Hearing that it was Qin Wan who spoke to their parents, Qin Yuan could guess a bit and smiled accompanying: "Daughter doesn’t know what mother is referring to. I am a daughter of the Qin Family and a daughter-in-law of the Gu Family and have never done anything disloyal to either family. Might Mother say it directly, so that I can defend myself a bit."

Mrs.Cui squeezed out a word after quite a while: "You may rise, now that you’re older, don’t kneel so easily, what would others think if they saw this."

Only then did Qin Yuan rise.

Mrs.Cui took another couple of sips of tea. She wanted to speak but sighed before having another sip, with a red face asking: "Wan’er said... that the Director of the Hospital diagnosed the Marquis and said he is impotent, is it true? Have you... have you consummated the marriage? Is your husband physically capable?"

Qin Yuan’s face turned crimson, cursing Qin Wan silently.

"Mother, those are just outside rumors. Didn’t we say before not to believe those gossips?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs.Cui’s anger flared again, putting down her teacup angrily, saying, "At this point, you still want to paint over the cracks. Do you even regard us as your parents? For such a major issue, you’re just fooling your family?"

Qin Yuan looked puzzled: "Mother, I have never fooled the family. Where is this coming from? I truly don’t deserve this accusation."

Mrs.Cui, consumed by anger, spoke quickly: "Your second sister’s husband has been close with someone from the Xu family who played ball in the palace, saying Xu Tang played ball so well that he was favored by the Emperor, hence knowing much about the palace. Xu Tang told your sister’s husband that even the Emperor knows about the Marquis’s issue, and the rumor came from the diagnosis by the Director of the Hospital. Were you deceived by the Marquis, or are you deliberately hiding it from the family?"

When Qin Yuan heard this involved Xu Tang, she sneered: "Mother may not know the outside affairs well, which is understandable. I had sent word to the family long ago, telling them to stay away from Xu Tang, but everyone ignored it. Brother Heng played around with Xu Tang, and Second Sister’s husband believed everything he was told, spreading it back to the family. The family prefers to believe a low-born ball player than us and the Marquis."

Mrs.Cui was aware of Qin Heng and Xu Tang’s ball-playing together.

Her mind was now a chaotic mess.

Qin Yuan continued: "Mother might not be aware, but yesterday people from the Xu family went to trouble Si Yuan’s cousin, and if it weren’t for my sister-in-law running into them, we wouldn’t know how they planned on bullying him with their numbers."

Neither Qin Heng nor Qin Siyuan mentioned this upon their return.

Shocked, Mrs.Cui looked up at Qin Yuan: "Did such a thing truly occur?"

Qin Yuan nodded emphatically, "If mother doesn’t believe me, go and ask Brother Heng. If Brother Heng tries to cover it up, there’s still cousin Siyuan, who is an upright gentleman, and would never deceive."

Mrs.Cui, indignant, exclaimed: "Oh, that despicable Xu Tang, causing trouble for us Qin Family people just because of his grudge with the Gu Family, what an unscrupulous wretch."

Qin Yuan took the opportunity to say: "Receiving mother’s note today, I thought you were here to express gratitude, wanting to tell you that yesterday cousin Siyuan and Brother Heng visited Old Madam, stayed also for dinner. We’re kin, no need for such formalities. But unexpectedly, you came listening to these idle rumors."

Mrs.Cui felt a bit embarrassed, stammering: "Isn’t it because your father stayed up all night, worried about you being young and unaware, being deceived by the Gu family. Also worried you’d suffer in silence without returning to your maiden home to express, hence my anxiousness and losing my temperament."

Qin Yuan sighed: "Actually the Marquis does have some hidden ailments. He was injured with losses on the battlefield at the Northern Border..."

Mrs.Cui’s heart tightened, looking at Qin Yuan nervously.

Only to hear Qin Yuan say: "Doctor Li from Renhe Hall prescribed some medicinal soaaks, suggesting that he must recuperate before resuming marital activities."

Mrs.Cui’s heart eased, exhaling deeply and murmuring: "Limitless heaven, Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, savior of the distressed..."

Such desperation resorted to irrational means.

As long as divine intervention works.

Qin Yuan tried to suppress her laughter: "We already heard the rumors outside, never expected the family members to believe them."

"Isn’t it all Xu Tang’s doing, resentful towards the Gu Family and the Qin Family!" Mrs.Cui found it hard to blame her own two children, shifting all the grievances onto Xu Tang.

Qin Yuan sighed: "You see how unscrupulous Xu Tang’s actions are, yet Second Sister’s husband seems entranced, being very close to Xu Tang, it really worries me..."

"What worries you?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Mrs.Cui snapped into attention.

"I’m really worried that Xu Tang might use others to harm cousin Siyuan. As the saying goes, it’s not the thief we’re afraid of, but the thief keeping us in their sights. Xu Tang harbors spiteful thoughts, closing in on Second Sister’s husband and Brother Heng. If he seizes an opportunity, how shall we deal with it? Brother Heng’s studies aren’t going well, and in the future, he will likely need to rely on cousin Siyuan considerably. Ruining cousin Siyuan’s prospects would equate to losing Brother Heng’s support, damaging the Qin Family’s foundation."

Mrs.Cui jumped to her feet: "I’ll immediately fetch Brother Heng from the Imperial College and give him a good thrashing, to prevent him from mimicking bad examples. Siyuan has studied arduously for all these years and mustn’t come to any harm. Your father said, Siyuan is now renowned, catching the Emperor’s eye. If he succeeds this time, he will have a promising future. Not that I want to say it, Mr. Lin... oh, your father’s quite displeased with him, often having quarrels with your sister."

Qin Yuan lowered her head, remaining silent.

Matters regarding Lin Ziqi were not within her purview to discuss. Mrs.Cui realized this as well, casting Qin Yuan a somber glance, sighing: "Don’t mind your sister’s loose lips, she mentioned this yesterday out of concern for you. Who knew Xu Tang harbored ill intentions."

Qin Yuan curled the corners of her lips, saying: "Rumors about the Marquis circulating outside aren’t just limited to this. Wasn’t there the previous scandal about Mrs. Zhao spreading nonsense, even claiming those twins were the Marquis’s children? But Mother knows the reality. We can’t refute each one. It just takes a single flap of the lips to create a lie, but refuting takes much effort."

Mrs.Cui began to believe, exhaling relaxedly: "That’s a relief. That’s a relief. Oh, you don’t know how troubled your father and I were, barely sleeping last night."

She rose to leave, only to be stopped by Qin Yuan: "Mother, having come all this way, won’t you sit for a while before heading back?"

Mrs.Cui shook her head.

"I’ll go back right away and have someone fetch Qin Heng from the Imperial College to punish him. He merely wastes his time in classes anyway."

Qin Yuan was quite pleased with this outcome. It would prevent Qin Heng from getting too close to Gu Baoshu and inadvertently causing immense trouble. Thus, she refrained from advising against it, merely smiling: "Mother needn’t rush, weren’t you going to visit Old Madam?"