Zhang Zhaoci asked with great interest, "Granny, weren't Consort Zhu and the Crown Prince betrothed by the late Emperor?"

Granny Lu said, "Those things, if you want to ask others, you probably won't know much. But luckily, I came from the palace, and I've heard about and even experienced these things. Let me tell you about Consort Zhu."

Upon hearing this, the Xu family of three quickly sat down. Xu Rao poured a cup of tea for Granny Lu, and Zhang Zhaoci even took out a bag of melon seeds. When Granny Lu saw the bag of unscented melon seeds, she sighed and said, "Zhaoci, what we are about to talk about concerns the life and death of our family."

Xu Di smiled and said, "Granny, my mother is like this, don't worry about it, let's talk about our own things."

Granny Lu smiled and shook her head, saying, "Third Madam is also a blessed person."

Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "I'm a doctor, I save lives and heal the wounded. I've done so many good deeds, how could God possibly treat me unfairly?"

After thinking for a moment, Granny Lu said, "Then let me tell you about the late Crown Prince and Consort Zhu."

Granny Lu said, "Aunt Zhu's grandfather was the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince at the time. The Crown Prince studied with the Grand Tutor for more than ten years. Aunt Zhu was the Grand Tutor's favorite granddaughter. The two met because of the Grand Tutor and became close friends because of their shared interests. Aunt Zhu was betrothed to the Crown Prince by the late Emperor. However, the Crown Prince was imprisoned by the late Emperor for plotting a rebellion and then committed suicide."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Granny, the late emperor was already quite old at that time, wasn't he? I think this crown prince was wronged."

Granny Lu said, "At that time, the princes were vying fiercely for the crown prince. The crown prince was the late empress's legitimate son. It's a pity that the late empress passed away early. The late emperor and the late empress had a good relationship. The crown prince was made crown prince when he was very young. The late emperor personally taught the crown prince how to handle state affairs."

Xu Di said, "This crown prince is definitely not a decisive person."

Granny Lu looked at Xu Di with satisfaction and said, "What Di-ge'er said is very true. The late Crown Prince was a kind-hearted and generous person. Such a person may not be good at expansion, but he should have no problem maintaining the status quo. It's just a pity that the other princes all have powerful maternal families, and the mothers of the princes are not easy to deal with either. In the later years of the late emperor, the court was in chaos, and in the end, the current emperor took advantage of the situation and sat on the throne."

Xu Di asked, "Granny, the late Crown Prince is only under house arrest, but where is he?"

Granny Lu said, "Outsiders probably don't know, but those of us who were in the palace back then know very well. After the Crown Prince was imprisoned, he committed suicide. The Crown Prince's maternal family was the Protectorate General's Mansion. At that time, the Marquis of Jingbei was a valiant general under the Grand General. After the Crown Prince presented his case to the late Emperor, he committed suicide in the Eastern Palace in order to protect the entire Protectorate General's Mansion."

Xu Di said, "This is quite difficult. The late Crown Prince committed suicide, and the late Emperor was also wary of the military power held by the Protector General."

Granny Lu said, "Yes, so for the sake of his family, the General Protector of the Nation relinquished his military power and then committed suicide in the mansion. Later, I heard that the General Protector of the Nation's lineage all returned to their hometown. For the sake of his children and grandchildren, the General Protector of the Nation had no other choice."

Xu Di said, "When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away. Although it is said that everyone has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation, when it is time to give up, one must give up. Now that I think about it, if the Grand General of the State had been able to retire from the army and return to his hometown after achieving great success, the former Crown Prince might not have been imprisoned."

Granny Lu said, "When you're caught up in something, there are some things you have no choice but to do."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "This is truly a harmful thing. Can't everyone just do their own thing and live a peaceful life?"

Granny Lu sighed and said, "The temptation of holding the power of life and death and ruling the world is not something that ordinary people can resist. Since you have this opportunity, why can't you do it if others can? When the time comes, even if you don't want to, you have to fight for it. Otherwise, what awaits you, and even those standing behind you, will not be a good ending."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Once our family has finished what we need to do, we must make plans as soon as possible. We'll find a beautiful village with clear waters and lush mountains, build a hilltop, and live a self-sufficient life. Then I'll train a few children who know medicine, and we'll live a peaceful life."

Xu Di said, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the emperor, and all people within the borders are subjects of the king. Sometimes, we are not in control of our own destiny. But we still have a way out. With me and my father here, we can ensure that you can live out your old age in peace."

Xu Di possesses the memories of the original owner's later decades, so he naturally knows which prince will inherit the throne. With this powerful weapon in hand, he can calmly deal with what comes next.

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Granny, after the Crown Prince passed away, how did Consort Zhu enter the Marquis of Pingxi's residence?"

Granny Lu said, "I'm not very clear about that. After the Crown Prince passed away, Grand Tutor Zhu went with him. The adult males of the Zhu family were beheaded, and the women were sold into the brothel. As for the underage children, they were sent back to their old families, and their descendants were not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations. At that time, Concubine Zhu had already set a wedding date with the Crown Prince. No one knows what happened in the brothel."

Xu Di said, "My uncle helped me inquire and said that there was a big fire in the brothel, and some men in black appeared. The fire killed many people in the brothel. Later, for some reason, my grandfather redeemed Aunt Zhu and brought her back to the mansion when she was about to give birth. We suspect that my father is not Aunt Zhu's biological child."

Upon hearing this, Granny Lu frowned and pondered for a long time before saying, "This is a very important matter. You should not investigate further. I will ask Eunuch Chen to help find out."

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