Standing at Lingqiong Villa and looking down, on the left is the small and exquisite Banyue Pavilion, surrounded by Chunyan Pavilion like the morning star and the moon, and not far from Chunyan Pavilion is the elegant and beautiful Lijing Pavilion. Looking from Lijing Pavilion, you can see Chui Lun Waterside Pavilion surrounded by clear water. On the left, Jufang Pavilion and Biyi Zha Pavilion are separated by towering ancient trees and face each other from a distance. Liufangwu, hidden in the green bushes, is free and easy, Yixiangyuan is simple and natural, and Zhaozhuangtang is magnificent. The three pillars stand side by side, each with its own interest.

When the February breeze blows, the leaves in the entire backyard dance and rustle in the direction of the wind, as gentle as the singer's soft singing, which makes people intoxicated.

"My Lord!" Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi, who was standing in front of a brocade window not far away with his hands behind his back, and said hesitantly, "You should put on a cloak!"

Xu Lingyi said nothing.

He was wearing a dark blue silk brocade robe with a pattern of precious flowers on it. He stood as straight as a poplar tree in the northern plains. His handsome face was stretched so tight that deep grooves appeared around his well-defined mouth.

Eleventh Lady thought about it, took the cloak from the maid and helped him put it on.

"My Lord, you have been standing here for the whole afternoon." She gently helped him tie his cloak. "I have asked someone to warm up a pot of wine. Please warm yourself up."

Xu Lingyi's eyes moved.

Eleventh Lady raised the corners of her mouth slightly, forced a smile and nodded at him.

Xu Lingyi's tense face relaxed.

Eleventh Lady smiled and pushed him to sit on a Zen chair covered with a royal blue cloud dragon cushion.

Only then did Xu Lingyi discover that the furnishings in the villa's lobby had changed a lot.

The black lacquered round table in the middle was gone, replaced by a small black lacquered half-moon table, on which were placed a nine-piece box with red lacquered camellia flowers carved on it, neatly stacked with side dishes such as crystal meat, drunken shrimp, smoked chicken wings, and air-fried duck breast. There were also high-legged porcelain plates with white backgrounds and blue flowers, filled with red apples, golden oranges, yellow pears, and purple grapes...

Xu Lingyi looked surprised.

Eleventh Lady smiled and held up the blue-bottomed white-flowered wine cup: "My Lord, do you think this wine is at the right temperature?"

Xu Lingyi took the wine cup hesitantly and took a sip.

It is mellow and long-lasting, and is a top-quality Jinhua wine.

He drank it all in one gulp.

Eleventh Lady wrapped the ebony chopsticks in a white silk handkerchief and handed them over.

Xu Lingyi took the chopsticks in his hand and pushed the wine cup.

Eleventh Lady poured the wine.

Xu Lingyi drank it all in one gulp.

Amber and the others followed Eleventh Lady's instructions and quietly closed the brocade windows on the left and right, leaving only the two in the middle. When Xu Lingyi looked up, he could enjoy the view of the back garden of the Xu Mansion.

The colorful clouds like brocade gradually disappeared and the sky darkened.

Lin Bo lightly lit the big red palace lantern with five linked beads in the corner.

The room was filled with a festive red color, making Xu Lingyi look less cold.

"My Lord!" Eleventh Lady poured her another glass of wine and told him about Qiao Lianfang's affairs, "I have carefully asked Xiu Li, who is beside Concubine Qiao..."

"Eleventh Lady," Xu Lingyi waved his hand at her, signaling her not to say anything more, "Why did the child die? No one knows better than Qiao Lianfang. If a cow doesn't drink water, can we force it to drink?" His eyes were bright and his words were clear. He didn't look like a man who had already drunk two jars of Jinhua wine. "Come on, you've been through enough these days. Sit down and have a drink with me."

"I'm not good at drinking." Shiyi Niang said gently, "Sir, please stop drinking!" She brought a small bowl of sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice dumpling soup and placed it in front of Xu Lingyi, "I'll accompany you to drink some sweet soup!"

Xu Lingyi smiled: "You thought I was drunk!" As he said that, he walked steadily to the window, drank the wine in his hand while looking at the scenery outside the window, then turned around and looked at Shiyi Niang, as if to say, "Look, I'm fine."

The drunker a person is, the more he says he is not drunk!

"My Lord, you can drink a lot. I didn't think you were drunk." A trace of worry flashed in Eleventh Lady's eyes, but her voice was gentle and soft. "I was just tired of pouring wine."

Xu Lingyi laughed loudly, strode to the half-moon table, and hugged Shiyi Niang.

The sudden change made Eleventh Lady let out a low cry of surprise. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned back instinctively.

The white jade face and delicate facial features were clearly displayed in front of him.

His smile gradually faded, his slender fingers stroked across his dark eyebrows like distant mountains, his tall and beautiful nose, and stopped at the corner of his rosy lips, and his eyes gradually became hot.

"You are such a talkative person."

The well-defined lips gradually grew larger in her sight.

Eleventh Lady lowered her head.

His lips gently fell on her forehead.

"Moyan..." He muttered, kissed her forehead, then kissed her cheek, kissed her neck, and buried his face in her hair.

In the silent room, there was the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the maids and servants standing by the side all bowed their heads and quietly retreated one after another.

There are many ways to heal.

But it does not include giving of oneself.

Eleventh Lady let him hold her quietly, looking for a suitable opportunity.

The face pressed against the back of her neck was getting hotter and hotter, and the arm around her waist was getting tighter and tighter... but that was all, there was no further action.

Just when she felt it was difficult to breathe, his mellow voice sounded intermittently in her ears: "Moyan... I don't think I owe anyone..." His tone was suppressed and distressed, "Why is it..."

Why?

Because life is not one plus one, there is no formula, standard or unified answer.

This question is too complicated and Eleventh Lady has no way to answer it.

She looked at the stars outside the window in a daze, her hands unconsciously wrapped around his waist.

I heard his dreamy mumblings: "...No...I owe...Biyu..."

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Jade? Aunt Tong Jade?

* * * * * *

That night the wind was strong, slapping against the windows of Lingqiong Villa. The hall, illuminated by the big red lanterns, was warm and quiet, like a corner of the world, making people relax. Two people sat opposite each other at the half-moon table, one drinking slowly, the other pouring slowly. The drinker became more energetic the more he drank, but the pourer couldn't resist sleepiness and fell asleep at the table.

Her last impression was of herself curled up in a warm embrace...

When Eleventh Lady opened her eyes again, she was already in her own bed.

The gauze curtains were half-draped, and the right half of the bed was empty.

She stood up.

The tent was immediately lifted up.

"Ma'am, you're awake!"

What came into view was Amber's smiling face.

Eleventh Lady was still confused for a moment.

"Where is the Marquis?"

Amber helped Shiyi Niang put on the silk jacket that had been dried in the oven: "The Marquis went to the back garden after bringing the Madam back, danced with the sword for a while, and just came back. Xia Yi is helping her wash and bathe!"

Eleventh Lady nodded and asked about Qiao Lianfang's situation in a low voice: "...Are you still saying that it was Aunt Qin who harmed her?"

"No more!" Amber squatted down to help Shiyi Niang put on her shoes. "Since the lady scolded her and told her to speak with evidence, Aunt Qiao has never mentioned the words 'Aunt Qin harmed her' again." At this point, she paused, "But Aunt Qin seemed to be afraid of Aunt Qiao saying that. She has been waiting for you to come back since yesterday afternoon, and she kept explaining to us that she has never seen Aunt Qiao since Aunt Qiao was confined to her house, let alone visited Aunt Qiao... She waited for you until the key fell yesterday, and came again before dawn today."

"Did you meet the Marquis?" Eleventh Lady stood there with her arms outstretched, while Amber helped her tie her skirt.

"I did." Amber whispered, "I was scolded by the Marquis."

"Was he scolded by the Marquis?" Shiyi Niang pondered, "What did he scold you for?"

Amber whispered, "The Marquis told her not to believe everything she heard and cause trouble for you! Then she ignored Aunt Qin and went straight to the garden."

Eleventh Lady sat on the embroidered cushion beside the dressing table and fell into deep thought.

Amber thought of what Xu Lingyi said about Concubine Qin "believes everything she hears", and she looked like she didn't believe Concubine Qin would make things difficult for Concubine Qiao, so she couldn't help but said worriedly: "Madam, are you afraid that the Marquis will favor Concubine Qin..."

"No, no, no." Eleventh Lady shook her head gently. "I was thinking, the Marquis is always polite to others. But to Concubine Qin... After all, Concubine Qin is the second young master's biological mother, but he can scold her whenever he wants and turn his face away whenever he wants..."

Amber smiled and said, "Madam Qin was originally a maidservant of the Marquis. Naturally, she is different from ordinary people..." Before she finished speaking, she looked panicked.

Eleventh Lady looked at her and smiled.

Amber was silent.

"Please ask Aunt Qin to come in!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, her expression regaining her usual calmness and composure, "What the Marquis said makes sense. Aunt Qiao's miscarriage has not been investigated clearly yet, and it is not good for her to believe everything she hears."

Amber agreed and brought Aunt Qin in.

Aunt Qin's face was swollen and listless, and she looked five years older. When she saw Shiyi Niang, she knelt in front of her, her eyes reddened and tears fell: "Madam, I really didn't harm Aunt Qiao. If you don't believe me, you can ask the people around me, or ask the mothers in the yard..."

"Everything needs evidence." Shiyi Niang asked Hubo to help her up. "Don't worry, Aunt Qin."

Aunt Qin stood up sobbing: "Madam, just believe me, I really didn't harm Aunt Qiao!"

She repeated these few words over and over again, and Eleventh Lady nodded from time to time.

Fortunately, Aunt Wen came.

"Oh, Sister Qin, you're here so early!" She saluted Eleventh Lady with a refreshed look, and the red gold earrings inlaid with lapis lazuli on her ears swayed in beautiful arcs with her movements.

Aunt Qin forced a smile and greeted Aunt Wen.

"Today's weather is so nice!" Madam Wen laughed with everyone, "This time last year, the sun was out for several days, but it turned cloudy and rainy at the end of the month. I wonder if this year will be different - isn't the Second Miss going to have her full moon at the end of the month?" She added, "I heard that the Fifth Master gave the Second Miss a name, 'Si Xin'. Has it really been decided?" She asked Eleventh Lady, and before she could answer, she said to herself, "I think this name is good. 'Xin' means 'the fragrance begins to rise, and the God is in Xin'. It's a really good name...

She talked a lot but didn't mention a word about Qiao Lianfang's miscarriage.

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Because of everyone's support, "The Strategies of a Concubine" has achieved today's success. Zhizhi has always cherished this fate. Everyone feels that the plot is a bit dragged out, ⊙﹏⊙b sweat! I have carefully considered this issue these days, made some adjustments in time, and deleted a lot of plots and content, so the speed can't keep up, and the update is not very timely. Please understand and forgive the inconvenience!

O(∩_∩)O~