My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

Chapter 272: Preparations

The Marquis did not agree with his view.

"The incident with the late Empress Dowager changed the situation at the Imperial Hospital dramatically. The former Director of the Imperial Hospital was implicated and sentenced to exile. This matter involved both the previous court and the palace extensively. Many Imperial Physicians were purged; some families were confiscated, and some clans were eradicated. Nowadays, those who fortunately escaped or had other dependencies, their medical skills are uncertain. Otherwise, why has the Crown Prince’s frail condition not improved over these years? Even from the Northern Border, I have heard many people discussing that the physicians at the Imperial Hospital are increasingly inferior to before."

Sixth Master Gu was stunned for a while before saying, "That I do not know... then... If Doctor Li’s prescription is better than Dean Pang’s, then let’s have Doctor Li examine again."

The Marquis pressed down his thoughts and simply said, "Let’s talk about it later."

Perhaps Doctor Li may also be unwilling to treat.

Thinking of the worst in everything, if the sixth sister-in-law’s illness regresses, and the Xu family comes to make trouble, can we still hold on?

Although it’s not appropriate, the Marquis had to consider that if something really happens, he must not bear the blame.

The Marquis said, "The mansion is about to open, and the Xu family will come to demand an explanation in these two days. How do you plan to respond?"

Sixth Master Gu had no ideas, "Let them confront Mrs. Xu directly. Now that the smallpox is gone, they should dare to enter the inner courtyard."

"The sixth sister-in-law is so ill, fearing she might not make it."

"Then what can be done? Up to now, Xu Zhen has no whereabouts, and the Xu family is destitute. Only Mrs. Xu and her niece understand the matter in between. We are all kept in the dark; blame her for stirring up so much trouble."

The Marquis said, "I must inform you of one thing; during her time as housekeeper, the sixth sister-in-law embezzled a lot of money. If calculated this way, it’s likely enough to divorce her."

Upon learning the amount, Sixth Master Gu was shocked and stuck out his tongue.

"Goodness, Mrs. Xu truly has audacity."

The Marquis said, "Not all of the money is in her hands; some bits slipped through her fingers to others, but it’s all attributed to her."

"Blame should go to the rightful parties," Sixth Master Gu’s face was ashen.

"Although the sixth sister-in-law did not mourn for Father, she bore several children for you and managed the household for these years with much effort. I mention this not to have you divorce her but to give you leverage to intimidate the Xu family. Of course, if you can persuade the sixth sister-in-law to be honest with the Xu family and distance herself, that would be best, and let this matter remain buried, as if it never happened, so she can recuperate."

Sixth Master Gu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I’ll go sit in her courtyard later."

"The sixth sister-in-law’s illness is indeed born from heavy thoughts; be very careful with your words, lest the children blame you in the future."

Gu Jinghui, uneasy, reminded him multiple times.

Wutong Garden.

Qin Yuan changed out of the heavy clothes for going out, and Cui Ming and the little maid stepped forward to help remove the hairpins and rings from her head, then re-combed her hair into a bun and replaced her attire with casual purple gauze clothes.

The little maid brought fruit tea, saying, "Madam sat outside for quite a while; have some fruit tea to relieve the summer heat."

Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Good, you are considerate. Go tend to other things first; leave Cui Ming here to attend to me."

She flipped through the entries transcribed by Hong Ye for a while, made up her mind, and ordered someone to invite Gu Shiliu.

Cui Ming asked, "Miss, why not hand this over to the Marquis?"

Qin Yuan sipped tea and said, "I just want Sixteen to investigate. This is a significant matter, concerning the in-laws of both families, and it’s not good for the Marquis to have wild thoughts before it’s clarified."

Cui Ming chuckled, "Once Gu Shiliu knows, it’s as if the Marquis knows."

Qin Yuan laughed, "Even so, we cannot let the Marquis know nothing, as husband and wife are one, not just idle talk."

As she spoke, Gu Shiliu arrived and bowed through the bead curtain.

Qin Yuan instructed Cui Ming to pass the paper to Gu Shiliu, saying, "I’ve heard the Xu family is involved in usurious debts, and some act as brokers and engage in printing money. Mr. Xu is the last generation of the Xu family to hold a title, so they might have fewer scruples. These days, I’ve been balancing the accounts and asked Hong Ye to organize them, but I feel something is amiss and worry the Marquis Mansion might be entangled."

Gu Shiliu heard her speaking seriously and quickly asked, "Did Hong Ye find anything while balancing the accounts? I’ve been saying Sun Accountant is somewhat suspicious."

Qin Yuan smiled and said, "In conclusion, the Marquis Mansion hasn’t lost any silver, but if fault is found, the Marquis’s reputation will be ruined. Worse, he might even suffer consequences."

Gu Shiliu’s heart followed her words up and down.

Knowing the Marquis Mansion hadn’t lost any silver eased his worries, but listening to what followed, his heart grew tense again.

He hurriedly flipped through the paper in his hands, which listed the dates of large sums of silver tael arriving and departing over several years, with the days between marked out.

Though the rest wasn’t entirely clear, the specially marked monthly stipends were unmistakably evident.

From external accounts to the inner courtyard’s accounts, to being allocated to various courtyards, there was a significant delay, some as short as over twenty days, others more than two months.

Qin Yuan said, "This is just the inner courtyard; there are still several items in the outer courtyard that I haven’t had time to sort through, just take a look."

Gu Shiliu asked, "Madam, do you want me to investigate this?"

Qin Yuan looked somewhat troubled and said, "I noticed some clues, but laying them in front of others’ noses doesn’t mean they’ll acknowledge it. To know exactly how things are, you need to rely on your skills."

Gu Shiliu said, "Regarding this, I think it’s best to let Shi Ba handle it. These days, he’s also investigating the Xu family’s affairs, and even if much silver is concealed, there will be evidence left behind."

Qin Yuan nodded with satisfaction and had Cui Ming see Gu Shiliu out.

Gu Shiliu smiled and said, "Miss Cui Ming, why the need to be so courteous? I come here multiple times a day."

Cui Ming sighed, "This is Madam’s regard for you. We, who rarely step outside, aren’t in contact with these matters, unaware of the intricacies. It all depends on you to figure them out."

Gu Shiliu smiled and nodded. Upon leaving Wutong Garden, he immediately went to find Gu Shiba for a chat.

This time, there was no need to whisper through the small window. Gu Shiliu signaled within the wall, and Gu Shiba leaped into the courtyard. The two squatted in a corner, chatting.

"Madam could actually think of this," Gu Shiba said, surprised after hearing the reason, "Such matters, how could an ordinary young lady in the household know?"

Gu Shiliu replied, "Madam is exceptionally intelligent; if others can do it, there’s no surprise she can conceive it too."

Gu Shiba said, "Listen to what you’re saying."

"What am I saying?"

Gu Shiba said, "You’re too protective of Madam."

"Madam manages all this laboriously, isn’t it all for the Marquis and the mansion?"

"Indeed it is."

"How is your investigation going these days? Tomorrow the mansion will open, and the Xu family will definitely come to stir trouble."

Gu Shiba said, "I’ve nearly finished investigating their matters, but it’s challenging to determine if they took money from the mansion to lend out. This kind of affair requires solid evidence; whether it’s usurious debt or printing money, there must be documentation. But as for how they negotiated the transfer of silver coins with the mansion, that remains undiscovered."