Yes, if you say it, you will get the mud with it; if you don’t say it, Xu Lingyi will have to take the blame.

Eleventh Lady’s words made the Queen fall into deep thought.

For a moment, she didn't know what to do.

Ask Xu Lingyi what his plans are?

What if the emperor has other ideas in mind?

Give Xu Lingyi some advice?

The emperor was listening behind the curtain. Now that there was a rumor that he had taken the Miao female leader as his concubine, it involved matters of the imperial court, and it was not something that the women in the harem could interfere in...

After much thought, I can only blame the person who started it.

"It's all Xiaowu's fault. You guys are the ones who have to bear the consequences!"

No matter how bad the Fifth Master was, he was still the Queen's brother. She could blame him, but she could not show her dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty, you are too serious." Eleventh Lady said, "The Fifth Master also made bad friends because of his young age. After this incident, he will become more and more calm in the future. However, this matter is getting more and more outrageous, and the Marquis is a man of few words. I am very worried."

The queen smiled bitterly: "You don't have to worry too much." She glanced at the curtain again and comforted Eleventh Lady insincerely, "Everyone knows what kind of person the Marquis is."

Eleventh Lady looked melancholy.

The Queen saw that the matter had been explained very clearly and was afraid that further discussion would lead to new complications, so she asked about the Dowager's health, and when she found out that everything was fine, she served her tea.

Eleventh Lady hurriedly stood up and took her leave.

The emperor came out from the inner room.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" The Queen looked at the Emperor at a loss, "I never thought Xiao Wu would do such a thing!"

The emperor thought for a moment and said, "If it is really as the wife of Yongping Marquis said, I think we should let Yongping Marquis handle it himself! After all, this is the Xu family's business, and it is not appropriate for you and me to interfere."

The Queen said nothing.

That makes sense.

It is not appropriate for outsiders to interfere in clan affairs.

She let out a long sigh and suddenly felt that this warm room was too spacious and a little cold!

* * * * * *

The emperor who hid in the inner room but could hear their conversation clearly, the queen who was cautious but seemed somewhat helpless, and the rumors that she was worthy of death, all of these made Eleventh Lady feel very uneasy.

She returned to the lotus garden in a hurry and went to the lady's place.

Xu Lingyi had been waiting for her there.

When the maid served tea, the lady immediately sent the servant away and asked impatiently, "Why did you come to the palace? What did you say?"

"It's about the child." Eleventh Lady didn't even bother drinking tea and told the lady and Xu Lingyi every detail of the situation.

The more they listened, the more solemn their expressions became. In the end, the lady's face turned pale.

"Fourth Brother, we still need to get the Queen's word on this matter. Only when we know what the Emperor means, can we act!"

"No need!" Xu Lingyi looked a little cold, "The emperor's meaning is already very clear."

"But……"

"Mother!" A trace of fatigue flashed across Xu Lingyi's brows. "I know you're still thinking about the Seventh Prince who asked you for braised pig's trotter tendons every time he came... but that's a thing of the past."

The lady turned her head away and said nothing.

A little maidservant reported through the curtain: "Madam, the second lady is back!"

The three were stunned.

The lady hurriedly said, "Please come in."

A woman wearing a moon-white brocade jacket with narrow sleeves walked in through the curtain.

"Second sister-in-law!" Eleventh Lady greeted the visitor with a smile.

"Fourth brother's sister-in-law." The Second Madam nodded to Eleventh Lady and stepped forward to pay her respects to the Grand Madam and Xu Lingyi.

"Yizhen, why are you back?" Madam Tai asked with concern, "What's the matter?" Then she looked behind her, "Where's Sister Zhen? Didn't she come back with you?"

"I heard some rumors, so I hurried back." The second lady said, "I was afraid that Zhen Jieer couldn't stand the bumpy ride, so I left her in Xishan."

The lady nodded and said, "Come and sit on the kang. It's cold. Be careful not to catch a cold."

The second wife didn't hesitate and sat on the kang.

Eleventh Lady went to make a cup of tea and came in.

The Second Lady had already spoken to the Grand Lady: "...I've been thinking about it all night. I feel that this matter is probably related to the Qu family." Seeing that Eleventh Lady brought her tea, she thanked her and continued, "If anything happens to our family, their family will be the biggest beneficiary."

"It's just as my second sister-in-law said." Xu Lingyi told the second wife what had happened. "There are all kinds of rumors. Now even the palace has heard about it - Eleventh Lady just came back from the palace." He also told the second wife about the scene of Eleventh Lady entering the palace.

"The Qu family is really quick." The second wife pondered, "They bought the child and took him back to Fujian, and then brought him back when he was older... By then, the princes would have grown up... The Qu family is not only vicious, but also not fighting for the day. I'm afraid they have already made arrangements that we don't know about. I hope you will spend more time on it!"

This means that the Qu family intends to compete for the throne.

Xu Lingyi nodded slightly, his expression somewhat grim, "I was careless! If someone from the Wang family hadn't been keeping an eye on the Qu family, I'm afraid we wouldn't have known about this yet."

"This is also the Marquis's blessing. That's why the Qu family's conspiracy was exposed." The second wife said, "It turns out that we are in the open, and the Qu family is in the dark. It is inevitable that we will suffer some losses. Now that we know the intentions of the Qu family, the Marquis can act calmly!"

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I will think about this matter carefully." Xu Lingyi's eyes flashed with determination, "We are not fighting for a day or two, there is a long way to go."

"In that case, I have an idea. My Lord, please listen to it." As he said this, he stared at Xu Lingyi, waiting for his opinion.

"Please speak, sister-in-law." Xu Lingyi looked at the second wife seriously, as if he was listening attentively.

The Second Lady glanced at Eleventh Lady and said seriously, "My Lord, why don't you acknowledge this child?"

The lady-in-waiting glanced at the Second Lady, then at Eleventh Lady, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Xu Lingyi remained silent, with a pensive expression on his face.

Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi, with an expression that showed that she was following her husband’s lead.

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the room.

"Since we are not fighting for a day or two, I think it is better not to escalate the situation." The second wife's eyes were firm, and she seemed confident and calm. She said slowly: "If we explain, others will suspect that we are confusing right and wrong; if we defend ourselves, we will first involve the Marquis, then the Fifth Master, and then Liu Huifang, the actress, and the old Marquis Sun, which will give people a topic for nothing. I am afraid that there will be more rumors than the topic of 'the Marquis has an illegitimate child' that will make the censors more excited. If we suppress the rumors, I am afraid that the emperor will think that the Xu family can make things happen with a wave of his hand; if we cannot suppress the rumors, I am afraid that the Qu family will act more arrogantly and do more things that are not good for our Xu family.

"If we acknowledge this child, we can shut up the world. We can also test the emperor's opinion. If the emperor stands on our side, no matter how the censor impeaches us, it won't hurt him. If the emperor doesn't stand on our side, he can use this incident to make trouble..." She paused and looked at Xu Lingyi deeply. "We can also prepare earlier... After all, the Qu family is in Fujian. We can also use the Wang family... We can't just sit there and wait for death, and fall into a situation where others are the butchers and we are the meat!"

Eleventh Lady heard her heart pounding and looked towards Xu Lingyi.

But he had an expressionless face and lowered eyelids, and his expression could not be seen clearly.

She looked at the lady again.

The lady pursed her lips tightly, and her face seemed to be a little paler than before.

There was a tense atmosphere in the room.

"Second sister-in-law's words are all valuable advice." After a moment's silence, Xu Lingyi raised his eyelids and looked at the Second Madam, "Let me think about it." Then he smiled, "Second sister-in-law has rushed back from the West Mountain, and she must not have had lunch yet? We have been waiting for Eleventh Lady to come back from the palace, and we haven't had lunch yet. Everyone should be hungry. Eleventh Lady, let the maids set the table!" He looked like he didn't want to talk more.

His gentle voice eased the atmosphere in the room.

Eleventh Lady knelt down and responded, and went to ask the maids to set the table. Behind her came the smiling voice of the Second Lady: "My Lord, you are really thoughtful. I am really hungry!"

* * * * * *

Back in the room, Shiyi Niang silently helped Xu Lingyi change his clothes.

"What's wrong? You haven't spoken a word." Xu Lingyi touched her head.

Eleventh Lady was a little confused and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Are you scared?" Xu Lingyi stared at her with deep black eyes.

Eleventh Lady nodded - it seemed that she was not afraid, but more worried... She shook her head again - it was not right to say that she was not afraid, because her hands were shaking while she was eating just now... She nodded again.

Xu Lingyi laughed.

Hold her in your arms.

"Don't be afraid. I know what's going on." He felt that this consolation was pale, and said, "Second sister-in-law's words make sense, but not entirely right. If the emperor doesn't stand on our side, things will be very difficult. But as Second sister-in-law said, it's too radical. The best way is to find a way to get the emperor to stand on our side..."

Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi with some surprise.

This is easier said than done. Otherwise, how could there be the saying "When the birds are gone, the good bows are put away"?

"In the final analysis, the emperor is afraid of the Xu family's power." He lowered his voice, "If we can make the emperor let down his guard, the Qu family's attack will fall apart." His expression became serious, "Second sister-in-law's words reminded me. The emperor is most afraid of powerful officials who are good at maneuvering, and he is most assured of honest and polite officials. Speaking of which, although the Qu family has put a stumbling block in our way, it has also given us a chance to perform."

"What the Marquis means is..." Too many things happened in just this morning. Eleventh Lady was nervous, her thoughts still lingering in the shock given by the Second Madam, and her brain was temporarily at a standstill.

Xu Lingyi smiled slightly. "Just as my second sister-in-law said, if we defend the child's matter in front of everyone, or use the connections we have built up over the years to suppress the rumors, it will only make the emperor uneasy. On the contrary, if we do nothing, the Qu family might think that we are strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and make a bigger move. The emperor is afraid that the Xu family will dominate, so will he let the Qu family cover the sky with one hand? In order to maintain this balance, he will definitely stand on our side." As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly and showed a cold smile on his face. "If we handle it properly, maybe we can solve it once and for all..."

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Also: Add one more chapter at the old time...