Xu Zhi rested her chin on her hand and said with some longing, "I always hear Granny and Granny Shen talk about the late Empress Dowager. I don't know what kind of amazing person she was. It's a pity that I wasn't born in the same era as her. I would have liked to see the splendor of such amazing people."

Granny Lu smiled and said, "The late Empress Dowager did not come from a very high social class, but she was a very wise and patient person. She rose from a palace maid to the position of Empress Dowager. No one knows how much suffering she endured in the process."

Chen Zhaoci nodded and said, "The late Empress Dowager's life was a story of a woman's rise to power and a comeback."

As Granny Lu thought of her former master and the companions with whom she had shared hardships and joys, her eyes slowly began to light up.

Seeing that Granny Lu was a little sad, Xu Di quickly said, "These are all things from many years ago, let's not talk about them anymore. Let me tell you about the recent news from the capital."

Chen Zhaoci urged quickly, "Tell me quickly, tell me quickly."

Xu Di thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll start with the Chu family."

After Chu Huaigui committed suicide on the way back to the capital, the subsequent interrogation could not proceed. However, the Chu family still did not fare well. The Chu family members were imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, and their home was confiscated. It was said that the confiscated property would be put to public use for the repair of the Miao River channel.

Thinking of the beautiful young women of the Chu family, Granny Lu sighed and said, "It's such a pity that such a thing happened in the family. They were all destined for a bright future. Now, who knows whether they will live or die?"

Xu Di had witnessed many families whose homes were ransacked and the entire family imprisoned. Many of the pampered girls, as soon as the officials entered the front yard, would either swallow gold or take poison to commit suicide, or hang themselves, all to avoid the torment in prison. Once in prison, they would not only be treated like dirt, but would also be humiliated by the jailers. Everyone knew that if the whole family was imprisoned, there was basically no chance of turning their lives around. So, not only the jailers, but also many people would bribe the jailers to humiliate the girls in prison.

This was a secret everyone knew, but no one had the power to stop it. Even Xu Zhi had only heard about it in secret. Hearing Granny Lu say this now, she couldn't help but shudder.

Chen Zhaoci took Xu Zhi's hand and gently stroked it, saying in a soft voice, "Xiao Jiu, don't worry, your father and I have made thorough preparations for you. No matter what the situation, we will always be able to protect you."

Xu Zhi opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She herself knew very well that the entire family was actually sitting on a boat. If the boat ran aground or something unexpected happened, the chances of survival were really slim.

Chen Zhaoci glared at Xu Di, who laughed and said, "Xiao Jiu, look at you, do you lack confidence in your brother or in our parents? You know your brother's abilities after all this time, what's there to be afraid of?"

Xu Zhi shook her head and said, "So many women in the capital have such glory because of their fathers and brothers. Since they enjoy such glory, they must naturally bear the responsibilities behind it. It's like playing chess. Once a move is made, there is no room for taking it back. Granny, Mother, Brother, I have long been prepared."

Granny Lu looked at the girl who had been with her since she was a child with affection. Unconsciously, more than ten years had passed. From such a tiny little girl to now, standing gracefully in front of her, how could Granny Lu bear to let her girl suffer those hardships?

Granny Lu gently stroked Xu Zhi's hair and said, "Good girl, don't think like that. We can always fight for ourselves and find a way to survive."

When Wu Muyue and his group returned from Xishan at dinner time, they were all very surprised to see Xu Di. After listening to Xu Di's words, Wu Muyue stayed in his room for a long time and then called Xu Di to his room to talk. The light in the room stayed on until the fourth watch of the night before it was turned off.

After resting, Chen Zhaoci quickly led his men, along with several doctors sent by the imperial court, from Yun'an County, downstream along the Miao River all the way to the territory of Jinan Prefecture. They thoroughly inspected all the villages on both banks of the river and found no cases of the epidemic before they were finally relieved.

It was already August, and Chen Zhaoci was going back to the capital to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Zheng Boyuan received a transfer order from the Ministry of War, ordering him to serve as commander in a place called Lüzhou, which was three hundred li away from Miaozhou on the upper reaches of the Miao River.

After receiving the transfer order, Zheng Boyuan had a good talk with Feng Shaoli. After the conversation, Feng Shaoli resigned and, with a letter of recommendation written by Wu Muyue, went to Tai'an with his wife and children.

Before leaving, Feng Shaoli exchanged tokens with Chen Zhaozhi, promising that next year Feng Shaoli would take his wife and children to the capital to participate in the imperial examination and would discuss marriage with Chen Yuhan of the third branch of the Chen family. This was the only thing that made Ping Shi happy.

Chen Zhaoci had great faith in Shang Ping's character. Although she hadn't stayed in Miaozhou for long, she had grown to like this cheerful and straightforward woman. She had great confidence in the children that Shang Ping had raised. Now that she was adapting to local customs, Chen Zhaoci knew that when looking for wives for the boys in her family, she should observe the girl's mother. This would give her a basic idea of ​​what kind of person the girl would be. Personality is innate, but how one conducts oneself in society is something one learns from one's mother. Through words and deeds, one can learn a lot from a girl who grew up in the inner quarters of the house. For a girl who grew up in the inner quarters, her mother was one of the few teaching materials she could learn from.

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