Chapter 223

Chapter 227: Restlessness (Part 2)

The Court of the Imperial Stables was responsible for managing policies related to horse breeding, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. Horses were bred and kept in six prefectures in Shandong and Henan. If pasturelands were converted into farmland for any reason, the Ministry of War was responsible for collecting annual rent. In the event of disasters, the funds were to be used to support the sale of horses.

This year, heavy snowfall caused severe damage in Jinan, Dongchang, Kaifeng, and Weihui, prompting local officials to seek assistance in the capital.

The only son of Princess Changning, Ren Kun, served as Director in the Ministry of War's Department of Carriages and Cavalry, overseeing ceremonial matters, postal stations, and stables. Officials from the Court of the Imperial Stables naturally had to pay him a visit. Ren Kun was a renowned handsome man in Yanjing, known for his preference for male companionship and his aversion to women. Thus, the places where he was entertained shifted from brothels to male brothels. Over time, he became acquainted with Wang Lang, a frequent visitor to these establishments...

"Since the tenth of December, the two of them have disappeared!" Lady Zhou remarked, watching Eleven Miss's reaction.

"So, Wang Lang wasn't home... That's why Ten Miss couldn't return to her parents' house on the second day..." Eleven Miss was stunned. Thinking of Lady Jiang Gui's sudden trip back to Yanjing, "...could this be the reason for her return?"

Lady Zhou didn't hear her muttering but reminded her, "Princess Changning is ten years the Emperor's senior. When the Emperor was young, he was cared for by Princess Changning. Only Princess Changning dares to skip paying respects to the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace due to illness."

Eleven Miss gave a bitter smile.

Even if Wang Lang's interest wasn't Ren Kun, aside from the Wang family and Ten Miss, who else had the right to interfere with him...

This might be for the best. With Wang Lang having a love interest, his attention to the family would naturally decrease, and Ten Miss could have a few quiet days.

She let out a deep sigh. After finally getting through dinner and returning home, she found her courtyard brightly lit and filled with laughter.

A young maid informed her, "The fourth young master is teaching the fifth young master to play shuttlecock!"

Eleven Miss glanced up at the starry sky. "At this hour?"

The maid smiled, "The fourth young master arrived in the afternoon and stayed for dinner."

"Is the elder madam back yet?" she hurried into the house. "Has Lord Xu come back since he left with you?"

The maid replied, "The elder madam hasn't returned yet. Lord Xu hasn't come back since he left with you."

As they spoke, Eleven Miss entered the room.

"See? Like this..." The room was packed with maids and older women gathered around Chun Ge and Xu Sijie. Chun Ge was showing how to play with a brightly colored shuttlecock, while Xu Sijie, across from him, seemed distracted, his gaze wandering.

Suddenly, Xu Sijie's eyes lit up. "Mother!"

He called out and ran to Eleven Miss.

Eleven Miss hugged Xu Sijie and asked Chun Ge's wet nurse, "Does the elder madam know the fourth young master is here?"

The wet nurse quickly curtsied and replied respectfully, "Yes, Sister Wei is aware."

Chun Ge stepped forward to greet Eleven Miss. "Mother!"

Eleven Miss nodded, noticing the sweat on his forehead, and reached to check his back. "Are you sweating?"

Chun Ge struggled for a moment but then calmed down. "No!"

Eleven Miss carried Xu Sijie into the inner chamber. "You're sweating. Come inside and have some tea."

Chun Ge thought for a moment and followed Eleven Miss into the inner chamber.

Maids promptly served them tea on the kang, and concubines came in to pay their respects. Amid the bustling, Lord Xu returned.

Seeing the lively scene, with Chun Ge seated beside Eleven Miss and Xu Sijie cuddled in her arms, he couldn't help but smile.

"You're back so early!"

Everyone promptly rose to pay their respects.

"Princess Ancheng dislikes noise, so after a brief card game, we dispersed," someone explained.

Lord Xu nodded, headed to the dressing room to change, with Qiao Lianfang trailing behind.

Qin Yi averted her gaze, feigning ignorance, while Lady Wen cast a glance at Eleven Miss.

Concubines are merely servants with a slightly elevated status compared to maids—nothing to fret over.

Eleven Miss maintained her composure and instructed the maid, "Go see if the elder madam has returned."

The maid scurried away.

Eleven Miss then asked Chun Ge, "Weren’t your three brothers with you? What were they up to?"

Chun Ge pouted, "They wouldn’t let me join. They were all secretive, huddled behind closed doors."

Children typically enjoy playing with older kids.

Eleven Miss smiled, "So you came to play with Sijie, huh?"

He nodded, grumbling, "I tried to teach Fifth Brother how to kick the shuttlecock, but he just doesn’t get it."

Maybe Xu Sijie just isn’t into it?

As Eleven Miss chuckled, a deep male voice cut in, "Forget shuttlecocks. Focus on memorizing 'The Primer.' After the New Year, you’ll be off to the clan school."

She looked up to see Lord Xu step out of the dressing room in a dark green brocade robe, with the ever-respectful Qiao Lianfang in tow.

Kids have their pride too, you know.

Eleven Miss quickly smiled and said, "It’s getting late, everyone should head out now!"

Lord Xu was about to scold Chun Ge but bit his tongue when Eleven Miss intervened.

Worried he might still reprimand Chun Ge, Eleven Miss personally saw him to the door.

When she returned, she asked Lord Xu, "How’s everything been these past few days?"

"Fine," Lord Xu said, lounging against the large pillow. "It’s just that the censors’ accusations are off base. I’ll have someone draft a memorial tomorrow—the more they accuse me, the more the Emperor will feel uneasy."

Eleven Miss knew exactly what he meant.

No emperor likes ministers forming cliques. Lord Xu’s situation could be big or small, but if enough people keep pushing, the Emperor will have to take notice.

"Has the Qu Clan been quiet?" she mused. "They wouldn’t pass up such a chance. If they’ve really backed off… then the Qu Clan is truly a force to reckon with."

"It’s not that they’ve given up," Lord Xu said casually. "It’s just that in Yanjing, they can’t move as freely as they do in Fujian." Noticing Eleven Miss’s mood, he added, "What’s the matter? Tired?"

It took Eleven Miss a moment to realize he was asking about her. She smiled, "I’m fine. It’s just that the princesses are so formal—nothing like the relaxed atmosphere at Yongchang Marquis’s home." Then she brought up Wang Lang, "...I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or bad, a blessing or a curse."

"Ren Kun and Wang Lang are together?" Lord Xu was surprised. "What does Ren Kun see in Wang Lang?"

From Lord Xu’s tone, it was clear he thought more of Ren Kun than Wang Lang. But given Wang Lang’s past clash with Xu Lingkuan, it was no wonder Lord Xu wasn’t fond of him.

The next day, she sent Amber back to Bowstring Alley—firstly, to inform Luo Zhenxing and prevent the Luo family from further misunderstanding Ten Miss; secondly, to check in on Fifth Concubine and see how she was faring.

Fifth Concubine was doing well, cared for by Sixth Concubine. However, upon receiving the news, Luo Zhenxing was furious. Despite it being the festive season, he sent his wife to the Wang family. Unable to cover up the matter, the Wang family was deeply embarrassed. Lady Jianggui personally came to apologize, and the Wang family sent a steward with gifts worth a thousand taels of silver. Luo Zhenxing was still not appeased, but his wife advised him, "Are we going to bring Ten Miss back?" This statement deflated Luo Zhensheng, who could only urge the Wang family to find her and bring her back.

Such a matter that would normally be the talk of the town was overshadowed by the scandal of Lord Xu's illegitimate child, like a small stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples that quickly faded. However, Lord Xu's situation escalated, from moral failings to accusations of colluding with enemy states, from censure by censors to mutual accusations among court officials. The Xu family, caught in the eye of the storm, reacted slowly, without a clear plan, and acted chaotically. The only commendable aspect was the relative harmony among the brothers—Xu Lingkuan even got into several fights over the matter.

For a time, discussions buzzed both inside and outside the capital.

Eleven Miss remained largely unaffected. Apart from accompanying the elder madam to a few family banquets, she stayed in her courtyard, sewing with Dongqing and Binju for the children.

Chun Ge would come every afternoon to play with Xu Sijie, but Xu Sijie preferred to sit beside Eleven Miss and watch her embroider rather than play with Chun Ge. Chun Ge couldn't resist complaining, "...Big brother and second brother are whispering, letting third brother listen but not me."

Seeing Chun Ge pouting and looking very aggrieved, and noticing the humble attitudes of the maids and older women around him, Eleven Miss smiled and put away her needlework, "Chun Ge, show me how to kick the shuttlecock, okay?"

"Really, really? Mother, are you going to learn to kick the shuttlecock with me?" Chun Ge was very excited.

Eleven Miss nodded. Concerned that others might deem it improper, she only kept Lv Yun and Hong Xiu, sent a maid to guard the door, changed into a light jacket, and followed Chun Ge to learn how to kick the shuttlecock.

Perhaps she lacked the skill or wasn't fully committed, Eleven Miss couldn't get the hang of it, either kicking the shuttlecock too far or missing it altogether. Chun Ge was sweating profusely in frustration, while Xu Sijie, happy to be by Eleven Miss's side, cheerfully picked up the shuttlecock for her, overjoyed.

"How about we jump rope instead?"

Jumping rope seemed to Eleven Miss a better way to exercise, especially for a skinny child like Chun Ge. It could gradually increase physical activity in a more low-key and less noticeable way.

She said, gazing hopefully at Chun Ge.

Chun Ge immediately straightened up, "Okay, let's jump rope!"

Actually, he found jumping rope quite tiring. But since his mother was clumsy and couldn't learn to kick the shuttlecock, she wanted to switch to jumping rope. He felt he should humor her.

Xu Sijie didn't mind, as long as Eleven Miss thought it was good, he thought it was good too, clapping his hands, "Jump rope, jump rope."

Eleven Miss smiled and rubbed his head, asking Steward Bai to fetch three white ropes according to their heights. She then cleared the armchairs from the hall to create space in the middle, and with Chun Ge, each grabbed a rope and started jumping.

Xu Sijie ran around with a rope.

Eleven Miss beckoned Xu Sijie with a smile, "Come, let me teach you how to jump rope!"

Xu Sijie immediately ran over with a grin.

Eleven Miss had him stand in front of her, calling out "One, two, three," then twirling the rope, stopping, and calling out again "One, two, three," to twirl the rope.

At first, Xu Sijie was completely clueless, tripping several times, but gradually he understood Eleven Miss's intention, knowing to jump when she called "three." Being young and unsteady, he wobbled like a roly-poly, making Chun Ge laugh. Xu Sijie looked over at Chun Ge, accidentally stepping on Eleven Miss's foot. Startled, Eleven Miss let out an "Oh!" as the rope tangled around Xu Sijie's foot, and they both fell to the ground.