Chapter 69

Chapter 70 Birthday

Lord Xu heard that various relatives had sent birthday gifts, so he had to go to Elder Madam to discuss the birthday arrangements: "...Although we don't need to make a big fuss, we should still invite a few tables for a banquet."

Elder Madam, however, shook her head: "It's not a milestone birthday, a simple family dinner will do."

Lord Xu wanted to persuade further, but Elder Madam had already said: "By the way, I heard that the Emperor is planning to send troops to the northwest?"

"You're better informed than I am," Lord Xu knew his mother was worried about him and smiled, "I am still in mourning, and besides, there are many brave generals in the court. The Emperor originally favored me out of gratitude to the Empress. Now that I've achieved success, it's only natural to know when to step back."

Elder Madam nodded: "It's best that you think this way."

"Has someone said something in front of you?" Lord Xu smiled, "Or does someone want to get into the grain business?"

"You're quite sharp," Elder Madam smiled, "It's your third brother, he said someone from the Lin family proposed a partnership to him, and asked me if it's okay?"

From Elder Madam's tone, Lord Xu already knew the answer but just smiled without speaking.

Elder Madam sighed: "When the moon is full, it wanes; when the water is full, it overflows. Many know this, but few can put it into practice." She seemed quite emotional.

Lord Xu wanted to comfort his mother but didn't know where to start. Just as he was in a dilemma, a maid came in and reported: "The fifth master and his wife have arrived!"

Hearing this, Elder Madam's face lit up with a smile.

Lord Xu couldn't help but feel relieved.

The fifth brother always made his mother happy...

A man and a woman walked in side by side.

The man wore a jade hairpin and a moon-white brocade robe, his face as finely chiseled as jade. The woman wore a plain lake-colored dress with embroidered flowers, her black hair styled in a falling horse bun, her eyes full of affection, as beautiful as a flower. Standing together, they looked even more noble than the golden boy and jade girl in front of Guanyin.

"Come, come, come," Elder Madam was delighted from the heart, "Sit next to me!"

Hearing this, Lord Xu stood up to give his seat to Xu Lingkuan and his wife.

Xu Lingkuan, seeing his mother, was full of joy and affectionately called out "Mother," but when he looked up and saw his fourth brother standing up, his joy diminished by seventy percent.

He instinctively stepped back two paces and weakly called out "Fourth brother..."

This left Elder Madam and the Fifth Lady dumbfounded.

"Have you done something wrong outside again?" Elder Madam winked at her younger son.

"No, no," Xu Lingkuan, usually very clever, now seemed a bit dull, "Really not. I've been listening to operas in the garden every day recently, haven't gone anywhere."

Elder Madam couldn't help but feel anxious.

Lord Xu could clearly see his mother's protective attitude towards his younger brother.

When their father passed away, the third brother was busy with family affairs, and he was busy with external matters. Only the youngest brother was by their mother's side to care for her, which created a different bond. He himself couldn't comfort his mother, so he allowed the youngest brother to enjoy her favor, which led to his somewhat frivolous nature. Strictly speaking, he had some responsibility and couldn't always blame him for being impulsive...

Thinking this, he couldn't help but smile and speak up for his younger brother: "He has been reporting to the Imperial Guards every day recently, and their deputy commander Li has also praised him highly! Mother, you don't need to worry."

Hearing this, Elder Madam sighed with relief, her smile adding a bit more comfort: "Good, good, good. It's better than anything that you can be so obedient."

"Mother," Xu Lingkuan immediately "came back to life," smiling and sitting next to his mother, "Don't scold me as soon as you see me. Since the fourth brother scolded me, I realized I was wrong and have already changed."

Elder Madam laughed: "I know, I know, I won't say anything about you anymore." Her tone was full of indulgence.

The Fifth Lady smiled slightly and stepped forward to pay her respects to the elder madam and Lord Xu.

The elder madam pointed to a stool nearby and said, "Fifth Lady, sit over there. Make space for your wife."

Fifth Lady deliberately pouted, "Look how you spoil Dan County. In a few days, she'll be stepping all over me."

"Dan County is not the person you make her out to be," the elder madam chuckled. "Come, Dan County, sit next to me."

The Fifth Lady quickly lifted her skirt and sat on the heated platform, while a young maid brought over an armchair for Lord Xu.

After the maids served tea, a young maid announced, "Elder Madam, the Second Lady is here!" "Please, show her in!" As soon as the elder madam finished speaking, the Second Lady walked in holding a carved red lacquer box.

Seeing Lord Xu, she was slightly startled, "The Marquis is here too!"

Lord Xu stood up and respectfully greeted, "Second Lady."

Xu Lingkuan then moved his stool in front of the Second Lady, "Second Lady, please sit!"

The Second Lady smiled and thanked Xu Lingkuan, then paid her respects to the elder madam and Lord Xu before sitting down. She handed the box to Sister Yao, who was serving nearby, "I've completed the task!"

Inside the box were the tokens and ledgers for the inner and outer residences of the Xu family's residence.

Lord Xu quickly said, "Thank you, Second Lady. You've been putting in a lot of effort these past few days."

"The Marquis is too kind!" The Second Lady stood up quickly, "Usually, everyone indulges my laziness. Now that I can help, let me do my part. It's not hard work."

The elder madam laughed, "We're all family here; no need for formalities. Let's all sit down!"

The two smiled and sat down again.

The elder madam said, "Yizhen, this time it's all thanks to you. Otherwise, Eldest Miss's funeral wouldn't have been so dignified."

The Second Lady smiled and said, "Mother, you asked me and the Marquis to sit and talk, but now you're being polite yourself."

This made everyone laugh.

A maid came in and announced, "Elder Madam, the inner court has sent two baskets of cherries on the orders of the Empress."

"Tell me more!" The elder madam was delighted, "Bring them in for a look."

The maids carried in the cherries.

Though it was said to be two baskets, they only weighed about twenty pounds in total, laid out with green leaves, looking very charming.

The elder madam immediately had one basket taken to be washed and instructed Sister Wei, "Go, call Third Lady and the children to come and taste the fresh cherries."

Eldest Miss's funeral had just passed, and Third Uncle Xu Lingning had gone to thank those who had sent sacrificial offerings but did not attend, such as Eunuch Lei from the Empress's side, who was not at home. However, Qiao Lianfang was at home...

The Fifth Lady was about to remind the elder madam but then remembered that Qiao Lianfang was not as she used to be, so she swallowed her words.

Sister Wei went as instructed.

The elder madam pointed to the other basket, "Send this to the Gan family, the Sun family, and the Luo family mansion."

The Second Lady's parents had passed away, and she only had an adoptive brother serving as a prefect in Xinyang, with no relatives in Yanjing. Sister Yao quickly arranged for someone to deliver the cherries.

Soon, Third Lady arrived with the children.

The room became very lively, and even Chun Ge, who had just lost his mother, showed a smile.

The elder madam handed the carved red lacquer box to the Third Lady: "You take charge of it again!"

The Third Lady lowered her head in shame: "Mother, it's better to let Second Lady manage it. I have the heart but lack the ability!"

The elder madam knew she was referring to the spring banquet and smiled: "You can't gain wisdom without a little hardship. This time, watch how your Second Lady handles things, and you should learn something. Just be more careful in the future."

"Yes," the Third Lady replied, bowing her head as she accepted the box.

The Fifth Lady pulled her to sit down: "Third Lady, hurry and eat some cherries, or they'll be all gone."

This got everyone laughing, and the Third Lady relaxed a bit.

Xu Lingkuan took the opportunity to discuss the elder madam's birthday celebration: "...In the morning, we brothers will come to pay our respects and have a birthday feast. We'll have Geng Changsheng perform a couple of acts for you, and in the evening, we'll go to Dianchun Hall and have the Xiaowufu troupe perform magic tricks for you..."

The elder madam watched her youngest son, all excited, as he spoke, knowing he had put thought into the arrangements. She then glanced at Lord Xu, who was smiling at his brother, but his gaze was far away, and the earlier joy faded slightly.

"...Geng Changsheng's business will surely thrive. Just based on his name, he'll be invited to perform at birthday celebrations..."

Xu Lingkuan was still sharing his ideas when the elder madam interrupted with a smile: "With all the hustle and bustle lately, for tomorrow's birthday, it's enough for you brothers to come and have a feast with me."

"Oh!" Xu Lingkuan sounded somewhat disappointed...

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That evening, back at home, Xu Lingning, the Third Young Master of the Xu family, learned that the Third Lady had regained the keys to managing the household and couldn't help but smile: "Mother still thinks highly of you..."

The Third Lady scoffed, interrupting him: "What do you know? She's worried that when the Luo family's Eleven Miss comes in, it'll be hard to handle. So she's letting me, an illegitimate daughter-in-law, take charge for now, so she can easily take the keys back later..."

"Why bring this up again?" Xu Lingning whispered, "Although I'm a concubine's son, Mother has never treated me as an outsider..."

"Enough of that!" the Third Lady interrupted her husband impatiently, then quickly changed her tone, leaning affectionately on his shoulder. "What about the matter the Lin family mentioned last time? What are you planning to do?"

Xu Lingning grumbled a few times.

The Third Lady raised an eyebrow: "I'm asking you a question. Can't you answer properly? You're so clear about everything in front of the elder madam, but when it comes to me, you can't explain anything."

Xu Lingning replied unhappily: "Mother said it's not possible!"

"Why not?" the Third Lady frowned. "Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang are even doing business with the Waterworks Department of the Ministry of Works! And they're doing it without any capital. We're investing real money, so why can't we?"

Marquis Jianning and Earl Shouchang were the two elder brothers of the current Empress Dowager, and the Waterworks Department of the Ministry of Works controlled the nation's rivers, lakes, and transportation...

"That's different. The Empress Dowager has a great favor with the Emperor..." Xu Lingning mumbled vaguely, "Even if the Emperor finds out, he'll turn a blind eye!"

The Third Lady laughed bitterly: "What great favor? She just couldn't bear a son and didn't want to be deposed, so she raised the Emperor under her name. If it weren't for the Xu family, if it weren't for the Emperor, she would have been overthrown by Consort Ye back then..."

Hearing her speak like this, Xu Lingning quickly covered his wife's mouth in alarm: "Quiet, quiet! Don't let anyone hear you. Before Father passed away, he made it clear that no one should ever mention 'the Xu family back then' in public."

The Third Lady pushed her husband's hand away from her mouth: "The bold get rich, the timid stay poor. Xu Lingning, I'm telling you, you have two sons to raise! They're your own flesh and blood..." Tears started streaming down her face as she spoke.