Chapter 503

Chapter 509: At Home (Part 1)

Lady Eleven's attention was diverted. She gazed at the canopy and heaved a long sigh. "So, it's best not to send daughters to the palace!" Her expression was rather melancholy.

Lord Xu hadn't meant to upset her with those words.

He was afraid that if she kept acting out, he would lose control, and Lady Eleven would suffer for it...

The thought flashed through his mind, and his hand rested on her abdomen.

"The Crown Prince has just been formally named," he shifted his posture, resting his chin on Lady Eleven's head as he held her close and whispered, "He must be filial and considerate to the Emperor and Empress; patient and forgiving toward his brothers and sisters; wise and discerning before his tutors; composed and dignified before the court officials... There’s so much to do—how could he think about taking concubines now? In a couple of days, during the washing ceremony for the princess, if you meet the Empress, remember to mention this. Even if she’s dissatisfied, she shouldn’t rashly arrange for the Crown Prince to take consorts. Give Fang Jieer a few more years. The Zhou family would only be grateful for this. If it still doesn’t work out, then they can discuss taking consorts later. Ask the Empress to speak favorably with the Emperor..."

Proper decorum separated men and women. Though they were siblings, Lord Xu couldn’t frequently visit the Empress, especially since he was an outer court official and she an inner palace consort—they had to be even more cautious. If there were matters to discuss, Lady Eleven, as an outer court noblewoman, could relay messages during palace visits, which was the least conspicuous arrangement.

Lady Eleven understood. She rested her head on Lord Xu’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, my lord. I’ll convey your words to the Empress..."

Lord Xu let out a soft "Mm," then yawned. "Go to sleep soon. Tomorrow, we still have to discuss the palace visit with Mother..." His voice was slightly slurred, clearly exhausted.

Lady Eleven murmured in agreement and closed her eyes, ready to rest. But Lord Xu suddenly remembered something else. "If there’s an imperial decree summoning Jin Geer to the palace, find an excuse to decline. Once inside, you won’t be able to keep him by your side at all times. If he gets hurt, it won’t be good..."

He feared their son might be neglected.

Lady Eleven wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing against his chest, and replied brightly, "Mm."

Only then did Lord Xu stroke her hair and fall asleep.

Lady Eleven tilted her head up, seeing only Lord Xu’s chin.

The line of his jaw was elegant, and because his lips were pressed together, it was slightly tense, radiating quiet dignity.

Lady Eleven chuckled softly and leaned forward to gave a light kiss...

...

Was it motherhood that gave her courage, or had Lady Eleven simply interacted too little with the Empress before and thus misunderstood her? During the washing ceremony, after paying her respects to the Empress, Lady Eleven had just said, "Your princess is truly beautiful—she looks just like the Eldest Princess, the spitting image..." when the Empress smiled and gestured for her to approach. Taking her hand, the Empress first asked quietly about Jin Geer:

"...Has he started teething? He should be able to sit with support by now, right? How’s his appetite? How much does he weigh? How tall is he...?"

Lady Eleven answered each question.

Then, the Empress breathed barely above a whisper, "Tell Lady Zhou to act as she deems proper. There’s no need to worry. I’ll handle matters in the palace..."

Lady Eleven gave a slight nod and continued speaking about Jin Geer as if the Empress had said nothing at all.

The Empress watched her, a satisfied gleam in her eyes.

Lady Eleven decided to recount every word and action from her meeting with the Empress to Lord Xu later, lest he kept treating the Empress like an ignorant young girl.

As she pondered, she saw the Eldest Princess enter, surrounded by a crowd of eunuchs and palace maids.

Spotting Lady Eleven standing beside her mother, the princess hurried over and tugged at her sleeve. "Lady Yongping, Lady Yongping, why didn’t you bring Jin Geer?"

A governess at the princess’s side whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, wait for Lady Yongping to greet you before speaking..."

But the princess ignored her and continued excitedly to Lady Eleven, "Jin Geer is such fun! Last time, when Father held him, I poked his cheek, and he turned his head and sucked on my finger!" She even held up her right index finger to show Lady Eleven.

The princess’s finger was fair and delicate, her nails neatly trimmed without a speck of dirt, the tiny nails gleaming with a pearly pink sheen.

No wonder Lord Xu came home upset... Who knew what else had happened to Jin Geer? At this thought, though Lady Eleven smiled, a trace of displeasure flickered in her heart. She felt Lord Xu’s decision not to let her bring their child into the palace was absolutely the right one.

At this moment, the empress, whose eyes and heart were entirely focused on the Grand Princess, paid no attention to Lady Eleven nor reprimanded the princess for her rudeness. Instead, she smiled warmly and said, "*Furong*, do you really like Jin Geer that much...?"

The Grand Princess nodded emphatically. "He's so handsome! And unlike the Eighth Prince, who wails loudly if you even touch him..."

A few days ago, Consort Song had given birth to the Eighth Prince for the emperor.

The hall full of ladies of the court burst into laughter, while the palace maids and eunuchs struggled to suppress their smiles and lowered their heads.

The Grand Princess, feeling mocked, grew upset and loudly defended herself, "I'm telling the truth! Jin Geer is the most handsome! He's the best-looking I've ever seen!"

The etiquette matron's face turned deep red with embarrassment, wishing she could vanish into the ground, sweat beading on her forehead.

Seeing the princess's anger, the empress laughed and hugged her. "Alright, alright. We're not laughing at you. It's just rare for someone so young to already understand what’s fair and plain!"

Hearing this, the crowd quickly chimed in, "Grand Princess, everyone who has seen the Yongping Marquis’s sixth son knows how handsome he is. We're not mocking you—we think you're very clever!"

Only then did the princess's expression soften slightly.

"This must be fate!" someone suddenly laughed. "Among all the children in the palace, including the Third, Fourth, and Sixth Princes and their companions, none have caught the Grand Princess's eye like this. Why don’t the empress and the Yongping Marquis strengthen their ties by betrothing the sixth son to our Grand Princess?"

The crowd turned in surprise toward the speaker.

It was Princess Ancheng, Li Wu’s mother-in-law.

Lady Eleven was furious inside.

*How could Princess Ancheng say something so inappropriate?* Never mind that the two were cousins—only impoverished families arranged betrothals for infants. Infant mortality was high in ancient times. If the girl died young, the boy would be saddled with the stigma of being a husband who brings ill fate to his wives; if the boy died, the girl would face the dilemma of whether to remain chaste or remarry. Respectable families waited until their children were eleven or twelve years old before considering matches, by which time their appearances and temperaments had begun to take shape, making it easier to assess compatibility.

She quickly glanced at the empress.

The empress's expression remained gentle, unchanged from before, but she did not respond.

It seemed she, too, disliked Princess Ancheng's words.

Lady Eleven then looked toward the elder madam beside her.

The elder madam sipped her tea quietly, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Lady Eleven sighed in relief.

She wanted her son to marry someone he truly loved... If, when he grew up, he wished to marry the Grand Princess and become a consort, she wouldn’t oppose it—so long as it was his own decision.

The thought flashed through her mind, and just as she parted her lips to deflect the topic with a lighthearted remark, someone else beat her to it.

"Princess Ancheng, ever since gaining such a splendid son-in-law, you seem determined to matchmake every golden pair you see," the speaker laughed heartily before adding, "Speaking of which, it's been three or four months since your Shengping married. Any signs of a 'dream of a bear' yet?"

Lady Eleven turned toward the voice.

It was Princess Changning, Ren Kun's mother. A proud gleam flickered in Princess Ancheng's eyes. "Wu’er is duty-bound to the nation. He returned to Fujian shortly after the wedding..."

"That's where you're at fault!" Princess Changning cut in before Princess Ancheng could finish. "They're a young couple—one in Yanjing, the other in Fujian. Even if the Li family forbids taking concubines, as a mother-in-law, you shouldn’t keep your daughter by your side. A married daughter is like water poured away. You ought to send Shengping to Fujian soon." Her gaze shifted meaningfully. "Unless Lady Li insists on keeping her daughter-in-law close to impose household rules, hence your reluctance to send her to Fujian?"

By Da Zhou's laws, only families of military officers ranked third-rank or above were required to keep their dependents in the capital.

The room was filled with imperial kin and nobility, while officials' wives waited outside the hall.

Someone chuckled, "Ancheng, if you find it awkward to bring this up, we could have Lady Li summoned in front of the empress and persuade her on your behalf. What do you say?"

Before Princess Ancheng could reply, another voice joined in indignantly, "Exactly! While it's proper for a daughter-in-law to observe decorum before her mother-in-law, our Shengping is neither the first daughter-in-law nor without her own title as a County Princess. And the couple are still newly wed! Lady Li is being beyond unreasonable!" Having endured years as daughters-in-law themselves before becoming matriarchs, these women relished prying into others' affairs without fear of consequences. Like a pebble tossed into a pond, their words sent ripples through the room.

Princess Changning, who had thrown the stone, sat on her embroidered stool with a smile, observing the room's occupants from the sidelines, stepping out of the gossip circle.

Eleventh Miss felt a stir in her heart.

This Princess Changning had gained the emperor's favor—likely not just because her birth mother had once nurtured him!

What followed took a dramatic turn.

The empress summoned Lady Li for an audience.

Lady Li repeatedly explained that she had no such intentions. She had kept the young mistress in the capital because Fujian was unstable and feared the young lady would struggle to adapt. Princess Ancheng was quick to explain that it wasn’t Lady Li who insisted on keeping her daughter-in-law by her side, but rather she herself who worried her daughter was too young and inexperienced, thus asking Lady Li to guide her for a couple of years.

Amid the lively discussion, Matron Huang entered to announce that the crown princess had made all the necessary preparations.

The group then accompanied the empress to Fang Jieer’s side.

Along the way, Princess Ancheng wore a sullen expression, clearly displeased, while Lady Li walked solemnly among the ladies of the outer court, not even glancing at the princess.

Eleventh Miss found the situation rather amusing.

Her gaze shifted and landed on Lady Zhou, who was assisting Princess Fucheng.

While waiting outside the hall for the empress’s summons, the two had been chatting and laughing with the others, but once inside, they had remained silent the entire time.

They must be feeling uneasy.

After a moment’s thought, she took the opportunity to tug lightly at Lady Zhou’s sleeve.