Uncle Wu cupped his hands to the old lady and said, "Old lady, I have been unable to return to visit you due to worldly matters. I hope you will not take offense."

The old lady beckoned to Ning and the others, and said to Wu's uncle, "Come, all of you come and greet your uncle."

Ning and the others bowed to Wu's uncle, followed by Xu Di and his brothers, and Xu Zhi and her sisters.

Uncle Wu said with a smile, "Since it's our first meeting, we should give the children gifts. I've told my servant to bring them over in a bit. They're all little trinkets from Jiangnan, so you can all have some fun with them."

Uncle Wu was a very talkative person, and the old lady had also visited Jiangnan several times in her younger years. The two of them chatted back and forth, captivating everyone in the room.

Seeing that it was getting late, Ning smiled and said to the old lady, "Grandmother, it's time for dinner. Let's set the table first."

The old lady looked at the Western clock on the table and said in surprise, "Oh my, I didn't realize how fast time flies. The third-ranked scholar is indeed a third-ranked scholar. His story is so captivating."

The Marquis smiled and said, "My brother-in-law has already returned; there's plenty of time in the future."

In the study in the front courtyard, Wu Tanhua glanced at Xu Di, who was standing there, and then at the Marquis, who clearly wanted to say something. To be honest, this was the first time Wu Tanhua had carefully examined Xu Di, the only illegitimate son of the Xu family, and the more he looked, the uglier his expression became.

The Marquis asked, "Has my brother-in-law figured something out yet?"

Wu Tanhua said, "Don't keep me in suspense, just say what you want to say."

The Marquis sighed and recounted what had happened at home. Wu Tanhua listened, stamped his feet and sighed again, saying, "You're so foolish! Why didn't you tell your sister the truth? This is the child your sister carried for ten months and gave birth to!"

The Marquis said, “Do you think I don’t want to tell you? But this is a matter of great importance. If things go wrong, all of our household members, numbering over a hundred, will be caught in this trap. That Zhu Shi has connections with some of the late Crown Prince’s men, which is why she was able to set this up for me from the inside out, forcing me to let her enter the household and give birth to the child. Our household has always had the strictest rules, but she was still able to switch the child. Why? Because those people are beyond our ability to deal with.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Tanhua frowned and pondered for a long time before asking, "What is your plan, brother-in-law?"

The Marquis said, "Few people in the manor know the truth of the matter. You know very well what kind of person your sister is. If she finds out and slips up in front of Shao'er, this matter will be exposed, and then it will be beyond the control of a mere Marquis like me."

Wu Tanhua said, "We can't just keep it a secret like this. No matter how spoiled my sister is, she has always cared about her children. Brother-in-law, my sister is getting on in years. What if she accidentally finds out the truth? Have you considered what the consequences would be?"

The Marquis sighed and said, "Both thunder and rain are the Emperor's grace. The matter concerning the Zhu family was tacitly approved by the late Emperor, and the elders of the royal family already know about it. How they handle it is their business. All we can do is remain silent and wait for things to develop."

Wu Tanhua looked at Xu Rao and said, "It's just a pity for this child. He grew up in such an environment, but he is ambitious and still managed to rank second. Now he is also enjoying the Emperor's favor."

The Marquis said, “Mother has known about this matter for a long time and has taken good care of Rao’er’s family. Later, it was Mother who persuaded me to hire a famous teacher for Rao’er so that he could study in peace and that’s how he was able to pass the imperial examination with flying colors. I’m telling you about this today because I want you to help me deal with your sister. Your sister has always doted on Shao’er since she was little. Shao’er is spoiled and pampered. She’s been having a huge fight with her mother-in-law over the management of the household. She’s thinking of finding a good marriage for her children. A few days ago, when her daughter Yan got married, your sister gave her a lot of money. Over the years, Shao’er’s own dowry has been almost gone. I don’t know how much she has taken from your sister.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Tanhua said, "That's just how my sister is. When she's good to someone, she'd be willing to give her her whole heart."

The Marquis said, "I don't care about those things, and the manor is not lacking in them. But your sister is not just Shao'er's child. We have four children in total, and three daughters-in-law. Putting aside Ru'er, who lives far away, what will her three daughters-in-law think?"

Wu Tanhua nodded and said, "The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been the most difficult to manage."

The Marquis nodded and said, "That makes sense. According to custom, your sister's dowry, besides giving some to the two girls as dowry, is to be divided among the three sons. She gave all of it to Shao'er, which caused a rift with her sons and daughters-in-law. What will happen in the future? After all, your sister and I are getting old, and it is our three sons and three daughters-in-law who will take care of us until the end."

After pondering for a long time, Wu Tanhua said, "Brother-in-law, I will talk to my sister about this slowly, but don't be too anxious."

The Marquis said, "A few days ago, Shao'er was preparing for her daughter's wedding and came to ask your sister for some things. I stopped her twice, and your sister had a big argument with me about it. She is such a stubborn person, and she won't listen to anything I say. I really don't know what to say, so I wrote to you, hoping you can come back and help persuade her."

Wu Tanhua didn't come to attend Xu Di's wedding on his own. The Marquis wrote him a letter, inviting him back under the pretext of Xu Di's marriage. If Wu Tanhua had returned so suddenly, Wu Shi might have started to overthink things, which would have made things even more difficult to handle.

Wu Tanhua said, "In that case, I will try my best to persuade my sister."

Xu Rao, being very observant, poured tea for Wu Tanhua and the Marquis. Wu Tanhua said to Xu Rao, "Please sit down first, I want to talk to you."

After Xu Rao thanked him, he sat down in the first seat on the side. Wu Tanhua said, "You have had a tough time. You were able to stay true to yourself and study hard in such an environment. I heard about your defense of the Hexi city wall in Jiangnan. Your actions have shown me your integrity."

Xu Rao said, "I can't talk about integrity. I just did my job in my position. I was paid by the emperor, so naturally I had to do my job well. I was the magistrate of Hexi County at the time. It was my duty to protect Hexi County. As long as the city is there, I am there. If the city falls, I will die anyway. Since I am going to die anyway, I should die a worthy death."