Chapter 398

Chapter 398 What Duke Qi Meant

The Old Lady felt that Qu Moying’s clothes were not enough, and she wanted to ensure that Qu Moying had enough clothes for formal occasions.

As for Qu Qiuyan, the Old Lady thought that since she wanted to have two sets of clothes made for Qu Moying, it was no big deal to also have two sets of clothes made for Qu Qiuyan.

“Yes, Your Ladyship!” Granny Wu replied. After dividing the gifts for Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan, she asked two old maids to send the gifts to the two of them respectively.

Qu Moying accepted the gifts and rewarded the old maid who sent the gifts over. Then, she sat down and wondered what this so-called chrysanthemum viewing party was.

Although she knew that Duchess Qi would definitely send gifts in return, she did not expect that there would be a chrysanthemum viewing party. Ever since Duke Qi gave up his leading post, Duke Qi’s Mansion had been very low-key and rarely held parties.

“The scale of the party held by Duchess Qi last time was not big. It is quite intriguing that Duke Qi’s Mansion is going to hold a chrysanthemum viewing party because there is no such a party normally. Why is it going to be held? Is it because of the gifts I sent over?”

“If it is because of my gifts, it is quite weird. The one I wanted to approach by sending the gifts was Eldest Young Master Qi. Why are my gifts so valued?”

Qu Moying’s gifts were placed neatly on the desk. It was picked out from the pile of gifts from Qu Mansion. There was a copy of the qin music score, two sets of knee pads, and a forehead band. Although the embroidery was not perfect, it was embroidered carefully and exquisitely, and it could be seen that Qu Moying embroidered it herself. When the gifts were sent over, Qu Mansion’s old maid said they were a token of her lady’s appreciation.

Duke Qi sat on the chair in front of the desk. He was tall, but he looked old and tired at the moment. He frowned and looked at the gifts.

He had been looking at the gifts for a long time. It was so long that even the lad servant at the door felt uneasy. After these things were brought over, Duke Qi just stared at them, and even the air froze.

The lad servant suddenly saw Qi Xiuran at the door and hurriedly ran to him, “Eldest Young Master!”

Qi Xiuran asked, “Where is my grandfather?”

The lad servant pointed at the study and said in a low voice, “In the study.”

Qi Xiuran stopped. He could sense something strange although the lad servant didn’t say anything. “Is there a guest?”

The lad servant said, “No. His Lordship has been sitting there for a long time. Just now, I wanted to change a cup of tea for him, but he stopped me.”

“Who has been here?” Qi Xiuran asked. Duke Qi was not the kind of person who could sit quietly for a long time. He once said that as someone who used to be a general, he could not sit still and pretend to be profound.

“No one has been here, but I heard that Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion sent some gifts over. His Lordship picked a few of the gifts, brought them over, and kept looking at them.” The lad servant was confused. These gifts were obviously not for Duke Qi, but he brought them over with an excuse.

As for the excuse Duke Qi used, the lad servant felt strange. Duke Qi said he wanted to send gifts to other mansions, so he wanted to use these gifts as a reference.

It was always Duchess Qi who decided on the gifts!

Qi Xiuran did not hear it clearly. “Which mansion sent the gifts over?”

“They were from Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion. They were said to be prepared by the two ladies and the Old Lady of Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion for our Duchess.” The lad servant stretched out his hand and pointed in a random direction.

Qi Xiuran’s eyes widened in shock. “Grandfather kept looking at those gifts?”

The lad servant said with a bitter face, “Yes. His Lordship is still looking at them now, and I don’t dare to disturb him.”

“I’ll go take a look!” Qi Xiuran said. He had something to talk about with his grandfather. He had heard from his grandmother that a chrysanthemum viewing party was going to hold in the mansion, but the chrysanthemum had not bloomed yet. Where could he find blooming chrysanthemums?

Duchess Qi said that this was Duke Qi’s idea, so Qi Xiuran came over to ask Duke Qi about it. He did not expect to see such a scene.

Qi Xiuran gently pushed open the door and saw his grandfather sitting in front of the desk. He had not seen his grandfather for only a few hours, but his grandfather seemed to have aged a lot, looking quite haggard. With his hands on the chair railing, his grandfather stared blankly at the several items on the desk in front of him.

“Are those items the gifts from Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion?”

“Why is Grandfather entranced by these gifts?”

Qi Xiuran coughed slightly and finally attracted Duke Qi’s attention. Duke Qi looked up and saw that it was his eldest grandson. He smiled and seemed to be spirited up a little.

“Xiuran, you’re back.”

Qi Xiuran stepped forward and bowed to Duke Qi. “Greetings, Grandfather!”

Duke Qi leaned back and pressed his forehead with his hand. He closed his eyes and seemed to have relaxed, but Qi Xiuran could see his tiredness clearly.

Qi Xiuran said, “Grandfather, Grandmother said that you are going to hold a chrysanthemum viewing party, and you are going to invite some people here. They are all young ladies and young masters from families that are or used to be close to our mansion.”

He thought this thing was weird even though his grandmother had explained it to him. He couldn’t understand what his grandfather’s intention was. Since when did his grandfather care about such things?

“Xiuran, sit down first. I was going to talk to you about this.” Duke Qi said gently as he pointed at a chair.

Qi Xiuran sat down obediently and looked at Duke Qi. The lad servant came in and changed the tea for Duke Qi and also served a cup of tea for Qi Xiuran.

“Xiuran, your marriage hasn’t been arranged yet, so I am inviting a few young ladies from the acquainted families in the name of the chrysanthemum viewing party. You can take a look at them, and you might be able to find someone suitable for you.”

Duke Qi picked up the tea in front of him, took a sip, and said slowly.

“Grandfather, don’t worry about my marriage.” Qi Xiuran felt a little uneasy when it came to his marriage, especially when his grandfather mentioned it. Normally, only his grandmother talked about his marriage. He didn’t understand why the elders were so worried about his marriage. Did they think that he had difficulty finding someone to marry with?

Was his grandfather trying to pick someone for him?

Duke Qi said, “It’s not only for you but also for your younger brother. However, it is not good to invite only noble ladies, so I also invite some young masters whose families have good relations with us. Everyone can freely admire the flowers.”

Hearing that it was held not only for him, Qi Xiuran wasn’t that uneasy anymore. After thinking about it, he felt that it wasn’t bad. In any case, he was not intended to pick anyone, so he didn’t need to care too much about the event.

Qi Xiuran said, “I will listen to you, Grandfather. But I’m afraid I can’t find chrysanthemums for now.”

The chrysanthemums in the capital had basically not bloomed yet. The weather in the capital changed slightly slower than in other places. As for getting the flowers from other places, it could not be done in only a day or two, but the party was about to be held.

Duke Qi said, “I forgot to tell your grandmother about this. I will handle the chrysanthemums. There are tributes of chrysanthemums in the palace. I will ask His Majesty for two pots of them.”

“Isn’t Grandfather the least fond of flowers and plants? Why does he care so much about this? Is it really so difficult for me and my younger brother to get married that Grandmother even asked Grandfather for help?”

“No way. I am at least Duke Qi’s Mansion’s Young Master. I and my second younger brother are considered outstanding talents in the capital. There is no need for Grandmother and Grandfather to be so concerned about our marriage.”

Qi Xiuran reminded his grandfather, “Grandfather, I don’t think it’s a good idea to bother His Majesty with such a small party!”

“It’s fine!” Duke Qi said gently. He pointed at a set of knee pads in front of him and said, “This is a set of knee pads sent by the lady of Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion. It looks pretty good, so I took it from your grandmother. I think I can also send others a set of knee pads when I send gifts in the future.”

“Is this the reason why Grandfather brought these gifts over?”

Qi Xiuran was confused, but he nodded and said, “It is indeed a good idea. Grandfather, it’s a good idea!”

This reason was really far-fetched. Qi Xiuran’s eyes fell on a qin music score. Then, he stood up and said happily. “Grandfather, this is a qin music score!”

Everyone in Duke Qi’s Mansion knew that he liked qin.

“Yes, take a look. I have read it, and I think it is a good one!” Duke Qi said as he handed the qin music score to Qi Xiuran.

Qi Xiuran couldn’t believe what he heard. “What did Grandfather say just now? He said that he has read it and thought it is good. But since when did Grandfather know about qin? And he even said it so seriously.”

Seeing Qi Xiuran standing there in a daze, Duke Qi asked unhappily, “What’s wrong?”

“No… nothing!” Qi Xiuran hurriedly said. He took the qin music score from Duke Qi’s hands and sat down again. He read it carefully. The more he read it, the more excited he became. He was now sure that this qin music score was from Qu Moying. He had read the incomplete qin music score before, and he had also tried to complete it, but his work was not as good as hers.

He couldn’t help but clap and exclaim, “Great!”

But then he realized that he was not in his study, and his grandfather was still sitting next to him. He looked up in embarrassment but suddenly saw his grandfather’s face in front of him. He could not help but be shocked. When did his grandfather come so close to him?

Seeing his grandson looking at him strangely, Duke Qi leaned back and sat upright again. “How is it?”

“It’s great!” Qi Xiuran nodded. “It’s better to complete the incomplete music score like this. Grandfather, if there’s nothing else, I will go back first. I want to play the qin according to it.”

He was so excited that he couldn’t sit still any longer. He wanted to play the qin according to the qin music score. When he tried to complete the qin music score before, he found some tones unnatural.

He felt that something was wrong.

“Vice Minister Qu has a good daughter!” Duke Qi sighed and asked, “What do you think of Fourth Lady Qu?”

“She’s talented!” Qi Xiuran praised her repeatedly. Judging from the qin music score, he felt that Qu Moying was very talented and intelligent.

“But she’s also pitiful. I’ve seen her once before. Although she wore an eye veil, I can tell that she is not plain-looking as the rumor said. I have heard that her eyes are about to recover. She’s in the recovery period now. She’ll be like a normal person after a period of time.” Duke Qi said as he looked at his grandson.

Qi Xiuran was getting more and more confused about what his grandfather meant. “Is he praising Fourth Lady Qu to fix me and her up like my mother usually does when she mentions that young lady?”

“What is wrong with Grandfather?”