Chapter 526

Chapter 532 Persuasion (Part 2)

Afterward, Lord Xu instructed Qiuyu, who was on night duty, to have the kitchen prepare a bowl of noodles cooked in chicken broth.

"No need for that!" Elevenniang quickly said. "That would mean relighting the stove. There are pastries in the food box out there—I’ll just have a few to tide me over. Besides, it’s almost dawn..."

Lord Xu paid her no mind and told Qiuyu, "Go quickly..."

Elevenniang felt a little awkward.

Lord Xu frowned and scolded her, "With all the maids and older women in the household, you actually woke up hungry..." Seeing her listless and weary, his heart softened, and he pulled her into his arms. "It was so hard to put some meat on your bones. You really don’t take care of yourself..."

Elevenniang flushed at his words and buried her face in his chest without a sound.

Lord Xu couldn’t help but laugh at her childish demeanor.

Her face flushed, Elevenniang tried to deflect the awkwardness by changing the subject. "When I went to pay respects to Mother in the evening, I ran into Third Sister-in-law. Did you tell Mother what Third Young Master proposed...?"

Knowing she was embarrassed, Lord Xu chuckled and tucked the blankets more snugly around her. He followed her lead and replied, "I did. Mother’s view is that since they’ve made up their minds, forcing them would only breed resentment. If they want to move out, let them." His tone was flat, clearly still displeased with the matter.

Elevenniang instantly regretted bringing it up. Just then, Qiuyu brought in the chicken broth noodles, and Elevenniang brightly tugged Lord Xu’s sleeve to join her.

"I won’t eat," Lord Xu said, slipping a thin jacket over her shoulders. "You go ahead." He then got up to bring the noodles over and sat beside her, watching her eat.

In the warm lamplight, Elevenniang smiled contentedly as she took small, careful bites of the noodles. Lord Xu’s lips curved into a pleased smile.

He loved seeing her like this—so easily delighted by the simplest things.

Without thinking, he reached out and gently smoothed the hair tucked behind her ear. "Slow down, careful—it’s hot..."

After finishing a small bowl, rinsing her mouth, and washing her hands, she lay back down. Dawn was already breaking.

Lord Xu went to the back garden to practice his swordplay, while Elevenniang lingered in bed a little longer before rising. A young servant burst in. "Madam, your elder brother from Bowstring Lane is here!"

Elevenniang was startled.

At this hour—had something gone wrong with Seventh Sister’s situation?

She instructed the servant, "Show Uncle to the study..." then urged Qiuyu to hurry with her hair before rushing to the study.

Luo Zhenxing paced the study, hands clasped behind his back, his expression grave.

Seeing Elevenniang, he strode forward. "I’ve written a letter to Father. Have someone deliver it to Yuhang as quickly as possible..." He pulled a letter from his sleeve.

Elder Master’s reply hadn’t even arrived yet—why was Luo Zhenxing sending another letter to Yuhang?

"What’s happened...?" Elevenniang invited Luo Zhenxing to sit and talk.

After a pause, Luo Zhenxing spoke slowly. "I received Second Uncle’s letter. From his wording, he seemed quite supportive of having Fourth Sister’s son adopted by Seventh Sister. He even asked me to help Seventh Sister negotiate with the Zhu family. But this concerns ancestral rites—some protocols I may not grasp. Father should oversee this matter..."

So Luo Zhenxing had also noticed Second Uncle’s intentions.

Elevenniang shared the news she’d learned from Fifth Madam.

Luo Zhenxing’s brow furrowed, and he scolded her in a low voice. "Seventh Sister is being unreasonable—how could you just echo others like this? Second Uncle simply feels the Zhu family disregarded the Luo family by not even notifying them before opening the ancestral hall. He’s just offended. As juniors, how can we criticize our elders like this?"

Elevenniang fell silent.

Even now, he still defended Second Master’s dignity as an elder. She gave a quiet nod and called a maid to summon Steward Bai.

Luo Zhenxing's expression softened slightly. "Do you have anything urgent these two days? If not, go and advise Seventh Sister. Tell her not to act recklessly. As for the adoption matter, I’ll step in for her—she shouldn't discuss it with her husband or the Zhu family. If the Zhu family approaches her or Zhu Anping brings it up, just direct them to me and leave it at that..."

He must be worried that Seventh Sister’s continued stubbornness could spiral out of control.

Eleven Miss then told Luo Zhenxing about how she had asked the Fifth Lady to persuade Seventh Sister.

After a long silence, Luo Zhenxing said quietly, "In that case, when you have time, you and the Fifth Lady should visit your seventh sister more often..."

This was silent agreement of Danyang’s idea.

Lord Xu returned from his sword practice.

"What’s the urgent matter, coming here so early?" He smiled and instructed the maids to serve breakfast.

"I’d like to ask to use your messenger to send a letter to Yu Hang..." The siblings coincidentally used the same excuse. "General Jiang has been reporting frequent victories in Fujian these days. Grand Secretary Dou has tasked us with writing reports for the Six Ministries to distribute to the provinces. I must hurry to the Hanlin Academy. Another day, I’ll come back for a drink with you..." He politely declined Lord Xu’s invitation and left.

Hearing that he had official business, Lord Xu didn’t press him to stay. While inquiring about the war in Fujian, he escorted Luo Zhenxing out. Then he turned and summoned Steward Bai. "Has your brother-in-law often asked you to deliver letters lately?"

Some things could be ignored if unasked, but once questioned, they couldn’t be concealed.

"This is the second time," Steward Bai replied. "The first was when the madam sent a letter through us."

Lord Xu nodded and returned to the main house, only to find that Eleven Miss, after greeting the elder madam, had taken Jin Geer to the Fifth Lady’s quarters.

"Seventh Sister sent word through her personal maid that Seventh Brother-in-law will arrive in Yanjing in a couple of days..."

Jin Geer, who had just learned to walk, refused to be carried and wanted to walk on his own. He toddled around the Fifth Lady’s spacious hall without support. Eleven Miss followed close behind, arms ready to catch him, occasionally glancing up at the Fifth Lady, who sat by the window in the resting chamber.

"Indeed," the Fifth Lady said, feeling Eleven Miss was overly anxious about Jin Geer. "Let the nanny take care of him. Come sit for a while." Then she added, "She asked me what to do..."

"He fell asleep before I returned last night and didn’t see me. This morning, he demanded to be held by me and wouldn’t even go to Lord Xu," Eleven Miss explained. "I’d rather keep him with me to avoid his tantrums. You don’t know—when he cries, it’s ear-splitting. Truly terrifying..."

The Fifth Lady laughed. "Which child doesn’t cry like that?"

"Xin Jieer is much gentler," Eleven Miss replied. Just then, Jin Geer tiptoed and grabbed the fringe of a tablecloth. She hurried over to get him to let go. Once he finally released it, she continued, "Someone should speak to Seventh Brother-in-law."

But the Fifth Lady wasn’t the right person. Firstly, as an outsider, it went against the saying that family disputes shouldn’t be aired in public. If Zhu Anping learned the matter had reached even the Fifth Lady, he’d lose face. Secondly, with her own mother-in-law and children to care for, she couldn’t run back and forth for Seventh Sister’s sake. "What if I ask Fourth Sister to intervene?"

The Fifth Lady had sought Eleven Miss’s opinion for this very reason.

Advising Seventh Sister was fine, but challenging Zhu Anping was another—her status, position, and stance made it inappropriate. Yet outright refusal might make Eleven Miss and Seventh Sister think she was unwilling to help. Relieved by Eleven Miss’s suggestion, she agreed.

"Fourth Sister would be perfect," the Fifth Lady said with a smile. "As his sister-in-law, she can say anything. And if she goes too far, her husband can smooth things over..."

"Then I’ll talk to Fourth Sister," Eleven Miss said, noticing Jin Geer leaning against an armchair, likely tired. She picked him up. "You can explain things to Seventh Sister..."

The Fifth Lady had proposed a solution that pleased Seventh Sister while being feasible. To Seventh Sister, her words might carry great weight, while others’ advice might fall on deaf ears.

"Very well," the Fifth Lady agreed, aware that Seventh Sister now harbored some hard feelings toward her sisters. "I’ll write her a letter—if Madam Yu’s words don’t sway Zhu Anping, I’ll ask Fifth Master to speak to him. That should reassure Seventh Sister..."

Eleven Miss nodded, and the two discussed further details. One wrote to Seventh Sister, the other to Fourth Sister.

Nanny Shi was delighted, serving plenty of snacks and fruit nonstop. Seeing them engrossed in Seventh Sister’s affairs, she sent the maids away and attended to them personally.

By lunchtime, Eleven Miss and the Fifth Lady carried their children to greet the elder madam.

Yu Ban gave them a look: "Third Madam is inside."

They paused, faintly hearing sobs. A hint of a smile appeared in the Fifth Lady’s eyes.

She whispered to Yu Ban, "What's going on..."

Yu Ban glanced at Eleven Miss, noticing her also listening intently, then said softly, "Last night, Third Madam played cards with her maids well into the night, and the eldest young master’s bride waited on them the whole time. Perhaps she stood too long—her legs went numb. When she left, she tripped and hurt her hand. Being a new bride, she didn’t dare speak up. This morning, her hand was swollen like a dumpling. When elder madam found out, she was shaking with anger and is now reprimanding her..."

Fifth Madam shot Eleven Miss a triumphant look and murmured, "See? I told you she’s too harsh—it was only a matter of time before something like this happened..." She pressed her lips together in a smile. "Our eldest young master's bride hurt her hand at just the right time..."

Eleven Miss also thought Third Madam had gone too far. After a moment’s thought, she asked Yu Ban, "What did the eldest young master say..."

Yu Ban paused, then smiled. "It was the eldest young master who informed Third Madam, and only then did she arrange for a physician..."

Eleven Miss sighed inwardly and, with Fifth Madam, took the children out to play under the eaves, discussing whether to visit Fang Shi.

"Of course," Fifth Madam said, her eyes gleaming. "She just married in and already hurt her hand—how can we ignore that?" Eleven Miss couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Jin Geer took two steps, then turned to look at Eleven Miss. Seeing her still behind him, he took two more steps before glancing back again, torn between wanting to walk and being afraid—utterly adorable. The maids and older women in elder madam’s room couldn’t help but smile, and one young maid even burst out giggling, startling those inside.

Soon after, elder madam had Yu Ban summon them in.

Third Madam stood off to the side, her eyes red and swollen, looking completely worn out. When she saw Eleven Miss and Fifth Madam enter one after the other, a flicker of resentment crossed her gaze.