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

Chapter 649 Interpreting the Hexagram
The crowd escorted the clan elders out of the ancestral hall and into the side rooms of the courtyard, where they paid their respects to the clan elders, their wives, the clan head, the clan head's wife, and Madam Gu in turn.

According to age and seniority, Madam Gu was not qualified to be treated with such respect by the clan members. However, since Marquis Gu was a direct descendant of the main branch and had made outstanding contributions, and the Dingbei Marquis's Mansion had generously donated funds to lay a lasting foundation for the clan, Madam Gu was also invited to attend, with Qin Yuan accompanying her.

After Gu Jinghui entered, he first glanced at Qin Yuan's expression. Seeing that it was no different from usual, he was relieved.

After the formalities were completed, the clan chief kept Gu Jinghui behind and then ordered someone to invite a diviner to interpret the divination.

The host smiled and congratulated her, saying, "Madam, you drew a good divination."

The clan chief said, "We still need to trouble the abbot to interpret the divination for us."

The abbot, with his hands clasped together and a kind face, said, “Amitabha. This old monk is only superficial in interpreting divination and can only interpret it from the surface of the hexagram. As for the deeper meaning of this hexagram, it is up to you gentlemen to understand it in private.”

"Then let the host interpret it from the divination, the clansmen are all waiting outside," the clan chief pleaded with a smile.

The host didn't keep them in suspense and immediately said, "The Great Accumulation hexagram is composed of Qian below and Gen above, with heaven and mountain connected. It signifies the need to diligently accumulate and store resources, and is a minor auspicious hexagram."

The clan chief said happily, "That's right. Recently, the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion has added a lot of sacrificial land and shops to the clan. The lives of the clan members will get better and better in the future. The clan will support the younger generation in their studies and martial arts. After many years of silence, our Gu clan will surely produce many talents. Isn't now the time to gather strength?"

The host nodded and said, "The clan chief is right. When the roots are deep, the branches and leaves will naturally flourish. This is a joyous occasion."

The clan elders were all beaming with joy and naturally praised the Dingbei Marquis's residence once again.

Once everyone had quieted down, the presiding official continued, "The hexagram says, 'Great Accumulation, favorable to perseverance, not to eat at home is auspicious, favorable to cross great rivers. Favorable to perseverance means one must adhere to the righteous path within one's heart, not be misled by external influences, and prioritize cultivating virtue. Favorable to eat at home means one should not only seek personal gain but also receive a salary from the court. Favorable to cross great rivers means that there are difficulties within good fortune, and one must forge ahead bravely.'"

The clan chief nodded, ordered someone to deliver two envelopes of silver to thank the host, and then said to the clan elders, "Nothing can be accomplished overnight. The Marquis of Dingbei has spent money and effort on the clan, and our clan must stick together to get through this crisis."

The clan elders nodded and said, "What the clan chief said is true. The Marquis of Dingbei's family is our direct lineage. All the children and grandchildren in the clan should follow his lead. As long as he is safe and sound, the clan will have a good life."

The clan chief found a quick-witted junior and asked him to explain the divination he had prepared to the clan members. Before long, cheers erupted outside.

The clan chief laughed and said, "For so many years, everyone has been hiding in their shells. Now that the ancestor has spoken, we don't have to feel so stifled anymore. Look how happy they are, shouting and yelling outside."

Everyone in the room was laughing.

When the auspicious time arrived, the food was already prepared, and tables were set up inside the house and in the courtyard. Everyone then took their seats, separated by gender.

The women left their seats one by one to pay their respects to Madam Gu and Qin Yuan.

Madam Gu was beaming from ear to ear after being flattered. She laughed and said, "It's all thanks to our ancestors that Hui-ge'er was able to not only redeem himself but also marry such a wonderful wife. I wake up laughing every day."

Everyone exclaimed, "A wife should be virtuous! We should also look around for literate daughters from good families to marry into. With the marriage between the Grand Master and the Marquis of Dingbei, our Gu family is about to be revived!" Qin Yuan pretended to be shy, lowered her head, picked up some food, and remained silent.

Gu Baozhu was at another table.

The room was filled with unmarried girls, so she naturally sang Qin Yuan's praises to the skies: "My third sister-in-law and I are the best of friends in the world. Her good qualities are far more than what you know. Let me tell you, the incense my third sister-in-law makes is sold out at Ranxiangju. Do you know how much it costs per tael of silver?"

After boasting for a while, Xiao Hong leaned over and whispered, "Seventh Miss, Madam asked if you're hungry. Hurry up and eat, or it'll get cold."

Gu Baozhu then fell silent and picked up her chopsticks to eat.

As for Lord Gu, if he weren't in such a hurry to get back to the camp, he would definitely tell everyone how much his little wife loves him.

After the banquet, the clan chief's wife couldn't help but say to the clan chief, "We used to call Jinghui 'Three Wooden Heads,' but now it seems that he's not wooden at all. He's as clever as a fish in a teapot, and he's actually smarter than anyone else. He may seem dull, but he's actually smarter than anyone else."

The clan chief laughed and said, "Calling him 'Three Wooden Heads' is just a joke. Does he really think he's a blockhead? If he were a blockhead, how could he have served as the late Crown Prince's tutor in the palace? The late Crown Prince's maternal clan was the head of the four great families back then. If he were really a blockhead, why would the late Crown Prince have valued him the most?"

The clan chief's wife sighed, "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. The former crown prince has fallen, and the old marquis and several young men are all gone. We all thought the Gu family would have to live in humiliation and eke out a living, but we never expected this!"

"This is what they mean by 'Don't underestimate a young man's potential.' Back then, others looked down on him because he was an inexperienced youth, and few of the oaths he made were taken seriously. Several branches of the clan moved back to their hometown, abandoning martial arts to go into business. Now that they see the clan is rising again, they even sent word through others that they want to come back."

"They made such a scene when they left, didn't they go looking for our sect? Why are they coming back now? We can't let those scoundrels get their way."

“No way!” the clan chief immediately said. “Now our clan is united in its resolve to stand with the Marquis of Dingbei. How many generations have passed between our clan and us? Our ancestors only managed to gain wealth and status by fighting alongside the Great Ancestor Emperor through a sea of ​​blood and mountains of corpses when they could no longer survive in the clan. If they had been well taken care of by the clan, they wouldn’t have started a separate clan here.”

"Yes, the more people there are, the more complicated things become. Those who left should not be allowed to come back. To put it bluntly, the things that Marquis Dingbei arranged are related to the heads of everyone in the clan."

“I know. You should visit the Marquis’s residence more often and talk to your aunts and the others. Look at the Ninth Prince’s family; they’re living much more comfortably now that they’ve moved there. If this matter concerning the Marquis of Dingbei can be accomplished, I think Jingcheng’s commander could even be promoted to the rank of commander.”

The clan chief's wife scoffed and said, "You don't need to tell me. Cheng'er's wife already said that her aunt found her a miracle doctor who said he could help her get pregnant. Haven't you seen how nauseatingly Cheng'er is fawning over the Marquis now? Even the Ninth Branch is complaining that Cheng'er is now treating himself as someone from the Marquis's mansion."

"Really?" The clan chief was shocked. "They actually have such abilities."

Seeing that it was getting late, he quickly got up and put on his shoes: "I can't talk to you anymore. I didn't have time to say anything during the banquet. There are some things I need to arrange for Jinghui."

The clan chief's wife said, "It's so late, who else are you looking for?"

"What do you know, you old woman?" The clan chief picked up his shoes and walked out, saying as he did so, "On the occasion of the Empress Dowager's birthday, some people want to cause trouble. This is a good opportunity for our clansmen to make contributions."