许蕖轻轻的松了一口气，说：“你们说祖母跟大伯父让咱们把家中未有婚嫁的姑娘带着出来，是不是也是因为这个原因？”

许荃说：“家有一老，就有一宝啊，咱们看不到的地方，祖母跟父亲看到了，咱们想不到的事情，祖母跟父亲也想到了。”

Xu Rao said, "When you return to the capital, you must be very careful about your children's marriages. His Majesty is already fifty years old. When the throne changes hands, things are most likely to go wrong. If you can avoid getting involved now, then you should. Protecting yourselves is the most important thing."

Xu Quan said, "Not many of the children in our family are married, Third Brother, what should we do?"

Xu Rao said, "After asking the children what they want, we shouldn't consider families of high status or wealth for now, especially those families that are close to the princes, no matter how illustrious they are. As long as the children are ambitious and have potential, we can arrange marriages for them as long as they are willing."

Xu Qu said, "But what do children know? This is a major life event. If you make a mistake, it will affect you for the rest of your life."

Xu Rao said, "Therefore, we need to examine a person's character and abilities. If they have good character and strong abilities, they are worth cultivating. Let the girls choose for themselves. At this time, no one knows what will happen. If the girls can get married, let them get married. No one can guarantee that everything will go smoothly. The fault does not lie with the married woman. If something unexpected happens, there will always be a way out."

Xu Quan asked, "Third Brother, is it really that serious?"

Xu Rao said, "Can a noble family stay rich forever? Although the ostentatious display of wealth is admirable, can anyone maintain it indefinitely? Fourth brother, fifth brother, one must prepare a way out for oneself."

Xu Qu said, "Third Brother, then tell me, what should we do?"

Xu Rao said, "Father has always done a good job. He always keeps a low profile, doesn't show off, and doesn't cause trouble, but he must not be afraid of trouble. Most importantly, he must stay away from the power of those princes. They are now capable of doing anything shameless in order to expand their power."

Xu Quan said, “In our family, from my father’s generation up to the present, we have all served in the military. In our generation, you are the only one who has become a civil official and has won the emperor’s favor. Third brother, you are a capable official.”

Xu Rao waved his hand and said, "We brothers shouldn't talk about these things. My eldest sister's matter involves the late Crown Prince. You shouldn't inquire about it anymore, and you shouldn't tell anyone else. If our rivals find out about this, they might use it to their advantage. We can't let this matter become a target for others to attack our family. Although Aunt Zhu has passed away, my eldest sister is still alive."

Xu Quan sighed and said, "Our eldest sister is getting more and more outrageous. She always wants to find a wife for her son Xing Ge in a wealthy and powerful family. She always wants to use her children's marriages to climb the social ladder. But the Yongping Marquis's mansion is already in decline. The young men in the mansion are all useless, and the family is struggling to make ends meet. Which family would be willing to marry their daughter to them? Fortunately, Father and Grandmother made the decision to send Xing Ge to my second sister's husband's academy. Father even arranged for a steward to take care of Xing Ge's affairs."

Xu Rao said, "Eldest sister was provoked by her mother-in-law. She only sees how powerful and influential the daughter-in-law in charge of the household is. She has no idea how difficult it is to manage the household affairs. In our household, Father prepares enough funds for the inner courtyard every year. Even so, eldest sister-in-law still has to carefully calculate. Their Yongping Marquis's mansion is in debt and is a mess. What is eldest sister going to do by taking over? How does she plan to fill that huge hole?"

Xu Quan said, "She just wants the glory of being the mistress of the house. As for how to fill the hole, she probably hasn't thought about it. Our eldest sister is someone who likes to stand out. Back then, no one in the family thought highly of the Yongping Marquis's Mansion, but she was eyeing Zhao Ziqi's position as the heir and insisted on marrying into it. Who knew that after marrying into it, she would be suppressed by her mother-in-law all these years. I think that after all these years, she's going to be driven crazy by that mean-spirited mother-in-law."

Xu Rao shook her head and said, "My father and mother were too indulgent towards her back then."

Xu Shao was the eldest daughter in the family, born to Wu Shi's expectations. At that time, the Marquis had just resigned from his post and had nothing to do at home, so he often went to the backyard to see her. Of the Marquis's children, Xu Shao was the one he valued the most.

Xu Ru was three years younger than Xu Shao. After she was born, the Marquis was very busy taking care of the family business, and Madam Wu was depressed because of the matter of Concubine Zhu. In the end, it was the old lady who took Xu Ru to her own courtyard to raise her. Therefore, Xu Ru had a deeper affection for her grandmother than for her father.

Xu Shao was spoiled by Wu Shi since childhood. Even after she got married, she would come back to Wu Shi to cry and complain whenever she had something to say. Wu Shi was not a shrewd person. Every time Xu Shao came to complain, Wu Shi would give her some money or things to coax her to be happy.

Wu and the Marquis were Xu Rao and Xu Quan's biological parents. Xu Qu just listened to them talk without saying a word.

Xu Rao said, "You already know what happened. After you go back, make proper arrangements for the children's marriages. If there's anything you don't understand, be sure to ask your grandmother or father. There might be some unrest in the capital later, so it would be good to take your wife and children and seek refuge temporarily."

Xu Qu said, "On the way, I told my fourth brother that I wanted to go back to our old family home to be a teacher. When I get back, I will discuss with my grandmother how to arrange Li'er's marriage. Once that's settled, I will take my family back to our old home."

Xu Quan said, "My father-in-law is going back to his hometown after retiring from his official post. My wife and I are discussing whether to send them back."

Xu Rao smiled and said, "It's best if you can arrange things yourselves. Alright, it's getting late, you should go wash up first, and then we'll go have dinner."