That night, the master, his son, and his son-in-law drank to their heart's content and forgot the unhappiness that Shi Niang had brought him.

When the maids helped him into the house, he was still muttering, "... on horseback I beat the wild barbarians, on foot I write military documents. This is what a real man should be like! Unlike me, I can't lift anything with my hands or carry anything on my shoulders..." He glared at the first wife, "If I were 20 years younger, I would also join the Northwest Army..."

The eldest wife was so amused that she covered her mouth and laughed, and she personally helped her husband to rest.

But this happiness only lasted for one night.

The next day, the master woke up a little late due to a hangover. He was drinking sobering soup when Qian Ming came.

Ever since the eldest master praised Qian Ming for his talent, the eldest wife's attitude towards Qian Ming has also changed.

After hearing this, she hurriedly got up and went to the hall: "Has Fifth Uncle had breakfast?"

Qian Ming was very anxious. He hurriedly bowed to the eldest wife and said, "Mother-in-law, something bad has happened. I heard that the Queen Mother has summoned the Marquis of Jianning to the palace to discuss my brother-in-law's remarriage!"

how so?

The eldest wife felt her head buzzing and was completely stunned.

All along, she relied on the fact that the Empress had accepted Yuanniang's will. But if the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree, would the Empress still risk being accused of being "unfilial" to contradict the Empress Dowager? Would the Xu family still disregard the majesty of the royal family and disobey the decree?

I’m afraid that by then, it won’t just be a simple matter of rejecting the Queen Mother’s kindness!

Qian Ming was afraid that the eldest wife didn't know the importance of this matter, so he hurriedly said, "The Queen Mother had always wanted to let the Marquis of Jianning marry my brother-in-law, but the Marquis of Jianning was not willing to do so and wanted to send his daughter to the palace, so the matter was delayed. Now that my brother-in-law has made an unprecedented contribution, I'm afraid the Marquis of Jianning will have no choice but to agree to this matter..."

After a brief moment of unconsciousness, the eldest wife quickly came to her senses.

"Come with me!" She hurriedly took Qian Ming into the inner room.

The eldest master was being served by a maid while rinsing his mouth. When he saw the eldest mistress leading Qian Ming in, he was startled and asked hurriedly, "What happened?"

Qian Ming repeated to the eldest master what he had just said to the eldest wife.

The master was also confused.

The eldest wife couldn't help but get anxious: "What can we do? You can't let our family go to the Xu family to question them, right?" As she spoke, her eyes turned red, "I have only seen Zhun Ge three times this year. Once on the third day of the first lunar month, once on Qingming Festival, and once on Yuanniang's anniversary... Besides, the Marquis of Jianning came from a small family, how could he raise a good daughter? Otherwise, the emperor would have married her long ago, why did he wait until now..."

The master frowned as he heard her words becoming increasingly unreliable: "You go out first. I will discuss this matter with my son-in-law."

The first wife had no choice but to withdraw. Just as she stood in the hall, she saw Luo Zhenxing walking in with big strides.

"Why are you back?"

Luo Zhenxing's face turned pale. He forced a smile at the eldest wife and said, "I have something to discuss with Dad. Is Dad awake?"

The eldest wife immediately realized why Luo Zhenxing came, and she couldn't help but pull her son's sleeve: "Is it about the Marquis's matter?"

Luo Zhenxing still wanted to hide it from his mother, but the eldest wife said, "Your fifth brother-in-law told me everything. He is discussing it with your father!"

"Mom, don't worry." Luo Zhenxing had to comfort his mother, "Three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang. Can't we come up with a solution?"

The eldest wife was now flustered and had no idea what to do. She could only listen to her son for the time being and nodded randomly.

The master in the inner room had heard the noise and asked loudly, "Is it Brother Xing who is back?"

"Dad, it's me." Luo Zhenxing responded to his father loudly, then whispered a few words to comfort his mother, and then went to the inner room.

* * * * * *

“Miss, Miss…” Qiu Ju rushed in with a pale face, “Oh no, oh no!”

Shiyi Niang and Dong Qing were sitting on the kang doing needlework. Seeing her panic, Dong Qing couldn't help but frown: "What's wrong? Yelling and shouting without any manners!"

"Oh no! Oh no!" Qiu Ju did not stand up with a smile when she heard Dong Qing's scolding like she did before. Instead, she ran to Shiyi Niang with a heavy breath and said, "The Marquis is going to marry the daughter of some Marquis!"

At this moment, everyone in the room changed color.

"Explain yourself more clearly." Eleventh Lady looked serious, "Why did you come back?"

Qiu Ju held back her breath and said after a moment, "The fifth uncle came just now. He said that the Queen Mother summoned the Marquis of Jianning and asked him to marry his daughter to you."

Eleventh Lady listened and gradually calmed down.

In other words, she was now facing the risk of being broken off from the engagement? No, there was no engagement at all, so how could there be a break-up...

"What does the Xu family say?" Dong Qing was so anxious that tears were about to fall.

Qiuju glanced at Shiyi Niang, who had a strange look on her face.

"Hey, it's already so late and you're still dawdling here!" Dong Qing was a little impatient, "Hurry up and tell me!"

"Fifth uncle said that people are saying outside that the Xu family has always disliked the fact that our young lady was born out of wedlock, so they haven't come to propose marriage yet!" When he finished speaking, his expression became a little timid.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

"Can this be blamed on our young lady?" Dong Qing couldn't help but say, "Who doesn't want to be reborn in the ladies' belly..." Feeling very aggrieved.

"Yes!" Qiu Ju's eyes also turned red, "The eldest wife is also regretting it! She said that if she had known this would happen, she should have raised Shiyi Niang under her own name."

"What did you say?" Shiyi Niang looked at Qiuju in astonishment. "What did you just say?"

Seeing her agitated, Qiu Ju couldn't help but feel scared. She stammered, "The eldest wife is regretting it. She said that if she had known this would happen, she should have kept you under her name."

In other words, I am on the list.

In a flash, Eleventh Lady suddenly understood.

The first and second aunts simply deceived me!

The thought flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but think of Shi Niang.

Could it be that she had been deceived by the two aunts just like herself?

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but smile bitterly.

I didn't expect that the two concubines who usually eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures would do such a thing!

Thinking of this, she suddenly had an idea.

The emperor is not the empress dowager's biological son. The empress dowager has always wanted to send her niece to the palace but failed. She has to settle for the next best thing and wants to marry into the Xu family. No matter whether it is the emperor or the queen, it is probably difficult to refuse, right? In this case, how dare the Xu family disobey the order! Therefore, this marriage is most likely to fail!

If the marriage between the Xu and Luo families falls through, she will be the victim, right? Most people will sympathize with the victim, so can she seize this opportunity to change the status quo?

Shiyi Niang pondered for a long time, then she stood up and asked Qiu Ju, "Where is mother now?"

Qiuju looked at Shiyi Niang and felt that she seemed a little happy.

But how could she dare to ask more questions at this time? She hurriedly said, "In the hall!" Then she thought that this was not quite right, so she added, "Grandma is accompanying the eldest wife!"

"Who else knows that the Marquis is going to marry Miss Jianning?"

"The eldest wife lost her temper just now, and the news spread all over the courtyard."

Should I take the initiative or pretend to be ignorant and adapt to the situation?

Eleventh Lady thought for a moment and decided to take the initiative.

Because this marriage is too important to the Luo family, who knows, the eldest wife might do something to repay the favor.

She told Amber, "Get some chili water."

* * * * * *

The atmosphere in the main courtyard was solemn, and the maids and wives all stood respectfully in their proper places with their hands hanging down.

But when Eleventh Lady walked in with red eyes, all of these people looked at her with sympathy or curiosity. The maid who opened the curtain even nervously said, "Eleventh Lady is here."

"Let her in!" The eldest wife's voice still contained an undisguised rage.

After entering the hall, Eleventh Lady saw the eldest wife sitting on the bed with a sullen face, while the eldest grandmother standing beside her had a helpless look on her face.

"Mother!" As soon as she called the eldest wife, tears began to well up in her eyes.

The eldest wife looked at Eleventh Lady's eyes, which were red and swollen like peaches, and she understood something in her mind.

Although she never mentioned this to Shiyi Niang, she never avoided it either. She should have heard something about it.

Eleventh Lady knelt at the feet of the First Lady and said, "My daughter wants to become a nun!"

"Nonsense!" The eldest wife looked at Eleventh Lady with a hawk-like gaze, "What do you want to do?"

"Mother." Shiyi Niang's voice was calm. "The arm cannot twist the thigh. If I become a monk, people will pity my hard work. If I don't become a monk, people will laugh at me for nothing. Mother, please let me become a monk!"

What she meant was that if she became a nun, public opinion would lean towards the Luo family, and perhaps the royal family would give the Luo family some respect for the sake of face.

But after all, Eleventh Lady was not the eldest wife's biological daughter, so these words had a different meaning to the eldest wife's ears. She looked at Eleventh Lady with a sharper look: "You mean, our Luo family can't keep you safe..."

When Eleventh Lady heard this tone, she felt a little cold in her heart.

Three years have passed, but the first wife still doesn't trust him at all. When something goes wrong, she first thinks of the worst.

The little bit of guilt she had felt when applying the pepper spray just now was gone.

"Mother, the Luo family is not my father's Luo family, nor is it my mother's Luo family, nor is it my eldest brother's Luo family or my Luo family." Her voice was calm and rational, "It is the Luo family of all of us."

The eldest wife was stunned.

Eleventh Lady, I have never spoken to her like this before...

"It is because of the Luo family's protection that I can live in luxury and learn needlework from Master Jian. Now, my family is in such a crisis, how can I sit back and watch? Upholding integrity and being upright is the foundation of a family. We don't need to ask anyone for help! I will become a monk. Let the world see that our Yuhang Luo family cannot be corrupted by wealth and power..."

The grandmother looked at Eleventh Lady's exquisite features, and thought that she would not be fourteen until May... Her heart ached, and tears could not help falling.

"You, you..." The eldest wife's lips twitched, but she couldn't say a word.

Someone came out of the inner room and bowed to Eleventh Lady, "Don't worry, Eleventh Lady, as long as I, Luo Zhenxing, am here, I will serve you. No, even if I am gone, you still have Brother Xiu. Even if you don't have Brother Xiu, you still have Brother Xiu's son... As long as the Yuhang Luo family is here, we will never forget your kindness."

Eleventh Lady breathed a sigh of relief.

I heard that monks are outsiders and there is no difference between men and women. If the genders are confused, will society be more tolerant towards women?

I heard that the temple is like a small society. In addition to chanting sutras, it also requires monks and nuns to be eloquent or to be literate and have a special skill. With my experience in two lives, I should be able to find a position that suits me, right?

I heard that famous monks and nuns have the opportunity to be invited to other temples to give lectures. In this way, the "Records of the Nine Regions of the Great Zhou" will be of great use...

On the way back, Eleventh Lady walked in an especially relaxed and comfortable manner!

Now, as long as she makes arrangements for Dongqing and the others, she can go enjoy the beauty of the mountains and rivers, and feel the scent of the green pines and the breeze!

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.

I really have to thank Xu Lingyi for capturing that Jia guy alive!

※

Calling for pink tickets...