Chapter 443 Leaving the House (Part 1)
Eleventh Lady and Xu Lingyi were laughed at by the Lady Dowager and Mother Du, but they never understood why they were being laughed at.
After breakfast, Xu Siqin, Xu Sijian, Xu Siqi and Xu Sizhen came to visit Xu Sizhen. The lady asked Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang to sit in the east room.
"After Aunt Yi left, Qin and Zang lived in the outer courtyard, so the courtyard of the third room was vacant." The old lady sat on the beauty couch and smiled, "I think, with the smartness of our third daughter-in-law, she should have collected all the things that should be collected in the house. There is no need to worry about someone taking them away." Then she looked at Shiyi Niang, "I think you should find two maids to help them look after the incense tables and stone benches!"
It was rare for the first lady to be in such a good mood, and she started teasing the third lady.
Eleventh Lady smiled and replied “Yes”.
The lady nodded slightly, and her smile gradually faded: "I heard that your concubine Qin has been feeling unwell these days?"
Eleventh Lady was slightly startled and couldn't help but look up at Xu Lingyi.
Xu Lingyi looked calm, but he didn't respond to her as sharply as usual.
Shiyi Niang sighed inwardly and was about to respond when the Lady Dowager said to her, "Treat the disease early, otherwise it will become a serious illness if you delay it. You should keep this in mind. You should know that in addition to Concubine Qin, there are also Concubine Wen, Concubine Qiao and Concubine Yang living in your courtyard. Especially Concubine Yang, she is the gift from the late Empress Dowager, so you can't be careless. If Concubine Qin doesn't get better in two days, she can temporarily move to Junzixuan in the back garden. If she still doesn't get better, she can move to the other courtyard on Luoye Mountain for a few days. Otherwise, when Yu Ge'er comes back and sees Concubine Qin sick and squeezed together with other concubines, he will feel uncomfortable!"
For a moment, the room was quiet.
Eleventh Lady hesitated and said "yes", but her eyes couldn't help but glance at Xu Lingyi.
Xu Lingyi was looking at her.
The two people's eyes met in the air.
Xu Lingyi nodded at her.
Not long after Aunt Yi left, Eleventh Lady returned to her own courtyard.
Several aunts came over to greet them.
Eleventh Lady asked Aunt Qin, "You said you were not feeling well a few days ago. Are you feeling better these days?" She added, "I see you don't look well!"
Aunt Qin wore a scarlet burnt cloth vest over her white silk shirt, which made her face look even more haggard.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam." She said hurriedly, "Madam asked me to see a doctor when I was sick. I took a few pills of Xiaoke Shengjin Pills and I feel much better now."
Eleventh Lady nodded slightly and turned to talk to Madam Wen: "It's almost the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. I happened to be in Madam Tai's room these days. How is Qiuhong's wedding preparation going? Has she decided where to get married?"
Qiuhong's parents came from Yangzhou with Madam Wen. With the consent of the lady, they were not registered as members of the Xu family. Madam Wen had no dowry, so she was always supported by the Wen family and helped Madam Wen with some business outside. Since Madam Wen and the Wen family became estranged, the Wen family wanted Qiuhong and her family to return to Yangzhou. Hongqiu's father kept Qiuhong to serve Madam Wen on the grounds that "since ancient times, loyal ministers do not serve two masters", and resigned from his job. On the surface, he opened a store in Jinan Prefecture, but in fact he still helped Madam Wen with business outside. Qiuhong was in a hurry to get married this time. Her father was away for business, and Madam Wen had no property to bring with her, and she could not get married in the mansion.
That's why Eleventh Lady asked this question.
Madam Wen laughed and said, "It's my fault. I saw that you were always busy and worried about me, so I didn't have time to tell you about these things in detail. Qiuhong worshipped Mother Song as her goddaughter and got married in Mother Song's house. As for the wedding, both sides have already made preparations and are just waiting for the day for the bride to come in."
After hearing this, Yang smiled and congratulated Madam Wen, saying that she would go and make an extra box for Qiuhong later.
"A happy event needs a lot of excitement." Madam Wen said with a smile, "I just want you to come over to my place and sit for a while."
Ever since she heard this morning that Aunt Yi was sent to Shanyang, Aunt Qin's uneasy heart felt as if she had taken a reassurance pill and she immediately settled down.
Back then, Aunt Tong was responsible for two deaths, and all the accusations pointed to Yuanniang as the source of the incident. However, no matter whether it was Xu Lingyi or the lady dowager, for the sake of the reputation of "Lady of the Marquis of Yongping", they not only suppressed the matter, but also continued to live their lives as usual.
Although the case of witchcraft is related to her and Aunt Yi, the mask used to scare Xu Sizhen was found behind the Yan guest room, and Eleventh Lady is still not free from involvement. For the sake of the reputation of "Lady of the Marquis of Yongping", Xu Lingyi will definitely find a way to make this matter small or even nothing.
What happened later was exactly as she expected.
First, Xu Sizhen's fright was linked to the "unwarranted disaster", suppressing the witch-sucker incident; then, Yi Niang from the third room was blamed, and she, Yan Rong, and Shiyi Niang were all picked out... According to her idea, next, Xu Lingyi would send Yi Niang to the so-called Shanyang in front of everyone, and then quietly execute Yan Rong and others, and finally it would be her turn...
If she was just a maid like Yanrong, she would have been quietly executed; if she was like Yi Niang, without a son, she would have been sent away. But she was not like that. She was a concubine who gave birth to a son.
If this son had grown up in front of his stepmother, he would probably look down on her, and her life and death would naturally have nothing to do with him; if this son had been raised by wet nurses, he would probably not be close to her, and her life and death would only be a sigh. But she was not like that. Yuanniang wanted to give birth to her own son, and she didn't care about them at all...
Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs.
With this relationship, if Xu Lingyi wanted to force her to drink medicine, he had to make it sound justifiable. Not only had to make it sound justifiable, but it also had to stand up to scrutiny... But the reason of witchcraft could not be made public.
Otherwise, if Xu Siyu makes a fuss... the Xu family can't afford to lose face!
This is fate, just like the miscarriage of Tong, and the death of Qiu Luo’s son… This is fate, a fate that one cannot help but believe in!
That's her fate!
Thinking of this, Aunt Qin's smile became brighter.
She echoed Madam Wen's words: "As long as you don't mind us being noisy, we will all go and help you liven up the party!"
I'm in such a good mood!
Madam Wen felt a little surprised. Although she didn't show it on her face, she glanced at Eleventh Lady.
There was a faint smile on Eleventh Lady's face, no different from usual.
Madam Wen was a little undecided.
Xu Sizhen was frightened, and it was obviously related to Concubine Qin, but now, Concubine Feng was not only not imprisoned, but also able to come and go freely. Could it be like Concubine Tong's incident, which ended in nothing just because it involved Shiyi Niang?
"You go and add boxes to our Qiuhong, how can I complain about the noise!" Aunt Wen spoke a lot like a lotus flower, and then mentioned Amber's marriage, saying that after Qiuhong's affairs are over, she will help with Amber's affairs wholeheartedly, and guarantee that it will be more lively and more respectable than Qiuhong's. Aunt Yang and Aunt Qin echoed on the side, and the atmosphere in the room became very lively, and everyone had some smiles on their faces. Only Qiao Lianfang sat quietly on the side.
She was worried about Xiu Yuan.
Last time she went to see Mother Du, although Mother Du treated her warmly, she said that she was old and didn't know those young men, and she pushed away all the things she asked her to do. There was no good news from her mother. She was not from a poor family, but her father and brother were somewhat respectable in the Chengguo Mansion, but she herself had some shortcomings.
How could she marry Xiu Yuan to such a man?
But my mother said she couldn't see clearly.
Firstly, they had no dowry for Xiuyuan, and secondly, they had no connections for her. They looked for a matchmaker, but no one in the better family was willing to marry her.
Qiao Lianfang pondered and sighed secretly.
A little maid came in and reported: "Fourth Madam, Cao An's mother is here!"
Everyone was a little surprised.
Cao An's mother was just a sweeper in the outer courtyard.
"Let her in!" It seemed that Yan Rong had brought a letter to ask for someone from the Cao family.
He is cautious and prudent in his conduct, but he is also vigorous and swift in his actions. Shiyi Niang feels it is a pity when she thinks about it.
After Cao An's mother left, Madam Wen said cleverly, "Madam, I didn't expect you to agree to the Cao family's request for someone. However, since you have agreed, I will say something that is unpleasant but reasonable. Since Cao's father is seriously ill, the Cao family is afraid that something bad will happen to Cao's father and wants to marry him home as soon as possible. I think that after marrying Qiu Hong, you should just let Yan Rong go back, so as to avoid any accidents and delay Yan Rong for another three years."
After hearing this, Shi Niang thought for a moment and said solemnly: "What you said makes sense."
This matter was settled.
Aunt Qin began to feel a little uneasy.
Why wasn't Yan Rong dealt with?
Is there something that the Marquis didn't tell his wife? Or does the Marquis have no intention of punishing Yan Rong at all?
Then, then Yi Niang...will she really be sent back to Shanyang?
Things were going completely different from what she thought they would be. She tossed and turned in bed, feeling uneasy that something terrible was about to happen.
After thinking for a long time, she got up and quietly wrote a note saying "Something big happened at home, please come back soon". The next morning, she opened the box and took out a banknote worth 20 taels of silver and gave it to Cui'er: "Find a way to deliver this letter to the Second Young Master. When the Second Young Master comes back, there will be a big reward!"
Cui'er turned around and gave the letter to Shiyi Niang.
Eleventh Lady asked Amber to hand it over to Xu Lingyi personally.
Xu Lingyi took a look and asked Amber to take the letter to Shiyi Niang: "Let her deliver the letter! This way, I can talk about this with Yu Ge'er later."
Shiyi Niang was sad and asked Hubo to return the letter to Cui'er: "If there is no one to help carry the letter for the time being, you can find a way to help Qin Yi Niang to smooth things over."
Amber responded and left.
Cui'er sent the letter smoothly.
Aunt Qin calmed down and recited the Lotus Sutra for Aunt Yi in the warm pavilion for a whole day.
But she didn't know that the carriage that was carrying Concubine Yi collided with another oncoming carriage just after it left the capital. The carriage Concubine Yi was riding in overturned into a small ditch on the side. Concubine Yi had extremely bad luck and fell headfirst into the ditch. By the time the carriage was pulled out of the ditch, Concubine Yi was already dead.