"Mother, let's look into this matter first. I have no way to judge who between uncle and father is lying right now. It's been over a decade, and it won't be easy to investigate the situation back then," Qi Zhenzhen said calmly.
Madam Yun frowned with worry. "That's why I don't know what to do."
"Believe me, no matter what happens, you have me," Qi Zhenzhen comforted her.
"I don't want anything to happen to your uncle, nor do I want to believe that this matter was orchestrated by your father. Your maternal grandfather and grandmother..." Madam Yun's voice choked up a little. "Although they weren't fully blamed for the crime later on, they were still gone."
"Mother, I understand how you feel," Qi Zhenzhen softened her voice. "The truth will eventually come out."
As it neared noon, a maid from Chaohui Hall came to invite them.
"The Marquis and the Heir Apparent have arrived at Chaohui Hall. The Old Madam has sent me to invite Madam and the Heir Apparent's wife," the young maid said crisply.
Madam Yun tidied herself up a bit and went to Chaohui Hall with Qi Zhenzhen.
"A'lan," Marquis Changping said with a joyful voice and a faint smile. "The Heir Apparent and I have been studying chess scores for half the day and have solved a endgame. We'll have a match later."
Madam Yun smiled back. "Alright."
Gu Sinian's gaze was fixed on Qi Zhenzhen. He hadn't seen her for half a day, and now that he saw her, he really wanted to hug her. If they were in their own courtyard, he would have already embraced her. But now, with three elders present, he couldn't do anything.
"The cook has made several of her specialties," the Old Madam said as she gestured for them to sit. "Speaking of which, Zhenzhen taught them to the cook when she was home. A'nian, try them and see how they are. If you like them, ask Zhenzhen to make them for you when you get back."
"Thank you, Grandmother," Gu Sinian said with a smile. "I like everything Zhenzhen makes."
The Old Madam's smile grew even more radiant. "Seeing you two like this makes my heart very happy."
"I also like the things sister makes," Qi Yi, who had been silent, spoke up. As he spoke, he glared at Gu Sinian.
Before his sister got married, Qi Yi thought Gu Sinian was good in every way.
Now that he was his brother-in-law, Qi Yi somehow found fault with everything.
He was indeed handsome, but such attractiveness could easily cause trouble, which would surely add to his sister's worries.
He also had a promising future, but he often had to go to the border. If there was a war, he would have to go to the battlefield. The battlefield was fraught with danger, and if he were injured, his sister would have to worry.
Furthermore, the messy affairs of the Protector Duke's mansion were even rumored in the streets, which showed how troublesome those matters were. What was rumored were only trivial matters; if these trivial matters were so vexing, wouldn't the important ones drive a person mad?
"Whenever you want to eat something, just go find your sister. She'll make it for you," Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile.
"Little Niu's martial arts have improved greatly. Do you want to spend time at the training grounds too?" Gu Sinian asked. "I can take you back for meals every day."
Qi Yi lowered his head and remained silent. After a while, he looked up. "Yes."
"That's good. You'll have to inherit the family business in the future, so you can't just focus on studying. Although I'm a civil official, it doesn't mean you have to follow my path. You can be proficient in both civil and martial arts," Qi Tianming said cheerfully.
Qi Zhenzhen glanced at her father's silly happy expression and thought, You old man, you haven't noticed that your precious son is having a tiff with his brother-in-law! It's probably because this boy didn't fully understand the implications of marriage before. Now that he's realized it belatedly, that marriage means he's become part of another family, so he's feeling unbalanced and is acting up with Gu Sinian.