Chen Zhaoci asked her, "Why do you think that way?"

Xu Zhi thought of the days she spent in Hexi when she was a child and said, "Back then, weren't we always with Father in Wuzhou? Father went up the city wall and we helped take care of the wounded. But now, even though I know that Brother Boyuan is in danger, I went back to the capital alone."

Xu Zhi lowered her head at the end of her speech. Chen Zhaoci patted Xu Zhi's hair and said, "Perhaps Boyuan felt that if you left that dangerous place, he would have more courage to fight. Otherwise, he would be distracted by both the war at the front and you behind him."

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "That's what I thought too. I just returned to the capital, but my heart isn't back. Mother, let me tell you, even after I entered the capital, I was still thinking about whether I should turn the carriage around and go back. I really don't want to come back."

Chen Zhaoci tucked a strand of hair behind Xu Zhi's ear and said, "Now that you're back, think more about how you can do something beneficial for him. If you do something that can help him, your guilt will be much less."

Xu Zhi simply lay down on the kang table and said, "Then I really need to think about it carefully."

After Xu Rao returned, he said the same thing as the Marquis. When he heard Xu Zhi say that she had asked the Ma family business to help with the financial situation, he nodded and said, "It is not easy for you to think of these things and make these arrangements before leaving. I have heard that the Emperor is planning to transfer troops from Yanmen Pass to Wuzhou. The people in Yanmen Pass have been doing very well in the past few years. They can bring their own provisions and maybe even solve the problem of Wuzhou."

Xu Zhi thought of Zheng Boyuan's cold expression and said, "Father, when do you think Great Yan will attack? Keeping it hanging like this is not a good thing."

Xu Rao smiled and said, "Things on the battlefield change in an instant. Who knows when or what will happen? Modern wars are all about offense and defense. We don't know when the Great Yan will attack. According to my analysis, the Great Yan will probably cross the frozen border river this time. If that's the case, it will be in the near future. When the weather warms up and the ice in the river melts, it will be a bit troublesome for them to cross the river again."

The border river is turbulent, but the section near Wuzhou is the calmest. The water in this section is also extremely wide. If you were to travel by boat, it would take a long time. But now, with the weather freezing cold and the river frozen over, crossing it by boat is much easier.

Xu Zhi had been to the border river and knew what the situation was like there. On the Daliang side, many sentry posts were set up along the river, with guards on duty every day. If there was any unusual activity on the Da Yan side, they would raise an alarm. On the Daliang side, a wall more than three meters high was built directly on the river embankment. It was not easy to cross the river and enter Daliang territory.

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "What if the Great Yan takes advantage of the food shortage in Wuzhou and relies on it like this?"

Xu Rao's face darkened as he thought about what he had found out. He said, "The problem has already happened. All we can do is try our best to make up for the consequences. Xiao Jiu, now that things have come to this, I can only tell you that people in high positions face different situations than us. What we consider a huge deal may just be a temporary setback in the eyes of some people."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Zhi's heart leaped into her throat, and she stared blankly at Xu Rao.

Xu Rao felt sorry for him, but what could he do?

Xu Rao recalled that afternoon in the Imperial Study, when Emperor Liang Cheng saw the investigation results he had presented, he threw the memorials and writing materials all over the floor. In the end, what could he do?

After several months of investigation, Xu Rao has found out that the one colluding with Da Yan is the Third Prince. Da Yan not only colludes with the Third Prince, but also sends people to the Second Prince's residence. The person acting as a liaison between the Third Prince and Da Yan is ostensibly an eunuch in the Third Prince's residence, but in fact, it is Li Peisheng, a former Hanlin Academy member.

When Emperor Liang Cheng saw the name Li Peisheng, he became extremely agitated. He grabbed the inkstone beside him and threw it to the ground, which startled Prime Minister Feng, who was standing next to Xu Rao, so he immediately knelt down. Seeing Xu Rao standing there blankly, Prime Minister Feng tugged hard on Xu Rao's outer robe, and Xu Rao then knelt down as well.

After throwing away the inkstone and memorials, Emperor Liang Cheng continued until there was nothing left on his desk. Only then did he sit down in his chair and prop his head up with his hand.

Xu Rao knew the saying that an emperor's anger could cause corpses to float for miles. He was simply reporting the facts of his investigation truthfully. He really didn't understand why Emperor Liang Cheng would react so strongly.

Emperor Liang Cheng was angry for a while. Seeing that Prime Minister Feng and Xu Rao were still kneeling on the ground, he told them to get up and go home, and that was the end of it.

Prime Minister Feng was still heading to the Grand Secretariat, which was not far from the Imperial Study. Chen Wufu escorted Xu Rao out of the palace. On the way, Chen Wufu told the people following behind him to keep their distance and said to Xu Rao, "Lord Xu, there is a reason why His Majesty is so angry. This Li Peisheng was once His Majesty's study companion. His Majesty treated him well. It's just a pity that the late Emperor was somewhat confused. Li Peisheng's family got involved in the struggle for the throne. Some of his family members were executed, and others were exiled. Because of His Majesty's intervention, Li Peisheng, who was originally to be beheaded, was sentenced to exile. However, I heard that on the way to exile, Li Peisheng died because of the hot weather and the serious injuries he suffered in the prison."

Upon hearing that the person was gone, Xu Rao looked at Chen Wufu with great surprise. Chen Wufu smiled helplessly and said, "His Majesty was an unfavored prince at the time. He couldn't bear to see his childhood friend lose his life so easily. He went to great lengths to have Li Peisheng fake his death and escape. Later, after Li Peisheng recovered, he disappeared without a trace. Over the years, His Majesty has never forgotten him and has sent people to inquire and search for him, but there has been no news. Who would have thought that we would get news of an old friend from you, Lord Xu?"

No wonder His Majesty is so angry. I treated you as a good friend and with all my heart, but you were trying to ruin my family's foundation and even dig up my ancestral graves. Such blatant betrayal is unbearable for anyone.

Xu Rao had another question, asking, "Haven't you found any trace of Li Peisheng all these years? As far as I know, he's always been within the territory of Daliang and has never left."

Having already reached the palace gates, Chen Wufu stood to one side and whispered, "Of course they investigated, but due to some grudges from the previous generation, His Majesty has never met with Li Peisheng. It's no wonder His Majesty is so furious that Lord Xu has actually investigated him here."

On his way home from the Ministry of Revenue, Xu Rao pondered Li Peisheng. Of all the princes, why did he only contact the Third Prince? As far as he knew, the one in the Second Prince's residence had no relation to Li Peisheng. For so many years, the Great Yan had never given up its desire to destroy the Great Liang. It seemed that this time they were casting a wide net, hoping to catch as many fish as possible.

Before going to sleep, Chen Zhaoci noticed that Xu Rao was lying on the bed with his head resting on his arm, seemingly lost in thought. He asked Xu Rao, "Is something wrong?"

These are things that can't be revealed casually. Xu Rao said, "What could I possibly be up to? I met Xiao Jiu this afternoon, and I feel like Xiao Jiu might do something. I'm a little worried."

Chen Zhaoci smiled helplessly, recalling Xu Zhi's expression before she left, and said, "The child is grown up now. We can't just pull her over and lecture her like we did when she was little, no matter what she did wrong."