Qin Yuan asked, "Is Sixth Madam certain that Zhen'er went to Yuyuantan Park?"
Lord Gu's eyes flickered.
The old woman nodded and said, "That's exactly what the Sixth Madam said."
Sixth Master Gu sighed sadly and said, "Yesterday, Siyuan and I were strolling along the embankment reciting poetry when we saw someone on a boat throwing themselves into the water. If I had known earlier that Sister Zhen had also gone to Yuyuantan Park, I would have gone to take a look no matter what."
Lord Gu then asked, "I was just about to ask you, when you left the manor early yesterday morning, was there anything unusual? Did you notice anyone following you?"
Sixth Master Gu frowned for a long time, then shook his head and said, "No, Third Brother, you know I rarely go out this early. Yuyuantan is quite far, and I had to pick up Siyuan, so I got up very early."
Lord Gu tapped his knuckles heavily on the table and pondered, "If she went to Yuyuantan, she will definitely come looking for you. In my opinion, it is not certain whether she went to Yuyuantan or not. However... let's go to Yuyuantan to look for her first."
Qin Yuan glanced at Lord Gu and said, "If Zhen'er goes to Yuyuantan, it will be easy to find her. But if she gets lost on the way, it will be difficult."
Lord Gu squeezed her hand, lowered his head and asked, "In your opinion?"
Qin Yuan said, "Now we can only try to find out what happened at Yuyuantan yesterday. We can't keep it from the Xu family either. If we can't find them, we might have to alert the authorities."
Upon hearing this, Sixth Master Gu shrank back slightly and quickly said, "Why don't we search first and then talk about it?"
If the person can be found, we won't have to deal with the troublesome Xu family.
Qin Yuan looked at Lord Gu.
Lord Gu said with a troubled expression, "It is as you say, but... given the current situation in the manor, it is not appropriate for Sixth Sister-in-law to confront the Xu family directly."
Qin Yuan understood. What Lord Gu meant was that since she was now in charge of the household affairs, if the Xu family made trouble because of Xu Zhen, she would have to deal with it.
It seems that the Xu family is not easy to get along with.
Sixth Master Gu frantically tried to signal to Qin Yuan across the way, but she ignored him and said, "Given the current situation in the manor, I'm afraid the Xu family won't dare to come. The incident that happened to Zhen'er in the Marquis's manor must be addressed to the Xu family no matter what."
Lord Gu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, if it's inconvenient for my sixth brother's wife to show up, then my sixth brother can do it."
Master Gu was stunned: "..."
After his third brother married his sister-in-law, he paid even less attention to him.
Lord Gu looked over.
Sixth Master Gu suppressed his anger and quickly said, "Third Sister-in-law, Third Brother is right."
Lord Gu said to Qin Yuan, "Then this matter will be left to Madam."
Qin Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."
Sixth Master Gu asked in a low voice, "Third Brother, can Third Sister-in-law handle this?"
A hint of smugness flashed in Lord Gu's narrow, sharp eyes as he tilted his chin and said, "What do you know? Your sister-in-law's abilities are beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Sixth Master Gu glanced at Qin Yuan, “…”
Third Brother is truly despicable.
Lord Gu held Qin Yuan's hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid. If anything happens, your husband will take care of you. Steward Han and Steward Cao will obey your orders."
Qin Yuan replied softly, "Okay."
Lord Gu narrowed his eyes. His little wife looked gentle and weak, but she was actually very shrewd. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "If they don't obey your orders, just come to me."
Qin Yuan looked up at him and said with a smile, "Okay."
Sixth Master Gu turned his face and looked sadly at the books beside him, his interest in composing poetry already half gone.
Soon, Lord Gu ordered his men to summon Steward Cao and Steward Han. The two stewards approached the pavilion, stood at the foot of the steps, and after exchanging greetings, Lord Gu instructed them: "Xu Zhen did not return last night. I heard that she went to Yuyuantan early yesterday morning. You two should immediately send people to search for her. All matters shall be handled according to Madam's instructions."
Butler Cao was somewhat surprised, then replied, "Yes."
Butler Han reluctantly agreed.
Qin Yuan didn't care what the two of them were thinking, and said, "Immediately send someone to the Xu family to inform them about Miss Xu's matter. The Sixth Madam is taking care of the young lady and cannot go to the Xu family to inform them in person. Please forgive her."
Butler Cao quickly agreed.
Qin Yuan continued, "Gather twenty men from the manor and send them to Yuyuantan to inquire carefully whether any woman went missing or other unusual events occurred yesterday. Also, select ten men to investigate among the beggars, peddlers, and vendors at the manor gate to see if anyone saw the two women. If anyone provides information, a reward of ten taels of silver will be given; if they find them, a reward of one hundred taels of silver will be given. Also, send someone to the Jingzhao Yin's manor to report to the authorities."
Butler Han responded in a low voice.
Sixth Master Gu nodded and said, "Third Sister-in-law is very thoughtful."
Qin Yuan said, "This is how most matters are handled; it's the usual practice. Sixth Brother, you flatter me."
Gu Liuye thought to himself, "The Qin family's son is truly a dragon among men. Just look at Third Sister-in-law. It's shameful that the Xu family has caused such a mess."
Thinking about all this, his expression couldn't help but turn somewhat unpleasant.
Qin Yuan reassured him, "Sixth brother, don't worry too much. Zhen'er is a lucky person and will definitely be alright."
Sixth Master Gu lowered his eyes, sighed, and then fell silent.
Qin Yuan then carefully instructed them to burn incense before going out and to wear aprons soaked in medicinal water to prevent the spread of smallpox.
After the two stewards took over their tasks, they hurried back to check the staff. Steward Han couldn't help but comment to Steward Cao, "Madam handled things quite well."
Steward Cao smiled and said, "It's not easy to get such a compliment from you."
Steward Han sent someone to the Prefectural Governor's Office to report the case. The judge asked in surprise, "Didn't they just come here yesterday?"
"...Yes...but it happened again today..."
The judge sighed, "How come one problem after another arises? Before the Marquis of Dingbei returned to court, there was nothing going on in his residence."
Looking down, he saw the bib and sachet being offered and asked curiously, "What are these?"
"This sachet can be hung at the waist to ward off disease, and the bib has been soaked in medicine. Wearing it on the face can prevent smallpox... In addition, the Lady Hou asked me to report to you that all those who have contracted smallpox are being kept in separate courtyards. The entire mansion has been cleaned, sprinkled with lime, and wiped with vinegar and wine."
The judge breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "The Lady of the Marquis has made such a perfect arrangement that even if it were a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, I would still have to go."
They were completely unlike their previous unwilling demeanor.
Steward Cao hurriedly ordered people to search for Xu Zhen at Yuyuantan Park, and also had people ask the beggars, porters, and peddlers at the gate of the mansion if they had seen Xu Zhen and her maid, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
After finishing his work, Steward Cao took a small teapot and sat down in the armchair to slowly sip his tea. Accountant Sun noticed this and asked, "Steward Cao was very careful on duty today. Why is that?"
Steward Cao gave Accountant Sun a meaningful look and said, "Today I am on duty for the Lady of the Marquis, how could I dare to be careless?"
Accountant Sun frowned and said, "Madam Hou's management of the household is only a temporary measure. Besides, doesn't the outer courtyard still rely on you and Steward Han?"
Steward Cao chuckled and said, "If you had any sense at all, you wouldn't say that. The Marquis's residence has been in perfect order these past two days, without the slightest chaos. It's clear that the Marquis's wife is quite capable."
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