Mother Tao slowly knelt in front of Eleventh Lady.

She looked a little dull: "This is all my fault. I deserve whatever punishment the madam gives me. Please give me some dignity in front of Brother Zhun. I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!" Her lips were pursed tightly.

"It's good that mom still knows how to be respectable." Eleventh Lady sat upright as a mountain and looked at Mother Tao: "Let's forget about this matter. Mom, go down and have a rest!"

Mother Tao bowed and stepped back.

Eleventh Lady sighed softly.

She really wanted to have a good time with the people Yuanniang had left behind, and hand over this responsibility to Zhun Ge's wife smoothly. But sometimes, things don't go as planned.

The next afternoon, Wu Niang came.

After hearing the maid's report, Eleventh Lady instructed Amber: "Be more discerning. If she asks me to do business with her again, find an excuse to call me out."

Amber suppressed her laughter and nodded: "Don't worry, Madam, I'll save it."

Only then did Eleventh Lady go out to meet Fifth Lady.

"Fifth sister hasn't come to see me for some time. If there's anything, just ask the mothers to bring a message. Why did you come in person?" He looked at her bulging belly again and wondered, could it be twins?

"It's okay, it's okay." Wu Niang smiled, "Your brother-in-law is going to be a father for the first time, and he is so nervous. He hired a midwife to stay at home for me when the baby is still three or four months away. The midwife told me to move around more. Your brother-in-law doesn't let me do needlework anymore. Today I go to Baiyun Temple, tomorrow I go to Huguo Temple, it's like a revolving lantern. I'm dizzy these days. Look, today he said he wanted to go to Huguo Temple again, and he said he saw me there for the first time..." As she spoke, she smiled with her hands covering her sleeves, her eyes half happy and half shy.

Eleventh Lady was not the kind of person who would spoil the mood. She immediately smiled and said, "Fifth Brother-in-law treats Fifth Sister so well!"

"Oh, what's good about that!" Wu Niang said coquettishly, "How can I really walk around like he said and not care about the house every day? So, I saw that the weather was good today, so I made an excuse that my feet were tired and came to your place - I remember you have a lot of fancy things in your hands, I want to make a pair of knee pads for your brother-in-law."

"Fifth sister is so kind to Fifth brother-in-law!" Eleventh Lady smiled and helped her into the house, made her sit on the kang, and told the maid to call Binju over: "... Tell her that Fifth Concubine is here and needs some fancy things, and ask her to bring the fancy things rattan basket over."

The little maidservant responded and left.

Amber led the maid to serve tea and snacks to Wu Niang personally.

Wu Niang looked at Hubo and said, "This girl has become more and more beautiful since she followed you. Could it be that the food in the Xu Mansion is especially nourishing?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Fifth Aunt." Amber responded with a smile, showing some generosity without being humble or arrogant.

Wu Niang nodded as she watched, chatting with Shiyi Niang: "I heard Dong Qing got married, has the date been set?"

"No." Eleventh Lady said, "Haven't you been busy with Tenth Sister's affairs these days? That delayed this matter."

"There's no need to delay this. Just let Mother Tao help with it."

"After all, she's the first one in my family to get married, so she has to be more respectable than others. However, I've asked Mother Tao to help with the dowry and other things."

The two chatted for a few words, and Bin Ju brought in the flowers. After everyone picked and chose for a while, Wu Niang picked out some auspicious patterns such as "Step by Step Promotion" and "Winning Three Prizes in a Row", and then winked at Shiyi Niang: "We sisters don't need so many people to serve us when we are talking. Let them go and have fun! This is also my reward to them."

Eleventh Lady knew that the real show was about to begin, so she sighed helplessly in her heart and sent the servants around her away.

Wu Niang rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward and asked, "What's the matter? I heard that your concubine Qiao is pregnant?" Her voice was very low, as if it was some great secret.

Eleventh Lady tried hard not to frown: "How did Fifth Sister know?"

Wu Niang pursed her lips and smiled: "Is that so?" She looked like "Don't ask me who said that, I won't tell you."

Who else could it be besides the Luo family?

Eleventh Lady was too lazy to pursue these things, and there was no point in pursuing them. The main thing was what was the purpose of Fifth Lady's coming.

She nodded: "Aunt Qiao just found out that it's a pregnancy pulse."

"Oh!" Wu Niang sighed, "What are you going to do?"

"Take good care of Aunt Qiao and help her give birth to the baby smoothly."

"What about the things in your room?" Wu Niang asked with concern.

Could it be that he is here to lobby for the first wife?

Eleventh Lady guessed, pretending not to understand what she meant, and asked back: "In my room? What could happen in my room?"

"You, don't even use your brain." Wu Niang looked disappointed. "The two concubines Qin and Wen are old, and now Concubine Qiao is pregnant and can't sleep with you... Can't you make some plans? If you ask me, it would be better to take in two or three young and beautiful concubines. Take this opportunity to serve the Marquis well..."

Eleventh Lady found it very annoying to listen to this and just treated it as a mosquito flying around her ear, responding with a "hmm-hmm" sound.

Just when she felt she couldn't bear it any longer, Amber came in: "Fifth Aunt, let me make you another cup of tea!"

The Fifth Aunt stopped talking with a look of unfulfilled desire and nodded towards Amber.

Amber served them tea again and brought in some fruit: "Fifth Aunt, try some apples from Shandong and oranges from southern Jiangxi."

Fifth Aunt smiled and took an orange and sniffed it.

After Amber left, she started talking again: "...How about I ask your brother-in-law to buy you a few Yangzhou skinny horses? Do you know Yangzhou skinny horses? They are said to be specially trained and then serve as mistresses for wealthy families. They are beautiful, gentle, and very obedient..."

It seems that she has gained a lot of experience after marrying Qian Ming.

Eleventh Lady peeled an apple for her and said, "Fifth sister, eat more apples!"

"Hmm!" She took it and took a bite, then continued, "... Or, just take the one next to you. She's considerate and can help you. I think Amber is good, and Binju is also honest. It's a pity that Dongqing is engaged by you. Otherwise, she is a suitable person. She's the right age, and she's the most outstanding one..."

I can't stop your mouth.

Wu Niang was talking incessantly, but Amber, who was listening through the curtain, was terrified.

All she heard was Fifth Aunt saying "Aunt Qiao is pregnant", then "a concubine", and finally she mentioned her own name and Dong Qing's name... and then she heard Eleventh Lady humming.

She was confused for a moment.

When Eleventh Lady went back to her parents' home yesterday, she also went back with her and met Shanhu. Shanhu pulled her to the woodshed to talk: "...Did Eleventh Lady tell you anything? The eldest lady chose a concubine for the Marquis from among us? The eldest lady placed you in Eleventh Lady's room, why...what happened now?"

"Don't worry, sister. Madam treats me well!" Amber smiled, "I take care of most of the things in the house." As she spoke, she frowned, "But I haven't heard that the eldest lady chose a concubine for the marquis." After thinking for a while, she smiled again, "It's okay. Even if the marquis wants to take a concubine, our madam has to agree!" Seeing Shanhu frowning like an old lady, she smiled and teased her, "Could it be that someone wants to serve our madam, so he asked you to come to me?"

"Go to hell!" Shanhu smiled and twisted her face. "You stupid idiot, am I not worried about you?"

Yes, few of those who were concubines had a good ending. Those who could eventually be promoted to concubines really needed some luck. For those who dared not take risks like them, it was better for them to be maids honestly.

She thought of what the lady had said to her that night, and she felt vaguely that the lady hoped that she would be her left arm and right shoulder, rather than a concubine or a maid who served others with her beauty. Whenever she thought of this, she felt very proud and felt that she was different from others.

But it is not easy to say this to Shanhu - after all, it is not something that can be spoken with red lips and white teeth or written on white paper with ink.

What I believed in before has become less certain at this moment.

No one knew better than her what kind of dilemma the lady was facing now - in the past two months, the Marquis had been staying in the lady's room, and the lady's body was always clean.

Thinking of this, she walked to the long table in the hall, clasped her hands together and silently chanted "Amitabha" towards the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva on it.

I just hope my wife can reach the age of 15 soon.

When you reach the age of 15, all these issues will be resolved.

Maybe I can even take advantage of Aunt Qiao's inability to sleep and get pregnant with a son...

"Amber, what are you doing?" Mother Tao's voice suddenly came from the empty hall, "Are you asking the Buddha to find you a good family?"

Amber was startled and turned around quickly.

"Why is Madam Tao walking without making any sound?" she said angrily, "You scared me." She looked behind her and saw that she was the only one coming in. She knew that the maid outside the door was unable to stop her because of her power, so she hurriedly said, "Fifth Concubine is here, and she is talking to Madam in the room."

Mother Tao's lips curled slightly when she heard this: "What kind of private talk? Either she wants to borrow money, or she wants our wife to do business with her."

Amber is not a good review.

"Mom, what do you want to see Madam about? Madam told me to ask the kitchen to prepare dinner. I'm afraid she wants to keep the fifth concubine for dinner. It will take a long time to finish this. Do you want me to pass on a message for you?" He smiled and talked to her as he walked out of the hall with her.

"It's not something that can't wait." Mother Tao smiled, "Madam asked me to help prepare a dowry for Dongqing. I have prepared everything and made a list. I want to bring it to Madam for her review."

Amber thought of Eleventh Lady's instructions and didn't dare to go far, so she stood under the eaves and talked to her.

"In that case, as soon as Madam is free, I will send my maid to tell you something. What do you think?"

Mother Tao thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll trouble you."

"Look at what mom said." Amber said a few polite words to her, and Mom Tao went to the back room.

Amber immediately gathered all the maids and old women working in Shiyi Niang's courtyard into the yard.

She stood on the five-step staircase and looked down at the people standing in the yard with their hands hanging down. Then she pointed at the little maid working at the door and said, "Give her to Madam Cai in the laundry room. Tell her that it was me who said that all the bedding in this house should be washed by her. Let's see if you are still lazy!"

"Sister, I didn't..."

The little maid was pale and trembling with fear.

"You're not being lazy. How come Madam asked everyone to stay away, but you were too tired to stop Mother Tao when she came? If this isn't being lazy, what is it?"

Those who can serve in this courtyard are all smart people, so they naturally understand who this person is scolding.

No one came out to plead for mercy, but there were more inquiring glances.

When the little maid washed all the bedding in the mansion day and night as Amber said, the atmosphere in Eleventh Lady's room became solemn.

Amber breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the people who drove the little maid away today were two people who were on good terms with her, and fortunately, she took the initiative to lend three taels of silver to Mother Cai that day... However, if it weren't for these "fortunately", she would have had a hard time sending this little maid away.

It was her bad luck that she bumped into him!

It seems that the lady is right.

Only by making good friends can you achieve good results.

Of course, this is all later.

In fact, after dealing with the little maid that day, as soon as Wu Niang left, she went to Shiyi Niang's inner room.

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