"What if...what if they really come to cause trouble..."

Manager Qian frowned, his face turning sour.

Steward Han said, "We'll meet force with force, and we'll deal with water with earth. What's there to be afraid of? With so many of our family members here, how can we let them run wild?"

Having said all that, Steward Qian couldn't continue the conversation and hurriedly went out to instruct people to send messages to his clansmen and in-laws.

Qin Yuan arranged a whole host of matters, all waiting for them to handle. Manager Qian initially tried to find fault with them, but seeing that the terms on the list were clear and appropriate, he was even more convinced and became more serious and meticulous in his work.

After seeing off the judge, Steward Cao received Qin Yuan's instructions to send someone to invite the Yin-Yang Division of the Imperial Observatory to choose an auspicious date.

By the time of Shenshi (3-5 PM), all the clansmen had received the news and came regardless of their relationship to the family. The Sixth Madam's courtyard was packed with people. Lady Dai, who lived the closest, arrived the fastest and thus joined several other female relatives from the clan who lived near the Marquis's residence to help entertain the guests.

Gu Jingcheng naturally went to the front yard to help the Marquis and Sixth Master entertain the guests.

The Xu family had arrived, but only Master Xu, Madam Xu, and their two boys came. As soon as they entered Madam Xu's courtyard, they burst into tears and sobs.

Madam Xu rushed to the bedside, and the poor little sister-in-law cried out for a long time.

It took several mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law from the seven branches of the Gu family to persuade them to stop.

Lord Xu, with red eyes, said, "My lord, my sixth lord, my beautiful sister, she was so young, and she's gone just like that. My mother is frail, so I didn't dare let her know."

Sitting to the side, Master Gu wept as he heard the sad part, saying, "Madam is truly pitiful, and my children are even more so. Kang-ge and Fu-ge are a little better off, after all, they are boys and are already getting old. But my Lan-jie lost her mother at a young age, and I'm afraid she will have a difficult time finding a husband in the future."

For a moment, both of them were crying their eyes out.

Gu Jinghui sat to the side with a cold face, moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.

Fortunately, Gu Jingcheng and others comforted them, and the two calmed down.

Immediately afterwards, Qin Jijiu, Qin Siyuan, and Lin Ziqi all arrived.

Upon seeing Gu Jinghui, Qin Jijiu said, "Son-in-law, your mother-in-law has also arrived and has already gone to the inner courtyard. My daughter is still young and probably hasn't experienced much. If you need your mother-in-law's help, just let her know."

When Gu Jinghui met his father-in-law, he hurriedly and respectfully entertained him. Because Gu Jinghui had taken on the task of inspecting the capital, Qin Jijiu had been bothered by many people. In order to avoid suspicion, he had not come to talk to his son-in-law until now. Now, he couldn't help but ask a few more questions.

Qin Siyuan nodded to Gu Jinghui, then went to find Sixth Master Gu and said, "Please accept my condolences."

Master Gu sighed, "If you have some free time these days, you should visit the manor more often. I'd like to have someone to talk to, since Mr. Ruo Songshan made me memorize a lot of poems."

Qin Siyuan said, "I'm here, but you're always busy. There are so many things to deal with. Even if my sister helps you manage things, you still need someone to greet and see off the guests, right?"

Sixth Master Gu said, "I was mistaken. I thought it would be good for us to talk more since we haven't seen each other for so long."

Lin Ziqi, who was left standing aside, felt rather embarrassed.

Today's guests were all relatives by marriage. Most of the Gu family members were martial artists, and many others relied on their ancestral businesses for a living, so they had little to say to him, a scholar. The Xu family only sent Lord Xu and his two sons, so there was even less to say about them.

Lin Ziqi walked up to Sixth Master Gu and said, "Sixth Master, please accept my condolences."

Upon seeing this, Master Gu sighed and shed two tears.

“I just feel sorry for my child. He lost his mother at a young age and can only be raised by her. My mother is old and still has to work hard for me. He is extremely unfilial.”

Lin Ziqi advised, "The dead cannot be brought back to life, and crying is useless. It would be better to think about how to handle the funeral arrangements."

Qin Siyuan: "..."

Given Master Gu's indifferent nature, he probably pushed everything onto his cousin, but he would never say that in public. Master Gu himself said, "I'm someone who doesn't care about household affairs, what good am I? Fortunately, my third sister-in-law manages the household and helps me with everything, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do."

Lord Xu's eyes darted around, and he exclaimed, "My poor sister died such a pitiful death. Her husband had no official rank, and when he died, he didn't even receive a title. He kicked the bucket, and his wife remarried. It's just a case of the previous generation planting trees for the next to enjoy the shade. They might not even leave any of their wealth to their children. My sister, you were so foolish. You poured your heart and soul into your husband's family, worked yourself to death, and no one even appreciated your kindness."

The two children who came along also burst into tears, crying that their aunt was so pitiful.

The people around them found it increasingly absurd and said, "This person has just left. Doesn't Lord Xu's way of speaking make the Sixth Madam feel uneasy about leaving?"

Qin Jijiu said to Lord Gu, "Sixth Master's in-laws are a bit of a scoundrel."

Lord Gu said angrily, "What can we do? It was his own mother who arranged the marriage, choosing the Xu family girl because she was fertile. At that time, there were hardly any people left in my family, and we only hoped that the sixth son could have more children. Over the years, the Gu family has treated the Xu family well, but it has turned into this mess because of the Xu family's daughter going missing. In this matter... it also involves the dowry of my younger brother and sister-in-law, which is not easy for me as the eldest uncle to bring up."

There have been many rumors on the streets these days about the Xu and Gu families turning against each other. Due to the timing and occasion, Qin Jijiu could not ask too many questions. He could only suppress his curiosity and said, "If Sixth Master does not plan to take the imperial examination, you might as well donate a title for him. The Marquis of Dingbei is a hereditary title. According to the rules, after military merit, one can donate a nominal title. It will look more respectable and make it easier for him to go out in the future."

Gu Jinghui thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

He immediately ordered someone to find Steward Cao to discuss the matter.

Just then, Steward Cao arrived with the Five Officials of the Yin-Yang Division of the Imperial Observatory. They said they had inspected the coffin of the Sixth Madam, calculated that the body would be kept in state for forty-nine days, and the funeral would begin three days later. They also determined the location for the coffin to be placed.

Seeing this, Lord Xu stood there in a daze.

The two children nudged him and whispered, "Daddy, are you still going to make a fuss?"

Lord Xu glared at them and said, "Let's talk outside."

The three of them slipped out and found a secluded spot. Lord Xu scolded them, "You're all getting old, you should be more careful. Xu Tang is just your cousin, after all, you're not related by blood."

The eldest son asked bluntly, "Dad, are you backing out?"

Lord Xu scolded, "Are your eyes just for show? This isn't something you can just back down from. Your uncle is a good-for-nothing with no official rank, and your aunt naturally doesn't have an imperial title either. By custom, the Imperial Observatory wouldn't bother with such a thing. To put it bluntly, your father at least has an official position and a title. If I were dead, you wouldn't even be able to get an eighth-rank official from the Imperial Observatory to come to our house for divination. But look at this, the Imperial Observatory not only did the divination, but they even came to our door in person. It's clear that the Marquis of Dingbei is enjoying the Emperor's favor, and he's not going to be a pawn thrown out by the Emperor to offend people, as Lord Xu said."

The younger son pouted and asked, "So we're just leaving like this?"

Lord Xu said, "Of course not, let's stay here and observe first."