"It's just a gift." Shiyi Niang said with a smile, "Besides, your Qin Ge'er not only gave me calligraphy, but also two palace fans." Then she called her, "Eat birthday noodles!"

Fang stopped talking and lowered her head to eat noodles.

The lady over there had eaten half a bowl of noodles and called Xu Sijian over, who had already drunk up all the noodle soup.

"How are you doing studying with the teacher these days? Can you take the exam next year?"

Xu Sijian smiled awkwardly: "How can I be as capable as my second brother!"

The lady smiled slightly and asked him, "What are your plans for the future?"

Xu Sijian has not thought about this question yet.

He was stunned for a long time, then said, "I listen to my father."

Everybody laughed.

The lady raised her head and said to the third master, "Every family has its own children in their hearts. I think Jian'er is lively and lively. Although he is not as good at studying as Yu'er, he is straightforward and honest." After saying that, she paused and said, "Qin'er is your eldest son, so I don't care about him. There is a job in the flag bearer guard of the Imperial Guard, which I think is good. After the Dragon Boat Festival, let Jian'er go there to work!"

The flag bearer is the one who guards the gate in the palace.

Except for Xu Lingkuan, everyone in the room was shocked, and the Third Master and the Third Madam looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Mother told me that she wanted to find a job for Jian." Xu Lingkuan said with a smile, "So I invited the people from the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War to dinner. When they saw it was me, they brought a list for me to choose from. I saw that the post of the Banner Guard was for the sixth rank, and it would be convenient for me to be transferred to the Five Cities Military Department in the future, so I chose this job." There was a bit of pride in his smile, "The people from the Military Selection Department asked us to reply quickly, saying that several families were eyeing us. If our family is not satisfied, they can quickly reply to other families. The higher-ups are waiting for them to report the list!"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but look at Xu Lingyi.

Although Xu Lingyi looked calm, there was still some surprise in his eyes, and it was obvious that he didn't know about this either.

The Third Master and the Third Madam were even more at a loss.

The lady's expression turned cold: "Why? Do you think this job is not good? Is there a better arrangement?"

The teacup that the old lady had given him two days ago still frightened the Third Master. He didn't dare to think too much, and hurriedly said, "No, no. I don't have any arrangements, and it's not that I think this job is bad. I just didn't expect..." At this point, he suddenly came to his senses. Although this was the idea of ​​the old lady, without Xu Lingyi's reputation, even if Xu Lingkuan came forward, those people in the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War who were keeping an eye on them would not be so straightforward to take out the list for Xu Lingkuan to pick at will. He hurriedly pulled the Third Madam's sleeve and knelt down first: "Mother, thank you for finding such a good job for Brother Jian." He stood up and bowed to Xu Lingyi, "Fourth brother, thank you very much!" He bowed to Xu Lingkuan, "Thank you, fifth brother, for your help."

The third lady also reacted.

The future of her two sons has always been a concern for her.

Since the time of Taizu, from the first rank to the seventh rank, one son can inherit his position through inheritance. There are also those who have made contributions to the country or are favored by the emperor, and several sons have been enfeoffed. In the eyes of outsiders, with Xu Lingyi's merits and the emperor's favor for the queen, the future of his children is not a problem at all. But she knows her own affairs. Xu Lingyi said a long time ago that it would be fine if the Xu family did not become relatives by marriage. Since they became relatives by marriage, they must not only abide by the law, but also be strict and self-disciplined. They must not embarrass the queen, and they must not discredit the princes. He also took the initiative to reject the emperor's favor and let the eldest son study for the imperial examination... So that they were in a dilemma - let the eldest son inherit the favor, what about the second son? Let the second son inherit the favor, what about the eldest son? She also muttered to her husband to help find a solution, but her husband was timid and cowardly, and did not dare to find someone in the name of Xu Lingyi. He also said something like "the fourth brother is a sensible person, and he will make arrangements when the time comes", which made her sulky several times.

Unexpectedly, after the lady was furious with the couple, she suddenly took the initiative to arrange a job for Xu Sijian... Xu Lingyi couldn't say anything now, right? When the Ministry of Personnel came to confer titles, she would report Xu Siqin's name, and she would have no regrets in the future!

Thinking of this, the third lady couldn't help but smile.

She kowtowed to the old lady and said, "Mother, how would our brother Jian live without you?" She hurriedly called Xu Sijian over and said, "Silly child, what are you still standing there for? Come here and kowtow to your grandmother!" She looked up and saw the fifth lady sitting on the kang, and said, "Thank your fifth uncle!"

Xu Sijian was still a little confused. It was only after his mother pulled him that he realized what was happening. He couldn't help but grin.

"Thank you, Grandmother. Thank you, Uncle Five." Thinking about thanking everyone, Uncle Four couldn't help feeling a little lonely. He kowtowed to Xu Lingyi and said, "Thank you, Uncle Four."

Xu Lingyi smiled and nodded.

Xu Lingkuan embraced his nephew who was only half a head shorter than him and said, "Work hard in the Banner Guards and strive to be promoted to the fifth rank. When you go to the Five Cities Military Command, you will be at least a fifth rank. Your life will be better then."

Xu Sijian smiled from ear to ear and nodded repeatedly: "I'll listen to my fifth uncle." He glanced at his brother and sister-in-law standing beside him, and couldn't help but hesitate. He stammered and called "big brother", confused in his heart: if big brother gets married, he should settle big brother's affairs first and then talk about his affairs...

However, Xu Siqin was sincerely happy for Xu Sijian.

Mother had been worrying a lot about Xu Sijian's marriage. In the end, it was because Xu Sijian was the second son, and according to common sense, the eldest son would inherit the throne. But he didn't have Xu Siyu's ability to pass the imperial examination... Now that his younger brother had a job, it would be easier to get married in the future.

"You must do your job well." He gently patted his brother's shoulder. "If you don't understand something, ask Uncle Wu for help. Uncle Wu is in the Imperial Guards. From Commander Ouyang to those guarding the palace gates, we can all get along well."

Seeing that his brother had no grudges, Xu Sijian was even happier: "Don't worry, I will definitely learn from my fifth uncle when the time comes."

Fang let out a long sigh.

Xu Sijian's future was settled, which meant Xu Siqin's future was also settled - she was really afraid that the third wife would make trouble and give her father-in-law's inheritance to her youngest son. But for some reason, she always felt weird.

Why didn’t they help Xu Sijian find a job earlier, or later, but only after my father-in-law became an official, and a not-so-glorious one at that... Doesn’t the Xu family plan to help my father-in-law find a job anymore?

The thought flashed through her mind and she shook her head.

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Xu Sijian is sixteen years old this year. Generally, when the children of noble families reach this age, they should also consider their future.

Seeing the joyful congratulations, Fang threw all of this behind her mind, thinking that she would have to send someone to inform Fang Ji later. The behavior of the lady today was very clear. The Xu family did not take the rumors of the husband-killing to heart. In this case, I have to ask my eldest brother to apologize to the elders of the Xu family...

* * * * * *

Seeing that Jing'er's breathing gradually stabilized, Shiyi Niang stopped patting him.

Xu Lingyi, who was reading a book by the bed, came over and looked at his son, who looked peaceful: "He's asleep!"

Eleventh Lady nodded, and put her son's hands outside the quilt for fear that he would get too hot. Then she whispered "Go to sleep", then sat up quietly and leaned on Xu Lingyi's shoulder: "Tell me, what's wrong with mother? Suddenly, without saying anything, I asked Fifth Master to help find a job for Jian'er..." She felt a little uneasy, as if something was going to happen.

Xu Lingyi thought for a moment and said, "Do you think that mother didn't consult us, so..."

"That's not the case." Eleventh Lady laughed, "I see that Second Sister-in-law and Fifth Brother's wife are even more shocked than I am. I guess Mother must have told Fifth Master... I just can't figure it out. After all, this is a good thing, why is Mother making such a fuss!"

Seeing her confused face, Xu Lingyi smiled, turned his head and kissed her, and whispered, "Let's not talk about these things. Today is your birthday. Do you think there is anything you want in particular? I'll buy it for you."

"No!" Eleventh Lady laughed, "Didn't the Marquis give me a gold hairpin? I think it's pretty good. There's nothing special I want."

Xu Lingyi thought for a moment and said, "How about we take the kids to Goldfish Hutong and live there for a few days, just like my fifth brother and his friends did? You haven't been to Goldfish Hutong since it was renovated. It's a remote place, but remoteness has its advantages, with mountains and rivers nearby and pleasant weather..."

At that time, the children still had to visit him every morning and evening, especially Xu Siyu, who was already a big boy of fifteen or sixteen. Every time I saw him, I had to dress carefully, fearing that the jewelry was too fancy and the clothes were too thin, which would be inadvertently impolite... Besides, it was not like modern times, where you could go out with just a suitcase. At that time, I would even have to bring the vase I usually used, not to mention the maids and the old women. In such a hot day, it would be better for them to stay at home.

"I think we should just forget it!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "The weather is too hot and I feel too lazy to move. Let's wait until the weather is cooler!"

Xu Lingyi thought for a while and said, "How about you leave Jin Ge'er at home and go back to your parents' home to stay for a few days? Take this opportunity to visit your fourth and fifth aunts. Zichun has filled the vacancy of the Wendeng County Magistrate. He will leave Beijing at the end of May. I don't know when we will see each other again. You sisters must have a lot of private things to talk about..."

Gongxian Hutong is run by Aunt Wang, and Shiyi Niang is her aunt, so naturally she dare not be careless, and Shiyi Niang can also relax for a few days.

"My Lord, please don't chase me out." Eleventh Lady couldn't help laughing, "I can't bear to leave Brother Jin." She looked up and saw Xu Lingyi's mouth slightly twitching, as if he was about to speak, so she hurriedly said, "My Lord, I appreciate your kindness. I'm used to living at home and don't want to go out. If my Lord feels that the weather is too hot, then we can tell the lady and move to Chui Lun Waterside Pavilion to spend the summer!"

Xu Lingyi thought that Eleventh Lady usually liked to stay at home when she had nothing to do, so he smiled and said nothing more.

Eleventh Lady asked him, "Didn't you say a few days ago that he was promoted to the position of Chun'an County Magistrate? Why was he changed to Wendeng County Magistrate?"

Wu Niang did not go back to her parents' home today. She said that Qian Ming and a group of his classmates were coming to visit her home and she wanted to entertain the guests.

"Although Wendeng is poor, it is still the home of the county. It's not like going to Chun'an, which is rich but works under someone else's command." Xu Lingyi explained, "Zichun was already on good terms with the people in the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department, and he was willing to spend money. So naturally, it was a done deal!"

"When Mother Song went to give the Dragon Boat Festival gift, Fifth Sister didn't say anything. I planned to go over to see her after the Dragon Boat Festival." Eleventh Lady nodded, "Since she will be leaving Beijing at the end of May, I will go over there tomorrow."

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The update is a bit late, please read it tomorrow morning!

O(∩_∩)O~