Chapter 237

Chapter 241: Joy (Part 1)

Qiao Lianfang gracefully curtsied and called out, "Madam."

Eleven Miss smiled faintly and invited her into the inner chamber: "Lord Xu is also here. Please, have a seat."

Qiao Lianfang smiled and entered the room.

Lord Xu was quite surprised to see Qiao Lianfang: "It's so late, what brings you here?"

Qiao Lianfang's expression faltered, and she lowered her head.

Her long, fair neck had a beautiful and captivating curve.

Eleven Miss heard Lord Xu let out a soft sigh.

"What is the matter?" His tone softened a bit.

Eleven Miss saw Qiao Lianfang lower her head, purse her lips, and smile.

She also smiled and asked Amber to bring over a stool: "Please, sit down and speak." Then she had a maid serve tea and said, "I'll go check if Jiege has fallen asleep." She excused herself to leave.

"Madam!" Qiao Lianfang stopped her, "I came to see you." Her eyes sparkled.

Eleven Miss smiled and sat down across from Lord Xu.

Qiao Lianfang stood in front of them.

"Madam, it has been some time since I last saw my mother. I wish to visit her. Please grant me this favor, Madam."

Is it about the pregnancy?

Eleven Miss glanced at Lord Xu with a faint smile.

Lord Xu pondered for a moment and gave a slight nod to Eleven Miss.

Eleven Miss immediately smiled and said, "When do you plan to leave? Since you're going back to visit, it would be polite to prepare some gifts to bring along. I also need to prepare."

Seeing Eleven Miss act according to Lord Xu's cues, Qiao Lianfang sneered inwardly.

Even if you are the second wife, so what? Not to mention that the Luo family is not what it used to be, no longer having the prestige it had when Old Master Luo was alive. Even if it were as prestigious as before, the wife follows the husband. Could you possibly surpass the lord?

Thinking this, she respectfully said, "Tomorrow is my cousin's return home day. We were very close when I was at home. I couldn't see her off when she got married. If Madam agrees, I would like to go back tomorrow. I could also take the opportunity to meet with my cousin."

It seems quite urgent!

Eleven Miss glanced at Lord Xu again. Seeing no objection from him, she nodded and said, "Then it's settled for tomorrow!" Then she called Amber to arrange the carriage and gifts for Qiao Lianfang to take back.

Qiao Lianfang curtsied in thanks, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then stood up to take her leave, saying, "I won't delay the lord and madam from resting." As she spoke, she glanced at Lord Xu.

Lord Xu nodded, and Eleven Miss smiled and called Lv Yun to see her out.

Amber prepared the list of gifts Qiao Lianfang was to take back overnight and brought it over early the next morning while Lord Xu and Eleven Miss were having breakfast. She said, "Lord, Madam, please see if there's anything to add or remove."

Eleven Miss looked at Lord Xu.

"You decide," Lord Xu said.

Eleven Miss took the list, compared it to the gifts Lady Wen had sent back to the Wen family, smiled, and handed the list back to Amber, saying, "You have a good memory."

Amber smiled and said, "How could this humble servant be as good as Madam says? I was just worried about delaying Lady Qiao's schedule, so I went to Third Madam's quarters last night to review the account books from previous years. Since there was no gift list for Lady Qin's visits to her family, I followed Lady Wen's example. For this matter, I specifically consulted Third Madam. Third Madam also said that Lady Qiao and Lady Wen are like sisters from the same household, so following Lady Wen's example is most appropriate. Only then did I dare to present it before His Lordship and you."

Eleven Miss couldn't help but silently admire her in her heart.

Amber is becoming more and more astute. With just a hint from me, she knew exactly what to do and how to say it.

Lady Qin was originally a maid, and her family has long since passed away. Naturally, there is no issue of returning to her parents' home. The Wen family, on the other hand, is one of the few great merchant families in Da Zhou. They have always been generous to the Xu family, who assist them in business. Naturally, the Xu family would not be stingy and risk being mocked. Therefore, when someone from the Wen family visits, the rewards are very generous. Logically, Lady Qiao's situation could be compared to Lady Wen, Third Madam's Lady Yi, or the deceased concubines, none of which would be incorrect. But Amber specifically chose to follow Lady Wen's example. Not only did she compare it to Lady Wen, but she also took the gift list to discuss with Third Madam. Since Third Madam is in charge, such a large expense would definitely need to be discussed separately with the elder madam. Amber actually used this opportunity to show everyone in the Xu family how 'generous' Eleven Miss was toward Lady Qiao.

You must understand, the Wen family would never dare to accept gifts from Lady Wen without reciprocating. But the Cheng State Duke's estate is a different story. First, there's the issue of who Lady Qiao's gifts are intended for—if she gives them to her mother, would Lady Qiao be able to reciprocate with such a large sum? Second, Lady Qiao's father is no longer alive, and whether the Cheng State Duke's estate would support this niece remains uncertain—the Qiao family is not a humble household, and they adhere to their own customs. How a married daughter presents gifts must also follow tradition. Whether Lady Qiao would break tradition for her, no one can say for certain.

In this way, if the Qiao family reciprocates according to what Lady Qiao brought back, it would simply mirror Lady Wen's situation, nothing extraordinary. If they don't reciprocate according to what Lady Qiao brought back, given her status as a concubine, it would still be acceptable. But this way, the Cheng State Duke's estate's standing in the Xu family would be laid bare, confirming suspicions of 'social climbing.' And given Third Madam's temperament, whether the Qiao family reciprocates or not, she would likely ensure everyone is aware.

This is essentially setting a trap for Lady Qiao!

It depends on whether Lady Qiao is clever enough to avoid falling into it.

However, whether she falls into it or not, it won't affect Eleven Miss—in this matter, she holds both 'reason' and 'virtue.'

"Then rewrite the gift list on gold-sprinkled red paper and hand it to Xiu Yuan, Lady Qiao's maid."

Eleven Miss thought that given Lady Qiao's personality, if she gave the gift list to Lady Qiao in front of Lord Xu, Lady Qiao would definitely think it was vulgar and might not even look at it before letting her maid take it. So she specifically instructed Amber to give the list to Xiu Yuan—after all, what one thinks in their heart and what one does in public are two different things.

Amber responded and left.

Lord Xu smiled and said, "You are quite generous."

Eleven Miss covered her sleeve and laughed, "That's because the Lord earns so much, this humble wife dares to be so extravagant." She added, "Besides, Lady Qiao serves the Lord. Her glorious return to her parents' home is also the Lord's honor."

Lord Xu, being a bit of a chauvinist in this regard, said nothing more and lowered his head to eat.

After a while, Lady Qiao came to bid farewell to Lord Xu and Eleven Miss.

She had her hair styled in a Peony Bun, wore a pearl hairband, a gold hairpin with pearls, and a peach-colored butterfly-patterned brocade jacket. Her face was lightly powdered, her eyes and eyebrows smiling, her expression lively. She was no longer her usual cold and aloof self, but like a bird released from a cage, full of joy and happiness.

It was clear that Lady Qiao was genuinely happy to be able to return to see her mother.

"Lord, Madam, if there are no other instructions, I will take my leave." She gracefully bowed to Lord Xu and Eleven Miss. Amber, who had followed her in, nodded slightly to Eleven Miss at this moment, indicating that the matter had been settled.

Eleven Miss calmly looked at Lord Xu.

"Please convey my regards to Lady Qiao when you see her," Lord Xu said gently.

Lady Qiao quickly curtsied.

Eleven Miss then had Amber give Lady Qiao a pouch of silver coins: "Take this to reward the maids and older women. It's also the Lord's honor."

Lady Qiao's eyes flashed with surprise, and she smiled in thanks. Xiu Yuan immediately stepped forward to take the pouch, and then the mistress and maid were escorted out by Amber.

Lord Xu went to the outer courtyard—the stone and brick materials for building the house were being delivered one after another. Xu Lingkuan still had duties, so he sometimes went with Steward Bai to check on them.

Eleven Miss and Amber went to the warm pavilion.

"I gave the gift list to Xiu Yuan. Xiu Yuan took it and was about to stuff it into her sleeve. I deliberately said, you should also take a look. If there's anything you think of that needs to be added or removed, I can take care of it immediately. So as not to be laughed at when we return to the Cheng State Duke's estate. Not only would Lady Qiao lose face, but our Madam would also be disgraced. Xiu Yuan was still being polite, but I insisted firmly. Xiu Yuan then opened the gift list and took a look." Amber said, smiling, "Her expression changed immediately. Then she absentmindedly chatted with me for a few words before taking the gift list to see Lady Qiao. At that point, I didn't care anymore. I shamelessly followed her. Xiu Yuan naturally couldn't say anything to Lady Qiao. She pointed to the gift list for Lady Qiao to see."

Eleven Miss nodded seriously.

"Lady Qiao was very surprised when she saw it. She asked me whose idea it was. I said, it was Madam's idea, following Lady Wen's example. If Lady Qiao feels there's anything inappropriate, I can go and report it to the Lord and Madam." Amber recalled, "Lady Qiao's expression was uncertain as she held the gift list. After a while, she looked up at me and smiled, saying, since it's Madam's grace, how could I refuse and disappoint Madam's kind intentions. Then she had Xiu Yuan take the gift list."

Eleven Miss reflected on Qiao Lianfang's gracious behavior earlier and mused, "It seems that Qiao Lianfang is indeed pregnant."

Amber was taken aback.

Eleven Miss explained to her, "Even Xiu Yuan noticed the gifts were overly extravagant, so how could Qiao Lianfang miss that? Since she dared to accept them after some thought, she must have something to rely on. Just wait and see. When she returns, Cheng State Duke's estate will at most send an eight-color gift box (a traditional gift set containing eight different items) as a return gift."

Having children is the most significant contribution a daughter-in-law can offer to the family. No return gift can match this confidence.

By evening, Qiao Lianfang indeed returned with only an eight-color gift box.

Eleven Miss told Amber, "Please go and get Madam Tao for me. I need to talk to her."

Amber, looking sullen, went to fetch Madam Tao.

Most of the maids in the courtyard were recommended by Madam Tao. Amber was quite skilled, and as everyone saw Eleven Miss gaining more influence, some maids thought they were not Eleven Miss's confidantes and would eventually leave, so they played dumb when issues arose; some maids thought they hadn't fared well when Eldest Miss was around, and now with a new mistress, they might not be worse off than others, so they stayed close to Amber; and some maids remembered the kindness Eldest Miss had shown them when they first entered the estate and thought of Madam Tao's power, so they sought Madam Tao's advice when issues arose. Thus, Madam Tao had heard some rumors about Qiao Lianfang. Seeing Amber's unhappy expression when she came to find her, Madam Tao already had an inkling, but upon entering the inner chamber and seeing Eleven Miss's composed demeanor, she felt somewhat confused. She was momentarily uncertain about the truth of Qiao Lianfang's pregnancy.

Eleven Miss invited Madam Tao to sit in the cozy pavilion and came right to the point, "Qiao Lianfang is pregnant. What do you think, Madam?"