Luo Zhenxing's aunt Wang respectfully served the tea, retreated quietly, and considerately closed the lattice door.

"Why did you come here suddenly?" Luo Zhenxing picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"I just came from Fourth Sister's place." Eleventh Lady held the teacup and stared into Luo Zhenxing's eyes. "I heard from Fourth Sister that she asked Big Brother to come forward and talk to the Zhu family about the adoption."

Unlike her usual gentleness, there was a rare seriousness in Eleventh Lady's eyes, which surprised Luo Zhenxing.

"My fourth sister did tell me about this," he mused, "but I want to hear what my second uncle thinks. I have already written a letter and sent it to Shandong."

Luo Zhenxing acted as calmly as ever.

Eleventh Lady felt relieved: "Seventh sister's husband once promised Seventh sister that if Seventh sister had no children, he could adopt a child from us sisters and raise it in Seventh sister's name..." She told Luo Zhenxing the whole story in detail. Luo Zhenxing frowned and said: "Does Second Uncle know about this?"

"I don't know if Second Uncle knows about this." Eleventh Lady said, "Fourth Sister knows. Now Seventh Sister asked Seventh Brother-in-law to fulfill this promise, and we haven't met with Seventh Brother-in-law, so we don't know what happened to the Zhu family. Fourth Sister also asked me to talk to the Marquis, and if the Zhu family's affairs are reported to the government, let the Marquis come forward to suppress it. I think this matter is inappropriate, and I haven't told the Marquis yet, so I'll discuss it with my eldest brother first."

Luo Zhenxing thought for a moment and said, "You did the right thing. Don't tell the Marquis about this for now. Wait until the letter from Second Uncle arrives and I meet Seventh Brother-in-law before we talk. If Fourth Sister comes to you again, you might as well tell her straight out."

Eleventh Lady nodded and said, "Fourth sister is furious this time, and Second Uncle has always been concerned about Seventh sister. After all, we are the younger generation. Big brother, do you think we should talk to father about this? If Fourth sister's youngest son is adopted by Seventh sister, how will we explain to the Yu family? Second Uncle and Fourth sister are angry now, so they are inevitably biased, but we can't just let them do whatever they want. It is a disgrace to the family to repay a favor."

"That's right!" Luo Zhenxing nodded slightly. "Although this matter is the Second House's, it is unreasonable for us to refuse when she comes to us for help. But if Ren Qiniang acts like this, it will not only cause rifts with the Zhu family, but also with the Yu family. As for Second Uncle, we have to ask Dad to intervene." After saying this, he thought for a while and said, "Well, I'll write a letter. The Xu family can use the post station in the army. You ask the Xu family to send it to Yuhang by 600 miles. Second Uncle must intervene to take care of Seventh Sister. If that doesn't work, ask Dad to come to Yanjing."

"Then I will grind ink for you, brother?" There was no time to lose, otherwise things would change. Eleventh Lady stood up.

Luo Zhenxing was also a pragmatic person. He went to the study with Shiyi Niang.

After receiving the letter, Eleventh Lady immediately said goodbye.

Luo Zhenxing walked her to the door and said, "Seventh sister, you should visit her often these days. She has never suffered such an injustice and she feels very sad. If you can enlighten her, she will feel better."

"Don't worry, big brother!" Eleventh Lady was helped into the carriage by Mother Song, "I know what to do."

Luo Zhenxing nodded and watched Shiyi Niang leave.

Aunt Wang stood behind him with her head lowered and her eyes submissive.

* * * * * *

As soon as she returned to the lotus garden, Eleventh Lady immediately told Mother Song to find Manager Bai, and she hurried back to the main house.

He hadn't seen his mother for a long time. As soon as he saw her, Jin Ge'er's big eyes were filled with tears and he threw himself into Shiyi Niang's arms.

Eleventh Lady smiled and hugged her son: "It would be great if you could call me 'mother'!"

Jin Ge'er opened his eyes wide and looked at Shiyi Niang, looking very confused.

Eleventh Lady smiled, kissed Jin Ge'er's cheek, and spoke to him gently: "Mom is not at home, are you obedient or not?"

Jing'er covered his mouth with his little hands and laughed, as if to say "I won't tell you".

Eleventh Lady laughed: "That's irrelevant. I don't know if you understood it or not!" She sat on the kang with Jing'er.

Butler Bai is here.

Shiyi Niang handed him the letter: "There is something important going on in Gongxian Hutong. I want to send an urgent letter to Yuhang 600 miles away. I know that the Marquis has always been clear about public and private matters, so this matter is a bit difficult to handle. But I still ask Chief Steward Bai to help arrange it."

The implication was that Manager Bai should not tell Xu Lingyi.

Some things should be kept secret from superiors but not from subordinates.

Manager Bai smiled and said "yes", took the letter and left.

Eleventh Lady went to change her clothes.

She didn't want Xu Lingyi to be involved in this matter.

I thought I could persuade Si Niang. If that happened, Qi Niang would not have anyone to support her, and she might listen to some of the advice. Si Niang was always like this. Luo Zhenxing asked her to persuade Qi Niang. Honest words are hard to hear. Maybe it would backfire and make Qi Niang feel disgusted. If you say go left, Qi Niang will insist on going right...

In a flash of lightning, she suddenly thought of the fifth lady, Danyang.

Didn't she and Qi Niang talk about everything? Besides, her current brother was an adopted son. She and Qi Niang should have a common language on the matter of adoption... And although the Fifth Madam was a little spoiled, she was never confused when it came to major issues. As long as it didn't damage the reputation of the Xu family, it didn't matter if she was ridiculed for her family's affairs.

Having made up her mind, Eleventh Lady hurriedly washed up and went to the Fifth Lady.

The Fifth Lady was playing sandbag throwing with Xin Jie'er, and she was somewhat surprised when she heard the report. Although the two of them smiled when they met, it was always as if there was a veil between them, and they could not be intimate. Eleventh Lady would not visit her for no reason.

She smiled and greeted Eleventh Lady at the door: "How come Fourth Sister-in-law has time to come and sit with me today?" Seeing that she only brought a little maid, she was startled, but the smile on her face did not diminish, "Why didn't you bring Jin'er here? Our Xinjie likes to play with Jin'er. She often told me that Sixth Brother is not like Seventh Brother, who would cry for no reason."

Since she came to ask for help from the Fifth Lady, Eleventh Lady was not prepared to beat around the bush.

She exchanged a few pleasantries with the Fifth Lady and said, "I just came back from my Fourth Sister's place. Seventh Sister is at Fourth Sister's place."

"Ah!" Madam Wu was surprised and delighted. "This Qi Niang, I've been talking about her every day. She didn't even come to see me when she came to Yanjing." As she spoke, she saw that Shiyi Niang didn't look happy at all. She couldn't help but paused and said in a deep voice, "Did something happen?"

Eleventh Lady nodded: "Let's go in and talk!"

The Fifth Lady nodded solemnly, and the two of them sat down in the inner room and sent away the servants.

"I came here specially to see Seventh Sister." Eleventh Lady quietly told Fifth Lady everything that had happened.

The Fifth Lady looked at Eleventh Lady in astonishment, with mixed feelings.

Unexpectedly, Shiyi Niang would tell her all about the conflicts in her mother's family and ask her to help persuade Qi Niang.

But gradually, she felt some admiration in her heart.

From the tone of her voice, Qi Niang is now a little paranoid. Shiyi Niang can act unconventionally, and she is also a polite person.

"Should we invite her to our house on the pretext of welcoming her home? Or should I go with Fourth Sister-in-law to visit Madam Yu?" Fifth Madam asked Eleventh Lady.

The Fifth Lady agreed to help her persuade Seventh Lady, and Eleventh Lady breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go to visit Fourth Sister together!" Eleventh Lady said, "She is not in good spirits right now. If she is asked to come over, she will have to say hello to everyone. I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it."

"Well!" said the Fifth Lady, "Let's go tomorrow! I also want to see her and have a good chat with her."

"Then I'll leave it to my fifth brother's wife!" Eleventh Lady thanked her politely.

The Fifth Lady asked about the gift Fang gave to Jing'er: "...What book is it? Fourth Sister-in-law, please take it out and show it to me one day. When our Jing'er celebrates his first birthday, I will also ask for a copy."

"Come to my place someday and I'll take it out and show it to you!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, chatted with the Fifth Lady for a few words, then got up and went back to her room.

Xu Lingyi was playing hide-and-seek with Jing'er. Seeing Shiyi Niang coming in, he smiled and asked, "How is Seventh Aunt? Why did you go to Danyang again?"

"Qiniang is fine. But now that she's here, she has to talk to Fifth Brother's wife." She smiled and said, "We've agreed to go see Qiniang together tomorrow."

Xu Lingyi did not doubt it and said, "I heard that Zhu Anping is now in Jinan Prefecture."

"So wait for Zhu Anping to pick me up!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "I might visit Fourth Sister more often these days!"

Xu Lingyi hummed, and said, "Zhu Anping is going to Jiangnan in a few days. You should leave her in Yanjing, so that Zhu Anping won't come and look for her again, delaying her trip to Jiangnan."

The winter solstice is approaching, and Zhu Anping is going to Jiangnan. It seems that this matter is quite important.

This is really a case of "misfortunes never coming singly".

It just so happened that the issue of adoption came up at this time.

"Don't worry, Lord!" Eleventh Lady sighed secretly in her heart, "We still have Fourth Sister!"

Xu Lingyi didn't ask any more questions.

* * * * * *

The next day, Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady arrived at the Dowager's place one after another.

The third lady and Fang arrived early. The third lady sat next to the old lady on the big kang by the window in the inner room, mumbling something. Fang stood behind the third lady with a somewhat shy look. The old lady drank tea with a calm and even leisurely look.

Seeing Eleventh Lady and Fifth Lady come in, Third Lady immediately stopped the topic, stepped forward to greet the two of them, and used the excuse of handing over the expense account book of Jing'er's first birthday gift to the Huishi Office, and then left with Fang.

The Fifth Lady immediately went to the Grand Lady and hugged her arm: "Mother, why did the Third Sister-in-law come to see you?"

The lady said lightly, "She praised the eldest young mistress for being filial and sensible, being able to read and write, and being skilled in needlework and sewing. She is also from a wealthy family, so there is no need for her to teach her the rules."

In this way, the third lady can return to Shanyang with a legitimate reason.

I wonder if Xu Lingyi told the Madam what the Third Master meant?

As Eleventh Lady was thinking, she saw Fifth Lady asking anxiously, "What do you say?"

The lady-in-law glanced at the fifth lady and said, "I was just wanting to say that since the eldest lady doesn't have to follow the rules of a mother-in-law, the third wife should go back to Shanyang! But now you're here, so we can only talk about this next time." There was a stern look in her eyes, warning her not to act rashly.

The Fifth Lady's expression immediately straightened up. The two of them chatted with the Dowager Lady for a while, reported to the Dowager Lady, and went to the Fourth Lady's place.

Si Niang saw that Wu Madam was a little uncomfortable. When Wu Madam went to visit Qi Niang in the wing room, she couldn't help but whisper to Shiyi Niang, "Why did you bring Wu Madam here?"

※

Draft, I'll fix the bugs tomorrow.

PS: At the beginning of the month, friends who have pink tickets, please give more support!

Thanks!