It is better to say less about topics like this involving the emperor.
Xu Lingyi smiled and changed the subject: "There is no rush for this. Once a teacher, you are a father for life. Knowledge is important, but the teacher's character is more important. It is better to choose carefully."
Eleventh Lady nodded.
She thought of Mr. Zhao, who had been a teacher at the Zhongshan Hou Tang family... It was a pity that they didn't have this fate. Otherwise, she would feel more at ease if someone with a close relationship with the Luo family was watching over Zhun Ge.
Eleventh Lady went to the Lady Dowager with Xu Lingyi with a little regret.
Everyone was there, and when they saw them coming in, they all stood up. The Fifth Lady even joked, "Why did the Marquis and the Fourth Sister-in-law take so long? We've been sitting here and had a cup of tea. We're so hungry." She then went up to tease Xu Sijie, "This child is so beautiful!"
Xu Sijie opened his big eyes and looked at the Fifth Madam curiously.
The Fifth Lady was pregnant, and the Madam Tai was afraid that she would be hungry, so she specially prepared snacks for her. On the way back to Lotus, she ate snacks all the way back. Eleventh Lady was not worried that she would be hungry. It was obvious that she always felt strange when teasing Xu Sijie. She smiled and asked, "Why don't you see Zhun Ge?"
"I'm playing Go in the room with my brother Qin!" The lady said with a smile, and asked Xu Sijie, "Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten it!" Eleventh Lady responded with a smile and stepped forward to pay her respects to the lady.
"Let him go and play with Zhun Ge!" Madam Tai ordered, and Madam Du helped him to the east room.
Bin Ju quickly bent his knees and said "Yes".
Eleventh Lady thought of her promise, stepped back a few steps, and touched Xu Sijie's head: "Brother Jie, you and Binju have fun in Brother Zhun's room. The Marquis and I have something to do. I'll come and pick you up when it gets dark. Okay?"
Xu Sijie showed reluctance in his eyes, but nodded and said softly, "Okay."
Eleventh Lady smiled brightly at him and touched his head. Then she let Binju take him to Zhun Ge and went to the east room.
After dinner, everyone sat down in the west side room to drink tea. Xu Lingyi asked Xu Lingkuan: "How was it? I heard that you played until midnight yesterday. Do you want to go back and catch up on some sleep?"
Xu Lingkuan immediately said, "That's nothing. If I hadn't seen Brother Qin and the others yawning, I would have been planning to play until dawn!" As he spoke, he remembered that his brother never liked him to party all night, so his voice lowered again.
Xu Lingyi remembered what Eleventh Lady said and regarded Xu Lingkuan as a colleague. In this case, he could not accuse him of these private matters.
He said to the Third Master Xu Lingning who was sitting beside him, "It looks like we can have some free time this year." Then he told Xu Lingkuan, "Since you're not tired, then good, your Fourth Sister-in-law and I will go to the Jiang family. If there are any guests coming to the family, you can help entertain them!"
Xu Lingkuan was overjoyed when he heard this, but then he showed some worry: "I, can I do it?"
"Don't you have Third Brother at home?" Xu Lingyi said with a smile, "What don't you understand? Outside, we have Chief Butler Bai and Manager Zhao, and at home we have Third Master. Don't be ashamed to ask!"
Xu Lingkuan couldn't help but look at Xu Lingning.
Xu Lingning smiled and nodded at him.
Xu Lingkuan was young and had a lively personality. In the past, he and his fourth brother had always taken care of the Xu family's problems. Now that he was going to be sent out, he had to hand over the things in his hands to a reliable person. Although he led the children to play crazy last night, he was able to control his playfulness and urged the children to rest before the beginning of the day. Since his fourth brother wanted to test his ability, he would of course assist him well.
The lady looked at him and nodded slightly, her joy beyond words.
Although she was angry at the child for not living up to expectations, she actually hoped that he could live up to expectations.
Xu Lingkuan was overjoyed. He had never expected that his third and fourth brothers would agree to let him represent the Xu family in entertaining guests...
He jumped up and said, "Third brother, fourth brother, don't worry, I will do my best."
The fifth lady looked at her husband with a smile.
She did not expect her husband to become an official, nor did she expect him to get promoted or get rich, but she would still be very happy if he could take on the responsibility of the family.
The third wife felt a little unhappy.
After all, they are brothers. During the Spring Festival, I don't know how many dignitaries will take this opportunity to come to the mansion to congratulate. Such a prominent thing was given to Xu Lingkuan, who was not good at talking. The thought flashed through her mind, and she remembered that she would soon follow her husband out of Beijing, so why should she care about these things? Maybe, before they leave, Xu Lingkuan will make a big mess and need the help of the third master to solve it!
Thinking of this, she smiled.
Eleventh Lady, however, felt a little sad.
Looking at Xu Lingkuan's behavior, it's not that he doesn't want to do anything, but his family has never regarded him as someone who can do things and hasn't even given him a chance.
Seeing that the family affairs had been explained clearly, Xu Lingyi took Shiyi Niang to the Jiang family.
Jiang Bai, who was drinking and appreciating orchids with a group of good friends and nephews, was a little surprised when he heard that Yongping Marquis and his wife were coming to pay New Year's greetings.
Yongping Hou was going to the palace to pay homage, but according to the time, he was coming to wish me a happy new year right after leaving the palace...
Some people present looked envious.
Jiang Bai hurriedly told the servant to report to his wife, and after saying a few words to his friends around him, he went to the flower hall.
The Xu family's carriage stopped in front of the Jiang family's hanging flower gate. Xu Lingyi and Jiang Bai went to the flower hall, while Shiyi Niang was welcomed by Madam Jiang into the main house in the inner courtyard.
Mrs. Jiang was also a very clear-headed person. The Xu couple's move was just a subtle way to express their determination to form an alliance with the Jiang family. She naturally could not neglect it and received Shiyi Niang with the etiquette of a good family. She not only invited her own children to meet Shiyi Niang, but also introduced her two nieces and nephews who were visiting her home to Shiyi Niang.
Eleventh Lady was a little surprised when she heard that the two children were Jiang Gui's legitimate son and daughter.
Why did Madam Jiang Gui return to Yanjing with her two children instead of spending the New Year with her husband in Taiyuan?
Madam Jiang explained, "...She said that Madam Wang was not feeling well, so she came back to check on her."
Eleventh Lady felt even more puzzled.
She had seen Madam Wang in the morning, but she didn't see anything wrong. Moreover, since she came back to visit her mother, why didn't she bring the child with her, but left him in Jiang's house?
She was puzzled, but didn't dare to ask further. She had just given the two children gifts when a little maid came in and reported to Madam Jiang: "Mr. Chen's wife is here to wish you a happy new year!"
Eleventh Lady was very surprised.
She didn't expect that Lord Chen had such a relationship with Jiang Bai.
Look at Mrs. Jiang again - her face is full of confusion, and she is obviously puzzled by Mrs. Chen's visit.
Apparently, Mrs. Chen was an uninvited guest.
Eleventh Lady calmly brought the teacup...
* * * * * *
The Xu couple did not stay in the Jiang family for long before leaving.
Jiang Bai and his wife personally escorted the two to the carriage.
Eleventh Lady told Xu Lingyi about Mrs. Chen's visit: "...I wonder if you met Lord Chen?"
"I met him!" Xu Lingyi smiled slightly, "It seems that Lord Chen agrees to lift the maritime ban!"
Eleventh Lady didn't understand: "Then what does this have to do with the Jiang family?"
Xu Lingyi looked at her and laughed: "The Wang Jiubao family has been roaming the sea for so many years, can't they just rely on brute force?"
Eleventh Lady thought that not long after the amnesty was issued, Xu Lingyi received a letter from Wang Jiubao...
"You mean..."
"Since Emperor Xiao, our dynasty has pursued a policy of seclusion. However, maritime trade is very tempting, with a profit of ten thousand times the investment, so some people inevitably take risks." Xu Lingyi suppressed his smile, "Over time, many people followed suit. Eight or nine out of ten wealthy merchants in Fujian are in collusion with pirates." He said something with a hint of meaning, "Now that Wang Jiubao has granted amnesty, he wants the emperor to lift the maritime ban. If he can find me, he can naturally find others."
Eleventh Lady still hasn't figured out what the connection is.
Xu Lingyi looked a little solemn: "If we want to lift the maritime ban, it won't work without the support of the nobles, and it won't work without the support of the scholars either!"
Only then did Eleventh Lady have a vague idea.
When she was studying history, she would talk about how maritime bans restricted the country's development, and when she talked about reforms, she would talk about the tragic end of the reformers. She couldn't help but ask, "My Lord, do you also agree to lift the maritime ban?"
Hearing the worry in her tone, Xu Lingyi couldn't help but smile and touch her head: "I am a person who resigned from office and stayed at home to recuperate. These important matters in the court will naturally be decided by the elders. It is not my turn to criticize them."
If that’s the case, why did you look at the map?
Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi in surprise, and saw a glimmer of cunning in his eyes.
* * * * * *
When the two of them got home, before they could even stand still, a servant came running over and said, "Fifth Master asked me to wait here. When I see the Marquis, I'll report to him immediately. He said that Elder Liang has been waiting for you in the outer study."
Elder Chen was at Jiang's house, and Elder Liang had been waiting for Xu Lingyi... Seeing the two elders in one day gave me a feeling of impending disaster.
Eleventh Lady and Xu Lingyi couldn't help but exchange glances, then one went to the outer courtyard and the other went to the lady's place.
The lady's house was also full of guests.
Madam Liang, the wife of Li Zongbing, the wife of the Minister of Rites...
Everybody talked and laughed, played cards and drank, and said goodbye only when it was time to light the lamps.
Eleventh Lady took Xu Sijie back.
On the way, I asked him, "What did you play with your brothers?"
He answered the question irrelevantly: "Fourth brother's pancakes are delicious!"
Eleventh Lady laughed.
When she returned to the house, Xu Lingyi had not come back yet. She called Hubo over and said, "Come with me to my parents' home tomorrow and sit with Shanhu. Ask about your aunt's condition in detail!"
Amber responded respectfully.
Xu Lingyi came back drunk.
Eleventh Lady hurriedly asked the maid to bring some sobering soup and helped him wash up and go to bed. She then turned around and told the maid to put the tea bucket on the small stool beside the bed - she was afraid that he would feel thirsty in the middle of the night.
But he pulled her into the quilt: "Let the little maid do these things, you can take a break!"
The servants in the room hurriedly retreated.
The heat from the quilt hit her face, and Eleventh Lady's heart was pounding.
Since that time, Xu Lingyi has never... I didn't expect... Could it be true that wine is the medium of lust...
She pretended to be calm and said angrily, "I was afraid that you would get up in the middle of the night and feel thirsty. Now, the maids have been scared away. I have to do it myself."
"I'm not thirsty."
The bright light from the sheep-horn palace lanterns shone through the thin gauze curtains, and he could clearly see her white jade face gradually turning red, like a red lotus blooming in June.
This tent should have been changed long ago!
Xu Lingyi raised the corners of his mouth and held her tightly in his arms...
※
Sorry, sorry, something happened at home...⊙﹏⊙bSweat...