Chapter 502

Chapter 508: Worry and Joy (Part 2)

Lady Shier finally caught her breath and turned to look at Elder Madam Gan.

Upon seeing Lady Shier, Elder Madan Gan immediately asked about Jingge: "It's the tenth day of the month; Jingge should be five months old now. Does he look more like you or Lord Hou? I am a widow, and he is so young; it’s a pity I can’t see him…" She added, "Though I have plenty of free time, I am a person of little fortune, fearing that Jingge might catch some bad luck from me. I had Lan Ting make a few outfits for Jingge, which she took over…"

Lady Shier felt sad upon hearing this but smiled and said, "Let's not talk about these things. The child is still too young, and the weather in spring changes quickly. Neither the Grand Dowager nor Lord Hou allow him to be brought out, fearing he might catch a cold. When he is older, I will bring him to see you…"

Elder Madam Gan laughed, "Parents dote on their youngest. So, even our Lord Hou couldn’t escape this tradition…"

Lady Shier did not want Lord Xu to be criticized for being an undignified father or lax in discipline, so she smiled and said, "It’s mainly because Lord Hou has had difficulty with heirs…" Then she began to recount amusing stories about Jingge: "…I don’t know who he takes after. He spends all his days playing in the back garden, only coming inside for meals and sleep. If anything doesn’t go his way, he throws a tantrum. I’m afraid his wet nurse will spoil him, so I mostly keep him with me." "In families like ours, we don’t worry about food or clothing; what we fear most is that the servants will spoil the child…" Elder Madam Gan agreed, "By then, no matter how much wealth we have, it will all be squandered…" She then asked about Xu Sizhun, "The last time he came to deliver the flowering trees, I heard he was moving to the outer courtyard. Is he settling in well…?"

"He doesn’t have to listen to Mama Du’s nagging anymore, so he’s quite happy…" Lady Shier laughed, "After school, he rushes to my place to pay his respects and then goes back to his room, directing the little maids to move this and that. When I left, he even told me he wanted to plant crabapple trees in the yard…"

Elder Madam Gan chuckled, "Still a child at heart!" Lady Shier nodded, "He is indeed quite sincere…"

As they were talking, a little maid peeked through the curtain.

Lady Shier paused, and Elder Madam Gan followed her gaze, frowning slightly.

"Leave her be…" Elder Madam Gan whispered, "She’s one of Lady Gan’s little maids…" Her tone was somewhat impatient.

Lady Shier was surprised. Elder Madam Gan was usually gentle and mild-mannered, rarely showing such emotions. Concerned, she asked, "What happened…?"

Elder Madam Gan blushed, "They say all the money from the outer courtyard has been used to do business with the Gong family, and they’re asking me to contribute some of my personal savings to help out." "How could this happen…" Lady Shier frowned.

"You’ve come all this way; let’s not talk about these messy things…" Elder Madam Gan didn’t want to elaborate, "When I moved out of the main house, she went through my belongings. Now she wants me to give her my personal savings, as if I have any left. In the end, it’s just the money from the wedding gifts…"

"You often run into Lady Gan, and there’s no need to quarrel over a few taels of silver…" Lady Shier pondered, "If you really can’t refuse, let her come to me. I’ll tell her that the shop matters are under my management. I’ll see if she has the nerve to ask again!" Elder Madam Gan felt embarrassed and held Lady Shier’s hand, "I’m putting you in a difficult position, and I feel terrible about it. I’ve already told her that the idea for the wedding gift shop came from my elder brother, and he will handle the accounting and profit-sharing. If she doesn’t believe me, she can ask my sister-in-law…"

Elder Madam Gan’s elder brother was also a third-rank official in the imperial court; with his support, the Gan family did not dare to overstep their bounds.

The conversation gradually turned to the marriage of Elder Madam Gan’s daughter and the fourth young master’s son, and the atmosphere became increasingly cheerful. Lady Eleven had lunch at the Gan residence before returning home.

In the afternoon, Lady Lanting arrived.

After holding Little Jing for a while, she sat down with Lady Eleven in the banquet hall.

“He is really strong…” She smiled as she lifted her teacup, “I remember when our Little Tong was his age, he could just barely stand up, nothing like how Little Jing bounces and jumps around…”

Lady Eleven had some incense burn to accept the small clothes Lady Lanting had brought, and she smiled, “When I was pregnant with him, my health wasn’t good, and I was worried he would be frail, but it turns out he eats well and sleeps soundly, and he’s growing nicely!” Then she said, “What a coincidence! I just visited Elder Madam Gan this morning, and you came in the afternoon—had you come in the morning, I wouldn’t have been here!” Lady Lanting laughed and replied, “I originally planned to come in the morning, but then I received a letter from Third Sister, asking me to bring her some things. I wanted to send the messenger off quickly to Fujian… otherwise, I would have come in the morning!” Lady Eleven responded with an “Oh,” and asked, “Cao E has written? How is she doing now…”

“She is pregnant…” Lady Lanting smiled bitterly, “Using the excuse that her pregnancy isn’t going well, she moved to the countryside estate. So she asked me to bring her some high-quality ginseng and bird’s nest to nourish her body…”

“The mistress has retreated to the countryside…” …

Lady Eleven could only say, “Out of sight, out of mind. It might be good for her to stay at the estate for a while…”

Lady Lanting gave a bitter smile, sat for a while, and then got up to take her leave.

Lady Eleven saw her out, and then Lady Zhou arrived.

“What happened…” Lady Eleven was greatly alarmed.

Lady Zhou, dressed according to her rank, clearly came from the palace. However, her face was ashen, and she looked utterly devastated.

She shook her head, bypassed Lady Eleven, and went straight into the inner chamber, where she lay on the large bed by the window and began to cry.

Lady Eleven hurriedly dismissed the attendants, took a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and asked, “What exactly happened?”

These days, with the impending execution of the Grand Secretary in autumn and news of promotions and demotions among various families, everyone feels unsettled and more easily alarmed than usual.

Lord Zhou paid no heed to Eleven Miss and wept uncontrollably for quite some time before finally lifting his head: "Fang Jieer has given birth... yet another daughter..." With that, she buried her face in the large pillow and wept again.

Eleven Miss said nothing.

This was the most frustrating predicament!

She kept her silent company for a while.

After having a good cry, Lady Zhou finally sat up, still sniffling: "I have to put on a cheerful front when I return..."

But with so many prying eyes and loose tongues in the princess's residence, along with uncles, brothers, sisters-in-law, and other relatives, any sign of distress would surely spark gossip.

She had Xiangxiang bring in water and personally wrung out a towel to wipe Lady Zhou's face: "I rarely go out, so you can always come to me..." subtly assuring her that she wouldn't speak of this to others.

Lady Zhou, however, wasted no time with formalities and took the towel to wipe her face: "If I were being polite, I wouldn't have come..." Then, thinking of Fang Jieer, she continued, "People say even the noblest lives have their trials. Our Fang Jieer—from birth till now—was favored by the princess as a child, treated differently from other granddaughters, even surpassing grandsons. She grew up clever, lively, and filial, and later married the eldest prince, becoming the crown princess... Yet now, she struggles with the most crucial matter for a woman: heirs. Don’t you think this is a case of 'prosperity before adversity'?"

In other words, sweetness before bitterness.

They say true blessings follow trials.

Eleven Miss could only console her: "The darkest hour comes before dawn. Think of it as Heaven seeing Fang Jieer's smooth life and giving her a dose of reality to understand the world's difficulties..."

Lady Zhou nodded slowly: "That’s the only way to see it." Then, taking Eleven Miss's hand, she pleaded, "When you attend the princess's Thirdday Ceremony and meet Her Majesty the Empress, please put in a good word for our Fang Jieer..." Tears fell again as she added, "I don’t even know if there will be a Thirdday Ceremony. When the Emperor heard it was another princess, he only said, 'Noted'—unlike last time when he immediately bestowed a name..."

"Don’t say such things! How could there not be a Thirdday Ceremony for imperial offspring?" Eleven Miss handed her a cup of hot tea. "Last time was the firstborn daughter—of course it was different. Even among princes, none receive a name at birth. You must keep your composure, or Fang Jieer will panic too. And when people panic, mistakes happen. Once mistakes are made, they’re hard to undo..."

Lady Zhou kept nodding.

Eleven Miss comforted her further and asked about Fang Jieer's condition. Learning that both mother and child were safe, she felt relieved. After their talk, Lady Zhou gradually calmed down. Realizing she couldn’t avoid the reality of Fang Jieer giving birth to a princess, she took a deep breath, freshened up, paid respects to the elder madam, and returned to the princess's residence.

The elder madam sighed: "Even if Her Majesty the Empress waits, I doubt the court officials will..."

"With Her Majesty's support, things will be somewhat better..."

The elder madam said nothing more.

That evening, Eleven Miss brought up the subject with Lord Xu.

Lord Xu's face grew serious.

Eleven Miss teased him: "You’re not disappointed that Fang Jieer had a daughter, are you? I think daughters are lovely. I’d like to have one myself..."

Lord Xu's gaze grew intense, and he nipped at her ear: "Really? You’ll give me a daughter?" His voice dropped to a husky murmur.

Eleven Miss, recalling his increasingly insatiable appetite lately, blushed and pushed him away: "I’m being serious..." She couldn’t help giving him a pointed look.

Unaware of how alluring it looked to him, he pulled her close, his hand slipping into her robe.

Eleven Miss caught her breath but didn't resist.

Yet after lingering for a while, he simply straightened her robes.

Eleven Miss bit her lip, eyes glistening, then drew the covers around herself and turned away, closing her eyes to sleep alone.

"Silly..." Lord Xu had to gather her back against him. "Physician Liu said you need a few years to recover. In a few years, you can give me a daughter..."

Her period had just ended.

Lady Eleven buried her head in his chest, her long, graceful legs entwining around him.

Lord Xu laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, alright. Very well, I admit my fault..." His voice gradually softened, his eyes filled with doting amusement, though his body told another story.

Lady Eleven pursed her lips in a smile, her hand slowly trailing downward.

She was playing with fire!

Lord Xu chuckled silently to himself.

Lady Eleven was growing bolder by the day.

But then again, it was he who had indulged her.

Though his heart swelled with affection, now was not the time.

He caught her hand with a laugh, "The Zhou family faces difficult days ahead..."

Lady Eleven froze.

Lord Xu’s expression turned serious. "The Crown Prince is the nation's heir apparent, the hope of the realm. He must not only pacify the land but also maintain the ancestral sacrifices. The Crown Princess has borne two daughters in three years since her marriage. Though His Majesty says nothing, he must surely be displeased. If the Zhou family, as the in-laws, advises the Crown Prince to take more concubines and sire a son, it would spell trouble. Yet if they remain silent, His Majesty may deem the Zhou family lacking in propriety, which would foster discontent toward the Crown Princess... a most vexing predicament."