Chapter 500

Chapter 506: Worries and Joys (Part 1)

When Marquis Xu returned, Lady Eleven, her hair pinned up in a chignon and dressed in a pale green embroidered jacket, was holding Little Jin and feeding him porridge.

Hearing the commotion, she turned her head: "My lord, you're back..."

She smiled radiantly.

But it gave Marquis Xu pause.

Though only a few hours had passed, Lady Eleven seemed noticeably different from the woman in his memory.

Her brow had relaxed considerably, with a newfound brightness.

Like a flower bud just unfurling, she had quietly unfurled in an unguarded moment, swaying gracefully.

Marquis Xu was rather struck by her loveliness.

Lady Eleven had already turned back, setting down the spoon. She handed the child to Nanny Gu while instructing a maid to fetch water for Marquis Xu to wash up, then moved to help him change: "Are you alright, my lord? Would you like to eat something before resting, or sleep first and eat later..."

At the palace, they were mere servants—how could they have eaten or slept properly?

"It's nothing..." Knowing her concern, Marquis Xu spread his arms, letting her help him undress, and said softly, "His Majesty kept me talking all night. He left for the morning court session, so I returned first." Noticing the breakfast laid out on the kang table, he added, "I'll eat before sleeping..."

Lady Eleven nodded, instructing the maids to rearrange the meal, then resumed feeding Little Jin his porridge.

The little one, just as before, kept his mouth tightly shut. No matter how Lady Eleven coaxed him, he refused even a single bite, babbling and squirming like a writhing worm.

Lady Eleven couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

Nanny Gu, watching from the side, whispered, "Madam, a babe still at the breast... doesn’t need gruel..."

Just then, Marquis Xu emerged from washing up, catching the tail end of the remark: "What? Is there not enough milk, so he needs gruel?"

"No..." Lady Eleven had barely answered when Little Jin, in her arms, waved excitedly at Marquis Xu, babbling as if greeting him, nearly knocking over the porridge bowl beside the table.

The attending servants scrambled—some steadying the bowl, others shielding Lady Eleven—causing a flurry.

Marquis Xu, however, found it amusing and took Little Jin into his arms: "Did you miss your father?"

Little Jin responded with a gummy grin, melting Marquis Xu’s heart. Turning back to Lady Eleven, he asked, "What was happening just now?"

Lady Eleven signaled a maid to clear the porridge bowl and stood. "I tried feeding him rice porridge with vegetable broth, but he wouldn’t eat it!" Marquis Xu glanced at Nanny Gu.

Nanny Gu hurriedly explained, "My lord, I eat a whole hen, two pig’s trotters, and two pairs of pigeons daily... My milk is more than enough—the young master can’t drink it all..."

"If the milk is plentiful, why bother with gruel?" Marquis Xu said at once. "Besides, the child doesn’t like it."

Shouldn’t children at a certain age be given supplementary foods to compensate for lack of nourishment?

But in ancient times, breast milk was considered the most nourishing—some children nursed until seven or eight years old.

She could only murmur a noncommittal reply.

Lord Xu sat on the heated brick bed (kang) with Jin Geer in his arms.

Lady Eleven served him a bowl of porridge and handed him chopsticks.

Jin Geer grew fussy, twisting his body and babbling at the door curtain.

The weather had turned warm, and Lady Eleven often took the child for walks in the back garden on fine days. After only a few trips outside, the boy no longer wanted to stay indoors.

Lord Xu understood he was eager to go out and chuckled, patting Jin Geer’s little bottom before handing him to Gu Ma. "Take him outside to play for a while."

Gu Ma gave a curtsey in reply, took Jin Geer, and was surrounded by seven or eight maids and older women as they left the room.

"Bo Ge and Jie Ge have gone to school..."

Lady Eleven smiled as she served Lord Xu dishes. "You just missed them—they left moments ago."

Lord Xu hummed noncommittally and focused on his breakfast without further comment.

After the meal, Lady Eleven helped him retire to the inner chamber to rest.

Leaning against the headboard, Lord Xu finally spoke to Lady Eleven about the matter at the palace. "...An urgent report from Fujian—a village called Da'an, with over a hundred households, was completely wiped out by pirates..."

"Heavens!" Lady Eleven stared at him in horror. "All of them?"

"All of them..." Lord Xu’s expression darkened. "The news only arrived at dusk. The Emperor summoned Minister Chen and Wang Li to the palace to discuss countermeasures. After they left, the Emperor was troubled, so he summoned me to speak."

Lady Eleven was surprised but also partly relieved. Hesitantly, she asked, "Does this mean war in Fujian again?"

Lord Xu frowned. "How is this about war?"

"If pirates came ashore and massacred a village, surely we can’t possibly let this stand?" Lady Eleven was even more puzzled.

"The priority isn’t war," Lord Xu explained. "It’s how to counter the court opposition."

Lady Eleven didn’t understand.

Lord Xu elaborated, "Think about it—two senior ministers who opposed lifting the maritime ban are still imprisoned. With such a major incident, those opponents will seize the chance to demand the Emperor restore the ban. That’s why the Emperor summoned Minister Chen and Wang Li—he’s worried about today’s court session."

"But what about the massacre..." Lady Eleven was more concerned about this.

"Even if we want to punish the pirates, now isn’t the time," Lord Xu said. "Once news of the slaughter spreads, it’ll give the ban’s opponents the perfect excuse. A rallying cry like 'Those who harm our people must be punished, no matter how far' will stir public outrage, followed by demands to close the borders. Once public opinion shifts, the Emperor’s persistence would only provoke widespread anger, nullifying all his efforts."

Lady Eleven knew their concerns were valid, but the thought of letting it go still left her indignant.

"Is His Majesty planning to cover up the news?" she asked hesitantly.

"Covering it up is impossible," Lord Xu replied coolly, a sharp glint in his eyes. "The best approach is to prove those pirates were imposters. If we can implicate the Qu family and embroil other senior ministers, even better..."

Lady Eleven suddenly realized that compared to Lord Xu, she had the mind of a child.

She hesitated to speak.

After all, she was a woman...

Lord Xu soothed Lady Eleven, "It's alright. Whether those who massacred the village are real or not, the court will give the people an answer. The Emperor is also uneasy, so he wanted me to go to Fuqi..."

Lady Eleven was shocked and gripped Lord Xu's hand, exclaiming, "My lord..."

Her expression was already tinged with panic.

She had barely escaped, must she now be dragged back in?

Before she could speak, Lord Xu embraced her: "I have already tactfully declined the Emperor and recommended Jiang Yunfei instead."

Lady Eleven sighed in relief.

"Set your mind at ease..." Seeing her like this, Lord Xu felt warmth in his heart. "Since I've withdrawn, I won't get involved again..." He paused for a moment, then added in a low voice, "Besides, there's still the Crown Prince... Don't think that just because he's my nephew, I can forget the distinction between ruler and subject... Only by weathering this storm will we truly be safe..."

These were thoughts Lord Xu had kept to himself!

Lady Eleven nodded slightly: "Rest assured, Marquis. I will see to the children's upbringing..."

Seeing his wife understood his intentions, Lord Xu smiled with relief.

Lady Eleven plumped his pillow and said softly, "You've been awake all night, Marquis. You should rest early. Whatever needs to be said can wait..."

Lord Xu murmured assent and lay down, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Lady Eleven sat by the bed for a while, gazing at Lord Xu's peaceful expression, suddenly realizing how much Jin Geer resembled him when asleep.

Though she knew the quilt was already tucked in, she still gave it a final pat before quietly leaving.

Gu Ma entered, carrying the sleeping Jin Geer.

Lady Eleven smiled as she took her son, placed him on the heated kang bed, brushed a kiss against his cheek, and then covered him with a blanket.

Zhuxiang entered softly.

"My lady..." she whispered, "Lady Wen is here..."

When Yang Shi heard she was to be sent to Great Awakening Temple, her complexion went ashen. Grasping at Lady Eleven's sleeve with eyes brimming with tears, she pleaded, "Madam, what kind of reputation does Great Awakening Temple have? No one knows better than Qiao Lianfang! Why not call for her and inquire..." But before she could finish, Lady Eleven had already raised her teacup.

Zhuxiang immediately prompted Yang Shi to retire to her room.

Still unwilling to give up, Yang Shi tried to pull Lady Eleven back for more words, but Lady Eleven turned on her heel resolutely and entered the inner chamber.

Refusing to leave, Yang Shi was eventually escorted out by two matrons called in by Lady Wen.

Lady Eleven also wanted to see Lady Wen.

She went to the eastern sitting room.

Lady Wen's face burned with shame. Upon seeing Lady Eleven, she knelt down: "Madam, yesterday's blunder was entirely my fault..."

It’s enough to learn the lesson; there’s no need to push someone into a corner with no way out.

She gestured for Zhuxiang to help Concubine Wen stand up, then had a young maid bring a chair for her to sit on.

"Why did Emperor Taizong establish the 'Inner Palace shall not interfere in politics' plaque in the Jiaotai Hall? It’s because we women of the inner chambers often don’t know what’s happening outside and yet insist on sticking our noses in, leading to major disasters, even jeopardizing the legacy of our ancestors..." Nian Shier said pointedly, "In the future, Concubine should think more carefully before acting..." Then she changed the subject, "I heard that Qiuhong’s father has returned to Yanjing. Is there any good news?"

Not pressing the matter further was a great show of grace.

Concubine Wen felt both ashamed and guilty, and whispered, "Mother already knows the whole story. She sent word through Qiuhong’s father, telling me not to meddle in household affairs and to focus on serving Lord Hou and Lady." She added, "As for becoming a lay nun at the temple, I’ll have to discuss it slowly with Uncle Three. Uncle Three has always respected Mother, and if she suddenly moves to the temple, it might invite ridicule from others. We need to take it step by step..." She continued, "Besides, the shop has already been leased out, and Qiuhong’s father doesn’t have much else to do. I’ve asked him to go to Yangzhou to serve Mother for now. If anything happens, he can help deal with it..."

The Wen family is well-respected not only in Yangzhou but throughout Da Zhou. If the widow of the eldest brother suddenly decides to move to a temple, without a reasonable explanation, it would indeed damage the family’s reputation.

Nian Shier comforted her, "Since the Dowager Lady understands the situation, she will certainly make appropriate arrangements..."

Concubine Wen nodded repeatedly.

After some idle chat, they parted ways.

Yuban came over.

"The Dowager Lady asks whether to invite the Deyin Troupe, Changsheng Troupe, or Jiexiang Society for the third day of the third month. She wants to inform Fifth Young Master as well..."