Zhou Dehui knelt on the ground, his voice clear and bright, but he could not hide his uneasiness: "...I originally promised Lord Li, but ended up accepting the invitation from the Fifth Master. The second manager of our troupe brought a few apprentices to Lord Li, and I brought a few apprentices here. Because we were short of manpower, we temporarily borrowed two handymen from other troupes. I didn't expect to offend the Crown Prince and the Fifth Young Master. Damn it!" As he spoke, he kowtowed three times without hesitation, "I have tied the man up, and I am kneeling outside the door, waiting for Madam's decision."

Eleventh Lady did not answer him immediately. Instead, she picked up the teacup beside her and used the tea lid to brush the green tea leaves floating on the water.

The crisp sound of porcelain hitting each other rustled in the quiet room, giving people a heart-wrenching feeling that the teacup would be broken into pieces if they exerted a little force. Just like his current situation, as long as the person holding the teacup got angry, he would be shattered into pieces...

As if a huge stone was pressing on his heart, Zhou Dehui lowered his head even more.

"Originally, teaching our fifth young master to sing a few lines is not a big deal. Our fifth young master likes this." Seeing Zhou Dehui's body trembling slightly, Eleventh Lady said in a light tone, "But comparing our fifth young master to an actor and making people laugh is too rude." There are many people who look alike in this world. If you deliberately avoid this issue, it will only attract other people's attention. It is better to treat it with a normal mentality. "Besides, you are a wanderer, and you practice eyelid skills. Our two young masters came out to drink wedding wine today, one wearing Kesi and the other wearing Shujin. He dared to act like this, which shows that he is very courageous. If I don't punish him today, I'm afraid he will do something to implicate the troupe owner in the future. If I punish him, according to the troupe owner, this person was temporarily borrowed from other troupes, and I'm afraid it will splash the troupe owner's face." As she said this, there was some hesitation in her tone, "It's really embarrassing."

Zhou Dehui had made the worst plan before he came. Now, hearing that Eleventh Lady's tone had softened a little, which was no less than the words of Buddha, he hurriedly said, "No matter how many mistakes I made, it was all because I didn't know the person well. Madam, please be magnanimous. I will not let that person's foul breath be contaminated by the Crown Prince, the Fifth Young Master and the Grand Young Master. After the performance, I will immediately deal with this person according to the class rules and expel him from Yanjing." As he said this, he kowtowed heavily to Eleventh Lady.

"Master Zhou, please get up quickly." Although she had been married to the Xu family for a long time, Shiyi Niang was still not used to people kowtowing to her like this. "I am here as a guest as well, and I don't want to spoil the mood of our Third Master. Since Master Zhou has already made up his mind, I don't need to mention this matter to the Marquis and the Fifth Master when I go back!"

Zhou Dehui retreated with a look of gratitude on his face.

Xu Sizhun wanted to say something but stopped.

Eleventh Lady smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Sizun stammered, "Since that person is not from the Deyin class, how can class leader Zhou deal with him..." He looked somewhat unwilling.

Eleventh Lady was stunned for a moment, then she smiled, stepped forward, put her arm around Xu Sizun's shoulders and kissed him on the forehead.

Xu Sizun's face flushed: "Mother..." He looked at a loss.

It had been several years since Eleventh Lady kissed him.

"Our Zhun'er has grown up!" Eleventh Lady looked at him with a look of relief, "He knows how to use his brain and judge right and wrong!" Then she took his shoulder and sat down on the kang, "You are right. Zhou Dehui did not tell the truth when he entered the house. Think about it, since it was your fifth uncle who sent the invitation, and he was going to your third uncle's house to sing a party, although it is not as good as going to our house, he dare not bring people casually. You know, it is usually more chaotic at this time, and the inner and outer courtyards are not so clearly divided. If the people brought were found to steal something or bumped into the female family, they would be blamed for their death. So, this person could not have been borrowed from another troupe. Even if he was borrowed, he had a very good relationship with their troupe. The owner of the Zhou troupe not only knew everything about him, but also often followed the owner of the Zhou troupe to sing a party when there was a shortage of manpower. He is considered half a member of the troupe. Otherwise, the owner of the Zhou troupe would not have said to deal with him according to the troupe rules."

Xu Sizhun nodded.

"As soon as he opened his mouth, he said it was your fifth uncle who sent the invitation, and that he had promised others before. The implication was that he would come to your third uncle's house to perform for your fifth uncle's sake. When we heard that, we naturally felt soft-hearted. He then tied the person up and waited for us outside the house to deal with him. When we heard that, our anger subsided a little. He also mentioned that today was your nephew's full moon, and we didn't want to make a fuss for the sake of our relatives. This way, we could make a big deal out of a small matter."

"Since mother already knows everything, why still..." Xu Sizun looked at Shiyi Niang in confusion.

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "That's because I'm very satisfied with the final result of Mr. Zhou's disposal!"

Xu Sizhun was puzzled.

Eleventh Lady said softly, "Each industry has its own social circle and its own rules. To punish someone according to the class rules, you must hold a meeting in front of the ancestor, invite a senior who is highly respected, and punish him in front of his disciples. The Deyin Troupe is the leader of the three major opera troupes in Yanjing, and has a far-reaching influence in the opera world. That person contradicted you, and troupe leader Zhou used the class rules to punish him. Even if troupe leader Zhou did not drive him out of Yanjing, other troupes would never dare to use him again after knowing about him. He will never be able to sing opera in the future. This is enough. As the saying goes. A desperate dog will jump over the wall, and a desperate rabbit will bite. They were all forced. Although that person can no longer sing opera, he can still do other things. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, he will not mess around. Why should we cause trouble for ourselves?"

There is another reason that Eleventh Lady did not tell Xu Sizhun.

If she dealt with this person personally, it would inevitably alarm the Dowager, Xu Lingyi, Xu Lingkuan, and even the Fifth Madam, making Xu Sijie the center of everyone's attention once again.

The past was a kind of hurt to Xu Sijie.

But truth cannot be hidden.

She wanted to wait until Xu Sijie was older, find an appropriate opportunity, and tell him a "story" about his life experience in person, instead of waiting for him to hear those unbearable versions and then looking for people to verify it... Although Xu Sijie was not her son, he grew up by her side. She would not allow her child to be so embarrassed. This is why she carefully selected the maids and women who served Xu Sijie, even more carefully than she did when she later selected maids and women for Jing Ge'er. This is also why she took him with her wherever she went. Only by her side, those people would not talk nonsense, reducing the chances of Xu Sijie hearing those rumors.

So when she mentioned Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan at the end, she was actually warning Zhou Dehui that if she didn't keep her promise and drive that man out of Yanjing, the Xu family would never give up.

Xu Sizun had no idea what was going on in Shiyi Niang's mind. He looked at her with shining eyes and said, "Mother, you are amazing. You even know their class rules?"

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel ashamed.

He said hurriedly, "I heard it from others. Unlike you, you can follow your father around and verify whether these things are correct." Then he smiled and said, "Insight into everything is knowledge, and understanding of human nature is also writing. So you should follow your father to learn those common affairs, and when you meet those cunning people, they will not be able to deceive you. In the future, when your brothers are in danger, you can also protect them well and don't let others bully them!"

"I know!" Xu Sizhun said loudly, "I will study hard and learn how to manage the affairs from my father. Then I will not let others bully my brothers."

Eleventh Lady looked at him with a smile and nodded.

Xu Sizhun also smiled shyly.

Eleventh Lady took the opportunity to say, "You are the elder brother. If you encounter a situation like that again, just pull Jie Ge'er out. Got it?"

Who would have thought that after hearing this, Xu Sizhun's expression froze, and he lowered his head with a red face.

Eleventh Lady was a little surprised. After thinking for a while, she said softly, "It's okay. This is the first time our Zhun'er has encountered such a situation. He is a little nervous. You will know later!"

Xu Sizun shook his head, looked at Shiyi Niang angrily, and whispered, "I, I'm scared!"

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Xu Sizhun said: "... there are so many of them... Nan Mama is going to report the news... I am scared... I grabbed Nan Mama's arm..."

Eleventh Lady burst out laughing.

Xu Sizhun looked up in surprise.

Eleventh Lady's eyes sparkled with a hint of cunning: "You are afraid of them, but have you ever thought that they are also afraid of you!"

"Are they afraid of me too?" Xu Sizhun looked at Shiyi Niang in surprise. "They are so many, how could they be afraid of me?"

"In this world, it's not enough to just have a lot of people!" Eleventh Lady said slowly, "Think about it, although they have a lot of people, your status is higher than theirs. If you tell Master Zhou, you can have them punished according to the class rules, or even expelled from Yanjing. They clearly know this, so why are they still surrounding you and laughing?"

Xu Sizun seemed very confused.

Eleventh Lady encouraged him: "Think about the situation at that time!"

"We went backstage..." Xu Sizhun recalled, "They saw us all standing aside with our hands hanging down... When they heard me ask if there were any swords, they all came over... Someone brought us tea, and someone told me how to dance with the sword... Only the person sitting on the armchair didn't move... That person took the initiative to sing for us. He also asked us if we liked it. If we liked it, we could ask him to sing in the party in the future. If we wanted to learn, he could also teach us to sing... He put a lot of powder on his face, but not like Yuhua and the others, which smelled fragrant, but rather strange and unpleasant... I pulled my fifth brother to leave, but he stopped me and was very determined to teach me to sing. Mother Nan came in and wanted to take me away, and the man kept begging..." He said, looking at Shiyi Niang timidly, "I just listened to him singing a few lines... My fifth brother thought it sounded good, so he followed him to learn..."

Even without listening, Eleventh Lady could guess what happened next.

Just like many people who have just entered society, they are unwilling in their hearts, but it is difficult to refuse, and they end up being pushed further...

She asked him softly, "Look, when you first came in, they took the initiative to ask you what you wanted and brought you tea. They were just like the servants in our house. So when did they start laughing at you?"

Xu Sizhun did not answer immediately, and a look of realization slowly appeared on his face: "It was Nan Mama who said that to them. I held Nan Mama's arm tightly, and when my fifth brother was singing for them..."

Eleventh Lady pointedly said, "Look, when you're not afraid of them, they all act according to your expression. When you show a scared expression, not only are they no longer afraid of you, they even laugh at you! So, this is not a matter of the number of people, but who is braver!"

Xu Sizhun lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly.

※

Let’s solve them one by one!

O(∩_∩)O~