After the meal, the old lady of Pingxi was served two cups of tea by her maidservant. The old lady gave the maidservant a look, and the maidservant bowed and went outside with two head maids.

This old nanny had been serving the old lady of Pingxi for many years, and the two head maids were also the old lady's confidantes. There were dozens of people serving in this courtyard, but the old lady of Pingxi could only trust these three.

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi felt a sense of desolation. Although it was her own home, she felt as if she were living in someone else's house, having to be careful and cautious at all times.

After seeing that the Marquis of Pingxi had drunk his tea, the old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi said, "My lord, what has happened to you?"

Marquis Pingxi stroked the teacup in his hand and asked, "Mother, what kind of person is Second Uncle?"

When the Marquis of Pingxi's second uncle died on the battlefield, the Marquis of Pingxi was just six years old. Although he was old enough to remember things, because his father and grandfather had been guarding Yanmen Pass for generations, his second uncle, Zheng Rong, naturally followed him to guard Yanmen Pass year after year. In addition, due to the long time that had passed, the Marquis of Pingxi only remembered that his second uncle had once put him on his neck and gone to the street to see lanterns with his second aunt on the Lantern Festival. The Marquis of Pingxi also remembered that his learned and talented second aunt had won a lantern that could spin. The lantern was small and exquisite, and the Marquis of Pingxi carried it in his hand all the way home.

When the Marquis of Pingxi asked about his second uncle, the old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi was stunned for a moment, squinted her eyes and thought for a long time before saying, "Your second uncle is the best-looking one in his generation, and also the one with the best personality. Moreover, he likes you very much. Whenever he returns to the capital, he takes you to the street to buy a lot of things."

Marquis Pingxi looked down at the teacup in his hand, listening to his mother reminisce about the figure in his memory that had become somewhat blurred.

Marquis Pingxi asked, "Mother, do you know what the relationship is between Second Uncle and Marquis Yongning?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi asked in confusion, "The Marquis of Yongning? Back then, the Marquis of Yongning was still the heir apparent, wasn't he? I remember he came to our house with your second uncle. The Marquis of Yongning and our Marquis of Pingxi were stationed together on the northwestern border. Our Marquis of Pingxi was at Yanmen Pass, and the Marquis of Yongning's residence seemed to be a bit further east, but they could still meet often. My lord, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

After much deliberation, Marquis Pingxi recounted the events of the day in their entirety.

After listening, the old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi remained silent for a long time before saying, "Do you still remember Lady Chen?"

Marquis Pingxi was stunned and speechless for a long time, not expecting his mother to mention his principal wife. The old lady of Marquis Pingxi sighed and said, "Da Chenshi and the daughter of Physician Zhang were very close friends back then. They often met after they got married. Physician Zhang's daughter married into the Yongning Marquis's family, right? She even came to our house. Since Marquis Yongning mentioned this, it might be true. Since Boyuan and the Xu family are both willing, you should go along with their wishes."

Marquis Pingxi said, "But Mother, this involves the prince."

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi smiled slightly, but felt a little bitter in her heart. Back then, her own child was raised in this inner quarters by her mother-in-law in order to leave a bloodline for the Marquis's family. The bloodline was indeed preserved, but where was the heroic spirit of her ancestors in this behavior?

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi said, "My lord, since even the Marquis of Yongning is not afraid, what do you have to be afraid of? Since they want our Zheng family to find a reason to send the young lady over, you should go and tell them that I, this old woman, have been dreaming of your second uncle and second aunt for several nights in a row, and they are blaming me because Boyuan is not married."

Upon hearing this, Marquis Pingxi sighed and said, "Mother, where in the capital can you find a fool?"

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi gave a cold laugh and said, "It is precisely because there are no fools that they let us make up any reason, instead of them having to come up with one and then have us follow it. My lord, the Marquis of Yongning is showing that he will not get involved in the disputes between the princes. Why don't we follow the Marquis of Yongning?"

Marquis Pingxi hesitated for a long time without saying anything. The old lady of Marquis Pingxi sighed and said, "My lord, even if Boyuan and Yuanyuan are adopted into the second branch of the family, they are still your bloodline. Their foundation is not yet stable, and they need help right now. If you take good care of them, the children will remember your kindness. They are all from the same family, so why make things too awkward?"

Marquis Pingxi remained silent for a long while. The old lady said, "I am also tired. Your Excellency, please go back and rest."

Knowing that his mother was telling him to leave, the Marquis of Pingxi bowed and went out. The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi stared at the lamp on the kang table for a long time without saying a word. When the old nanny came in, she saw that the old lady was thinking about something and did not make a sound.

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi saw the old nanny and asked, "Are there many people gathered around?"

The old nanny said, "There are quite a few, but I've chased them all away. No one listened to what you said to the Marquis."

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi said, "Why do we have to be so guarded in our own home? What kind of household management is this?"

The old nanny didn't speak, but the old lady said, "Bring me pen and ink. I'll write a letter, and you can arrange for someone to send it out immediately."

The old nanny agreed. After thinking for a long time, the old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi wrote a letter, sealed it, and handed it to the old nanny, saying, "Arrange for someone to deliver it to the Marquis of Yongning."

The old nanny glanced at her mistress, and the old lady nodded, saying, "Don't let Madam Chen know."

The old nanny agreed and went to make the arrangements without further ado.

The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi sat quietly in front of the kang table, bathed in the warm glow of the glass lampshade. She let out a long sigh, then got up and went back to her inner room.

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