The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Song Wenjun certainly wouldn't bring up Gu Huai'an's marriage without a reason.

This illegitimate son is very ambitious and has always wanted to take his place.

What disgusted her even more was that he also harbored ulterior motives towards her.

I had met him several times in the garden in my previous life. He would flirt with me in a frivolous manner, which was truly disgusting.

Even for her own sake and that of her child, Song Wenjun could not tolerate him.

It would be better to marry him off early and let someone else take care of him.

Song Wenjun sat in a chair by the window, lost in thought, her chin resting on her hand as she stared blankly at the scenery outside.

His fingers tapped the table unconsciously.

At this time, Xiao Tao would move quietly so as not to disturb her.

Because she knew that the lady was about to set a trap for someone again, and some people would inevitably suffer.

The next day, the old Marquis summoned all the accountants in the manor.

After checking the accounts, the old Marquis was so angry he almost lost his temper.

The mansion only had a few hundred taels of silver left.

Under his persistent questioning, the accountant had no choice but to reveal that Gu Huaizhou had lost money in business.

The old marquis cursed angrily, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "That's not right. Even if the business loses money, the court still gives rewards at the end of the year."

As a marquis, he received a considerable amount of rewards every year.

It's worth at least a thousand taels, and with other items added, it comes to about two thousand taels in total.

"My lord, he, he..." The accountant stammered, not daring to continue. The old lord narrowed his eyes and said angrily, "Speak."

"My lord, please calm down. The lord... he's been demoted." The accountants all knelt down and then recounted the whole story.

When the old Marquis heard that Gu Huaizhou had been flogged, he was so angry that he almost fainted.

He stumbled back a few steps, and the maidservant quickly caught him to prevent him from falling.

"How shameful! I have never made a single mistake in my entire military career, yet he can't even handle a small case."

The old marquis was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table repeatedly. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have given him the title.

Despite the anger, the Marquis's family's century-long honor and favor could not be lost.

The old Marquis sat quietly for a moment, then suddenly remembered Song Wenjun mentioning Gu Huai'an's marriage proposal.

Suddenly, his mind started to wander.

If a woman of high social standing were found for Gu Huai'an, she could also help the Marquis's mansion.

Knowing that Lady Zhou was useless, the old Marquis didn't consult her about the matter, but instead summoned Song Wenjun instead.

"You have close ties with the wives of officials in the capital. Could you help them find a suitable woman from a good family?"

Song Wenjun was taken aback: "Father, who are you looking at for a fortune telling?"

"Give it to Huai'an, he's reached the age to be engaged," the old Marquis said bluntly.

Song Wenjun understood; she was thinking of finding a woman of high social standing for Gu Huai'an.

"But he is, after all, a son of a concubine, and his status is still somewhat lowly," Song Wenjun gently reminded him.

The old Marquis nodded: "That makes sense, but it's alright, we can just have him adopted by the First Madam."

Anyway, his son rarely shows his face in public. If anyone asks, he says that Gu Huai'an is the son of Zhou Shi and has been studying abroad for many years. He only recently returned to the capital.

Song Wenjun chuckled inwardly. The old man was going to any lengths to marry a noblewoman.

She thought for a moment and replied, "Then, will my mother-in-law agree?"

If Gu Huai'an were adopted into Zhou's family, it would inevitably threaten Gu Huaizhou's position, and Zhou would not tolerate such a thing.

This is going to cause some arguments.

The old marquis snorted heavily: "This family is not her place to make decisions. How dare she disagree?"

"Even so, Father still needs to inform Mother, since she is the one who will help arrange this matter."

"Alright, go ahead and get busy. I have my own thoughts on this matter."

Song Wenjun gave a slight curtsy: "Yes, Father."

As she turned to leave, Song Wenjun brought up another matter: "There is one more thing that Father needs to decide."

The old marquis looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

"It's my sister-in-law's business."

The old Marquis frowned. He remembered that Jiang Miaoyin had been staying in the Gu family for three years.

Even if she says she wants to remain a widow for her husband for the rest of her life, the Gu family should still let her leave the mansion to avoid gossip.

True power and wealth do not stoop to such degrading acts.

"I need to think about this carefully. It's such a pity that she's so young and has to stay in the manor like this." The old Marquis treated Jiang Miaoyin very well, not for any other reason than her deep affection for her son.

Song Wenjun nodded slightly: "Father is right. A woman's prime years are only a few. My sister-in-law is chaste and virtuous, and her noble character is admirable. If we keep her in the manor any longer, it will cause gossip and people will say that our Marquis's manor is not kind. It would be better to find her a good family and send her off with a grand wedding. Our Marquis's manor can also gain a good reputation."

The old Marquis nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. I'll call her over in a bit and ask her properly."

"Father, you mustn't!" Song Wenjun hurriedly stopped him.

"Why not?"

Song Wenjun smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is a woman and is shy. Even if she has such thoughts, she would not be willing to say them. If Father asks her so bluntly, I'm afraid she will be too embarrassed to say it, and the conversation will not go well. It would be better to let your daughter-in-law go and find out. Once you find someone, you can let the two of them meet at the banquet. If they hit it off, it would be a wonderful story."

"Yes, yes, yes, look at my brain." The old Marquis laughed heartily, very satisfied with Song Wenjun's suggestion: "You are so thoughtful. It is a blessing for my Marquis's family to be able to marry a daughter-in-law like you. Wenjun, just go for it and don't have any worries."

Song Wenjun curtsied with a slight smile and respectfully replied, "Yes, Father."

After leaving the old Marquis's courtyard, Song Wenjun turned around and found Qingshan, saying to him, "Go and send a message to Yunlan Courtyard, saying that the old Marquis intends to marry her off and has been looking for a suitable match for her these past few days."

Qingshan looked surprised: "Madam, if we tell her, won't she be on guard?"

“If she doesn’t know, how can this play be performed?” Song Wenjun smiled faintly.

Xiao Tao said to Qingyun with dissatisfaction, "You're such a blockhead. If that person finds out that the old Marquis wants to marry her off, won't she be completely flustered? She'll definitely come looking for the Marquis as her savior. If the Marquis stands idly by, what do you think she'll do?"

Qingshan thought for a moment and replied, "They must be harboring resentment and trying every means to stay at the Marquis's residence."

“The Marquis shouldn’t stand idly by, after all, she’s his sweetheart. Let’s see how much she means to him.” Song Wenjun also wanted to see how much Jiang Miaoyin meant to Gu Huaizhou.

Will he risk his future by entering this deadly trap for Jiang Miaoyin?

Qingshan belatedly uttered an "oh" and then left to spread the news.