After King Qi and Qin Yuan reached an agreement, they hurriedly got up to take their leave.
Lord Gu saw him off at the gate of the mansion, and the two chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways.
As soon as he entered the mansion, Gu Shiliu whispered, "My lord, Hongye just came to me and asked me to find out which of the lawsuits the Xu family was involved in for usury and usury, who in the government handled them, and who helped them get things settled behind the scenes."
Gu Jinghui said angrily, "The Xu family is fickle and only cares about profit. No wonder the sixth son looks down on the Xu family. Now the madam is still discussing matters with the old madam, and this matter concerns the sixth son. Tell him to go to the main room to discuss matters."
Gu Shiliu said, "Yes."
Before he could even lift his foot, he heard Lord Gu mutter, "He's become increasingly lazy these days. Today he even took a nap. General Jin said that the pleasures of the brothel are the graveyard of heroes, and that's absolutely true."
Gu Shiliu shuddered and turned to leave.
If he stayed any longer, he would have to listen to Lord Gu talk about what it would be like after marriage, and then add some hurtful remarks like, "He's not married yet, so he doesn't understand."
It's certainly a good thing that the master is newly married and enjoying the bliss of marriage, but the way he's showing off is really unbearable.
Gu Jinghui rushed back to the main room and, unsurprisingly, saw Gu Baozhu kneeling under the porch as punishment. He said, "Even if your mother didn't punish you, I would still punish you. You're becoming more and more unruly."
Gu Baozhu said angrily, "Other brothers cherish their younger sisters. You are so much older than me, shouldn't you treat me even better? But you treat me like this. If I get married in the future, it will be too late for you to regret not treating me better."
Gu Jinghui said, "Haha, even the clowns in the entertainment district aren't as funny as you. I wonder which unlucky guy you're going to marry."
Gu Baozhu said, "Third Brother is really too awful. I was thinking of embroidering a fan cover for you in the future, but let me tell you, it's gone now. Even if you regret it now and change your mind, it's no use."
Gu Jinghui sneered, lifted the curtain himself and went inside, leaving Gu Baozhu staring at the swaying bamboo curtain in annoyance, feeling utterly miserable.
Not long after, Master Gu arrived and, seeing the situation, asked, "Baozhu, what's wrong with you again? Why did you make Mother punish you?"
"Mother only has eyes for Third Sister-in-law now, and she's much stricter with me than before. Sixth Brother, go in and say a few nice words to Mother so I can get up. I didn't do anything serious; I was just concerned about family matters and overheard a couple of sentences."
Sixth Master Gu entered the house with some doubt. He saw Qin Yuan and Gu Jinghui, both of whom looked solemn. Old Madam Gu sat at the head of the table with a dark face and said, "Mother, Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law are here."
He didn't know what was going on.
Gu Shiliu only delivered a message before Gu Shiba hurriedly called him away.
Gu Jinghui frowned and asked, "Why didn't Sixteen say anything?"
Sixth Master Gu said, "It seems that Eighteen has something urgent to discuss with him."
Gu Jinghui said, "Sit down, let's talk about this slowly."
Sixth Master Gu felt a chill in his heart.
As soon as he sat down, Gu Jinghui said, "Sixth brother, the Xu family has filed a lawsuit against the Marquis's mansion, saying that Xu Zhen went missing in the mansion and the Marquis's mansion cannot escape responsibility. The magistrate came to question them today, but your third sister-in-law intervened and turned him away, so he did not question your sixth sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Master Gu stood up abruptly, his handsome face filled with anger.
"How dare they? I haven't even sued them yet, and they still dare to sue me."
Gu Jinghui frowned and said, "The magistrate has revealed the truth to Steward Cao. The Xu family has now latched onto the Prince of Jin's mansion, so they dare not ignore it. I'm afraid the Xu family will not let this matter go well. You also know that my sixth sister-in-law and the Xu family probably have tens of thousands of taels of silver in their dealings. I dare not keep this a secret for my sixth sister-in-law any longer, and I have already told Mother everything."
With a flushed face, Master Gu said, "It's all my fault. I didn't keep an eye on Madam Xu. I only knew that she took advantage of the housekeeper to make some extra money, and I turned a blind eye to her subsidies to the Xu family. I never expected that they would be so bold."
Gu Jinghui said, "You are indeed wrong, but now is not the time to talk about that."
Sixth Master Gu said "Oh," and then asked, "Then what do you think we should do, Third Brother?"
Gu Jinghui's cheek twitched.
Madam Gu said, "Sixth son, sit down first and speak slowly. We're all trying to figure out what to do."
Sixth Master Gu then sat down, gave Qin Yuan an apologetic smile, and said, "This matter is all thanks to Third Sister-in-law; otherwise, I don't know what kind of mess the manor would have become."
Qin Yuan said with a sigh, "Sixth Brother, you're too kind. This is nothing. However, this matter is your family affair, but it also involves the Marquis's residence. As long as Xu Zhen is not found, the Xu family will use this to make things difficult for the Marquis's residence. The relationship between Sixth Brother's wife and them is also a mess. As time goes on, all sorts of rumors will circulate. If the censors hear rumors and report them, I'm afraid your Third Brother will also get into trouble. But if we confront the Xu family head-on... I don't know if Sixth Brother's wife's health can withstand it. And Zhao Mama, who is by her side, still refuses to tell the truth..."
Madam Gu also said, "Public opinion can be devastating. If the Xu family continues to make trouble like this, eventually some busybodies will start fabricating stories and spreading rumors. Alas, it's really difficult no matter what we do."
Sixth Master Gu, with his neck stiff, said, "Mother, in my opinion, why don't we just sue the Xu family directly? Yesterday, the Xu family angered Madam Xu to such an extent, and I haven't even bothered to deal with them yet. Even if that old bastard surnamed Zhao refuses to speak, doesn't Sixteen have evidence of them lending money at exorbitant interest rates? If this matter is brought to light, let's see who loses face."
Madam Gu said with worry, "But can Madam Xu withstand this? When the three children grow up, will they blame us for not caring about our blood ties and causing their mother's death? Madam Xu colluded with the Xu family to lend money at exorbitant interest rates. In a way, she is still a member of the Marquis's family. It is the Marquis's fault for not managing the family properly."
All three children are the legitimate sons and daughters of the sixth prince, and they were raised by Old Madam Gu. How could she bear to do this?
Sixth Master Gu said, "Madam Xu was already quite ill, and she delayed treatment herself. Yesterday she vomited blood. Doctor Li came to see her and said that he could only barely save her this time. If it happens again, we should ask someone else to treat her better."
Madam Gu gasped and said, "Yuan'er, how could you not tell me about something so important?"
Qin Yuan hurriedly stood up and replied, "Mother, this is the first time I've heard of this. Yesterday, the Xu family came to make trouble, and I went to see them as soon as I received the news. I didn't leave until Doctor Li arrived. Afterwards, I was with the guests and didn't have time to ask. Today, I was planning to visit my sixth brother's wife, but then the magistrate came."
Sixth Master Gu said, “Mother, this matter cannot be blamed on Third Sister-in-law. If it weren’t for Third Sister-in-law’s arrival and handling of the situation first, I’m afraid a major incident would have occurred yesterday. Doctor Li said that it was fortunate that Third Sister-in-law helped to stabilize Madam Xu’s heart, otherwise he would not have been able to save her.”
Madam Gu sighed and said, "I was so angry that I lost my mind. Yuan'er, please don't take it to heart. Please sit down and talk to me."
Qin Yuan sat down as instructed and said, "It's understandable that Mother is anxious. I'm the one who manages everything in the manor, and I should be the one to take care of Sixth Sister-in-law's illness."
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