Xu Rao told the old lady about Ganzhou, describing the desolate desert and the camel bells in the Gobi Desert. Xu Rao's vivid words captivated everyone in the room, and even Madam Wu felt a longing for it.

The old lady sighed and said, "I'm getting old too, otherwise I really would like to go to Ganzhou with you. When I was very young, I went to Ganzhou with my father and brothers. At that time, the westernmost pass of our Great Liang was not Yanmen Pass, but Pianguan Pass, which was further west. It's a pity that later the Northern Di invaded south and seized the area outside Yanmen Pass. I still remember riding horses with my brother outside Yanmen Pass."

Xu Rao did the math and said, "That must have happened decades ago, right?"

The old lady said, "Yes, I was not even ten years old at that time. My brother was sixteen or seventeen years old and was a captain in the garrison of Pianguan. Later, he fought a great battle with the Northern Di and never returned. At that time, my father took me, my mother, my brother and I to the south. My mother was pregnant and about to give birth when she received the letter that my brother had died for his country. My mother had a difficult childbirth and died along with her unborn child. My father said that this was the fate of our Shen family, but I did not want to accept it. Later, my father and brother died in battle one after another. The late emperor wanted to adopt an heir for my father, but I refused and voluntarily returned the title to the court and disbanded the Marquis of Yongyi. In fact, after my father died, he was granted the title of king. What's the point of all this? The people are gone."

It was rare to hear the old lady talk about these things from the past, so the younger generation listened quietly. The old lady said, "These are all things from decades ago. I originally thought that after I passed away, no one would know about these things anymore. But when Rao'er mentioned the Ganzhou incident, it suddenly reminded me of it. I wanted to tell you about it so that you would know that your ancestors also served the country loyally."

Xu Di listened quietly, but in his heart he was pondering. The old lady's relationship with the royal family was quite strange. The emperor usually didn't care much about the Xu family, but when something big happened, the first family he thought of was the Xu family. It was as if he secretly sent Xiao Yuan, a prince unknown to others, to the Xu family and asked them to raise him. This made Xu Di a little confused. No matter how capable his father, Xu Rao, was, he was only a fifth-rank official in Ganzhou. In terms of talent, he was only an average candidate in the imperial examination.

Seeing that Xu Di seemed lost in thought, the old lady smiled and asked, "Di-ge'er, what are you pondering?"

Xu Di snapped out of his reverie, looked at the old lady, and said, "I was thinking, how brave and skilled must Grandmother's father and brothers have been in battle?"

The old lady smiled and said, "No matter how brave they are, they will all turn into a handful of dust on the frontier. Why did Grandmother not want your grandfather to go to the battlefield? Why do our sons prefer to stay at home rather than go to the army to earn some glory? Grandmother, I sent them off one by one in the years, and my heart was broken."

The old lady looked at Xu Di and said with a smile, "I never expected that your family would be ambushed by the Northern Di people when you went to Hexi. When I think about the dangers you encountered and the fact that our Bai Ge'er was born on the battlefield, my heart feels like it's in boiling oil. But when I see your achievements now, I am proud of you."

Xu Di nodded and said, "Grandmother, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. You don't need to think too much. Not only my father, but also me and even my brother are determined to make something of themselves. In this life, one should always do something commendable. Otherwise, these decades will pass by in a flash, and when you look back on your life, you will find that you have lived a mediocre life. That would be a lifelong regret."

The old lady smiled and said, "Grandma has come to terms with it now. You children, do whatever you want. After all, it's your life, and you have to walk your own path. Grandma will support whatever you want to do in the future."

Xu Di smiled and said, "I knew that although Grandma is getting on in years, her thoughts are still just as vivid and lively as ours."

The old lady smiled and said, "Your words are so comforting to hear. Alright, alright, it's getting late, everyone should go back and rest. Tomorrow, our Di-ge will be accompanying his wife on her homecoming."

After Xu Di returned, he saw Granny Lu and pulled her aside to ask in a low voice, "Granny, do you know what kind of relationship my great-grandmother had with the royal family?"

Granny Lu asked, somewhat puzzled, "Di'er, why are you suddenly asking this?"

Xu Di said, "After listening to my grandmother's words tonight, I always felt that my grandmother must have some connection with the royal family. Otherwise, the emperor would not have done these things to our family."

Granny Lu sighed and said, "I never expected that Di Ge'er would be able to think of this. The old lady is not actually the biological daughter of Marquis Yongyi. She is the daughter of Princess Zhenguo."

The Princess Zhenguo is a legendary figure in the Great Liang Dynasty.

Xu Di looked at Granny Lu in surprise. Granny Lu said, "This matter is known to only a few people. Princess Zhenguo was the only daughter of Emperor Taizu. Back then, she followed Emperor Taizong in expanding the territory. She was a brilliant strategist and had exceptional wisdom. Later, she developed feelings for a military captain. The captain was of low status and died in a fierce battle against the Northern Di. At that time, Princess Zhenguo was already pregnant. Emperor Taizong, as her brother, wanted Princess Zhenguo to have an abortion and then marry into another family. Princess Zhenguo threatened to kill herself to force him to give birth to the child, and then gave the child to the captain's sister-in-law to raise."

Xu Di said, "Oh, I see. What happened to the Princess Zhenguo after that?"

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