A maidservant led in a woman wearing a parrot green satin jacket.

She was no more than thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, of medium build, a little thin, with a broad forehead and a high nose. She was very pretty, but her brows were very dignified, making her look a little serious.

"My Lord, Madam!" She bowed respectfully to Eleventh Lady and Xu Lingyi, her manner revealing the elegance and reserve unique to women from aristocratic families.

Eleventh Lady looked at it and couldn't help but secretly praise it.

Compared with her mother, Qiao Lianfang is a bit like her mother. It is easy to draw the skin of a tiger but difficult to draw its bones.

But because of this, Eleventh Lady couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

If she had not been dragged into this matter, why would Qiao Lianfang have to greet herself every morning and evening, and why would Mrs. Qiao be treated like this - as the mother of a concubine, she was not considered a relative of the Xu family. To visit her daughter, she not only needed Eleventh Lady's consent, but also had to go through the corner gate.

Xu Lingyi didn't say anything, just nodded, his attitude seemed very indifferent.

Eleventh Lady could only smile and ask, "What's the matter, Mrs. Qiao?"

Mrs. Qiao's eyes darkened, and she whispered, "I came here to thank the Marquis and the Madam. Lianfang's father died early, and I only have this daughter. I have high hopes for her. She started learning at the age of three and read the classics at the age of five. She is smart and sensible, and is deeply loved by the Duke and his wife, who brought her up with them. I am a woman of little experience and superficial, and I have treated her like a jewel, and now she has developed a character that is ignorant of the world." As she spoke, she squatted down and bowed deeply, "If she has done anything rude, please forgive her, Marquis and Madam, considering that she lost her father at a young age. I am very grateful!"

Ha! I didn’t expect that Mrs. Qiao is also good at talking!

He talked about Qiao Lianfang's miserable life, that her father died early and she was raised by her widowed mother; he also talked about how talented his daughter was; he also said that the relationship between Qiao Lianfang and Cheng Guogong and his wife and Qiao Lianfang's arrogant personality were all caused by himself.

What a wonderful person.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look up at Xu Lingyi.

Just then I saw Xu Lingyi's eyes glancing over.

He looked a little annoyed, as if saying, this is your women's business, do you really want me to intervene?

Eleventh Lady sighed secretly in her heart, took a few steps forward and helped Mrs. Qiao: "You are too modest. Sister Qiao is polite and gentle, and the Marquis and I like her very much. Mrs. Qiao does not need to worry about her having a bad life in the mansion."

He gently fought back - what do you mean by saying this? Did Qiao Lianfang complain to you, or do you feel that your daughter has been wronged.

Mrs. Qiao stood up and looked at Shiyi Niang with a proper smile: "It is because Lian Fang is living well here that I feel uneasy. It's just a minor cold, but they invited several imperial doctors to diagnose her. They also sent someone to invite me to see her. It's really too presumptuous. I am very worried."

Was he saying that his daughter was being too presumptuous, or that he was being too presumptuous by treating Qiao Lianfang in this way?

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly, "The Marquis is kind to others, and we sisters should also understand his painstaking efforts and live in harmony. It's hard to say whether it's more presumptuous or not. Besides, it was the Marquis' idea to invite Mrs. Qiao to see Sister Qiao. If Mrs. Qiao wants to thank him, she should ask Sister Qiao to get better soon and serve the Marquis wholeheartedly."

Mrs. Qiao's eyes flashed when she heard this, and she glanced quickly at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi stood there, as straight as a pine tree, but the slightly curled corners of his mouth revealed his impatience.

She smiled slightly and bowed to Eleventh Lady, "Thank you for your teachings, Madam. I will remember it. I will definitely ask Lian Fang to serve the Marquis wholeheartedly and get along well with the sisters."

First serve the Lord wholeheartedly, then live in harmony with the sisters...

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "It's getting late. The Marquis and I still have to go and pay our respects to the Madam. I have already asked the kitchen to prepare the feast. Madam Qiao, please have dinner here before going back!"

Mrs. Qiao thanked them gratefully and respectfully saw Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang out.

Outside, in the beautiful palace, snow was falling heavily.

Fortunately, the way to the lady's place was along the corridor, so there was no need to hold an umbrella or wear wooden shoes. Eleventh Lady followed Xu Lingyi with light steps.

When turning, Xu Lingyi suddenly turned back: "Be careful, the ground is slippery."

Eleventh Lady lowered her head in astonishment.

The bluestone bricks were carved into fine lines to prevent slipping. The corridor was half a meter wide to prevent the wind and snow from blowing in and wetting the floor - how could the floor suddenly become slippery?

When she looked up again, Xu Lingyi was already striding forward.

Looking at his receding back, Eleventh Lady did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly followed him.

* * * * * *

The room was already lit with a fire, and it was as warm as spring. The fresh pine and cypress fragrance from the small silver-gilt incense burner drifted into the room, adding a touch of warmth to the room.

The lady leaned on a ginger-colored brocade pillow on the kang by the window, smiling at Zhun Ge, who was wearing a lake-colored silk gourd-patterned crane cloak in front of the kang, and was reciting "Youxue Qionglin" with his head shaking: "... Luduan is the first day of the New Year, and Renri is the seventh day of the New Year. On the New Year's Day, pepper flowers are presented to the king to wish him a long life; on the New Year's Day, people drink Tusu wine to get rid of plague."

Xu Lingkuan sat below the lady dowager, Xu Lingning sat opposite Xu Lingkuan, the fifth lady was wearing a bright red silk jacket with peony flowers on the sleeves, and because of her pregnancy, she looked very healthy, and sat next to her husband with a rosy face. The third lady stood behind Xu Lingning, with the eldest son Xu Siqin and the youngest son Xu Sijian sitting on a brocade stool next to them, and Xu Siyu sat next to Xu Sijian, with a distance of about two feet between them.

He was the first one to see his father and stepmother come in. He immediately stood up and called out "Father" and "Mother" respectfully.

Zhun Ge's recitation was interrupted. He looked back at Xu Lingyi, then immediately trotted to the side of the lady, grabbed her clothes, and looked at Xu Lingyi nervously.

Everyone else in the room also stood up and saluted Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi nodded to his eldest son, then bowed to return the greetings from his brothers and sat down opposite the lady.

Eleventh Lady stood beside the Fifth Lady.

"Can you recite "You Xue Qiong Lin"?" He smiled at Zhun Ge who was held in his grandmother's arms, "Who did you learn from?"

Zhun Ge's eyes showed confusion. Madam Dowager gently pushed him and said, "Your father is asking you a question." He came back to his senses and whispered, "My grandmother taught me!" Then he raised his head and secretly sized up Xu Lingyi's expression. Seeing that he was smiling all the time and showed no impatience, he added in a flattering way, "My grandmother taught me. She said that the New Year is coming and we need to know the New Year's rules..."

Listening to Zhun Ge's babyish answer, Xu Lingyi did not show his usual displeasure. Instead, he smiled and nodded: "Not bad, not bad. Following grandma, I have indeed learned some rules."

After hearing this, Zhun Ge smiled at Zhen Jie'er who was sitting next to the lady, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Xu Lingyi saw that his son was losing his temper and frowned slightly. The lady-in-law looked unhappy and said with a smile: "Why did you come so late today? We are all waiting for you to have dinner. It's easy for others to talk, but your fifth brother's wife is pregnant and will have to go back to the back garden later. It's freezing cold out here. If you get into trouble, I will tie you up and take you to Xiaowu to make amends."

Upon hearing this, the Fifth Lady covered her hands with her hands and smiled.

Xu Lingkuan stood up in a panic, "No, no." But he felt that this was inappropriate, so he changed his words and said, "No, I will take good care of Danyang and won't let her get hurt... Fourth brother doesn't have to go to accompany me."

The old lady burst into laughter after hearing this. Even Xu Lingyi showed a rare smile. Naturally, the others didn't need to hold back and they all laughed too.

Eleventh Lady took the opportunity to look at the three children opposite her.

The youngest, Xu Sijian, grinned foolishly, showing joy from the inside out.

Xu Siyu was also smiling, but his eyes were cold and distant.

Xu Siqin looked at Xu Siyu with a bitter smile.

This was the second time she found Xu Siqin smiling bitterly at Xu Siyu... Among the children of the "Si" generation, only the two of them had their own courtyards in the outer courtyard. It was said that their courtyards were next to each other. Xu Siyu was only eleven years old this year. In her previous life, she was often called mature before her time at his age. But even so, she played well with the babysitter next door, telling her how boring playing the piano was and how "unfortunate" she was... Could Xu Siyu and Xu Siqin also have such a relationship?

"Wei Zi," the lady said with a smile on her face, "serve the meal! The third son sent wild duck today, and I asked the kitchen to make wild duck hot pot. Everyone should try it."

Xu Lingyi supported the lady, and the others surrounded the two of them and went to the banquet area in the east room.

Three tables had already been set up for the banquet, one table for the lady and her sons, one table for the daughters-in-law, and one table for Xu Siqin and his younger generations.

The Grand Madam and Xu Lingyi sat down around them, and the younger generations were also helped to sit down by their respective wet nurses. The Fifth Madam was in a special situation, so she apologized and was helped to sit down by Shi Mama. The Third Madam and the Eleventh Madam were helping Wei Zi and Yao Huang with their chopsticks. The Grand Madam smiled and scolded the two of them: "...Why are you being so attentive at this time? Sit down and eat your meal properly."

The two of them still set the table for the lady and a table of dishes for the younger generation before sitting down.

The maids and old women began to serve the dishes.

The old lady was chatting with her sons: "It snowed really early today. It's only the beginning of November!"

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "Who said it wasn't true? Shandong, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Henan have all received reports of snowstorms. The Emperor has been busy discussing the disasters in various places with the Cabinet these days!"

The lady was a Buddhist, and she couldn't help but worry: "If the snow doesn't stop, I'm afraid people will freeze to death this year."

"Mom, should we set up a soup kitchen?" Xu Lingkuan asked.

The lady and Xu Lingning both looked at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "We will do the same thing this year as we did in previous years."

The lady was a little hesitant: "Should we discuss this with the Queen?"

Everyone in the room fell silent at the same time.

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "We're going too far and it makes people feel weird. I'll take care of this matter. I'm afraid I'll have to ask mother to help me take care of it when the time comes."

The lady nodded: "Is that it?"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Xu Lingning smiled and said, "Then I'll prepare some rice first. Since we're opening a porridge stall, it's impossible for the rice soup to reflect people's shadows, right?"

The lady smiled and nodded, very satisfied with Xu Lingning's words: "Get ready early. If the snow keeps falling like this, the roads will be very cold and it will be difficult to walk on them."

"Don't worry, mother. I know the ins and outs of this matter." Xu Lingning responded respectfully.

The lady dowager nodded slightly, but Eleventh Lady noticed that the Third Lady, who was sitting opposite her, had her eyes rolling around.

※