Eleventh Lady first looked Xu Lingyi up and down.

He was still wearing the bright red court robes that he had worn when he entered the palace yesterday, but the gold ornaments on the black seven-beam crown shone with a dazzling but cold light, adding a bit of coldness to his already somewhat cold brows. There was no difference from usual. But after all, he had rested in the palace for a night, so there would be some changes, right?

"My Lord," she said with some hesitation in her voice, "are you okay?

Eleventh Lady wore a moon-white plain silk jacket and a dark blue skirt embroidered with moon-white plum blossoms. Her black hair was casually tied up in a bun, and she didn't wear a single piece of jewelry. Her face was bare, her eyes were clear, her expression was calm, and she was graceful and elegant.

Xu Lingyi seemed to feel something was wrong.

Eleventh Lady likes to play with flowers and plants, and also likes to dress herself up and decorate her room, and she is very good at it. The same thing, once it passes through her hands, will reveal a little difference from the small details, which always makes people smile knowingly. It has never been like today, neither wearing small accessories to make her dress more eye-catching, nor is she original in the color matching of her clothes. Instead, she is very conventional, lacking the kind of charming and charming that she inadvertently revealed in the past.

Even when they had just gotten married, she was very cautious, but she would still pick out a pair of red gold enamel lilac earrings and put them on when she woke up in the morning. She looked energetic and made people feel better when they saw her.

What happened today? It seems like he is a little absent-minded!

As the thought flashed through his mind, a strange look flashed in his eyes.

He was fine when he entered the palace yesterday, but he looked different when he came back today...

Xu Lingyi's heart beat faster and a faint smile appeared in his eyes, making his face suddenly less solemn.

"I'm fine!" He stared at her. "What does the imperial decree say?"

In one word, too much information has been revealed.

Eleventh Lady didn't waste any words: "The auspicious date of March 12th has been set."

Xu Lingyi smiled and raised his arm, motioning her to help him change his clothes: "Your Majesty's will cannot be disobeyed, so you should prepare yourself well!"

There was a hint of nonchalance in his voice.

Eleventh Lady suddenly thought that among Xu Lingyi's several women, except for his first wife Yuanniang who was arranged by the matchmaker, whether it was Aunt Qin, Aunt Wen, or the deceased Aunt Tong and Qiu Luo, it seemed that none of them were actively sought by him, and she and Qiao Lianfang were helpless. So on the wedding night, although he was a little irritable, he still tried his best to suppress his negative emotions... He seemed to be indifferent to these things.

Or maybe things in the temple are more attractive to him?

Thinking of this, she chuckled secretly.

Not to mention an ancient patriarch like Xu Lingyi who had received orthodox feudal scholar-official education, even I myself, after living in this time and space with clan as the basic structure for a few years, have had a great change in my concepts - without the protection of the family, it is almost impossible to move forward relying solely on personal strength.

Eleventh Lady helps Xu Lingyi change his clothes.

"It's just that I've never encountered anything like this before." She thought about how she had changed over the years, how everyone helped Shi Niang when she was in trouble, and how the scene was lively when the first wife passed away. "The Marquis should have given me a reminder." Shiyi Niang handed the official uniform she took off to the little maid beside her. "After all, Yang was given by the Queen Mother. I don't know if the old rules are in accordance with the rules."

Xu Lingyi lowered his head, and Shiyi Niang pulled out the hairpin that secured the seven-beam crown.

"Should we ask the Imperial Observatory to choose an auspicious time? How many tables should we have for the banquet? Are there any particular requirements for where we stay?"

Eleventh Lady turned around and told a maid to bring in hot water. Another maid took Xu Lingyi's official uniform and hat and carefully put them in a box.

"When a new person comes into the house, what kind of gift should I give? And what should I call him? I have no idea at all!"

Xu Lingyi slowly rolled up his sleeves and watched her gradually move closer to the chattering man, with a faint smile on his face.

He had never reminded Zhen Jie'er when she was engaged and Zhun Ge when he was engaged, and she had done everything perfectly without any complaints. Why did she need to be reminded this time?

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth curved slightly into a happy arc, and he said: "The emperor said that since he has entered our family, he is a member of our family. Just don't let him bear the name of being unfilial!"

Sure enough, this is the product of compromise after political wrestling!

With the emperor's words, Yang would probably have to serve him politely.

Eleventh Lady groaned: "My knowledge is limited. I'm afraid I should ask you what to do!"

"Okay!" Xu Lingyi looked at her frowning eyebrows that quickly relaxed, and said with a smile, "We should talk to mother about this matter. After I change my clothes, we will go to mother's place."

Eleventh Lady nodded randomly, sat on the kang and drank a cup of tea.

I will look through the account books later to see what the rules were when Madam Wen and Madam Qiao entered the family. I will also call Madam Song to ask her what the rules and taboos are for taking concubines. I will have a reference for that later...

After a while, Xu Lingyi came out of the bathroom.

Eleventh Lady collected her thoughts, helped him change into the royal blue plain Huhang jacket that he wore every day, and went to the lady's place.

The old lady was not alone, the second lady was also there.

Yang's entry was also a big event for the Xu family. Eleventh Lady did not feel that the second wife's appearance was abrupt. When the old lady saw Xu Lingyi and his wife coming in, she ordered the little maid to serve tea, and then sent the servants away: "Calculate the time. If you don't come back now, you will have to come back in another hour!"

After paying his respects, Xu Lingyi sat on the kang opposite the old lady, while the second lady and eleventh lady sat on the armchairs beside the kang.

The lady then asked solemnly, "What is going on?"

"The Emperor said that the Empress Dowager was in Fengxian Hall crying for the late Emperor and asked me to go to the palace to persuade her. I asked someone to rush to Princess Fucheng to report the news. I took a step back." Xu Lingyi took a sip of the teacup and said carefully, "When I arrived, Shi Zheng had accompanied Princess Fucheng to Fengxian Hall first. Not only that, the Empress Dowager and Princess Fucheng were already fighting. One knelt on the east side of Fengxian Hall, and the other knelt on the west side, both crying for the late Emperor and talking about their own things. The Empress Dowager said that the Crown Princess had no children and she was ashamed of her ancestors. She wanted to marry a woman with outstanding character to be the Crown Prince's concubine, so that she could watch the Crown Prince have children and go to the underworld. ” Princess Fucheng said that she had been taught by the emperor since she was young, and was cautious and prudent. The emperor praised her and therefore made his eldest granddaughter the Crown Princess. She was grateful and constantly reflected on herself, not forgetting the country for personal gain. When she saw the Crown Princess, she advised that she must not use the excuse of "no children within four months of marriage" to arrange for someone to sleep with her, flatter and consolidate her favor, disrupt the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and thus confuse the upper and lower classes, corrupt the rules and regulations, reverse the ethics, and become a criminal of the royal family. If this is the case, it is better to have no children for life, carefully raise illegitimate children for the Crown Prince, and select people of virtue and talent to be selected into the royal family, to ensure the prosperity of the royal family for thousands of generations…”

Before he finished speaking, the expressions of the three women in the room changed slightly.

The Queen Mother was made Queen because she had no children. Princess Fucheng's words were simply exposing the Queen Mother's past.

"This Fucheng," the lady sighed, "is the late emperor's younger sister after all, too much is as bad as too little!"

"Exactly!" Xu Lingyi also sighed, "After hearing this, the Queen Mother pointed at Princess Fucheng and said 'you, you...' twice, and then her body went limp and she passed out."

The faces of the old lady and the second lady tensed, and they sat up straight at the same time.

"Fortunately, Doctor Liu from the Imperial Hospital was waiting outside the palace," Xu Lingyi said helplessly, "After working for more than half an hour, we finally got through without any danger."

Although they knew the incident was over, the people in the room still felt a little scared.

If the Empress Dowager died like this, not only would the Emperor go down in history as a "tyrant" who betrayed his mother, but even Princess Fucheng, Xu Lingyi, and Zhou Shizheng who were present would probably not be able to escape responsibility!

"But the Queen Mother is really ill." Xu Lingyi looked a little solemn. "After waking up, she couldn't speak clearly. She held the Emperor's hand and kept crying. The Emperor couldn't help but look reluctant. Princess Fucheng knelt beside her and cried for Concubine Wang, the mother of Princess Changning who had raised the Emperor.

The Queen Mother shuddered when she heard this and almost suffocated again. Princess Fucheng saw that something was wrong and dared not say anything more. Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang, who were kneeling outside the door, took the opportunity to burst into tears. The Queen Mother heard this and struggled to get up and go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Emperor couldn't stop her and winked at me, asking me to go and persuade them.

Speaking of this, Xu Lingyi seemed a little surprised.

"Shi Zheng was blind. Seeing that the emperor was at a loss because of the crying of Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang, he called me in and started howling too. Not only did he howl, but he also suppressed the voices of Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang. The empress dowager felt chilled and even wanted to die. Without saying a word, she got up and rammed the headboard of the bed..." He paused and glanced at Shiyi Niang, with a hint of embarrassment, "The emperor glared at me and proposed to give the two daughters of the Yang family to Shi Zheng and me as concubines."

Eleventh Lady almost laughed out loud when she heard this.

Xu Lingyi originally wanted to divert the blame to others, but ended up diverting it to himself.

The emperor must be blaming him for calling Princess Fucheng and Zhou Shizheng over!

"The Queen Mother disagreed, but Princess Fucheng thought it was a good idea. She said that as long as the Yang family agreed to give their daughter to Shi Zheng as a concubine, she would definitely treat the Yang family as a legitimate relative. She also swore an oath in the name of Taizu. After hearing this, the Emperor followed Princess Fucheng's words and persuaded the Queen Mother. She said that she disagreed with letting the two daughters of the Yang family serve the prince, not because she wanted to alienate the Yang family, but because the prince was the crown prince. If he was given the title of Liangdi just a few days after the marriage, the censor would definitely impeach him, and then someone with ulterior motives would use it to question the prince's virtue. The first is that the government is afraid that the upper class will follow suit, which will lead to the decline of morals. He also told the Marquis of Jianning and the Earl of Shouchang that since the lifting of the sea ban, the Eastern Japanese have often come ashore to rob people in Ningbo, Quanzhou and Guangdong. The ministers in the court are filled with grief and indignation, and the people in the three places are complaining about this. The court is in a turbulent time. They are the maternal family of the empress dowager, the Xu family is the maternal family of the queen, and Shi Zheng is the father of the crown princess. They are all blood relatives of the emperor. At this time, they should be of one mind and work together to overcome the difficulties. "

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but stare.

I didn't expect that the emperor's nonsense could be so logical.

The first lady and the second lady both smiled.

"The Empress Dowager refused at first." Xu Lingyi may have thought the Emperor's words were ridiculous, and his expression eased a lot. "When the Emperor spoke, Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang were both apprehensive and excited. The Emperor said he would grant the marriage, and the Empress Dowager stopped talking."

Eleventh Lady was somewhat puzzled: "Then how did it become the Queen Mother's decree?"

※

Have a good weekend, sisters!

O(∩_∩)O~