Xu Rao immediately led several guards out of the south gate and went around to the border.
No one knows how Xu Rao discussed it with Zhou Qing and Cheng Kai, but he came back in the middle of the night. At that time, Xu Di was still waiting in the study. He only felt at ease and went to sleep after seeing Xu Rao return.
The next day, before Xu Di had even gotten up, Xu Gao arrived with Tuan Ge'er.
Tuan Ge'er had grown into a boy, and when he saw Xu Di, he bowed properly and called him "Uncle." Xu Di didn't have any valuables on him at the moment, and said, "Uncle came in a hurry this time. I'll make up for the gift next time."
Xu Gao had someone take Tuan Ge'er outside to play, and then sat in his study watching Xu Di wash up. He said, "Di Ge'er, you are really audacious. How could you come to Liaodong on your own? You are an official appointed by the court, and many people are watching you."
Xu Di has now realized his mistake, but he does not regret it. If he had realized from the beginning that it was a mistake, he would still have brought his men over in person.
Xu Di looked at his older sister. He had always felt that Xu Gao was a bit spoiled. Although she married the heir of the Earl's Mansion as the eldest daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, she was always suppressed by her mother-in-law and had no presence at all. If it weren't for the help of her family to bring the young couple from the capital to Liaodong Prefecture, they would have suffered a lot of bullying in the Earl's Mansion.
But now, when Xu Di looks at Xu Gao again, he finds that this older sister is completely different from before, with confidence on her face.
Seeing the concern and anxiety on Xu Gao's face, Xu Di suddenly felt that it was actually quite nice to have an older sister who cared for him like this.
Xu Di smiled and said, "Big sister, my father, you, and Tuan Ge'er are all here. I came from Dengzhou, which took less than a day. If I didn't come to see you, even if nothing had happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself."
Xu Gao knew his younger brother was shrewd, capable, and most importantly, very caring towards his family. He sighed and said, "Di-ge'er, I'm here with Tuan-ge'er to keep your brother-in-law company. I've thought about this for a long time. If that day ever comes, it would be great if our family could stay together forever. I'm really not afraid."
Xu Di hadn't expected Xu Gao to think this way, and shook his head in strong disapproval, saying, "Big sister, you're wrong to think like that. No matter who leaves, you have to keep living well. Tuan Ge'er is still so young, he has unlimited potential for the future. It's wrong for you to make decisions for him like this."
Xu Gao smiled slightly and said, "I was talking about the worst-case scenario. I still have a lot of faith in your brother-in-law's abilities. How could someone as capable as him not be able to withstand the Jurchens? Don't you agree?"
Xu Di nodded and said, "Indeed, my brother-in-law and General Zhou have guarded Liaodong Prefecture for so many years. They are very capable of making Liaodong Prefecture as solid as a rock. Sister, your eldest sister must be several months old now, right? I came in such a hurry this time that I didn't have time to bring them gifts. I will definitely make it up to them next time."
Hearing Xu Di mention his daughter, who was over three months old, Xu Gao's smile softened even more. He said, "That little one is over three months old now, more than a month older than yours. When you sent me your letter last time, I included some things for the baby in my reply. Did you receive them?"
Xu Di said with a smile, "I received it a long time ago. My mother said that it was obviously made by your own hands. She also said that you just had a baby not long ago, and you're already doing needlework for us."
Xu Gao said with a smile, "I am the children's aunt, so I have to bring out something I made myself. I made all of these a long time ago. During the New Year, I heard from my third aunt that it was twins. At that time, I didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, so I made some for both. Who would have thought that it would be a boy and a girl? This is the first pair of twins in our family."
When the topic turned to children, both Xu Gao and Xu Di relaxed. Xu Di started telling Xu Gao funny stories about their two children, which Xu Gao listened to with great interest. He even shared a couple of funny stories about his own two children.
Time flies when you have something to talk about. When Tuan Ge'er ran in from outside with two maids following behind, Xu Gao was saying that Tuan Ge'er had grown up and looked much older than he did when he was a child.
Tuan Ge'er tugged at Xu Gao's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, we've been out for a long time. My sister will be scared if she's home alone."
Upon hearing this, Xu Gao smiled and said, "Alright, Mother will take our Tuan Ge'er home to keep his sister company."
Xu Di escorted Xu Gao to the gate. Standing in front of the carriage, Xu Gao added, "There's nothing serious happening here, you should hurry back."
Xu Di agreed, and only after watching Xu Gao's carriage drive away did he turn around and return to his residence.
Xu Rao returned quickly. He had already discussed with Zhou Qing and Cheng Kai how to lure the Jurchens into the interior of China and towards the capital. From the capital to Liaodong, there was a mountain road with dense forests on both sides. It was still a time when the vegetation was lush, making it very easy to ambush them in the mountains.
After listening to Xu Rao's words, Xu Di carefully considered the situation on both sides of the road. The post station on that road was very large, and there were several villages nearby. The people in these villages definitely needed to be relocated.
Xu Di said to Xu Rao, "Father, nothing else matters but the people along this route. We must evacuate them all. We can't let them stay and be ravaged by the Jin soldiers. That's the most important thing."
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