Seeing that Xu Rao had relaxed, the Marquis pointed outside, where Xu Rao's second uncle and second brother Xu Pu were still sitting.

Xu Rao leaned closer to the Marquis and whispered, "Father, tell me, what is your plan?"

The Marquis said softly, "Don't ask too many questions. Everything is going according to plan now, and things should be settled by tomorrow at the latest. It's just that this time, we don't know how many people will fall into this trap."

Xu Rao asked in surprise in a low voice, "What? There are many more people involved?"

The Marquis smiled slyly and said, "I don't know about that. We don't need to do anything now, we can just wait at home."

Xu Rao saw that the water in the small copper kettle on the side of his desk had boiled and brewed a pot of tea. He drank it hot from the teacup and felt completely refreshed, as if he had come back to life.

The Marquis looked at his son, who was clearly forty years old but still carried a certain spirit, and sighed with satisfaction. He said softly, "Our Xu Di has really found something important this time. The death of the late Crown Prince was a mystery. No one knew how he died. Moreover, some of the Crown Prince's followers escaped after he was imprisoned. Although the late Emperor had been pursuing them, it was hard to guarantee that no one could escape."

The young master came in from outside, followed by the second master and Xu Pu. As soon as he entered, he said, "Father, a servant came to report that some more people on horseback are coming from outside the city, but we don't know whose men they are."

The second old master looked at the Marquis and said in a deep voice, "Things have already come to this point. We should arrange for Mother and the remaining women in the family to find a way to leave the city."

The Marquis gave a wry smile and said, "I told my mother to leave a long time ago, but she wouldn't leave. I really have no other choice. Why don't you go and try to persuade her?"

The second old master was always a wealthy but idle man. Relying on his elder brother, he lived a very leisurely life. His daily hobbies included calligraphy and painting. His paintings were very popular in Daliang, and it was said that one painting could sell for a lot of silver.

The second old man said with a stiff face, "If you can't persuade my elder brother, how can I possibly convince him? I don't know what Mother is thinking. We went to the estate in the suburbs of Beijing a few days ago, but now it's this time of year, and it's not easy to leave the city."

The Marquis shook his head and said, "Mother naturally has her own ideas. We should guard the gates of the mansion now and prevent bad guys from sneaking in. There are still women in the family. We must not panic, especially at times like this. Young Master, go to your grandmother's courtyard and find your wife. Have her check the backyard again. If any bad guys sneak in, protect the women first and don't let them get hurt."

The prince agreed and hurried to the backyard. Xu Pu glanced at his father and followed the prince out of the study.

The Marquis looked at his younger brother and said to him, "Alright, there's nothing here you can help with. You should go back first. If you're worried, organize your treasured ancient books and paintings and find a safe place to hide them."

Upon hearing this, the second master seemed to have thought of something and quickly got up and walked out.

Xu Rao watched his uncle's retreating figure and sighed helplessly. The Marquis said, "Your second uncle has always been a carefree person since he was young. I originally thought of having him go to the estate in the suburbs of the capital, but he didn't want to go, saying that it wasn't as lively as the capital. He also had several gatherings to attend, so he stayed. Everything is under control. Let him do whatever he wants."

Xu Rao actually envied his second uncle. He had his parents to rely on since childhood, and his elder brother to rely on in his old age. The old lady actually doted on this unambitious youngest son. Even if the family were to separate in the future, he would not only receive a lot from the Yongning Marquis's mansion, but the old lady would also leave him a lot of her own private property. Many people in the capital envied the carefree second master of the Yongning Marquis's mansion.

Someone from the gatehouse came over and said that someone had knocked on the side gate, saying that they were acting on the Emperor's orders to invite the Marquis and Minister Xu Rao of the Ministry of Personnel to the palace.

Upon hearing this, Xu Rao's heart sank. She couldn't help but look at the Marquis, only to see him sitting behind his desk, frowning and seemingly lost in thought. Xu Rao wanted to ask if this was also part of their plan, but seeing the Marquis's furrowed brow and pensive expression, she remained silent and slowly stood up.

After a long while, the Marquis got up and had someone else change his clothes. He said to Xu Rao, "You should also go back and change into your usual court attire. I think it's because His Majesty has asked us to be witnesses."

Xu Rao quickly agreed and hurriedly went back to her courtyard to change her clothes.

After returning from court attire, the maids washed and ironed it, then hung it on a rack in the corner of the room. The room was dark, with no lamps lit. Chen Zhaoci was still in the old lady's courtyard. Xu Rao stumbled and found a tinderbox, lit the lamps in the room, and finally managed to change into her court attire. She wanted to leave a message for Chen Zhaoci, but then thought that time was tight and the Marquis would have arrangements, so she didn't. She took two items from Chen Zhaoci's dressing case, turned off the lamps, and hurriedly walked to the front courtyard.

The Marquis had already changed into his court robes and was waiting in the study. The heir apparent, having received the news, stood anxiously in the courtyard. Seeing Xu Rao approaching, he pulled her aside and said, "What's going on? Why do we need to invite you to the palace with Father?"

Xu Rao shook her head and said, "I don't know either. My father told me to change my clothes and go with him."

Before the young master could say anything more, the Marquis came out of the room and said to him, "Alright, you stay home and keep a close watch on your family. I'm going to the palace with the third son to check on things and tell your grandmother not to worry."

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