Hong Xiu's scream made everyone squat down, and Aunt Qin was so frightened that she fell off the small stool and knelt on the ground.

"My Lord..." Her face was pale and her lips were twitching, but her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter a word.

Xu Lingyi strode in with a sullen face.

"My Lord!" Eleventh Lady welcomed him to sit on the big kang by the window, but her eyes glanced at Yanrong who was standing tiptoeing behind Amber.

"It was my decision to send Brother Yu to Le'an."

Xu Lingyi's slightly cold voice was heard in the room.

"Raising children is the wife's duty." His face turned pale. "You are an elder in the mansion. Don't you even know this little rule? Or do you think you are more respectable than others, so you don't care about these rules?"

Xu Lingyi's voice became higher and higher, and his words became sharper and sharper.

People need face, trees need bark. After all, Aunt Qin is Xu Siyu's biological mother. Although she is half a maid in front of Xu Lingyi, she is half a master in front of Mother Song and others.

Eleventh Lady quickly winked at Amber, stood up quietly, and left with her maid and mother.

When he looked up, he saw Qiao Lianfang and Madam Wen standing in the hall.

Qiao Lianfang's face was full of surprise.

Madam Wen had a smile on her face, but her eyes were flickering.

"Madam!" When she saw Shiyi Niang coming out, she immediately knelt down to salute her, and then gently stepped forward to support her. It seemed that Shiyi Niang was an old person worthy of her respect from the bottom of her heart, and her respect was mixed with a bit of admiration and intimacy.

Eleventh Lady calmly took a few steps forward and avoided her support.

Madam Wen was slightly startled, but soon returned to normal.

"If you have nothing to do, stay indoors and do some needlework. Don't mess around all day long..."

On April 1st, the Xu family had removed the side curtains and replaced them with blue silk curtains.

Although separated by a curtain, Xu Lingyi's voice was clearly audible.

"Madam is in charge of household affairs, busy with everything, but she still remembers to take time out to make a small piece of clothing for Madam Tai. What about you? Have you ever been filial to Madam, even a pair of shoes, a pair of socks, or a piece of cloth?" He paused as if he remembered something, and then choked up, "... With Madam setting an example, don't you know how to follow suit?"

This is totally a training!

Eleventh Lady smiled and said to the two concubines: "It's a bit hot today, let's go sit in the waterside pavilion in front!"

Qiao Lianfang looked horrified and didn't say anything. Madam Wen agreed: "Great, great! I think the lotus flowers in Biyi Lake seem to have buds these days. When the lotus flowers are in full bloom, why don't you hold a lotus banquet? We can also enjoy the feast..." As she spoke, she reached out to help Shiyi Niang, and then as if she remembered something, she raised her hand and brushed her hair, which was not messy at all.

They came out through the curtain.

But he saw Xu Siyu standing blankly under the window frame.

Today is really complete...

As Eleventh Lady was thinking about it, she saw Xu Siyu, who heard the noise, slowly raised his head and looked over here.

His eyes, which were originally dark and bright, were now as dim as ashes.

A short sneer was heard in the courtyard, where a pinprick of air could be heard.

It was so abrupt, yet so clear.

Eleventh Lady frowned and looked over. What she saw were faces that were either gloating, or calm, or sympathetic and compassionate. She could no longer tell who had made that sneer.

She looked at Xu Siyu again.

His face flushed, and he stood there in shame, his eyes filled with fear and anxiety, and he had the helplessness and fragility of a twelve-year-old boy.

Eleventh Lady called him over.

"The Marquis is scolding Aunt Qin!" Her voice was higher than usual, and it sounded clearer in the quiet courtyard. "You have to know that the Marquis is the Prince's Junior Tutor of this dynasty. If any third-rank official from outside wants to see him, they have to take a visiting card to the Registrar's Office and wait for a reply. If he is really angry with someone, he can just raise his eyebrows to send the person away. Why is he so anxious and angry and throwing a tantrum?" As she spoke, she slowly glanced at the people in the courtyard.

Xu Siyu's eyes lit up and he called out "Mother", his slightly excited voice choked with sobs.

"Second Young Master, please come with me to the waterside pavilion!" Eleventh Lady smiled faintly, "Even I have to avoid it... In case the Marquis's anger has subsided, he will come out and see a courtyard full of people, and his temper will flare up again!"

The maid and the mother both lowered their heads.

Xu Siyu looked at Shiyi Niang gratefully, said "hmm" softly, and followed Shiyi Niang to the water pavilion.

Eleventh Lady and he took a walk beside Biyi Lake.

"The Marquis asked you to go to Le'an, what do you think?"

This was the first time Xu Siyu had ever talked to an elder in this way. He seemed a little uncomfortable.

"I'll follow Daddy's arrangements!"

There is no insincerity, no forced perfunctory... If that's the case, why should I stand under the window and listen?

Eleventh Lady stopped and looked at Xu Siyu, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Xu Siyu pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Second Aunt also said so!"

Second aunt?

Eleventh Lady was very surprised.

Xu Siyu lowered his head, "Second aunt said the same thing as mother. She said that a good man should make great achievements and return home wrapped in his horse's hide. Most of those teachers who sit in the academy are people who failed the imperial examination. How can they teach good students if they don't understand the eight-part essay and the imperial examination? Jiang Shanzhang of Jinxi Academy is different. He himself was a top scholar and entered the academy through officialdom. His knowledge, character, and insights are incomparable to ordinary people. Dad spent a lot of effort to send me there and had great expectations for me." As he spoke, he raised his head, his mouth corners raised, revealing a smile, and there was a young man's longing for the future between his eyebrows. "She also said that there are three types of unfilial behavior. To flatter and obey, and to put one's parents in an unjust position. As long as you have a straightforward character, you can do it. Don't marry and have no children, and stop worshipping your ancestors. You can also adopt a child. The only thing that is difficult is that the family is poor and the parents are old, and not to be an official is the most difficult. She wants me to study hard, pass the imperial examination, and bring honor to the Xu family in the future."

It is so difficult to pass the imperial examination. Otherwise, Fan Jin would not have gone crazy after passing the imperial examination.

But at this time, there is no better motivation than what the Second Lady said!

Eleventh Lady nodded and encouraged him with a smile: "Then Brother Yu should study hard."

Xu Siyu smiled and nodded.

Madam Wen, who was leaning against the railing of the pavilion and gazing at the Biyi Lake from afar, had a smile on her face, but there was no trace of joy in her eyes.

Xu Lingyi's words scolding Aunt Qin lingered in her mind!

Could it be that this is what the Marquis wants?

She thought about when she was a girl.

When she won first place in the abacus competition, the old man happily lifted her above his head, and then said with regret, "It's a pity that she's a girl"; when she wore the servant's clothes and went with her brother to collect cotton cloth, she knew what loom it was woven on by just touching it. Her brother rewarded her with a piece of mutton-fat jade, and then quietly said to the steward with a sense of relief, "It's a good thing it's a girl"... Later, her family wanted to marry her to the Xu family, but she didn't say a word. At that time, she just thought that the old man and brothers would never look down on her for being a girl again!

But who would have thought that if the Wen family was a fish tank, then the Xu family was the river bank. And she, like a fish thrown from the fish tank onto the shore, not only had difficulty breathing, but was also vulgar and embarrassing... and was also despised!

Suddenly she looked up and saw Qiao Lianfang's face with a hint of impatience.

"Sister Wen," the wind blowing from the water still had a bit of chill in it, she gathered the collar of her jacket, "Are we just going to stand here and wait?"

Madam Wen thought of how her smile before was full of condescending disdain, and couldn't help but say, "How about you go and take a look? The Marquis has been scolding for so long, I'm afraid his mouth must be dry!"

As she spoke, she saw Qiao Lianfang's eyes light up.

Madam Wen couldn't help laughing.

Qiao Lianfang smiled and said, "Madam and sister are waiting outside... I'd better wait outside with sister!"

Madam Wen nodded, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

A little maid ran over and didn't see Shiyi Niang, so she asked curiously, "My two concubines, where is the Madam?"

Qiao Lianfang pointed to the lakeside.

Madam Wen took out a few coins from her sleeve and gave them to the maid: "What does the Marquis want to see Madam for?"

The little maid refused to accept the reward money.

"It's okay, it's okay." Madam Wen smiled and said, "I'll buy you some candy. If you can't say it, just don't say it." Then she said, "Madam is talking to the second young master!"

The little maid hesitated for a moment and said, "Anyway, you will know it later - the Marquis asked the Madam to go and said that from now on, Aunt Qin will serve the Madam and learn the rules first!"

* * * * * *

"Why didn't you tell her that this was my intention?" Xu Lingyi leaned against the head of the bed, looking at Shiyi Niang who was moving the lamp over.

The crystal light shone on her face, giving her a simple beauty.

"The Marquis and I are husband and wife." Eleventh Lady put down the lamp and sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't say that I agreed when the Marquis told me about this. Even if I don't agree, I can't push the matter onto you when someone questions the Marquis' decision like this."

Xu Lingyi was slightly stunned when he heard this.

Eleventh Lady had taken off her shoes and got on the bed, leaning against the headboard and talking to him.

"Just don't lose your temper like that again, my Lord!" Then he told Xu Lingyi how someone had laughed at him today, how he had talked to him by the lake, and how he had responded to her. "...Yu-ge is not a child anymore, and he will get married in a few years. If you scold him without caring about anything, not only will Yu-ge not be able to hold his head up in front of the maids, but even his future wife will probably be implicated!"

Xu Lingyi said nothing.

"My Lord, please go to bed early!" Eleventh Lady smiled and put down the tent. "I heard that the beams will be put up in the yard tomorrow. When can we move back?"

Xu Lingyi smiled and hugged her: "We should be able to move in June!"

Eleventh Lady moved around in his arms for a long time before finding a more comfortable position.

"My Lord, how about we order a smaller lamp? Put it in the corner. This way it can provide illumination, but it won't be so blinding that I can't fall asleep for half a day."

"Okay!" Xu Lingyi said, "I'll talk to the Ministry of Internal Affairs tomorrow."

Eleventh Lady talked to him about Aunt Qin: "... I think, you just need to talk about it. You don't need to set rules in front of me!"

※

I’ll post the draft first, and I’ll revise it carefully when I get a call!

As for updating more in the evening, the same old thing applies: don’t wait!

sweat……