Chapter 476

Chapter 482: Brothers (Part 2)

As the Little New Year passed, the festive atmosphere grew even stronger.

The entire estate was swept spotless, with crimson lanterns hung along the covered walkways and verdant ornamental trees placed around the buildings. The kitchen bustled with frying and preparing marinated dishes, while everyone received their New Year's red envelopes, their faces beaming with joy.

Lady Eleven discussed the holiday arrangements with Amber: "...Before the Lantern Festival, try to give everyone at least two days off."

Amber nodded with a smile.

The sewing department delivered two twenty-four-pleated Xiang skirts that Lady Eleven had urgently requested.

"The plum blossoms are exquisitely embroidered," Amber remarked in admiration. "I didn’t know the sewing team had such skilled hands."

Lady Eleven nodded and asked the matron who delivered the skirts, "Whose work is this?"

"It was done by Ou’er," the matron replied softly. "She’s the younger sister of Cui Er, who used to serve by Qin Yi’s side but later fell ill and passed away."

Lady Eleven went quiet.

The matron grew anxious and immediately knelt on the ground. "Please forgive me, madam! It’s just that the work was urgent, and with the cold weather, several in the sewing team caught chills. Though Ou’er is new to the household, her needlework is outstanding, so we had her embroider a few plum blossoms. It was our oversight—we didn’t realize she was still in mourning..."

"Get up," Lady Eleven said, knowing the matron had taken it wrong but seeing no need to explain. She signaled a maid to help her up. "Cui Er was a good girl. Tell her sister that since she’s now in the household, she should apply herself to her work." She then instructed Amber to reward Ou’er with five taels.

"...The embroidery is lovely, and I’m very pleased with it."

Relieved that Lady Eleven wasn’t angry, the matron happily accepted the silver and backed away bowing with gratitude.

Lady Eleven then asked about Yanrong: "How is she doing?"

Amber laughed. "She’s quite a force to be reckoned with. I think Brother Cao can't seem to wear the pants."

Lady Eleven, looking at Amber’s radiant newlywed radiance, teased, "Well, I suppose our Brother Guan and Brother Cao would have plenty to bond over."

"Madam!" Amber turned scarlet and turned away to fold the skirts.

Lord Xu entered.

"Oh! New clothes?"

Lady Eleven stood to help him change. "For New Year visits."

Lord Xu said, "Let’s also have a couple of kesi-lined jackets made for Jin Geer. He’ll be visiting relatives too."

"He’s barely a month old. Kesi fabric would be wasteful, not to mention it might scratch his delicate skin."

Lady Eleven immediately objected and added, "Are we really taking Jin Geer along for New Year visits?"

Ever since elder madam expressed her eagerness to see Jin Geer, Lady Eleven had been bringing him along whenever she visited her. Though the weather was cold, wrapping him in a fox-fur wrap kept him warm. But visiting various households was different—there was no telling who'll be home, and most of the time would be spent being jostled about in carriages. The child was still too young.

"The Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince have all sent eunuchs, saying they’d like to see the child during the New Year celebrations."

That wasn't a request they could decline.

"Then kesi jackets are even more out of the question," Lady Eleven said with a smile. "It would be downright pretentious."

"During New Year visits to the palace, everyone wears their Sunday best. There’s nothing excessive about Jin Geer wearing a kesi-lined jacket," Lord Xu replied, thinking Lady Eleven was worrying too much. "But if you’re worried about his skin, we’ll make him a little cape instead."

If Lord Xu keeps this up, Jin Geer is bound to become a profligate heir!

Eleven Miss felt her early education plans seemed doomed.

She couldn’t help but chide, “My lord, no matter how luxurious something is, it must be comfortable to wear. Though brocade is beautiful, it’s too stiff. The Songjiang sanjiao cloth that elder madam gifted is much softer and warmer…”

Lord Xu hadn’t given it much thought. Though brocade was precious, their household could easily afford it. Besides, all the other children had some, so he thought Jin Geer should have a piece too.

Hearing this, he smiled and said, “Then you decide! Just have a fine new outfit made for Jin Geer so we can take him out for New Year visits.”

A new outfit would suffice!

Eleven Miss pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile.

A maid announced, “Madam, Fourth Madam from Bowstring Lane has arrived!”

Since Twelve Miss’s third-day wedding return (a bridal tradition) and the formal family introductions with Lord Xu, the two hadn’t met again.

“Quickly invite Fourth Madam in!” Eleven Miss said, rising to greet her guest in the main hall.

Fourth Madam Luo wore a sapphire-blue gold-brocade wide-sleeved jacket, her hair neatly coiled into a round bun adorned with a large red silk palace flower. Though she looked efficient, there was a furrow of anxiety between her brows—clearly, she had come for a reason.

“Eleven Miss,” she greeted with a curtsy, “Wu Xiaquan’s household brought some dried fish yesterday. Since the New Year is just days away, I thought I’d share some with each household as a fresh treat.”

“You’re too kind, sister-in-law,” Eleven Miss replied warmly, ushering Fourth Madam Luo to the heated kang (brick bed) by the window in the eastern chamber. Amber went out to receive the gifts from the older women.

“How are eldest brother and sister-in-law? Have they said when they’ll come to the capital?”

Fourth Madam Luo’s expression softened into a smile.

“Eldest brother originally planned to come in early November,” she said, accepting tea from a maid, “but sister-in-law is with child. He decided to postpone the trip until after the Lantern Festival. To ease our worries, he sent someone to inform us.”

“Sister-in-law is pregnant!” Eleven Miss exclaimed in delight. “Jin Geer is already eight… This is truly wonderful news!”

“Exactly!” Fourth Madam Luo laughed. “Otherwise, eldest brother wouldn’t have delayed his trip.”

“We must write a letter to congratulate them,” Eleven Miss said cheerfully.

After some casual conversation, Fourth Madam Luo gradually steered toward the main topic.

“When Twelve Miss married, Duke Mao didn’t even attend the wedding banquet. I didn’t want to force courtesy where it’s unwanted, but eldest brother said no matter how she acts, we should do our part with a clear conscience. I thought that made sense, so I planned to deliver her share first, then come here to rest and chat properly. But who knew I’d run into Fifth Miss at Ten Miss’s gate…” She trailed off, her gaze turning ambiguous as she looked at Eleven Miss.

Eleven Miss was startled. Her hand holding the teacup paused slightly. “You met Fifth Sister?”

Fourth Madam Luo nodded, choosing her words carefully. “Fifth Miss said she was visiting Ten Miss before the New Year. When she learned I was delivering dried fish, she accompanied me to see Ten Miss.”

“Yin Ping looked uneasy when she saw me, saying Ten Miss was unwell and couldn’t receive guests, asking for my understanding. I left the gifts and was about to leave when Ten Miss suddenly came out and loudly told me—” She reddened slightly. “‘A married daughter is like water poured out. No matter how wealthy the Luo family is, it’s the Luo family’s money. Now that I’m the Wang family’s daughter-in-law, in life I belong to the Wangs, in death I’ll be a Wang ghost. I have no ties left to the Luo family—there’s no reason for me to go back and demand money. If Fifth Miss feels wronged and can’t swallow this injustice, she’s free to go back with Eleven Miss and demand money from the Luo family herself. Just don’t drag me into it.’”

Eleven Miss was at a loss for words.

Not only was Fifth Miss fixated on money, she was even egging them on to demand it!

Ten Miss had specifically mentioned her—likely because Fifth Miss had said something to plant the idea that Eleven Miss was involved. Otherwise, Fourth Madam Luo wouldn’t have come under the guise of delivering fish to sound her out!

Realizing this, Eleven Miss stated firmly, “Among us sisters, I can’t speak for others, but when I married, Mother was generous to me. I would never ask eldest brother to make up for my dowry. If that’s what you’re worried about, you can set your mind at ease.”

“Eleven Miss, you misunderstand,” Fourth Madam Luo said with a bitter smile. “The kind of person you are—others may not know, but I do. After leaving Ten Miss’s place, I confronted Fifth Miss, but she insisted this was something the two of you had agreed on. She claimed that since you and Ten Miss don’t get along, she was the go-between… I thought it best to inform you, so you wouldn’t be caught off guard by rumors.” She added tactfully, “Between you sisters, there’s still Twelve Miss to consider.”

“Thank you, sister-in-law,” Eleven Miss said gratefully. “I’ll have a word with Fifth Sister. I’ll also make sure to set things straight with Twelve Miss.”

"There's no need for that," Fourth Madam Luo said with a smile. "I was going to Twelve Miss's place to deliver the dried fish anyway. You just have a talk with Fifth Miss."

Fifth Miss was Luo Zhensheng’s full sister, so there were some things Fourth Madam Luo found difficult to say.

Eleven Miss thanked her, and after Fourth Madam Luo paid her respects to Elder Madam, she returned to Bowstring Alley.

Eleven Miss sat in the study to write a congratulatory letter to Luo Genxing, but her mind kept wandering back to Fifth Miss. The more she dwelled on it, the more unreasonable Fifth Miss appeared. After all, she had grown up in the main household, and though she had suffered some financial hardship after marrying Qian Ming, her situation was still far better than most. How could she have grown so petty?

Eleven Miss sighed and put down her brush.

Sixth Concubine had only thought about securing more benefits for Twelve Miss without considering her position. Even when Eleven Miss had married into the marquis’s household, her dowry had been kept on par with Fifth Miss and Ten Miss to maintain fairness and avoid disputes among the sisters. Now, regardless of whether Fifth Miss succeeded in getting the money, the tension between her and Twelve Miss would likely linger.

Lord Xu, sitting cross-legged on a chair padded with crimson brocade, noticed his wife had been distracted ever since Fourth Madam Luo left. Now she frowned, troubled. "What’s wrong?" he asked, slipping on his shoes and sitting beside her. "Did something troublesome happen at Bowstring Alley?"

Frustrated yet soothed by Lord Xu’s calm demeanor, Eleven Miss thought for a moment before explaining the situation: "...Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, so I should wait until after the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the lunar new year) to act. But I’m worried she might stir up more trouble in the meantime..." She twisted her hands.

After a pause, Lord Xu said, "I think... I should speak to Zi Chun about this."

"That might not be appropriate," Eleven Miss replied.

"If you men discuss it openly, it’ll become a public matter. What if Qian Ming doesn’t even know about this? It could create a rift between them!"

Lord Xu disagreed. "If Zi Chun doesn’t know, then it’s all the more reason to tell him—she’s acting behind his back without any regard for her husband. Sooner or later, it’ll lead to disaster. Better to let Zi Chun rein her in now than deal with an irreparable mess later. And if Zi Chun already knows..." His eyes darkened. "A man of principle knows where to draw the line. If he tolerates this, even if he rises in government, he’ll never achieve anything great!"