The next morning, Xie Zhaozhao instructed Xu Li and Mo Yan to deliver invitations to Ren Jialin, Yin Jin'an, and Li Yunmu again, arranging to meet at Qingpu Garden to discuss matters.

Gu Shaoyu went to the palace to ask His Majesty for leave.

Today, a group of foxes, large and small, are discussing state affairs.

When Yin Jin'an, Ren Jialin, and Li Yunmu arrived at Qingpu Garden, Gu Shaoyu had not yet returned from asking for leave at the palace. Xie Zhaozhao gave them a brief explanation.

After Gu Shaoyu returned, the five of them had a private conversation in the study for several hours, agreeing on various matters.

Yin Jin'an asked Chu Zhongtian to transfer weapons to Gu Shaoyu, preparing to depart with Ren Jialin and Xu Li five days later, leaving the capital three days ahead of the imperial army.

Li Yunmu will depart for the south tomorrow, taking provisions and troops with him, and will travel north via the west.

Gu Shaoyu requested several secret decrees for them so that local officials along the route could cooperate with them at crucial moments.

**

At noon, after the court session, Duke Xun, Yin Xiushan, went to Yin Jin'an's residence to see their new weapons.

Yin Jin'an is not in the mansion.

"Lord Duke, the Marquis has gone fishing at Moon Lake!" That's what Yin Jin'an told Liang Youbin before he left.

Yin Xiushan looked sharply at Liang Youbin: "You mean the second brother has the patience to fish?"

"Wow, Second Master is quite the angler! He can catch a whole basketful in one go!"

"I'll kick you to death! You think you can fool a three-year-old?"

Before the other party could kick him, Liang Youbin said with a smile, "Anyway, the Marquis was invited fishing by Grand Secretary Gu."

Gu Shaoyu invited his second brother to go fishing?

No way, will the second son also go to the battlefield?

Yin Xiushan, belatedly realizing this, suddenly thought that since his second son's weapon was so powerful, the imperial court would definitely want to use it!

I'm about to go to war, and that brat has been ignoring me. If Grand Secretary Gu and his wife could help mediate, maybe that brat would reconcile with me and show me his weapons.

Perhaps we can go back to the Duke's mansion for a visit!

Regardless, he's going to the battlefield. Swords and spears have no eyes; what if he dies in the Northwest? He wants to reconcile with his second brother so that the Yin family army can be handed over to him after his death, and he can rest in peace.

He also hoped that before he left, he could see his whole family in harmony, sitting together for a reunion dinner.

Regardless, he still reminded his second son not to forget that he was a member of the Yin family.

Thinking of this, Yin Xiushan immediately rode his horse to Qingpu Garden.

When Yin Xiushan arrived at Qingpuyuan, Yin Jin'an and the others had just left.

Gu Shaoyu was not there, so Xie Zhaozhao received him.

Even though Yin Xiushan had been a Duke for almost his entire life, he was still the same rough and unrefined man who had fought on the battlefield.

The well water in the capital didn't turn him into a cunning old fox like Xie Anfeng, much less a shrewd schemer like Gu Shaoyu; his words remained simple and unpretentious.

"Madam, before you left your family, you were the most noble lady in the capital; now you are the First Lady. Impressive!"

Xie Zhaozhao chuckled: "Lord Duke, just say what you want to say. I will do whatever I can."

Duke Xun felt he couldn't learn the subtleties of a civil official; the Xie family girl saw right through him, and he rubbed his hands in embarrassment.

"My second son has been ennobled now. It's not that I'm fawning over him because he's gotten promoted and made money; it's just that I'm happy that he's made progress..."

Yin Xiushan didn't get to the point for a long time, but Xie Zhaozhao wasn't in a hurry. She smiled and waited for him to reveal his purpose.

"Could you please talk to him and ask him to come back to the Duke's mansion? He hasn't returned since the family separated last year."

Xie Zhaozhao put down her teacup. Yin Jin'an refused to return to the Duke's Mansion, and Duke Xun wanted her to persuade Yin Jin'an to return to the Duke's Mansion to pay respects to her elders.

But why did she persuade Yin Jin'an to return to the Duke's mansion?

He was promoted to marquis, and they wanted to impose rules on him, using filial piety to bind him.

"Lord Duke, why must he return to the Duke's mansion? If you miss him, can't you go and see him?"

"It's fine for me to go to his house, but his mother..."

"His mother doesn't want to go to his residence?"

Duke Xun nodded sheepishly.

"Since the Duchess doesn't want to see him, what difference does it make whether he goes back to the Duke's Mansion or not?" Xie Zhaozhao said with a smile. "If the Duke's Mansion is home, isn't it only natural for him to go back? He doesn't need anyone to persuade him."

Duke Xun was speechless for a moment.

Xie Zhaozhao said meaningfully, "After being suppressed for so long, one's cold heart must be warmed up, and enough warmth must be shown."

Duke Xun's old face flushed slightly.

The old lady was scolding them for never caring about their second son. Now that he's made something of himself, they're actually expecting him to come back to the mansion to fulfill his filial duties.

Dream on!

When Duke Xun returned to the Duke's mansion, he saw Yin Jinzhuo walking out of the courtyard with a gloomy expression as soon as he entered.

Yin Xiushan was suddenly in a bad mood. Had he quarreled with Pei Shi again?

"Father," Yin Jinzhu greeted him, "Father, I heard that my second brother has been enfeoffed as a marquis? Are you going to give him the troops under your command?"

Seeing the gloom in his eyes, Duke Xun said irritably, "I'd like to tell him to accept it..."

Unfortunately, they didn't want it.

"I heard he's back from Jiangdong? Is he going to come back to the manor for a get-together?"

Yin Jinzhuo said this on purpose. When the family was divided, Yin Jinan said that he would never return to the Duke's Mansion.

Duke Xun shook his head: "Let's go to his residence for a get-together."

"What kind of parents visit their son?"

"Why can't we go see him? He's busy, and we're free. Why can't we go to his house to see him? If your idea of ​​filial piety is just to coax your parents into disliking your brothers, then you are indeed more filial than the second brother."

“Father, I am terrified by what you say,” Yin Jinzhuo said sinisterly.

"Yin Jinzhuo, harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things."

“Yes, Father is right,” Yin Jinzhuo said. “How dare I speak ill of my second brother now? Father, rest assured, I know what I’m doing.”

When Yin Xiushan saw the Duchess, he said, "Pack your things, we're going to visit the second son's residence."

The Duchess said incredulously, "He hasn't come to see me even once since we separated the family property. Why should I go to see him?"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to!"

"Why should I visit him? What about his filial piety? Did he feed it to the dogs?"

"You haven't seen him in so long, don't you even ask him what he's been up to? Is this how you treat a mother?"

"Could it be that he's doing something more legitimate?"

"Otherwise what? Do you think His Majesty is so muddleheaded that he would grant him a marquisate?" Yin Xiushan said with a dark face. "Let me tell you, don't complain about him in front of me anymore."

Duke Xun ordered his guards to keep an eye on Yin Jin'an. Upon learning that Yin Jin'an had returned to the Xiaoyao Marquis's residence, he immediately instructed the steward: "Go to Zhang's shop right away and buy his favorite sugar triangle buns. Remember, they must be fresh out of the steamer."

When the steamed buns were bought back, Lady Xun was already ready to go with them, accompanied by her niece from her maternal family, Song Yanyan.

Her maternal family is the Marquis of Suiyuan's mansion, and the title is now inherited by her younger brother. Song Yanyan is her brother's second daughter and has been living in the Duke's mansion for a while.

Upon arriving at the Xiaoyao Marquis's residence, the Duke of Xun knocked on the door, and Liang Youbin came out.

Duke Xun then handed the hot steamed buns wrapped in lotus leaves to Liang Youbin and said, "Go and tell the second son that these are freshly steamed buns. I personally asked someone to buy them for him."

Liang Youbin went in to report to Yin Jin'an. Yin Jin'an opened the lotus leaf package, found it contained sugar triangles, chuckled, and put it back on the table.

"Let's go, let's go greet my family!"