My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 356: How many days can you hang on?

Qin Yuan thought about the deep affection between Gu Baozhu and Madam Gu Liu, so she asked this question.

Unexpectedly, Gu Baozhu sighed and said, "Not yet. She said before that Sixth Sister-in-law was weak and couldn't be bothered. I went to see her once after I was released from confinement and chatted with her a little. Then Aunt Zhao said that I was tiring and annoying Sixth Sister-in-law. Later, Sixth Sister-in-law became seriously ill and was more careful than a glass man. So I didn't dare to go."

Gu Baozhu is heartless and talks nonsense, which may only make Madam Gu Liu even more worried. It is no wonder that she is disliked by Madam Zhao.

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I didn't go either. I wouldn't know what to say if I went. A few days ago, she fainted because of Madam Xu. I saw that she has become as thin as a skeleton. She could have lived longer if she had taken good care of herself, but the Xu family just kept on making trouble. I don't know where Xu Zhen went. She caused us to become enemies with the Xu family. My sixth brother's wife had good intentions and invited Xu Zhen to stay in the mansion for a while to arrange a good marriage. She also invited you to learn embroidery with her. It was a good intention, but who knew that it would cause trouble. Now the Xu family is suing your sixth brother and saying some bad things. Your sixth brother is so angry that he said he would sue the Xu family in return."

Gu Baozhu glanced at Qin Yuan, her lips trembling slightly, and after a long while she said, "Third sister-in-law is saying that Sixth sister-in-law became so ill because of Xu Zhen?"

Qin Yuan took a sip of tea, put a candied date in her mouth, and sucked it slowly, leaving only the date pit. She pressed it under her tongue. This was a way to produce saliva and nourish qi. She did this whenever she had free time.

"It was a shadow, and it's not just this matter. It's just that the Xu family always uses Xu Zhen's matter as an excuse to make trouble. After all, they still have to keep their dignity. Some things everyone has to hide. I can't tell you. The girl is still young and hasn't taken charge of the family yet. I will tell you when you are older."

Gu Baozhu raised her eyebrows and asked, "Is it the Third Sister-in-law who is covering up for the Sixth Sister-in-law and her family?"

Qin Yuan: "...I've already said it, why are you harping on this? If you have nothing to do, go somewhere else. I still have a lot of things to do."

Gu Baozhu was not embarrassed or angry when she was chased away. She kept saying, "Why did you hide it from me, sister-in-law? If you told me, I would not let you suffer any loss. I will tell you a story about Xu Zhen."

Qin Yuan couldn't bear her pestering, so she had to call Hongye over: "Seventh Miss wants to know what you want to tell her. I have to write a few letters and look at the account books right now. I have been delayed for several days."

Hongye chatted with Gu Baozhu, and the two talked animatedly. Qin Yuan sat quietly aside, carefully writing a few letters. When she put down her brush, they had almost finished talking.

Hongye said, "I have told you everything I know. Miss Seven, do you have anything else to ask?"

Seeing Qin Yuan looking over, Gu Baozhu shook her head and said, "No more."

Qin Yuan said, "I know you like to go out and talk about things in the mansion. Your third brother has been framed by you before. If you know about it, just keep it to yourself and don't go out and talk nonsense to embarrass your sixth brother."

Gu Baozhu agreed repeatedly and said, "Third sister-in-law, I know Xu Zhen likes to go out to find peddlers to buy things. She buys those worthless little things. She also gave them to me and the maids in my yard, but I didn't want them and threw them into the box. Xu Zhen came here to learn Suzhou embroidery, so she had to give some benefits to coax her. She didn't have much money, so she could only bring these new things. The day before Xu Zhen got lost, she went to find the peddler. Every time she saw the peddler, she was coaxed into being happy. Those old women said that she wanted to be the wife of a Jinshi and fell in love with Third sister-in-law's cousin. I think she likes the peddler more."

Hongye frowned after hearing this.

The daughter of a military commander is so frank in her speech that it's scary.

Qin Yuan asked back, "Peddler?" When it was first built according to imperial decree, the Marquis's mansion occupied half of the street. The neighbors were all wealthy and powerful families, mixed in with some small families and servants who had settled down and lived outside the Marquis's mansion. Most of the Gu family's clansmen lived in a street at the back.

How much business can a peddler do by wandering around here?

Are they all working as maids?

Qin Yuan was really confused.

Gu Baozhu blinked and smiled, "Every time my sister-in-law goes out, the front of the mansion gate is swept by the servants, and outsiders are not allowed to approach. Since my sister-in-law is sitting in the car, she naturally can't see. Since the return of the third brother, perhaps there are more people in the mansion or something, the area near the mansion gate has become much more lively. There are small vendors, beggars, and peddlers coming and going from time to time. Several times when I went out for fun on horseback, I saw people singing lotus songs to beg for food. Butler Han even gave them a reward and asked them to go beg for food elsewhere."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "The neighbors around my mother's house are all similar families. The peddler has come to the streets before, but not often. Most of the people who can enter and leave the backyard are the maids. My family is strict, and most of these people are not allowed to enter the house. However, the wealthy families with some spare money often send them in to gossip, sell jewelry patterns, or do hair and embroidery."

Gu Baozhu said, "I heard from Sixth Sister-in-law and Xu Zhen that they often see these people in the place where the Xu family lives. The rules in the Marquis' Mansion are strict, and they are definitely not allowed to enter the mansion. I'm not saying that the things sold by the peddler are better than those used by the maids in the mansion. The master can give them two of them as gifts and they are enough to take them back as treasures. It's just that Xu Zhen is short-sighted and thinks they are not good toys. We thought they were novel at first, but we threw them away after playing with them for two days. Who can really appreciate them?"

Gu Baozhu had taken the topic too far, really without any sense of responsibility. Qin Yuan was not surprised at all as to how those gossips about Lord Gu had spread.

He patiently chatted with her for a while, during which someone came to report that the director of the Imperial Hospital went to the Sixth Madam's courtyard to see a patient and asked if she wanted to go and see.

Qin Yuan stood up and said to Gu Baozhu, "I was just talking about going to see your sixth sister-in-law. Now is the perfect time. Do you want to go with me, or what?"

Gu Baozhu thought for a moment and said, "I'll go with my third sister-in-law to take a look."

Qin Yuan took her to the Sixth Madam's courtyard. The courtyard manager had already taken her pulse and was sitting at the table drinking tea, frowning, and pondering how to write a prescription.

When the court official saw them, he asked, "Why did you bother Madam Hou to come? I wonder what the Sixth Master is busy with."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Sixth brother's wife is very ill. I am in charge of the household affairs now, so I have to keep an eye on her. I wonder how is Sixth brother's wife's illness?"

The director of the court asked, "I heard that when the mansion was sealed, a doctor from Renhetang was invited to stay in the mansion. Why didn't you ask him to treat the Sixth Madam? Why didn't you invite me here?"

Gu Baozhu spoke frankly and said immediately, "Of course, my sixth sister-in-law despises that doctor and only wants to ask the director to see her. I wonder if my sixth sister-in-law's illness can still be cured?"

The director of the hospital shook his head with a bitter face and said, "I have said before that the Sixth Madam's illness must be treated well. You can't be surprised, happy, angry, or scared. You didn't take good care of the patient. It's not easy to save her life. Now we can only use some medicine to keep her alive. We can only live for a few days."