Xu Di crossed his arms and looked down at his younger brother, who had a pair of big, round eyes. Xu Bai, who had been staring at him, felt increasingly uneasy. He let go of Xu Di's clothes and said, "Can you please stop looking at me like that?"
Xu Di said, "You little rascal, you've really lost your bearings after just a few days without a beating? Mind your own business. How old are you? You dare to go to your relatives' house and cause such a ruckus?"
Xu Bai knew this was about his causing trouble at Xu Gao's house, so he said, "That's my older sister's house. I didn't cause any trouble. Besides, I'm now my brother-in-law's favorite brother-in-law. Just last time, after he settled in, he brought back a car full of gifts, including some specially for me. No one else gets this honor."
That's true. Cheng Kai didn't know what he was really thinking. All of Xu's brothers-in-law liked Xu Bai. Xu Bai was also a talkative and cheerful person. When Cheng Kai went to Xu's house, he would take advantage of his young age and either ask Cheng Kai to carry him or pester Cheng Kai to take him horseback riding or to go to the market to buy food and toys. That's how their relationship was established.
It was rare to see Xu Di hesitate, so Xu Bai shook his head and laughed smugly. Xu Di saw this and gently patted his head, whispering, "Don't rely on what you know to be clever. Be careful not to be too clever for your own good."
Xu Bai said with a grin, "Big brother, don't worry. Who am I? I'm the famous Xu Bai."
Xu Rao rode at breakneck speed all the way, and by the time he arrived at the manor on the outskirts of the capital, he was covered in dust and looked much thinner.
Zhang Zhaoci helped Xu Rao with her washing up. Looking at the exposed ribs on Xu Rao's body, she said with heartache, "You know, what does it matter if it's a day earlier or later? Why do you have to make yourself so tired? All the little bit of weight you've gained is gone again."
Xu Rao smiled and said, "I just wanted to see you all sooner. I'm not tired, really, not tired at all."
Xu Rao also exercises regularly. When he was a professor, he learned Baduanjin and Tai Chi from an old Chinese medicine doctor and often practiced them at home or at school. After coming here, he practiced several times a day. His physical fitness was exceptionally good. Because of the wars in Hexi, he practiced horseback riding and archery a lot so that he could go into battle at any time. It was only after he went to Ganzhou that he had to put down horseback riding and archery due to his busy political affairs, but he never missed a day of Tai Chi practice. Xu Rao understood very well that the foundation for doing anything was to have a good body.
After washing up, Xu Rao went to kowtow to the old lady. The old lady had not seen Xu Rao for eight years since Xu Rao went to Hexi. Thinking of Xu Rao's experiences since childhood, she was overcome with grief, hugged Xu Rao who was kneeling in front of her, and cried loudly.
No one expected the old lady to cry like that. Zhang Zhaoci was frightened and quickly went to comfort her, saying, "Grandmother, Grandmother, our Third Master is back now. Please stop crying like that."
The old lady felt all the sadness in her heart burst into tears. She took the handkerchief handed to her by Granny Shen, wiped her face, and said, "Alright, I haven't seen Dao Rao'er for eight years. I'm relieved to see her back safely. Come, get up quickly and sit down to talk."
Xu Rao agreed, took the handkerchief Zhang Zhaoci handed him and wiped his face. He sat opposite the old lady, carefully examined her, and said, "Grandmother, you've lost a lot of weight."
The old lady said with a smile, "I'm almost eighty years old. It's only because God has been kind to me that I've lived to this age. We should be content."
After saying a few more words, the old lady waved her hand, and Granny Shen led the servants out. The old lady said, "This time we asked the Emperor for a decree to let you come back. You know the reason. Rao'er, for the sake of the greater good, your status cannot be changed back."
Hearing the old lady's words, Xu Rao knew that she was afraid that he would be sad because he could not openly change his identity back. He smiled and said, "Grandmother, no matter what my identity is, I am still a member of our Xu family, and I am still my father's child. I am a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) with a status, and I am also diligent in governing and loving the people, and I want to make the people live a good life. Most importantly, Grandmother, you have loved me since I was a child, and my father did not hinder my ambition because I was a son of a concubine. I think that is enough."
After hearing Xu Rao's words, the old lady nodded repeatedly and said, "Good child, Grandmother knew you would understand our predicament."
Xu Rao said, "Grandmother, we are family. Since we are family, we should share the burden when something happens. This is a hurdle for our family. If we get through it, everything will be fine. If we don't, we might be disliked by the Emperor. After all, our family raised the child of the deposed crown prince without knowing anything about it, and we raised her as the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife."
The old lady nodded and said, "That makes sense. Our Xu family followed the founding emperor from our hometown when he raised an army. We have always been staunch royalists. In his later years, the late emperor did some foolish things because of his advanced age. The crown prince committed suicide in front of him because of this. Because of this guilt, the late emperor protected Zhu Shi openly and secretly. Later, when he found out that Zhu Shi's child was a girl, he spared the child's life. No matter how foolish the late emperor was, he would not leave such a big hidden danger for the next emperor."
Xu Rao sighed and said, "It's really hard to guess what an emperor is thinking."
The old lady sighed and said, "Emperors also have emotions and desires, as well as parents, wives and children. When faced with difficult situations, they will naturally do some things that seem rather foolish. So many years have passed since then. I have already told Eunuch Chen everything that happened. After Eunuch Chen returned to the palace and told the Emperor, there has been no reply from them until now."
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