Chapter 167

Chapter 170: Growth (Part 2)

Upon hearing that Xu Lingyi had returned, Eleventh Miss and Zhenjie'er hurried to greet him. After paying their respects, they accompanied him to offer greetings to elder madam.

Before Xu Lingyi could rise, elder madam anxiously asked, "Why are you back so late?" She then gestured for him to sit opposite her.

"The Emperor kept me for a conversation, and just as the Imperial Clan Department came to report on the initial memorial rites for the Fifth Prince, I stayed a bit longer," Xu Lingyi explained.

The mourning for the Fifth Prince included a three-day suspension of court and a five-day mourning period, with the eleventh day being the "initial memorial rites."

Elder madam immediately inquired, "What did the Emperor say?"

Xu Lingyi smiled wryly, "Ten thousand paper ingots, ten thousand paper coins, thirty-one banquet dishes, nineteen sheep, and nine jars of wine. All imperial relatives from princes down to imperial guard commanders, and officials from dukes and marquises down to fourth-rank officials, along with inner and outer court women, gathered at the sacrificial site for eulogy reading and wine offering. The rites were performed."

Everyone was startled.

"Ten thousand paper ingots and thirty-one banquet dishes," Second Madam pondered, "Isn't that a bit too much..." Xu Lingyi nodded, "Not just me, even the Imperial Clan Department thought it was excessive. But the Emperor's attitude was very firm, and no one could say much, so it was settled."

Second Madam glanced at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi nodded slightly.

They spoke no more.

Elder madam also fell into deep thought.

Eleventh Miss then signaled to Zhenjie'er, and the two quietly slipped out.

They ran into Chun Ge, who was in high spirits, chatting and laughing with elder madam's maid, Xiao Shao, as they entered.

Seeing Eleventh Miss and Zhenjie'er, he loudly declared, "Mother, I kicked eleven today, three more than Xiao Shao."

Eleventh Miss noticed the maid holding several feather shuttlecocks, realizing they had been playing in the back chamber. She smiled and patted his head, "You can already kick eleven? Well done!"

He beamed with pride.

"Your father is inside talking with grandmother, let's speak softly," Eleventh Miss whispered to Chun Ge.

Chun Ge immediately nodded and said in a very soft voice to Xiao Shao, "We'll play tomorrow."

Xiao Shao softly responded, "Yes," and along with the older women who had entered with Chun Ge, they all knelt in respect to Eleventh Miss. Just as they rose, Xu Siqin, Xu Siyu, and Xu Sijian arrived.

Chun Ge immediately whispered to them, "Father is inside talking with grandmother, speak softly."

The atmosphere at home had been tense these past few days, and the children were aware of it. Hearing Chun Ge's words, they all looked uneasy and tiptoed in to pay respects to Eleventh Miss. Just then, elder madam's voice came from the inner room, "Is that Brother Qin and Yuge?"

"Yes!" Xu Siqin immediately answered loudly.

"Come in!" elder madam said, "Your fourth uncle is here too!"

Xu Siqin and the others adjusted their attire and entered the inner room.

Eleventh Miss also led Chun Ge and Zhenjie'er inside.

The children paid respects to the elders, and then Third Master and his wife arrived.

They looked somewhat downcast, unlike their usual cheerful demeanor, with a hint of joy in their expressions.

Third Young Master inquired with concern about the "first rites ceremony" for the fifth prince. Lord Xu briefly explained, and the couple couldn't help but express their astonishment. Third Madam chuckled, "Since the Emperor has granted such a favor, it shows he still favors our Empress greatly."

Elder Madam, Lord Xu, and Second Madam remained silent, their faces devoid of joy, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy.

Third Young Master quickly signaled to Third Madam with his eyes.

Third Madam awkwardly said, "Did I say something wrong?"

Eleven Miss, seeing this, said, "I suppose so." Then she asked the little maid beside her, "Go and see if the meal is ready."

The expressions of Elder Madam and the others eased slightly.

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

The little maid responded and left, and Fifth Young Master and Fifth Madam approached with smiles.

Elder Madam smiled, "What brings you here?"

Fifth Young Master bowed to Elder Madam—Elder Madam had already excused Fifth Madam from bowing.

"We rarely have such free time, so we came here to join the fun."

Just as they were speaking, the little maid came in to report, "The maids say the meal is ready to be served."

"Then let's begin the meal!" Elder Madam said as she stood up, and Second Madam hurried forward to support her. Everyone followed and went to the east chamber.

After the meal, Elder Madam didn't detain anyone, urging everyone to go back and rest quickly, "We need to prepare for the New Year and also attend the first rites ceremony and the grand memorial ceremony."

Lord Xu respectfully replied, "Yes," and everyone dispersed.

Back in their room, Lord Xu's expression darkened. After washing up, they went to bed. He lay down, staring at the canopy above and let out a long sigh, whispering, "Today the Ministry of Rites came to discuss the matter of the fifth prince. The Emperor, usually mild-mannered, was unusually stubborn... even to the point of 'those who follow thrive, those who oppose perish'!"

Eleven Miss, hearing this, sat up with a start, "Those who follow thrive, those who oppose perish?"

Lord Xu looked somewhat bewildered, recalling, "Not exactly... but it was particularly harsh. The ritual officer simply remarked, 'The silver ingots for the ceremony are a bit too much,' and the Emperor suddenly jumped up and threw an inkstone at him. If Eunuch He hadn't intervened, the ritual officer might have been seriously injured... I've known the Emperor for so long, but this is the first time I've seen him lose his temper like this... Seeing his mood was bad, I sat for a while after the ritual officer left and then prepared to take my leave... But the Emperor kept me alone... He didn't say a word, just sat in the warm chamber for a long time. Then he let me go..."

Those involved are blind, while bystanders see clearly.

The Emperor called someone over, yet sat in silence...

Eleven Miss's mind raced.

He is the Emperor; there's nothing he cannot express.

They are his ministers, and even his relatives... As ruler and subject, naturally, anything can be discussed, but as relatives, with the death of the fifth prince, such silence is understandable.

Eleven Miss cautiously asked, "Didn't you try to speak to the Emperor?"

"How could I not speak?" Lord Xu smiled wryly, a hint of self-mockery in his eyes, "You're aware of Mr. Deng's stance. He has been in the Hanlin Academy for over thirty years, yet he didn't introduce any decent scholars, eager to distance himself entirely. I'm afraid the more I say, the more mistakes I make!" By the end, his tone was filled with regret.

What does Mr. Deng's eagerness to distance himself indicate?

Is the situation so complicated that even the Emperor's teacher doesn't want to get involved? Or does Mr. Deng think the Emperor will 'kill the rabbit and put away the bow' and thus doesn't want to get too close to the Xu family? Or now that he has the honor of being the Emperor's teacher, he simply wants to keep to himself?

Eleven Miss pondered, "My Lord, didn't you say you would resign after the New Year? I think it's better to resign now..."

She thought of the changes in Third Young Master and Third Madam recently.

Knowing they were to be sent away, the couple was always smiling, and Third Madam even took the role of managing the household as a hot potato, diligently teaching her how to manage. In the end, it was because they had hopes for a new life that they changed so much. If Lord Xu breaks his promise, though there are reasons, the strong disappointment would inevitably lead to some resentment. Whether to manage the household or not, Eleven Miss didn't insist. In the current situation, not managing would be easier for her. Besides, although Third Madam is a bit greedy, clear water has no fish, and anyone in that position would be the same. In fact, Third Madam has done quite well. She has cut many positions, and the household expenses are less than when Eldest Miss was in charge...

Lord Xu gave a bitter smile, "How I wish I could do that. But at this moment, the Emperor might think I am retreating to advance, which could create a rift."

Eleven Miss listened and said, "Mom mentioned that back when you were a kid, you often went to the palace to see the Emperor, who treated you like his own brother. When you injured Prince Shun's head, it was the Emperor who covered it up."

Lord Xu's eyes darkened, "That was back in our childhood days..."

Eleven Miss continued, "Even so, the bond from childhood remains. Didn't you also mention to me a few days ago about your childhood memories with the Empress Dowager? The Emperor might not have forgotten." Her voice was soothing and low, like a warm cup of tea on a quiet night, touching the heart directly, "Moreover, you are the younger one, what words can't be said? Even if you have to act stubborn or cheeky, you can still speak out the difficult words..."

Whether out of concern or wariness, the Emperor must be paying close attention to the Xu family, and it might be hard to hide family matters from his ears. It might be better to appeal to his sympathy, subtly revealing the family's issues to the Emperor, firstly to avoid him thinking Lord Xu is playing a retreating game; secondly to dilute the relationship between ruler and subject, emphasizing kinship; thirdly to soften Lord Xu's image, even the Xu family's image—men are measured by their achievements, and in this aspect, Lord Xu is undoubtedly strong. If such a strong man has unsolvable thorny issues and can only endure helplessly, it is believed the Emperor would reassess Lord Xu's capabilities, and might even be pleased to see internal conflicts within the Xu family, possibly making Third Young Master's career path smoother.

Lord Xu pondered briefly and understood his wife's intentions.

He remained silent for a long time.

After all, he was a scion of a noble family, with pride in his bones. Asking him to withdraw from the officialdom for such reasons would be hard to accept immediately.

Eleven Miss did not expect her few words to change his mind, and softly said, "Big achievers don’t sweat the small stuff. The merits and demerits of a thousand years will be judged by posterity. Besides, the victor becomes the king, the loser the bandit..."

Lord Xu listened and couldn't help but gaze at his wife, sinking into deep thought.

On the eleventh day, the initial memorial ceremony was held at the Gate of Benevolent Thoughts, and on the twelfth day, the officials of the Imperial Household Department held a "Release Ceremony" for the fifth prince. The event was equally grand. Two thousand each of gold and silver ingots and paper money, five feasts, five sheep, and five jars of wine. On the thirteenth day, the grand memorial ceremony was held, attended by the Emperor, similar to the initial ceremony, only changing nine jars of wine to five. At this time, the Empress Dowager fell ill. The Emperor ordered the elder madam and Lady Yongping to visit her in the palace.

The elder madam was deeply worried and didn’t sleep a wink all night, and early the next morning, looking weary, she took Eleven Miss to the Kunning Palace.

The atmosphere in the Kunning Palace was heavy, the Empress Dowager had arrived earlier to visit the sick, the elder madam and Eleven Miss waited outside for more than two hours, and by noon, the Empress Dowager got up to leave.

The Empress Dowager personally saw them out. Eleven Miss noticed her makeup was glamorous, her eyes sorrowful, unable to hide the weariness between her brows, and her heart couldn't help but tighten.