Such a thing had never happened in the Qin family before. Hongye couldn't help but want to say a few words to Cuiming, but Cuiming glared at her, and Hongye quieted down.

Hongye remained silent, and so did everyone else. Qin Yuan frowned and pondered the whole way.

Upon arriving at the main room, Xiao Hong came out to greet them, whispering, "Madam, the old lady is coaxing Young Master Cheng and Miss Yu."

That old woman had been with Young Master Cheng all the way from the northern frontier; her sudden death was bound to be heartbreaking.

What's more, Zhao Niangzi is nowhere to be found.

Qin Yuan asked softly, "Is the Marquis here?"

Xiao Hong said, "He's not here."

Qin Yuan frowned, and Hongye couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that the Marquis went to see Lady Zhao?"

Xiao Hong said, "I heard from Rong Mama that Zhao Niangzi's clothes and jewelry are gone, and all the light and valuable things in the room are gone. Sixth Madam went to interrogate the old women guarding the gate to find out when Zhao Niangzi was released."

Qin Yuan asked, "Does Madam Six suspect that the old woman guarding the gate accepted money from Madam Zhao?"

Xiao Hong nodded and shook her head, looking distressed. "Sixth Madam said that Zhao Niangzi may have left last night."

If the old woman guarding the gate is strict, how could Zhao Niangzi sneaking out late at night not alert the master of the house?

It's also possible that the old woman guarding the gate went to drink or sleep while no one was watching.

But how did Lady Zhao manage to escape through the outer gate of the Marquis's residence?

What about that dead old woman?

Qin Yuan was completely baffled. She went into the main room and saw Cheng Ge'er and Yu Jie'er hugging each other and crying sadly. Old Madam Gu sighed sadly beside her, with tear stains on her face. Rong Mama was trying to comfort them, but it was to no avail.

Upon seeing her enter, Old Madam Gu asked, "You knew everything when you came in?"

Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Mother, I saw it all. I heard that the old woman who took care of Cheng-ge'er died. Should we report this to the authorities?"

Madam Gu was taken aback, glanced at the two crying children, and hesitated.

If we report it to the authorities and it gets out of hand, I don't know if it will affect the future of the two children.

Qin Yuan then said, "This person doesn't seem to be from the Marquis's residence. She was brought from the northern frontier by Madam Zhao. Now that something has happened at the Marquis's residence, and Madam Zhao and another old woman have disappeared, if we don't report it to the authorities, who knows how people will spread rumors about her in the future."

Madam Gu was startled, and her voice rose slightly: "What nonsense are you spreading? To repay our kindness, our Marquis's Mansion took her into our mansion and provided her with the best food and drink. When Madam Zhao was sick, we invited many doctors to come and treat her. I just don't understand what we did wrong to make things like this."

Old Madam Gu raised her voice, and the two children's crying subsided.

Cheng Ge'er listened intently to their conversation while sobbing.

Seeing her brother like this, Yu Jie tried her best to keep quiet with her mouth pursed, her nose twitching, and tears still streamed down her face.

Madam Gu continued, "Now that the adults are missing, the two children are crying so pitifully. The Marquis is also in a difficult position. He has already sent people to look for Madam Zhao and that old woman. He wants to see them alive or dead. No matter what happened, he wants to explain clearly how the children were abandoned."

Rong Momo hurriedly went up and gently patted Madam Gu's back, advising, "Madam, please calm down and don't get so worked up. You've only been well for a few years, don't make things worse by worrying. If you get sick again, won't the Marquis and his wife be even more overwhelmed?"

Madam Gu took a few deep breaths, and her chest gradually calmed down.

Qin Yuan said, "Mother, we naturally know that the Marquis has a clear conscience towards Lady Zhao and the two children, but we can't help but hear the rumors spread by those with ulterior motives. The Marquis brought them close to the manor to take care of them, but there are rumors outside that the Marquis intends to take Lady Zhao as a concubine. Now Lady Zhao has left with an old woman, and another old woman has died in our manor. We don't even know how she died. She wasn't a member of the manor. If her relatives come to the Marquis's manor in the future, how will the manor deal with them?"

"It's clearly not the Marquis's business, but it's become his business now. The identity of the two children's biological father is unknown, and the Marquis wanted to find Lady Zhao to ask her about it, but she suddenly disappeared. Is there some secret behind this?"

"If someone with ulterior motives were to fabricate some lies, these two children are still young. Wouldn't it be even worse if they believed what others said when they grow up?"

Cheng Ge'er was so engrossed in listening that he forgot to cry. When he heard more about things that were related to himself, he was completely stunned.

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Qin Yuan said, "Why don't we wait for the Marquis to return and discuss whether to report it to the authorities? However, the old woman cannot be moved. The rights and wrongs here should be judged by the government. If the government makes a mistake, we can appeal and clarify the matter. Then no one will make a fuss about it again."

Old Madam Gu hesitated for a moment, looked at the two children, and asked, "They are still young, if they are..."

Qin Yuan then asked Cheng Ge'er, "Do you want to know how your wet nurse died?"

Brother Cheng nodded.

Do you want to know where your mother went? Why did she abandon you?

Cheng Ge'er held back the tears that were about to burst out and nodded emphatically.

Do you want to know who your father really is?

Cheng Ge'er paused, then slowly nodded, clearly not caring much about his biological father.

Qin Yuan said to Madam Gu, "Mother, as you can see, if this matter is covered up, the two children will keep it to themselves when they grow up. It's fine if it just stays like this forever, but if one day, someone with ulterior motives uses it to stir things up when they are young and naive, we can't prevent it. It's better to just uncover it and find out the truth."

After thinking for a moment, Rong Momo said, "Although these two children are not the Marquis's biological children, he watched them grow up and treated them as his own. Otherwise, the old lady would not have taken them to the main house to raise. Zhao Niangzi... sigh... we can't let these two children still have a grudge against the Marquis when they grow up."

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu immediately said, "Then we'll wait for the Marquis to return and have a proper discussion."

Qin Yuan said, "Mother, the two children are still young and cannot go hungry. Let's have breakfast first. We don't know when the Marquis will be back. I asked him last night, and he only asked for one day off."

Rong Mama also advised, "We don't know what's wrong with Zhao Niangzi. If the old lady and the child don't eat or drink, what if the Marquis brings them back and you both starve to death?"

Qin Yuan then called to the two children, "Brother Cheng, now is not the time for Sister Yu to cry. Eat and drink well first, take good care of yourselves, so that you can help the adults find a way to find your mother and wet nurse."

Cheng Ge'er pulled Yu Jie'er down from the daybed, walked to Qin Yuan, bowed, and said, "Godmother, we were ignorant and offended you a lot before. Thank you for your guidance. We will eat well and not make the old lady sad."

Qin Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this.