Chapter 439

**Chapter 446: Return to the Manor (Part 1)**

Since that night when Xu Sizhun had his accident, Eleven娘 had not seen Chaxiang again.

In the face of survival, everyone is as insignificant as ants.

Eleven's mother did not want Xu Sizhun exposed to such realities too soon, but neither did she wish to deceive him.

"Chaxiang was your personal maid. Her duty was to take good care of you. Deep in the night, she took you out without informing Elder Madam or Madam Du, making a decision on her own. That alone was grounds for dismissal. She will never be permitted to return and serve you."

Xu Sizhun froze.

He had asked many people—including Madam Du—and they all said that if he rested well and recovered, Elder Madam might be pleased enough to allow Chaxiang to return. This was the first time anyone had given him such a blunt answer—that Chaxiang would never come back.

"But," Xu Sizhun couldn’t help but defend Chaxiang, "it was I who asked her to take me out. She was merely obeying my command."

"She is older than you and knows more than you do. That’s why Elder Madam assigned her to serve you and even put her in charge of Biluo and your other maids." Whether dealing with adults or children, such open communication was rare, and Eleven娘 patiently explained to Xu Sizhun, "When you were making a mistake, she should have pointed it out and stopped you. If, because of the boundaries between master and servant, she could not stop you herself, she should have informed Madam Du, who oversees her. Instead, she acted on her own and took you out."

Xu Sizhun lowered his eyelids.

What his mother said made sense, but somehow, he still felt unsettled in his heart.

After thinking for a while, he said, "But… but she was just a maid?"

"Exactly!" Eleven娘 smiled. "That’s why some maids and servants rise to become stewards or head maids, while others are sent off to marry when they come of age, and some servants remain errand boys their entire lives. Some earn two taels monthly and often receive tips from their masters, while others receive no monthly allowance at all and are frequently punished. It all depends on how seriously they take their duties."

Xu Sizhun listened and nodded slowly.

Eleven's mother smiled and patted his shoulder. "Alright, rest early. Tomorrow morning, we must instruct the outer manor’s steward to deliver the ritual three-animal sacrifice for Madam Tao."

His face fell again.

"Some things need to be taken slowly," Eleven added gently.

She watched as Xu Sizhun lay down, tucked him in with a light quilt, took the lamp with her into the outer room, gave a few instructions to the wet nurse, and then finally stepped out.

Elder Madam was still awake, speaking with Madam Du. When she saw Eleven娘 emerge, her elder smiled and beckoned her over. "Come and sit by my side," she said warmly.

Smiling, Eleven's mother sat beside Elder Madam, who took her hand. "Did you talk to Spring Sister about Lady Tao's issue?" Madam Du personally offered a cup of hot tea.

Eleven-niang nodded. "I did." She added, "I waited until he was asleep before coming out."

Elder Madam sighed softly. "Today, Madam Du visited Qin Yi. Her condition has worsened—her words make no sense, and she doesn’t even recognize Madam Du anymore. I think you should send someone to Le’an again and urge Yuge to return sooner."

Everyone present knew whether Qin Yi was truly unwell. Ever since Lady Du returned from Luoyeshan, Qin Yi’s condition had worsened. Niuniang’s expression darkened slightly as she replied, "Yes."

That night, as she lay awake thinking about everything that had happened recently, sleep eluded her. Not wanting to disturb Lord Xu beside her, she remained still, staring blankly at the sachet hanging above the bed. Xu Siyu was not like Xu Sizhun—he couldn’t be placated with a few kind words.

Reading a thousand books is not as valuable as traveling ten thousand miles. Over the past two years, traveling between Yanjing and Le’an, and studying under the celebrated Mr. Jiang, he was no longer the sheltered second young master raised within the marquisate. Yet, those in the household rarely interacted with him and had little understanding of how much he had changed. Laying out every detail of Qin Yi’s actions might clarify responsibility for Lord Xu, Elder Madam, and even herself—but what about emotions?

Can emotions really be neatly sorted by responsibility?

Who would mentor and guide this fourteen-year-old boy?

Eleven thought of the Second Lady.

She still remembered how, when Xu Siyu wanted to change his attendant, Qin Yi had desperately sent a message to the Second Lady, who was then in the Western Hills. She hadn’t sought out Elder Madam or Lord Xu—only the Second Lady. And the Second Lady had fulfilled her request without delay, immediately assigning Xiaolu to serve Xu Siyu. Did Qin Yi trust the Second Lady more than Elder Madam or Lord Xu?

And Xu Siyu, who had listened to the Second Madame’s words and dispelled his worries, happily went to Le’an. Every time he returned from Le’an, he would respectfully pay his respects to the Second Madame and discuss academic matters with her. Did Xu Siyu see the Second Madame as someone more trustworthy than Lord Xu or Qin Yi?

When Qin Yi’s actions were laid bare before Xu Siyu, given the Second Madame’s relationship with Qin Yi and her son, could she be asked to step in and comfort Xu Siyu?

As she was lost in thought, a pair of strong hands gently embraced her.

“What’s on your mind?” Lord Xu’s deep, mellow voice sounded softly by her ear, carrying a soothing warmth. “Can’t sleep?”

“Mm.”

Eleven Miss nestled closer into Lord Xu’s arms. “Thinking about everything that’s happened lately.”

Lord Xu was silent for a moment before saying, “I know… you’re pregnant now… some matters should be left to Mother to handle… but these are things you’ll have to take over sooner or later…” His tone held rare hesitation.

“Don’t worry about me, my lord.” Indeed, this was one of her responsibilities. Eleven Miss lowered her voice. “I’m just a little concerned about Yuge. I’m afraid when he finds out about Qin Yi…”

Lord Xu bent slightly and kissed Eleven Miss’s forehead.

“Yuge isn’t like Zhun Ge,” he murmured. “He’s clever, meticulous, and strong-willed. It’s unclear whether he was even involved.”

Eleven Miss was taken aback.

Lord Xu continued, “Even if he learned from Mr. Jiang these past two years, if you don’t speak plainly to him, he’ll surely speculate endlessly, which could easily cause complications. Who knows, years later, he might inadvertently bring up the witchcraft incident, and make matters worse. If you’re upfront with him, though he may grieve, given his temperament, he’ll recover quickly. It would be better for him in the long run.”

This was the first time Lord Xu had spoken so candidly about Xu Siyu in front of her.

If the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons were disregarded, would Lord Xu secretly think that Xu Siyu was more suitable than Xu Sizhun to inherit the title of Marquis of Yongping?

Was this why his feelings ran so deep?

Eleven Miss clasped Lord Xu’s large hand resting at her waist. “I don’t believe Yuge would do such a thing.”

Lord Xu knew what she meant.

In his heart, he refused to believe it.

But rationally, without evidence, he had to remain suspicious.

The mere thought made him uneasy.

Lord Xu didn’t wish to discuss it further with Eleven Miss.

“Get some rest. We’ll deal with it when he returns.”

Indeed, there was no use worrying now. They would only know when Xu Siyu came back.

Soon, it was late June. The lotus flowers in Biyou Lake were in full bloom, filling the courtyard with their heavy, lingering scent.

Envoys from Cangzhou arrived to discuss the betrothal gifts.

For noble families, marrying off a daughter involved numerous rituals, and it was customary to “raise the bride’s status, lower the groom’s.” Even with restraint, marriage talks could take years. Considering the timeline agreed upon with the Shao family, it was now time for both families to sit down and finalize the arrangements.

At this stage, the matter was no longer in the women’s hands—it fell to Lord Xu and the stewards of the outer household. Yet Lady Wen fretted endlessly, repeatedly checking the dowry list with Dong Hong and others, afraid of missing anything.

Eleven Miss did some calculations. Lord Xu had initially set aside twenty thousand taels, later adding another ten thousand. But judging by the dowry Lady Wen was preparing for Zhenjie, it would likely cost forty to fifty thousand taels. On top of that, Lord Xu had allocated another twenty thousand taels for Zhenjie’s land and property. Zhenjie was virtually a young heiress.

She couldn’t help but wonder—for Xu Siyu, Xu Sizhun, Xu Sijie, and the child still in her womb, how much would Lord Xu need to spend to arrange all these marriages?

Taking a moment of free time, Lady Eleven went to the palace.

The eldest princess was as delicate and lovely as a porcelain doll—lively and endearing. The Emperor and Empress cherished her like a treasure. Contrary to usual practice, instead of being placed in a separate palace under the care of governesses, she remained with the Empress at the Kun Ning Palace for daily upbringing.

When Lady Eleven arrived, the princess, just over a year old, was holding the Empress’s hand while learning to walk.

The Empress excused her from formalities and led her into a side hall to speak. “In such hot weather, and at this advanced stage of your pregnancy, you could have simply sent Captain Xu to relay your message.”

Captain Xu referred to Xu Lingkuan.

Lady Eleven, knowing that the Empress shared a close friendship with the Second Madam—who was known for her directness—smiled and replied, “I wouldn’t dare trouble Master Xu unless it were important.”

The Empress was not at all offended and even laughed. She had a maid bring an embroidered stool for Lady Eleven to sit on and then asked Lady Huang to serve her lotus seed and lily soup.

After thanking Her Majesty, Lady Eleven half-sat on the stool, sipped the soup, and then stated her request: “…Zhenjie is about to begin marriage negotiations with the Shao family, and we humbly hope to receive Your Majesty’s blessing by receiving the first set of the Three Star Deities—Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity.”

“What a small matter,” the Empress chuckled. “You didn’t need to come all the way here personally. I’ll go through the treasury later and choose three finely crafted figurines—small but exquisite.”

This perfectly aligned with Lady Eleven’s hopes, so her expression softened slightly.

The Empress noticed and nodded inwardly. She began chatting more casually with her, naturally steering the conversation toward pregnancy and childbirth: “…Is it due in early October? Given the Marquis’s challenges in conceiving, when Chief Physician Liu reported to me, I’ve been keeping track of the timing. There’s a midwife named Peng in the palace who assisted during my delivery. She also has some medical knowledge and seems very capable. I’ve kept her here especially for your confinement. When the time comes, I’ll send her to assist you. As for wet nurses, don’t worry—we’ll select two or three of fair appearance from the palace to serve you.”

Just then, a eunuch arrived from Crown Prince Ji’s residence.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Crown Princess is with child.”

“Ah!” Both the Empress and Lady Eleven expressed surprise. Smiling, the Empress added, “These two are so devoted to each other…” Then she turned to Lady Eleven and said with a hopeful tone, “Perhaps this time, it will be a child of the opposite sex.”