"Let's just play the hundred-rope dance!" Eleventh Lady looked around, "Kicking shuttlecock is for children."

"Kicking shuttlecock is still better." Xu Sijian smiled brightly, "Rope skipping is just a physical activity, how can we compete in physical activity!"

"Kicking shuttlecock, jumping rope, and even Cuju, aren't they all for strengthening the body? Otherwise, why would we be sweating here? It would be better to sit in the house and read a book." Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Since there is no difference, it doesn't matter whether it is kicking shuttlecock or jumping rope!"

Xu Sijian immediately said, "Just as Fourth Aunt said. Since there is no difference, I think we should just play shuttlecock!"

The two of them started arguing with each other.

Zhun Ge hurriedly said, "How about I compete with Third Brother in shuttlecock kicking on behalf of Mother!" He acted like a peacemaker, "Everyone, stop arguing!"

Eleventh Lady looked at her and laughed.

Xu Sijian said, "No, this matter needs to be made clear." Dayou and Shiyi Niang were arguing about which one was more interesting, kicking shuttlecock or jumping rope.

Eleventh Lady also enjoyed entertaining Xu Sijian.

The two people started arguing fiercely.

Zhun Ge listened worriedly at first, but later, when he saw that what the two were talking about was interesting, he listened attentively with his elbows on his chin. Only Xu Sijie stepped forward and kicked Xu Sijian: "Don't quarrel with my mother, don't quarrel with my mother..." Xu Sijian never expected that he would be kicked. He covered his calf and screamed.

Eleventh Lady was stunned for a moment before she reacted and quickly hugged Xu Sijie: "Gentlemen use their mouths, villains use their fists. Don't hit people randomly."

Xu Sijie looked at Shiyi Niang with a somewhat aggrieved look on his face.

Brother Zhun had already stepped forward to apologize to Xu Sijian: "He is still young and doesn't understand... I hope he is not hurt anywhere!"

Seeing Xu Sijie unhappy, Xu Sijian certainly would not miss the opportunity to scare him. He raised his eyebrows and rolled up his sleeves: "Just wait, I will call my eldest brother and second brother to show you."

"Don't be angry, Third Brother, don't be angry!" Xu Sijie was not frightened, but Zhun Ge was frightened. He stepped forward and pulled Xu Sijian to persuade him, "Don't you want a katydid cage? Do you think my Xiangfei bamboo one is good? I also have a purple clay one. You can choose either one."

Brother Zhun actually bribed people!

Is this nature or upbringing.

Eleventh Lady laughed.

Xu Sijian couldn't help laughing when he saw the nervous Zhun Ge.

For a moment, the room was filled with laughter, lively and warm.

* * * * * *

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Xu Lingyi, the Madam Tai and Shiyi Niang entered the palace in full make-up. Xu Lingyi went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, while the Madam Tai and Shiyi Niang went to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

The one waiting in front of the East Warm Pavilion was Eunuch Lei. Seeing the Madam and Eleventh Lady, he hurried over, bowed, and whispered, "The Empress Xianfei, the Empress Jingfei, Concubine Song, the Princess Chang, Princess Ancheng, Princess Yongan, and Madam Zhou are inside." He added, "Yesterday at noon, the Emperor had lunch at the Imperial Noble Concubine's place. The Imperial Noble Concubine personally brewed a cup of Biluochun and served it to him. Who knew that the tea was too hot and scalded the Emperor. The Emperor was very unhappy. Today, to watch the fireworks, I didn't invite the Imperial Noble Concubine to come."

Eleventh Lady's heart was moved when she heard this.

Not to mention the Imperial Concubine offering tea to the Emperor, even when I offer tea to Xu Lingyi, I have to pay attention to the temperature of the tea. How could I possibly burn someone? Thinking about the imperial decree that specifically asked Xu Lingyi, the Madam, and myself to come to the palace to watch the fireworks... Is there any purpose behind the Emperor's move?

She hurriedly looked towards the lady.

The lady smiled modestly, no different from usual. She stuffed something into Lei Gonggong's hand and said, "Thank you, Lei Gonggong. It's so cold, Lei Gonggong has worked hard."

Eunuch Lei smiled and calmly put the things into his sleeves: "Madam, Madam Yongping, please follow me." He led them into the east warm room.

Eleventh Lady did not dare to think too much. She followed the Dowager Lady closely and saluted the Empress Dowager, the three inner ladies including the Concubine Xian, and also paid respect to Madam Zhou.

"No need to be so polite." The Queen looked much better than the last time they met. She had a gentle smile and a soothing tone. In the leisurely tone unique to a noble lady, she asked the palace maid to bring a brocade stool to the Madam.

The lady thanked him and sat down.

Eleventh Lady stood behind the Dowager Lady and quickly glanced at the three concubines sitting around the Queen.

They were all around seventeen or eighteen years old, with curvy curves and beautiful features, but their clothes were vulgar, more charming than stunning, and without any special features. On the contrary, they were not as dignified and solemn as the Empress's court dress and crown, which had a different kind of solemn beauty.

The Queen Mother asked about the Madam's recent health condition.

The lady answered them one by one.

Madam Zhou, who was standing behind the eldest princess, smiled at Eleventh Lady.

Eleventh Lady didn't know what it meant and didn't dare to move. She just stood there with her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart.

A palace maid came to report that the wife of Marquis Jianning and the wife of Earl Shouchang had arrived.

The Queen summoned them in, and everyone greeted each other. The Queen still asked the palace maid to bring the brocade stool.

The two of them had just sat down after expressing their gratitude when a palace maid came in and reported that Princess Changning had arrived.

Except for the Queen Mother and the Princess, everyone else stood up after hearing this.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look at the person who came.

Princess Changning looked to be in her forties, fair-skinned, a little plump, and her features were four or five percent similar to those of the emperor. Although she was dressed gorgeously, her face was tense and her expression was solemn.

Behind her followed a woman who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. She was tall and thin, with her hair in a neat bun. She wore a gold and ruby ​​hairpin and a purple silk jacket. Her face was sallow and she looked unhappy, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

Princess Ancheng smiled and greeted Princess Changning: "Changning, I thought you weren't coming. I heard that you were not feeling well recently. Are you feeling better now?"

Princess Changning bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, elder sister. The weather was cold and I caught a cold, but I'm fine now." She said this with a forced smile.

Princess Ancheng looked at the woman behind Princess Changning and said with a smile, "You look quite thin. Are you tired from taking care of Changning?"

The woman bowed hurriedly and murmured, "No, no..."

Princess Changning's eyes and brows became a little colder as she listened to the woman's answer, and it was obvious that she was not satisfied with the woman's answer.

"Jinkui, I haven't seen you for a while." The princess smiled and waved at the woman, "Come, let me see you."

The woman called Jinkui looked at Princess Changning timidly.

Princess Changning frowned slightly and said in a deep voice: "The eldest princess is calling you!"

"Yes!" She answered in a mosquito-like voice and walked timidly to the side of the eldest princess.

The princess pulled her hand and said, "You look good in this dress today—it's decorated with precious flowers. It's a new style this year."

A hint of red appeared on Jinkui's face, and she whispered, "It was a reward from the princess."

The princess nodded with a smile: "Chang Ning, you are still good to your wife."

Eleventh Lady looked at Jinkui with some surprise.

She didn't expect Ren Kun's wife to be like this - she behaved like a young wife. Looking at Princess Changning, she seemed very dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law.

"I only have this daughter-in-law. Naturally, I treat her like my own daughter." Princess Changning's face brightened upon hearing this. She stepped forward to greet the Queen, the eldest princess and the others. Madam Zhou and Eleventh Lady also stepped forward to pay their respects to Princess Changning.

Princess Changning nodded, but Jinkui looked at Shiyi Niang with her lips slightly open, looking very surprised.

Just then, a palace maid came in with a brocade stool and asked Princess Changning to sit down. She took the opportunity to walk to Princess Changning's side, stood behind her with her eyelids slightly drooping, and hid her thin figure behind the heavy red silk curtains.

Everyone in the room was talking about interesting things during the Chinese New Year. When you finished, she came on stage, but no one mentioned the Xu family's child, nor did anyone mention Ren Kun's disappearance. It was as if none of this had happened. Although it was deliberate, it was still lively and noisy.

At noon, the Queen Mother gave them some glutinous rice balls to eat. At dusk, she led everyone to the Jiaotai Hall.

As soon as I stood still, the Queen Mother arrived.

Everyone came forward to pay their respects, and the eunuchs led everyone to their seats according to their rank.

Eleventh Lady and Madam Zhou sat side by side at a long table in front of the hall entrance.

"I'm most afraid of entering the palace." Madam Zhou saw the Queen Mother talking animatedly with Marquis Jianning and the wife of Marquis Changshou, and whispered to Eleventh Lady, "Every time I sit at the palace door, the cold wind blows in as soon as the curtain is lifted, freezing me half to death. None of the dishes are steaming hot."

Eleventh Lady suppressed her smile, sat in front of the long table with a serious face, and whispered: "Is Sister Zhou planning to eat her fill at the imperial banquet?"

Madam Zhou laughed and said, "That's right." Then she whispered, "Have you heard that the Imperial Concubine was reprimanded by the Emperor..."

Is Mrs. Zhou too well-informed? Or has the news spread everywhere? If it has, then we need to think about it carefully.

"Who told you this, Sister Zhou?" Eleventh Lady looked surprised.

"Everyone knows about it." Madam Zhou said pointedly, "You should also mention it to your Lord Marquis."

Sometimes, the movements in the inner palace are like a weather vane.

Shiyi Niang smiled and thanked her. A eunuch brought someone over. The two of them stopped talking and sat down without looking at each other. When the person sat down and called out "Sister Zhou", Shiyi Niang realized that it was Jinkui who was sitting next to them.

"Sister Jinkui!" Mrs. Zhou first glanced at the throne and saw that the Queen Mother and the Empress had already sat down, one on the right and one on the left. Everyone was sitting down in a rustle and no one noticed her. Then she greeted Jinkui in a low voice, and the smile on her face was even brighter than before.

Hibiscus smiled shyly.

Madam Zhou pointed at Shiyi Niang and whispered, "You don't recognize her yet - this is the wife of Yongping Marquis!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jinkui said, "I know. She is Shi Niang's sister."

Mrs. Zhou was startled.

Eleventh Lady smiled bitterly.

People didn't say she was Xu Lingyi's wife but Shi Niang's sister, which was completely from Wang Lang's perspective. It seemed that Jin Kui knew the relationship between her husband and Wang Lang very well.

She nodded towards Jinkui somewhat awkwardly: "Mrs. Ren!"

Jinkui said, "I am from Dongyang, and my maiden name is Jiang."

Dongyang and Yuhang are both in Jiangnan, and they are from the same hometown. But in this situation, what's the point of saying this? Will I feel guilty about this or will the Wang and Ren families forgive each other?

What does she mean by that?

Eleventh Lady was muttering to herself, but an idea suddenly came to her mind.

Dongyang and Jiang family… Isn’t that the Dongyang Jiang family that Wu Niang mentioned on the boat from Yuhang to Yanjing, the family that had an alliance with the Yanjing nobles and had once produced a concubine?

She resisted the urge to touch her forehead.

What a small world this is!

※

The new leader took office in September, but it was not until mid-November that he started his first work. Judging from his work style, he will not stop writing anytime soon. I am also following the novels, and I am quite dissatisfied with the novels I like that are updated only once a day. So I looked at the calendar carefully, and listed the work that needs to be done, and found that there is still a lot to do. It is not realistic to maintain a daily update. But I am a person who does not like chaos. For example, now here, I have to arrange the update according to the work situation. Not only does it make everyone feel impatient, but I also feel very distressed. Since I can't write during working hours like before, I can only use my rest time. In the future, I will update regularly every weekend. What do you think of this arrangement?