Xu Zhi said, "Grandma, I won't go anywhere else from now on. I'll stay here in this courtyard with you."
The old lady said with a smile, "You're a young girl, you should take advantage of this time to go out and explore. You're over ten years old now, it's time to settle your marriage."
Xu Zhi shook her head and said, "But I don't like any of those people. I don't like them. They look weak. I want someone who can fight on the battlefield and is a true hero."
Hearing Xu Zhi's words, the old lady knew that she was just teasing her, and said with a smile, "That's right, we should just say what we want. Don't be shy and keep quiet. When your mother comes, you can talk to her and ask her to find you a good one from the Northwest."
Xu Zhi smiled and agreed. Just then, she saw the cook bring over a bowl of millet porridge that had been cooked until it was very soft. She quickly took it and fed it to the old lady little by little with a spoon. The old lady could only drink a little over half a bowl before she couldn't drink anymore. Xu Zhi wiped the old lady's mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Judging from the days, my mother will probably be here in a few days. Then we can go to the estate in the suburbs to stay together. Grandmother, the sweet potatoes in the field are almost ripe. Let's dig them up, roast them, and eat them. They'll be so fragrant and sweet, and incredibly delicious."
Xu Zhi then began to tell the old lady about their experiences in Hexi and Ganzhou. After listening for a while, the old lady felt sleepy, and Xu Zhi helped her lie down and fall asleep before wiping away her tears and going outside.
When the old physician saw Xu Zhi come out, he smiled and waved to her. The old physician and Zhang Zhaoci's grandfather were even considered fellow disciples, and he treated Xu Zhi and Xu Bai as his great-grandchildren.
Xu Zhi quickly went over to pay her respects to the old doctor. The old doctor said, "Ninth Miss, don't worry. The old lady has a good constitution. She just suffered a lot. She needs to be well taken care of. Your mother is good at health preservation. She will definitely be able to take care of the old lady when she comes back."
Xu Zhi said, "Thank you, sir. You've worked hard."
The old doctor chuckled and stroked his beard. Seeing Xu Zhi enter the kitchen, he knew he was in for a treat today.
Xu Zhi often came over to stew soup and make some easily digestible food for the old lady. Naturally, the old doctor would also have a share. After eating it a few times, the old doctor grew to like Xu Zhi's cooking.
The Marquis had been waiting for the old lady to recover before sending her to the outskirts of the city. Emperor Liang Cheng had already cleared out the old lady's hot spring estate in the suburbs and arranged for guards to be stationed around it. After Zhang Zhaoci returned, he went directly there. The Yongning Marquis's residence also sent the old lady to the estate, where she would recuperate. This place was close to the 30,000-strong garrison personally controlled by Emperor Liang Cheng, so that the soldiers could rush over immediately if there was any disturbance. Highly skilled imperial guards were stationed at the estate, making it the safest place to send someone there.
After receiving the letter, Zhang Zhaoci took Xu Di, Xiao Yuan, and several children from the Zhang family and rushed back.
Zhang Zhaoci and his party traveled day and night, changing horses but not carriages, and arrived at the manor on the outskirts of Beijing after half a month.
It just so happened that it was the Double Ninth Festival and people were going to climb the mountain. The Marquis's mansion arranged for people to take Ning's sisters-in-law and the young ladies and gentlemen of the mansion to the foot of the mountain in the suburbs. One of the carriages carried the old lady directly to the estate.
When Zhang Zhaoci saw the old lady, her eyes immediately reddened. She took her pulse, gave her two pills, and then began to discuss the prescription with the old doctor.
The Marquis arrived in the evening and was very excited to see Xu Di. The grandfather and grandson had not seen each other for many years. After dinner, the Marquis locked himself and Xu Di in a room and talked until late at night. The next day, Chen Wufu arranged for someone to invite the Marquis of Yongning to a residence in the capital.
Xu Di was worried, so he disguised himself as the Marquis's servant and went along. When he arrived, he saw Chen Wufu waiting in front of the hanging flower gate of the three-courtyard house. When he saw Xu Di standing next to the Marquis of Yongning, he said, "Since the eldest young master has come along, please come inside. This matter also concerns your manor's third master."
Xu Di's heart skipped a beat when he heard Chen Wufu's words, and he followed the Marquis of Yongning into the room.
Chen Wufu led the grandfather and grandson into a side room in the main house. There was a kang bed by the window in the side room. After inviting the Marquis to take a seat, the servants served tea, bowed and withdrew. Chen Wufu said, "I bought this house so that I could have a convenient place to talk business."
The Marquis was getting impatient. He cupped his hands to Chen Wufu and said, "Eunuch Chen, let's just talk things out directly."
Seeing the haggard look on the Marquis of Yongning's face, Chen Wufu realized that the events that had happened in the Marquis's mansion these past few days had kept him on edge. He was finally looking forward to the return of his third son's family, hoping that he could finally get a good night's sleep.
Chen Wufu sighed and said, "My lord, this matter has to start with the late emperor."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis's expression changed, but he did not ask any further questions; he simply listened quietly.
Chen Wufu said, "During the reign of the late emperor, your concubine Zhu was chosen by the late emperor to be the crown princess of the late crown prince. Unfortunately, before the wedding, the crown prince was deposed. The men in the Zhu family were beheaded and the women were sold into the brothel. Later, out of courtesy, the marquis went to visit the concubine Zhu who was trapped in the brothel. As a result, he got drunk. I'm sure the marquis knows what happened after that."
Hearing about his most shameful past, the Marquis's face turned extremely ugly. Since the old Marquis, the Yongning Marquis's mansion had been forbidden from taking concubines. This was a family rule personally set by the old lady. As a result, the Marquis, as the old lady's own son, was forced to take back Concubine Zhu. The most important thing was Concubine Zhu's identity. She was the former Crown Prince's betrothed. It was only because the late emperor felt some guilt about the former Crown Prince's suicide after being deposed that he allowed Concubine Zhu to escape from the music academy in that way.
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