"The Chief Physician? Not Physician Li?"
Qin Yuan was confused, not knowing what Lord Gu was planning to do.
The red leaves nodded.
"Yes, the Chief of the Imperial Hospital visits the Sixth Madam every day. The Marquis has ordered people to keep watch over him. After the Chief of the Imperial Hospital visits the Sixth Madam, he is invited to the study. The servant guarding outside overheard this and said that the Chief of the Imperial Hospital needs to take his pulse."
Qin Yuan: "..."
Didn't we agree that he would pretend to be sick if the Emperor disagreed with his request?
Now, if we let the chief physician take his pulse, we'll know that he's as healthy and strong as an ox.
Something's not right.
Qin Yuan really wanted to ask Lord Gu what he was up to, whether he had changed his mind again.
Voices could be heard outside again; this time it was Cai's mother asking about the arrangements for setting up the mourning hall and prayer altar.
When holding a funeral, monks and Taoist priests are invited to the home to chant scriptures and pray for blessings. This requires setting up a scripture altar, usually with monks and Taoist priests facing each other. According to custom, the body is kept for 49 days. In addition to the family chanting scriptures, acquaintances will also send scriptures.
Mother Cai needs to find out exactly how many people will be invited to chant sutras and reserve seats before she can calculate and collect the offerings.
Although Qin Yuan had experience from her previous life, she still invited Steward Han to discuss the matter. Before Cai Mama left, many more stewards arrived one after another.
Qin Yuan had no free time all afternoon, having long since forgotten about Lord Gu.
After finally finishing up, the lights in the garden were already on.
Qin Yuan led her maids back to Wutong Courtyard. Before leaving, she instructed the old woman guarding the entrance of the council chamber: "There will be more people coming to the council chamber later. Tell them to go to Wutong Courtyard to look for them."
The old woman quickly agreed, and said with a smile, "Madam, you've really worked hard. It's already so late. If there's nothing urgent, you can do it tomorrow. There's no need to bother you."
Qin Yuan said seriously, "I'm afraid we'll all be busy these next two days. The busier and more anxious we are, the easier it will be to forget things. If we're afraid of having to come to me and it delays things, then we'll all lose face. I know you've all worked hard here these days, so I'll reward you when your monthly allowances are paid."
The old woman thanked her profusely and quickly agreed, "If anyone comes, I will not miss them. Please go back with peace of mind, Madam."
Hongye helped Qin Yuan walk for a while before saying, "If that old woman doesn't deliver the message honestly, we'll punish her if she makes a mistake. At this critical moment, we can use her carelessness as a pretext to teach them a lesson, otherwise they'll think we're too young and naive."
Qin Yuan said indifferently, "Forget it. We've only been in the manor for a short time now. I don't know how many people are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves. During the smallpox outbreak, we only managed to get by because of Steward Han and Steward Cao, and with the Marquis overseeing things."
If we are easily bullied and lose our authority, our subordinates will start to have ulterior motives. It's better to guide than to suppress, and it's better to avoid trouble. We're already too busy to deal with people right now.
You were telling me to rest more and not to overwork myself, but now you're trying to find things for me to do.
Hongye was completely convinced and said shyly, "It was my fault for not prioritizing things. Please don't say anything more, Miss. I know I was wrong."
Qin Yuan said, "If others say that you don't know what's important and what's urgent, I won't believe it. You managed the family reunion banquet very well for me. You only have my best interests at heart and don't have any selfish motives. I know all that."
"Hehe, that's right."
Hongye proudly raised her delicate chin.
Qin Yuan chuckled softly and said nothing more.
The wind ruffled her hair, and Qin Yuan, having a moment of free time, thought of Lord Gu again. She quickened her pace, wanting to hurry back and ask what had happened that made Lord Gu change his mind.
She hurriedly returned to Wutong Courtyard, where a young maidservant greeted her. As soon as Qin Yuan sat down, she asked, "Where is the Marquis? Has he not returned yet?"
"Reporting to Madam, the Marquis has not returned."
"Did you send a message back?"
"No."
Seeing that Qin Yuan's expression was getting worse, Hongye immediately ordered, "Go, go and ask the others if anyone was missed."
The young maidservant hurriedly ran out to ask around, but after asking all the maids and servants on duty that afternoon, she still couldn't find them.
Qin Yuan calmed down and waved her hand, saying, "Let's serve the meal first, I'm hungry too."
Hongye exclaimed, "I'm starving! I ate two pastries this afternoon to fill my stomach, but I'm still hungry. Cuiming has been busy in the sewing room. Let's not wait for her. Let's ask the kitchen to save some food for her."
Qin Yuan asked her maid to fetch her medicine pouch. She felt around inside and found some pills for clearing heat and detoxifying before saying, "When Cuiming comes back later, have her take this. Remember to make sure she doesn't forget again. After dinner, I'll prepare some incense to reduce internal heat and calm the nerves. You two don't need to keep watch tonight. Go back to your rooms and light some. Autumn is a time when the lungs are prone to dryness."
Hongye quickly agreed and then instructed the maid to go to the small kitchen and have the cook prepare pear soup.
“We’ll use it when the Marquis returns,” Hongye said to Qin Yuan. “The Marquis has been cooped up in his study all day, I hope he doesn’t get sick from it. Let him drink it to cool down.”
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "We don't know what's wrong with the Marquis, so let's not go looking for trouble. With so many things to do right now, we should take care of our health first."
The Marquis's behavior today was truly unusual. Hongye could tell that something was wrong, and she knew that her young mistress was a little angry, so she didn't dare to say anything more and just urged the maid to set the table for dinner.
Not long after dinner, several stewards and their wives arrived, and Qin Yuan took care of the business in the outer room.
Cuiming returned very late. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she went to the small kitchen. She was overjoyed to see that there was still food warming in the pot. She moved a small stool, sat down by the stove, and ate slowly.
Having received the news, Hongye also crept over, leaning against the door frame, and said, "Why are you only coming back now? You were just a meal away from home?"
Cui Ming was startled, and even her burp disappeared in fright.
"Why did you suddenly speak? You scared me to death."
Hongye said, "Why are you eating here?"
"I was thinking I'd have to heat up my own food, but I didn't expect they'd leave it for me. It's so nice to be in the Marquis's residence. If I were in the Qin residence, I wouldn't even have any cold food left."
“You are the head maid of the Lady of the Marquis. If you can’t even get a hot meal, then how badly have we been bullied? You have a blister on your lip, and Miss has found some medicine for you and also made some incense. She said it’s because of the dryness of autumn, so we should light it and get a good rest tonight. You don’t need to keep watch at night.”
Cuiming took a sip of soup and sighed, "I'm only in charge of the sewing room and it's already like this. Miss has to manage so many things. I don't know how anxious she must be, but she still looks as calm as a mountain on the surface."
Hongye said, "Things in the manor are all fine, but the Marquis has somehow upset Miss. I think he probably won't be returning to the courtyard tonight."
"What's wrong?"
Cuiming gestured for Hongye to come closer and speak softly.
Hongye took a few steps closer, bent down, and whispered in his ear, "I think the Marquis has a problem, and I'm afraid it's quite serious, but Miss doesn't seem to notice. This is what worries me the most..."
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