Seeing that Yunniang seemed fine except for a cough, Gu Liyue stayed with her until she finished drinking the medicine before leaving. Qin Caiyin had invited her to visit the Qin Mansion this afternoon. Since she had already accepted the invitation, it was not appropriate to decline now. So she instructed the maids and then set off.
On the way to the Qin Mansion, she noticed that Lady Qin looked upset. After chatting with her briefly, Lady Qin told the maid to take her to Qin Caiyin's courtyard.
After passing through the decorated gateway, she saw Qin Yuyin waiting on the corridor.
Gu Liyue quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Sister Yuyin."
Qin Yuyin's wedding was only half a month away. She usually didn't even leave her own courtyard. Gu Liyue wondered why she was here.
Qin Yuyin waved her hand. "I'll take Sister Liyue there. You go back and attend to Mother."
Gu Liyue was curious. She took Qin Yuyin's arm and whispered, "I noticed that your mother seems unhappy. Has something happened these days?"
Qin Yuyin sighed helplessly. "The Jiang family... came to propose marriage."
Gu Liyue paused. "The Jiang family? The third young master of the Jiang family?"
Qin Yuyin nodded. "You already know? First, it was your fourth elder brother. Then it was the third young master of the Jiang family. But Caiyin seems to have gone crazy. She refused both of them. Mother is unhappy about this and has confined her to the courtyard, not allowing her to go out."
Gu Liyue was stunned. It was normal for Qin Caiyin to refuse her fourth elder brother since she didn't like him. But why did she refuse Jiang Che's proposal?
"I heard that the third young master of the Jiang family had a high fever for several days and was almost in danger of losing his life. Is he better now?"
Qin Yuyin nodded. "He's fully recovered. Father and elder brother went to visit him. His face was flushed with the fever, and he kept saying not to let Caiyin worry, that everything would be fine... The Jiang family was afraid that the news would damage Caiyin's reputation, so they suppressed it. That's why few people knew about the third young master's high fever, and no one went to visit him."
Gu Liyue felt a bit nervous. The Duke of Jiang was selfish, but the heir and the eldest mistress of the Jiang family were reasonable. They still knew to protect the young lady's reputation at this time. She whispered, "If the third young master of the Jiang family is really like this, it can be considered..."
Qin Yuyin knew about the feud between Gu Liyue and Jiang Che, so she didn't comment too much. She said worriedly, "The eldest mistress of the Jiang family invited her relatives to talk to Mother, saying that she wanted to fulfill the third young master's affection for Caiyin. Although Mother is not someone who likes to flatter others, she thought that since Caiyin's reputation was damaged and the third young master of the Jiang family was sincere, it would be a good match. So she also had this intention."
The Qin family had been doing well in recent years. Lord Qin had been promoted, and the two legitimate young masters of the mansion were also very promising. But no matter how promising they were, they could only gain some reputation among the noble families in the capital. Although the Jiang family's reputation had been damaged a lot because of Jiang Yingyue's incident last year, it was still a duke's mansion. Moreover, Qin Caiyin's reputation had already been ruined. Marrying into the Jiang family would truly be a great honor.
Qin Yuyin added, "I know that Caiyin has always had her own ideas, but I don't know what she's thinking. If she misses this opportunity, she may never have another one. She grew up in the capital. Does she really want to go back to the countryside?"
Realizing that she might have said something wrong, she quickly held Gu Liyue's hand. "Liyue, I don't mean that the countryside is bad. It's just..."
Gu Liyue nodded. "Sister Yuyin, you don't need to explain. I understand. Since all her family members are in the capital, it will be inconvenient for the sisters to meet if she goes back to the countryside alone. Sister Yuyin, don't be too anxious. I'll go and talk to Caiyin."
Qin Yuyin stood at the door of Qin Caiyin's courtyard, her fingers almost digging into her palm. She gritted her teeth and said, "There's something. Although it's a family scandal, I thought about it and decided to tell you. Caiyin won't listen to us. You're good friends with her. I think she'll listen to you."
Gu Liyue was confused. "What?"
Qin Yuyin lowered her voice. "My second younger sister is back. They've never gotten along well. You... help me tell Caiyin that Aunt and the eldest mistress of the Jiang family are distantly related, and they've been getting very close these days."
Gu Liyue didn't react at first. When she wanted to ask Qin Yuyin more, Qin Yuyin had already pushed her into the courtyard.
Qin Caiyin was in high spirits. When she saw Gu Liyue, she happily invited her in, ordered someone to serve milk tea, and wrinkled her nose. "Your family's cook is really good. No matter how I tell them to make it at home, they can never make that sweet but not cloying honey milk flavor. You can just make do with it."
Gu Liyue took a small sip and looked up. "Jiang Che..."
Qin Caiyin frowned. "I knew it. Did my mother ask you to persuade me?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "Your mother didn't tell me anything. Your sister told me a few things. I'm not really here to persuade you. I'm just really curious and want to know more."
Qin Caiyin burst out laughing and pinched Gu Liyue's face. "What's there to be curious about? Are you deliberately trying to make fun of me?"
Gu Liyue pouted deliberately. "If you insist on thinking so, I can't help it. Anyway, I've been really bored these days. Everyone at home is busy with the second elder brother's wedding. I'm so bored every day. Of course, I want something special to keep me from going crazy."
Qin Caiyin was less reserved in front of her good friend. She propped her face up and asked after a long time, "Liyue, do you think Jiang Che is sincere?"
Gu Liyue asked, "You still doubt his sincerity? I heard that even when he was seriously ill, he was comforting you, afraid that you would be scared."
Qin Caiyin's face turned red. She said shyly, "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I was really scared to death that day. I kept crying. He carried me on his back all the way and comforted me, telling me not to be afraid..."
Gu Liyue held her hand. "Then why do you still doubt him? Are you doubting that..."
"You're right. I think he likes you. I... I don't want to marry someone who doesn't have me in his heart."
Gu Liyue rubbed her forehead, not knowing how to persuade her. After thinking for a while, she said, "Could it be a misunderstanding? I'm going to get married soon."
Qin Caiyin said, "I just think that maybe he knows you're going to get married and that he can't be with you. So he settles for the next best thing and..."
"Caiyin!"
Qin Caiyin quickly shook her head and laughed. "I'm just joking, Liyue. That's just a little thought in my heart. I know he's not such a person. If it were at other times, if he came to propose marriage, I would at least be a little prepared and a little happy. But at this time... I think he's just like Fourth Cousin. They both want to marry me in a hurry because of my reputation. Maybe they don't even know who they like or if they like me."
She whispered, "Moreover, this time it wasn't him who came to propose marriage. It was his sister - in - law who asked someone to do it."
Gu Liyue sighed speechlessly. "Caiyin, based on my understanding of the Jiang family, the three brothers of the Jiang family have been well - brought up. At least they won't do anything impolite. If he didn't agree, why would his sister - in - law ask someone to propose marriage? And he saved you, not harmed you. He doesn't have to be responsible for you. Why would he go through so much trouble? Caiyin, listen to me. If you're still hesitant, just find a way to meet him and ask him clearly. Okay?"