Feng Baizhao swayed precariously, disbelief etched on her face. "Impossible, impossible! If he wasn't interested in me, why would he give that large sum of money?"
"Baifu, how much silver did you give? Enough to cause such a misunderstanding?" Qian Yuanbao asked.
Baifu was bewildered. Was it a lot? Oh, to others it was a lot, but to the Qian family, two thousand taels was hardly much.
"Two thousand taels," Baifu replied truthfully.
Qian Yuanbao gave a sound of understanding. "It's not that much, is it?"
"Therefore, Feng Baizhao, this was all a misunderstanding," Baifu said. "You misinterpreted things yourself, and it's not our young master's fault. Now that this matter is cleared up, let's just let it go."
Feng Baizhao left the Qian mansion in a daze. It was all her misunderstanding? She had lived a life of extravagance for the past six months, and the money she had then was almost gone.
Once the person was gone, Qian Yuanbao breathed a sigh of relief, his anxious heart settling a little.
"Get someone to keep an eye on Feng Baizhao, don't let her do anything to ruin the young master's reputation," Qian Yuanbao instructed, not entirely at ease. "If you don't handle this well, don't blame me for not interceding for you with the old madam. You'll be the death of me!"
Baifu plastered a smile on his face and apologized profusely, vowing to the heavens, "Young master, please rest assured, I will definitely keep a close watch on her!"
Qian Yuanbao couldn't sit still at home. After some thought, he headed straight for the Duke of Huguo's mansion.
"Why do you still look so thin?" Qian Yuanbao asked. "You truly are pitiful! Where is Luo Wanqing? Wasn't she supposed to help you get rid of that disgusting worm? Oh, and how is Gu Qing now?"
"Luo Wanqing has gone to Hundred Flower Valley to seek medicine from the valley master. Gu Qing has been secretly settled elsewhere, and the official story is that he became agitated on the way back and ran off," Gu Sinian said. "Luo Wanqing mentioned that the蛊 (gǔ) worm Gu Qing was afflicted with is more potent, a type that can control a person's mind and spirit. When it's not active, it's undetectable, but when it is, it acts according to the commands of the person who cast the spell. He was trapped in the mountains at the time, and the person didn't act up; it was only after going to the wolf tribe's sacred land that it inexplicably activated."
"Do you have any leads?" Qian Yuanbao asked.
"Not yet." Gu Sinian was also troubled. He had initially suspected Gu Siya of being the one who cast the spell, but all investigations pointed away from him.
"Have you properly screened the people around you? I heard that蛊 (gǔ) worms are often administered through food. You must be careful with your food and drink from now on," Qian Yuanbao advised. "You need to thoroughly interrogate the people in your courtyard."
"They have already been interrogated, and nothing is amiss," Gu Sinian said. It was precisely because of this that he had no leads.
"Now that you are back, it won't be as easy for the person who harmed you to make another move," Qian Yuanbao comforted him. "Let's not talk about this anymore. I want to tell you about something else. A Nian, I've discovered you have a talent for prophecy! You said that the opera singer would pester me, and you were right. I had clearly sent him away, yet today he found his way to the mansion."
"You, Young Master Qian, are foolish and rich, so it's natural for him to want to cling to you, isn't it?" Gu Sinian was not surprised at all.
"What do you mean foolish and rich? This young master is called dashing, charming, and irresistible to both men and women," Qian Yuanbao corrected.
"So you're quite pleased with yourself? Tell me, how did you send him away? Was that actor so easy to deal with?" Gu Sinian asked.
Qian Yuanbao described the situation to Gu Sinian. Gu Sinian snorted, "Do you really think you sent him away just like that? The first time, you gave him two thousand taels of silver, and your money already inflated his appetite. This time, if he can't have you, do you think he'll give up on the money? By then, it might not be solvable with just two thousand taels!"