Qin Yuan went into the inner room to take a look. Deep inside the bed curtains, the emaciated Madam Gu was covered with a bright red quilt, which made her skin and bones look as yellow as gold paper. Her lips were white with a hint of black, and her eyes were tightly closed. Only after a long while could one see her chest rising and falling slightly.
Clearly, he is nearing the end.
Gu Baozhu burst in, almost screaming in fright at what she saw.
Qin Yuan sighed; indeed, they could only wait and see for a few more days.
Although I had expected it, it still hurt to see it.
Once outside the inner room, Qin Yuan instructed someone to quickly invite Master Gu Liu to come. She began to plan how to handle the funeral arrangements and thought that it would be best to invite the magistrate to come and verify the facts as soon as possible.
Sixth Master Gu rushed over, his face showing no sorrow. He said, "This is her fate. The petition has been submitted to the Prefectural Magistrate's Office. The magistrate should come to inspect it in the next couple of days. Third Sister-in-law, don't worry about this. Steward Cao will take care of it."
The abbot remained silent, only pricking up his ears to listen carefully.
Qin Yuan had no intention of hiding it. Since the matter was going to be brought to justice, it could not be concealed. So she asked, "Should we call our nephews back so they can take care of us at the bedside?"
The implication is that the children should spend more time with their mother to avoid any regrets.
Master Gu sighed, "It's all up to Third Sister-in-law to make the decision; I couldn't have imagined these things at all."
Qin Yuan nodded in agreement.
Master Gu usually doesn't care about anything, so naturally he doesn't know anything now. All he can do is handle the complaint.
Qin Yuan immediately instructed someone to go to the Imperial Academy to ask her two nephews for leave so that they could go home and take care of the Sixth Madam. She also asked Gu Baozhu to tell Rong Mama so that the old lady would be prepared.
All other funeral arrangements also need to be prepared in order to avoid being caught off guard at the time. Fortunately, there are precedents for these, so we can just follow them.
Qin Yuan made up her mind, and the prescription from the head of the hospital was ready: "Let's try it as a last resort. My knowledge is limited, so this is all I can do."
Qin Yuan said, "This is not your fault, sir. We have been carefully taking care of her according to the doctor's advice. Even because Seventh Sister is young, we were afraid she would say something wrong, so we didn't dare let her spend too much time with Sixth Sister-in-law. Who knew that Sixth Sister-in-law's sister-in-law would come and make such a scene, and she almost died on the spot. It is truly a misfortune for our family. I am sorry to have troubled you, sir."
"Every family has its own troubles," the head of the academy said. After listening to the gossip for a while, he tactfully prepared to leave. Before parting, he asked again, "How did you save the Sixth Madam when she fainted that day? What medicine did she take before that?"
Qin Yuan gave a perfunctory reply, but she knew that the head of the hospital had noticed Doctor Li, so she said, "That day, there was a banquet at the manor, and things were in complete chaos at my sixth brother's place. Later, it was my sixth brother who took care of things. I don't know who was invited. But whoever it was, in the end, they still had to come to you for treatment. My sixth brother's wife also trusted you deeply. When the manor was first established, she didn't want anyone else to treat her and kept putting it off until the manor was opened and you were invited. It's just a pity that in the end, she couldn't defy fate."
The academy head was skeptical, but seeing Qin Yuan busy, he didn't press further.
Qin Yuan had someone see the head of the academy off, and then, in front of Sixth Master Gu, she summoned Granny Zhao and asked, "Have you thought it through? The head of the academy said that Sixth Sister-in-law can only delay for as many days as possible. Sixth Master Gu has already sent someone to submit a petition, and the young masters will also be brought back from the Imperial Academy to attend to Sixth Madam Gu. It seems that we will have to start preparing for the funeral. If you have any concerns, you may tell us, and we will make arrangements for you if we can."
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao burst into tears.
Master Gu sat at the head of the table without making a sound.
Qin Yuan sighed, "Even now, the Xu family is still clinging to the matter of Xu Zhen. They're trying to sacrifice a pawn to save the king. Just think about it, what good will it do for the young masters if Sixth Master gets a bad reputation later? Sixth Master is young, and he certainly won't stay unmarried for the sake of Sixth Madam. What will you think if Sixth Madam's dowry is all gone? You've helped raise these children, how can you bear it? Do you want the youngest daughter to have a bad reputation when she grows up? She's already lost her mother, how can she withstand these rumors?"
When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; nothing remains, and the one who lives on bears the burden of everything.
Granny Zhao stared blankly and said, "But if Sixth Master sues the Xu family, Sixth Madam's reputation will be completely ruined. What kind of wife would lend money at exorbitant interest rates, take her husband's money to her own family, and end up being swindled out of everything by her own family?"
The implication is that since they're going to be broke anyway, they might as well maintain a good reputation, hoping the Xu family will remember them and treat the children better in the future.
Whether Zhao Mama had ulterior motives or not, Qin Yuan didn't know, but as long as Zhao Mama was willing to bring it up, things would be much easier.
Qin Yuan said calmly, "What's so difficult about that? The Sixth Madam knows nothing about these things. It was all the servants' misbehavior and collusion. As long as the Gu family doesn't pursue the matter, the government won't force the Gu family to hand over their servants for punishment. I can agree to your request now. As long as Sixth Master wins the case, no matter what you and the Sixth Madam did, I will never take your life or abandon you."
Zhao Mama lowered her head, and Qin Yuan could not see her expression, only her disheveled hair. When she raised her head again, her expression had softened, and she was no longer as stubborn as before.
Seeing this, Qin Yuan felt relieved.
Granny Zhao gritted her teeth, her voice sharp and fierce, and said, "Does Madam's word count? What do the Marquis and Sixth Master think?"
Sixth Master Gu hurriedly said, "What Third Sister-in-law says goes. Third Brother has entrusted all matters, big and small, in the mansion to Third Sister-in-law. Moreover, Third Brother said this matter is my family affair and that I should handle it myself. As for matters in the inner quarters, I will follow Third Sister-in-law's arrangements."
Granny Zhao snorted coldly, her disdain and sarcasm evident: "That's right. Sixth Master has always been a man of the land, he wouldn't even lift a finger to pick up an oil bottle if it fell over, so why would he care about these things? It's just a pity for our young lady, who has devoted herself to Sixth Master and the Xu family, scheming and plotting, only to end up like this."
As she finished speaking, Granny Zhao's sobs grew louder and louder until she finally collapsed to the ground, convulsing for a while before suddenly straightening up and saying, "This old servant will do as Madam says, and I hope Madam will keep her word."
Qin Yuan said, "Don't worry, even if it's not for my sixth brother's sake, I will try to smooth things over for the sake of my nephews and nieces."
With tears in her eyes, Granny Zhao kowtowed several times to Qin Yuan and then withdrew.
Sixth Master Gu stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law. I will need to trouble you with many things in the future."
This meant that all matters related to the funeral arrangements were entrusted to her.
Qin Yuan sighed, "Mother is getting old, and Baozhu is still young. It should be my responsibility to take care of things. Sixth Brother, don't worry about it. Just live a good life and take good care of the child. That will be a good thing for your wife."
Sixth Master Gu nodded in agreement.
Qin Yuan led Hongye back to Wutong Garden. Hongye couldn't help but feel a little sad. Although she didn't like Madam Gu, no one wanted her dead.
Hongye asked, "Miss, is Seventh Miss able to keep secrets?"
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