The crying gradually turned into sobbing.

Fang Jie'er raised her head shyly: "Aunt..."

"Are you feeling better?" Eleventh Lady looked at her, her eyes full of smiles.

Fang Jieer nodded, her brows relaxed a lot. She wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief: "Mother always puts on a forced smile every time she comes... I feel depressed too..."

But her status and position prevented her from expressing herself freely.

Eleventh Lady nodded in understanding.

But Fang Jie'er didn't know what to say.

Giving birth to a daughter, the emperor's disappointment, the queen's pity, the prince's comfort... even her father told her that the Zhou family wanted to send the daughter of an old friend to the palace to consolidate their favor, and her mother hinted that she should arrange for her own beautiful maid to sleep with the prince. All of these were within her expectations and the most appropriate approach at the moment. She just had a grudge in her heart that she couldn't get rid of, but she had no place to get rid of it.

After thinking about it, she thought of Shiyi Niang. The woman who would use colorful silk threads to make bats as buttons even if it was just a small cotton jacket...

She did not disappoint herself.

There is no hypocritical social engagement, no perfunctory courtesy. Tell yourself, "Just have a good cry, but remember, after this cry, never cry again."

Just like a mother, no matter whether what she does is right or not, no matter whether it is appropriate or not, strictness always comes after indulgence.

At that moment, she had no more scruples, she followed her heart's desire and cried bitterly.

After crying, the anger will subside. When the anger subsides, it is time to face reality.

Some things don't need to be said.

Eleventh Lady saw it all.

Fang Jie'er was born in a princess's mansion and was very clever. Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Shiyi Niang knew that she had regained her composure and rationality. She also put aside what had just happened and chatted with her: "Where is the little princess? Is she with the wet nurse? It's a pity that I was not feeling well and could not attend the princess's third-day baptism ceremony. I wonder who the little princess looks more like?"

There was no curiosity, no surprise, no silence, but a spring breeze that gave Fang Jie'er a way out.

Fang Jie'er was a little surprised, but she felt that Shiyi Niang's reaction was reasonable.

Such a kind and graceful woman should not be an ordinary woman.

She smiled sweetly and said, "The little princess looks like me. She is brought to me by a wet nurse every afternoon to show me." Then she called a palace maid in and said, "Go and see if the little princess has woken up. Let the wet nurse bring her to Madam Yongping to show her."

The maid left immediately.

Eleventh Lady hurriedly said, "Don't disturb the little princess's sleep!"

"She sleeps every day." Fang Jieer smiled in her heart, "It doesn't matter if I wake her up or not." Then she told her how small the little princess's hands were, how black her hair was, and how bright her eyes were when she looked at people. She became happier and happier. Not only did she bring the little princess out to show Shiyi Niang, she also chatted with Shiyi Niang until the evening before letting her leave the palace.

Xu Lingyi had been waiting in front of Chengguang Gate. When he saw her coming out, he hurried forward and asked, "Are you okay?"

Eleventh Lady's face turned pale and she started vomiting as she hurried out of the Shenwu Gate.

Someone who knew Xu Lingyi hurriedly brought hot tea over. After taking two sips of the tea, Eleventh Lady felt better and quickly signaled Amber to go home quickly.

Xu Lingyi gave the guard a business card and took the sedan chair back to Lotus Garden.

As soon as she got home, Eleventh Lady lay down and fell asleep without eating anything.

Seeing that she was very tired, Xu Lingyi did not bother her, but told Amber and the others to prepare a midnight snack. Who knew that Shiyi Niang slept until dawn, woke up feeling hungry, ate some porridge, and vomited all over the place.

"Why is it the same as before?" Xu Lingyi was very worried.

"It's okay!" Eleventh Lady comforted him, "Maybe you're too tired. Just rest for two days and you'll be fine."

After two days of rest, there was no improvement, which alarmed the Madam Dowager. She scolded Xu Lingyi, "The Crown Princess is young and ignorant, and you are fooling around with her. How can you let her enter the palace?"

Xu Lingyi had no choice but to stand aside and smile awkwardly.

Eleventh Lady was afraid that he would lose face, so she tried to persuade the Madam: "It's my pregnancy that's not good! The Marquis didn't expect it to recur again."

Seeing her taking care of Xu Lingyi like this, the lady was both happy and worried. She was afraid that she would feel unwell again, so she discussed with letting Mama Tian and Mama Wan come to serve her.

Eleventh Lady naturally agreed readily, and asked Amber to take four pieces of gold-covered embroidery, four pieces of Gu wool, four pieces of white silk from Songjiang River, a pair of red gold Buddha's hand hairpins, a pair of red gold bracelets, and four red gold rings from the storehouse, and rewarded them to Mothers Tian and Wan.

The two mothers thanked her again and again, and from then on they worked as waiters in Eleventh Lady's room, doing their best to take care of her health.

Eleventh Lady's condition did not improve, and on March 15th, she even fell ill.

Both Mother Tian and Mother Wan felt that something was wrong, and asked Eleventh Lady carefully what was wrong with her.

Eleventh Lady smiled bitterly: "I just think it has a weird smell, and I feel uncomfortable when I smell it."

The two mothers, Amber and others checked everything inside and outside the house, but couldn't find out what was going on. Just as they were wondering, Eleventh Lady started vomiting again.

Mother Tian stood beside Eleventh Lady, thoughtfully smelling a faint fragrance.

Her heart moved.

He apologized and looked through all of Eleventh Lady's things, but he didn't smell the same fragrance he had just smelled.

Mother Tian's heart was beating fast and she smelled the faint fragrance again.

In just two breaths, Eleventh Lady leaned over the kang and vomited.

Mother Tian didn't dare to say anything and went to the lady's place.

The lady's face turned ugly, and she whispered to Mother Tian: "Stay with Eleventh Lady for a while and see where the fragrance comes from."

Mother Tian left immediately.

A maid from the ancestral hall came over to ask the Madam for instructions: "The Ciyuan Temple has sent a master to come here at 11:00 am tomorrow!"

The lady thought for a moment and said to the jade tablet, "Go and tell that old woman to ask the master sent by Ciyuan Temple to come and see me!"

Yuban responded and spoke to the old woman standing in the middle of the yard.

The old woman quickly brought the master from Ciyuan Temple over.

"Tell Jining that the ceremonial hall for my fourth daughter-in-law who passed away will be set up in Ciyuan Temple. The ceremonial hall will last for 21 days. We will need 1,000 gold and silver paper ingots, paper money, three sacrificial animals, and five tables of feasts."

The receptionist was pleasantly surprised and agreed immediately.

The lady went to Eleventh Lady's place.

Several maids were looking for something in the bushes in front of and behind the house.

"What are you doing?" The lady came into the room, asked Eleventh Lady, who was lying on the kang, not to get up, sat on the brocade stool in front of the kang, and asked Mother Tian.

"Madam said it sounded like the scent of some flower." Mother Tian said with a smile, "I have smelled it in previous years, but I can't stand it this year. So I asked the maids to look around the house."

The lady nodded and told Madam Du to give the blood swallows she brought to Madam Tian: "We can't go on like this. Stew them for her to eat."

Mother Tian hurriedly took it and went to the kitchen.

Eleventh Lady felt very sorry.

Instead, the lady comforted her: "You don't want this to happen." She also told Mother Song to take good care of Eleventh Lady, and then went back to the house.

Xu Sizhun received guidance from Mr. Zhao and practiced repeatedly at home how to preside over the rituals of the memorial day. After school, he practiced for Shiyi Niang to see.

Eleventh Lady nodded with satisfaction: "Our brother Zhun has grown up."

Xu Sizhun held the hand of the pale Eleventh Lady, his eyes filled with worry: "Mother, you have to get better soon."

Shiyi Niang thought of how Xu Sizhun had held Yuanniang's hand like this by the bed when Yuanniang was seriously ill, and she was about to cry. She smiled and held Xu Sizhun's hand in return: "With Zhun brother helping mother, mother doesn't have to worry, she will get better soon."

Xu Sizun nodded vigorously, looking like a little adult.

On that day, he changed into plain clothes early in the morning and went to pay his respects to Eleventh Lady.

Mother Du looked at it in surprise: "Is the Fourth Young Master going to the temple today?"

"No." Xu Sizhun said, "My mother said that she was ill and asked me to preside over the memorial service for her mother."

Mother Du couldn't help but secretly curse.

How could I forget about this!

He asked someone to serve Xu Sizhun breakfast and then went to report to the lady.

The lady smiled bitterly when she heard this: "I'm old now, I can't take care of the other side if I can only take care of one side." Then she said, "Call him in, I'll tell him. I'm afraid that the Fourth and Eleventh Lady don't know yet, you can also tell them."

Mother Du responded and went to Shiyi Niang.

Xu Lingyi's face darkened after hearing this. Eleventh Lady thought about it and discussed with him: "How about, Lord Hou accompany Zhun Ge to the temple?"

This is all we can do!

Xu Lingyi ordered Manager Bai to prepare the carriage and horses.

Mother Du went back and reported to the lady.

Mother Tao waited outside the ancestral hall but could not find Xu Sizhun. The masters who were doing the water and land rituals were nowhere to be seen. She sent her maid to look for Xu Sizhun.

"Mother Tao." The little maid ran back breathlessly, "The water and land ceremony for the deceased Fourth Madam's memorial day has been moved to Ciyuan Temple. The Marquis took the Fourth Young Master to Ciyuan Temple."

"How could this happen?" Mother Tao was a little stunned. "Didn't we agree on it a few days ago? Why did we change it to Ciyuan Temple?"

The little maid whispered, "I heard that the Fourth Madam was a little uneasy, so the Madam temporarily changed the water and land Taoist temple to Ciyuan Temple."

Mother Tao felt so angry that her sides ached.

"She is not at peace. If she is not at peace, she should worship her eldest aunt and ask her to bless her with peace and success. But she actually asked her deceased eldest sister to make way for her... Isn't it just a pregnancy? She doesn't even know whether it's a boy or a girl, but she's acting so arrogantly! Back then, she was just a maid giving birth to a girl, and she was begging and fawning in front of the eldest wife..."

The little maidservant broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this, and hurriedly pulled Mother Tao: "Mom, let's go back first! Didn't you say that you asked someone to write a poem for the deceased Fourth Madam and burn it for her? Don't waste time!" Only then did she persuade Mother Tao to go back.

Mother Tao asked the little maid to wait in front of the hanging flower gate: "As soon as the fourth young master comes back, you must tell me! This matter cannot end like this."

The little maid had no choice but to go to the Chuihua Gate.

When I passed by Eleventh Lady's courtyard, I heard a little maid in the courtyard exclaiming, "Found it, found it!"

When Tian's mother heard this, she immediately ran over and asked, "Let me see what it is."

The little maid held a handful of grass-like plants in her hand and said, "Mom, smell it!"

Mother Tian immediately showed surprise: "This is the taste!"

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This is to make up for the extra update from last Friday, March 18. I will update the rest slowly.

O(∩_∩)O~