Upon hearing Qin Yuan's words, Lord Xu was speechless.
The old woman in black shrieked, "Then tell me, where did my Zhen'er go? She was lost in the Marquis's mansion, so the Marquis's mansion must take responsibility. Don't think that just because our Xu family has declined, no one will stand up for Zhen'er. There are plenty of people like us in the Xu family."
Lord Xu dryly echoed, "Yes, that's exactly the point."
The other members of the Xu family also cheered them on.
Gu Jinghui chuckled and said, "Just tell us how you want the Marquis's mansion to take responsibility. Why beat around the bush like this?"
Lord Xu, with his neck stiffened, swallowed hard and said, "Zhen'er is the eldest daughter of our family. Although our Xu family has fallen on hard times, we have never mistreated her. If anything happens to Zhen'er, even paying ten thousand taels of silver in compensation would not be excessive."
Qin Yuan's eyes narrowed involuntarily.
Sixth Master Gu snorted coldly and said, "You are right, but this was caused by your sister. If you want any compensation, you should go and discuss it with your sister."
Lord Xu's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at him resentfully.
Still not satisfied, Master Gu added, "Your sister has made quite a bit of money in the Marquis's mansion over the years. Although a lot of it has been sent to the Xu family, she still has a considerable amount in hand. You Xu family members can discuss it yourselves, but don't drag our Gu family into it."
The Xu family members crossed their arms and said mockingly, "Not only that, but one of the maids has also been infected, and some people have been locked up in a secluded courtyard for quarantine. You should advise them to leave as soon as possible. If they contract smallpox, don't blame Qin Yuan again."
The Marquis said, "You reported Zhen'er's matter to the authorities again today, but the magistrate hasn't come yet, and..." You paused, a faint smile appearing on your face, and said without any apology, "Chai Jiao reported to the authorities yesterday. There is no smallpox in the mansion. The mansion will be sealed off before today, which is also a sign of loyalty to the court."
The Marquis said, "The smallpox was discovered early, the isolation was timely, and with Doctor Li's prescription, we have at least a 70% chance of success. The spices you prepared will increase the chances by another 20%. As long as we supervise the cleaning and sanitation in a timely manner and wear aprons soaked in the medicine, we can increase the chances by another 10%. If no one gets infected, and there are no imperial physicians to treat them, and Chai Jiao has sealed herself off, then if there is no smallpox elsewhere, it will be related to Qin Yuan."
Upon hearing this, Chai Jiaojin was thrown into a state of chaos, as if stung by a wasp.
Chai Jiaojin and Lord Xu both kept their mouths shut.
That was a threat, an attempt to continue arguing.
The Marquis nodded and added, "That's right. The masters outside the manor are all staying inside. Smallpox is being eradicated, so you can go anywhere. If Gu Jinghui has nothing more to say, please continue."
Uncle Gu slammed his fist on the table, his mind in turmoil. “…Mother is getting old, and my eighth brother’s two children are still studying at the Imperial Academy. What should we do?”
Sixth Master Gu's eyes were full of stars. If his eighth brother were here, he would really want to embrace the Marquis's mansion. In the end, he restrained himself, curled his fingers, and said in a heavy voice, "You know he is thoughtful in his work. He even thought of such things."
Chai Jiaojin said, "Is your sister his wife? Didn't he treat you like that?"
The Xu family, in a defiant tone, said, "Didn't you already tell Brother Ba that the Xu family was a fallen family? Who was worried about Brother Ba laughing at us? And who else is as unlucky as Brother Ba?"
Sixth Master Gu said calmly, "The person hasn't been found yet. Should we look for him first? What do you think?"
Outside the hall, it was a chaotic mess, like a tornado had struck.
Sixth Master Gu remained seated.
Chai Jiaojin turned to Master Gu and said, "Steward Cao, let him say something."
Chai Jiaojin's eyelashes trembled slightly as she echoed Chai Jiao's words: "Indeed, Qin Yuan's smallpox came about strangely. It was not a conspiracy, and it is unknown whether it is related to Xu Zhen's disappearance. In order to spread the smallpox and wreak havoc in the capital, Qin Yuan has already sent messages to her relatives and friends and closed her doors to visitors. As long as Qin Yuan's smallpox is eradicated, her door will remain open. From today onwards, no one in the capital who has contracted smallpox will be related to Qin Yuan."
Chai Jiaojin ignored me and asked Hou Fu, "Is what he just said about the fiefdom being sealed true?"
The old woman in the black dress shrieked, "Are you saying that only two children have contracted smallpox?"
Gu Jinghui stamped his foot angrily and said, "Go, all of you go."
Upon hearing those words, the Xu family looked at the Marquis's residence in shock.
The Xu family looked towards the Marquis's residence. Although they spoke, it was clear that I had no reservations.
Before Chai Jiaojin left, the Xu family said regretfully, "We've made a fool of ourselves in front of our sister-in-law."
Chai Jiaojin choked for a moment, then nodded reluctantly and said, "Fine, Qin Yuan is precious, no wonder your poor relatives are looked down upon. If Zhen'er is found and brought back, the Marquis will not blame you for giving the Gu family face."
The Marquis nodded: "You didn't have that intention, and before you even had time to discuss it with your husband, you took it upon yourself to say it."
Lord Gu glared at the Xu family with a benevolent expression, as if he would gang up on them if Steward Cao said anything bad.
The Xu family snorted and said, "It can't be said that way."
The Marquis hurriedly replied, "Even the Emperor doesn't have eight poor relatives. Your Qin family doesn't have any troublesome clansmen either. It's just that the Qin family is poor, and your father has a high salary, so they're not that troublesome."
Chai Jiaojin was the type of person who could be threatened. A hint of coldness flashed in her narrow eyes, and Chai Jiaojin shrank back involuntarily, but still did not make any move forward.
They couldn't even be bothered to give me a single word of politeness.
Chai Jiaojin turned her face away and sighed, "Eighth Sister-in-law, it's the same."
With a gloomy face, Lord Xu had someone bring him a packet of medicine and a packet of spices. He then led him to the gate of the mansion and handed them to Gu Jinghui, saying, "Those are for preventing smallpox outside the mansion. Once those are used up, please ask Doctor Li from Renhe Hall to prescribe medicine. The spices were prepared by Madam. They should use them sparingly, and Qin Yuan has no limit on their use."
The Marquis frowned. Qin Yuan was currently overwhelmed with affairs, and the Xu family was dragging their feet, which was really annoying.
He paused, then added, "But how to settle Mother is something we'll have to ask Mother herself. Are you the one who can make the decision?"
Chai Jiaojin was too lazy to appease her brother-in-law, but the Marquis's mansion said, "Chai Jiaojin will see off your in-laws on your behalf. Also, Lord Xu can send some of the broken medicine packets and spices to your in-laws as a token of Qin Yuan's appreciation."
To say in front of the Xu family that the Xu family daughter was digging into her husband's family to support her own family was tantamount to slapping the Xu family in the face and implying that the Xu family daughter was not a virtuous woman.
Butler Han pursed his lips and said, "Yes."
The Marquis's family added, "If your eighth brother's two children are doing badly while studying at the Imperial Academy, they shouldn't come back even during holidays. You should send someone to tell Father to ask me to look after them a little."
Gu Jinghui gave a perfunctory reply, handed the medicine to the woman beside him, and said sarcastically, "You should thank Qin Yuan for sharing the medicine. If your Lord Gu were to contract smallpox, you would also dare to blame Qin Yuan. It's your own fault. If you say no more, it would seem like you know what's good for you."
Sixth Master Gu glanced at me and said warmly, "Am I trying to make you laugh? He doesn't have that kind of in-laws; they're all spoiled."
Gu Jinghui's face contorted with rage as he lunged forward, but Butler Han, with his round body, quickly stepped in front of him, laughing, "It's necessary, it's necessary."
Qin Yuan was somewhat surprised, thinking to herself that Sixth Master Gu had been angered by the Xu family.
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