Xu Di smiled and said, "Grandmother, what are you saying? It's my honor to hear about your past. Who else in our family has this honor?"

The old lady said with a smile, "I love listening to you talk. It really warms my heart."

The old lady took another sip of tea and said, "I heard about those things from the nanny who served my mother back then. My mother was a woman who really risked her life for her brother. Otherwise, why would the royal family treat our family with such deference? It was all because of my mother's kindness."

Xu Di had only heard about these things from others, but according to the people involved, Xu Di was probably the first to know, because the old lady had never told anyone about these things.

Seeing that Xu Di was listening attentively, the old lady decided to speak more freely, saying, "Di-ge'er, the reason I'm telling you all this is to make you understand the connection between our family and the royal family. I can't guarantee that no one will dare to touch our family while I'm still alive, because the throne for their lineage was secured for them by my father and mother."

Seeing the surprised look on Xu Di's face, the old lady sighed and said, "Before my mother's father passed away, several of his uncles were extremely capable people who were eyeing the throne. My mother was only a teenager at the time. In order for her younger brother to secure the throne, she married my father. Back then, our Shen family commanded a million soldiers and was stationed in various places on the border of Daliang."

The old lady touched her eyes, thinking about the past. Xu Di reminisced about the past, the golden armor and iron horses, the drunken battlefield, which was the dream of many people. But the Shen family had a million soldiers in their hands. What an enormous force that must have been.

The old lady said, "At that time, we couldn't care less about the fact that someone's merits threatened the emperor. My mother and her brother were really scheming to keep the throne. My mother didn't like my father, but she insisted on marrying him. My father knew that my mother didn't like him, but he was devoted to her. Sometimes, you can only say that fate is cruel."

"My mother was a remarkable and brilliant woman. She grew up on my maternal grandfather's lap and learned a great deal about governance and military strategy. It's just a pity she was a daughter, otherwise, my uncle wouldn't have had any of this. My maternal grandfather was always in poor health. After he managed to write his will, he passed away. My uncle was too young to do anything, so my mother taught him little by little. That was probably the most difficult time for my mother."

Xu Di knew that the old lady's mother, the legendary princess, had not actually raised her, her only daughter, much. But she was the one who brought the old lady into the world. Even if the old lady had any grievances against her, decades had passed. A person's life is only a few decades long, and any grievances would have vanished like smoke.

The old lady tilted her head slightly, gazing at something indistinctly, her voice faint and distant, giving Xu Di a sense of the vicissitudes of life, like the changing of the seasons.

"After my mother married my father, she settled my uncle, the emperor, and then led her troops to the border. My mother's uncles had no choice but to borrow troops from my maternal grandfather to prepare to return and seize the throne. At that time, my mother was already pregnant with me. I heard from the old nanny who served my mother that my mother was very good at strategizing and planning, and she devoted herself to guarding the border. She gave birth to me before the appointed time."

“At that time, the war was very intense. My mother couldn’t take care of her health or me. She left me to be taken care of by the old nanny and went to the battlefield with her own people. Alas, how can a woman not take good care of herself after giving birth? My mother, your body was damaged at that time. No matter how much you tried to make up for it, you couldn’t. After returning from the border, you were bedridden and never got up.”

Tears welled up in the old lady's eyes. Xu Di looked at her with concern. The old lady smiled at Xu Di through her tears and said, "Brother Di, I have always hated her, but now I slowly realize that she has it tough too. She had to do so many things at such a young age. Even a man couldn't do those things better than her."

Xu Di sat down beside the old lady and gently patted her back, saying, "Grandmother, don't be sad. So many years have passed. If you keep dwelling on these things, your mother's spirit in heaven will not rest in peace."

The old lady waved her hand and said, "My mother passed away early. I followed my father afterward. At that time, my mother had already taken control of the army in the Northwest and handed it over to my uncle, the emperor. My father was stationed in the Southwest. I was in poor health, so my father taught me martial arts when I was very young to give me a strong physique. Who knew that I would later be able to go to the battlefield with them? People say I took after my mother, but I know in my heart that if my mother hadn't been forced into a corner, how could she have risked her life to do those things?"

Tears streamed down the old lady's face. Xu Di quickly handed her a handkerchief. The old lady wiped away her tears and said, "Di-ge'er, I always felt that my mother's heart was always with her younger brother and with the throne of their Xiao family. But, many years later, someone came to me with tokens. These were things my mother left me: many shops, many estates, and a team of guards that made people tremble with fear. Di-ge'er, there was even an imperial edict left to me by my mother. She had my uncle, the emperor, leave it to me. As long as I am here, no matter who is in power in the Xiao family, they will not be able to make things difficult for my descendants."

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