Chapter 87: Newly Married (Part 1)

She immediately called Chunyi and Xiamo in. The two went to the clean room to help Xu Lingyi take a bath. Shiyi Niang put away some odds and ends, then changed into her underwear and sat on the bed waiting for Xu Lingyi.

After a long while, Xu Lingyi came out with slightly damp hair, pulled a quilt over him, and lay on the bed with his head turned sideways: "Go to sleep quickly, we have to go to the palace to thank you tomorrow morning!"

Go to the palace to thank you?

Eleventh Lady was surprised, but thinking about the many gifts she had received today, she felt that she should say thank you.

She hummed, and saw Xu Lingyi lying on his side. Looking at the half of the bed he left for her, Shiyi Niang let out a long sigh.

At least I'm not the only one who thinks highly of myself...

She arranged Dongqing to be on duty in the east room, and after Chunyi and Xiamo cleaned up the room, she tiptoed to the bedside.

A complete stranger, sleeping in the same bed, spending a night together...

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.

Who knows what will happen?

As soon as the thought came to his mind, his eyes fell on that person.

He had his back to her, his body slightly hunched, one hand resting on his head and the other hand hanging naturally on his waist. He looked like he was sleeping soundly.

She calmed down and observed him again, and found that his breathing was long but even.

Really fell asleep!

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and relaxed.

But then she found herself a little funny.

Although this man was a stranger, he had absolute power over her. Would she still be able to scream if he came over to her?

The thought flashed through her mind, and her slight hesitation gradually faded away.

Having lived two lives, what does marriage mean? Don't you know it? Since you've already married, it's like putting your fingerprints on the contract. Isn't it too late to regret it now? Isn't it a bit hypocritical?

Eleventh Lady asked herself this question and her mood gradually returned to peace.

She smiled, bent over, and gently put his arm around her waist into the quilt. Then she turned around, blew out the light, pulled another quilt, and lay down beside Xu Lingyi quietly.

In the dark, people's hearing and sense of smell are more sensitive than usual.

The slight warmth emanating from Xu Lingyi's body and the faint aroma of wine from his breath made her feel mellow and warm, and she felt sleepy instantly.

I have to thank you tomorrow... I can't make any mistakes... I have to stay in good spirits...

In a daze, she saw strong arms grabbing her.

Eleventh Lady woke up suddenly.

A pair of large hands wrapped in thick bands had reached into her clothes...

Eleven opened his eyes wide, trying to see clearly what kinds of sachets were hanging on the four corners of the curtains.

But no matter how hard she tried, it was still pitch black.

A gentle hand stroked her head gently.

Eleventh Lady instinctively wanted to turn her face away to avoid those hands, but this small action made her gasp.

She never knew that doing this kind of thing hurt so much...

"Can I call my maid in?" She asked Xu Lingyi's consent in a low voice.

Xu Lingyi's body visibly stiffened.

Eleventh Lady is not in the mood to care about other people's feelings.

What a terrible experience.

One can't relax, the other is eager to complete a task...

For a long while, Xu Lingyi remained silent.

Forget it! Let’s wait until dawn...

While Eleventh Lady was pondering, Xu Lingyi sat up with a rustle.

"I'll go call your maid in!"

"Thank you!" Eleventh Lady said softly.

After a while, Dongqing ran over nervously: "Miss, no, Madam, what's wrong with you?"

"Give me some water so I can take a bath and change my clothes."

Holly looked at her in surprise.

Eleventh Lady's patience ran out: "Is it not possible?"

"No, no, no." Dong Qing looked panicked. "I'll get you some water right away!"

The room lights up.

Eleventh Lady soaked in the water bucket for a long time before her body gradually relaxed.

After she put on her clothes and returned to the inner room, Xu Lingyi was sitting by the bed waiting for her.

"Go to sleep!" He said in a calm tone, "You have to get up early tomorrow."

Eleventh Lady discovered that all the bedding had been changed.

She nodded and crawled into the quilt that still smelled of jasmine.

Later, Eleventh Lady had a dream.

She dreamed that she was being chased by a giant. She had short legs and was caught up after running a few steps. No matter how much she begged for mercy, the giant was unwilling to let her go. He then opened his bloody mouth and swallowed her in one gulp.

Eleventh Lady was awakened and broke into a sweat.

Xu Lingyi beside her was alert and immediately asked her, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay!" She took a long breath: "The quilt is too thick!"

Xu Lingyi said nothing, got up and called Dongqing to serve her.

What can I do?

Eleventh Lady smiled bitterly, fetched some water again, wiped her body, changed her clothes, and lay down to sleep again.

But I could no longer fall asleep. I pricked up my ears and listened to the sounds of the maids getting up, making their beds and washing up outside.

,,,,,,

Mother Du came out from the inner room, with an unconcealable smile on her face.

She knelt down and saluted Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang: "Congratulations, Master, Madam!"

Xu Lingyi nodded.

Eleventh Lady lowered her eyelids somewhat uncomfortably.

Mother Du's smile deepened, and she put the white silk that was spread on the bed last night into a carved red lacquer box. Then she asked the kitchen to send lotus seed soup.

Xu Lingyi and Eleven Niang ate lotus seed soup, and Xu Lingyi was "invited" to the main room by Du's mother. Mrs. Quanfu gave Eleven Niang a face, then combed her hair into a bun with women's makeup, and inserted the wishful gold hairpin that the Xu family had decided to send as a gift. .

Mother Du looked at the delicate Eleventh Lady and smiled deeply: "Let's go and pay our respects to the Madam."

Eleventh Lady, surrounded by maids, followed Xu Lingyi to the lady's place.

The Third Lady was serving tea to the Grand Lady. When she saw Eleventh Lady, she hurriedly came out with a smile and said, "She said you guys should go to the palace to thank her first, and then recognize your relationship in the afternoon?"

"Yes!" Eleventh Lady nodded with a smile.

The third wife showed envy in her eyes: "Then let's set off earlier, so as not to delay the recognition of relatives in the afternoon."

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly.

Mrs. Du was seen handing the carved red lacquer box to the old lady, and then whispered a few words in her ear. The old lady's eyes stayed on Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang, and she showed a relieved smile.

Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang came forward to greet the lady-in-waiting. As it was their first time and it was the second day of their wedding, they both kowtowed three times respectfully to the lady-in-waiting.

"Get up quickly, get up quickly!" The lady smiled, and then took out a red lacquered box with flowers and birds as a gift for Shiyi Niang, "Take some of the jewelry I used to wear!"

Because it was in a box, Shiyi Niang didn't know what was inside, so she smiled and said thank you for taking it.

The lady smiled and asked Madam Du to see them out: "Go early and come back early!"

Eleventh Lady followed Xu Lingyi into a corner gate facing south and north, and went to the courtyard where they received the imperial edict yesterday. They bypassed the seven-room hall and went directly to the ceremonial gate of the outer courtyard, and then got on the car to go to the palace.

The emperor was still in the morning court, so they went to the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace first.

The empress dowager looked to be no more than thirty-four or thirty-five years old, plump and white, with a very ordinary appearance. If it weren't for the sense of superiority revealed between her brows, if she were taken to Ximen Street, people would definitely think she was some old mother.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but be a little surprised by her image.

Xu Lingyi respectfully expressed his gratitude to the Queen Mother. However, the Queen Mother gave Eleventh Lady a long speech similar to "If a woman is not virtuous, she cannot serve her husband; if a woman does not serve her husband, morality will fall into disuse."

Eleventh Lady stood respectfully with her hands down, listening to her teachings, and kept reminding herself in her heart that she must look respectful and humble so as not to offend the Queen Mother.

As he was speaking, a palace maid came to report: "The Queen is here!"

The Queen Mother stopped talking and said to Xu Lingyi with a smile, "That's great. You don't have to go to the Queen on purpose."

The queen looked to be about the same age as Xu Lingyi. She was of medium build with a curvy figure. She had a pair of big, long eyes like Xu Yi's. She had a very sweet smile and was a rare beauty!

He is not as arrogant as I imagined, but rather very friendly and easy-going.

After greeting the Queen Mother, she looked at Eleventh Lady and said with a clear and crisp voice: "This is the bride."

Xu Lingyi replied respectfully, "Yes."

The Queen smiled and said, "It's hard for you to come to the palace so early in the morning to thank me."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "This is not only the dignity of the royal family, but also the dignity of the Xu family."

The queen smiled and said "yes".

Xu Lingyi was grateful for the ten acres of land given by the emperor, and then the topic gradually turned to the empress dowager's brother, Shouchangbo: "... Although the things from Ding kiln are good, they are not expensive. Not everyone can afford them. And it has already formed its own style, so it is not easy to break into the market. I think it is better to find a place to open a kiln in Jingdezhen. The cost is low and the money comes quickly."

Shouchangbo was in the porcelain business for the imperial palace.

The Queen Mother was indeed very interested: "...Tell me about it in detail!"

Xu Lingyi started talking about the maritime trade during this period. He talked about how to buy low and sell high, how to hire a ship to sail, how to guarantee a share... The Queen Mother was stunned and asked Xu Lingyi directly if he was doing maritime trade.

"I heard it from others." Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "I have been in the northwest for a long time. My knees hurt when it rains or blows. The doctor said I have foot paralysis and need to take good care of myself for a few years. So I asked around to see if there was anything I could do to kill time."

Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi thoughtfully.

The Queen Mother nodded solemnly: "You have been fighting all these years, and it is time to take a few years off."

As he was speaking, the emperor came over after his morning court session.

Eleventh Lady followed the female officials of Cining Palace to a side hall.

Someone was secretly watching her, and whispered: "...Did you see that? The step-wife of Marquis Yongping..."

"So young..."

Eleventh Lady sat there calmly, letting those people stare at her.

After about two cups of tea, a female official came to lead her to the Empress Dowager: "...The Emperor has left."

The queen also followed the emperor.

Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang sat for a while and chatted with the empress dowager for a few words. On the pretext that it was almost noon, they left the palace and returned to the lotus garden.

End of this chapter