Concubine Zhu passed away quietly. She was an unfavored concubine and had a very weak presence in the Marquis's mansion. After she passed away, the Marquis arranged for someone to buy a coffin and quietly buried her in a cemetery outside the city.

Xu Rao returned to the manor that afternoon. He needed to rush back to Ganzhou early the next morning. Zhang Zhaoci was packing his luggage when she saw him sitting blankly at the kang table. She put down what she was holding, sat down opposite him, and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why do you seem so down?"

Xu Rao sighed and said, "It's just that I feel it more deeply. Zhao Ci, we both come from countries with the rule of law, but now it's a society ruled by individuals. The emperor has the power of life and death over anyone. The saying 'When the emperor is angry, corpses float for miles' is not just a saying. When it comes to real events, it really means rivers of blood."

Zhang Zhaoci knew this was after he went back with the Marquis to see Consort Zhu and talked about the Zhu family's past. Xu Rao spoke from the heart.

Xu Rao looked at Zhang Zhaoci, took her hand, and said, "Zhaoci, we must be careful with our words and actions in the future. A single word could really cost the lives of our entire family. I'm really scared."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "I know, I know, don't worry. I will be careful with my words. I also need to keep an eye on the children. By the way, the old lady said that we should hurry up and arrange Xu Di's wedding. After you go back, find some time to go to the Li family and tell them about it. Xu Tao will get married next spring. I was thinking that we could have Xu Di and Yuexi get married in the fall. I will find a courtyard for them in the Marquis's mansion and tidy it up. I will also see where in the capital we can buy a house for the Li family. Then we can send the wedding procession from the capital."

Zhang Zhaoci wanted to divert Xu Rao's attention, so that Xu Rao wouldn't feel uncomfortable with so many things weighing on her mind.

Upon hearing this, Xu Rao exclaimed in surprise, "So early? Xu Di isn't even twenty years old yet, and he's already getting married?"

Zhang Zhaoci then recounted the events that had occurred at the Zhou family a few days prior, saying, "This was all the old lady's idea. Once the marriage is finalized, it will put an end to many people's hopes and prevent a lot of unforeseen complications. Our Xu Di is handsome and a young scholar who passed the imperial examinations. It would be quite good for him to get married next year. After the marriage, he can take Yuexi to Xu Ru's house to study."

Xu Rao said, "Alright, I'll go to the Li family when I get back to Ganzhou and talk to them about this. As for buying a house in the capital, we can't make that decision for the Li family. We have to listen to their wishes. Otherwise, you might do something wrong with good intentions."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Can't I buy it as a betrothal gift for my eldest daughter-in-law? Who can stop me from being rich and willful?"

Xu Rao looked at Zhang Zhaoci's "I'm rich, who am I afraid of?" attitude and said with a smile, "Fine, you're rich, you're the boss, you call the shots, okay? Let's have dinner in Grandma's room tonight, and I'll see you off first thing tomorrow morning before I leave."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "The journey is long and arduous, so you must be careful."

Xu Rao said, "I'm not with ordinary guards, what's there to be afraid of? To put it bluntly, they should send me back the same way they brought me here. Sigh, you're all in the capital, and I'm all alone in Ganzhou. I don't know what to do besides work."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "If you feel like you have nothing to do, why don't you write a book? You won several awards for your papers back then. Why don't you combine those papers with your current work and write about the management of grassroots staff? Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Xu Rao smiled and said, "You're quite good at thinking things through. I've already started working on this. I'll write one article first to test the waters. If the response is significant, I'll continue writing. After all, many ideological issues can't be explained in just a few words, and the more you explain, the less clear it becomes."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "We don't seek fame. We're just worried you might be bored and need something to do. By the way, I've made some commonly used pills these past few days. I'll give you some to take with you when you leave."

Although Ganzhou was more prosperous than Hexi, it was still a remote place where many medicinal herbs were hard to find. After Zhang Zhaoci arrived at the estate, the emperor sent him many precious medicinal herbs because the old lady was recuperating there. Zhang Zhaoci was very comfortable with so many herbs and made many pills according to the prescriptions.

Xu Rao said, "That's good. Winter is coming soon, so please give me more medicine for treating colds and flu, so that I won't be left without a good doctor to see me when I catch a cold."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Don't say that. The old doctor at Baohetang in Ganzhou Prefecture is a really skilled doctor. If you need anything, go to Baohetang. Their medicines are all genuine."

Xu Rao said, "By the way, after you left, the Liao family took Miss Zhixia back. I think Miss Zhixia has recovered a lot now."

Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "If there's a chance, we should send her to my side. It's better for Miss Zhixia to stay with me since she's ill."

Xu Rao pondered for a while and said, "Why didn't I tell the Emperor about this last night? It was his son's fault, after all. If the father doesn't worry about it, who will?"

Zhang Zhaoci said, "You'd better not say anything more. I think His Majesty's health can't withstand any more anger. If he really gets sick from anger, the Jade Garden hasn't even taken off yet. What if some prince gets lucky and leaves our family with no way to survive?"

After listening for a long while, Xu Rao sighed and said, "What kind of things are these? It's all true."

Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, after the old lady had breakfast, Xu Rao saw the group off and then hurriedly led his men to Ganzhou.