Qin Yuan withdrew her gaze from the window, turning her slightly fatigued porcelain face, she suspiciously asked, "Why did you suddenly mention this?"

Hong Ye replied, "Seventh Miss cannot hold her tongue, now that she knows about Sixth Madam’s matters, I wonder if she can keep it a secret."

Cui Ming glanced at Hong Ye, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Are you worrying on behalf of Sixth Madam?"

Hong Ye was taken aback and said, "Not exactly, it’s just... just..."

Everyone has a compassionate heart. Now that Sixth Madam’s situation is so miserable, Hong Ye’s previous detest gradually disappeared.

Qin Yuan walked to the desk, picked up a pen and dipped it in thick ink, casually painted a few strokes of orchids, after a pause she said, "As the saying goes, ’A river is easy to change, but a person’s nature is hard to alter.’ I never expected our Seventh Miss to change."

Hong Ye realized and asked, "Did Miss already have a plan?"

Qin Yuan replied indifferently, "The matter of Sixth Madam can’t be hidden from Seventh Miss, she is inherently reckless and talkative, no amount of prohibition will be useful, just let her be."

Hong Ye pondered and sighed.

"... This... this is not good for the Marquis Mansion either..."

"What’s coming next is far worse," Qin Yuan chuckled lightly, unconcerned, "Sixth Master is going to file a suit, can this matter be hidden? Marquis is now valued by the Emperor, officials vie to curry favor, and more people are watching. Any slight movement in the mansion, who wouldn’t know? Whether or not Seventh Miss speaks, it won’t stop others from gossiping. Advising her, I never expected her to listen."

Even Hong Ye herself still needed constant reminders, slightly inattentive and she’d err, who could expect Gu Baoshu to change after a few months of confinement.

Hong Ye: "..."

Cui Ming suddenly laughed softly and said, "Hong Ye, stop worrying about Sixth Madam and Seventh Miss. Sixth Madam’s illness is clearly irreparable, it’s pitiful indeed, but it’s not the Marquis Mansion’s fault... As for Seventh Miss... it was liberating to hear Marquis reprimand, yet who knows how Seventh Miss will talk about Sixth Madam’s matter. Sixth Master doesn’t go out for official work, if things get messy, it’s the Xu family that looks bad, better make use of Seventh Miss’s mouth that’s already available."

Hong Ye thought it over and laughed, "I wonder how Marquis will punish Seventh Miss again."

Qin Yuan casually painted a few more strokes of orchids and said calmly, "What else can he do."

A girl who hasn’t married, not a boy, what kind of punishment, just more confinement for studies and embroidery.

Gu Baoshu, that temperament...

Probably after a few days of confinement, she’d start thinking about how to astonish everyone at the Qixi festival next year.

Cui Ming nodded, smiling, "Seventh Miss often messed things up with her talkativeness before, perhaps this time, she might do something good with it. Let’s hope she speaks when she should and keeps quiet when she shouldn’t."

Qin Yuan put down the Hu Bi in her hand, and coldly said, "If such were the case, unless she never speaks much again in this life, only then would I believe she’s changed her nature, otherwise, this talkativeness is just a facade."

Hong Ye thought for a while, frowning, "Seventh Miss didn’t seem to be that kind."

Cui Ming said, "Before, we didn’t know Mrs. Zhao was such a person either."

Everyone fell silent.

Those speaking had no intention, but the listeners paid attention, Qin Yuan suddenly recalled, in the previous life, Mrs. Zhao, the favored concubine, merely kept Qin Wan oppressed, merely lived comfortably behind closed doors with Marquis. By the time she and Lin Ziqi returned to the capital, the civil servants had long suppressed the military generals. There were songs and dances flourishing all over, and Marquis Gu seldom attended court. If it weren’t for Qin Wan, she wouldn’t even have heard a hint from Dingbei Marquis Mansion.

This life...

This life, everything has changed.

Qin Yuan sighed, tossed the pen into the brush washer, as the ink rapidly spread across the water surface.

Truly, it’s like tugging at one strand and moving the whole body.

Not long after, Qiujie came to invite her to the main room, Qin Yuan knew it was about Sixth Madam, so she instructed someone to invite Marquis to have dinner later at the main room.

Upon entering the room, Old Madam Gu grabbed her hand, tears falling, "My child, how could your sixth sister-in-law be like this..."

Seeing Nanny Rong’s signal, she knew Old Madam Gu had already visited Sixth Lady Gu.

Beside her, Gu Baoshu’s eyes were red and swollen, evidently she had cried along.

Qin Yuan immediately said softly, "Mother, although I haven’t spent a long time with Sixth Sister-in-law, seeing her like this... it’s really disheartening..."

Old Madam Gu cried even more vigorously.

Gu Baoshu sobbed.

"We’ve relied on each other for so many years..." Old Madam Gu sighed and cried, "How could she be so foolish, money is never more important than life, how could she not see this..."

Gu Baoshu wept, "The Xu family, those jackals, drove Sixth Sister-in-law to her death, we cannot let this go unanswered, we must avenge her."

The more Old Madam Gu thought, the more upset she became. People die like a blown-out candle, and Mrs. Xu was just greedy and cunning, but over the years, she also had many merits; nobody could bear seeing her lose her life like this.

The room was filled with weeping women.

After a while, Nanny Rong consoled, "Old Madam is getting on in years, you shouldn’t grieve too much, what if you harm your health over this, that wouldn’t do."

Qin Yuan also consoled, "With Sixth Sister-in-law like this now... we probably need to start early preparations, I’ve already sent someone to the Imperial College to bring the nephews back to take care of the illness, mother, Treasure Bead and I are young and inexperienced, we may overlook things, everywhere still relies on mother to make decisions, please don’t let concern for Sixth Sister-in-law cause you too much grief and neglect us."

Hearing these words, Old Madam Gu braced herself, comforting, "Good child, don’t be afraid, the mansion still has your mother."

Gu Baoshu also wiped her tears, spoke with a heavy nasal tone, "Third Sister-in-law, if there’s anything, just instruct me, I’m not that young anymore, I should start learning to resolve family matters, look, last time I did quite well."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Gu felt somewhat better, gazing lovingly, "Treasure Bead has also grown sensible. Your Sixth Sister-in-law watched you grow up, being sisters-in-law for so many years, taking care of her now is also good."

Gu Baoshu’s tears couldn’t help but fall again.

Seeing this, Old Madam Gu felt sorrowful once more.

Qin Yuan quickly said, "I was just worried about Brother Kang and Fuguo’er, when they return from the Imperial College, they might be heartbroken. They’re just kids without a mother, even though they have us, it’s still too pathetic, having Seventh Sister accompany them more, talk with them, to alleviate their feelings is also good, to prevent them from getting sick from grief, if Sixth Sister-in-law... we must take good care of these children." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Old Madam Gu heavily patted Gu Baoshu on the back, "Yes, as their aunt, don’t just cry, think of ways to comfort your nephews and nieces, don’t let them fall sick from grief, your Sixth Brother is unreliable, your Third Brother is good at fighting battles but clueless with these matters, more effort from you would repay your Sixth Sister-in-law’s years of caring."

After several exchanges, everyone’s thoughts shifted completely to preparing for Sixth Lady Gu’s funeral and caring for several children, Nanny Rong breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, "Don’t underestimate Marchioness’s youth, she is wiser than anyone else."