Xiu Yuan stood behind the curtain and could clearly hear Qiao Lianfang's heartbroken sobbing.

Her eyes dimmed and Xu Lingyi's gentle yet stern voice rang in her ears.

"…Men should pay attention to the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, while women should pay attention to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. You should gain some insights from what you see, hear, do, and encounter during your visit to Dajue Temple. I will not mention the past. It was Madam's idea to bring you back to celebrate the New Year. I only hope that you can learn from Madam's character and temperament, and reflect on yourself from time to time. Know what you can do and what you cannot do, so that your elderly parents will not be worried about you and feel uneasy day and night…"

Xiu Li sighed softly, hesitated for a moment, and then lifted the curtain and walked in.

Qiao Lianfang was lying on the kang table, with steam still rising from the blue and white teacup with a yellow background and a shepherd's flute next to her.

"Miss!" Xiu Li stepped forward quietly.

Qiao Lianfang looked up; her delicate makeup was completely gone.

She looked at the maid who always stood by her side, and her tears fell even faster.

"He's right. My body is given by my parents. What I'm doing is disloyal and unfilial..."

Seeing that she was in low spirits and depressed, Xiu Li hurriedly called the maid to fetch some water, and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. She comforted her with a false heart: "The Marquis is angry now, don't take his words to heart. After a few days, when the Marquis's anger subsides, you will know what kind of person the young lady is!"

Qiao Lianfang shook her head slightly, her eyes revealing a bit of confusion.

"I remember when I was a child, my uncle said that my family would be extinct, so he took back all the property that was given to my father. Although the food allowance was from the public, it was far from enough to eat well and dress decently. My mother was afraid that my cousins ​​would laugh at me for not dressing well, and she didn't have extra money to hire a needlework craftsman to make clothes for me, so she often covered the window frames with quilts at night and made clothes for me by lamplight. Every night when I woke up, my mother would smile and coax me to go to sleep. I still remember that under the light, my mother's eyes were as gentle as the spring breeze, and it warmed my heart to look at her..." She recalled with a faint smile on her face. "In the summer, other people's houses had ice cubes to cool off, but ours didn't. I was ignorant and cried out that it was hot. My mother fanned me all night long..."

The maid brought in hot water. Xiuzhen helped her wash her hands and face, and she followed Xiuzhen's instructions like a puppet.

"…One time, my eldest cousin came back home, and my aunt took out the peach cakes given by the palace to entertain her. I secretly took a piece and hid it in my sleeve when no one was paying attention. As a result, my fourth cousin told my eldest aunt in front of the housekeeper of my eldest cousin's family. My eldest aunt was very angry and asked the maid to drag me all the way to my mother. I was scared to death. But my mother pushed the maid away and hugged me. My mother, who never argued with my eldest aunt, quarreled with my eldest aunt for me that time, until my eldest aunt beat the maid who dragged me with 20 boards."

Xiu Yuan listened with tears in her eyes.

"Miss!" She helped Qiao Lianfang sit down on the bed and waited for her to rest.

Qiao Lianfang lay down quietly.

"Xiu Li," her voice was as light as a breeze, "Tell me, is this what the Buddhists call karma?" She turned her head and looked straight at Xiu Li, "I was fine, but when I heard my aunt say that some daughter would be lucky enough to marry the Marquis of Yongping as his second wife, and at such a young age, she would at least be able to get a third-rank imperial decree, I thought at the time that none of my sisters had such a blessing, and I was moved and went down this path to the end..." Her eyes sparkled, "...and when I looked back, I was already a hundred years old!"

"Miss!" Xiu Li couldn't hold back any longer and cried on the bedside, "It's all Madam's fault. She instigated you behind Madam's back..."

"Instigated!" Qiao Lianfang smiled slightly. The smile was as ethereal as a mirage. "I was confused by myself. How can I blame others for instigating me? I forgot my mother's hard work and the duties of a woman from a wealthy family. I only thought about the dream of wealth and fame. How can I blame others!"

"At that time, although I was jealous of my sisters because they dressed better than me, I felt peaceful and at ease because I depended on my mother." She closed her eyes and immersed herself in memories. "In the summer, when the jasmine flowers in front of the house were in full bloom, my mother would move the books left by my father out to bask in the sun. I still remember the scent of camphor wood and jasmine mixed together, deep and light, which calmed people's hearts..."

She kept on talking and finally fell asleep.

Xiu Yuan wiped her eyes and tiptoed out of the inner room. She bumped into Zhu Rui, who was carrying snacks in a hurry.

"Hey!" she asked in surprise, "Why is my sister standing here?" She stood on tiptoe and looked at the door curtain, as if she could see the scene behind the curtain. "Am I late? It's all my fault that the mother in the kitchen spent a long time looking for osmanthus paste. Otherwise, this snack would have been ready long ago."

"No need." Xiu Li said weakly, "Take this snack back and share it with the maids!" She then ordered the maid next to her, "Bring my bedding over here. I'm on duty tonight."

Zhu Rui saw that this was not right, her face changed, and she quickly pulled Xiu Li's sleeve: "What happened? Could it be that the Marquis..."

Xiu Cheng nodded slightly.

She knew that today was the day when Qiao Lianfang would serve the emperor, so she specially helped her tie up a charming horse-fallen bun and changed her into a pink jacket to make her look more beautiful. Who knew that the Marquis only sat here for half a cup of tea and left, and also gave a long and tedious lecture. Thinking of the past and what Qiao Lianfang said just now, she had a bad feeling in her heart, thinking that her young lady and the Marquis seemed to be two people going in opposite directions, and they were getting further and further away...

"My lord, let's go back to the main house!" she whispered.

There is helplessness and frustration in the voice that cannot be concealed

"How could this happen?" Zhu Rui was stunned.

The Marquis felt that the young lady was spoiled and willful, and not as kind and honest as the Madam. He also asked the young lady to learn more from the Madam...

Xiu Li couldn't say such words, so she could only smile bitterly and said to Zhu Rui: "Go and have a rest!"

"What should we do?" Zhu Rui was so anxious that she turned around in circles. "Madam is younger than our young lady, and she is like a flower, blooming day by day... And there is also concubine Yang. She is new to the mansion. Not only is she delicate and charming, but she is also very good at dealing with people. Not only does she make Madam happy, but even concubines Wen and Qin talk and laugh with her..." As she spoke, her eyes lit up as if she remembered something. She pulled Xiu Li aside to discuss, "How about we find a way to send a letter to Duke Cheng's mansion? The Marquis will not consider the monk's face, but the Buddha's face..."

"Don't make trouble." Xiu Li immediately interrupted Zhu Rui's words, "Ever since the young lady had a miscarriage, Madam Qiao never asked about the young lady even when she came to visit the Xu family. How could she offend Madam for the young lady?"

Zhu Rui was speechless.

"It's good this way." Xiu Yuan looked at the polished bluestone bricks under her feet that were as shiny as a mirror. "Young lady, you are not as humble as Concubine Qin; you are not as good as Concubine Wen in reading people's expressions; you are not as good as Concubine Yang in appearance... I can live a quiet life like this, at least I don't have to be sent to a place like Dajue Temple!"

* * * * * *

Xu Lingyi walked in, shaking his sable cloak.

"It's snowing outside. It's all white. You should go out and take a look!"

When the snow met the heat in the house, it turned into water droplets and dripped onto the bluestone bricks.

"Oh!" Eleventh Lady stood up and took the sable cloak from his hand, smiling gently and generously as usual, "I was fine when I came back from my mother's place, how come it's snowing in such a short time?"

Seeing her with her hair down, Xu Lingyi gently helped her to comb her hair. A faint rose scent lingered in her nose: "It's so cold, and you've washed your hair again."

Eleventh Lady smiled and handed the cloak to the little maid, and told the maids to fetch water and help Xu Lingyi wash up: "After washing your hair, you will feel better."

After washing my hair, the whole quilt smelled of rose water.

Xu Lingyi smiled and looked at her with a sharp gaze, but his hand gently twisted her round and white earlobe before turning and entering the bathroom.

Eleventh Lady's face suddenly turned as red as the sunset.

Amber looked at him and retreated with her eyes lowered.

"Sister Amber, you scared me to death!" Wan Daxian's younger sister Sixi hurried over.

She was left in Shiyi Niang's room to serve Amber.

Amber breathed a sigh of relief and only then felt her forehead was wet.

Even a beauty like Fifth Auntie could only have a few good years. She was just afraid that Madam would waste such a good time and end up with an empty child...

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but frowned.

What on earth is the lady thinking about?

* * * * * *

Madam Wen sat up suddenly.

"Really!" She couldn't hide her excitement, "The Marquis has returned to the main room."

Qiuhong nodded, feeling that Madam Wen's attitude towards these matters was completely different from her usual calmness and composure.

Could it be that the aunt's constant remark that "she and the Marquis are not of the same kind" is a helpless act?

She couldn't help but reveal some doubt in her eyes.

The look in his eyes was as bright as a candle, making Madam Wen feel a little uncomfortable.

She couldn't help but murmur, "I didn't mean anything else... I didn't do anything wrong, but just because I didn't meet his wishes, he regarded me as an unforgivable sin. For so many years, he has been nagging me... Qiao Lianfang first failed to protect the Marquis's offspring, and then she contradicted the Madam, but he turned around and forgot about it... We are both concubines, why does he treat me like this and others differently..." As she spoke, she took a long breath and showed a smug smile on her face, "At least everyone is the same, and I can feel at ease."

Qiuhong was stunned.

Madam Wen waved her hand and said, "Go to sleep, go to sleep!"

As expected, I fell asleep in a happy mood.

* * * * * *

Aunt Qin covered her face and laughed. Her dull laughter, which sometimes rose and sometimes fell, sounded a bit like the cry of an owl, and scared Cui'er.

She couldn't help but call out "Aunt" in confusion.

It was a long time before Aunt Qin stopped laughing.

"It's okay, it's okay, go to sleep!"

Cui'er saw the joy in her eyes and knew that she was really happy. She knelt down and bowed with a confused look on her face and retreated.

Aunt Qin immediately jumped up and rushed into the warm room.

"Buddha, you really made my wish come true!" She knelt on the mat in her small dress, "Now the Marquis no longer pities Qiao Lianfang, in the future..." The murmured whisper disappeared in the curling Buddhist smoke.

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I'll post a draft first!

O(∩_∩)O~