests an audience."

"Let him in," Lord Gu put away the documents in his hand and placed them beside him. He looked up at the heavy-footed General Jin and asked, "What's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)