Mrs. Cui sighed inwardly.

At this point, the foolish girl is still comparing herself to Qin Yuan, but now she can only compare with that Lady Yu from the son-in-law’s family.

As for her longing for the prosperity brought by her husband’s position, even if there is such a thing, it’s in the future.

But seeing Qin Wan finally cheering up again, Mrs. Cui really didn’t want to dampen her spirits and simply said, "Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never been harsh or difficult with her. Doctors come to our house every year for a check-up. How could she not have children? Just for the fact that she stands up for you, you shouldn’t say such things. If your father hears this, he’ll surely scold you again."

Qin Wan whispered, "I don’t know if Qin Yuan can have children, but it’s well-known throughout the Capital City that Marquis Gu cannot. Mother, do you really not know this?"

Mrs. Cui was startled, her hand trembled, and the bone she was holding fell onto the plate with a dull thud.

"Isn’t it said to be just rumors?"

"Heh," Qin Wan curled her lips into a meaningful smile, "We all thought it was a rumor until Ziqi became acquainted with Xu Tang and then found out..."

She lowered her voice and whispered, "This was passed on by the Director of the Hospital who examined Marquis Gu. How could it be false? Even the Emperor knows; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t have previously used Marquis Gu as a sacrificial tool against the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, only to change his mind later."

Mrs. Cui’s face turned even more unsightly.

Qin Wan continued with increasing delight, "The Holy Emperor is probably thinking that the direct line of the Gu Family might end. Sixth Master Gu is frail, and his child would follow suit. In the future, the title of Dingbei Marquis will just be an empty title... Fortunately, the war is over, and Dingbei Marquis Mansion is no longer needed. The Holy Emperor also wants to maintain the integrity of the monarch-minister relationship, avoiding criticism from others. Otherwise, how could Marquis Gu have such a good life?"

When Lin Ziqi told her this, she was half skeptical, but she believed it as soon as she heard it.

Otherwise, in his previous life, how could Marquis Gu not have fathered any children with Mrs. Zhao?

The root of the problem should be with Marquis Gu.

When she thought about having children herself, while Qin Yuan would be childless all her life, Qin Wan’s heart felt less burdened.

The loneliness, coldness, resentment, and injustice of her past life all dissipated.

Mrs. Cui’s face grew darker as she said, "Yuan’er doesn’t come back to talk about such things, doesn’t she see us as her parents anymore? Your father still says these are all rumors."

Qin Wan’s mind spun as she said, "Perhaps she’s also kept in the dark? Otherwise, why would Old Madam Gu hold her so high, and Marquis Gu boast about loving his wife everywhere? It’s all probably just an act to deceive her due to her young age and lack of experience. Mother, think about it, no matter how capable or beautiful the eldest sister is, she’s only a concubine’s daughter from the Jiujie’s family, marrying into an aristocratic Marquis Mansion is already a great reach. What kind of mother-in-law and husband would treat her so well? If you ask me, when things are abnormal, there must be something amiss."

Mrs. Cui sighed, "Day by day, children are debts. Why are your marriages so worrisome?"

How old is Qin Yuan really.

Does she have to live this way for the rest of her life?

Why doesn’t this child come back and say anything?

Does she feel that the Jiujie Mansion can’t support her? Or is there something else going on?

Mrs. Cui lost her appetite, while Qin Wan’s appetite increased, and she even took a food box with her when she left.

Seeing her demeanor, Mrs. Cui felt even more vexed.

In the evening, Qin Jijiu lay drowsy in bed, planning to meet Zhou Gong, but Mrs. Cui pulled him to talk, rambling on and on.

Qin Jijiu sighed, "After being an old couple for so many years, if you have something on your mind, just say it directly."

Mrs. Cui said, "I heard Wan’er say..."

Before she could finish, Qin Jijiu impatiently turned over, suppressing his anger, "If it’s to plead for that fine son-in-law of mine again, then don’t even bother."

Mrs. Cui, furious, extended her long nails, pinched the soft flesh on Qin Jijiu’s waist, and gave it a hard twist.

"Ouch~!"

Qin Jijiu let out a cry.

The residence wasn’t large, with rooms close to each other. This cry even made Qin Heng shiver.

"What’s good about getting married?"

Qin Heng shook his head.

This racket, it’s Mother quarreling with Father again.

After getting married and having children, is this the kind of troublesome life you lead? Oh, why can’t some people see the point?

In the dark night, Qin Jijiu sat up, grinned in pain, clenched his fists, wanting to hit Mrs. Cui, but dared not. After panting heavily for a while, he finally said, "What madness are you up to now, woman? Can’t you just talk things over properly?"

Mrs. Cui also sat up and discontentedly said, "With that tone of yours, are you going to talk properly?"

Feeling oppressed and uncomfortable, she wanted to find an opportunity to vent, so she lit the lamp, and after a big argument, Mrs. Cui said, "Your second son-in-law is now close to that fallen Xu family member who plays ball and heard some incredible news."

"Nothing good comes from a dog’s mouth. Let him study well and stop scheming and hanging around with shady people all the time. I don’t want to hear a word he says. Creating trouble all the time—doesn’t he know that he must take his exams next year? Look at Si Yuan, not paying attention to outside matters and focusing solely on studying the sages’ books."

Qin Jijiu was extremely angry.

Recently, their family was quite chaotic because of the second daughter’s family.

Mrs. Cui sneered, "It’s about your eldest son-in-law; your eldest daughter’s lifetime is tied to this. Won’t you listen?"

Qin Jijiu was silenced.

After a long while, he gently said, "Then go ahead and tell me, what is it that’s keeping you up all night, tossing and turning? Let me help you resolve it. Once it’s resolved, let’s go to bed early, as I still need to attend court tomorrow."

Seeing that it was getting late, Mrs. Cui dared not make a fuss any longer, and told Qin Jijiu what Qin Wan had recounted.

Qin Jijiu pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What do you plan to do about this?"

Mrs. Cui, irritated, said, "What am I supposed to do? Your precious daughter suffers a huge injustice and doesn’t come home to talk about it. Could it be that they think their maternal family is powerless and can’t support her?"

Qin Jijiu sneered coldly, "What support? Lin Ziqi is just a scholar, and we can’t even support them—we also have to rely on the influence of our eldest son-in-law."

Mrs. Cui said despondently, "Is that just it?"

Qin Jijiu said, "Don’t spread the word for now. Yuan’er has her own mind, but she is still young and might not think of everything. You should pick a day to visit her and see whether Old Madam Gu, as Wan’er said, is indeed guilty to the point of coddling Yuan’er."

Unable to do anything else, Mrs. Cui nodded in agreement.

The two of them extinguished the lamp and lay down again, but both tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Mrs. Cui sighed, "Yuan’er is beautiful and always knows how to conduct herself. She is far more tactful than Wan’er. I thought she would suffer some bullying and resentment after marrying into the Marquis Mansion, but once she had children, she would gradually find her footing, and life wouldn’t be too bad. Who knew it would turn out like this?"

Qin Jijiu lay in the dark, wide-eyed, and silent.

Mrs. Cui asked again, "If indeed the eldest son-in-law is impotent, should we advise Yuan’er to seek a divorce? Brother Heng grows older by the day, yet he doesn’t focus on his studies. Lin Ziqi is unreliable and aloof towards us."

The implication was that right now, the only person they could rely on was Marquis Gu. If Qin Yuan separated, who knows what kind of environment a new son-in-law would bring.