Qin Yuan frowned slightly.
Lord Xu looked as if he harbored a grudge against Sixth Master Gu.
Sixth Master Gu was not intimidated and met her gaze, saying, "Then only Xu Zhen and Madam Xu know. I already told my brother-in-law last time that only Madam Xu knew about Zhen'er leaving the mansion. I went out to the Qin mansion to pick her up that morning, and I didn't see Zhen'er at all along the way."
Upon hearing that his sister was mentioned, Lord Xu said, "Now that she's gone, you can say whatever you want."
“In that case, you siblings can talk it out when you meet,” said Master Gu.
Lord Xu did not respond.
Qin Yuan said, "These days, Sixth Sister-in-law has been worried about her niece's health and has fallen ill from exhaustion. When Lord Xu goes to see Sixth Sister-in-law, please try to temper your temper a little."
"Fine," Lord Xu said, his forehead veins bulging. He jumped up and grabbed Sixth Master Gu's collar. "Is this how my sister is tormented in your house? Don't think that just because you're the Marquis of Dingbei's brother, I won't dare to hit you."
Qin Yuan exclaimed in surprise, and Lord Gu quickly squeezed her hand to reassure her.
Sixth Master Gu was a little angry. He grabbed Lord Xu's hand and sneered, "If you hadn't come to make trouble, and if she hadn't been worried about Zhen'er, she wouldn't be in this state. Even the head of the Imperial Hospital said that she overthinks things and is too preoccupied, which has worn her out. You know what kind of person she is. Think about it yourself. If you ask me, she shouldn't have brought Zhen'er here in the first place."
Lord Xu then released his grip and roared, "Lead the way quickly, I need to see my sister."
The Xu family split into two groups. The men stayed in the front hall, accompanied by Lord Gu, while Lord Xu and several female relatives followed Sixth Master Gu and Qin Yuan to Sixth Madam Gu's courtyard.
Before Qin Yuan went to the front hall, she had already sent someone to Madam Gu's courtyard to inform the Xu family that someone was coming.
Therefore, as soon as they arrived, Granny Zhao hurriedly came out to greet them.
When she saw so many people coming, Granny Zhao was startled and her voice trembled.
"Greetings to Uncle, ladies, and cousins. Are you all here to see the Sixth Madam?"
Lord Xu asked with a stern face, "I heard that Yao Niang is seriously ill, is that true?"
Zhao Mama's tears fell incessantly as she choked out, "It's such a tragedy. The Sixth Madam is so thin she's just skin and bones. A gust of wind could blow her away. She gets breathless with the slightest movement, can't sleep well at night, and can't eat much during the day. We've called the imperial physician, but he said she can only be slowly cared for."
"Alas... Sixth Madam's illness is all because of Zhen'er's matter. I really don't know how she's managed to get through these days. She's worried about the manor, about smallpox, about the young lady, and she's also thinking about Zhen'er and the Xu family..."
Upon hearing her words, Lord Xu's anger subsided by half.
Madam Xu said, "We heard she was ill, so we came to see her and ask about our Zhen'er. Poor thing, I was seriously ill a few days ago because of Zhen'er."
Granny Zhao wiped away her tears and sighed, "Actually, I know about this too. I was serving Zhen'er when she was talking to the Sixth Madam that day. When you and your wives see the Sixth Madam later, you must not show too much surprise, lest you upset the patient. The Sixth Madam has been talking about it for many days, regretting that she didn't stop Zhen'er. And it just so happened that the accident happened that day. Someone poisoned the house, and both children broke out in smallpox. Everyone was in a panic, and they didn't have time to think about it. When they finally remembered, they found that Zhen'er hadn't returned, and when they ordered people to look for her, they couldn't find her."
The way he said it, everything was laid out in advance.
Lord Xu temporarily suppressed his anger and led the group of women into the house.
Qin Yuan followed her inside. Now that she was in charge of the inner quarters, she should stay by her side.
The maids lifted the curtains of the inner room, and a strong smell of medicine and fragrance wafted out. The room was stuffy because the windows were closed, and you would start sweating after standing inside for a short while.
It is evident that the patients inside are very sensitive to cold.
With Zhao Mama's words as a prelude, Lord Xu was somewhat prepared, but he was still startled when he saw the person lying on the sickbed.
Some of the women in the group couldn't help but gasp.
"Yao Niang, what happened to you? Why don't you take care of your body?"
It took Lord Xu a long time to finally manage to utter a sentence.
Qin Yuan also sighed.
No matter who it is, it's hard to see your loved one in this state.
Madam Gu had just taken her medicine and was in a light sleep when she was woken up by her brother and sister-in-law from her maternal family. They said they wanted to talk to her, so she had to perk up and deal with them.
Granny Zhao helped her up, placed a few soft pillows behind her back, and raised her up a bit so she could lie down comfortably.
She coughed and said with difficulty, "The weather is unpredictable, and people are unpredictable. I thought it was just a minor illness, but I didn't expect it to become a serious condition. It's just that I'm not lucky. Brother, don't worry, I should get better with proper care."
To others, her words seemed like a sign of her exhaustion, merely a pretense of speaking.
Lord Xu then said, "Since that's the case, your brother and sister-in-law won't bother you any longer. Just tell me where Zhen'er went that day and what she did?"
Everyone stared intently at Madam Gu on the bed.
Madam Gu gave a bitter laugh and said, "Even if I told you, my brother and sister-in-law might not believe me. They already know that I invited Zhen'er here to find him a good marriage partner. My third sister-in-law's cousin is a scholar with the talent of a Jinshi degree, and he's also handsome; Zhen'er and I both thought he was quite good. Unfortunately, the goddess is willing, but the prince is not. Zhen'er found out that Sixth Master was going to Yuyuantan with him to form a poetry club that day, so Zhen'er planned to go along and find a way to bump into them..."
Madam Gu spoke haltingly.
Lord Xu's face flushed red and then turned pale.
The women were already shouting, "Grandma, you can't ruin the reputation of the Xu family women just for the sake of the Gu family. You are also a Xu family woman."
After speaking at length, Madam Gu was already quite exhausted. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but cough violently, coughing as if she were trying to cough up her heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys.
Granny Zhao hurriedly stepped forward, gently patting her chest, then turned to her and said, "Sixth Madam is ill. I told you before, and I was serving her at the time. If you have any questions, just ask me. I'm afraid Madam's body won't hold up much longer. Do you want to force her to her death?"
After finally catching her breath, Madam Gu looked at Lord Xu and said, "Brother, I have something to say to you privately."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu quickly tugged at Lord Xu's clothes.
Lord Xu rolled his eyes and said to Qin Yuan, "Madam, please take them outside. My sister and I need to talk alone. She is seriously ill, so there is no need to avoid suspicion at this time."
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "You two siblings have a deep bond, and no one else will think anything of it. I'll take them out now and you can talk in peace."
After saying this, he led everyone out to sit in the outer room, ordered the maids to serve tea, and chatted with them for a while.
After a short while, Lord Xu came out with red eyes and said to Granny Zhao, "You old hag, tell me everything that happened that day."
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