The sixth day of March was the day when the eldest princess was to be born. A month earlier, Wang Xian was granted the title of the imperial concubine by the Ministry of Rites. On the day of the wedding, the emperor ordered the crown prince to personally escort the bride. One month after the wedding, Wang Xian was granted the title of Marquis of Jingshan and was in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Clan Court. For a time, the court and the public were in an uproar, and they wrote to the emperor one after another: Wang Xian was granted the title of Marquis by grace, which was not in accordance with the system. The emperor kept all of them in his palace and did not send them out. Li Yongchun, the official of the Ministry of Rites, knelt for a long time at Zuoshunmen and could not get up, but the emperor ignored him. The censors Li Qingji, Chen Ji and nine others gathered at Zuoshunmen, and the emperor issued an edict to confer Wang Xian the title of Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple, and several people cried bitterly. The emperor ordered the Shandong Provincial Administration to enclose 10,000 acres of good land as the eldest princess's farmland...
"...This will only be a competition with the poor!" Wang Li wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The emperor originally wanted to show favor to the prince consort, but this action may backfire. It is extremely unwise to put the prince consort in a dangerous situation. Yinghua should persuade the emperor!"
Xu Lingyi said nothing and lowered his head to drink a sip of tea.
"I know that this makes things difficult for you." Wang Li smiled bitterly, "But apart from you, I really can't think of anyone else who can talk to the emperor in this situation! Besides, this is also for the good of Princess Jiangdu."
Jiangdu is the title of the eldest princess.
Xu Lingyi looked up and suddenly smiled: "It was the Wang family who asked you to do this, right?"
Wang Li said embarrassedly: "Nothing can be hidden from your eyes. Yes, this matter is indeed about me, the Prince Consort of Jiangdu."
It seems that Wang Xian is also a cautious person!
"I'll think of a way to deal with this!" Xu Lingyi said immediately, "It's hard to say whether it will succeed or not."
Wang Li smiled and said, "Since you promised me, I think it will work out in nine out of ten cases!" He stopped talking about this matter and asked Xu Sijin, "...How is it over there? It's been almost a year, right? The Queen's birthday is in July, why not ask for a favor then!"
"We'll see what happens when the time comes!" Xu Lingyi responded without commenting, and talked to Wang Li about the cabinet, "Now that Lord Liang is retiring, who does the emperor intend to fill the vacancy?"
"Lord Dou proposed Lord Jiang from the Imperial Academy, and Lord Chen proposed Lord Du, the Minister of Rites." Wang Sheng said, glancing at Xu Lingyi. "The Emperor has been worried about Princess Jiangdu's affairs these days, so neither of them was accepted."
Lord Jiang... Lord Dou... Lord Chen... Lord Du... Lord Du was the matchmaker for the Jiang family when Zhun'er got married...
Xu Lingyi smiled, seeming to have some profound meaning.
* * * * * *
Back in the room, Eleventh Lady was reading a letter.
"You're back!" She stood up and helped Xu Lingyi change his clothes. "Master Wang left?"
"Hmm!" Xu Lingyi's eyes fell on the kang table, "Did Brother Jin write a letter?"
Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded: "It was delivered this afternoon."
Xu Lingyi couldn't wait to pick up the letter and read it.
Eleventh Lady thought Xu Lingyi missed his son too much, so she smiled and turned around to make tea for Xu Lingyi.
The letter contained only words of reassurance and greetings.
Xu Lingyi breathed a sigh of relief.
He also received a letter from his son last night, but the content of the letter was completely different.
Jinger wrote in the letter that he accidentally discovered a silver mine. Because it was at the border between the Miao people and the Pingyi people, neither the Miao people nor the Qianhu of the Pingyi people knew about it.
Seeing his son's eager look between the lines, Xu Lingyi became a little worried.
Given Gong Dongning's shrewdness and ability, and his business in Guizhou for so many years, it would be fine if Jing'er didn't do anything, but if he did, he would definitely not be able to hide it from Gong Dongning. Based on his understanding of Gong Dongning, if Gong Dongning wanted to return to Yanjing, he would have found a way to return long ago. Since he has been staying in Guizhou, in addition to the fact that Guizhou is far away from the emperor and no one cares about him, I am afraid that he has something to do with these unpresentable businesses that can make him a fortune every day... Human relations are human relations, and money is money. If Jing'er really opens this silver mine, I am afraid that Gong Dongning will be an obstacle that he cannot get around.
Should I remind my son?
His purpose of going there was not to make a fortune, so why would he ruin his original plan for a silver mine?
Thinking of this, Xu Lingyi couldn't help but put down the letter in his hand.
The boy, fearing that his mother would worry, did not reveal a word.
The thought flashed through his mind and he smiled slightly.
Or, just let him make a fuss!
Some things, if you don't experience them, no matter how much your elders say, you won't take it to heart.
Be a good person before doing things. The same goes for leading troops in war. Changing places for three years is just to make him more experienced. If this incident at the silver mine improves his interpersonal skills and strategies, it may not be a bad thing. Moreover, he sent four martial arts masters to follow him quietly. If there is any danger, this trump card is enough to save his life... Or, send two more people to his side?
Xu Lingyi is a man who makes decisions quickly.
He shouted to the maid with a smile: "Go, ask Manager Bai to come over."
Hanxiao was one of the two beautiful maids given to Xu Sijin by Princess Suiping's husband - the other was Lengxiang, who was kept by Shiyi Niang to serve her.
Eleventh Lady walked in: "It's so late, why are you calling Butler Bai?"
Xu Lingyi picked up the teacup and answered the question irrelevantly: "Didn't you say you were going to Si'er Hutong? Have you been there? How is it going there?"
Cao'e and her son lived in Si'er Hutong. Lanting made an appointment with Shiyi Niang to meet there.
"He's gone." Eleventh Lady said, "Lanting will leave for Fengshui the day after tomorrow, and Cao'e plans to stay in Yanjing for another two years. Lanting is afraid that after she leaves, the Jiang family will instigate the Gan family to bother Cao'e, so she asked me to help take care of her. I agreed."
The Jiang family had been in some trouble in recent years, and he had heard about it in Yanjing.
Xu Lingyi nodded and talked about Wang Li's purpose of coming: "...You can go to the palace tomorrow with a sign! Talk to the Queen. The court officials will not say anything bad about the Emperor, but will only think that Wang Xian is spoiled by his favor, which will affect Wang Xian's reputation."
Eleventh Lady responded, and Manager Bai arrived.
Xu Lingyi went to the study to talk with him.
Deng Hua suddenly ran in in a panic: "Madam, Eunuch He is here, tell the Marquis to go to the palace quickly!"
Eunuch He is the emperor's trusted eunuch. He came to summon Xu Lingyi to the palace at this time...
Eleventh Lady's heart skipped a beat. As she and Denghua went to the study, she asked him, "Do you know why Eunuch He came?"
"I don't know!" Denghua said, "but judging from his appearance, his face doesn't look good."
That’s not a good thing!
She walked out of the hall thinking.
"Who came with Eunuch He?"
"There are forty or fifty palace guards," said Denghua hurriedly, "and they don't even have a lantern."
Eleventh Lady's heart began to beat wildly.
The study was brightly lit, and Xu Lingyi and Manager Bai seemed to have just finished talking, and they were coming out of the study one after the other. When they saw Shiyi Niang and Denghua, they both showed surprised expressions.
Manager Bai hurriedly bowed to Eleventh Lady.
Eleventh Lady didn't even bother to nod, and hurriedly told Xu Lingyi about Eunuch He's coming.
Xu Lingyi's expression became solemn.
Everybody was looking at him, not daring to breathe. The candles in the big red lanterns under the eaves occasionally made crackling sounds, making the atmosphere even more depressing and dull.
"Deng Huo, take a few alert servants with me and stand guard outside the Zuo Shun Gate. If there is any movement, run back to report." Xu Lingyi's voice was calm and rational, but Deng Huo's heart trembled. He quickly replied "yes" and ran towards the outer courtyard.
Xu Lingyi instructed Manager Bai: "If the situation is not good, I will leave the family affairs to you!"
Butler Bai's eyes suddenly turned red: "Don't worry, my lord. I know what to do!" His voice was a little choked. He bowed respectfully to Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang, then turned and left.
Only Xu Lingyi, Shiyi Niang and a few maids were left in the yard, looking at each other in confusion as to what had happened.
Xu Lingyi hugged Shiyi Niang tightly.
"Moyan," he whispered, "don't alarm the others. If I can't come back, call Ting'er, Zhuang'er and Qing'er to your side, and Manager Bai will arrange for you to return home. Xiangyi and his wife are trustworthy people. As for Jin'er, don't worry, I will send someone to bring him a letter. Even if we can't see each other for the time being, you and your son can meet when the time is right..."
Eleventh Lady suddenly understood.
He was leaving his will...
She burst into tears.
I really want to say, it's going to be okay.
But he believed more in Xu Lingyi's foresight.
Her whole body was shaking as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She wanted to hug Xu Lingyi back, but her arms seemed frozen and she couldn't lift them.
"I, I understand!" Eleventh Lady heard her own voice trembling, "I will take good care of the children!" Her vision had become blurred, "You don't have to be so pessimistic, the emperor has been very good to you in these years. Maybe it's something else..." She comforted Xu Lingyi incoherently.
Xu Lingyi smiled slightly, stroked her eyebrows lightly with his fingertips, and kissed her forehead tenderly: "Go back and rest! Maybe I'm just overthinking!" Then he let her go and left the main courtyard without hesitation.
Eleventh Lady looked at his back, her body shaking continuously, and it took her a long time to calm down.
If Xu Lingyi really couldn't come back, she still had a lot to do...
She took a deep breath and ordered Hanxiao in a calm voice: "Let's go back!"
* * * * * *
It was a very difficult night. Many years later, when Eleventh Lady occasionally recalled it, her memory was a little fuzzy. However, she remembered clearly the surprised expression on Butler Bai's face when he told her after dawn that "the Emperor is in a coma, and the Marquis and Lord Chen, Lord Dou, and Lord Wei have been ordered to assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in temporarily managing the government affairs."
"The emperor is unconscious. Is this news reliable?" Eleventh Lady did not feel relieved. Instead, she asked Chief Steward Bai with a stagnant look, "Is there any way to give the Marquis a message?"
Seeing that she was not happy at all, Chief Steward Bai was stunned. After a long while, he said, "Yes, now everyone knows that the Marquis has been appointed in a time of crisis, and with the Queen here, it is easy to pass a message in."
"Well then," said Eleventh Lady in a deep voice, "just tell the Marquis to 'be careful of the reckoning later'!"
Who knows if the emperor will wake up... If Xu Lingyi becomes too popular, who knows if the emperor will start to be suspicious of him again!
Manager Bai's expression changed drastically. He bowed respectfully and hurriedly arranged for someone to deliver the letter.
Eleventh Lady looked at the sky outside the window which was gradually getting brighter and took a long breath.
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I'll post a draft first, and I'll correct the typos later!
O(∩_∩)O~