The Empress Dowager seemed to have just discovered the Grand Madam and Eleventh Lady at this time, and was surprised and said, "Why didn't you let someone know when the Grand Madam came?" She also scolded the people around her, "The Grand Madam is the mother-in-law of the current emperor, how can she be compared to those ordinary ladies of the imperial family. From now on, when the Grand Madam asks to see you, just let us know directly, and there is no need to wait."

A eunuch immediately stepped forward and replied "yes".

The old lady hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to express her gratitude. Eleventh Lady followed behind her and naturally followed suit.

The Empress Dowager personally stepped forward and took the hand of the Madam Dowager: "I also look forward to the Madam Dowager coming to the palace to chat with me." She looked very emotional, "Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people who can talk in front of me. It makes people have to admit that they are getting old!" Then she turned back to Kunning Palace, "Let's talk."

The lady replied respectfully, "Yes," and followed the Empress Dowager to the East Warm Pavilion where the Queen rested.

The Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother sat down in order of priority, and the Empress Dowager was rewarded with a brocade stool. Eleventh Lady stood behind the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager asked about the Empress Dowager's condition: "... I was worried all night when I heard the Emperor's order."

"I'm fine." The Queen Mother comforted the Madam, "I just caught a cold and felt a little uncomfortable. I've felt much better after taking Doctor Liu's medicine."

The Queen Mother also smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry. I come to see the Queen every day. She had a cough yesterday, but I didn't hear it this morning."

The lady nodded and said politely, "The Queen has the Queen Mother by her side. I think she will recover soon."

The Queen Mother looked at the Queen and smiled, "I just came here to keep her company." Then she changed the subject, "Is Danyang okay? I heard that he was feeling unwell the past two days?"

The lady said: "The child is just a baby, and it's the first child, so he doesn't know much..."

The two of them were talking about family matters. Eleventh Lady stood respectfully behind the Dowager Lady, her eyes fixed on the Empress.

She was smiling, her expression as gentle as ever, but her wandering eyes revealed that she was absent-minded.

This can't go on any longer.

People are not afraid of physical disabilities, but they are afraid of mental disabilities.

She was so unhappy, it was obvious that she had something on her mind. If she was an ordinary woman, she would have complained to her bestie and everything would have been fine. But she was the mother of a country, and she couldn't be presumptuous in any way. Sometimes, a casual word would be magnified infinitely, let alone something involving the dignity of the emperor and empress, or the secrets of the royal family, so she couldn't tell anyone... The emperor called himself "lonely", so how could the empress not be lonely!

Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady raised her head and looked at the Queen boldly.

After a while, the Queen also sensed something. She looked over and saw her fourteen-year-old sister-in-law blinking at her.

The Queen was slightly startled.

He opened his eyes wide again and looked over.

Eleventh Lady smiled faintly at the Queen.

There was a flash of surprise in the Queen's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

After the Queen Mother and the Grand Madam finished their conversation, the Queen asked about the Grand Madam, Eleventh Lady: "...It is said that the wife of the Marquis of Yongping is not in good health. I didn't ask Doctor Liu to ask about it when I felt unwell. But has anyone diagnosed what the problem is?"

This topic should not be answered by her.

Eleventh Lady lowered her head.

The lady said, "She's always having trouble with her life, so I asked Doctor Liu to check her pulse."

"Oh!" said the Queen Mother, "This is a big deal. We can't be careless."

"Who said it wasn't?" The lady smiled bitterly, "I'm taking medicine now!"

The Queen Mother called Eleventh Lady over and said, "Follow me to the east room." She left the servants around her in the main hall.

Eleventh Lady obediently bent her knees and responded "yes", then followed the Queen to the east room.

The lady was very surprised.

The Queen Mother looked on and smiled with pleasure.

It seems that the queen suddenly decided to call her sister-in-law to ask about this matter alone... The Xu family has always had few descendants. Xu Lingyi has only one legitimate son so far, which is still insufficient. No wonder the queen was very nervous after hearing this.

The thought flashed through her mind, and the Queen Mother smiled and asked someone to bring the almond peanut syrup over: "It's freshly made by the kitchen, and it tastes pretty good."

The lady thanked him with a smile, but she was thinking about the Queen and Eleventh Lady in the east room.

* * * * * *

Sitting on the big kang by the window, the Queen Mother looked at Eleventh Lady standing in front of her, as if she didn't know what to say.

Of course, Shiyi Niang would not stare at her so boldly and smile at her for no reason. But she was not so slow to talk about family prosperity and the intimacy of husband and wife with a little girl who was not familiar with her and was only two years older than her son!

She couldn't help showing some hesitation on her face.

Eleventh Lady saw this and took the initiative to attack. She bowed her head respectfully and whispered, "I am ill. Not only did the Marquis personally ask about me, but the Queen also asked about me. I am really uneasy." As she spoke, she knelt and bowed, saying, "When I first got married, I saw the Marquis's majestic and solemn manner, and I was very scared." She blushed slightly and talked about Xu Lingyi's sleepless nights because of the child, "... Only then did I know that the Marquis was actually a cold-faced but warm-hearted person." Then she talked about the Third Lady replacing the moldy rice with good rice when distributing porridge, "The Marquis was magnanimous. Not only did he not blame the Third Master and the Third Sister-in-law for their improper behavior, but he reflected on himself and went to Fuchengmen to deal with it personally. He also made an appointment with the Third Master to have a heart-to-heart talk at night..." She told the Queen about the Third Master and the Third Lady's thoughts and Xu Lingyi's plan to resign and let the Third Master take up an official post to save everyone's face.

The Empress looked indifferent at first, but the more Eleventh Lady spoke, the more serious her expression became. When she mentioned that Xu Lingyi was going to resign, she was stunned: "Why has the Marquis never told me this?"

"Your Majesty's behavior is upright, and it involves the love and loyalty of brothers. If I hadn't lived in the same room with you, I wouldn't have been able to understand your deep meaning."

The Queen was startled when she heard this, and looked at Eleventh Lady with a warm expression: "Madam, you are very concerned about the Marquis's affairs."

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but break out in a sweat after hearing this.

But I can't deny it.

"Your Majesty is of high character and integrity, and I admire you very much." In front of her elder sister, the Queen, Eleventh Lady had to flatter Xu Lingyi against her will.

The Queen saw that although she seemed calm and composed, her cheeks were slightly red and there was a hint of uneasiness in her eyes. However, she felt that she was trying hard to hide her concern for Xu Lingyi, and there was a hint of smile in her eyes.

"I am stupid and incapable of managing the affairs of the court and the country. I can only do my best to take care of the Marquis in daily matters and prevent him from worrying about trivial matters at home." Eleventh Lady said, "When it's cold, I will warm your hand warmer, tell you a few jokes when you are in a bad mood, and help take care of Yu Ge, Zhen Jie Er and Zhun Ge..."

The Queen's face froze as she listened, and she murmured, "Don't let the Marquis worry about trivial matters at home..."

Eleventh Lady nodded, and told the Queen in detail about Xu Lingyi's late-night recollections of his childhood with the Queen after the Fifth Prince's death: "...Even if he had the heart, he could only say it in front of me. He had to go out the next day as if nothing had happened. I saw it with my own eyes, and I felt really bad for the Marquis." As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes, "I am more worried about the Queen and the Emperor - the Queen is not only her biological mother, but also the mother of a country, and the Emperor is not only his biological father, but also the ruler of a country. Not only are those historians watching, but also the civil and military officials in the court are watching. Compared with the Marquis' situation, I don't know how much more difficult it is."

As she spoke, tears flashed in the corners of the Queen's eyes.

I wish I could still shed tears...

Eleventh Lady breathed a sigh of relief, then knelt down and said, "It was all my nonsense that made you sad!" She added, "If the Marquis knew about this, I don't know how sad he would be."

The Queen looked at her without saying a word.

Eleventh Lady had no time to sit in silence with her.

He knelt down and said, "When I came here, the Marquis asked me to bring you a message. He said, do whatever you want, don't worry about anything else. He is not only a subject, but also your brother. Even if it means going through fire and water, as long as you say a word, he will do as you wish."

The Queen's eyes gradually became as hot as fire, staring at her and said, "What if I ask him to help me kill someone?"

Eleventh Lady looked back at the Empress steadily, her expression peaceful and calm, as if the Empress was asking "How's the weather today?" She answered calmly: "The Marquis said that he has both warriors and counselors under his command. No matter what the Empress has ordered, just let me take the message. Although their family has made a lot of money through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is the richest in the world, our Xu family is not a pushover. We can't make as much money as them, but it's not difficult to cut off those people's sources of income and part ways with them."

The Queen Mother listened for a long while without saying anything, but there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Fourth brother, you are still stubborn." As she spoke, tears fell like rain. "Tell him not to do anything rash." She sobbed, "One step back, the world will be broader. They are the clay pot, but my brother is the fine porcelain. They can't afford to pay if they break it. The emperor is only concerned about the kindness he showed me in the past... but even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. The emperor will make his own decision. Don't ruin the emperor's overall situation. Let the enemies laugh, and the relatives will be sad."

Eleventh Lady looked at the Queen in astonishment.

She thought she would have to waste a lot of time talking. Unexpectedly...

The Queen should know this very well!

All she wants is a step and opportunity to change her mindset!

The Queen Mother looked at the surprise in Eleventh Lady's eyes and knew that her transformation had surprised Eleventh Lady.

She couldn't help feeling a dull pain in her heart.

But I also feel a little relieved.

Shiyi Niang was telling the truth. She was not ordered to test her...

The fourth brother has not changed.

Still the same as before.

A smile broke out on her face.

His tear-stained face looked so miserable.

Eleventh Lady's eyes became sore and tears could not help but fill her eyes.

* * * * * *

The two cried silently, their eyes were red. The Queen Mother had doubts in her eyes and smiled, "What's going on? How did our Lady of Yongping make the Queen sad?"

The Queen burst into tears again when she heard this: "I don't know why it is so difficult for the Marquis to have children!"

The Empress Dowager's eyes returned to their original joy after hearing this: "Isn't the Marquis' wife still young? She will be fine in a few years. If the Empress Dowager is really worried, I think we should ask the Emperor to select a few outstanding beauties for the Marquis next spring. I think the Madam will have a grandson to hug in the spring of next year!"

Eleventh Lady listened and suppressed her surprise, lowered her head and said nothing - with the Empress above her and the Madame Dowager below her, it was not her turn to speak.

The Queen sighed deeply after hearing this: "After all, she is not a legitimate child, so it is useless to have more children!"

The Queen Mother was stunned.

The Empress said to the Madam Dowager, "It's getting late. The Emperor will come to eat later, so I won't keep you here any longer."

The lady-in-waiting stood up calmly, bowed to Eleventh Lady and left.

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