The old lady lowered her head and sipped her hot tea, saying, "Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law, our Pingxi Marquis's mansion has stood alongside the Great Liang Dynasty for so many years, through thick and thin. There have been times of great prosperity and glory, and times of desolation and loneliness. Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law, remember this: as long as there are people, there is hope for a comeback. No matter what, you must live well. Only by living can there be hope."
Xu Zhi said respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Great-Grandmother."
The old lady of the Zheng family nodded and said, "I entrust the future of the Pingxi Marquis's mansion to you and Yuan-ge'er. In the future, no matter which branch of the family receives the title, Yuan-ge'er and the eldest branch will always be connected by blood."
Before leaving, Xu Zhi knelt down in front of the kang (a heated brick bed) and respectfully kowtowed three times to the old lady. The old lady said without hesitation, "Good child, there's no need for such a grand ceremony. As long as you are all well, I've achieved my wish."
It was very late when Xu Zhi returned home. Granny Lu was still waiting for her in Xu Zhi's room. Xu Zhi briefly told Granny Lu what the old lady had told her. After listening, Granny Lu sighed and said, "Back then, the second son of the Zheng family was truly unmatched in both literary and martial arts. In addition, he was also very handsome. He was a famous figure in the capital. It's just a pity that he was too talented and left us too early. Otherwise, the borders of our Great Liang would have been even more secure."
Early the next morning, carriages drove out of the side gate of the Zheng residence. Xu Zhi sat in one of the carriages. Since it was still early, apart from a few breakfast stalls that had already opened, many shops were still closed. Xu Zhi lifted the curtain to take a look, then lowered it and let out a long sigh. From this moment on, she was about to embark on a path she had never walked before.
Unsure of what dangers lay ahead, Xu Zhi felt a little afraid. However, thinking that she still had her family by her side, she felt that it was nothing to worry about. She could just keep walking forward. If this way was blocked, she could simply take a detour and change direction. How could she not get through?
Putting aside her fear, Xu Zhi began to ponder the message she had received yesterday afternoon.
Three days ago, Lady Chen, the wife of the Marquis of Pingxi, took her two children to the Great Buddha Temple outside the city to perform a ritual. Xu Zhi heard that she would be fasting for ten days in the temple. Xu Zhi knew that this was Lady Chen's way of showing her power, to let her know that she was at Lady Chen's mercy in the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion. Unfortunately, Xu Zhi only stayed in the capital for three days before she hurriedly took the route through Jizhou to Yuezhou. Lady Chen's wish was in vain.
Yesterday afternoon, news came from Dafosi Temple that Zheng Yunyun, the daughter of Xiao Chenshi, and Lishi, the concubine of the Third Prince, fell down the mountain path while enjoying flowers behind Dafosi Temple and broke their legs. They need to recuperate at Dafosi Temple.
In this way, even if Xiao Chenshi knew that she was leaving, she would not be able to come back in time. Xu Zhi thought of Zheng Yunyun and felt that Zheng Yunyun's accident was somewhat unusual. Why did she fall at this time of year?
Xu Zhi was wondering why Zheng Yunyun had connections with Li, the concubine of the Third Prince, at the Great Buddha. This Li came from the Ming State Duke's Mansion, which was the Third Prince's lackey. The assassins trained by the Ming State Duke's Mansion were sent to Hexi to assassinate Xu Zhi. Therefore, Xu Zhi was very sensitive to the Third Prince and people from the Ming State Duke's Mansion.
Xiao Chenshi's relationship with Zheng Yunyun and Lishi is not innocent. Moreover, Lishi, as a concubine of the Third Prince's mansion, actually went to the Great Buddha Temple to pray for a child, which is a very strange thing in itself. Therefore, Xu Zhi felt that the Third Prince was interested in the Pingxi Marquis's mansion.
If Zheng Boyuan hadn't joined the army, the Pingxi Marquis's mansion would have been just like many other impoverished noble families in the capital, living a seemingly wealthy life but with little future. However, now that Zheng Boyuan has military merits and has married Xu Rao's daughter, the Third Prince might be eyeing the Pingxi Marquis's mansion for the sake of the Xu family's power. But now that Zheng Yunyun has broken her leg, this matter has to be put aside for the time being. After all, Zheng Yunyun is not very old, and most importantly, if Zheng Yunyun's leg doesn't heal properly, not only will she be unable to enter the prince's mansion, but her marriage will also be affected.
It must be said that the person who made the move really struck the snake right where it hurts, defeating it in one fell swoop, swiftly and decisively.
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