Chapter 108: Another Battlefield (6)

  That night, the old master and his son and daughter-in-law drank very happily. He forgot the unpleasantness that Shi Xiangyun had brought to him.

  The maidservants helped him into the house, and he was still muttering to himself: "...Ride out to conquer the Huns, dismount to write military treatises. That's a real man! Not like me...can't even lift my hand or shoulder a burden..." He glared at the mistress of the house, "If I were twenty years younger, I'd go join the Northwest Army too..."

  The old lady was amused and laughed with her hand covering her mouth, personally serving her husband a rest.

  But this excitement only lasted for one night.

  The old master woke up a bit late on the second day, and was drinking a hangover soup when Qian Ming arrived.

  Ever since Master praised Qian Ming's talent, Mistress also changed her attitude towards him.

  She listened and quickly got up and went to the hall: "Has Fifth Master eaten breakfast?"

  Qian Ming was greatly alarmed, hastily paid his respects to the elder lady and said: "Mother-in-law, something's wrong! I heard that the Empress Dowager has summoned the Marquis of Jianning to the palace to discuss my brother-in-law's remarriage!"

  How did this happen?

  The lady felt a buzzing in her head and was stunned.

  All along, she had been relying on the fact that the Empress Dowager had accepted Yuan's letter of resignation. But what if the Empress Dowager issued an edict, would the Empress still dare to defy her and risk being accused of "disobedience"? Could the Xu family afford to disregard the imperial dignity and disobey the edict?

  I'm afraid that by then, it won't be just a matter of refusing the Empress Dowager's kindness!

  Qian Ming, however, was afraid that the Empress Dowager did not know the weight of this matter and hastily said: "The Empress Dowager had previously intended to have Jian Ning Hou and my brother-in-law get married. It's just that Jian Ning Hou wasn't very willing and wanted to send his daughter into the palace, so this matter has been dragging on. Now that my brother-in-law has achieved an unprecedented merit, I'm afraid that Jian Ning Hou will no longer be able to disagree with this matter..."

  After a brief trance, Madame quickly came to herself.

  "Come with me!" She hastily led Qian Ming into the inner room.

  The old master was being served by the maid while rinsing his mouth, saw Madame leading Qian Ming in, and was startled, hastily saying: "What's happened?"

  Qian Ming immediately repeated what he had just said to Mrs. Dai to Mr. Dai.

  The old man was also stunned.

  The old lady suddenly became anxious: "What can we do? Can't let our family go to the Xu's house to question them?" As she spoke, her eyes turned red. "I've only seen my brother three times this year. Once was during the Chinese New Year, once was during Qingming Festival, and once was during Yuan Niang's anniversary... Besides, that Jian Ning Hou is from a humble background, what good daughter can they raise? If not, the Emperor would have taken her as a concubine long ago, why wait until now..."

  The old master listened to her speak more and more nonsense, frowned: "You go out first. This matter will be discussed by me and the young master."

  The lady had no choice but to withdraw. Just as she stood still in the hall, she saw Luo Zhenxing walking in with big strides.

  "How did you get back?"

  Lu Zhenxing's face turned pale, and he forced a smile at the madam, saying: "I have something to discuss with Father. Is Father awake?"

  The lady immediately realized why Luo Zhenxing had come and pulled her son's sleeve: "Is it about the Marquis?"

  Luo Zhenxing still wanted to deceive his mother, but Mrs. Dai had already said: "Your fifth sister's husband has told me everything. He is discussing it with your father right now!"

  "Mother, don't worry." Lu Zhenxing could only comfort his mother. "Three cobblers together are better than one Zhuge Liang. Can't we come up with a solution?"

  The old lady was now flustered and had no idea what to do, so she could only temporarily listen to her son and nodded randomly.

  The old master in the inner chamber had already heard the noise and loudly asked: "Is it Brother Xing who has returned?"

  "Dad, it's me." Luo Zhenxing loudly responded to his father and then softly comforted his mother for a few sentences before going into the inner room.

  "Miss, miss..." Qiujie rushed in with a pale face, "It's terrible, it's terrible!"

  Eleventh Sister was sitting on the kang with Dong Qing doing needlework. Seeing her flustered, Dong Qing furrowed his brow: "What's wrong? You're being so disorderly!"

  "Oh no! Oh no!" Autumn Chrysanthemum didn't smile and stand up as she used to when Wintergreen scolded her, but instead ran panting to the front of Eleventh Young Lady, "The Marquis wants to marry a daughter of some marquis!"

  At this point, everyone in the room changed color.

  "Speak clearly." The eleventh girl's expression was solemn, "What exactly happened on your way back?"

  Qiu Ju stifled her gasps, and only after a moment did she say: "Just now, Fifth Master came. He said that the Empress Dowager had summoned the Marquis of Jianning, wanting him to marry his daughter to the Master."

  The eleventh girl listened and gradually calmed down.

  In other words, she is now facing the danger of being jilted? No, there was no engagement to begin with, where did this talk of jilting come from...

  "What about the Xu family?" Dong Qing was so anxious that tears were almost falling from her eyes.

  Chrysanthemum gazed at Eleventh Sister, whose expression was unusual.

  "What's taking so long? You're still dawdling around here!" Dong Qing said impatiently. "Hurry up and speak!"

  "Wu Gongye said, outside they are all saying that the Xu family has always looked down on our young lady for being born out of wedlock, so they have been slow to come and propose!" By the time he finished speaking, his expression had become somewhat timid.

  For a moment, everyone was stunned.

  "Can this be blamed on our young lady?" Dong Qing said with a hint of resentment, "Who wouldn't want to be born from the bellies of those ladies..."

  "Yes!" Qiujie's eyes also turned red. "The mistress is also regretting now! She said that if she had known it would be like this, she should have kept Shier Niang under her own name."

  "What did you say?" Eleventh Girl stared at Autumn Chrysanthemum in shock. "What was it that you just said?"

  Chrysanthemum looked at her with some excitement, and her heart couldn't help but feel afraid, stuttering: "Big, big wife, just regretting it, saying that if I had known earlier, I should have kept you under my own name."

  That is to say, I have been had.

  In the midst of sparks and electric light, Shíyī Niáng suddenly came to a realization.

  The two elder sisters have been deceiving themselves all along!

  As soon as she thought of it, she couldn't help but think of Shi Niang.

  Would she also be deceived by her two aunts like herself?

  The eleventh girl couldn't help but smile bitterly.

  Who would have thought that two aunts who normally keep a vegetarian diet and recite Buddhist scriptures would actually do such a thing!

  She suddenly had an epiphany at this point.

  The emperor is not the Empress Dowager's biological son. The Empress Dowager has always wanted to send her niece from her maiden family into the palace, but was unsuccessful. She compromised and wanted to form an alliance with the Xu family, whether it be the Emperor or the Empress, neither would dare refuse, right? In this way, how could the Xu family dare to defy the imperial edict? Therefore, this marriage will probably not come to fruition!

  If Xu and Luo's marriage is called off, she would be the victim. Generally, people sympathize with victims, so can't she seize this opportunity to change her situation?

  The eleventh girl thought carefully for half a day, then stood up and asked Qiu Ju: "Where is mother now?"

  Chrysanthemum looked at Shíyīniáng and felt like she was in a slightly good mood.

  At this time, she didn't dare to ask more questions, and hurriedly said: "She's in the main hall!" Then thinking that her words were not quite proper, she added: "The eldest lady is accompanying the old mistress!"

  "Who else knows about Master Hou's intention to marry Miss Jianning?"

  "Madam just threw a big tantrum and it's all over the courtyard."

  Is it taking the initiative or pretending to be unaware and adapting to circumstances?

  The eleventh girl thought for a moment and decided to take the initiative to attack.

  Because this marriage is too important for the Luo family, who knows what the eldest lady will do to repay kindness with ingratitude.

  She ordered Amber: "Get some chili water."

  The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn and dignified. The maidservants and daughters-in-law stood with their hands hanging down, respectfully standing in their designated places.

  When Eleventh Sister walked in with red eyes, the sympathetic or curious gazes of these people all fell on her body at the same time. The curtain-holding maid even reported a sentence with some tension: "Eleventh Miss has arrived."

  "Let her in!" The mistress's voice still carried a hint of unhidden anger.

  Entering the hall, Eleventh Sister saw Madame sitting on the arhat bed with a cold face, while Big Nai standing beside her had a helpless expression.

  "Mother!" She had just shouted out the word when tears began to well up in her eyes.

  The big wife looked at Shier Niang's red and swollen eyes, which were like peaches. She already had a few points of understanding in her heart.

  Although she had never mentioned this matter to Shiyi Niang, nor had she ever avoided it. She must have heard some rumors after all.

  The eleventh daughter knelt at the feet of the madam and said, "I want to become a nun!"

  "What nonsense!" The old lady's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, staring at Eleven Maid. "What are you trying to do?"

  "Mother." The eleventh daughter's voice was calm, "A small arm cannot twist a big leg. If I leave home, people will naturally sympathize with my difficulties. If I don't leave home, it would be foolish to let others laugh at me. Mother, please let me leave home!"

  Her intention is that if she were to leave home, public opinion would shift in favor of the Luo family, and perhaps the royal family would give the Luo family some face-saving measures for the sake of appearances.

  But Eleven was not born to the madam, and this sentence changed its tone when it reached the madam's ears - she looked at Eleven with a few more sharp glints in her eyes: "You're saying that our Luo family can't guarantee your safety..."

  The eleventh girl heard this tone and her heart involuntarily cooled down a few degrees.

  It's been three years, but the mistress still doesn't have a bit of trust in herself. When something happens, she first thinks of the worst possibility.

  Her slight guilt when she was applying chili water just now is all gone.

  "Mother, the Luo family is not Father's Luo family, nor Mother's Luo family, nor Elder Brother's Luo family, or my Luo family." Her voice was calm and rational. "It's our Luo family."

  The lady was stunned.

  Eleventh princess, I've never spoken to her like this before...

  "I was able to live a life of luxury and learn needlework from Master Jian because I had the protection of the Luo family. Now that our household is facing such difficulties, how can I just sit back and do nothing? Upholding integrity and righteousness, this is the foundation of a noble family. We don't need to beg for anyone's help! I will take action. Let the world see that the Ruo family of Yuhang is also unyielding in the face of wealth and power..."

  Looking at Eleven's delicate eyebrows and eyes, thinking that she won't be fourteen until May... her heart ached, and tears fell down.

  "You, you..." Madam's mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't say a word.

  Someone walked out of the inner room, bowed deeply to Shiyi Niang: "Shiyi sister, rest assured, as long as I, Luo Zhenxing, am alive for one day, I will support my sister for one day. If not, even if I'm gone, there's still Yong Ge, and if Yong Ge is gone, there's still Yong Ge's son... As long as the Yu Hang Luo family exists for a day, we won't forget your great righteousness."

  The eleventh girl let out a sigh of relief.

  It is said that monks are people outside of worldly affairs, without distinction between male and female. If they blur gender differences, will this society be more tolerant of women?

  It is said that a temple is like a small society, apart from chanting scriptures. Monks and nuns also value being able to speak eloquently or having literary talent. Relying on one's own life experiences in the two worlds, shouldn't one be able to find a suitable position for oneself?

  It's said that famous monks and nuns have the opportunity to be invited to other temples to give lectures. In this way, "The Records of the Nine Regions in the Great Zhou" will come in handy...

  On her way back, Xiāo Niáng walked with an unusually light and carefree step.

  Now, as long as the arrangements for Dong Qing and the others are settled, she can go enjoy the beauty of the mountains, rivers and streams, and experience the refreshing scent of the green pines in the gentle breeze!

  The corners of Xiāng Niáng's mouth twitched upwards uncontrollably.

  I should really thank Xu Lingyi for capturing that Jia whatever alive!

  Calling Pink Ballot...