Qin Yuan entered the inner chamber to take a look. In the depths of the bed curtains, the emaciated Sixth Lady Gu was covered with a large red quilt, which made her skin-and-bone face appear as yellow as gold paper. Her lips were pale with a hint of bluish-black, her eyes tightly shut, and after a while, one could barely see her chest faintly rising and falling.

Clearly, she was not long for this world.

Gu Baoshu rushed in, nearly screaming at the sight before her.

Qin Yuan sighed, indeed, it was just a matter of dragging on for a few days, counting as many as they came.

Although this was long anticipated, it was still hard to witness.

Leaving the inner chamber, Qin Yuan instructed someone to promptly summon Sixth Master Gu, starting to plan the funeral arrangements in her mind, and thinking about quickly inviting the Magistrate to confirm the situation.

Sixth Master Gu hurried over, displaying no sadness on his face, simply saying, "This is her destined fate. The petition has been submitted to the Capital Governor Mansion, and in the next few days, the Magistrate should come to examine her. Third Sister-in-law need not worry about this matter; Housekeeper Cao will take care of everything."

The Director of the Hospital said nothing, merely raised his ears to listen carefully.

Qin Yuan was not trying to hide it. Since there was going to be a lawsuit, there was no use concealing the matter, so she asked, "Should we summon the nephews back, so they can attend to her bedside during her illness?"

Implying that the children should spend more time with their mother, to avoid leaving regrets.

Sixth Master Gu sighed, "You have the say in this, Third Sister. I can’t think of anything concerning these matters now."

Qin Yuan nodded in agreement.

Sixth Master Gu, usually indifferent to affairs, naturally wouldn’t handle anything now, as long as the matter of filing the suit was dealt with.

Qin Yuan immediately instructed someone to request leave for the two nephews at the Imperial College, to let them come home to attend to Sixth Madam Gu during her illness. She then told Gu Baoshu to inform Nanny Rong, to prepare Old Madam mentally.

The rest of the funeral arrangements also needed to be prepared, to avoid chaos at the time, luckily there were precedents to follow.

Qin Yuan made up her mind, and the Director of the Hospital had prepared the prescription: "We might as well treat a dead horse like a living one, with my shallow knowledge, this is all I can do."

Qin Yuan said, "Don’t blame yourself, sir. We have been carefully following the doctor’s advice all along, even Seventh Sister wasn’t allowed near Sixth Sister-in-law much due to her young age, afraid she might say something wrong. Who knew Sixth Sister-in-law’s married sister caused such a commotion, nearly taking her away on the spot. It’s truly a family misfortune, making you laughable, sir."

"Every family has its difficult scriptures," said the Director of the Hospital, listening to idle talk for a while, tactfully preparing to leave. Before departing, he specifically asked, "How was Sixth Lady Gu revived after fainting, and what medication had she taken before?"

Qin Yuan responded vaguely, knowing the Director of the Hospital had noticed Doctor Li, and replied, "On that day, the mansion hosted a banquet, and Sixth Sister-in-law’s place was chaotic. Later, Sixth Brother took care of everything, so I don’t know who was invited. Regardless of who it was, eventually, we need to seek your diagnosis, sir. Sixth Sister-in-law trusts you deeply. Back when Feng Mansion opened, she didn’t want anyone else to diagnose her and insisted on inviting you, only, in the end, it couldn’t outmatch fate."

The Director of the Hospital was skeptical, seeing Qin Yuan busy, didn’t inquire further.

Qin Yuan ordered someone to escort the Director of the Hospital out, then called Nanny Zhao in front of Sixth Master Gu, asking, "Have you thought it through? The Director of the Hospital says Sixth Sister-in-law can drag on for a few days, Sixth Master has sent the petition, and the young masters will be brought back from the Imperial College to attend to Sixth Lady Gu during her illness. The funeral arrangements are probably necessary. If you have any concerns, feel free to tell us. If we can arrange something for you, we will."

Nanny Zhao burst into tears upon hearing this.

Sixth Master Gu sat at the top without a word.

Qin Yuan sighed, "At this point, the Xu family is still clinging to Xu Zhen’s affairs, clearly intending to sacrifice a pawn to save the commander. Think about it, if Sixth Master gets a bad name later, what advantage will the young masters have? Sixth Master is still young; he surely won’t stay single for the sake of Sixth Lady Gu. If Sixth Lady Gu’s dowry is completely gone, what are you thinking? You helped raise these kids, how could you bear it? Do you want the young miss to grow up carrying a bad reputation? She’s already a motherless child, how could she endure these rumors?"

Death is like a candle extinguished; nothing is left behind, and the living bear everything.

Nanny Zhao stared blankly and said, "But Sixth Master sued the Xu family, ruining Sixth Lady Gu’s reputation. Which lady would lend money at usurious rates, move her husband’s money to her parents’ home, and end up being swindled by them."

Implying, since the money is gone anyway, why not leave a good name? Perhaps the Xu family might show goodwill toward the children in the future.

Whether there was any self-interest in Nanny Zhao’s comments, Qin Yuan couldn’t tell, but as long as Nanny Zhao was willing to open up, things would become manageable.

Qin Yuan said blandly, "That’s not difficult. Sixth Lady Gu knew nothing of these matters; it was the servants below who acted recklessly and colluded among themselves. As long as the Gu Family doesn’t pursue it, the government doesn’t need to force the Gu Family to hand over their servants for punishment. I can assure you now, as long as Sixth Master wins the lawsuit, whatever you did with Sixth Lady Gu, we won’t demand your life or abandon you."

Nanny Zhao lowered her head, Qin Yuan couldn’t see her expression, only the messy hair on top. When she raised her head again, her expression softened, not as resolute as before.

Upon seeing this, Qin Yuan relaxed.

Nanny Zhao gritted her teeth, her voice sharp, asking, "Do Madam’s words count? What do Marquis and Sixth Master think?"

Sixth Master Gu quickly replied, "What Third Sister-in-law said counts. Third Brother has entrusted all matters in the mansion to Third Sister-in-law, and he said it’s my family matter to handle myself, and the affairs of the back courtyards, I obey Third Sister-in-law’s arrangements." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Nanny Zhao sneered, mocking, "Indeed, Sixth Master never handles affairs, wouldn’t lift a toppled oil bottle, how would he care about these things? It’s just a pity for our young miss, sacrificing everything for Sixth Master and the Xu family, counting and scheming, only to end up like this."

By the end, Nanny Zhao’s sobs grew louder and larger, eventually falling to the floor, convulsing for a while before standing upright abruptly, saying, "I’ll follow Madam’s decision, hoping Madam keeps her word."

Qin Yuan said, "Rest assured, if not for Sixth Brother, I would also for the sake of the nephews and nieces smooth everything over."

Nanny Zhao nodded tearfully to Qin Yuan, bowing her head several times, and withdrew.

Sixth Master Gu stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Sister-in-law, for your trouble, we’ll depend on you for future matters."

This meant entrusting the funeral and other matters to her.

Qin Yuan sighed, "Mother is old, Treasure Bead is still young, and it’s appropriate for me to manage. Sixth Brother, don’t take it to heart, just live well in the future, take care of the children, and live up to Sixth Sister-in-law."

Sixth Master Gu nodded in agreement.

Qin Yuan, accompanied by Hong Ye, turned back to Wutong Garden. Hong Ye inevitably sighed; although she disliked Sixth Lady Gu, no one wished for her demise.

Hong Ye asked, "Miss, can Seventh Miss keep a secret?"