Seeing her stepmother asking questions, Eleventh Lady stood up and replied respectfully, "Yes," and said, "I have only learned the basics."

Seeing her respectful attitude, the eldest wife nodded almost imperceptibly.

"April 24th is the birthday of the wife of the Yongping Marquis. I'll ask your fifth sister to write 100 characters of the Chinese character 'longevity' in different fonts. When the time comes, you can embroider a folding screen using 'double-sided embroidery' and bring it to Yanjing as a birthday gift for the wife."

The eldest daughter of the Luo family, Luo Yuanniang, married Xu Lingyi, the Marquis of Yongping.

The lady-in-law of the Yongping Marquis's Mansion, Luo Yuanniang's mother-in-law, and the eldest wife's relative.

The eldest son of the Xu family died young, the second son died of illness, the third son was born out of wedlock, and the title was unexpectedly inherited by the fourth son Xu Lingyi. With Xu Lingyi's elder sister being canonized as the empress by the new emperor two years ago, the Xu family became a popular meritorious family in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Luo Yuanniang, the wife of the Yongping Marquis, also rose in status. She became very important both in the circle of noble ladies in Yanjing and in the Luo family far away in Jiangnan. The birthday gift for the lady-in-waiting naturally became the first major event that required the first lady to rack her brains to undertake.

Knowing the importance of the matter, Eleventh Lady hesitated and said, "Although my daughter can embroider double-sided embroidery, her skills are not very good. There are many talented people in Yanjing, and I am afraid that I will lose face for my elder sister..."

Before she could finish her words, the eldest wife smiled and said, "When it comes to exquisite craftsmanship, who can compare with the people in the palace's needlework department? We sent a 'Hundred Years of Longevity Embroidered Screen' to them just to show our appreciation."

That's right. No matter how good her craftsmanship is, it can't be better than those embroiderers who were selected from all over the country to learn the craft for a living; no matter how valuable the things sent by the Luo family are, they can't be more valuable than the reward from the emperor.

Eleventh Lady was relieved and asked the eldest wife with a smile: "I wonder what auspicious day mother chose to send someone to Yanjing to deliver birthday gifts?"

"March 6th." The first wife smiled, "I looked at the almanac. The sixth day of the lunar year is bad luck in the west. It is not advisable to open a warehouse or start a construction. It is advisable to travel and meet friends. If you go earlier, there will be no such good day. If you go later, you may be delayed on the road."

Eleventh Lady pondered for a moment, and a look of hesitation appeared on her face.

The eldest wife looked at him and asked with concern, "Is there anything difficult?"

Eleventh Lady hesitated and said, "This double-sided embroidery is different from single-sided embroidery. It takes three times more effort than single-sided embroidery... I calculated that my time is tight!"

"What should I do?" The eldest wife frowned. "I thought about this idea for more than half a month. Now, don't I have to choose a new birthday gift? I don't know if I can make it in time. Even if I can, I still have trouble deciding what to give!"

The Luo family has been officials for generations, and their roots are there. Even if there is nothing rare, it should not be difficult to find something auspicious as a birthday gift, right? Or, is there something special about the birthday of the wife of the Marquis of Ping'an this time...

Eleventh Lady pondered over it, raised her eyelids and glanced quickly at Fifth Lady.

She sat next to the eldest wife with a teacup in her hand, her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, and she ignored what the eldest wife said.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel moved.

It was not easy for the first wife to ask her to embroider 100 "Shou" characters on double-sided embroidery. It was equally difficult for Wu Niang to write 100 "Shou" characters in different fonts. Faced with such a difficult problem, Wu Niang, who was always good at dealing with people, suddenly became silent.

She thought again of how the eldest wife had just walked in, supported by Wu Niang.

It seems that Wu Niang either did not feel embarrassed and agreed readily; or she felt embarrassed but thought that embroidering 100 "Shou" characters was more difficult than writing 100 "Shou" characters and waited for me to refuse. In this way, the first wife would only blame herself for the failure of the matter.

Whatever the case, the current situation no longer allows her to refuse.

Besides, she had no intention of rejecting the first wife at all.

It was just that she didn’t want to agree so readily that the first wife would think that embroidering 100 “Shou” characters was a simple matter and turn a blind eye to her hard work…

The thought flashed through my mind.

She pondered: "How about asking Master Jian to help..."

"How can that be possible!" Before Eleventh Lady could finish her words, the eldest wife immediately rejected her proposal, "We gave this longevity embroidered screen to show our Luo family's sincerity. What's the point of letting others embroider it?"

Eleventh Lady blushed as she heard this and murmured, "My daughter was thinking in the wrong direction! Please don't blame me, mother."

The eldest wife sighed when she heard this.

Eleventh Lady looked uneasy after hearing this and said hurriedly: "How about, let my daughter try..."

The eldest wife's eyes lit up: "How sure are you?"

Eleventh Lady was silent for a long while, and whispered, "I can get up early and go to bed late, and let Dongqing help me with dividing the thread and threading the needle...it will be faster." She didn't seem very confident.

The eldest wife thought for a long time and did not comment.

Eleventh Lady looked a little depressed.

Wu Niang smiled and said, "I also get up early and go to bed late. I wrote 100 characters of 'Shou' in two days. I wonder if Shiyimei will have a better chance."

Eleventh Lady perked up and said with a smile, "I originally estimated that Fifth Sister would need more than half a month. If it only takes two days, then she can certainly catch up."

She actually made up her mind to copy the word "Shou" written by Wu Niang twice, and let Master Jian find someone to embroider one, and she would embroider one herself, and whoever finished first would get the other's. If the first wife suspected her, and she refused to give in, would the first wife still find someone to confront her? Even if she did, would Master Jian still be able to slap himself in the face?

The eldest wife was also happy to hear this: "In that case, you sisters should work together to complete this longevity embroidered screen. It will also bring honor to your eldest sister. Let the people of Yanjing see that the daughter of our Luo family not only understands the present and the past, but also follows the etiquette and morality of the saints."

The Luo family has a family motto written by their ancestor, Jigong, for Luo's daughter. Before Luo's daughter could read, she first read "Jigong Nuxue", then "Nujie" and "Neixun". These two sentences are the content of the family motto. But the eldest wife used it at this time and in this place, and Shiyi Niang felt uncomfortable no matter how she listened!

But who would be stupid enough to question the first wife?

Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady stood up, half-knelt, saluted to the eldest lady, and respectfully replied "yes".

The eldest wife was very satisfied with their attitude and nodded slightly. As if she remembered something, she asked the daughter-in-law Wu Xiaoquan's family beside her: "I remember that the wet nurse in Eleventh Lady's room was left in Fujian..."

Wu Xiaoquan's family hurried forward to answer: "At that time, Miss Eleven's wet nurse didn't want to leave her hometown, so she didn't come with her."

"Well!" The eldest wife nodded slightly, "Then take the amber to Miss Eleven's room and use it for her..."

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Bring the amber into your own room, but what about the holly?

Could it be that Mother Yao really persuaded the first wife to marry Dongqing to her nephew, so the first wife first brought Amber over so that they could get to know each other better, so that when Dongqing was married off, her own room would not be in chaos.

Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady's heart was in turmoil, and she even felt a little resentful.

After three years of management, she had finally developed relationships with the people around her and got them to do things according to her wishes, but the eldest wife suddenly placed her own maid next to her... This was like someone snoring next to your bed; even if there was no ill intention, it made people feel uneasy.

But she didn't dare to show any emotion on her face, nor did she dare to hesitate for a moment. She said in a panic, "Mother, how can this be possible? Sister Amber is your capable person. If you give her to me, what will you do?"

The eldest wife smiled and waved her hand, signaling her not to say anything more.

"The young ladies in our mansion all have their own servants." She said to the maids and wives around her seriously, "They are all assigned two big maids, two small maids, a wet nurse, and two wives who do rough work. Now that Eleventh Lady's wet nurse has stayed in Fujian, I will give her another big maid to fill the vacancy of the wet nurse... It's not against the rules."

People around him said, "What the Madam said is right," or "The Madam has thought it through very carefully." Wu Xiaoquan's family laughed, "Logically, the Madam should have filled the vacancy in Miss Eleven's room a long time ago. She only mentioned it now. I wonder if she wanted to save a few years of monthly allowance, or if she really didn't think of it?"

Everybody burst into laughter.

The eldest wife also laughed.

Wu Xiaoquan is the chief steward of the Luo family, the servant of the Xu family, and the companion of the first wife.

She has always been very tolerant towards these people!

Everyone laughed for a while, and the eldest wife looked at Eleventh Lady: "As for the holly in your room..." She paused.

Perhaps it was because Amber's arrival made her completely sober up, and she realized how fragile the castle she had built with all her strength was in front of the eldest wife, or rather, in the hands of the superior. She, who had always been able to keep her composure, suddenly became impetuous. The short stay made her sweat all over her back and her heart beat wildly.

It turns out that this is the feeling of "I am the fish and others are the butcher"!

Eleventh Lady clenched her hands tightly on the edge of her skirt into fists, and she didn't feel any pain even when her nails dug into her flesh.

I have to find a way to change my situation... It feels so uncomfortable to let others control my fate!

"...Also relieve her of her duties, let her serve you wholeheartedly, so that you can embroider the longevity screen with peace of mind." The eldest wife's voice seemed far away, yet close to her ears, making her head buzz. "Amber is a capable person, and I feel more at ease with her serving you. From now on, leave the affairs of your room to her!"

Things have come to this point, she has no ability to resist, so she doesn't want to think about refutation.

Eleventh Lady forced herself to cheer herself up.

Her top priority was to deal with everything that was happening.

Eleventh Lady showed an expression of guilt, half squatted and bowed to the eldest wife: "Thank you, mother!"

"That's it!" The eldest wife showed a bit of fatigue on her face, and instructed Wu Xiaoquan: "Tell the two young ladies the size and style of the screen later, so that they won't be in the dark. When the sisters have discussed it, you can get back to me."

Wu Xiaoquan and his family responded with a smile.

The eldest wife brought tea and said, "You guys go down!"

There was no mention of Dongqing's marriage at all.

Did you forget?

Or is it because now is not the right time?

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but glance at Mother Yao who was standing far behind the First Lady.

Mother Yao also looked over.

Their eyes met in the air, and Eleventh Lady saw the other's unyielding look.

She suddenly felt sorry for herself.

Now, she is only capable of fighting against people like Mother Yao!