Lady Qingping looked at Cheng Kai's indifferent face and felt a tightness in her chest, unable to breathe. It was truly unbearable. This son had been separated from her since childhood, and even now, more than twenty years later, he was still the same. She could at least find some psychological comfort by controlling his wife, but now these two were going to Liaodong all at once. Most importantly, it wasn't until they were packing their bags to leave that she realized how little she, as his mother, meant to him.

Cheng Kai said, "The matter is already settled, Mother. For your sake, you should still prepare a dowry for us while everyone is presenting it. Otherwise, people will think you don't want Madam Xu to come with me and will think you are stingy."

Lady Qingping turned pale with anger. She waved her trembling hand at Cheng Kai, who bowed to her and walked away with his head held high.

That very evening, a doctor was summoned to Lady Qingping's courtyard. When Cheng Kai and Xu Gao were about to leave, Lady Qingping, her face ashen, led people to see them off outside the mansion. After returning home, she remained ill for a long time before finally getting up.

These past few days have felt like a dream for Xu Gao. She is actually going to Liaodong with her husband. This is something that so many people can only dream of. When Xu Gao went out to visit other families with the Lady of Qingping, she had seen many daughters-in-law. Some of them had quite grown children, but their husbands were officials in other places. They stayed at home with their children to take care of their mothers-in-law. If a couple is separated for too long and their feelings have faded, can they still be called a couple?

After discussing it with Cheng Kai, Xu Gao went to the backyard and found an unused courtyard. She moved her large dowry items out of the courtyard and specially left a loyal servant to watch over them. Cheng Kai was quite comforted to see that his wife had made arrangements in an orderly manner and had not shown any displeasure at going to Liaodong, a remote and harsh place. If he were to leave now, but his wife was unwilling to go because she was fond of the prosperity of the capital, would it be the same for him to travel alone as he did with the young couple and their entourage?

After seeing Cheng Kai and Xu Gao off, Xu Bai said to Xu Zhi, "I'm quite sad that my older sister is leaving with her husband. Actually, her husband is a very good person, and he will definitely achieve great things in the future."

Granny Lu said, "I thought you didn't like General Cheng because you were so cold to him."

Hsu Po said, "At first I didn't like it, but no matter how much I acted like a big brother-in-law, he didn't mind. He would carry me if I asked him to, and he would carry me if I asked him to. He even took me to the horse farm in the suburbs to ride horses. When we met his colleagues, he didn't ignore me because I was a child. He introduced me to his colleagues and was very respectful of me."

Granny Lu raised Xu Bai from a young age, so doesn't she know what kind of temper he has? As long as you treat him like an adult, you'll definitely be happy.

After seeing Xu Gao and Cheng Kai off, the Yongning Marquis's mansion was quiet for a while. Every two or three days, Ning Shi would go out with her sisters-in-law and several of the mansion's beautifully dressed young ladies to attend various poetry gatherings, wine parties, tea parties, and other gatherings. As long as there was a reason, the ladies of various mansions in the capital with close ties would bring their eligible but unmarried daughters and sons together, which was actually a matchmaking event.

Xu Bai was quite interested in this; it was a large-scale matchmaking event, and just thinking about it made him excited. He insisted on going to see the excitement. Once there, because he was good-looking, ate a lot, and was quite plump and fair-skinned, he was the type of woman the ladies liked. Everyone who saw him would smile and pinch his chubby cheeks. Although the elders would give him a small gift when they met for the first time, being pinched on the cheeks like that was not something Xu Bai liked. After going a few times, he didn't want to go anymore. When the ladies in the other mansion saw that Xu Bai wasn't going, they asked Ning Shi why she didn't bring him along.

That night, Xu Bai, along with Granny Lu, explained the relationships between the various households in the capital to Xu Zhi again. They didn't go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. But after only a short while, they heard someone knocking on the courtyard gate.

Granny Lu and Xu Bai slept in the east wing of the courtyard where the third family lived. The east wing was behind the screen wall, so they could hear clearly if someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Granny Lu opened her eyes, her heart skipping a beat. Knocking on the door like this in the middle of the night was usually not a good sign. She quickly got up and dressed. Xu Zhi, who was sleeping in the west wing, had already dressed and came over. Seeing Granny Lu dressed and then looking at Xu Bai who was still asleep, she asked, "Granny, has something happened?"

Granny Lu said, "The old woman guarding the gate hasn't come to reply yet, don't worry."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the old woman guarding the gate came over and said to Granny Lu, "Granny, it's someone from the old lady's courtyard. They said the old lady has been vomiting and having diarrhea several times. They want you to go and see her right away."

Upon hearing this, Granny Lu quickly put on her shoes and said to Xu Zhi, "Take the medicine your mother gave you and come with me. Bai Kou, stay here to watch over the Seventh Young Master. Those on night duty should guard the courtyard well, and those who have nothing to do should go back to their rooms to sleep. No one is allowed to come or go at will, and no one is allowed to inquire at will. Those guarding the gate should keep a close watch on the gate and not let anyone in or out at will."

After giving the instructions, the maids lit lanterns and the group hurriedly went to the old lady's courtyard.

The Marquis and the Heir Apparent had already arrived. Upon seeing Granny Lu approaching, the Marquis quickly said, "Granny, I think Mother's condition is not good."

Granny Lu said, "My lord, please rest assured. I have already arranged for someone to fetch the imperial physician, and he has also brought the appropriate medicine. The old lady will surely be able to turn the tide and escape danger."

When the Marquis heard what Granny Lu said, he felt a little relieved. Granny Lu was not only well-versed in etiquette, but also had a great understanding of poisons. This was why the Marquis had arranged for someone to invite Granny Lu over.

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