Chapter 546

Chapter 552 Marriage (Part 2)

Indeed, this was neither the time for returning to the capital for official duties nor a moment of court-ordered transfer. For Third Young Master to return like this, the Dowager could easily guess the reason. Moreover, the Dowager had always been lenient and generous toward Third Young Master. Yet his time as an official not only failed to bring honor to the Xu family but even failed to perform his duties. One could only imagine how furious she would be.

"You must tell mother soon," Lady Eleven said. "You spoke with Third Young Master in the outer study for half the day and even had him stay for lunch before he returned to Three Wells Lane. With so many people in the household, how can this be kept a secret?"

"It’ll only take a couple of days," Lord Xu replied. "In the meantime, you should discuss Zhenjie’s marriage with mother as much as possible to distract her. I’ll gradually share the news about Third Young Master’s return. With Zhenjie’s happy occasion coming first, even if mother learns about Third Young Master’s situation, her anger will be somewhat softened."

Lady Eleven nodded. "I'll do as my lord husband says."

Jin'ge, dressed in his underclothes, came running in with pattering feet.

"Young Master Jin, Young Master Jin!" Gu Ma called softly, chasing after him with a flustered expression.

"What’s going on?" Before Lord Xu could finish his question, Jin'ge had already scrambled up onto the bed.

"Sleep with mother, sleep with mother," Jin'ge mumbled, snuggling under the covers and clutching the blanket tightly, as if afraid someone might take him away.

Gu Ma looked uneasily at Lord Xu and Lady Eleven.

Seeing his son like this, Lord Xu’s heart softened instantly. He waved his hand at Gu Ma, signaling her to withdraw.

Lady Eleven, however, felt her face grow slightly warm.

Gu Ma’s expression made it clear she knew exactly why Lord Xu had sent the child to sleep in the nursery.

Masking her discomfort, Lady Eleven sat by the bed.

Jin'ge immediately crawled out and cuddled into her lap. "Mother, tell a story, tell a story!"

She had already spent what felt like hours telling him stories, barely managing to calm him down. If not for Qiuyu coming to inform her that Lord Xu had returned with something to discuss, she wouldn’t have left Jin'ge—still awake—in the care of Gu Ma and the others.

Lady Eleven smiled and patted his head. "Then go fetch Mr. Zhao’s storybook!"

Obediently, Jin'ge scrambled out of her arms, dashed to the nursery, and then ran back, proudly waving the book in his hand.

Seeing his adorable expression, even Lord Xu couldn’t help but laugh along with Lady Eleven.

"So, what story does Jin'ge want to hear?" Lady Eleven crouched beside him, looking him in the eye.

"Kong Rong Shares the Pears!"

"Then turn to the page with Kong Rong Shares the Pears, and mother will tell it to you."

Jin'ge flopped onto the bed, leafing through the pages until he found the right one, then handed it to Lady Eleven. "Mother, tell the story!"

Lady Eleven was surprised.

She hadn’t expected Jin'ge to remember. She had only intended to use his interests to gradually teach him to recognize characters.

"You’re so clever!" Before Lady Eleven could speak, Lord Xu had already swept Jin'ge up and lifted him high into the air.

Jin'ge giggled, his beaming face warming Lord Xu’s heart.

Just as he had done when Jin'ge was younger, Lord Xu gave him an airplane ride a couple of times.

Jin'ge laughed even more joyfully, while Lady Eleven felt her heart jump.

"No, no!" She stopped Lord Xu. "Jin'ge is bigger now, not like when he was little. Even mother can’t carry him anymore—be careful not to drop him!" "He's light as a feather," Lord Xu said dismissively, while Jin'ge pleaded sweetly, "Daddy!" urging him to toss him again.

Elevenniang quickly grabbed Xu Lingyi's shoulder. "It's already the beginning of the hour of Hai. If you keep playing with him like this, he won't be able to sleep well later."

Xu Lingyi found this reasonable and smiled at Jin Geer. "Your mother says no!"

Jin Geer then turned to Elevenniang, reaching up with pleading arms and calling, "Mother."

Elevenniang didn’t pick him up but asked, "Do you still want to hear a story, Jin Geer? If you do, come to bed with me. If not, stay here and play with your father!"

Jin Geer wanted both—to play with his father and to hear his mother’s stories. He hesitated, glancing at his gentle father and then at his mother's firm expression, before wisely opening his arms toward her. "Story, story!"

Elevenniang smiled and picked him up. "Let’s tell the story of Kong Rong Yielding the Larger Pears."

Sensing his mother’s joy, Jin Geer seized the opportunity. "And the story of Guangguang breaking the jar!"

Elevenniang couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s Sima Guang smashing the vat."

"Si... smashing the vat!"

His pronunciation of Sima Guang’s name was slurred and indistinct.

Elevenniang corrected him again, but he still couldn’t say it clearly.

It was surprising that Jin Geer could already speak four-word phrases, but after over a month, he remained stuck at four words, rarely adding more.

Don't rush his progress.

Elevenniang kissed his cheek with a smile and stopped pressing him, tucking him under a light quilt to tell the story.

Mr. Zhao’s illustrated book was vibrant, with one short story per page, suitable for five- or six-year-olds, but it failed to captivate Jin Geer. He rarely looked at the pictures, preferring to listen to Elevenniang’s storytelling. After the child fell asleep, Elevenniang discussed with Xu Lingyi, "The book has too few illustrations. It’d be better to have one picture per sentence."

While Elevenniang told stories, Xu Lingyi had been gently patting Jin Geer, which was why the boy fell asleep so quickly.

After a moment of thought, Xu Lingyi said, "I’ve been busy lately. You and Jin Geer can keep using Mr. Zhao’s book for now. By June, when I’m free, I’ll make a new picture book for him."

Elevenniang nearly panicked!

She had planned to create the picture book herself and never expected Xu Lingyi to take on the task.

A thought flashed through her mind—Xu Lingyi drenched in sweat during summer's peak, hunched over a desk to draw for Jin Geer, with a servant fanning him vigorously.

The image amused her, and mischief sparked in her heart.

"Great! Perfect!" Elevenniang beamed at Xu Lingyi. "Then Jin Geer’s picture book will be your responsibility, my husband!"

Educating their son was his duty. Before, he had been away at war and couldn’t attend to it, but now that he was home, he naturally had to take responsibility. Why did Elevenniang’s expression seem a bit sly?

Xu Lingyi studied her, a glimmer of suspicion in his eyes.

Was her smile too obvious?

Elevenniang quickly changed the subject. "I heard Mr. Zhao plans to continue pursuing the civil service examinations. Is that true?"

In recent years, Mr. Zhao had settled down and, aside from teaching, had been studying diligently. She had heard rumors about it. If true, they needed to prepare early to find Zhun'er a new tutor.

Xu Lingyi, noticing Elevenniang’s serious expression, wondered if he had overthought things. Setting aside his doubts, he replied, "I asked Mr. Zhao. By his manner, he does intend to take the next exam. So, I’ve instructed the steward's office to increase his annual stipend by fifty taels."

This brought Mr. Zhao’s yearly earnings to a hundred taels. Few tutors in Da Zhou could match such lavish compensation.

If he passed the exams, should he depart or stay, given the family’s high regard for him?

Lady Eleven smiled: "Mr. Zhao probably won’t accept this silver."

Lord Xu, seeing that Lady Eleven understood his intention, chuckled: "Indeed, he politely declined. However, I also told him that what I entrusted to him was not just the children’s education, but also the future of the Yongping Marquis household. The salary is merely to tell the world the status he holds in my eyes!"

Lady Eleven felt a chill.

With such words, no matter how many thoughts Mr. Zhao had, he likely had no choice but to accept.

She hadn’t expected the usually taciturn Lord Xu to speak so diplomatically.

The thought flashed by, yet it seemed perfectly reasonable.

If Lord Xu couldn’t say such things, he wouldn’t have come this far.

"Besides, many scholars study hard in the Imperial College for ten years before achieving success in one stroke," Lord Xu said lightly. "For him to immerse himself in books for a few more years will only bring benefits, not harm."

And so, Mr. Zhao was outmaneuvered by him, Lady Eleven mused inwardly.

The next day, when Qiao Lianfang and Lady Wen came to visit, Lady Eleven kept Lady Wen to talk: "Make a complete copy of the eldest daughter’s dowry list, then accompany me to the Dowager later to have her review it."

Lady Wen was startled.

Lady Eleven had already asked for her help in preparing Zhenjie’s dowry, which she was profoundly grateful for. She never imagined she’d also be involved in Zhenjie’s nuptial preparations.

She quickly stood to take her leave: "I’ll go copy the eldest daughter’s dowry list right away."

Lady Eleven nodded.

Xu Siyu came to pay his respects.

"I returned too late yesterday—the inner courtyard was already locked, so I didn’t disturb Mother," he said with a serious expression. "As for Tanhu Fang, I’ve arranged for him to come tomorrow morning." He then hesitated slightly.

"Brother Fang" had now become "Tanhu Fang."

Lady Eleven gave an imperceptible nod.

Xu Siyu had indeed matured. He understood this wasn’t the time for personal feelings.

"There are no outsiders here," she said, having dismissed the servants when Xu Siyu entered. "Though you’re Siqin’s younger brother, you’re the heir of our lineage. The sisters will rely on you often in the future. Though this matter is small, it’s a dispute between two families—it weighs on me. If you have any good ideas, you should help me!"

Xu Siyu colored faintly and replied, "Yes." He then spoke slowly: "I went to see eldest brother first to hear his thoughts, so I’d know how to speak with Tanhu Fang. Eldest brother told me he neither wishes to divorce his wife nor separate." He glanced at Lady Eleven, surprised to see no trace of astonishment on her face. "After hearing his stance, I went to Tanhu Fang. The moment he saw me, he urgently pulled me inside and held forth about eldest sister-in-law’s difficult situation. He said, as her brother, he couldn’t stand by and watch his sister be mistreated. He’d already written a letter and sent his trusted manservant back to Huzhou overnight, asking their elders to mediate the matter with our family."

"And what did you say?" Lady Eleven asked.

"I said, in family matters, there are two sides to every story," Xu Siyu replied. "But none act like you—not here to mediate, but straightaway calling for a separation. You claim eldest sister-in-law suffers mistreatment in our household, yet we believe everyone, from the Dowager down to us younger siblings, holds her in affection. I truly don’t understand where such words come from. So, my mother wishes to ask you—what precisely is the matter?"