Qin Yuan found it intriguing and asked a few more questions.
Seeing this, Master Gu simply instructed his servant through the window to inquire at the Imperial Academy every day, and said to Qin Yuan, "It will only take a few words, and save Shen Changle from having to come all the way here."
Qin Yuan said, "That's fine then. I left this matter entirely to Shen Changle and didn't interfere much."
Madam Gu nodded: "That's good. If we ask too many questions, people will feel that the master doesn't trust us. If we ask too few questions, some cunning people will cause trouble. It's only natural that the sixth son would keep this on his mind."
They talked for quite a while, but Lord Gu still hadn't arrived.
Qiuju had hinted to Rong Mama several times, and Rong Mama, seeing that it was getting late, said, "Young Master must be hungry, why don't we serve him a meal now?"
Madam Gu said, "Then let's set it up."
After having lunch, Qin Yuan went straight back to Wutong Garden. Upon learning that the Marquis had not returned for lunch or sent anyone back to deliver a message, she asked Hongye, "Go out and inquire what's troubling the Marquis? Has he left the manor?"
Hongye went out for a walk and came back saying, "The Marquis hasn't left the manor, nor has he had lunch. I heard from the tea room staff that the Marquis is staying in his study and hasn't stepped out. He's also too lazy to see anyone and has turned down many guests who came with invitations."
Qin Yuan frowned: "?"
Hongye whispered again, "I heard that Miss Chang, who came to the manor for the banquet with the Ninth Princess today, sent a letter requesting an audience with the Old Madam and the Marquis."
Cuiming hurriedly asked, "Really?"
These past few days, the needlework room has been busy preparing for Madam Gu's funeral, and Cuiming has been so anxious that she has developed blisters on her upper lip.
Hongye said, "The gatekeeper's daughter-in-law told me, so it's definitely true. Just now in the main room, the old lady and Rong Mama didn't mention this matter at all, and I don't know if they want to see her or not."
Cui Ming said angrily, "Does the Marquis really not want to eat because of this difficult meal? Who is this Miss Chang?"
Qin Yuan, who had been frowning, burst out laughing upon seeing this, and said with a relaxed expression, "Why are you so upset? Don't worry about these things. The Chang family and the Gu family were engaged before. Miss Chang's sister passed away later, the Marquis went to the northern frontier, and the Chang family also left the capital. It seems that the Chang family wants to resume their ties."
Hongye said, "That's right. You just take those old women to sew your clothes. Your eyes are so red from staying up all night. How can we care who the Marquis's family associates with or doesn't associate with? The Marquis won't be upset about this. There must be something else. I'll ask Sixteen later."
Cuiming went downstairs to rest.
Hongye said to Qin Yuan, "There's never a quiet day. The Sixth Madam has a ton of things to do, and things are in a chaotic mess. I had to dig out account books from over ten years ago to find some old precedents so I could follow them."
Qin Yuan stroked Hongye's thin face and said, "If it weren't for the two of you helping me, I'm afraid I would have been overwhelmed. You should sort things out first... Sixth Master has no official rank, and Sixth Madam naturally has no title either, so the funeral arrangements need to be considered further... More than ten years have passed, and the Marquis's social interactions are no longer what they used to be. The list needs to be reviewed by the Old Madam and the Marquis before it can be finalized."
Hongye laughed and said, "I can handle this, but I'm afraid I won't be able to and other clever people will outdo me."
Qin Yuan poked Hongye, half-jokingly and half-seriously, and said, "Since you're so afraid, I'll give Hongmian and Mozhu to you. No matter how capable they are, they'll have to listen to your orders. Is that alright?"
Hongye was overjoyed: "Really?"
"Yes, it's even more real than pearls."
Hongye smiled and said, "Then I'm sure I can handle it. Miss, just leave this to me."
Qin Yuan said, "Alright, I'll finalize the accounting and inner courtyard stewards later. Then I can hand over most of the household affairs. Otherwise, dealing with the women alone will exhaust me, and I won't have the energy to do anything else."
Lord Gu has made great contributions and returned to the capital. He is also highly valued by the Emperor. Many people will come to mourn him. Old Madam Gu is old and will not last long. She will be busy entertaining guests. As for Gu Baozhu... it would be good if she could take good care of her nephews and nieces and not cause any trouble.
Hongye sighed, "Miss's health is delicate, so please be careful and don't overwork yourself. Perhaps you could ask a familiar clansman to help you for a few days, or take turns greeting guests. That would be better."
Qin Yuan said, "We'll talk about it later. I'll talk to the old lady. Sister-in-law Cheng will definitely come to help. We can also ask a few families who are close to the Marquis of Dingbei to lend a hand, but I'll still have to handle the main part."
Master Gu sent someone to the Imperial Academy to inquire, and urged Steward Cao to go to the yamen to force the judge to give him an explanation.
Not long after, Gu Baozhu went out again.
After Qin Yuan learned of this, she simply nodded slightly and remained silent.
Madam Gu Liu only has a few days left. She's so busy that she can't take care of her sister-in-law. Just as Gu Baozhu said, after being confined for several months, she should go out and talk to her.
The mansion is about to hold another funeral, so Gu Baozhu should stay at home and behave herself for a while.
Hongye muttered, "Seventh Miss doesn't know how to be discreet. The manor is so busy, but she's just out strolling around like nothing's wrong. Even though she can't help, she should at least put on an act. Wasn't she the best friend of Sixth Madam before? She's not even gone yet and the tea's gone cold."
Qin Yuan glared at her, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and said lightly, "I don't think you're that busy. If you were so busy you wouldn't have time to talk nonsense here. I really wish she wouldn't come here. There are already so many things to do, and her arrival will only make things more chaotic. She can only run around outside for a few days. If she's lucky enough to avoid the Qixi Festival, that'll be fine. Otherwise, if the Marquis takes it seriously, I'm afraid she'll really have to stay in the mansion and spend the Lantern Festival."
Hongye was stunned for a moment, then she understood.
The Qixi Festival is also in these few days. If the Sixth Madam does not get well before the Qixi Festival, Gu Baozhu will naturally not need to go to the Qixi Festival to compete in embroidery skills.
Otherwise, Gu Baozhu would have to embarrass herself at the Qixi Festival.
If Lord Gu punishes her seriously, Gu Baozhu won't need to leave the house before the Lantern Festival.
Hongye was about to speak when a maid called to her from outside, "Sister Hongye, someone is looking for you at the second gate."
Hongye clapped her hands and said, "There must be news from the Marquis's side. I'll go over and listen."
Qin Yuan said, "Go."
Hongye hurriedly ran out of the courtyard where the meeting was being held, and almost bumped into the stewardess who came to report something.
A moment later, she ran back, but before she could say anything, Qin Yuan instructed her: "Mama Fei needs the materials and money to replace the sedan chair curtains. She's waiting for you to hand out the tokens. Sign them quickly and let her get busy."
Hongye had no choice but to suppress the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She asked Mama Fei for the list to check carefully. After calculating that the quantity was close to the mark, she issued the matching cards, made a registration in person, and signed her name.
Once everyone else was out of the room, Hongye quickly said, "Miss, the Marquis has had someone summon the head physician for questioning and to examine the patient."
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