The next day, before dawn, Eleventh Lady got up, ate two meat buns with Xu Lingyi, and then began to dress according to her status.

As soon as they were dressed, Bin Ju came over with Xu Sijie, three concubines, Mother Tao and others to wish them a happy new year.

Xu Sijie's eyes were not open yet, and he was leaning sleepily on Bin Ju's shoulder.

Eleventh Lady smiled and rubbed his jet-black hair, took out a purse filled with silver ingots to reward them, and took Xu Sijie and Xu Lingyi to the lady's place.

The Madam had already stood up and was asking Madam Du to bring some fruit and snacks: "...The earliest you can come back is early afternoon. I remember one year it was delayed until late afternoon."

This is also the reason why Shiyi Niang and Xu Lingyi dare not drink porridge for breakfast.

Who knows what will happen? Can I go to the toilet during the trip?

Eleventh Lady nodded with a smile, asked Xu Sijie to wish the lady a happy new year, and then went to help Mother Du pack the box.

The Third Master and the Third Madam arrived, followed by Xu Siqin, Xu Siyu and Xu Sijian.

As soon as Xu Sijian entered the room, he asked, "Where's Zhun-ge? Hasn't he gotten up yet?"

It is said that they played until the beginning of the game yesterday.

"I got up early!" Zhun Ge suddenly appeared at the door, "I didn't sleep in!"

He glared at Xu Sijian in dissatisfaction, then ran to the lady and wished her a "Happy New Year".

The lady smiled and patted his head.

He turned around and ran to Xu Sijie and asked, "Have you wished your grandmother a happy new year?" as if he wanted to tell him what to do.

Bin Ju hurriedly said, "Yes, yes. I came to wish the Madam a happy new year."

He nodded with satisfaction.

This made the lady laugh.

The Third Master and the Third Madam also laughed, and brought the three Xu Siqin brothers to pay New Year's greetings to the Madam. The Fifth Master came over, supporting the Fifth Madam.

Everyone greeted each other warmly.

Seeing that it was getting late, the lady left Mother Du at home and took her son and daughter-in-law to the palace.

The group parted ways in front of the Meridian Gate. Xu Lingyi took Xu Lingning and Xu Lingkuan to Fengxian Hall to pay homage to the Emperor, while the Lady Dowager took Eleventh Lady, the Third Lady and the Fifth Lady to Kunning Palace to pay homage to the Empress.

Outside the palace gate, curtains had already been set up. The ladies of the inner court were in the northwest, the princesses in the southeast, and the ladies of the outer court in the southwest.

After entering the curtains, Eleventh Lady saw many familiar faces.

Madam Lin of Marquis of Weibei, Grandma Lin, Madam Gan of Bo Zhongqin, Madam Tang of Marquis of Zhongshan, Madam Qiao of Duke Cheng, and Grandma Lin's sister-in-law were all there, but Madam Huang of Marquis of Yongchang and Grandma Huang San were nowhere to be seen.

They are all acquaintances.

The lady and her daughter-in-law came forward to pay their respects.

There was a burst of noisy laughter coming from the door.

Everyone couldn't help but look sideways.

Then seven or eight ladies of noble rank came in, escorting the two sisters-in-law, Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang.

Some people came forward to say hello, some stood there and nodded with a smile, and some turned their heads away to talk to the people around them, pretending to ignore them.

As for the wife of Marquis Jianning and the wife of Earl Changshou, they were all smiles and greeted enthusiastically those who came forward, nodding and greeting those who smiled. The scene was very lively.

Eleventh Lady heard someone behind her snort coldly, and whispered, "This is in Kunning Palace. It's too rude!"

She hesitated whether to turn around to see who said this, but saw the wife of Marquis Jianning walking towards her with a smile.

"Madam." She greeted the Madam from a distance, "I saw her last time at the Fifth Prince's funeral. Are you in good health?"

The death of the fifth prince was not only a grief to the royal family, but also to the Xu family. In addition, there were some rumors about the death of the fifth prince. Everyone looked at the old lady with curiosity, anger, frowns, or gloating smiles as they listened to the hidden meaning in the words of the wife of the Marquis of Jianning.

The lady who was being stared at by everyone looked calm, without any movement in her eyes or eyebrows: "Although I am old, fortunately my teeth are still good and my appetite has not decreased. Thank you for your concern, Madam Jianning!" It was a bit like Lian Po, who was old but still able to lead troops.

Everyone in the tent heard the hidden meaning in the lady's words, and they stared at the two of them in silence.

The wife of Marquis Jianning was secretly annoyed.

Back then, when the emperor was just a prince, the Xu family acted like good children in front of the empress dowager. Now that their daughter has become the queen, they have turned their backs on her. Not only have they repeatedly rejected the good intentions of the Yang family, but they have also instigated the Wen family to compete with the Yang family for the porcelain business of the inner court. If they are not taught a lesson this time, they will probably become even more arrogant in the future. There is no way out for the Yang family.

Thinking of this, she snorted in her heart, and said with a smile: "Madam Tai is so lucky! With a filial son and a virtuous daughter-in-law, and a large family, she naturally eats well and sleeps well." Then she glanced at Shiyi Niang and said, "By the way, I heard that you recently had a grandson. Why didn't you bring him into the palace for the Queen to see? After all, he was taught by the wife of Yongping Marquis, so I think his etiquette and demeanor are different from ordinary people, right?"

Xu Lingyi, the Marquis of Yongping, had a child outside, and brought him home when he was three years old. This was the big news that everyone in Yanjing City, from high-ranking officials to peddlers, would ask each other if they met. Everyone knew it!

But being so direct, in this kind of situation... is too rare!

Few of the people in the tent could hide their surprise. Some looked at the old lady, some looked at the Eleventh Lady, and many looked at the Third Lady and the Fifth Lady.

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

Since the news of the child spread, Shiyi Niang had been prepared mentally - such a big gossip, anyone who met her would probably talk about it. She was also prepared mentally. She decided to remain unchanged in the face of all changes and deal with everyone with what the lady said. But she didn't expect that someone would say it in such a tone in such an occasion.

It seems that my "preparation" is not enough.

She stopped smiling and looked at the wife of Marquis Jianning with a serious expression.

For this naked malicious attack, Shiyi Niang felt that she could not be polite, nor could she retreat or tolerate it. She had to refute it with all her might. Otherwise, this kind of person would only become more arrogant. She might even think that you were afraid of her and say something even more unpleasant.

However, as a daughter-in-law, the old lady was present and she could not refute without her knowledge, otherwise it would be impolite.

She couldn't help but look at the lady.

The third lady standing behind Eleventh Lady seemed a little embarrassed.

It was all the good work of the fourth room! Now everyone is embarrassed together.

She looked towards the Fifth Lady.

Then I saw Madam Five frowning.

It’s no wonder that others look down on the wife of Marquis Jianning!

Does she even know what she is talking about?

As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face. In this way, she not only hit the Xu family in the face, but also hit the Empress Dowager in the face. You know, the Yang family is the Empress Dowager's in-laws, the Xu family is the Empress Dowager's in-laws, and the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are not biological mother and son. How will these women think of such tit-for-tat in public?

I'm afraid that within half a day, the whole of Yanjing will be filled with rumors that the Queen Mother and the Empress are not getting along!

She also looked at the lady.

The lady raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Madam Jianning is right." Then she smiled and pulled Shiyi Niang's hand, "I am not praising my daughter-in-law. Although she is young, she is polite and well-behaved. I am 100% confident to leave the child to her."

Since he did not deny the words of the wife of the Marquis of Jianning, nor did he refute her words, he escalated the situation.

All the ladies present smiled as they listened. Only the wife of Marquis Jianning looked a little gloomy. She was about to say something when the lady suddenly turned around, drawing everyone's attention.

She asked Mrs. Tang who was standing next to her with a smile: "Hey, why don't I see your Fourth Madam? She is a lark and her voice is so beautiful. I often tell my daughters-in-law that they should learn how to speak from the Fourth Madam of the Tang family!" She was secretly implying that the wife of Marquis Jianning could not speak, and she turned the topic to family matters.

Mrs. Tang looked hesitant.

She didn't want to offend the Xu family, but the Yang family was her in-laws - she couldn't just turn her elbow out!

The wife of Marquis Shouchang, who had been paying attention to this side, saw that her sister-in-law was at a disadvantage, and came over here with a bad look on her face.

The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became tense.

The Fifth Lady saw the gaze shift and immediately stepped forward to support the Lady's arm: "You want us to learn from the Fourth Madam of the Tang family, the Eldest Madam of the Lin family, and the Third Madam of the Huang family... Who should we learn from? You have to give us a definite answer." She spoke coquettishly, like a spoiled child, and immediately diluted the tense atmosphere in the tent.

Everyone laughed.

Madam Gan was the relative of the dowager, so in such an occasion, she would naturally help the Xu family. She changed her usual low-key and reserved demeanor and immediately joked with the Fifth Madam with a smile: "Your mother-in-law wants you to learn how to talk from the Fourth Madam of the Tang family; learn how to be a housekeeper from the First Madam of the Lin family; and learn how to make your mother-in-law happy from the Third Madam of the Huang family..."

Suddenly someone interrupted and asked, "Who is plotting against my wife behind my back?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Grandma Huang San walking in with her mother-in-law, Madam Huang, the Marquis of Yongchang.

"Who made you late?" Madam Gan deliberately quarreled with the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang so that she could leave the wife of the Marquis of Shouchang aside. "If we don't make fun of your wife, who else should we make fun of?"

Although Madam Huang, Marquis of Yongchang, was not present just now, she could guess a few things when she saw the women of the Xu family and the Yang family standing face to face.

She didn't want the Xu family and the Yang family to quarrel at this time. You know, the Queen Mother is not young anymore, and there will be a day when she will die. But the Queen still has a long life ahead of her. There is no need to offend the Queen Mother and get a reputation of being unfilial.

The wife of Marquis Yongchang immediately pinched her third daughter-in-law and supported her.

Huang San's grandmother was also very smart. When she came in, she saw the stalemate between the two families. She understood what her mother-in-law was saying. She immediately laughed and said, "You can't say that I am coaxing my mother-in-law. When have I ever coaxed my mother-in-law? I am sincerely serving my mother-in-law!" Then she pretended to be crazy and asked the wife of Yongchang Marquis, "Mother-in-law, you have to make the decision for me!"

This caused everyone to laugh again.

A eunuch came running in with a smile on his face: "Ladies, the Queen has ascended the throne!"

Everyone looked stern, and stood on either side of their husbands, divided into civil and military positions according to their husbands' titles and ranks. Then they heard the sound of music coming faintly from the Kunning Palace.

This is the Imperial Noble Consort leading the ladies in the palace to congratulate the Empress on the New Year.

Everyone's expressions became more solemn.

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Sorry, I have some personal matters to attend to today. Please don’t wait for me tonight!