Chapter 152

Chapter 155 Moving (Part 2)

Even Amber could discern the elder madam's intentions, let alone Eleven Lady and the long-serving elders around her!

Eleven Lady felt somewhat uneasy.

Given her age, Zhenjie should logically have her own courtyard. She kept Zhenjie close, partly out of affection and partly to strengthen their bond. She also hoped to use this opportunity to attract Chun Ge. She didn’t plan to keep Zhenjie in the main house indefinitely, especially since the east courtyard was still occupied by several concubines, making it inconvenient for Lord Xu to come and go. As it happened, the fifth lady had to avoid certain astrological signs, and there was no suitable place at the moment. She had initially planned that after next summer, when the fifth lady should have finished her confinement, she would find a nice spot in the garden for Zhenjie to live alone. She hadn’t anticipated such a grand gesture from the elder madam.

She couldn’t help but call out, "Mother..." but didn’t know how to explain it properly.

The elder madam smiled and patted her hand, her eyes understanding: "Don’t worry, I’ll cover the cost of building the house."

Everyone present laughed.

Eleven Lady had no choice but to keep her plans to herself. Just then, a young maid entered to report: "Madam Du, who serves Lady Lin of the Marquis of Weibei’s residence, has come to pay her respects to the fourth lady."

The elder madam smiled and said, "You go and see, I’ll take Zhenjie and Chun Ge for a stroll in the courtyard."

Eleven Lady nodded and left.

The two maids from the Lin family had come to invite Zhenjie.

"Our eldest daughter invites your eldest daughter to view the plum blossoms."

Eleven Lady smiled and accepted the invitation: "We will definitely go when the time comes." She rewarded the two maids and headed to the east wing.

The elder madam pointed to the central hall of the main room: "...for a child, use flowers and birds instead of landscapes; it’s more lively." Seeing Eleven Lady enter, she turned to her.

Eleven Lady quickly handed the invitation to the elder madam: "The eldest daughter of the Lin family has invited our Zhenjie to admire the snow!"

Zhenjie was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected Huijie to follow through... or that the Lin family wouldn’t intervene!

For a moment, she was very envious. She was also worried that Eleven Lady would not agree, hurting Huijie’s feelings, and that she would never pay attention to her again. She was also afraid that Eleven Lady would agree out of politeness but feel unhappy inside, and even if she went, she wouldn’t have any dignity.

As she pondered, her eyes instinctively turned to Eleven Lady.

Eleven Lady smiled at her: "Our Zhenjie is already being remembered by someone so quickly."

The Xu brothers were mischievous when they were young, and if it weren’t for one thing after another happening at home, she wouldn’t have kept Zhenjie confined at home. The Marquis of Weibei is a close family friend, and it’s good for Zhenjie to interact more with their Huijie.

"Then make the arrangements, and let Madam Du accompany her when the time comes," the elder madam instructed Eleven Lady.

Eleven Lady immediately agreed with a smile.

Seeing that everyone was in favor of her going, Zhenjie’s eyes showed a hint of joy.

Chun Ge shouted beside them, "I want to go too!"

Zhenjie looked troubled.

If she went, Huijie hadn’t invited him, and it would be awkward to bring an extra person along. If she didn’t go, she was afraid Chun Ge would be unhappy and cause a scene, ruining the elder madam’s and Eleven Lady’s mood.

Eleven Lady saw clearly and laughed, "What business does a man have meddling in girls’ affairs? How about I call Yuge to play with you?"

The elder madam raised an eyebrow at this.

Chun Ge had already shouted loudly, "I want to play with third brother!"

"Then you better listen and stick with me!" Eleven Miss said.

Chun Ge nodded eagerly: "I want to go horseback riding with Third Brother!"

Eleven Miss laughed: "Let’s see where Jian Ge manages to find a horse for you!"

Everyone laughed.

Meanwhile, Qiao Lianfang was sitting on the large kang by the window with a cup of hot tea, her expression hesitant. "The elder madam is in the main courtyard. Should we really skip it? She used to be fond of me..."

Xiu Yuan lowered her voice and patiently advised: "Miss, what’s done is done, and now is now... Besides, since you entered the household, the elder madam has never met you alone, nor has she spoken a few intimate words to you in front of others... As the madam said, your only support now is the marquis, so don’t go against his wishes!"

Qiao Lianfang bit her red lip and remained silent.

Xiu Yuan could see she wasn’t fully convinced yet—but if it were her, she probably wouldn’t have come around so quickly either. However, before the madam left, she had called her over and spoken for a long time, repeatedly urging her to take good care of the young lady, otherwise, she herself wouldn’t have a good future.

Thinking of this, she had to keep trying to persuade her: "Didn’t the marquis tell you the other day to recover quickly and go pay your respects to the madam according to the rules? You were upset, knowing the marquis wasn’t resting in the main chamber, and you played the zither well into the night. The madam didn’t say anything, but when the marquis left, he notified Lady Qin and Lady Wen, but not you. He must’ve been upset."

Qiao Lianfang listened and coldly snorted, saying, "So what if she’s upset? Didn’t I go early in the morning to explain to her? In front of the marquis, she still made sure someone brought me a stool to sit and talk."

Xiu Yuan knew Qiao Lianfang was still being stubborn, so she didn’t argue with her, just smiled and said, "That’s why I’m saying, even the madam is afraid of the marquis, so you should focus on winning over the marquis. When you went to the madam’s place the other day, didn’t the marquis seem pleased?"

Qiao Lianfang remained silent, her expression uncertain.

Xiu Yuan continued to persuade her: "Look at Lady Wen. The marquis rests with her when he wants, and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t. She’s made a fortune doing business outside under the marquis’s name. This is called gaining something while losing something else. For now, even if you have to swallow your pride, the marquis will feel bad for you and treat you even better."

Qiao Lianfang lowered her head, twisting her fingers, her expression gradually softening.

Xiu Yuan, seeing her words had an effect, was very pleased and said, "Miss, should I send Zhu Rui to check on Lady Qin? If she goes, we’ll follow suit. If she doesn’t go to pay respects to the elder madam, we’ll pretend we don’t know. After all, you’re still unwell."

Qiao Lianfang listened and nodded slightly.

Xiu Yuan finally felt relieved and immediately called Zhu Rui, sending her to see what Lady Qin was up to.

Soon, Zhu Rui returned: "Lady Qin is talking with Lady Yi of the Third Madam. It doesn’t seem like she’s going anywhere."

Xiu Yuan smiled and said, "Miss, then let’s stay at home too! Why bother reading others’ moods."

Qiao Lianfang nodded, curious: "What are Lady Qin and Lady Yi talking about?"

Zhu Rui smiled: "They seem to be discussing next year’s incense money for Ciyuan Temple. They also mentioned wanting to add fifty taels of silver to get a few peace talismans for the second young master."

Xiu Yuan, recalling that Lady Qin had worn a gray squirrel fur coat that day, and now hearing Zhu Rui mention adding fifty taels of silver to the incense money for Ciyuan Temple every year, had a thought and whispered to Qiao Lianfang: "...She’s just a maid—how does she get to wear fur coats and casually add fifty taels of silver? It’s all because she has the marquis’s favor, and it’s because she gave birth to a son. Miss, you really need to think this through."

Qiao Lianfang listened with a startled expression. Her face turned pale, and after a while, she said, "If she’s not going, neither are we!"

Xiu Yuan quickly nodded: "Miss is right. How about I call Zhu Rui and Zhu E, and we’ll play cards?"

Qiao Lianfang nodded vigorously, and Xiu Yuan hurried to call in two young maids.

Eleven Miss, seeing that it was getting late, invited the elder madam to stay for lunch. The elder madam agreed, and Eleven Miss sent someone to invite the Third Madam over to join the gathering. She then served the elder madam tea as she sat on the large kang by the window in the west chamber. Remembering how the elder madam had raised an eyebrow when she mentioned calling Xu Siyu to play with Chun Ge, and seeing Zhenjie and Chun Ge curiously playing with the goldfish she kept in the east chamber, she whispered: "I was thinking that Zhenjie will be moving tomorrow, and the eldest young master, second young master, third young master, and Chun Ge are all her brothers. I wanted to gather them to discuss how to celebrate for Zhenjie—as the children grow older, there will be more distinctions between genders, so while they still have a couple of years left, let them enjoy each other’s company. Even if they part later, the bonds from childhood will remain."

The elder madam nodded: "You’ve considered this very thoughtfully. When Zhenjie marries in the future, she’ll need the support of her brothers, and her brothers will also need the support of a capable brother-in-law!"

Eleven Miss smiled: "Exactly as you’ve said. I wanted to give Zhenjie a surprise, so I haven’t mentioned it yet." They then discussed what Zhenjie should wear, what accessories to bring, who should accompany her, and what items to take when she goes to the Lin residence... They went over all the details until the Third Madam arrived, and the conversation paused.

Upon hearing that the elder madam would stay for lunch at Eleven Miss's quarters, she hurriedly instructed the kitchen to bring the elder madam's meal there. She attentively served lunch to the elder madam and, together with Eleven Miss, escorted the elder madam, Zhenjie, and Chun Ge back to their rooms for a nap.

On the way back, Eleven Miss mentioned that Zhenjie would be visiting the Lin family at the end of the month to enjoy the snow: "...When the time comes, Third Sister-in-law will need to arrange a carriage to take her there and assign capable older women to accompany her."

Third Sister-in-law was somewhat surprised but readily agreed, with a touch of nostalgia: "Zhenjie is going to visit the Marquis of Wei's family!"

Eleven Miss smiled, "The children are growing up and building their own social networks."

Third Sister-in-law nodded, and after a few casual words between sisters-in-law, they went their separate ways. However, the news of Zhenjie's visit to the Marquis of Wei's family spread rapidly.

Lady Wen rummaged through her belongings in the inner room and called Qiu Hong over, excitedly saying, "Look, is this string of southern pearls suitable as a gift?"

Qiu Hong glanced at them, each as large as a fingernail, round, smooth, and gleaming with a radiant, iridescent sheen, stunningly beautiful.

"What are you..." she asked, looking at Lady Wen in surprise.

Lady Wen thought for a moment and said, "Discreetly pass this to Zhenjie. Use it as a gift for the Lin family's eldest daughter-in-law." She also took out an emerald jade plaque about an inch square: "This is for the elder madam as a gift."

Looking at the fresh, bamboo-like emerald jade plaque, Qiu Hong hesitated, "I'm afraid the elder madam and Madam might help prepare the gifts..."

Lady Wen's enthusiasm deflated. She sat down dejectedly into a nearby armchair, laughing at herself, "True. Even if I sent it, it would be of unknown origin. It would only cause trouble for Zhenjie!"

Qiu Hong felt saddened and whispered, "How about letting Fourth Madam give it to Zhenjie? I think Fourth Madam is quite kind..."

Lady Wen shook her head, "Everyone in this household seems kind!" She reluctantly put the items back in the chest, "Well, not having to prepare a gift for her will save me a lot of money."