If Zhu Xiang was not mistaken, the Third Lady came back at this time and neither greeted the Dowager Lady nor did Fang mention anything... something must have happened.

Could it be related to the rumor that Fang is a murderer?

Eleventh Lady pondered and whispered to Zhu Xiang: "We are not sure whether the Third Madam has returned to Yanjing. Even if she has returned to Yanjing, she naturally does not want us to know by acting like this. Let's just pretend we don't know!"

"Don't worry, ma'am." Zhu Xiang said hurriedly, "I don't have to worry about it."

Zhu Xiang is not only smart, but also prudent. She is less frank and more gentle than Amber. Like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each has its own strengths. Shiyi Niang relies on her more and more, and often feels that she and Amber are like her left and right arms, and neither can be missing.

She thought of Amber: "Is Ping An feeling better?"

Amber gave birth to her first son on August 19 last year, and named him Ping An after Bin Ju. He is eight months old now. A few years ago, she said she had caught a cold, so she asked General Manager Bai to find Doctor Wu from the Imperial Hospital for a consultation. Eleventh Lady only found out about it then, and asked Zhu Xiang to bring some medicinal herbs over, and even visited her in person.

"Although he's gotten much better, he still has a slight cough." Zhu Xiang smiled, "Doctor Wu said that as long as we take good care of him during the days when the temperature fluctuates, he will be completely cured after he turns ten."

Ping An got whooping cough.

"Go and tell Amber that if the child needs any herbs or doctors, she can just tell Butler Bai directly. I have already told Butler Bai."

Zhu Xiang smiled and said "yes", and then she started to talk about the incident: "When I went to see Sister Hubo, Sister Yanrong also went to see Sister Hubo and brought her eldest daughter, Sister Yu."

"Oh!" Eleventh Lady laughed, "She went there too."

"She originally wanted to come with me to kowtow to the Madam, but Yujie kept crying and making a fuss, so she asked me to come back and kowtow to the Madam on her behalf." As he said this, he stood up straight and was about to kowtow to Eleventh Lady.

Maybe he's afraid of causing trouble for her if he goes into the mansion!

Eleventh Lady smiled and took her hand: "Just convey your words. I know her feelings, that's all!"

Zhu Xiang knew her temper and stopped insisting, saying, "Yan Rong also said that it was thanks to Madam that Brother Cao was able to be promoted to Junior Steward."

"Cao An is quite diligent." Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "Without me, he would have been promoted to junior steward sooner or later."

As the two chatted, Xu Lingyi's voice came from outside: "Eleventh Lady, have you finished washing up?"

Eleventh Lady hurriedly responded loudly, changed into her jacket and left the bathroom: "What's wrong?"

Xu Lingyi sat at the head of the bed holding Jing'er in his arms, a thick book in his hands.

"Come quickly." He saw Shiyi Niang coming out with an embarrassed expression, "Jin'er wants to listen to the story of "Jingwei Filling the Sea"..." Before he finished his words, Jin'er, who was sitting in his arms, stood up with a pout.

"Mom!" He opened his arms and made a gesture as if to hug her, "Mom, tell me a story!" By the end of his words, he was choking with sobs.

Eleventh Lady hurried forward and hugged him.

Only then did he realize that what Xu Lingyi was holding in his hand was a copy of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas".

She couldn't help sweating.

The classical Chinese version of Jingwei Filling the Sea only has a few short sentences. One can only recite it verbatim, while the other has been listening to vernacular Chinese since childhood... No wonder both father and son feel wronged.

Eleventh Lady thought of a compromise.

She smiled, hugged Jing'er and sat down with him under the quilt, took the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", and began to recite it, sentence by sentence in classical Chinese and sentence by sentence in vernacular Chinese.

Although he didn't understand a few sentences in the middle, he was familiar with the plot in general, so Jing'er immediately calmed down. It was not until Shiyi Niang told the story for the sixth time that he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Xu Lingyi looked a little embarrassed: "Do you usually coax Brother Jin to sleep like this?"

Eleventh Lady was afraid of waking up Jing'er who had just fallen asleep, so she nodded, patted Jing'er gently, and then put her son on the bed.

"I usually tell stories to Jing'er in spoken language!" she laughed. "At that time, he wouldn't speak at all. I had to keep talking to him, hoping that he could learn a sentence or two."

Xu Lingyi said nothing, looked at Shiyi Niang, and gently touched Jing'er's hair.

Eleventh Lady discussed with Xu Lingyi: "I want to draw some of the contents of "Youth Learning" into an album and tell Jing'er to recognize it. What do you think, Lord Hou?"

"That's a good idea." Xu Lingyi said with a smile, "I saw that Mr. Zhao used this method to teach my brother. The effect is quite good."

Eleventh Lady was very interested after hearing this.

The next morning, I went to pay my respects to the lady-in-waiting, but I only met Fang, but not Xu Siqin. Since the brothers Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian moved to Sanjing Hutong, the two children and Fang came to pay their respects to the lady-in-waiting regardless of the weather.

"Why didn't Qin'er and Jian'er come today?" Eleventh Lady asked her with a smile.

"I was delayed today by some busy work." Fang said with a smile, "I usually come at this time, but I was afraid that my grandmother would miss me if I was late. So I came first. My husband and uncle should be here soon!" Then she chatted with the lady for a few words and got up to say goodbye.

After a while, the brothers Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian arrived as expected, and they said the same thing Fang said.

Eleventh Lady smiled and went back to the house with Xu Sijie.

On the way, she asked about Mr. Zhao's album.

"…a picture was drawn on a small piece of paper for each sentence. Sometimes Mr. Zhao put all the papers in a small black box. Whoever touched that sentence would recite it. It's very interesting." Then "Hey": "Mother, are you going to give Jing'er an enlightenment?" He looked at Jing'er who was walking in front of him with the maid Ajin, his eyes widened a little, "Otherwise, when Mr. Zhao comes back, I'll ask him for a set for your mother!" He promised generously.

Seeing that the child was acting like an adult, Shiyi Niang couldn't help but laugh and said, "I want to try to teach Jin Ge'er to recognize a few words, so that he won't have a hard time when he goes to school." She also wanted to know what Mr. Zhao had drawn, so she asked, "Does Mr. Zhao have a few sets of such picture books?"

Xu Sijie said, "Fourth brother has one set, I have one set, and I also found one set in the master's study!"

"Then please ask Mr. Zhao for a set for me!" Eleventh Lady smiled. She went back to the room and called Qiuyu to bring in the paper. "Let's draw some patterns." As she spoke, she picked up the brush and started drawing on the paper. "Draw a few water grass patterns for the wedding shop owner, and let them embroider them around the handkerchief, leaving a blank in the middle. It's generous and simple."

Seeing that Shiyi Niang's brushstrokes were as smooth as flowing water, Xu Sijie's eyes widened even more: "Mother, you are amazing. Your painting is exactly the same as Mr. Zhao's."

"How can it be exactly the same!" Shiyi Niang smiled and handed the brush to Xu Sijie, "Just draw it like this, okay?"

Xu Sijie responded respectfully and began to paint according to her instructions.

Although his brushwork is a bit clumsy, it is very rare considering his age.

Eleventh Lady kept praising him: "Back then, I learned to draw lines from my teacher, and it took me more than half a year to become a master."

Xu Sijie was very happy to hear this and suggested: "It doesn't look good to just paint green waterweed patterns. Why don't we paint some wisteria in the waterweed patterns? This way the colors will be brighter."

Eleventh Lady thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Everyone has different preferences. Why don't we find a few more kinds of flowers to embroider on it!"

"How about Honeysuckle? How about Jasmine?

The two of them chatted and laughed, and by the evening, they had already drawn seven or eight patterns.

When they went to pay their respects to the lady, Fang came without fail, while Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian used the excuse that they had social engagements and could not come.

The lady frowned slightly after hearing this: "You are still young, and it is time for you to study at home. Why do you have to attend any social events?"

Fang smiled gently: "I didn't ask. I sent someone to ask my grandmother when I got back."

Or maybe it was really a relationship between two generations. The lady doted on Xin Jie Ge and Jing Ge Er very much, and she also loved Fang Shi very much.

"You don't have to ask!" The old man smiled, "otherwise she will think you are relying on me for support. Wait a few days, I will come and ask him myself."

Fang knelt down and bowed to thank the lady.

The lady turned her head to look at Shiyi Niang and sighed, "This is another one who is as honest as you! If it was Danyang, he would have hugged me and cried and laughed."

"Fifth brother's wife is of genuine character. I am a little inferior to her." Eleventh Lady said a few polite words.

Fang smiled along.

In the next few days, the Xu Siqin brothers and Fang still came to pay their respects to the old lady. Not only Eleventh Lady, but even the old lady became suspicious after seeing this.

She asked Eleventh Lady: "Could it be that the young couple had a quarrel? If so, you, as their aunt, must go and take a look and give them some advice."

Eleventh Lady seemed to have taken on a hot potato, but as the wife of the Yongping Marquis who was in charge of household chores, she had no reason to refuse.

She smiled and agreed. Just as she was about to ask Mother Song to prepare the carriage, Xu Siyu asked to see her.

"Grandmother, mother," he bowed, his eyes showing a smug look that he couldn't hide, "Uncle Fang, Mr. Fang, won the third place in the imperial examination."

The lady was delighted: "This is great news." Then she said to Xu Siyu, "Go and tell your father about it, and let him be happy too."

Xu Siyu said hurriedly: "My father told me this news."

Since it was Xu Lingyi who asked, there must be news from Qian Ming.

Eleventh Lady sent Qiuyu to ask.

Qiu Yu came back: "No. 309, awarded the title of Tong Jinshi."

In the end, no miracle happened to turn Qianlong's situation around.

As for Fang Ji, the Xu family ordered a boxwood stationery from Duobao Pavilion. As for Qian Ming, Xu Lingyi personally went there.

"I begged him to release the county magistrate." Xu Lingyi came back with a bitter smile, "He said that instead of being the head of the Six Questions or drafting the emperor's will in the Ministry of Travel, it would be better to be the county magistrate in the county, do some real work, and be promoted to county magistrate, and dominate the area."

"What does the Lord mean?"

"I think this is a good idea." Xu Lingyi pondered, "Zhenxing will be disbanded soon, and I want to keep him in the Six Departments."

If Qian Ming also stayed in the Sixth Department, it would really be too conspicuous.

"Did Big Brother agree?"

"My father-in-law agreed." Xu Lingyi answered irrelevantly, "I am also following my father-in-law's orders."

Eleventh Lady chuckled.

A little maid ran in and said, "The new champion is here!"

Xu Lingyi smiled and went to the flower hall in the outer courtyard.

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It's just a rough draft, please just read it for now, I'll fix the bugs tomorrow.

O(∩_∩)O~