"After going to Fifth Master's place..." Eleventh Lady pondered, "After returning to Danbozhai, the two of them started arguing?"

"That's what Tanbo Zhai said!" Amber whispered.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but touch her forehead.

Although Xu Lingyi said he would take care of the aftermath, it seemed that the two of them had discovered something. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made such a big fuss.

She stood up and said, "Let's go to Tanbozhai and take a look!"

* * * * * *

The autumn afternoon sun lazily shines on the towering camphor tree beside the steps of the main house of Danbo Zhai. A pot of white chrysanthemums, in full bloom, is leaning against it.

"Fourth Madam!" Biluo's expression was a little flustered, "Why are you here!" Then she turned around and ordered the maid standing beside her, "Hurry up and report to the Fourth Young Master and the Fifth Young Master!"

The maid came to her senses at this point, said "Oh", and quickly went to the main room.

"I just came to take a look!" said Eleventh Lady, her eyes sweeping across the courtyard of Danbo Zhai. The maids all lowered their heads and stepped back, avoiding her gaze.

She smiled faintly.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie were about to come out from the main house to greet them.

"Mother!" The two of them bowed respectfully to Eleventh Lady.

Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie. The former seemed calm, but there was a hint of uneasiness between his brows; the latter had red eyes, as if he had cried, and his expression was a little uneasy.

They must have known that Xu Lingkuan was Xu Sijie's biological father. Even if they didn't know it completely, they probably guessed it. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so guilty about her coming.

Smiling, she followed the two children into the house and sat down on the big kang by the window in the banquet room. Biluo and Yuhua carefully served tea and snacks, while Xu Sizun and Xu Sijie sat on the brocade stool beside the kang.

After Shiyi Niang drank a few sips of tea, Xu Sizun said, "Mother, come here. Do you have any instructions?"

"Nothing!" Eleventh Lady put down the teacup, wiped the slightly wet corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and said with a smile, "I have been accompanying your sixth brother these days, wanting to curb his strong temper, and staying in the house with him every afternoon. Today is a day off, Mr. Zhao took him to Baiyun Temple, and I have some free time. So I walked around."

That day, her mother stood at the door and looked at her quietly, as if waiting for him to speak. It was clear that she knew something. Today, when there was a little movement, she rushed over again... Mother, was she going to make things clear with him? Did her mother also know that she was the biological son of her fifth uncle?

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, Xu Sijie's expression became somewhat fearful.

Xu Sizhun smiled awkwardly.

The commotion at the door might be hidden from the grandmother who was enjoying her old age in the backyard, but it was impossible to hide it from the mother who was in charge of the household affairs and was very concerned about their affairs. The mother chose to come at this time, and she might have noticed it.

I just don’t know how much my mother knows about their affairs?

Logically, he should have told his mother about this matter tactfully. But this matter involved the morality of the previous generation, and as a younger generation, he really couldn't open his mouth and didn't know how to start.

Let’s wait for a while!

Maybe I'm just overthinking it!

Xu Sizhun buried all these thoughts in his heart like an ostrich. Pretending not to understand, he continued with his mother's words: "Sixth brother has been much better these days. He not only listens carefully during Mr. Zhao's class, but also asks Mr. Zhao about those allusions. Mr. Zhao was very happy. Once, when he was in high spirits, he moved the fifth brother's class to the afternoon and postponed my class for a day." Xu Sizhun pretended to be helpless, "As a result, I haven't finished my sentence 'To know is to investigate things' until today!" He added, "Since sixth brother is not at home today, and today is the day when grandma eats vegetarian food, mother might as well stay in Danbozhai for dinner! The bream you rewarded a few days ago is still there, just in time for the kitchen to cook it."

Although mother doesn't have to serve grandmother meals, she can't just abandon father!

After his mother left, he would persuade his fifth brother to prevent him from revealing anything. They all lived under the same roof. Dad must have had his reasons for keeping the news secret. Now that they had exposed the matter, it would only make the elders lose face. It would not be good for his fifth brother in the future!

Xu Sizhun was calculating in his mind.

Who knew that Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Okay! Then I will stay at your place for dinner today!"

"Ah!" Xu Sizun's smile turned a little awkward. "Well, then I'll ask the kitchen staff to cook bream... Do you like it fried? Or do you like it boiled?"

This is really shooting oneself in the foot.

He stamped his feet secretly, and as he spoke, he glanced at Xu Sijie, signaling him not to talk nonsense.

Xu Sijie was immersed in his own worries and fears, so he didn't notice the look Xu Sizhun cast at him. He sat there without daring to breathe, just hoping that time would stop at this moment and never move forward.

"I'm not picky about food." Eleventh Lady said to Xu Sizhun with a smile, "Just let the chef cook his specialty."

Xu Sizun didn't dare to look at Shiyi Niang, and replied "yes" in a low voice. He actually stood up and went to instruct Biluo who was standing at the door, and then quickly came back to sit and talk with Shiyi Niang, very attentive.

"How is your martial arts going?" He asked for the sake of conversation. "I heard that Master Pang started teaching you internal martial arts? I only heard that he runs a martial arts school, but I didn't expect he also knows internal martial arts. I think mother should let you learn internal martial arts. It can prolong your life, nourish your body from within and overflow on the outside. It's not like external martial arts, which makes you fat and looks like a brute."

Since the last time he accompanied Master Pang, with the urging of Eleventh Lady, Jing'er never dared to neglect Master Pang's words again. Master Pang saw that he was attentive and quickly mastered the trick of squatting horse stance. He discussed with Xu Lingyi and wanted to teach Jing'er some internal martial arts.

Xu Lingyi was also somewhat surprised by this matter.

After learning internal martial arts, the power comes from within, and learning external martial arts can be twice as effective with half the effort. For this reason, Xu Lingyi specially asked Shao Zhongran to buy a hundred acres of land and a five-story house in Cangzhou for Master Pang as a thank you gift. Shiyi Niang understood that Master Pang was a little embarrassed about this matter, and wanted to let Jing'er make achievements in martial arts as soon as possible to repay Xu Lingyi's courtesy. She only cared about whether her son had the talent to cultivate both inside and outside, and didn't want to force Jing'er to grow too fast.

Xu Lingyi sneered after hearing this: "They only said they would teach you. As for whether Jing Ge'er can learn it or not, it depends on whether Jing Ge'er has the fate to do it."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "I heard that not everyone can practice internal martial arts. I don't know if your sixth brother has the fate to do so!"

"Sixth brother is smart and there will definitely be no problem!" These were Xu Sizun's sincere words.

The two chatted, and Xu Sizhun wished that dinner would come in the blink of an eye, so that he wouldn't have to chat with his mother so hard. Eleventh Lady laughed secretly. Xu Sizhun turned the topic to Jing'er, which was clearly a diversion, so that she would not go into Xu Sijie's affairs in detail.

She was pleased but also a little sad.

Although it was slow, Xu Sizhun grew up in his own way and became a child with a gentle temperament and a kind heart.

By doing this, can it be said that she has fulfilled Yuanniang's instructions?

Eleventh Lady stood up slowly: "When I came here, I saw your beauty leaning against a basin of white chrysanthemums. The flowers were as big as bowls, and the petals were clustered like hydrangeas. I have never seen them before. I wonder what they are called?"

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie hurriedly stood up and accompanied her to the walkway under the eaves, explaining, "It's called Xuetuan. Ji Ting raised it this year. I thought it was cute, so I had a pot brought over. There are two more pots on the desk in the study. If mother likes them, I'll have Biluo send them to you right away."

"Okay!" Eleventh Lady's words stunned Xu Sizun, "Take Amber and pick a pot for me!"

Mother must have something to say to my fifth brother alone! Even if he finds an excuse to refuse this time, mother will still find a second chance to get him out of the way.

Xu Sizhun looked at Xu Sijie sympathetically, responded in a low voice, and took Amber to the study.

Xu Sijie knew it very well.

He shouted "Mother", and his face suddenly turned as pale as paper.

Eleventh Lady stared straight at the green leaves of the camphor tree and said softly, "I still remember that it was a freezing cold night when the Marquis brought you back. I was a little reluctant..."

"Mother!" Xu Sijie's body trembled slightly, like leaves on branches blown by the wind.

"People say blood is thicker than water." Eleventh Lady seemed not to notice his abnormality. She said in a calm but heavy tone, "Raising a child is not only about providing him with food and shelter, but also about teaching him the principles of life and the skills to survive in the world... I have put in so much effort, but what should I do if he wants to go back to find his parents when he grows up?" As she spoke, she turned sideways and stared at Xu Sijie.

Xu Sijie's face suddenly turned red, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he couldn't utter a word.

He went to look for his biological mother, and indeed broke her heart...

"But Jie'er at that time was a beautiful and lovely child." As if thinking of the past days, Eleventh Lady's mouth gradually blossomed into a happy smile, "He would throw himself into my arms and happily call me 'mother', he would leave the delicious candies given to him by his brothers for me to eat, he would show a happy smile when he saw me for the first time... My heart softened little by little. I thought, how about a biological child? A biological child is just like this! This is my child. I will raise him well, let him read, write, play with his brothers, grow up to be a gentleman with elegant manners, have a wife and children, and live a happy life..." As she spoke, she looked at Xu Sijie with burning eyes, "Jie'er!" But her expression was more solemn than ever, "You are my son. No matter what others say, no matter what you find out. I raised you, you are my son, even the fifth young master of the fourth room, and no one can take you away from me!"

"Mother!" Xu Sijie sobbed and threw himself into Shiyi Niang's arms.

All the worry, fear, anxiety and panic of these days turned into tears and left him little by little.

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This is a sad drama that I can only write and write again!

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