The Fifth Lady is trying to make a big deal out of a small matter.

How could Xu Lingyi not see it?

He patted Xu Lingkuan on the shoulder and said to Madam Wu, "Don't be so reckless again!"

Xu Lingkuan nodded repeatedly: "No, no!"

Madam Five breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

The Second Madam stood up at the right moment and said, "Everyone, go away! Let Zhun-ge'er lie down and take two doses of tranquilizers and he'll be fine!"

The maids and old women who followed them all retreated after hearing this, but the old lady sat on the small stool. Xu Lingkuan and the fifth lady naturally stayed behind. The old lady took Zhun Ge's hand and asked him softly, "Do you want to eat something? Otherwise, I'll ask Mother Du to make you some longan and lotus seed soup?" Her face was full of worry.

"I'm fine!" Zhun Ge said in a soft voice, "I just want to sleep for a while!" He looked tired.

The lady heard this and said hurriedly, "Okay, okay, okay. I won't disturb you. You can get some sleep!"

Zhun Ge closed his eyes.

Eleventh Lady brought a cup of green tea over and said, "Zhun'er, come here, rinse your mouth before going to sleep."

Upon hearing this, Zhun Ge opened his eyes again, allowed Shiyi Niang to help him stand up and help him rinse his mouth, then lay down again.

Eleventh Lady tucked in the corner of Zhun'er's quilt and advised the Lady Dowager: "You should go back and rest first! I'll be watching over you here!"

The lady thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. I'll go back first. If there's anything, send someone to call me!"

Eleventh Lady agreed, and the Lady Dowager took the Second Lady, Xu Lingkuan, and the Fifth Lady back to the inner courtyard.

Only Xu Lingyi and his wife were left in the room.

Xu Lingyi suddenly whispered, "Do you think this can be considered an 'unprovoked disaster'?" There was some hope in his tone.

Even though you don't believe in Buddhism or Taoism, you still feel a little uneasy in your heart, right?

Eleventh Lady said implicitly: "Everything will be fine after the worst. Zhun'er will be fine!"

Xu Lingyi nodded.

The doctor came over panting.

After checking the pulse, it was the same as what the Second Madam said, just a little frightened, so she prescribed two doses of calming and soothing decoctions. Eleventh Lady asked Hubo to boil the medicine and not to mention it. She and Xu Lingyi chose May 26th to host a banquet for Zhun Ge'er's enthronement as the Crown Prince.

The stewards of the Xu Mansion became busy, and Eleventh Lady went to Xu Siyu's place.

In the summer, the Lijing Pavilion was full of sage, hibiscus, lily, pomegranate, crape myrtle, etc., blooming like the sunset. Wenzhu, who was directing the maid to clean the courtyard, was surprised to see Shiyi Niang. She whispered to the maid to report to Xu Siyu, and she hurried to meet her.

"Where is the second young master?" Eleventh Lady asked her with a smile.

"The Second Young Master got up at noon and started practicing calligraphy after breakfast. He hasn't stopped until now." He spoke in a tone as if he was afraid that Eleventh Lady would blame him.

Although Wenzhu and the others were chosen by her, it was Xu Siyu who lived with them day and night. If he couldn't even win over the people around him, how could he start his own business?

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded slightly, and saw Qinxiang hugging Xu Siyu and walking towards her slowly.

"Mother!" His body was tense, and although his movements were standard, they lacked calmness, making him seem a little stiff.

"I came specially to see you." Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "I heard that you got up early to practice calligraphy. Did I disturb you?"

Xu Siyu was slightly startled when he heard this. He bent down slightly and was about to salute in reply, but Shiyi Niang had already walked towards his room.

He had no choice but to keep up while whispering, "I'm a little tired from practicing, I want to take a break!"

"That's good!" Eleventh Lady smiled and went into the house with him.

There are three rooms in the house, the bedroom is on the east and the study is on the west.

They went to the study.

A half-written piece of rice paper was spread out on the large desk, and a drop of ink was condensed on the tip of the wolf-hair brush placed on the pen holder. It was obvious that he had received the message and had hurried out to meet the enemy.

Eleventh Lady pretended not to know and walked to the desk to admire his calligraphy.

"It's not well written!" Xu Siyu was a little embarrassed.

"No!" Xu Siyu's handwriting was very delicate. Shiyi Niang said fairly, "I think your handwriting is well-structured, with smooth strokes and a refined and elegant style. However, it also lacks some strength. If it continues like this, it will inevitably become ordinary."

Xu Siyu's eyes lit up and he said, "Then according to mother, how can one be considered to have strong bones?"

"Your finishing strokes are as smooth as flowing water, which is rare. But when you start writing, you seem weak and even hesitant..."

Eleventh Lady talked about calligraphy with Xu Siyu for most of an hour, then went to Xu Sijie's place, stayed for a while, and then returned to her own room.

The next day, she went to Xu Siyu again.

Xu Siyu looked at Shiyi Niang in surprise.

Eleventh Lady only talked about calligraphy with him.

Xu Siyu was a little absent-minded at first, but later, seeing that Shiyi Niang was speaking brilliantly, he gradually became involved and began to discuss calligraphy and painting with her.

On the third day, Eleventh Lady went again... Xu Siyu took out his old works and showed them to Eleventh Lady. The two of them commented on them again, and Eleventh Lady did not leave until it was time for dinner.

Xu Siyu sent Shiyi Niang to the door, raised his eyelids to look at Shiyi Niang, and said softly: "...I will practice calligraphy well!" It seemed as if he was stating something, and also as if he was explaining something.

Such wisdom...

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded, whispering, "Then I won't try to win you over. Tomorrow we will host a banquet for your fourth brother to be crowned the Crown Prince and host a banquet for all relatives and friends."

Xu Siyu bowed and watched Shiyi Niang leave.

Just as he turned around, a maid wearing a scarlet coarse-woven burnt cloth vest came out from the side path: "Second Young Master, Auntie asked me to come and see you."

Xu Siyu's body stiffened and he nodded lightly.

The maid stepped forward with a smile on her face and bowed to Xu Siyu...

* * * * * *

After the banquet, the Xu and Jiang families began to discuss the marriage.

The Xu family invited Prince Shun to be the matchmaker and exchanged engagement letters. Eleventh Lady made a red gold necklace with a double lucky locket and a red gold necklace with lotus patterns. She also took out a pair of lotus seed-sized South Pearl earrings, a pair of red gold earrings with rubies, a pair of red gold bracelets with a little oil, a pair of red gold silk bracelets, a ring engraved with peaches, a ring engraved with pomegranate flowers, a red gold ring with a mutton-fat jade gourd, a red gold ring with a jadeite ruyi, and a dozen boxes of tea and a dozen boxes of wine and sent them to the Jiang family as small engagement gifts. The two families discussed that after the ninth daughter of the Jiang family came of age, the big engagement and the wedding date would be set.

The progress of the matter made both families very satisfied. Especially since Xu Sizhun was made the crown prince. Lord Jiang took the initiative to mention that Xu Siyu went to study at Jinxi Academy.

"… Although traveling in the summer is particularly tiring, time is money. If we set out now, we can reach Le'an in late June. If everything goes well, you can catch up with the boy's exam next spring."

Xu Siyu was originally from Yanjing, and if he took the boy's exam, he would have to return to Yanjing at the end of the year. Excluding the round trip, Xu Siyu had five months left to study. And this was in the case that Jiang Song had never met Xu Siyu.

Eleventh Lady took a breath of cold air when she heard this.

Is the Jiang family too eager? Or is Lord Jiang too arrogant? Or is the Jiang family really sure of this?

"...Brother Yu has studied with the teacher of the clan school for a few years." Xu Lingyi was optimistic. "With the guidance of a famous teacher, I think it is not an exaggeration to say that he can live longer."

Yannian is Jiang Bai's pen name.

After the engagement, the two addressed each other by their courtesy names.

Well, now that I’ve gone to Le’an, I have to let go of some things!

Eleventh Lady thought of what Amber had said to her: "... right after you left, Xiaoyu, who was beside Concubine Qin, went to see the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master sent away the servants and said something unknown. But he tossed and turned all night without closing his eyes. When he woke up the next day, his eyes were all black. Wenzhu was so scared that she ran to Liufangwu to fetch spring water to apply to the Second Young Master's eyes." As she spoke, she paused and said, "Do you think we should change someone to accompany the Second Young Master to Anle?"

"No need." Eleventh Lady smiled, "Who doesn't have a few close friends around him, and who doesn't have a few restless people around him? If one is gone, another will come. It's better to just leave Wenzhu. After all, we are the ones who settled her. Since she can remember the good things about the Second Young Master, she will remember the good things about me. Besides, we don't want her to harm the Second Young Master."

The thought flashed through her mind, and Eleventh Lady said, "Then I'll help Yu Ge'er pack his luggage tomorrow!"

Xu Lingyi took her to see the main house which had been renovated: "...it has been painted, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it. Leave it for half a month, then you can move in."

The black painted courtyard gate, corridors, floor columns, and window frames were all repainted. A large screen wall was added at the entrance, and the corner door leading to the concubine's residence in the east was painted white.

Shiyi Niang was very surprised. Seeing Xu Lingyi had already bypassed the screen wall, she suppressed her confusion and followed him.

The three-room wing rooms on the left and right of the screen wall were also newly added. The original three-room hall was changed into the main hall, and an annex was built on the right. Behind the main hall is the main room. An annex was also added to the wing rooms on the left and right. In the back of the seven-room building, a three-room wing room was built on the west side, and a hall was built on the east side.

The amount of work was beyond Eleven Niang's imagination, and the added hallway...

"This is?"

"You can't always use mother's flower hall." Xu Lingyi said calmly, "From now on, you can handle household chores in the main hall in front!"

Eleventh Lady walked into the hall in a daze and saw the long alley between the east courtyard and the main courtyard.

The back room is where the maids live. Originally, the corner door for the concubines to enter and exit was next to the main door. Now, it is next to the back room...

* * * * * *

Shiyi Niang quickly helped Xu Siyu pack his bag. She didn't know what Xu Lingyi had said, so she secretly gave Xu Siyu a purse with five twenty-liang silver notes in it: "...keep it for emergency use."

Xu Siyu was stunned for a long time before he reacted. Just as he was about to say something, Wenzhu announced through the curtain: "Aunt Qin is here!"

He was stunned again.

"You are leaving, I'll ask Aunt Qin to help you pack your things!" As Eleventh Lady said this, Amber had already lifted the curtain.

It's only been a month since I last saw her, but Aunt Qin is like a flower that hasn't seen the sun for a long time. Although her skin is still fair and plump, it has lost its vibrant glow.

She bent her knees and saluted Eleventh Lady, calling her "Madam" softly, her voice choked with sobs.

Eleventh Lady nodded slightly and quickly left Lijingxuan with her maid.

Mrs. Jiang left Beijing with her daughter on June 4, accompanied by Xu Siyu and his party.

※

Today I finally finished sending out the New Year gifts to my uncles, aunts, uncles, cousins...all my aunts and uncles!

Cleaning tomorrow!

PS: Blushing, she whispered: "Pink ticket..."