As for the current crown prince, he not only wears Zhu Yuanzhang's dragon robe in private, but he also used to often sit on the shoulders of the Hongwu Emperor and act silly.

Xu Huizu stopped gossiping and simply asked, "What exactly happened between Liao Yong and Liao Yue?"

Xu Zengshou paused for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "What could those two brothers possibly have done? They're always spouting classical phrases. You know that in earlier years, Liao Yong couldn't inherit the title and could only serve as a Gentleman of the Palace. His Majesty, mindful of the merits of the late Duke of Qing and Liao Quan, promoted them to the position of Commander of the Rear Army. Liao Yong was incompetent and muddleheaded, so he was dismissed from office."

Xu Huizu was naturally aware of these circumstances, but he still said, "Those two brothers are actually our nephews and nieces, and their mother is a member of the Tang family. These two are so good-for-nothing, doesn't the Tang family woman care about them?"

Xu Zengshou said irritably, "How can we manage it? Uncle Tang's family has few heirs and has never been able to inherit the title. Brother Liao Quan passed away early, and Sister Tang was widowed many years ago. The two brothers seem to be respectful to Sister Tang, but she, as a woman, has no say in outside affairs, so the two brothers have no scruples."

Xu Huizu remained noncommittal, only saying, "I suppose the Tang family's daughter has some complaints, doesn't she? Relying on her uncle's and the Duke of Qing's merits, does she think the Liao family should be rich and powerful?"

Although Liao Yongzhong's lineage had always been close to Tang He, and Liao Quan had previously served as Fu Youde's deputy general, seemingly maintaining a distant relationship with the Xu faction, the Xu and Tang families had a good relationship. Xu Zengshou remembered often following behind his uncle Tang when he was a child, and he also remembered the care that Tang's sister had shown him.

So he became nervous and quickly said, "Brother, although the two Liao brothers are not good for anything, they haven't done anything particularly evil. Surely His Majesty isn't planning to punish them?"

"They spend all day hanging out with those great Confucian scholars, engaging in endless lofty discussions and making irresponsible remarks about state affairs!" Xu Huizu gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Do they think that just because they've taken off their military uniforms they're scholars? What will the other military families think when they spout this nonsense? What will His Majesty think? And how will those scholars with pens write their nonsense in the history books?"

Xu Zengshou suddenly tensed up. As long as this matter wasn't brought up, many people would pretend not to know. But now that it had been revealed, it was clearly no small matter.

Back then, Liao Yongzhong inexplicably drowned the young Ming King in the Guazhou River, and many people said it was at the behest of the Hongwu Emperor. In recent years, the Hongwu Emperor and the current emperor have suppressed Confucianism extensively, a fact that many have witnessed.

If it were just scholars grumbling in private, that would be fine. Although Emperor Hongwu did issue an edict forbidding scholars from discussing politics, many things were generally overlooked, and as long as it wasn't too outrageous, it wasn't a big deal.

However, if someone with ulterior motives tries to exploit certain things, then there can indeed be some trouble.

Xu Huizu gritted his teeth, saying with exasperation, "Those two don't take pride in their military backgrounds, yet they consider themselves Fang Xiaoru's disciples all day long. Do they even remember they're the grandsons of the Duke of Qing and the sons of the Marquis of Deqing? They've been fooled by those scholars a few times and have become so arrogant. Their empty talk is nothing compared to that of ordinary scholars without official rank!"

Yes, although he didn't inherit the title, Liao Yong still holds an official position, which makes him different from the students at the Imperial Academy. And even though he seems to have distanced himself from the court these past years, we shouldn't forget that his grandfather was once a trusted and beloved general of the Hongwu Emperor, and a great contributor who was personally welcomed by the late Emperor Xiaokang.

Xu Zengshou was a little worried and said anxiously, "Then why don't we ask my sister-in-law to persuade Sister Tang? Although those two brothers are useless, they are still Sister Tang's offspring. Even if they can't inherit the title, at worst they will be demoted, and their descendants will still have an official position."

Even though Liao Yongzhong was sentenced to death, Emperor Hongwu did not revoke his title. Liao Quan had also inherited the title of Marquis of Deqing. However, Liao Yong was now incompetent and unable to pass the military merit assessments that some military families seemed to disregard. In reality, the title of Marquis of Deqing was still hereditary.

Xu Huizu sighed and said, "I'm afraid they'll get too involved with those scholars and lose their minds!"

Xu Zengshou remained silent for a moment, then calmly said, "It's hard to persuade a damned fool. Let's just do our job well and be worthy of Father's trust. If Sister Tang doesn't listen to our advice, we'll do our best and leave the rest to fate. We'll just be worthy of Uncle Tang's kindness in the past. Even if Father finds out about this, he won't blame us!"

Xu Huizu sighed deeply. It seemed that things were just as they were going to be; all they could do was try their best and leave the rest to fate. If someone was truly obstinate and stubbornly refused to see the light, then there really was no other way.

Everything that needed to be said has been said, all the advice that needed to be given has been given, and everything that could be done has indeed been done. If someone truly doesn't know how to turn back from the wrong path, or if someone is determined to die, then that's their business, and has nothing to do with the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion lineage.

Moreover, Xu Huizu wouldn't have bothered with these matters if it weren't for his father's connections. He has always been cautious, and for him, the Crown Prince was the one he cared about more than anyone else.

Xu Huizu has a lot to do now, especially the things His Majesty has entrusted to him, which he needs to handle well.

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He had already been given leeway because of his family's connections, so Xu Huizu had done his duty to those people. It was impossible to expect him to truly prioritize personal matters over public duty; Xu Huizu knew exactly what was important.

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