The capital was under martial law for three days. Xu Di was confined to the kang (a heated brick bed) by Chen Zhaoci for three days. Every day, Chen Zhaoci had to check his wounds, take his pulse, and study the prescriptions. He dared not relax at all. Only when he saw that the wounds began to heal and that his pulse was normal did Chen Zhaoci finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Chen Zhaoci didn't object to him going out, Xu Di quickly washed up and started leaving early and returning late. When Chen Zhaoci woke up in the morning, she would find that no one was in the room. She would wait until she fell asleep at night, but no one would come back. After a few days of this, Chen Zhaoci got angry.

Xu Rao advised her not to worry too much, saying that Xu Di had many things to do right now. Chen Zhaoci said with a sullen face, "Old Xu, I'm not great, really, I'm not great at all. I'm just a mother now. I worry about my child's health. I don't want my child to have any health problems because of this injury, and to suffer a lot of harm in the future because of this hard work." Her voice was trembling with tears at the end.

Seeing that Chen Zhaoci was really angry, Xu Rao quickly coaxed her, "Alright, alright, you should have faith in Xu Di, right? Our son is always thinking things through. Would he really disregard his own health? You're just worrying too much."

Chen Zhaoci rolled up her sleeves and began wiping away her tears, saying, "That's my son, he's flesh and blood of my own flesh. How can I not worry? No, I have to have a good talk with him."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Chen Zhaoci, Xu Rao could only let Chen Zhaoci sleep during the day the next day, waiting for the capital to catch him that night.

Xu Di waited until the third watch of the night before yawning as he came in from outside. To his surprise, Chen Zhaoci was sitting upright on his kang (a heated brick bed), reading by the lamp on the kang table. Startled, he wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes from yawning, sat on the edge of the kang, and said, "Mother, why are you sitting in my room so late at night instead of sleeping?"

Chen Zhaoci said irritably, "What are you doing? I'm waiting to see my son. Xu Di, you're injured right now. I said your wound is fine, not that you can work like this day and night. Your health is the most important thing to me."

Xu Di, with a smug grin, said, "Mother, I'll only be busy for a few days. Things outside are almost over now. Once they're done, I'll have to go back to Miaozhou. Yuexi and the children are waiting for me."

Chen Zhaoci's eyes reddened, and she said, "You still know that Yuexi and the two children are waiting for you. Why don't you think about what will happen to Yuexi and the two children if something happens to you? Xu Di, I don't understand the outside world, but I know that if you are not careful when you are young, some injuries can stay with you for life, making you wish you could have done this and that without these injuries when you are old."

Seeing that Chen Zhaoci was truly heartbroken, Xu Di quickly sat down beside her, put his arm around her, and said, "My dear mother, please don't be like this. I've always been most afraid of you crying. Really, I promise you, my matter is nearing its end, and there will be a result soon. Once the result is out, I'll be fine. At that time, I'll have to trouble you to prescribe some medicine to help me recover properly."

Chen Zhaoci said irritably, "Do you know what kind of patients doctors hate the most? They hate patients like you the most. The doctor clearly told you to rest, but you're always so busy that I can't even find you to come back for a follow-up appointment."

Xu Di quickly coaxed her, "Mother, I won't do it again, okay? Alright, alright, let me tell you, His Majesty really intends to behead the Third Prince this time. We have an irreconcilable conflict with the Third Prince. If the Third Prince is beheaded, our family will be one less threat, won't we?"

Chen Zhaoci shook his head and said, "Xu Di, you've been an official for so many years, how come you still can't understand? No matter how despicable the Third Prince's actions are, he is still the Emperor's child. By doing this, you've forced the Emperor to behead the Third Prince. How do you think the Emperor will view you?"

Xu Di said nonchalantly, "Mother, the things the Third Prince did were all his own doing, and have nothing to do with me. I followed the clues and found that traitor. The reason I was able to find the Third Prince is because he did something that was wrong to our ancestors, the country, and the people. If he can restrain himself and be a gentleman, I won't even have a reason to harm him."

Chen Zhaoci inexplicably began to worry about Xu Di. The two princes had died because of their own greed and lawlessness, but without Xu Di's investigation, how could they have been found out?

Chen Zhaoci, being a parent himself, naturally understood that sometimes, one can hit or scold one's own child, but if someone else hits or scolds them, one will feel uncomfortable. If Emperor Liang Cheng later retaliates against Xu Di, how can Xu Di expect to have a good outcome?

The heart of an emperor is unfathomable. In a monarchical country, the emperor is the people's heaven. If the emperor wants his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. If he wanted to find a pretext to make things difficult for Xu Di, to make Xu Di suffer a loss, or even to take Xu Di's life, wouldn't that be an easy thing to do?

Thinking about these troubling things, Chen Zhaoci glared angrily at her troublesome son, then turned away to sulk alone. She really, really didn't want to see this child who was making her so depressed anymore.

It was rare for Xu Di to see his mother being temperamental with him. He smiled and pulled Chen Zhaoci's shoulders closer to him, saying, "My mother, do you think I could have investigated these matters so thoroughly without the Emperor's help? Do you think I could have investigated the affairs of the Third Prince and the First Prince so clearly without the Emperor's permission?"

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