The prince said, “I understand the reasoning, but my mother has been holding this grudge for decades. It’s hard to make her let it go all at once. Although my mother doesn’t come from a high-class family, she has been treated like a precious gem since she was a child. After she married into the family, my father treated her very well. It’s just a pity that she suffered a big setback because of Aunt Zhu.”
Ning stopped her needlework and said, "My mother actually lived a very carefree life. She could put on a show whenever she wanted, and she would laugh when she was happy and not laugh when she was unhappy. Many people don't have my mother's good fortune."
The prince sighed. There were many things he hadn't told Ning Shi before, so he didn't know where to begin. He was also afraid that Ning Shi, who spent all her time in the inner quarters, might inadvertently reveal them if he spoke. Seeing that it was getting late, he urged Ning Shi to put down her needlework, turn off the lamp, and go to bed to rest.
Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci returned to their courtyard. Xu Rao put on her pajamas, and Zhang Zhaoci patted Xu Rao's back, saying, "Why have you lost so much weight? Don't you eat properly?"
Xu Rao said, "Nothing tastes good when you're not around."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "You're eating food, not your mood! Look how much weight you've lost, your ribs are showing."
Xu Rao said, "I'm going back this time to make up for my lack of nutrition. After Xu Di gets married, we'll go back. I'll have a better appetite then, and I'll gain weight again soon. I'm prone to gaining weight."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Then I'll prepare some medicinal food for you tomorrow. By the way, now that Xu Di is married, after we return to Ganzhou, should we let Xu Di and Yuexi go to Tai'an? Why not let Yuexi stay in the mansion to get used to life?"
Xu Rao said, "It's better to avoid trouble. Let them go. The capital may seem calm on the surface, but who knows what's hidden underneath? Several of my brothers' children are also going with them. I've already written to my brother-in-law about it. It's a perfectly reasonable excuse for cousins to go to school together."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci exclaimed in surprise, "Has it come to this?"
Xu Rao said, "The Third Prince sent people back to look for him, but they couldn't find him. I'm afraid something else might happen."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci's heart sank, and she asked, "Does this mean you know about the child?"
Xu Rao said, "Few people know about this, and I guess even the Third Prince doesn't know. He just wants to find Miss Liao."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Have you arranged everything?"
Xu Rao said, "It's not just me who's coming up with ideas; are all my staff just sitting around doing nothing?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "But you also have to make sure that none of your staff members are traitors."
Xu Rao said, "You underestimate the integrity of people nowadays. A staff member can easily betray his master for a little benefit. If he does something, his life is over. No one will use him in the future."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "That's true. How much longer do you want to stay in Ganzhou? I still want to live to see you go to different places and take up your post, and see the beautiful landscape of this country."
Xu Rao sighed and said, "I don't think I can make any changes in three or five years. Ganzhou has just gotten on track, and I still have to take charge of many things."
Zhang Zhaoci asked, "So how will His Majesty arrange things afterward?"
Xu Rao sighed and said, "His Majesty's intention is for me to be a teacher at Yuyuan, and to teach the children some practical skills in the future."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "It's not right to let this child stay with you. My family has already come back from the south. We're not some small or humble family. There's no reason to leave the child with my aunt and uncle to teach him."
Xu Rao said, "So I want the children to go to Tai'an with me and study hard for two years with my brother-in-law. Only by studying can they understand the principles of life. Once they have something in their minds, they can travel around and learn some practical ways of handling things from me. Alas, I am, after all, just a local official. My vision is not comparable to that of a king. For now, I can only make this arrangement. When the time is right, I will still need to find some imperial tutors with vision and talent."
Zhang Zhaoci sighed and whispered, "We've been forced onto the Emperor's ship."
Xu Rao said, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king. Can we refuse to do what the emperor has arranged? Alas, we can only risk our whole family and follow the emperor down this dark path."
Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "This wicked monarchical society."
Xu Rao said, "You can't say things like that again. If someone hears it, it'll be our fault. Who knows what trouble it might cause? Alright, let's get some rest."
Zhang Zhaoci sighed, then washed up and rested.
The old lady hadn't rested yet either. Granny Shen helped her wash up, but the old lady sat by the bed, sighed, and said, "Guixiang, what do you think my eldest daughter-in-law will do if things are exposed? I don't even want to think about it. My eldest daughter-in-law, all these years, she hasn't cultivated any of the forbearance of a matriarch."
Granny Shen sighed, a rare occurrence for her, and said, "Madam, we should keep this a secret if we can. For so many years, the First Madam has avoided seeing the Third Master."
The old lady said, "That's true, but she still needs to know who her biological child is. Forget it, go and rest. We'll rack our brains here and still not find a solution to these problems."
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