"What's up?" The lady stood up hastily. "Did you find out anything?"

Xu Lingyi glanced at Shiyi Niang and said, "The maid on duty said that she saw the dark figure enter the main room."

Eleventh Lady was shocked.

The only thing that can be called the main house of the Xu family is the courtyard where they live.

"I've already asked someone to call Xiaowu," Xu Lingyi said with a cold expression, "ask him to help investigate this matter thoroughly." He looked at the old lady, but the words he said were instructions to Shiyi Niang, "Amber, go tell Madam Song to lock all the doors to the main room and wait for Xiaowu to come over."

Is he avoiding himself?

Eleventh Lady's eyes flickered slightly.

But I immediately explained to myself: If it were me, I would probably think the same way!

She straightened her back and whispered to Amber, "Go tell Mother Song to lock all the doors and tell everyone in the yard, whether they are visiting or playing in the yard, to stay where they are. Anyone who dares to move around will be punished with ten big strokes of the cane first."

Xu Lingyi looked at her with slight surprise.

Eleventh Lady lowered her eyelids.

There is a dull pain in my heart like a needle prick.

Amber was dejected and left.

The room fell silent, and a suffocating solemnity filled the air.

The lady looked at Eleventh Lady, whose face was calm but whose posture was as firm as a pine tree, and then looked at Xu Lingyi, who seemed a little uncomfortable and wanted to say something but hesitated, and said softly, "Okay, okay, you all sit down first!" This broke the silence in the room and eased the atmosphere.

Eleventh Lady murmured “yes” and sat down again. Xu Lingyi thought about it and sat on the armchair next to Eleventh Lady.

The room fell silent again.

Xu Sizun suddenly murmured softly: "Mother, mother...", his hands dancing in the air.

Eleventh Lady ran over immediately.

The lady had already held Xu Sizhun's hand and whispered anxiously in his ear: "Zhun'er, Zhun'er, I am your grandmother..."

Xu Sizhun seemed to be trapped in a nightmare. Not only did the lady's words fail to comfort him, but he let out a shrill scream and struggled to break free from the lady's hand.

The lady hurriedly held Xu Sizhun in her arms, put her face against his, and kept comforting him: "Zhun'er, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, with grandma here, no one dares to do anything wrong..."

Xu Lingyi also rushed over. He stood behind Shiyi Niang and looked at his son anxiously.

Xu Sizhun was held in the arms of the lady, his eyes closed, his head covered in sweat, his black hair wet and sticking to his pale little face. From time to time, he showed a frightened expression and shouted "Mother".

Eleventh Lady's eyes were filled with tears. She called out "Mother" and bent down slightly to look down at Xu Sizhun: "Do you want to light a sleeping incense?"

The lady's mouth twitched slightly, and she was about to speak when Xu Sizhun suddenly screamed, straightened his body, and kicked his legs wildly - one of his kicks hit Shiyi Niang right in the stomach.

"Eleventh Lady!"

The lady and Xu Lingyi were both horrified.

Eleventh Lady instinctively leaned back and stepped on the instep of Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi didn't move at all. He supported Shiyi Niang with one hand and covered her abdomen with the other hand: "How are you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Seeing Shiyi Niang's pale face and pursed lips for a long time without saying anything, his heart was beating wildly. He didn't care about anything anymore and hugged her sideways. "Shiyi Niang, Shiyi Niang!" He called her in a low voice, with a trace of panic in his voice that he himself didn't expect. "Are you okay?" While asking, he carefully placed her on the lady's bed, then sat on the bed and gently stroked her forehead, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Seeing that Shiyi Niang didn't say anything, the lady-in-waiting panicked Xu Lingyi again. He was extremely anxious and wanted to go over to take a look. However, he was holding Xu Sizhun in his arms. It was difficult for him to move left or right. He couldn't help but burst into tears and scolded the two frightened maids: "What are you doing standing there? Why don't you go over and take a look!"

The two maids came to their senses with a start and hurried forward to check.

Xu Lingyi's warm hands and loving gestures gradually calmed Eleventh Lady down. She took a deep breath, quietly felt the condition of her body, and moved her four limbs. Feeling nothing unusual, she said conservatively, "I don't feel anything. When the doctor comes, let him check my pulse!"

Xu Lingyi relaxed as he listened.

He helped Shiyi Niang take off her shoes: "Then close your eyes and rest for a while."

Eleventh Lady's sense of smell has become very sensitive due to pregnancy. The strong scent of lilies in the lady's bedding made her feel very uncomfortable. Thinking about what happened today, she felt that there were invisible hands hiding in a place she didn't know, gently plucking the strings of fate, making it hard to guard against... She was worried that the lily scent would be harmful to the fetus. But she couldn't say anything in front of the lady, so she could only whisper to Xu Lingyi: "I don't like the smell of lilies, please let me get up!"

Xu Lingyi's expression froze when he heard this.

Eleventh Lady thought he was unhappy because she disliked the Lady's incense. Just as she was about to explain, Xu Lingyi pointed to a maid and said, "Go and tell Amber who is by the Fourth Lady's side to bring over the Fourth Lady's usual bedding."

In such a situation, the maid wished she could grow wings and fly away. She immediately bent her knees and said "yes", and trotted out of the lady's inner room.

Xu Lingyi said to the lady dowager, "Mother, Eleventh Lady can't stand the scent of lilies..." As he spoke, he looked around, trying to find a place to resettle Eleventh Lady.

The lady thought for a moment and said, "Then move the beauty couch from the east room over here." Just as she finished speaking, Xu Lingkuan lifted the curtain and walked in.

"Mother, Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law," he said solemnly, "I've heard everything. Danyang is checking the maids, young wives, and rough servants in our house. He will come to accompany mother and Fourth Sister-in-law when he is done." He ran to the kang and looked at Xu Sizhun, "How is Brother Zhun now?"

Seeing Xu Lingkuan act so efficiently, both the lady and Xu Lingyi showed relieved expressions.

"I've already gone to get the imperial physician!" Xu Lingyi stood up, "Come with me to the main room."

Xu Lingkuan agreed, then hesitated and asked, "Should we ask my second sister-in-law to come over and help?"

After hearing this, Xu Lingyi looked at Shiyi Niang with a hesitant expression.

This matter has been known to the whole family, what else does he have to worry about?

Eleventh Lady seemed to be thinking about something.

"I'll go to the east end for a break!" she murmured. "It's quiet over there, so just send a little maid to watch over it. If anything happens, you can always call me."

Xu Lingyi nodded thoughtfully, and after a moment of silence, he whispered, "Okay. When Amber comes, you'll have someone to serve you."

Eleventh Lady nodded at him, greeted the Lady Dowager and Xu Lingkuan, and stood up to go to the east room.

A burning gaze fell on her shoulder, making her feel a burning sensation on her shoulder.

* * * * * *

The eastern end room of the Taifu was a small banquet and resting room. When the wife of Yongchang Marquis Huang, the wife of Zhongshan Marquis Tang and others came to visit her, the Taifu would often invite them to play cards in the eastern end room, or invite two female teachers to sing drums. The furnishings in the room were mainly for comfort.

The rosewood furniture, royal blue curtains, beauty couch, drunkard chair, and the coffee table decorated with Milan grown with Xianyang sand are all pleasing to the eye.

Because it was early summer, the scarlet mattress on the beauty bed was replaced with a hibiscus mat made of pink jade, and the ink-splashed pillow was covered with a turmeric-colored gauze cover.

When Amber entered, Eleventh Lady was lying on the beauty couch in a daze.

"Madam," she frowned and walked over hastily, "It's just the beginning of summer, please be careful not to catch a cold."

"Oh!" Eleventh Lady stood up with a smile.

Amber hurriedly called the maid standing at the door to come in and help spread the bedding that Eleventh Lady was used to, and then helped Eleventh Lady sit on the beauty couch.

The little maid poured in some hot tea and then retreated obediently.

"Madam, according to your meaning, everyone is still where they are." Amber said immediately, "I asked Yanrong to check. Except for two people who asked for leave to go home and one who was playing cards at the nightclub, everyone else in our courtyard is here."

Eleventh Lady said nothing, picked up the teacup, and used the lid to brush the floating leaves on the water.

Seeing that she didn't care, Amber remembered that when she went out just now, she ran into Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan who went to the main house together. She called her "Madam" and her lips twitched, but she didn't know what to say.

Eleventh Lady handed a full cup of tea to Amber and leaned against the beauty's chair.

"I was thinking about this before you came." She looked up at the blue-green pattern of eight-treasure water grass painted on the ceiling. "Since they are so bold to set up this trap, there must be a trick. Not to mention that a figure flashed into the main house, it would not be surprising if they found a mask with ghost symbols painted on it in my room..."

"Ma'am," Amber became anxious after hearing this, "No, there won't be such a traitor in our house!"

"What do you mean by betraying your own people?" Eleventh Lady laughed when she heard it. "It wasn't us who did it!"

Amber realized that she had said the wrong thing and said quickly, "No, no..."

Eleventh Lady patted her hands comfortingly: "Okay, okay! I know what you mean." As she spoke, her expression gradually straightened up, "I trust all of you. But don't forget, we are not the only family living in our yard."

* * * * * *

"So, something really happened to the Fourth Young Master?" Madam Wen's expression seemed surprised and doubtful.

"Yes!" Dong Hong whispered, "Not only that, except for Sister Amber who is accompanying the Fourth Madam at the Madam's place, everyone else is waiting in the yard." As soon as she finished speaking, Yu'er rushed in, "Auntie, it's bad, it's bad, the first person the Marquis and the Fifth Master interrogated was Mother Song!"

When Madam Wen heard this, her face changed drastically. She stood up with a bang and pointed at Donghong tremblingly: "Quick, go... and ask around!"

Donghong ran out.

Madam Wen walked around the room anxiously, muttering to herself, "Who did this? Who did this?"

But before he had walked two laps, Donghong ran back.

"Auntie, auntie, the door is locked, we can't get out!"

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O(∩_∩)O~

I will continue to update today, but it's a little late! Everyone, please read it tomorrow morning!

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Thank you everyone!