Eleventh Lady turned around and took a few clean towels from the cupboard next to her. While wiping the table and clearing the teacups, she said to Xu Lingyi, who was shaking off the water on his body, "Go to sleep in the Marquis' room - the mattress is all wet!"

"Forget it," Xu Lingyi muttered, "Let the maid make the bed again!" He added, "You should go and rest. I'll ask the maid to come in and clean up."

It was the middle of the night, and the night watchman in her room usually slept in the hall. If she went to call for help at this time, it would definitely wake up Jin Ge'er. When he saw his parents sleeping separately, he didn't know what he would think. Although she looked good, she was pregnant after all, and it was only three months. If she was asked to go to the bed to hold the quilt, what if something happened?

"My Lord, please listen to me," Eleventh Lady said angrily, "It's getting late. If we continue to make trouble, it will be dawn!"

Because of her pregnancy, Eleventh Lady's face looked yellow and she looked a little haggard.

Xu Lingyi hesitated for a moment and stood up: "Well, if you feel uncomfortable with the smell of me, just tell me."

"Got it!" Eleventh Lady grabbed a handful of tea leaves, wrapped them in a Hangzhou silk handkerchief and placed them next to the pillow.

Xu Lingyi felt relieved, drank several cups of tea, and went to bed.

People who drink too much alcohol tend to feel thirsty.

Eleventh Lady cooled a pot of tea and placed the pot and teacup on the small table beside the bed.

It was still very hot on a midsummer night, and after tossing and turning like this, I was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

She sat at the foot of the bed, fanning herself.

The room was silent and seemed a little deserted.

Xu Lingyi couldn't help but frown secretly.

Eleventh Lady was angry because he didn't settle Jing'er. He didn't explain because the matter had not been settled. It was better to do one thing than to say a thousand words. But now that Jing'er has returned safely, why is she still so cold and indifferent... Eleventh Lady is not the kind of petty person, or is there some misunderstanding here?

Xu Lingyi was a man of action. He did what he thought of. He asked Shiyi Niang softly, "Is Jin'er asleep?" and took the initiative to break the deadlock.

Although she felt uncomfortable, as long as Xu Lingyi took the initiative to talk to her, Shiyi Niang would not throw a tantrum.

She hummed, leaned against the bedpost and fanned herself: "I wanted to wait for you to come back, but I saw his upper and lower eyelids fighting, so I persuaded him to go to bed first."

Being willing to talk to him is a good start.

"We had dinner and left at 12:00." Xu Lingyi breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "I thought Gong Dongning would be back in the next three to five days, so I went to Lu Shangshu's residence. I also thought that Prince Yong was impatient, so I was afraid that he would rush to ask the emperor for help and end up making things worse. So I went from Lu Shangshu's residence to Yong Prince's residence, which delayed us."

The silver mine business was nothing more than a windfall for Gong Dongning, more importantly, it was a way to get in touch with Prince Yong; for Jing'er, it was just a stone on his life journey, it could not only test whether he was made of gold, but also serve as a stepping stone, the gains and losses in silver and money were not so important; only Prince Yong relied on it to get out of trouble, how could he not be nervous?

Too much concern leads to confusion!

However, it is a taboo for the prince to make friends with court officials.

It’s no wonder that Xu Lingyi was afraid that Prince Yong would go to the Emperor regarding the matter of the Guizhou General.

Eleventh Lady pondered and looked towards Xu Lingyi: "What did Lord Chen and Minister Lu say..." Before she finished her sentence, her expression changed slightly, "My Lord," she thought she was dazzled, and couldn't help but move to sit next to Xu Lingyi, her fingers deftly flipping the hair at his temples.

Under the light, strands of silver hair sparkled, mixed in with the black hair, so clear that it was startling.

She flipped through it.

Many areas near the roots of the hair are silvery white.

"How could this happen?" Eleventh Lady couldn't help but lose her voice.

Before she fell into a coma, she washed his hair...

This is by no means a normal physiological phenomenon.

No one in the Xu family has premature gray hair, even the third master, who is over fifty years old, but his hair is still black and shiny.

The thought flashed through her mind and Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Could it be...

Xu Lingyi had already grabbed her hand with a smile, and said briefly, "I'm old, so it's natural for me to have white hair. What's so strange about this?", and talked about the situation when he went to see Chen Ge Lao and Lu Shangshu, "... we still gained a lot. Chen Ge Lao and Lu Shangshu not only think that it would be better to promote the Guizhou General from the Guizhou Dusi, but also think that the Sichuan General should also be from the Guizhou Dusi. First, the northwest will rely on Gong Dongning to guard it in the future. The Sichuan General and the Guizhou General are his old subordinates. In the future, he will be able to dispatch troops and command them at will, which is beneficial to the war in the northwest. Secondly, the people of Guizhou Dusi have made great contributions this time, and they should be praised greatly. However, I think the emperor will definitely not agree... The Sichuan General and the Guizhou General are both from Gong Dongning's command, and they are both Gong Dongning's capable generals. Wouldn't the northwest become Gong Dongning's world in the future?

"Since Gong Dongning sent Jing Gehe back to Yanjing, he must have other arrangements. It's best to bring a letter to Gong Dongning tomorrow.

"Lord Chen and Minister Lu are both good at guessing the emperor's intentions, so it's impossible that they don't know what the emperor wants.

"Sichuan is rich in natural resources and is much stronger than Guizhou in terms of geographical location, population and economy. The two adults are now comparing the Sichuan General with the Guizhou General. If I am not mistaken, Elder Chen and Minister Lu are probably eyeing the position of Guizhou General. Since Gong Dongning has made great military achievements, it is not easy to compete with him openly. They are hinting to Gong Dongning to support their people to be the Guizhou General."

Having said that, he sneered.

"They didn't expect that we were also eyeing the Guizhou general. This way, it would be easier to do things - we might as well give up the Sichuan general position, which would not only show our sincerity to the two adults, but also gain their support. As for whether the Sichuan general position is taken by Chen Ge Lao's people or Lu Shangshu's people, that is none of our business. But no matter who gets this position, they will surely remember Lord Gong's kindness. What's the difference between this and Lord Gong's subordinates getting this position? It's better to keep a low profile so that people won't think about it..."

This matter concerns Jin Ge'er's future, but Shiyi Niang has no intention of inquiring into it carefully. She looks at Xu Lingyi and feels her eyes sore.

His smile was peaceful and his tone was calm, just like the many ordinary days of firewood, rice, oil and salt in the past. He silently carried the hardships of the years and never revealed them to her, but only let her see his calm and relaxed side that made her feel at ease. Just like when the previous emperor was alive, he always made the worst plan, but never revealed it to her.

She felt even worse.

I was fine in that situation, but now I have white hair!

Thinking of her coldness towards Xu Lingyi these days, Shiyi Niang's tears fell as she spoke: "I don't even know when your hair turned white!" Her voice became choked.

"Time is money, but money can't buy time." Xu Lingyi sat up and smiled disapprovingly, "Can you control time?" He took out a handkerchief from under the pillow and wiped her tears, "What's there to cry about?"

The more he downplayed it, the worse she felt. She took the handkerchief from his hand and wiped her tears.

Xu Lingyi smiled and held her in his arms, jokingly saying, "They say that appearance is determined by the heart. I think you're going to have a girl this time! Otherwise, you wouldn't be crying like a little girl!"

Eleventh Lady knew that he wanted to make her happy, but she really couldn't laugh.

Xu Lingyi had no choice but to say, "Stop crying, be careful not to lure Jing'er here. He has very sharp ears and eyes now, you can't underestimate him."

Upon hearing this, Eleventh Lady stopped sobbing.

Xu Lingyi took the feather fan she had thrown aside and started fanning her.

Eleventh Lady still couldn't calm down.

Darkness helps with sleep.

Xu Lingyi thought about it and simply blew out the light.

"Go to sleep!" He pretended to yawn. "I have to go to the palace early tomorrow morning. The Ministry of Rites handed over the rules for the prisoner offering ceremony, and the emperor asked me to take a look..."

Eleventh Lady couldn't sleep.

She lay quietly for a while and called softly, "My Lord."

The person next to him snorted vaguely.

"When Jin'er disappeared, you must have felt guilty and blamed yourself, right? After all, it was you who decided to let him go to Guizhou, and you also recommended Gong Dongning to go to Pingxi... Plus, I was pregnant, and I was making such a fuss with you... You were worried about both ends, wasn't that when your hair turned white?"

Xu Lingyi didn't say anything, but Shiyi Niang could feel his breathing pause.

At this moment, she got the answer.

"I understand the righteousness!" Eleventh Lady's voice was as light as the morning breeze, soft and clear in the quiet night, "But there are some things I just can't calm down. I know that doing this will not only do no good but will do harm, but I just want to do it. Otherwise, I will feel very uneasy, and I will regret it when I think about it later..." As she spoke, she turned over and hugged his arm, resting her head on his shoulder, "I'm sorry!" She lowered her tone and said, "But if it happens again, I might still do such a thing!"

He is no exception.

All arrangements have been made. It can be said that all efforts have been made and all that can be done is to wait for fate. However, he never felt at peace, especially when Shiyi Niang dragged her pregnant body to look for Jing'er... He felt panic for the first time.

After using a trick to make Shiyi Niang fall into a deep sleep, he should have handed Shiyi Niang over to his daughter-in-law and the mother who managed the house, so that he could focus on the war in the northwest and use his strength to help Jing'er at any time... But whenever he was free, he stayed in the main room and couldn't sleep all night... When his father died, he was also like this, but he was very calm in his heart, always thinking that he had done what he should do, even if he lost his life, Yongping Hou was in his hands, and he could meet his father and second brother in the underworld, and he could have a clear conscience. But it was not like this time, no matter what he did, he felt wrong, no matter what he did, he felt uneasy, looking at his wife who was calling Jing'er in her sleep, she was like being fried in a frying pan... He was really anxious at both ends!

When the news came that Jing'er was safe, he discovered that he had some white hair at the roots of his temples!

Xu Lingyi held Shiyi Niang's hand and said, "So, let's not be sad about the past. Let's just live a good life from now on!"

It is unwise to dwell on the past.

Eleventh Lady nodded, then shook her head: "No, My Lord should change your mind - you can't hide things from me that you are not absolutely sure of like before. If I knew that you had already arranged for the Wang family to go to the Mongolian grassland, I wouldn't be so worried..." As she spoke, she laughed, with a lively expression.

Xu Lingyi also laughed as he watched: "What if the Wang family didn't find Jing'er?"

Eleventh Lady was speechless, then suddenly realized.

Xu Lingyi's character of doing things without saying anything can't be changed!

She gets anxious and angry when she encounters Jing'er's affairs, and I'm afraid she can't change it!

Eleventh Lady laughed.

All the depression in my heart was swept away.

"Go to sleep!" Xu Lingyi squeezed her hand, "There are still many things to do tomorrow!"

Eleventh Lady hummed and closed her eyes.

Xu Lingyi soon began to breathe long and evenly.

Eleventh Lady suddenly thought of her wedding night.

At that time, Xu Lingyi pretended to be asleep and also made such breathing sounds. She thought at that time, it would be great if Xu Lingyi could give her some time to adapt. But this thought only flashed through her mind, and he still wanted her... She felt a little resentful at the time... Later she remembered, if it weren't for his actions, how could she have a good start in the Xu family? He just thinks about others, and sometimes he is a little stiff. He must not be like this outside, right? Otherwise, no one would say that he is dull, and he would not be able to hold a high position in the government... Or, this is Xu Lingyi's true nature! Just like himself, the closer he is to someone, the stricter his requirements are, and the easier it is to get angry. In fact, these are not good qualities. It can be changed, but it is a bit difficult!

She couldn't help but turn her head and look at Xu Lingyi.

The Gebuluo tent had no lights on, and could only rely on the light from the standing palace lantern in the corner outside the tent.

From the side view, Xu Lingyi has a straight nose, a broad forehead, and very beautiful contour lines.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, forming a happy arc.

"Xu Lingyi!" Eleventh Lady called him in his ear.

Perhaps because he was disturbed, Xu Lingyi turned over, faced her and fell asleep again.

These days, he has been busy with the court, the northwest, and home. He is so tired!

She has been alone since she was a child and never dared to give herself to others. This time, let her give herself to the man who has grown old for her!

She snuggled in his arms...

There will be many more things to come in the future!

But as Xu Lingyi said, don't be afraid, he is here!

※

There is also an "Afterword" to conclude the article.

I’m so reluctant to let go!

~~~~(_