Seeing this, Qin Yuan knew that the brother and sister had made a decision, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Would my in-laws like me to leave?"
Lord Xu said, "No need, I wanted to ask in front of Madam."
Qin Yuan said, "That's good. I only found out about this after the smallpox outbreak and the sealing off of the courtyard, and I still don't know what happened."
Only then did Master Gu speak, “I only found out that Zhen’er was missing because the old woman who delivered the message said that Zhen’er had gone to Yuyuantan and asked me if I had seen her. I don’t know anything about what happened. Even if I went to report to the authorities, they would just say that a young lady from the family had gone missing.”
Zhao Mama steeled herself and said, "I don't need to go into details about Zhen'er's arrival at the manor. After entering the manor, Zhen'er often goes to sit in the madam's courtyard. It's because she has taken a liking to the madam's cousin's talent. However, this marriage is not easy to arrange. Zhen'er is thinking of going to Yuyuantan Park to meet him by chance. Perhaps a beautiful story of a talented man and a beautiful woman can unfold."
"So she said it to the Sixth Madam the day before, and the Sixth Madam even teased her, asking if she still wanted to try her luck and become a Jinshi's wife? Zhen'er was worried that the Sixth Master would not grant her wish if he found out, so she rushed to Yuyuantan to wait for him before he did."
"That morning, the young lady broke out in smallpox, and then Qin'er's smallpox broke out. The Sixth Madam first called the Smallpox Goddess, and then the Imperial Physician. The mansion was in chaos that day because of Zhao Niangzi's matter, and the magistrate was called in to judge the case. The Sixth Madam forgot about this matter and thought that Zhen'er, a girl, would not dare to go out like this. When she saw that she hadn't come the next day, she remembered to ask the old woman to go and ask. Only then did she find out that Zhen'er hadn't returned. The house was in a complete mess, and no one noticed that Zhen'er and her little maid were not in the mansion."
She spoke extremely fast, like beans being poured out in a rapid-fire stream.
These words completely absolved Madam Liu of any wrongdoing.
However, Sister Zhen inevitably gained a reputation for being lost in her youthful infatuation.
The veins on Lord Xu's forehead throbbed, and his fists, resting on his knees, were clenched tightly.
Madam Xu sobbed, "You old servant, following your mistress, you've forgotten that you're also a servant of the Xu family, and you actually dare to speak ill of my Zhen'er like this."
Granny Zhao knelt down with a thud, pointed to the sky and swore: "If this old servant is lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
"That's enough," said Lord Xu. "The little maidservant who went missing with her is also gone. She left the mansion and didn't even reach Yuyuantan. She was probably kidnapped by beggars. If she went to someone else's house, she should have come back sooner or later. Since there's been no news of her, she might be gone."
Madam Xu burst into tears.
The other women also wept.
If she hasn't appeared for so long, she's either dead, has ended up in some unclean place, or has been kidnapped and sold somewhere to be someone's wife or concubine.
Qin Yuan felt a pang of sympathy.
Although I don't like Xu Zhen, I didn't want her to end up in this situation, but that day was just too coincidental.
Unable to bear listening any longer, Master Gu racked his brains and said, "The other day, a murder occurred at your residence, and coincidentally, Sister Zhen went missing. Both of these matters were reported to the magistrate, so perhaps the authorities can find Sister Zhen's whereabouts. We might as well burn more incense and make some donations at the temples and monasteries. Sister Zhen is a lucky person, and she will naturally come back."
No one responded to his words.
After sitting for a while, Lord Xu and Madam Xu rallied their spirits, wiped away their tears, and left the Sixth Madam's courtyard, heading towards the front hall.
Qin Yuan said to Hongye, "Have the kitchen prepare a banquet for more than twenty people and send it to the front hall."
Hongye said, "Given the state of the Xu family, do they still want to drink?"
Qin Yuan said, "It's been so long since Zhen'er's matter happened. The Xu family has already made up their minds. Besides, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. After drinking and settling things over, we can all get along better in the future."
Then the red leaves left.
When Qin Yuan returned to the front hall, she saw Lord Xu sitting alone with his head down, while Gu Jinghui was chatting happily with the Xu family's sons.
The Xu family were originally military officers, and they all knew a little about sticks and fists, but they had never been on the battlefield or fought to the death with anyone. Their skills were all just fancy moves.
Gu Jinghui taught them some martial arts techniques, and they quickly became acquainted.
Sixth Master Gu couldn't get a word in edgewise and remained silent.
No one in the Xu family was willing to pay him any attention.
Clearly, not only did Master Gu look down on the Xu family, but the Xu family also looked down on Master Gu.
After a while, Lord Xu came to speak to Lord Gu again, "Lord Gu, please forgive me for any offense I may have caused."
Lord Gu was talking to someone else when he heard this and turned to say, "It's alright. We are related by marriage. We share the same fate, and we will not let this damage the harmony between our two families."
Lord Xu's voice trembled slightly: "My poor Zhen'er."
Lord Gu immediately assured him, "The manor was sealed off due to smallpox, and the guards were also confined inside, unable to search around. The manor will certainly increase manpower, so you can rest assured. However..."
Lord Xu hurriedly asked, "But what?"
Lord Gu stared at him intently and said, "I've heard that the Xu family's sons are quite influential in the marketplace, and they might have an easier time gathering information than we do. I urge the Xu family to ask more people to search for them as well."
Lord Xu looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Of course."
Lord Gu said, "If we use a two-pronged approach, we will surely find Zhen'er's whereabouts."
Lord Xu sighed, "That would be best."
Steward Han strode in from outside and bowed, saying, "My lord, my lady, the banquet is ready. Shall we begin now?"
Lord Gu was taken aback and looked at Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I had someone make arrangements as soon as I came out of my sixth sister-in-law's courtyard. Now that things have been cleared up, the Xu family has arrived early this morning. We can't let them leave on an empty stomach. How about we set up a table here in the hall and have a good drink?"
Lord Gu then said to Lord Xu, "I have prepared some wine and water. Why don't we all sit down and have a chat?"
Lord Xu was also interested in getting closer to him, so he nodded in agreement.
Qin Yuan instructed that a screen be drawn up so that men and women could take their seats separately.
The maids and servants filed in, rearranged the tables and chairs, and set out the feast.
Gu Jinghui apologized, "Today was a bit rushed, so I only prepared some simple wine. There are no actors or acrobats to entertain us, so let's just chat casually."
Lord Xu said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Marquis. I hope to come to your residence to watch the opera again next time I have the chance."
Through the screen, Qin Yuan and Madam Xu and others chatted and exchanged pleasantries, making it a pleasant occasion for both host and guests.
It won't cause as much of a headache as last time.
They didn't mention going to the main room to pay their respects to Madam Gu, and Qin Yuan also kept quiet about it, both sides tacitly agreeing to let the matter drop.
After the banquet, Lord Xu, having drunk too much, held Lord Gu's hand at the gate of the mansion and asked, "What exactly did you submit to the Emperor? So many officials in the capital have come to ask me. I heard that the Emperor praised you and is going to give you an important task: to examine the officials in the capital. When you do, remember to give me a top grade."
Lord Gu said, "No, no."
Lord Xu continued, "What if there is?"
Lord Gu said, "We'll talk about it when we have it."
Lord Xu persisted, pressing him under the influence of alcohol: "You still haven't told me what exactly you submitted in your memorial?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
