Chapter 209: Celebrating the Festival (Part 2)

"You don't dare. What is there that you don't dare to do?" The lady pointed at Xu Lingkuan with trembling fingertips.

The Madam Dowager did this just to stop Xu Lingkuan from telling the truth and ruining the matter.

Eleventh Lady changed her mind and immediately stepped forward and said, "Mother, Fifth Uncle did not mean anything. Don't be angry. Be careful not to get hurt." As she spoke, she winked at Fifth Madam, indicating that she should help Xu Lingkuan plead for mercy - Fifth Madam was pregnant, and in this case, it would be reasonable for the Madam to give her some face and she could also take the opportunity to step down.

Madam Five was stunned.

Now it has spread all over Yanjing that the Marquis of Yongping has a concubine and has a son. Although the identity of this concubine is sometimes said to be a camp prostitute, sometimes an actress, and even some people say that she is a female village chief in Miaojiang, but in her opinion, it is just that Yuanniang is not a good person and makes the family cold and indifferent, so that the Marquis has the idea of ​​hiding a concubine in a golden house. Otherwise, why keep her outside. If she is taken in with a different identity, would Yuanniang dare to say "no"? She must be worried that if she is taken in, she will become the second Qiu Luo - before she became a concubine, she was charming and smart, but after becoming a concubine, she became dull and stupid. Men take concubines for two reasons: one is to have offspring, and the other is to have beauty. Yuanniang is good, making all the concubines look like proper ladies, what interest do men have in seeing them? Naturally, he would have other thoughts... Even if that's the case, why is Xu Lingkuan so excited?

This is the fourth room's private matter!

It's not his turn as a younger brother to take care of it, right?

She was confused, but in this situation, she could not ask, nor could she show it. You know, if a couple is not harmonious, neighbors will also bully them. If she showed her discord with Xu Lingkuan in front of outsiders, not to mention the wife, even these sisters-in-law would immediately look down on her. You know, a woman without a husband to protect her, no matter how strong she is, can never be stronger than this world.

As the thought flashed through her mind, the Fifth Lady's face was filled with sorrow. She took a few steps forward and was about to kneel down: "Mother, please don't get angry and get yourself in trouble. It's all because my husband doesn't know how to talk..."

As soon as she bent her knees, Eleventh Lady helped her up: "You are a pregnant woman, you can't do this, you can't do this!" Then she looked at the lady-in-waiting as if pleading.

The Third Lady was startled and reacted. She immediately stepped forward to help Xu Lingkuan speak well of him: "Yes, mother, you should not give face to the monk, but to the Buddha. Just let Fifth Uncle off this time! He also knows he is wrong."

The lady's original intention was just to get Xu Ling to shut up, but when she saw that everyone was speaking for him, she put on a slightly more cheerful look.

Xu Lingyi immediately shouted at him, "Hurry up and stand aside and listen carefully. Don't interrupt me again."

After hearing this, the Third Lady looked towards Xu Lingyi. She wanted to laugh, but she didn't dare to do so. Her expression looked very strange.

The third master looked anxious.

It was obvious that the Madam was making excuses for Xu Lingyi today and taking the opportunity to let the child recognize his ancestors. Whoever stands in the way will be in trouble! My wife should not bump into him without knowing the severity of the situation. He hurriedly pulled the corner of the Third Madam's clothes and said with a hint of meaning: "Mother is the master of everything, why are you talking nonsense?"

The third lady couldn't help but want to laugh again.

But when she looked up and saw her husband's anxious face, she forced herself to hold it back.

They really thought of it!

Concubine Tong has been dead for more than ten years, and now she actually appeared in the Marquis's dream and asked him to raise a child in his name to carry on the family line. I have only heard of a concubine raising a child in his name to carry on the family line after the first wife died without a son, but I have never heard of a concubine being able to adopt a son like the first wife. If you feel so sorry for her, why didn't you investigate the matter thoroughly back then, and just let Ren Yuanniang say whatever she wanted! Now, he actually wants to raise a son in her name...

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance at Eleventh Lady.

She is quite well behaved. She does whatever the Marquis wants to do without saying a word. After all, no one taught her. You know, this man is like a child, if you slap him, you have to give him a sweet date. If you just let him do whatever he wants, he will gradually not take you seriously. If you keep beating and scolding him, he will gradually become afraid and stop being close to you. However, this is the matter of the fourth room, and it has nothing to do with me. After the New Year, I will take my children and follow my husband out of the capital, and become an official wife without the mother-in-law to point fingers at me and the sisters-in-law to gossip about me. Brother Qin and Brother Zhang are just proper yanei, which sounds nice and respectable, and they have the confidence to get married.

She thought about it and frowned slightly.

When he went back to his parents' home to give New Year gifts, he heard that his eldest sister-in-law had fallen in love with the eldest son of the Wang family, the Marquis of Zhennan. After knowing his intention, she actually wanted to marry her third daughter, who was born out of wedlock, to Qin Ge.

As the thought flashed through her mind, a hint of coldness appeared between the Third Madam's brows.

You really look down on people. When the Third Master has gained experience for a few years, he can ask the Empress for mercy and become a minister. By then, I want to see how you treat me.

The Third Lady was lost in thought while the Third Master had already helped Xu Lingkuan up.

"If you have anything to say, please talk nicely." He advised his brother, "Mother has always held you in her mouth for fear that you would melt, and held you in her hands for fear that you would fall. You must not hurt Mother's heart."

"I..." Everyone pushed the wall, leaving Xu Lingkuan at a loss as to where to begin.

Seeing that he still didn't understand, the lady knew that the only solution now was to cut the Gordian knot. Fortunately, she had already made a plan...

She coughed violently twice.

The room immediately became quiet, and everyone's eyes fell on her.

"Wei Zi." The lady called the maid loudly, "Go, let Madam Du come in."

Wei Zi responded through the curtain. After a while, she opened the curtain herself and Mother Du came in holding Feng Qing.

Everyone looked daunted.

First he said he wanted to raise a child under Aunt Tong's name, and then he brought the child to everyone. It was clearly an early arrangement.

Look at the child again.

It was staring at everyone in horror with a pair of long, round eyes.

When he saw two familiar figures, his eyes lit up and he immediately looked at Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang with anticipation.

Xu Lingyi was staring at Xu Lingkuan, who was acting very strangely today and made him very worried, and didn't notice these things at all. Shiyi Niang, who noticed these things, gave Feng Qing a gentle and soothing smile, telling him not to be afraid.

Feng Qing twisted in Mother Du's arms, and seeing Shiyi Niang gently shaking her head at him, he intuitively sensed Shiyi Niang's displeasure, and forced himself to suppress his fear as he was hugged by Mother Du, who was a little cold to him because he had almost bitten her just now.

"This is the child." The lady spoke straight to the point, her language was concise, "He is three years old this year, and is the fifth among his brothers. The previous car overturned, and the following car was punished. The marquis named him Siqi..."

What a name!

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi was looking sternly at Xu Lingkuan, whose expression changed slightly.

As for the Fifth Lady, who had been watching her husband out of the corner of her eye, she frowned almost imperceptibly.

"...Eleventh Lady will be responsible for educating him." The lady said, holding the teacup, "It's getting late, let's all go!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Master immediately tugged at the Third Lady's sleeve, and with a smile, he led his two sons, who were somewhat stunned by the news, and said, "Mom, let's go back first - tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and we still have to worship our ancestors!"

The third wife immediately agreed: "Yes, mother. I have to get up early tomorrow morning to arrange the New Year's Eve dinner. We will go back first."

The lady nodded.

The couple took their children and left as if they had been pardoned.

Mrs. Wu looked at her husband, whose expression was a little dull, and smiled as she gently pushed him: "Master Wu, let's go back too! The road in the back garden is not easy to walk on."

Xu Lingkuan seemed to have just woken up from a dream. He glanced at Feng Qing, wanting to say something but stopping himself. However, he was in no hurry to leave.

"Fifth brother's wife, I still have something to tell my fifth brother," Xu Lingkuan suddenly said, "You go back first! He will be back soon."

"Fourth brother..." After hearing this, Xu Lingkuan looked at Xu Lingyi with a complicated expression.

There is an unspeakable tacit understanding between the two.

Madam Wu turned her eyes slightly and said with a smile, "Then I will go back first." Then she whispered to Xu Lingkuan, "Master Wu, be careful on your way back."

Xu Lingkuan nodded absentmindedly.

The Fifth Lady then smiled and went out, escorted by the maids and old women.

"Mother, why did he come to our house?" The clear and confused voice of the brother suddenly rang out in the room, "Is he going to live with you like my sister?"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel ashamed.

He only cared about Xu Lingkuan and forgot about the two children!

She immediately looked at Xu Siyu who was silent - children who are willing to talk are good for communication, but what is scary is people who keep everything to themselves.

Xu Siyu's face turned slightly pale. He lowered his eyes and looked at the bluestone bricks beneath his feet. It was as if he had become the bricks under his feet, silent and serene.

He is older, more sensible, and more thoughtful.

He felt more deeply than others what the renamed Feng Qing meant to him... Feng Qing's name was "誡", which meant to advise, and his name was "煜", which meant to tell or understand. In addition to the sympathy of being illegitimate sons, he was probably more worried about how much weight Xu Siqi had in Xu Lingyi's heart!

Eleventh Lady stepped forward and touched Brother Zhe's head, whispering, "From now on, he is your father's adopted son, and therefore your brother. So he has to live in our house, like Sister Zhen, in my yard. He is younger than you, so you should treat Brother Zhe well in the future, just like your brothers treat you."

Brother Zhe smiled brilliantly and said, "Can I ask him to pour tea for me?"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help laughing: "Of course! But you have to wait until he's older. Otherwise, he'll get scalded by the hot water."

Brother Zhe nodded vigorously: "I will also give my shuttlecock to him to kick." As he said that, he stepped forward to hold the hand of Feng Qing, who changed his name to Xu Si'e from then on - but was pushed away by Xu Si'e, who then hid in Mama Du's arms, looking at Shiyi Niang eagerly.

The lady looked at him with a frown on her face.

Eleventh Lady hurriedly took Xu Siqi and held him in her arms.

It was understandable that his experience had made him wary of strangers in an unfamiliar environment, but not everyone would forgive his rudeness - especially when he showed a rejecting attitude towards the friendliness of his eldest son Xu Sizhen.

"My dear brother." She smiled and said, "My dear brother has just arrived at our house, so he is shy. When he gets to know you better and knows that you are his elder brother, he will play with you." Then she smiled and asked Xu Siyi, "Is that right?"

Xu Siqi just hugged Shiyi Niang's neck tightly and said nothing.