Eleventh Lady followed her instructions and asked the kitchen to prepare wine and food, then returned to the lady's place.

Qi Niang was talking about what happened on the road: "...There was an inn called Gao's Inn. The pancakes were baked like paper and rolled with minced meat. It was delicious. But the room was too dirty. I didn't dare to stay there and parked the carriage in the yard to rest for a night. As a result, when I left, the owner charged me for staying in the room..."

The lady was laughing so hard that she leaned on the kang, while the children were sitting on the armchairs beside her, all of them listening with great interest, especially Xu Siyu, whose eyes were bright.

When Qi Niang saw Shiyi Niang coming in, she stopped talking and asked with a smile, "Have you found the Marquis's clogs?"

Since Xu Lingyi found an excuse to let her go, he definitely didn't want anyone to know that Zhu Anping was here. She smiled and said, "Found it!" Then she urged the children to go to bed, "...It's getting late."

Zhun Ge was still a little reluctant to leave, but Xu Siyu had already stood up and greeted the Lady Dowager and Shiyi Niang.

Eleventh Lady asked Xu Siyu to take Xu Sijie back to Lijingxuan, and she, Qi Niang and Zhen Jie'er went west. They parted ways in front of Biyi Gate. Zhen Jie'er went to Shaohuayuan, and Eleventh Lady sent Qi Niang to Liufangwu.

"Seventh brother-in-law is here!" She picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said softly.

Qinnan, who was changing clothes, froze.

"The Marquis is treating him to a drink." Eleventh Lady said, "There will be curfew soon. He will most likely stay in the outer courtyard."

Qinnan listened without saying anything.

Eleventh Lady advised: "Seventh brother-in-law sincerely came here from Gaoqing. You should at least give him some face. Why don't you think about it carefully tonight and what to say when you meet tomorrow!"

"What is there to say?" Qi Niang lowered her head slightly. "Unless I give birth to a son, it will be useless to say anything."

"How can it be useless?" Eleventh Lady stepped forward and stood beside the Falling Flower Cover. "Life is made by people. The only problem between you two is the lack of children. So talk to him about it. Either make up your mind to take a son born by a concubine and raise him under your name, or ask your Seventh Brother-in-law to give you some time, and see a doctor or pray to the gods. It's better than running away when you encounter problems like this."

"I..." Qinnan raised her head, her lips twitching, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Who would want a loving couple to have someone between them? But I couldn't say this out loud, because saying it would be jealousy.

Eleventh Lady could understand her feelings. She said softly, "Seventh Sister, why don't you take this opportunity to see a doctor in Yanjing? If there is no progress in three or five years, it won't be too late to discuss what to do then."

This would also give an explanation to the Zhu family, so that others would not gossip that Qinnan left home in anger because of the issue of offspring.

Qinnan was cheered up after listening to this.

Seeing that she understood what she meant, Eleventh Lady felt relieved and said with a smile, "If Seventh Sister agrees, I will ask the Marquis to invite Seventh Brother-in-law to the outer study room early tomorrow morning. You guys can chat a little? Seventh Brother-in-law rarely comes to Yanjing. You can resolve your worries as soon as possible, and you can also go visit relatives with Seventh Brother-in-law and see the scenic spots and historical sites in Yanjing."

Qinnan was moved after listening to this.

"Then it's settled." Eleventh Lady smiled, stood up and said goodbye, and returned to the Chui Lun Water Pavilion.

Xu Lingyi had not come back yet, so she found a bright red silk thread and sat on the kang, concentrating on making a plum blossom-shaped silk corduroy.

After a while, Xu Lingyi came back.

Eleventh Lady dropped the slippers in her hand and stood up.

"What are you doing?" Xu Lingyi strode over.

He looked slightly tipsy, looking at the red plum blossom-shaped lace lying quietly in the small rattan basket: "Are you making lace?"

"Yeah." Eleventh Lady responded briefly. While she was tidying up, she told the maid to bring some sobering soup.

Xu Lingyi picked up the string and looked at it: "It's so thin and so complicated, what is it used for?"

"Wear something." Eleventh Lady took back the net and put it in the small wicker basket.

Xu Lingyi sat down on the kang.

The little maid brought over some sobering soup.

Eleventh Lady took the soup and handed it to Xu Lingyi personally: "Seventh Brother-in-law has rested?"

Xu Lingyi nodded, picked up the soup and drank it all, then he took a long breath and said, "I've settled him in the guest room in the outer courtyard."

Eleventh Lady took the soup bowl and placed it on the red lacquered crabapple blossom tray held by the little maid. She gestured to the maids serving beside her, and they quietly filed out.

"What did you talk about?" She sat down next to Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi leaned on a large pillow covered with apricot-yellow fine gauze behind him and said, "It's said that the couple had a quarrel, and he made Aunt Seven so angry that she went back to her parents' home. He went to her parents' home to pick her up overnight, and then he knew that she had come to Yanjing. He rushed over as fast as he could."

But he came back two days later.

Even if the canopy car has made a mistake, it will take time to investigate!

What surprised Eleventh Lady even more was that Zhu Anping actually put all the blame on himself!

"What else did he say?"

"I didn't say much else." Xu Lingyi said, "Since it was just a quarrel between husband and wife, I didn't ask too much."

Eleventh Lady listened and nodded secretly.

Qi Niang left home because of the concubine incident. If it got out, she would inevitably be labeled as an unvirtuous person. Regardless of what Zhu Anping did and how he felt about Qi Niang, he could still protect her in front of outsiders. At least he was a person who cared about his reputation. Such people were mostly reasonable and the easiest to communicate with.

"I think Zhu Anping speaks and acts with a calmness and boldness, and he is not the kind of person who is rash and rude. And he is able to come to Yanjing in a humble manner," Xu Lingyi said, "Why don't you persuade Seventh Aunt to stay in Yanjing for a few days, and then go back to Gaoqing with Zhu Anping!"

The fundamental conflict between Qinniang and Zhu Anping is the child. If this issue is not resolved, even if Qinniang returns, she will leave home again. If this happens too many times, even the most loving couples will get tired. Many couples become resentful in this way.

"I've already told Seventh Sister about what happened with Seventh Sister's husband." Eleventh Lady pondered, "There are some things Seventh Sister can't understand for the time being..." She told Xu Lingyi about her plan to let Seventh Sister and Zhu Anping talk through the outer room.

"Okay!" Xu Lingyi said, "I'll make an appointment with Zhu Anping tomorrow. Please invite Aunt Seven to the outer study."

Eleventh Lady nodded and helped Xu Lingyi wash up, seeming to want to say something but stopping herself several times.

Xu Lingyi looked strange.

Eleventh Lady is not the kind of person who would hesitate like this.

"What's wrong?" He slowed down his tone.

Although it involves Qinnan's privacy, Shiyi Niang feels that Qinnan's problem will be difficult to resolve if the matter is not clarified.

Despite this, she still hesitated for a moment before she said, "Before Seventh Brother-in-law married Seventh Sister, he had concubines and also kept actresses. I want you to help find out if any of those women had ever given birth."

Xu Lingyi understood immediately: "Is it about the issue of offspring?"

Eleventh Lady nodded: "It would be great if we could know who is responsible!"

Of course, it would be best to ask Qi Niang about this kind of thing. But she was really unsure whether Qi Niang knew about Zhu Anping's pre-marriage affairs.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy." Xu Lingyi poured cold water on her. "If you don't have a wife, even if something like this happens, you will find a way to cover it up."

That's right. Otherwise, the Second Wife would definitely not marry Qi Niang to the Zhu family.

Eleventh Lady was a little depressed.

Xu Lingyi smiled disapprovingly and said, "What's the matter? If there is no movement in a few years, just keep someone in the house!"

Talking to him about this was like talking to a cow. Eleventh Lady changed the subject and told him about inviting the Jiang family to a banquet: "…First, it was because of my coming-of-age ceremony. If there is no movement, I am afraid that people will think we are being a little neglectful."

"Things are all squeezed together." Xu Lingyi listened and said, "If Seventh Aunt's matter can be resolved in the next two days, let's set it on the 15th! If there are still some twists and turns, you can send a mother to say hello first, and then make an appointment and postpone it for a few days."

Eleventh Lady nodded.

"As for the Li family," Xu Lingyi said, "we can't delay it any longer. Take some time in the next two days to go take a look. If you think it's a good place, then let's make a deal! This way, we can also push the Wang family forward quickly. If we keep delaying, it will easily lead to enmity."

Zhen Jie'er's future was decided so quickly. Shiyi Niang couldn't help but hesitate.

"What's wrong?" Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "Are you dissatisfied with the Li family's financial resources?"

"That's not the case." Eleventh Lady said, "It's better to have it yourself than to have it with your parents. I haven't seen the child, so I'm not sure."

Xu Lingyi thought of the matchmaking that Grandma Lin had done, which she had mentioned before. He smiled and said, "So, you have met the child from the Shao family?"

"I met her when I went to return the gift to Grandma Lin." Eleventh Lady said, "She is tall and good-looking. She is a perfect match for our Zhen Jie."

After hearing what she said, Xu Lingyi became a little uncertain.

Eleventh Lady has always been cautious in her actions. She must have her reasons for saying so. Besides, Zhen Jie'er is a rare tall girl.

He thought for a while and said, "Let's wait until you meet the kid from the Li family!" His tone softened unconsciously.

Yes, I haven't even met Li Ji yet, so it's too early to draw conclusions now.

"Then I'll take some time to meet the second young master of the Li family." Eleventh Lady said with a smile, then stood up and helped Xu Lingyi to rest.

Xu Lingyi saw a faint red thread in her collar and realized that she was hanging the jade pendant he gave her on her chest. He smiled and kissed her cheek before lying down.

Early the next morning, after greeting the dowager, Eleventh Lady accompanied Seventh Lady to the study in the outer courtyard.

Xu Lingyi and Zhu Anping were sitting on the big kang by the window drinking tea. Behind Zhu Anping stood a little girl with almond eyes and rosy cheeks.

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Looking closely, it turned out to be Xiangyun.

She couldn't help but look towards Qiniang.

Qi Niang's face had turned ashen.

"Grandma," Xiangyun knelt down with a plop, "You have wronged me..." She burst into tears, "I have served you since I was a child, and you just don't trust me, so you can't trust me either?"

When Eleventh Lady heard this, she hurriedly looked towards Zhu Anping.

Zhu Anping, with his fine eyebrows and handsome features, was as calm as water, and the corners of his eyes trembled slightly.

"Xiangyun," Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "please leave first! If you have anything to say, we can talk later. I still have something to say to your grandfather and grandmother!"

"Madam!" Xiangyun stood up with tears in her eyes and a sad look on her face.

Eleventh Lady winked at Amber.

Amber nodded in understanding and went forward to help Xiangyun: "Sister Xiangyun, come with me to wash our faces!"

Xu Lingyi also stood up, and under the pretext of having something to tell Shiyi Niang, he led her out the door.

Lin Bo ran all the way over.

"My Lord," he panted and whispered, "The Crown Prince's Consort has been chosen!"

※

The New Year is coming soon, and I have a lot of things to do. There are some problems with the update timing. Please forgive me!

PS: This is another draft. I’ll go home and catch bugs after get off work.