Chapter 292

Chapter 297: Old Acquaintances (Part 2)

"...It's Huijie's birthday. I painted her a painting of flowers and birds." Zhenjie's gaze held a hint of pleading as she looked at Lady Eleven. "I’ll just stay for a short while and come back. I won’t delay for long. When I return, I’ll catch up on any schoolwork I miss!"

Since hinting at this matter in front of the Dowager that day, Zhenjie hadn’t had a proper chance to discuss it with Lady Eleven.

But Lady Eleven thought of herself at Zhenjie’s age.

Back then, whenever classmates celebrated birthdays, parents would ensure their children had enough pocket money, trendy outfits, and arranged transportation—all to avoid embarrassment. No one would ever scold them for it.

Her heart ached slightly as she smiled. "Has the painting been framed yet? By my count, there’s not much time left!"

Zhenjie’s face brightened. "Mother, does that mean you’re letting me go?"

Lady Eleven chuckled. "You said it yourself—just a short visit, and you’ll catch up on your lessons. Don’t let me down!"

Zhenjie nodded eagerly. "Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t go back on my word."

"Then give me the painting for Huijie," Lady Eleven said with a smile. "I’ll have someone take it to the Duobao Gallery to get it framed—you can’t just hand it over like this!"

"Mm!" Zhenjie grinned, but then her smile faded. "I... I didn’t bring it with me."

"That’s alright." Lady Eleven reassured her. "The cherry crop just came in. I’ll have Amber send some over later. You can give the painting to her then."

Zhenjie brightened again.

Lady Eleven continued, "It’s not that I don’t want you to join in the fun. It’s just that you’re still observing mourning rites. Because of your age, people might turn a blind eye, but you must still be mindful—don’t overdo it. Just visit Huijie briefly and return. If she truly values your friendship, she’ll understand. If she just wants you there to pad the guest list, you won’t have offended her either. Just remember: such people are fine for casual company, but not for true sisterhood." She paused, and Zhenjie thought she had more to say, but Lady Eleven shifted topics instead. "What will you wear that day? Have you prepared the lucky silver coins for tips?"

"Everything’s ready," Zhenjie replied, puzzled by Lady Eleven’s unspoken words but answering nonetheless. "I plan to wear a lilac overrobe, no jewelry except a beaded hairpin. I’ve prepared ten small silver pieces for tips."

Lady Eleven had initially wanted to warn her that Fang Jieer and Huijie, being cosseted daughters of privilege, might act willfully, and that Zhenjie should mind her step.

But then she reconsidered—Zhenjie was already so sensible. Repeated warnings might make her feel distrusted. Suppressing the urge, she instead asked about the preparations. Hearing Zhenjie’s answer, she said, "Ten is too few. Bring at least thirty. Have Xiao Li and the others carry them in pouches so you can take them out as needed." She then instructed Song Mama to fetch more lucky silver coins for Zhenjie.

The silver coins were custom-cast by weight into propitious designs. They weren’t used for ordinary transactions but were kept by the steward for tipping purposes.

Zhenjie quickly said, "I’ll have someone send the silver over later."

"Men manage property; women build their nest egg." Lady Eleven said with gentle humor. "You’re already saving up with such determination!"

Zhenjie gave an abashed laugh.

The Dowager’s stewardess Madam Du arrived, officially here to collect Chun Ge but first made her courtesy to Lady Eleven and lingered for small talk.

Zhenjie, ever tactful, excused herself to call Chun Ge and left the inner chamber.

Lady Eleven invited Madam Du to sit.

Perching lightly on a stool, Madam Du smiled. "Lady Eleven is most understanding. The Dowager asked me to inform you that since the matter has been mentioned, we’ll have to visit the House of Zhongqin tomorrow. Please make the necessary arrangements."

Lady Eleven nodded and shared the bridal gifts prepared for Gan Lanting. "...Please relay this to the Dowager and see if anything needs adjusting. Is a 10 o’clock start acceptable?"

Madam Du’s face lit with approval. "I’ll report back to the Dowager at once."

Lady Eleven escorted her out graciously.

Chun Ge bowed to Lady Eleven before leaving with Madam Du for the Dowager’s quarters.

Noticing the late hour, Lady Eleven urged Zhenjie to return and then took Xu Sijie in her arms to Lijing Pavilion.

Light still glowed in Xu Siyu’s study. Wen Zhu was about to inform Xu Siyu when Lady Eleven stopped her: "Is the second young master still studying?"

Wen Zhu replied respectfully, "The second young master reads until 10 PM every night."

"In that case, I won’t disturb him," said Lady Eleven. She passed Xu Sijie to Nanyong’s wife, patted his head, and murmured some reminders before returning to her own room.

Just as she finished her evening ablutions, Lord Xu returned.

His expression was grave, his eyes bright, making it unclear whether he had been drinking.

"You’re home, my lord!" Lady Eleven greeted him but did not directly ask how things had gone. Instead, she waited, letting Xiayi assist Lord Xu with his toilette. After he emerged, she personally poured him a cup of hot tea before sitting beside him.

"Did things not go smoothly?"

Lord Xu took a sip of tea and exhaled deeply. "It’s settled," he said, though there was no joy in his eyes. Both are my flesh and blood—he had sent Yu Ge away for Chun Ge’s sake. As a father, it surely weighed heavily on his heart.

"We’ve decided to first arrange the betrothal between Chun Ge and the Jiang family’s young lady. After that, Yu Ge will go to Le’an," Lord Xu said quietly. "This way, we’ll be kin. There’ll be no room for gossip, and Master Jiang’s supervision of Yu Ge will be justified."

Lady Eleven nodded. "When does the Marquis plan to tell Yu Ge?"

"After Chun Ge and the Jiang family’s young lady have exchanged betrothal gifts," Lord Xu replied. "This way, if anything changes, Yu Ge won’t be put in an awkward position."

It would only be a matter of two or three months.

Lord Xu seemed reluctant to dwell on the topic and shifted the conversation. "By the way, you’ll need to prepare for Chun Ge’s matter. Lady Jiang plans for her daughter to depart from Le’an in early April. She’ll likely arrive in Yanjing by late May. The families will have to meet then. As for Chun Ge..." He frowned. "Has there been any news about that Mr. Zhao Elder Brother [Name] mentioned?"

"If there were news, Elder Brother [Name] would surely inform us," Lady Eleven said. "Last time he visited, he mentioned sending someone to Elder Liu to seek Elder Zhong’s assistance. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?"

Lord Xu thought for a moment. "Then let’s invite Elder Brother [Name] over tomorrow to discuss it."

Lady Eleven agreed and mentioned her plans to attend Gan Lanting’s bridal send-off the next day. "I might not return until evening. Will the Marquis dine in the outer or inner courtyard at noon?"

"I’ll eat in the outer courtyard," Lord Xu said. "The foundation’s been laid, so I’ll take the opportunity to inspect it tomorrow."

They exchanged small talk for a while before turning in for the night as the night grew late.

In the middle of the night, Lady Eleven suddenly awoke.

She saw Lord Xu leaning against the headboard.

Chiseled like a statue in the dark, his profile was sharp and defined.

After a moment’s thought, Lady Eleven sat up quietly.

"What is the Marquis thinking about?"

"Did I disturb you?" Lord Xu turned to her, his voice calm but tinged with melancholy.

"No," Lady Eleven replied softly. "I couldn’t sleep either—I rose early this morning and slept through the afternoon, so now I’m wide awake."

Lord Xu was silent for a while before suddenly lying back down. "Sleep. It’s late, and you have an early start tomorrow."

Seeing he didn’t wish to speak, Lady Eleven softly agreed and closed her eyes.

Just as she was falling asleep, Lord Xu suddenly spoke again. "For relatives of the imperial house serving as civil officials, the highest rank is never above the sixth rank. For scions of noble houses, it’s never above the fourth rank."

Lady Eleven had never heard of this. Hesitantly, she asked, "...Is this a fixed rule?"

"No," Lord Xu said heavily. "Since Da Zhou’s establishment, only one person without an inherited title has ever reached the fourth rank. The rest have never gone beyond the sixth or seventh rank."

Are you concerned about Xu Siyu’s future?

"Then what does Lord Xu intend to do?"

After a long silence, Lord Xu said in a low voice, "I’d originally planned to have the Xiang family assist him... Now, he can only rely on himself!"

Eleven Miss was taken aback: "Has there been any news from the Xiang family?"

"No!" Lord Xu replied. "But it's easy to guess. If they were merely delayed by some matter, they would have at least sent someone to inform you. Making you wait without so much as a word shows utter disregard." His tone carried a hint of disappointment. "Even if Second Sister-in-law's return tomorrow brings some change, it would probably be a reluctant concession out of respect for her. A forced match is never a happy one. We’ll just have to accept that Yuge is out of luck."

Marriage requires both sides—you can’t clap with one hand.

Eleven Miss found no words to add.

Early the next morning, as Eleven Miss had just settled in the West Flower Hall, a young maid entered to announce, "Madam, Steward Lu is here to see you!"

Eleven Miss first met with Lu Yonggui.

Lu Yonggui stood respectfully with his hands at his sides. "I heard you wanted to speak with Yongfu, but he couldn’t provide clear answers. As his elder, I know more details. You may ask me anything, Madam."

Amber suddenly understood.

It turned out Eleven Miss had summoned Lu Yongfu not to extract information from him but to prompt Lu Yonggui to come forward voluntarily.

"Steward Lu is a busy man—even my maids couldn’t detain you. So I had no choice but to call Yongfu for questioning," Eleven Miss said bluntly, abandoning her usual subtlety.

Amber noticed Lu Yonggui give a bitter smile.

"This servant wouldn’t presume!"

His reply was noncommittal, yet it spoke volumes.

Eleven Miss dismissed the other attendants, keeping only Amber, and asked, "When the two concubines came from Yuhang to Yanjing, were they seeking refuge with you?"

Lu Yonggui showed no surprise and softly replied, "Yes."

"When Steward Niu was in charge of the household, my father was the accounting steward. The two were close friends. Damao often accompanied Steward Niu to our home to drink with my father, and I used to follow Damao around. That’s how I came to know Second Concubine."

Eleven Miss did the math—the timing lined up.

"Once, the master got drunk..." Here, Lu Yonggui hesitated for a long while. "Second Concubine asked me to deliver a message to Damao, saying she wanted to elope with him. Damao refused... saying he couldn’t implicate Steward Niu." He stammered, "Second Concubine then lashed out at Damao... Whether it was her cruel words or Damao’s wounded pride... he threw himself into a well... Soon after, the Hangzhou shop’s accounts turned up discrepancies, and word got out that the elder master was taking a concubine... Steward Niu resigned and opened a small silk shop in Zhenjiang with his son to make ends meet."