Eleventh Lady was shocked.
So early? And today is the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. Could it be that something happened to the Fifth Aunt? Or the First Madam...
She hurriedly ordered the maid, "Please come in quickly." With a confused heart, she changed into a water blue brocade robe with ten-pattern rose flowers and went to the hall.
Seeing that the person coming out was Shiyi Niang, Luo Zhenxing's expression was obviously relaxed, and he asked again: "Where is the Marquis?"
Eleventh Lady was not in a position to talk about these things at home, so she said ambiguously, "The Marquis did not rest here last night."
Luo Zhenxing thought Xu Lingyi was resting in the concubine's room, and said, "I have something to tell you." He emphasized the word "you".
Eleventh Lady led Luo Zhenxing to the east side room for a banquet and rest. After the maid served tea, she sent away the servants.
"There's something I want you to hear carefully." Luo Zhenxing's expression was very serious. "Don't shout or cry."
It would have been better if she didn't listen. After hearing what Luo Zhenxing said, Shiyi Niang calmed down.
"Brother, please speak!"
Luo Zhenxing looked at his sister deeply and said, "Yesterday, I went to visit the master with several classmates, and I heard that the marquis had an illegitimate child..."
"The Marquis has an illegitimate child?" Eleventh Lady looked at Luo Zhenxing in astonishment. "Who told you that? What did they say?"
She was stunned by the sudden news, and as soon as she said it, she knew she had asked a stupid question.
Luo Zhenxing was not a gossipy person. Even he had heard about it, and he had heard about it when he and his peers went to visit their master. So it must have been widely spread and known to everyone. It had only been two days since Feng Qing's incident. This was a world without the Internet or television. The one who wanted to buy the child was the Qu family. It was obvious who spread the rumor. As for what was said, of course, it was whatever it took to smear Xu Lingyi more. Since the matter had been exposed, it was not possible to return empty-handed. It was also possible to not damage his foundation. It was good to let him be a little distressed.
"Many people are spreading it!" Luo Zhenxing couldn't tell the story one by one. "My teacher, the Minister of Rites, Lord Yu, was present at the time and did not refute it." Lord Yu was upright and would never allow his disciples to spread rumors. He believed the authenticity of the matter. "It is said that when the Marquis was suppressing the rebellion in Miaojiang three years ago, a camp prostitute became pregnant, and then he was secretly brought back to Yanjing, where she gave birth to a son." After counting, the time was right. "Because my eldest sister was seriously ill, she was raised outside..." The best way for a man in this situation is to raise the child outside.
He gave a few simple instructions, then looked at Eleventh Lady intently, "I heard that the Marquis has brought the child back. Do you know about this?"
Eleventh Lady had no way to answer.
So far, the instructions Xu Lingyi gave her are still kept secret from everyone.
Luo Zhenxing was not surprised to see his sister remain silent.
After all, Eleventh Lady had only been married to the Xu family for a short time. Matters related to offspring naturally had to be discussed with the Madam first...
"Eleventh sister," he stared at Eleventh Lady solemnly, "Now you know about this. If the Madam and the Marquis both want the child to recognize his ancestors, what will you do?"
Eleventh Lady was shocked when she heard this.
How could I have forgotten this? Since the Luo family has heard such rumors, they must make some arrangements to prevent it from happening. Luo Zhenxing came here early in the morning, most likely for this matter.
She looked at Luo Zhenxing quietly: "Of course I have to listen to the Madam and the Marquis!"
Luo Zhenxing nodded, a trace of relief flashing in his eyes: "It's good that you are so sensible."
Did Luo Zhenxing come here early in the morning just to tell her this? Or did Luo Zhenxing simply not understand the implication of her words?
Eleventh Lady was confused, but Luo Zhenxing had already whispered to her, "There is only one thing you cannot agree to no matter what."
Sure enough, there is a trick!
She remained calm and looked at Luo Zhenxing seriously: "Please teach me, big brother!"
"No matter what, the child cannot be raised under your name." Luo Zhenxing stared at Shiyi Niang with burning eyes, and said word by word, "It is human nature for the Marquis to want to take the child back. But if the child is raised under your name, the child will have the title of 'legitimate'. In this mansion, apart from Zhun Ge, he is the only one. Zhun Ge ranks before him, so naturally it's nothing. But you are still young, and you will have your own biological children in the future..." At this point, he paused, "You can't let him take the title of your child!"
This child has no relationship with the Luo family, so it is natural for the Luo family to have such thoughts. Eleventh Lady can understand. Moreover, she agrees. If Feng Qing is raised under his name, he will not only have to face the suspicion of his legitimate son Zhun Ge, but also the fear of his illegitimate son Xu Siyu. If one day these children start a quarrel for the title, Feng Qing will be the first to suffer.
Fortunately, Xu Lingyi didn’t mean that!
Eleventh Lady let out a long sigh.
Then he thought again, since the Qu family deliberately spread rumors, Xu Lingyi should know about it soon. I wonder how Xu Lingyi will deal with this matter? Sending the child to Xishan or sending him back to his hometown gives people a feeling of trying to cover up, which loses the meaning of concealing it. I'm afraid he will probably be raised at home! This is also good. Anyway, the lady is still in good health, and the family cannot be divided for a while. With the character of the fifth lady, she will probably ignore the child. At that time, she will pick a few honest and kind people to take care of him. He should be able to slowly forget the pain in the past!
But no matter what, I'm still worried about his future fate!
When Luo Zhenxing saw a trace of disappointment in Shiyi Niang's eyes, he thought she was worried about what to do if Xu Lingyi wanted to raise the child under her name - Xu Lingyi had a terrifying majesty between his brows, and Shiyi Niang was young, so it was normal for her to be afraid of him.
"Eleventh sister." He said slowly, "You don't have to worry. You know, since ancient times, adopting a concubine's son requires the consent of the clan and the consent of the main wife. The Xu family is small, and the Marquis has already taken the position of the clan leader, so the first rule is regarded as meaningless. As for the second rule. You are originally husband and wife, and the wife regards the husband as the heaven. Since the Marquis has this intention, if you refuse, the Marquis will lose face, and the couple will inevitably become estranged in the future. It is bound to be unhappy if the couple is not harmonious because of this matter. Let me give you an idea, do you think it's okay?" He said he was asking her if she was okay, but he felt that she was not only young, but also had little experience. He didn't even bother to ask for her opinion, and directly told her his plan, "Doesn't the second branch have no heir? I think, if the Marquis tells you about this, you might as well talk to him. Put the child directly under the name of the second branch. And you can also tell others that the child was adopted from a charity, or was found by chance, and because he has a pair of phoenix eyes that look like those of the Xu family, you think it's fate, so you specially brought him back to inherit the incense of the second branch. This way, you can get out of your predicament, and you can also share some of the burden for the Marquis. I'm sure the Marquis will like it when he hears it."
It is very thoughtful, both emotionally and logically.
That’s definitely not what the eldest wife meant.
The eldest wife would never take into account her relationship with Xu Lingyi - the more strained her relationship with Xu Lingyi was, the more difficult it would be for her to have children, the more she would rely on Zhun Ge, and the more secure Zhun Ge's position would be. This was exactly what the eldest wife liked to see, so why would she remind her not to affect the relationship between husband and wife by getting petty over the child?
Apparently, this was Luo Zhenxing's own idea!
She couldn't help but look at Luo Zhenxing seriously and called him "Big Brother" softly.
Luo Zhenxing laughed: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay!" Eleventh Lady also smiled, her eyes sparkling like the first rainbow after the rain, "This child is from such a humble background, I'm afraid Second Sister-in-law won't agree!"
"It doesn't matter if they don't agree!" Luo Zhenxing said, "It's the same if the child is raised under the names of the concubines. Doesn't Concubine Wen have no son? We can raise the child under her name. Concubine Qiao is young and beautiful, and she will definitely give birth in the future. But the Qiao family and the Jiang family are close, and Concubine Wen feels guilty for not having a son. Raising the child under her name will allow her to fight Concubine Qiao. If it doesn't work with the second lady, you can mention it to Concubine Wen. Concubine Wen is a smart person, and she will definitely find a way. You just don't show up."
Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded: "I understand."
Luo Zhenxing smiled and said, "Okay, I have told you everything I should tell you. I will go back after I meet the Marquis."
Eleventh Lady hurriedly asked the maid to invite Xu Lingyi.
Luo Zhenxing asked curiously, "Why? Resting at the Madam's place!"
"The Madam was not feeling well yesterday. She stayed to talk to the Marquis."
Luo Zhenxing listened thoughtfully.
Could it be that the mother and son are...
The thought flashed through her mind, and the little maid who went to ask Xu Lingyi came back: "Madam, the Marquis is back!"
Looks like they met halfway!
Eleventh Lady said "Oh" and went up to greet him with Luo Zhenxing.
Seeing Luo Zhenxing so early in the morning, Xu Lingyi couldn't hide his surprise: "Zhenxing is here so early. Let's talk inside!"
The two of them sat down in the east side room, and Eleventh Lady personally brewed tea and went in.
Luo Zhenxing was talking about those rumors with Xu Lingyi.
Xu Lingyi did not show any surprise, and nodded: "I heard it too. Don't worry, I will take care of this matter. I will not let Shiyi Niang suffer any injustice."
Luo Zhenxing breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Xu Lingyi is a man of his words. Since he said he would not let Shiyi Niang down, he would definitely not raise the child under Shiyi Niang's name.
He got the confirmation, and felt relieved. He exchanged a few words with Xu Lingyi, then stood up and said goodbye: "...I'm going to have dinner with my classmate today."
Xu Lingyi did not keep him in vain. He saw him out the door and turned back to talk to Shiyi Niang in the inner room.
"I only got the news at midnight yesterday. When our two families were fighting for the child, Liu Huifang disappeared. He treated the child like a cash cow and kept him locked up in the house to raise him. After he fell into poverty, he cut off contact with most of his former friends, so not many people knew about this. When I took the child back, I sent someone to the charity to prepare a foundation for him. Even if there are any flaws, gossip can melt gold. The Qu family can't make any big waves."
"Will the child be sent to Xishan?" Eleventh Lady wanted to get a firm answer from Xu Lingyi. "If not, I can make some arrangements!"
"You arrange it!" Xu Lingyi said, "Sending things back and forth is like trying to cover up one's own faults."
That means you can stay.
Eleventh Lady felt slightly relieved when she thought of Feng Qing's anxious eyes like a deer.
A little maid came in and reported: "My Lord, Master Zhou is here!"
Xu Lingyi smiled bitterly at Shiyi Niang after hearing this: "It seems that everyone knows about it."
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The power is out again... Fortunately, the company is generating electricity, otherwise, I really don’t know what to do... wuwuwu...