Chapter 131 Harvest (Part 2)
"The two brothers went out together again!" The lady looked disappointed.
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Your Highness can go to some social events on weekdays if you want to, and you don't have to go if you don't want to. But now that the New Year is approaching, some local officials have come back to the capital early to pay their respects to the emperor, and Your Highness has to meet them."
The lady nodded: "Of course I don't know. It's just that the house has been so busy these days that I feel a little reluctant to leave."
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "It will be fine when the summer comes next year."
In the spring, provincial governors from all over the country would return to Beijing to report on their work. Given Xu Lingyi's status and position, he would have more social engagements.
"When the weather warms up in early summer next year, we will have plenty of places to go. Who would want him to accompany us?" The old lady smiled as if she didn't care, and the third lady came.
She wore a bright red jacket with multi-colored brocade patterns, had her hair done in a peony bun, a gold and jade headband, had her eyebrows drawn, and put on powder and rouge, looking very dressed in a solemn and gorgeous manner.
It looked like the couple had had an argument... Only if they wanted to hide something would they pay extra attention to that aspect... Could it be that he was beaten...
Eleventh Lady guessed secretly and went forward to greet the Third Lady.
The lady laughed and asked, "Where did it go?"
The third wife smiled and bowed to the old lady, saying, "It's cold, and I have nothing to do at home, so I tidied my clothes." Then she looked down at her clothes and said, "I didn't expect to have such a beautiful jacket, so I took it out and put it on to see you.
How is it, is it okay? "
The lady looked it up and down and said, "It looks good. Such a bright dress is perfect to wear during the New Year!"
"Really!" The third lady laughed, "Put it away when we get home, and take it out to wear during the New Year."
The lady pointed at the Third Lady and turned around to look at the Eleventh Lady standing behind her with a smile: "Look, you are taking this opportunity to complain to me and ask for new clothes!"
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "I don't know how many good things are stored in your storehouse. Why don't you take this opportunity to reward us with some? We can wear the clothes you rewarded us to visit relatives during the New Year, and it will be face-saving." As she said this, she pursed her lips and smiled.
As an old man with the ability, who wouldn’t want to be a money-spending boy to be liked by others?
The lady laughed and said to Mother Du beside her: "It's really hard to talk to her."
"That's because you have so many good things that young people are jealous." Mother Du flattered the lady in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, which made people feel very comfortable.
The lady was really happy. She told Wei Zi, "Open the storehouse tomorrow and take out the new styles of makeup and silk that the palace has appreciated for them to choose from." She also said, "Call Danyang as well. Leave a few for Yizhen as well."
"Oh my!" The third lady was delighted, but a little exaggerated. "Thanks to my mother, everything is fine now!"
Eleventh Lady smiled: "It's too late for me to feel sorry for you, mother!"
The lady just laughed.
Mother Du said, "We have a lot of Madam's things. If you have the strength, you can move them away."
The Third Lady turned to Eleventh Lady and said with a smile: "This is a great relationship. We should eat a few more bowls of rice."
This made everyone in the room laugh.
Just then, Xu Siqin and his two brothers arrived. They greeted everyone and asked what they were laughing at. Mother Du repeated what she had just said, and Xu Siqin immediately said, "I want to make new clothes, too."
The third wife stretched out her slender finger and tapped her son's forehead with an expression of disapproval: "When have I ever needed your food and clothing?"
Xu Sijian hesitated.
Xu Siqin smiled and said, "There are mountains outside mountains. Who wouldn't be interested in seeing grandma's things? I also wanted to, but because I am the oldest, I was embarrassed to ask for it."
The lady was so amused that she smiled widely: "That's right, that's right. Otherwise, why would your mother be so obsessed with my things?"
When Zhe Geer heard this, he shouted in a baby voice, "I also want grandma's things!"
Everyone was laughing uncontrollably and the atmosphere was very lively.
After dinner, the dowager still gave Xu Siqin and Xu Siyu many instructions before sending them out. Eleventh Lady, the Third Lady, and Xu Sijian waited until the wet nurse took Zhen Jie'er and Zhe Ge'er to bed before they said goodbye to the dowager and left.
The old lady was getting older and her sleep was getting less and less. After closing the door at 12:00, she did not go to sleep immediately. She would often chat with Madam Du, Wei Zi, or Yao Huang, or play cards. Today was no exception. She just asked all the servants in the room to go to sleep, leaving only Madam Du alone.
"Go and ask around." The kindness and tenderness on the lady's face just now turned into shrewdness and competence. "Among the governors of the Five Military Governors' Office, besides the Fourth Brother, who else participated in the city patrol? And ask the chief steward Bai, who did the Third Brother settle accounts with last night? Ask the servant beside the Third Brother, when did General Fan Weigang come back? Where did he listen to the opera? What opera did he listen to? When did the two gentlemen break up with Master Fan? When did they return to the mansion?"
Mother Du also changed her smiling face and replied "yes" with a serious expression.
At one o'clock in the morning the next day, the old lady washed her hands as usual and sat in the warm room in the east room of the Buddhist hall to copy the Heart Sutra.
Mother Du walked in quietly.
The lady sat upright, writing without even lifting her eyelids.
"Well?"
When Mother Du thought of the news she had received, even though she was mature, she paused before speaking: "People from the Five Military Governor's Office said that no one was arranged to patrol the city. Chief Steward Bai said that the Third Master stayed alone in the office the night before yesterday. The servant beside the Third Master said that General Fan came back the day before yesterday and invited the Marquis to watch an opera. The Marquis and the Third Master arrived at 3:30 pm, left at 1:00 pm, and returned to the mansion at 1:15 pm." She narrated everything she had heard as simply and without emotion as possible, but her voice lowered involuntarily.
The lady seemed not to have heard anything until she finished writing the last stroke. Then she looked up at Mother Du and said, "Frame this calligraphy and give it to the third son."
Mother Du bowed respectfully and replied "yes" respectfully.
The lady held out her hand.
Mother Du hurriedly helped the lady up.
The lady went to the main hall of the Buddhist temple, kowtowed three times to the enshrined Guanyin Bodhisattva, lit three incense sticks, then got up and went to the warm room with Mother Du as usual.
"What did the third son's wife do last night?" The voice was very cold.
Madam Du had been with the Madam for nearly 40 years and knew her temper. She had found out all the questions that the Madam might ask before she came, and had a draft in mind before she went back to the Madam. Therefore, although the Madam did not ask Madam Du about this matter, Madam Du had already asked about it secretly. Now that the Madam asked, it was not difficult to answer.
"I heard that she was doing needlework, waiting for the third master to come back. She didn't go to bed until the late afternoon."
"Where is the fourth son's wife?"
"Tell the night watch mother and Aunt Qiao's people to wait for the Marquis at the door. I will rest at around midnight as usual."
The lady had a thoughtful expression.
"Look, you don't know? Or are you able to keep your composure?"
"I don't know." Mother Du knew the importance of the matter and became humble. "However, Wanxiang went to see the Fourth Madam a few days ago, and the Marquis went to patrol the city in the evening. This morning, the Marquis did not go to court as usual, but went to the Fourth Madam's room and had breakfast there. I heard that when they were having breakfast, all the servants in the room retreated." After saying that, she thought for a while and whispered, "Those over there are all the people trained by Mother Tao. We can only get a general idea, and we can't find out more."
The lady nodded slightly after hearing this: "How does the fourth lady treat Madam Tao?"
"Not long after entering the house, the chief steward Bai from the outer courtyard pointed to Xiang Chou'er's maid who was feeding the horses in the stable to move things for the Fourth Madam. Not long after, Xiang's granddaughter, the one called Xiao Fangfei, was arranged to sweep the ground in the back garden. A few days later, she took the place of a married maid and was promoted to the second rank. Now she gets a monthly salary of 500 coins. Xiang was so grateful that she praised the Fourth Madam to everyone she met and even made meat cakes for her. She often came and went with Amber, who was close to the Fourth Madam, and made shoes and socks for her. They were very close."
The lady's mouth curled up: "She is quite clever."
Mother Du couldn't tell whether the lady was praising the Fourth Lady or the old woman, so she could only smile vaguely and replied, "Yes."
The lady sat back in the warm room and picked up a copy of the Diamond Sutra on the desk...
…
Eleventh Lady sat on the big kang by the window, doing needlework, using a silver spoon to scoop up the moon-white silk curtains hanging on the glass window, and the scenery outside the window was in full view. The white snow reflected the orchid light and shone on her body, outlining a slender but beautiful outline like a willow.
Luyun tiptoed over, but found that the needle and thread in her hand had stopped at some point, and her eyes were staring blankly at a half-embroidered camellia on the embroidery cabinet.
She hesitated for a while, then whispered, "Madam, the greenhouse worker is here to change the flowers."
Eleventh Lady said "Oh", sat up straight, her eyes regained their former agility, and she smiled warmly: "Let them in!"
Luyun replied "yes" in a low voice, and soon brought two maids in to pay their respects to Shiyi Niang. They replaced the dying camellia flowers in the room with half-blooming and half-budding plum blossoms.
There was immediately a faint fragrance in the room.
Eleventh Lady took a deep breath and asked the old woman, "Do you have any daffodils?"
The old woman smiled and said, "Of course there are some! But they haven't budded yet. If Madam wants to display daffodils, I will go and tell Sister Ji Ting and they will be delivered in two days."
When sending flowers to a greenhouse, it is important to keep them half-laid out and half-waited. Flowers that have not yet formed buds cannot be brought in.
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "It's okay, let her bring me a few pots. It's the same if I take care of it myself."
The old woman agreed immediately, and together with another old woman, placed holly trees in the corners, and asparagus ferns and aloe vera among the flowers.
Amber came in, holding a blue and white vase with hibiscus in it.
"Madam, where do you think I should put it?" She looked at Eleventh Lady with a smile.
Eleventh Lady saw the hibiscus, which was as big as a bowl and bloomed bright red. It made people feel warm at the sight of it. It was a very festive decoration for the house full of green bamboo plants in winter. She looked around with a smile, then pointed to the window behind her and said, "Put it here!"
Amber got on the kang as she was told, and placed the vase on the kang window behind Eleventh Lady, whispering, "Madam, you really guessed it right. There's something fishy about the replacement of the maid!"