After being married for more than ten years, they are already familiar with everything about each other.

As soon as Xu Lingning's momentum faded, the Third Madam felt it immediately.

The slight bit of guilt and fear I had just felt disappeared immediately.

She rushed over: "You hit me, you hit me... I gave birth to children for you, I worked hard for you, and you hit me..." Despite this, she did not dare to put her hands on Xu Lingning's face, for fear that others would notice the flaw, so she grabbed his shoulders.

A burning pain made Xu Lingning come to his senses.

He grabbed the Third Lady's hand and lowered his voice: "That's enough. Do you want everyone to know?"

"Don't everyone know about this?" The Third Lady's eyes moistened and tears fell, "Why should I be afraid of anyone?"

"You also know that what you did is a shameful thing!" Xu Lingning looked at his disheveled wife and pulled her to walk out, "Clean it up for me, and let's go to apologize to our mother."

Qiu Ling, who was standing under the window watching the wind, was frightened by what she heard and hurriedly gestured to the maids and old women standing far away in the corridor.

When the maids and old women saw this, they immediately retreated quietly.

Qiu Ling thought for a moment, closed the hanging flower door, turned around and said to the maids and old women standing in the yard: "Go back to the room and close the door tightly. If I find anyone peeping, I will report to the madam immediately for punishment!" Her voice was unusually stern.

The maids and old women looked at each other, answered "yes" in unison, and went back to their rooms and closed the doors.

Qiu Ling shook her head slightly and kept watch at the door of the main house.

When the third lady in the room heard what Xu Lingning said, her heart sank immediately.

"Shameful things? What shameful things did I do? Who in this family doesn't have their own little calculations? Did I steal or rob? Did I do shameful things? What about the second and fifth branches? They openly opened shops on West Street and East Street. That's upright. What I did was shameful? You Xu family just despise me for my low birth and step on me when something goes wrong!" She became more and more excited as she spoke. "You and I will go to confront mother? What's so shameful about what I did? Those refugees just need to have food. What's the difference between June snow and moldy rice for them? It's not like we are the ones who make moldy rice? Do you think the Weibei Marquis family is so clean? I did this just to save some money for the Xu family... What's so shameful about it?"

"You're still quibbling!" Xu Lingning was so angry that his face turned blue. "How can our family compare with those families? We are relatives by marriage? If someone finds out, there will be no way to deal with it. We may even lose our official position and title..."

"Relatives in law! Relatives in law! You only know 'relatives in law'." The resentment that had been hidden in the heart of the Third Lady could no longer be suppressed. "The good has nothing to do with us, but the bad has to be shared by us. Why? Why? I want to separate from the family? You are a bastard, and according to the rules we should be separated. Why should I be a supporting role to flatter them?" She wiped her eyes and cried softly, "Has it been easy for me these years? My father is a bastard, and my uncle is unwilling to separate the family for the sake of face, but he only gives me 20 taels of silver as a regular allowance every year. The family is very rich. , there are so many guests and favors, and the money is not enough every month. When I got married, my mother emptied the house to save my face. On the day I returned home, the jewelry my mother wore was borrowed from Aunt Wu... After marrying into your family, I don’t have the ability to compete with Second Sister-in-law, I can’t compete with Yuanniang, and I don’t have the qualifications to compete with Danyang. Don’t I have the right to say a word to a little Eleventh Lady as I please? Who am I worse than? Who am I inferior to? What Second Sister-in-law can do, what Yuanniang can do, I can do well too!"

The third lady’s words hit Xu Lingning’s sore spot.

He was a bastard, and although the lady treated him well, when the weather was hot, she would bring him a bowl of iced plum water, and those mothers would always give it to Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan first... He had always wanted to live alone, and he had never let his concubine have children, just because he didn't want his children to suffer this embarrassment again. When the Xu family was in trouble, he deliberately didn't take out the silver he was given, just to let the lady drive him out. But seeing the always shrewd and capable lady lying weakly on the bed, and listening to Xu Lingyi calling him "third brother", he changed his mind again... Although his wife was fierce and bold, she was always gentle and considerate to him, and always cared for the children. It was just because her father-in-law was a bastard and had no ability to live independently, and she had been watching other people's eyes all her life in the Gan family, she wanted to open a house alone and stand up straight to live a few days without having to watch other people's eyes... Speaking of it, I am sorry for her!

As Xu Lingning thought about it, he became more and more depressed: "I am sorry for you, but you can't do such a thing to embarrass the Xu family!" His voice sounded helpless and frustrated.

The third wife's already rising anger grew even more intense when she saw her husband's cowardly behavior.

"Did I get to where I am today because of myself? When my younger brother got married that year, apart from the gift from the Xu family, I only added twenty taels of silver privately. Why am I disliked by my mother-in-law and her family? It's because of you, Mr. Xu San. It's because of Qin'er and Jian'er!" Her voice got louder and louder. "Do you know how much a house in Baodafang costs? Do you know how much a house in Huanghuafang costs? Do you know how much a house in Xianyifang costs? Don't forget, you have two sons? Can you let them live at the foot of Luoye Mountain?" She became more and more angry as she spoke. "Every day you shout that your descendants will have their own blessings, and let them study hard. "I want to ask you to study hard, and pass the imperial examination in the future. Not only do you not need help from your family, but you will also help your family. Let everyone know that you have a good son. But is it so easy to pass the imperial examination? Look at my father, he has been taking the examination for more than 20 years, but he is still only a juren. Look at you, why didn't you continue to take the juren examination? It's because my father said that people like us don't need it. They don't need it. We can't even beg for it!" Thinking of this, grievances flowed from her heart, and she began to sneer sarcastically, "But, to be honest, it's my fault. Who made my father a poor juren who failed in the examinations many times? Who made me not have a dowry like Danyang? Who made me not have my own money to support you as an actress?"

Before she finished her words, Xu Lingning jumped up and said, "Just talk about yourself. Why bother involving other people?" His voice was very cold.

For a moment, the third lady thought the person who spoke was Xu Lingyi...

She couldn't help but pause, and said "hmm" coldly, but she didn't mention it again in the end.

"What should we do now?" Xu Lingning slumped down on the armchair. "My fourth brother gave me a deadline to figure out everything and give him an explanation before noon tomorrow!"

The Third Lady thought about her husband not coming home last night, saying that he wanted to settle accounts with the Chief Steward Bai. She thought that he was dragged away by the stewards who came to collect their salaries to drink and have fun. Unexpectedly, he was going to settle accounts... She felt that the matter was serious, and couldn't help but said anxiously: "Isn't he the one who cares most about his reputation? How could it be..."

Is that why my wife is so unscrupulous?

A look of fatigue appeared on Xu Lingning's brows.

The third lady stood there, her face turning pale and blue.

After a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go see the lady! I will take responsibility for what I have done, and no one will burden anyone else." Then she said, "I'm not doing this for myself... Isn't the saved money still in the account?" Then she said, "Isn't this just to save some money?" There was another sentence she didn't say.

After all, she was the mother of Qin and Jian, and the lady had to give the two brothers some respect...

At most, you won’t be the head of this family anymore!

On the other hand, if it was a month ago, she would be greeted and greeted wherever she went, and everyone would read her expression. She really would not want to give up this position. But now it is different. I didn't expect that there are so many tricks in the rice business, and there is such a big profit. No wonder my aunt and others are all thinking of ways to do business... After all, I am now relying on the title of Yongping Marquis, and there are many inconveniences. If...

Her mind raced.

Xu Lingning sighed quietly: "Now, this is the only way!"

Someone knocked on the window: "Third Master, Third Madam, the Marquis is here!"

It was Qiu Ling's panicked voice.

The incident happened suddenly, and the couple looked at each other in panic.

Xu Lingning was a man after all. He had been in charge of the Xu family's affairs for the past few years and had seen a lot. He quickly calmed down and said in a deep voice, "Please come in quickly." He then turned around and told the Third Madam, "Go and clean up quickly."

The Third Lady said "Oh" in a panic and trotted into the inner room. Seeing that the inner room was empty, she remembered that the maids and old women had looked at the couple with strange expressions and had retreated. She then ran out to call Qiu Ling.

Qiu Ling had already opened the door to the main hall and told the maid to welcome Xu Lingyi and make tea. When she heard the Third Madam calling her, she knew that she was going to re-dress, so she answered and personally took the maid who usually served her to fetch water and bring it into the inner room.

Xu Lingyi saw from a distance that the door of the third room was closed. Thinking that he wanted Xu Lingning to explain everything before noon tomorrow, he guessed that the couple must have had an argument. He knocked on the door and deliberately slowed down his pace. Just enough time for the third wife to leave.

At this point, what else is there to say!

When Xu Lingning saw Xu Lingyi, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Fourth brother, please sit down!"

Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "Forget it, I won't sit down either. Fan Weigang is back, please come and listen to the opera. It's freezing cold, and I think Third Brother is fine. Why don't we go together?"

Xu Lingning was stunned.

"It's been a long time since we brothers have talked alone together." Xu Lingyi simply said, "Wei Gang is treating us, let's go have a drink."

Xu Lingning understood that Xu Lingyi wanted to talk to him alone.

But he was so anxious and found an excuse without any loopholes... I wonder what he was planning?

As the thought flashed through his mind, he felt very disappointed again.

Even if he was plotting against me, what could he do? After all, the fault was mine!

He stood up and told the maidservant beside him: "The Marquis and I are going out for a drink. Tell the Madam!"

The maid responded and went to the inner room. Xu Lingning grabbed the cloak beside him and said, "Let's go!"

Xu Lingyi looked at his brother with messy hair in front of him, thinking of how he used to catch crickets in the back garden when he was a child, and how it was the same bitterly cold and snowy day after his father died, when the two of them stood together at the entrance of Luojia Hutong waiting for Old Master Luo to leave the government office...

He couldn't help but gently called out "Third Brother": "Your hair is messy, let the maids help comb it!"

Xu Lingning touched his temples and remained silent for a long time, but tears were glistening in the corners of his eyes.

He thought of the year his father died. They stood together at the entrance of Luojia Hutong waiting for Old Master Luo to leave the government office. This younger brother, who had not yet inherited the title of Marquis of Yongping, stood there silently. He said to himself, who was stamping his feet in the cold, "Don't worry, third brother. I will definitely make you proud. Let others see you and only know how to smile, and only dare to laugh..."

What did you think and say at that time?

Don't believe it.

But she was unwilling to give him a perfunctory answer, so she suppressed his determination and nodded seriously, "Okay! I'm counting on the day when my fourth brother will bring honor to me. By then, we brothers will be able to walk sideways in Yanjing."

When did that time disappear?