The old women passed by Xu Lingyi, one went out and the other came in.

Xu Lingyi asked curiously: "What is this for?"

Eleventh Lady explained the purpose of Grandma Luo's visit: "...hand the person over to the eldest sister-in-law, and let the eldest sister-in-law make the arrangements."

Xu Lingyi nodded, took out the blueprint drawn by Xu Lingkuan, and told Shiyi Niang what bricks to lay where, what patterns to draw where, and what flowers to carve where.

Although Shiyi Niang felt that it was a bit too particular, she saw that Xu Lingyi was very satisfied, so she agreed with him and nodded "OK".

"Then we'll start construction on the sixth day of February," Xu Lingyi said, "and we can move in around April or May."

At that time, it was the time for Yuanniang's third year of mourning to be ended. All the relatives and friends were going to come, and the child no longer had to be confined to the house.

"Just as the Lord wishes."

Xu Lingyi received the blueprints and the next day he ordered General Manager Bai to buy earth and stones and prepare wood. Eleventh Lady led the children to play while watching the movements of Duke Mao's mansion. The servants who were sent there often came to give her news.

"The eldest lady took us to the Mansion of Duke Mao, and the stewards hurriedly and attentively arranged accommodation for us. They didn't even ask anything else. They looked like they were afraid of getting into trouble. After all, the Mansion of Duke Mao is also a family of nobles, so how come there is no loyal person there? I think, Tenth Aunt will have to be the one to take charge of this family in the future." The last sentence was, of course, said to curry favor with Eleventh Lady.

Eleventh Lady did not comment and rewarded her with one or two taels of silver.

The maids were even more diligent, taking turns to report to Shi Niang, and the content of their conversations was varied, hoping that they would be as long as possible. It seemed that the length and content of their conversations were proportional to their care for Shi Niang. So much so that the cooks in Wang's kitchen often stole the food from the kitchen and secretly brought it back, and Shi Niang knew about it.

"Today, Madam Jiang wanted to visit Lord Zhang from the Ministry of Justice, but was stopped by Yuan Baozhu's family. They had a long conversation. It was very literary. I can't even learn it." The old woman grinned and said flatteringly, "I thought this woman was unusual, so I asked around privately. It turns out that she has read "Qionglin Youxue"! " She emphasized her tone, as if she was very proud of her discovery.

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly.

When Dongqing and Binju followed her, she also taught them to read "Qionglin Children's Book". Moreover, in a family like the Jiang family, it was not uncommon for the women and servants to be literate.

The old woman felt a little disappointed when she saw that Eleventh Lady had no reaction.

Eleventh Lady smiled and asked the maid to serve the old woman another cup of tea.

Listening to gossip and discussing other families' affairs with the maids is not in line with the standards of female virtue. But conflicts in the Wang family are inevitable. Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. Sometimes, listening to them talk about some seemingly insignificant trivialities can get unexpected important information. So she would hint to them to tell her more about the Wang family. For example, she would ask the little maid to bring another cup of tea to hint to them that it was still early and they could say whatever they wanted.

The old woman took the tea, thought for a moment, and said, "I heard something else."

There was some interest in Eleventh Lady's eyes.

The old woman saw this and was encouraged. She immediately smiled and said, "I heard from the maidservant beside Madam Jiang that this girl from Yuan Baozhu's family was not originally serving Madam Jiang. She came from her hometown in Le'an. She was ordered by the top scholar to deliver something to the wife of Master Hanlin. Later, when something like this happened to the Wang family, Master Hanlin asked Yuan Baozhu's family to come with Madam Jiang to help. It is said that Yuan Baozhu's family became a little unruly because of this and once talked back to Madam Jiang. Although Madam Jiang was annoyed with her, she kept enduring it for the sake of Master Hanlin and Master Zhuangyuan."

Eleventh Lady was quite surprised, but she also felt that it was reasonable.

Even if the Jiang family disliked Wang Lang, Madam Jiang was still the daughter-in-law of the Jiang family. There were always people who understood Madam Jiang's meaning as the Jiang family's, and there were always people who couldn't refuse Madam Jiang's request for the sake of the Jiang family's face. But she didn't expect that Mother Yuan was actually Jiang Song's person, and she didn't expect Jiang Bai to use this as an excuse to send someone to Madam Jiang.

It seems that Yuan Baozhu's family is highly valued by the Jiang family.

The Jiang family seemed to ignore what Mrs. Jiang did, but in fact they were always paying attention to her.

When the old woman found out that Eleventh Lady didn't know what she was talking about, she couldn't help but heaving a sigh of relief and said, "However, I think what Yuan Baozhu said makes sense. Women have their own difficulties in showing up in public, but it would be bad if they had to go to the Ministry of Justice - how could they be so unlucky as to get involved in a lawsuit!" As she spoke, she quietly observed Eleventh Lady's expression.

These old ladies were not new to the world. The Luo family and the Wang family were at loggerheads, and they were the parties involved, so they could see it.

Seeing Eleventh Lady nodding secretly, the old woman's eyes rolled around. She thought: Everyone says that Madam doesn't like Madam Jiang, it seems to be true. From now on, there is no need to show mercy to Madam Jiang. She lowered her voice and said, "Madam, I also heard that Madam Jiang has been cleaning the old lady's boxes these days."

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Could it be that those relatives from other branches touched the old lady’s things?

The thought flashed through his mind and he shook his head again.

That shouldn't be the case! It's okay to steal something, but if you touch the old lady's box, you can report it to the police...

Just as she was thinking about it, the old woman said, "The maidservant beside the old lady said that Madam Jiang took out and pawned some of the things that the old lady left for the tenth aunt."

It may not be left to Shi Niang.

As the saying goes, if you don't have money, don't come in.

It is true that Mrs. Jiang is short of money.

After the old woman left, she talked about this with Xu Lingyi: "...Yuan Baozhu's family dared to stop Madam Jiang. Eight or nine times out of ten, it was Master Jiang Bai's intention."

Eleventh Lady thought about the attitudes of the Jiang family and Xu Lingyi...and felt that it would be extremely difficult for Madam Jiang to clear Wang Lang's name.

Xu Lingyi nodded: "Although it was an accidental act, it can be regarded as a good deed being rewarded." When Shiyi Niang sent the maid over, she did not expect to get this information. "However, Jiang Song sent this Yuan Baozhu family to Yanjing at this time, and he is such a capable person..." He pondered, "I am afraid it has something to do with Zhun Ge's marriage."

He couldn't help thinking that way.

Just when Zhun Ge's mourning period was about to end, Le An sent a woman to meet Jiang Bai's wife. After she came, she was not in a hurry to go back, and was sent by Jiang Bai to look after Jiang's wife.

Eleventh Lady said the same thing.

She thought even further.

If it were me, I would also send someone like this to scout ahead. One is to get familiar with the situation in Yanjing, and the other is to find out about Zhun Ge's personality. After all, the two families have only exchanged the engagement letter and have not yet exchanged gifts.

"Do you think I should go visit Mrs. Jiang?"

How the children behave is one thing; the attitude of the adults is another.

"No need." Xu Lingyi shook his head. "If you ignore a family like them, they will think you are insincere. If you are too attentive, they will think you are up to something. Let's just pretend we don't know!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and asked Xu Lingyi, "When will the materials for building the house be brought in? I'm afraid we'll have to use curtains to surround it. It's not convenient for us to live like this. Do you think we should move somewhere else?"

"The stones will arrive tomorrow morning." Xu Lingyi thought for a moment, "Lingkuan and his family are staying at the Garden... or else, talk to mother about moving in with her."

Eleventh Lady secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Xu Lingyi did not mention the courtyard where Yuanniang left behind.

She smiled and nodded, but when she raised her eyelids she saw the door curtain move slightly, and Amber's face flashed through the gap in the curtain.

Eleventh Lady chatted with Xu Lingyi calmly for a few words and found an excuse to leave the inner room.

Amber is in the hall.

She clenched her hands and paced around the room anxiously.

Could something have happened to Dongqing?

The Wan family sent over the marriage certificate two days ago, saying that the horoscopes were very suitable. Eleventh Lady was discussing the wedding date with Mother Tao. I heard from Luyun that Dongqing was not happy at all, but rather worried. She was afraid that she would not be able to adapt to the life in the Wan family. She seemed to have a bit of pre-marital phobia.

She coughed lightly.

Amber heard the noise and looked over. Seeing that it was Shiyi Niang, she actually trotted over and pulled Shiyi Niang to the east side room. She also sent a little maid standing at the door of the east side room away. Then she whispered to Shiyi Niang: "Madam, Aunt Qiao is probably pregnant."

Eleventh Lady was stunned for a moment before she reacted.

"You mean, she's pregnant."

In the past, Xu Lingyi was often not at home, but now his life is basically stable and Qiao Lianfang is young, so it is normal for her to get pregnant.

"He came to greet me early this morning." She frowned slightly, "but didn't say anything? Maybe you made a mistake."

Being pregnant is a good thing. If it is true, why did she hide it? She must find a doctor to confirm it. You know, it will be her bedtime soon. If she loses the baby, it will be a loss.

"Mother Tao has always asked us to pay attention to the daily life over there." Amber blushed, "In the past, the maid Zhurui helped to wash Aunt Qiao's underwear. This month, Xiuzhen helped to wash it. Zhurui was very puzzled at the time, fearing that she did not do it well and Aunt Qiao would not like it. She specially asked Xiuzhen. Now it seems that there is something fishy."

Eleventh Lady thought for a moment and said, "Since she didn't say anything, let's just pretend we don't know! If Lord Mian asks, it would be difficult for us to answer, otherwise it would cause complications."

Amber hesitated and said, "Should we tell Mother Tao..."

"Let me talk to her!" said Eleventh Lady. "She has a lot on her mind, so she won't have any more ideas. The Madam has always hoped to have many children and grandchildren. It would be bad if someone died in my house."

Qiao Lianfang kept silent, and there were too many opportunities for her to take advantage of. She was really afraid that Mother Tao would do something. You know, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. Moreover, even if Qiao Lianfang gave birth to a boy, it would not have any special significance considering Xu Lingyi's current situation of offspring.

"Yes!" Amber nodded, and a maid came in and said, "Madam, Aunt Qiao is here!"

Eleventh Lady was stunned and exchanged a confused look with Amber.

"Please ask her to come in." She told the maid with a smile, and went to the hall with Amber.

Xiu Li supported Qiao Lianfang and walked in.

Eleventh Lady's eyes involuntarily swept across her abdomen.

Could it be that she is really pregnant? That is why she is so cautious and needs someone to support her.

※

One update today!

O(∩_∩)O~