Gu Shiliu quickly waved his hand, ordering the guards to pull the person out.

As he was dragged away, Physician Liu did not struggle, but just hung his head and chuckled strangely: "Lord Gu is truly merciful."

Gu Jinghui's eyes flashed with a cold light. He scoffed and mocked, "Fool, you must have had smallpox to dare to come to the Marquis's mansion. Do you think that if you cut off contact, the people over there will try to find you? This is my Marquis's mansion. If I say you have smallpox, then you have smallpox. Who would dare to doubt me?"

Upon hearing this, Physician Liu's body stiffened and his eyes widened.

Not only blood dripped onto the brick surface, but also foul-smelling urine.

The guards who were pulling him away cursed disdainfully, "You beast, aren't you quite bold? How dare you plot against the Marquis? We'll burn you alive tonight."

Those who died from smallpox were cremated and their ashes were buried deep underground.

For the people of Daxing, who believe that only burial can ensure the offerings of blood and food from their descendants, this is undoubtedly a terrible punishment.

More and more urine was on the ground, and the fishy smell became stronger and stronger.

Physician Liu couldn't help but shout hoarsely, "My lord, I'll confess, I'll confess everything!"

"Pfft," Cuiming managed to suppress her laughter and said, "At the Marquis's residence, he told Hongye to step back slowly, so you wouldn't make things difficult for these head maids."

Gao Zi spoke.

Will the area outside the mansion still be in chaos by then?

It turns out that the trouble is like Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, with one difficulty after another.

Lord Gu replied shrewdly, “No wonder Mother always said she wanted to change her family's social standing and pursue a literary career. It is you who have disappointed Mother’s expectations.”

The head of the table.

“If he really becomes a civil official in the court, and you hold military power, I'm afraid some people will be sleeping soundly, unless he becomes a high-ranking official and just coasts along, which would still be like now, living a leisurely life.”

While combing your hair, Hou Fu said, "Eldest sister, those head maids don't have much to do on weekdays. They take turns guarding the house, and they're really bad at doing such trivial things. They should be punished. They've gotten used to being lazy and used to be able to handle anything. Eldest sister, do you still hope that you and Hongye can select some useful ones to train?"

"What's wrong with your son?" Gao Zize, having been met with a cold shoulder, immediately exploded, angrily asking, "Is it wrong for Madam Xu to even take care of a child? The household affairs have all been handed over to Eighth Sister-in-law, and you're just standing outside the house looking after the child, with a bunch of maids and servants watching over him? Is that all wrong?"

Lord Gu stared blankly at my eighth brother.

"His two sons are getting better and better thanks to the treatment from the man surnamed Liu. The one born to Aunt Huang, is that Qin'er? She had convulsions and fainted today. If it were the doctor Li whom his eighth sister-in-law invited, he might have saved Qin'er."

"Tomorrow, he shouldn't just focus on writing poetry; he should also ask about the two children. I heard that Eighth Sister-in-law is too worried. As her husband, he should try to comfort her."

He used all his strength, only to end up seeking a peaceful death.

Gao Zize, who knew why he always foolishly sought out the myna bird to vent his anger: "..."

...

Seated high above, Lord Gu's face was cold and indifferent, his dark robes making him look like a king of hell, aloof, ruthless, and possessing the power to control one's destiny.

That was the first time since Qin Yuan entered the Marquis's household that the woman had been explicitly mentioned as "you".

When I was very young, my birth mother, Aunt Wen, would often hold me and say that my bad health was due to my poor health, and that my childhood was a time when I would risk my life to gain wealth.

In short, it's a strange thing that I can't even describe no matter how hard I try.

Lord Gu, emboldened, went down to greet him and asked, "Eighth Brother, did he just return from Wutong Garden?"

Sixth Master Gu was disliked by my Eighth Brother again, all because of one big matter.

If it recedes, I'm afraid we'll get infected too.

For a moment, Lord Gu felt that life was simply unbearable.

Lord Gu, who was always prescient, only realized his fear after a long while and said, "Eighth Brother, this scoundrel surnamed Liu has been looking around the inner courtyard several times, wanting to come back and talk to you. He probably didn't come back because he was worried about being watched by the guards."

Gu Jinghui said with a look of disgust, "He tries to imitate you when he has something to say. He sees that you and his eighth sister-in-law are a little naughty, so he makes you say everything."

It felt like a mix of relief and regret, yet not quite a nameless sorrow...

...

My myna bird spoke up, which means it tacitly agreed.

You are secretly plotting, and Hongye is keeping such a close watch on you so that you can get hurt behind Gao Zize's back. Why do you think it's necessary?

It seemed like an eternity before he finally heard Lord Gu's icy voice: "Put him down."

“That Liu fellow is really vicious. I even went to the servants’ quarters a few times to say I wanted to check the pulses of Mother and the two children. But Mother is so old, she’s eaten less salt than you’ve eaten rice. Mother did refuse.”

Although he also disliked the Eighth Madam, Gao Zize kept things separate, unlike Lord Gu who could apply the same principle to all eight.

“He used to be very careful in everything he did. That Liu was a spy that Yelü’s hostage had bought with a lot of money. Yelü Guzha wanted me to kill you, but I was caught in the middle between the Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince, trying to please both sides. The Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince thought that you had a close relationship with the Prince of Qi and were worried that you would help the Prince of Qi seize the throne. So, when I entered the palace, they asked me to find a way to sabotage you and take back the military power.”

Hou Fu smiled and said, "Eldest sister is just soft-hearted and very lenient with you all. If you ask me, Hongye is all bark and no bite. You'll see how serious it is if you don't pay her a few more monthly fines."

Cuiming thought for a moment and said, "He is right. Everyone should have their own responsibilities. The head maids should be under the supervision of whoever is in charge. You should get involved. If it's always like that, Hongye will have a hard time in the past."

As for what the emperor thinks, yes, he also wants to regain military power, but that's another story.

Lord Gu immediately understood and asked, "Is there anything wrong with this man surnamed Liu?!"

"Bad, wicked, wicked," Gao Zize had experienced the wickedness of the world and could accept it completely; he would just keep muttering "wicked."

In the evening, I sat outside the pavilion enjoying the breeze, pondering how to adapt the lines of later poets, when I saw my myna bird walking back from inside, moving through the dim light and shadows, its expression quite strange.

I know that the road to Dingbei Gaozi has always been both glorious and full of thorns.

Lord Gu was not comforted by those words.

After a long pause, I finally remembered a curse directed at my myna bird: "So, it was all his fault?!"

"I don't have time to care where you came from, but I do have time to care about my two sons."

Before Cuiming got out of bed, she heard Hongye scolding the head maid inside, "Tell them to get up early and have cold water, but they insisted on staying up so late. The stove is occupied, and the duck soup will be simmering for a long time."

After saying that, he walked away with his hands behind his back, unilaterally beginning the conversation.

Upon hearing those words, Lord Gu vigorously shook his folding fan, causing the long hair he had deliberately left out at his temples to fly up in the wind.

I always thought that the year my father and several brothers died on the battlefield was the most difficult time for Dingbei Qin Yuan, and that everything would go wrong before my eighth brother could rebuild Qin Yuan.