Chapter 512

Chapter 518 Entering the Door (Part 1)

In the evening, when Lord Xu returned, Lady Eleven was playing a hide-and-seek game with Jin.

"Where is our Jin's rattle-drum?" she teased him. "Quick, find it for Mother."

Jin waddled on his knees to the corner of the kang, grabbed the rattle-drum, and showed it to Lady Eleven.

Lady Eleven gave a loud kiss on Jin's cheek and sighed, "You're so smart, why won’t you speak?"

Jin shook the rattle-drum and grinned at his mother.

Lady Eleven couldn’t help feeling a little disheartened.

Lord Xu walked over and picked up his son.

"What’s the rush to speak so early?" he said dismissively. "Endless chatter isn’t dignified."

"Welcome back, my lord!" Lady Eleven got down from the heated bed and, noticing the scent of alcohol on Lord Xu, reached to take the child. "There must have been many guests today? You’ve been busy all day—go wash up!"

Lord Xu held onto his son, unwilling to let go. "Later. Let me play with Jin for a while first!" Then he tossed Jin into the air and caught him again.

Jin giggled with delight.

Though Lady Eleven knew Lord Xu had steady hands, her heart was in her throat.

"My lord, please go wash up!" she urged anxiously, standing nearby. "If Jin gets too excited, he won’t sleep later!"

Only then did Lord Xu relent and hand the child back to Lady Eleven.

Jin fussed noisily at Lord Xu.

Lord Xu had no choice but to pat his head. "We’ll play again tomorrow."

"But tomorrow, my lord still has guests to entertain." Since it was the Yongping Marquis's household hosting the wedding, all official connections had sent congratulatory gifts. With Third Young Master away from home, Lord Xu was managing the festivities and receiving the guests.

"Don’t make promises to children lightly. Even if he doesn’t understand now, when he grows up, he might lose trust in us as parents."

"Understood!" Perhaps because of the alcohol, Lord Xu wasn’t as stern as usual. He tweaked Lady Eleven’s nose playfully. "Must you fret so? The household matters are handled by the stewards. Tomorrow morning, I’ll play with Jin before going out to greet guests. The wedding is set for late evening anyway. As for you, find an excuse to rest properly. Once the bride enters, things might drag on till dawn, and the next day there’s still the family greetings."

Lady Eleven murmured in agreement.

Lord Xu then went to the bathing chamber.

When he returned, neither Lady Eleven nor Jin was in the room.

Qiuyu quickly explained, "My lady is settling Young Master Jin!"

Lord Xu nodded and retired to bed alone. He had read most of a travelogue when Lady Eleven finally returned, weariness etched on her face.

"Jin is asleep," she admitted guiltily. He lifted the corner of the quilt, signaling for her to rest quickly.

But Lady Eleven pointed to the sapphire-blue robe embroidered with gold clouds and flowers hanging on the black-lacquered clothing rack with a pixiu-adorned top. "That’s the outfit my lord will wear tomorrow."

Lord Xu’s gaze shifted to the small stool beneath the rack.

On it lay a pair of white silk socks, embroidered with thin sapphire-blue and gold cloud patterns—luxurious yet refined, exquisitely crafted, impossible to overlook.

"Put away your needlework," he said, taking Lady Eleven’s hand. "They’re only socks—hardly anyone will notice."

Wearing such fine garments at night would truly waste her excellent craftsmanship, and even she thought it a waste to wear them herself.

But not everyone overlooked them.

Yesterday, Zhou Shizheng pulled him aside and asked who made the socks, offering a thousand taels of silver to persuade him to hand over the embroiderer, adding, "...After all, you don’t fuss over such things."

Lord Xu felt embarrassed to admit it was Eleven Miss’s work, so he simply said the embroiderer was hired to make clothes for Eleven Miss and merely made a couple of pairs of socks for him in passing.

Zhou Shizheng’s face fell when he heard this.

Lord Xu’s current wife was famously known throughout Da Zhou for her love of dressing well and her impeccable taste. Poaching her embroiderer would be as improper as stealing another man’s sweetheart.

"Didn’t you say they were comfortable, my lord?" Eleven Miss smiled. "Then that’s all that matters!"

Indeed.

The socks Eleven Miss made fit perfectly and struck just the right balance—neither too fancy nor too plain—leaving him very pleased.

When he didn’t respond, Eleven Miss silently climbed into bed.

Noticing her unusual silence, Lord Xu asked with concern, "Are you tired?"

"It’s just the third household’s business. Since I’m not in charge of household matters, I’m just observing—not tired." Her voice held a note of hesitation.

"What’s the matter?" Lord Xu leaned against the headboard, settling into a posture for a long conversation.

Eleven Miss turned onto her side, gazing at him. "What if I took back the household duties?"

Lord Xu pondered for a moment before replying, "Is it because seeing Mother so busy makes you uneasy?"

Eleven Lady nodded: "I've thought it over. Zhun'er is ten this year, and Miss Jiang the Ninth is only a few months younger than him. In five or six years, even if we're not in a hurry, the Jiang family will be. What do you think about having Miss Jiang the Ninth take charge of the household affairs then?"

Though she had never actively sought it out before, she had always been deeply committed. This was the first time she showed any reluctance to manage the household.

Lord Xu said nothing.

Eleven Lady also sat up: "Does my lord disapprove?"

Lord Xu pondered for a moment before saying, "Not long ago, I took Zhun'er hiking. He... seemed to hold back his words."

Xu Sizhun returned in high spirits, eagerly telling her about the places they visited, the people they met, and the food they ate... Lord Xu hadn’t said anything upon returning, so Eleven Lady assumed everything had gone smoothly. Little did she know their perceptions were entirely different.

"Did something happen..." Eleven Lady couldn’t help but frown.

Lord Xu was silent for a while before murmuring, "Minister Dou's grandson is two years older than Zhun'er, so I won’t mention him. But Wang Li’s son is a year younger than Zhun'er, yet he understands the principle of '*when there is work, disciples should serve their master*.' But our son..." Lord Xu gave a bitter smile, "He’s all laughter and jokes when mingling with the servants, but when it comes to meeting Minister Dou or Wang Li, he becomes timid..." His voice trailed off, unable to hide his disappointment.

"We must be patient!" Eleven Lady could only comfort Lord Xu this way. "Perhaps Wang Li’s son is just an exceptional case!" Lord Xu had never been bested in his life—even when at a disadvantage, he always believed he could rise again. Only with Zhun'er did he feel uncertain.

He sighed, "Let’s sleep. Tomorrow will be busy." Eleven Lady pressed her face against his back and wrapped her arms around his waist...

The next day, the banquet began, firecrackers were set off, and the bridal sedan was lifted—everything proceeded smoothly.

Once the bride entered the house and the couple drank the wedding wine, the Fifth Lady took Eleven Lady by the arm to see the bride.

Senior maidservants and young maids stood under the eaves of the bridal chamber, while several aunts and relatives from the Gan family were already inside. The room blazed with red decorations, brimming with joyous celebration.

As soon as Eleven Lady and the Fifth Lady stepped into the courtyard, a quick-witted senior maidservant announced loudly, "The Fourth Lady and Fifth Lady have arrived!"

Cries of "Fourth Lady!" and "Fifth Lady!" rang out, along with the sound of curtsies. The crowd jammed at the doorway of the bridal chamber made way for them.

Eleven Miss and Fifth Aunt gave slight nods before stepping side by side into the bridal chamber.

Some familiar faces from the Gan family came forward to greet them, while others, less acquainted, stood by—some smiling reservedly, some retreating shyly to the corners, and some stepping forward to offer their salutations.

After greeting the Gan family relatives, Eleven Miss and Fifth Aunt finally had a moment to take a closer look at the bride.

No wonder Third Aunt had approved this marriage.

The bride, in the bloom of youth, resembled a freshly blossomed magnolia. Beyond her delicate beauty, her refined, gentle air unmistakably marked her as a nobleman’s daughter—something not easily cultivated in ordinary households. It was clear the Fang family had invested great care in raising this daughter.

In terms of temperament, Xu Siqin was rather outclassed by Fang Shi.

Noticing Eleven Miss and Fifth Aunt observing her, the bride blushed like dawn’s first light, suppressing her shyness as she murmured, "Please forgive me, aunties. Tomorrow morning, I shall surely kowtow to each of you twice more." (It was customary for the bride to remain seated on the bed without stepping down.)

Fifth Aunt and Eleven Miss exchanged a glance before stepping forward with smiles to take the bride’s hands. "Our new niece is truly lovely. No wonder our third sister-in-law was so eager to bring her home..."

The bride’s cheeks reddened further as she replied modestly, "You honor me, Fifth Aunt. This humble one doesn’t deserve..."

Having traveled from distant Huzhou to the capital, facing an entirely new life in a strange land, it was only natural for her to feel some unease.

Eleven Miss smiled warmly. "I’m from Yuhang myself, though I’d never ventured beyond my home before marriage. I’m not even sure how far Yuhang is from Huzhou."

The bride’s eyes suddenly brightened, glistening like river jade, adding a radiant glow to her delicate features.

Softly, she replied, "I once accompanied my grandmother to Hangzhou Prefecture and spent two years with my father at his official post. Though I’ve never been to Yuhang, I once read in a book that the Tiao River flows from Yuhang into Wucheng County’s northeast before emptying into Lake Tai. Our Huzhou..." Here, she caught herself, a flicker of regret crossing her gaze before she corrected, "Huzhou borders Lake Tai to the north, so it must not be too far from Yuhang..." As she spoke, her expression visibly eased.

Eleven Miss chuckled. "This is the first I’ve heard of it! If only today weren’t your wedding day—otherwise, we could fetch a book and trace the exact distance between Yuhang and Huzhou!"

Fang Shi smiled demurely, her poise reflecting the grace of a well-bred lady.

The Fifth Lady joked from where she stood, "Well then, the fish in our household will never run out!" Fang Shi and Eleven Miss exchanged smiles, creating a warm, friendly mood.

Servants brought over armchairs for the two of them to sit.

Eleven Miss glanced up and saw the two matrons who had escorted the bride yesterday.

Fang Shi introduced, "This is Matron Cheng, and this is Matron Zun. They accompanied me here." Eleven Miss nodded at them.

The two matrons immediately knelt and bowed deeply to Eleven Miss and the Fifth Lady.

Qiuyu and the Fifth Lady’s maid, Hexiang, hurried forward to help the matrons up.

"Today is the Eldest Young Mistress’s special day—if you want to kowtow to us, this isn’t the time!" the Fifth Lady said with a laugh.

The Third Lady’s cheerful voice rang out from outside, "Eldest Sister-in-law, take it slow! I had the courtyard’s bluestone paving hastily redone—with so much on my plate, I’m not sure if they’re even laid properly. Watch your step!"

The Gan family relatives all hurried over.

Eleven Miss explained to Fang Shi, "That must be Count Zhongqin’s wife arriving..."

Fang Shi gave a slight nod, clearly aware of who Count Zhongqin’s wife was.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Lady whispered to Eleven Miss, "The bridal chamber is so small—perhaps we should head back first?"

Eleven Miss wasn’t keen on chatting with Count Zhongqin’s wife either, so she smiled and nodded in agreement.