Chapter 426

**Chapter 432: The Crossroads (Part 2)**

The Second Lady had indeed considered every angle, but Eleven Lady still felt somewhat worried about Xu Siyu's reaction upon hearing the news.

After all, Xu Siyu was just fourteen, and this involved his birth mother.

She hedged slightly as she replied, "I'll discuss it with the Marquis when he returns."

Noticing the evasiveness in her tone, the Second Lady smiled faintly and leisurely took a sip of tea. "Indeed, it never hurts to consult the Marquis."

Just then, a maidservant entered and announced, "Lady Fourth, the eldest, third, and fifth young masters have come to see the fourth young master."

That morning, the children had been told only that Xu Sizhun was ill. Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian were older and more understanding, but they lived in the outer courtyard. Xu Sijie, though living in the inner courtyard, was still too young to understand fully. Besides, since Xu Sizhun had always been frail and often ill, the boys didn't suspect anything. Still, for Xu Sijie, who had always been especially close to Xu Sizhun, his absence now made him feel a little lonely.

"Mother, when will Fourth Brother get better?"

Fearing they might sense something amiss, Eleven Lady quickly brought Xu Siqin and the others in to see Xu Sizhun before escorting them out of the chamber. Seeing the worry in Xu Sijie’s eyes, she smiled and gently patted his head. "Grandmother, Second Aunt, and I are all here taking care of Zhun’er—he’ll be fine soon!"

Xu Sijie nodded obediently. "Mother, I won’t bother you or Fourth Brother. I’ll be good and go to sleep with Nurse Nan."

Eleven Lady gave him a warm hug.

Xu Sijie smiled happily, his face lighting up with joy.

The Second Lady couldn’t help giving them a surprised glance.

Eleven Lady accompanied the three brothers outside. "Once he’s better in a few days, you brothers can spend more time together."

Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian cheerfully agreed, with Xu Siqin adding, "Fourth Aunt, don’t worry about Fifth Brother. Third Brother and I will take good care of him." "With you brothers united, I have nothing to worry about," Eleven Lady replied with a smile, watching them leave.

A small carriage with green curtains sped past the three brothers, including Xu Siquin.

Xu Siquin couldn't help but glance over.

He saw that Xu Situn's wet nurse had jumped off the carriage before the old woman could even lower the footstool. "Fourth Lady," her eyes were red, clearly having cried, "How is Fourth Young Master?"

Having fed him from infancy, from his first words to his first steps, how could she not have feelings for him?

"Nothing serious." Standing at the entrance of Grand Lady's courtyard, with maids and old women passing by, Lady Shier maintained a calm facade, "I asked you to come and help take care of him for a few days."

The wet nurse heaved a sigh of relief and followed Lady Shier into the house.

Second Lady frowned, thinking the wet nurse was too emotional. Lady Shier also feared she might wake Xu Situn, so she whispered, "Brother Zhen has just fallen asleep."

The wet nurse quickly covered her mouth and sobbed silently for a while before asking, "Fourth Lady, what did the doctor say?"

"He said he was shocked!" Lady Shier didn't hide anything, "Now he's a bit confused. Since you've raised him from a young age and know him best, I specially asked you to come and comfort Brother An." "Rest assured, Fourth Lady," the wet nurse replied, then asked a little maid to find her a clean loose robe to change into. After sitting by the kang bed, she instructed the little maid to bring hot water to wash her hands, then gently touched Xu Situn's forehead, "I'll take care of Brother!"

Seeing how meticulous she was, Lady Shier felt reassured and invited Second Lady to sit in the side room: "Sister-in-law must be tired after this morning; rest now!" However, Second Lady was concerned about Grand Lady, so they both went to see her.

The wet nurse was willing and bowed in agreement, saying things like, "Please rest assured, Grand Lady."

Fifth Lady came to visit Xu Situn.

"Has he gotten any better?" Seeing Xu Situn's wet nurse, she smiled, "Mother, you made it." Seeing Xu Situn still asleep, she comforted Grand Lady.

With the sky growing late, Grand Lady invited Fifth Lady to stay for dinner and sent a little maid to ask where Lord Xu was dining.

The little maid returned after nearly an incense stick's time: "Grand Lady, His Excellency has gone out." To go out in such a situation?

Eleveniang was somewhat surprised.

The elder madam hesitated before saying, "Then let's serve the meal."

A young maid scurried off to obey.

The second wife supported the elder madam, while Eleveniang and the fourth wife followed behind to the eastern side chamber for lunch.

After the meal, everyone went to check on Xu Sizhun. Seeing that he was still asleep, the fourth wife returned to her own courtyard, while the second wife and Eleveniang stayed to accompany the elder madam.

Physician-in-Charge Liu arrived.

The second wife and Eleveniang retreated to the anteroom, while the elder madam remained by Xu Sizhun's side.

Noticing that Xu Sizhun hadn't woken yet, Physician-in-Charge Liu seemed surprised.

The second wife, standing behind the partition, recounted in detail how Xu Sizhun had briefly woken earlier and described his condition. She then added, "Seeing that the fourth young master was sleeping restlessly, I lit my own blend of soothing incense."

Physician-in-Charge Liu wiped his brow and said quietly, "Without seeing the fourth young master's condition firsthand, it's difficult for me to prescribe medicine." The second wife's attempt to help had backfired.

She exclaimed, "Ah!" and quickly apologized, "Please forgive my presumption, Physician-in-Charge Liu." She immediately instructed a maid to extinguish the incense, saying the fourth young master should wake in a short while.

Feeling awkward sitting across from the elder madam, Physician-in-Charge Liu stood up and said, "I'll wait in the courtyard. When the fourth young master wakes, please send someone to call me back." The elder madam didn't press him to stay and had him escorted out.

They waited like this for Xu Sizhun to wake up.

Amber from Eleveniang's quarters arrived and reported, "Elder Madam, the second wife, the fourth wife, Yi Yiniang is creating a disturbance and making suicide threats. The matrons won't let her see the lord, so she's making a terrible fuss. She even said if they don't report her request, she'll say whatever comes to mind. The matrons, afraid of failing their duty, restrained her and gagged her." She glanced at the elder madam before continuing, "But before his departure, the lord specifically instructed them to keep a close eye on Yi Yiniang and ensure nothing happens to her, as it would be hard to explain to Third Young Master later. The matrons, worried about overstepping, sent me to seek your guidance on how to handle this. Please advise, Elder Madam."

The elder madam snorted coldly and said, "What's there to hesitate about? Just keep her gagged, truss her up, and lock her in her own room. As long as she's still breathing when Third Young Master's reply arrives, that will suffice."

Amber bowed respectfully and withdrew. The elder madam then called for Madam Du, saying, "Go personally to ask Steward Bai when we can expect a reply to the letter sent to Shanyang. Settle this matter quickly to avoid complications." Her tone grew even colder.

Xu Sizhun's Wet Nurse, sensing something unusual, kept her head down and pretended not to hear, focusing instead on Xu Sizhun. She noticed him frowning slightly and muttering fretfully in his sleep.

Startled, she called out "Fourth young master!" in a slightly louder voice than usual, drawing the attention of the elder madam, the second wife, and Eleveniang.

As the second wife had predicted, Xu Sizhun gradually woke up. His Wet Nurse held him close, comforting him continuously.

Perhaps recalling the warmth imprinted in his memory since infancy, though still dazed, he didn't struggle violently as before. Seeing this, Physician-in-Charge Liu felt relieved: "No cause for concern. With someone familiar by his side, he'll gradually recover." He then prescribed some calming medicine and shared a special technique with the Wet Nurse—to rub the area near Xu Sizhun's thumbs on both hands 128 times at noon to "promote the fourth young master's qi circulation." The Wet Nurse learned the technique carefully from Physician-in-Charge Liu.

The elder madam went into the anteroom to speak with Eleveniang: "I think we should quickly put our household in order and invite Jining to conduct calming rituals."

The matter of witchcraft was too serious. Without resolving it properly, if outsiders caught wind, the consequences could be disastrous.

"I'll discuss it with the lord as soon as he returns," Eleveniang replied. Since Lord Xu was handling this matter, she wasn't entirely sure of its current status.

The elder madam, annoyed by Lord Xu's continued absence, grumbled, "That son of mine, where has he gone off to? There's a host of matters waiting for him at home!" Eleveniang didn't know how to respond and was about to comfort the elder madam when the second wife quietly interjected, "He's probably dealing with Zhu Daopo's matter—this isn't something that can be delegated to others."

Hearing this, the elder madam's expression softened slightly, while Eleveniang's heart raced.

She wondered how this matter would finally conclude...

Lord Xu returned very late.

He appeared composed, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Unable to resist, Eleveniang asked, "My lord, did you meet Zhu Daopo?"

Lord Xu didn't deny it, replying quietly, "Don't worry, no evidence remains." Then, clearly unwilling to discuss it further, he gently touched her abdomen and asked, "Was she any trouble today?"

Lady Eleven understood that such measures were necessary, yet she couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret. Seeing that Xu Lingyi had shifted the topic, she gladly followed suit and pushed aside her fleeting emotions.

"He's been quite well-behaved," she smiled. "Just a little mischievous at lunch."

"Oh?" Xu Lingyi raised his brows in interest.

Lady Eleven laughed. "Mother was worried I might be sensitive to the smell of fish, so she specifically ordered that none be served. Instead, they prepared freshly made chilled lettuce—a dish I normally enjoy very much. But today, for some reason, the smell really unsettled me."

Xu Lingyi chuckled at this.

Taking the opportunity, Lady Eleven brought up Xu Sizhun: "...Chief Physician Liu said he will recover gradually." Then she mentioned Xu Siyu, "According to Second Madam's suggestion, it would be best to be completely honest about this matter with Yuge..." She relayed the Second Madam's words exactly as they had been spoken.

After pondering for a while, Xu Lingyi asked, "And what do you think?"

"My opinion," Lady Eleven replied thoughtfully, "is that instead of sending a letter, it would be better to have Yuge come home. Whatever needs to be discussed, we can do so privately as a family." Xu Lingyi nodded slightly. "Then let him come home. It would also give him a chance to meet Lady Qin."