Zheng Boyuan was parachuted into Wuzhou. If General Mu considered the position of Wuzhou garrison commander to be his own, but then Zheng Boyuan came along, it was like taking someone else's peach. How could General Mu have a good impression of Zheng Boyuan?
Zheng Boyuan was prepared to be sidelined after arriving in Wuzhou. During his two days in the capital, he wanted to catch up with some old friends, but he was afraid of being framed for forming cliques and did not dare to act rashly. The Xu family was now a thorn in the side of many people. As the son-in-law of the Xu family, Zheng Boyuan knew that his foundation was shallow and dared not offend people easily.
Today, Zheng Boyuan unexpectedly ran into Li Jingming. After listening to Li Jingming's words, Zheng Boyuan had an idea. He wanted to find someone to discuss it with. He couldn't rely on the Zheng family, so he could only go to the Xu family to find his father-in-law.
Upon arriving at the Xu family residence, before dinner time, Xu Zhi went to the backyard, while Zheng Boyuan went to the Marquis's study in the front yard.
Chen Zhaoci was doing needlework when she saw Xu Zhi and said with a smile, "You came just in time for lunch, didn't you?"
Xu Zhi sat down next to Chen Zhaoci with a grin and said, "Yes, the food at our house smells so good. I came here just by the aroma."
Seeing that Xu Zhi was still in the mood to joke, Chen Zhaoci felt relieved. Xu Zhi saw the needle and thread in Chen Zhaoci's hand; it was an undergarment of Xu Rao, made of fine white cotton, which was very delicate and soft.
Xu Zhi reached out to help Chen Zhaoci, but Chen Zhaoci quickly stopped her, saying, "You don't need to do this. Your father's underwear is for your mother to make. What kind of talk is it to let you do it?"
Xu Zhi listened and said nonchalantly, "I'm a daughter, not a daughter-in-law. What's wrong with making two undergarments for my father?"
Chen Zhaoci's needlework was really bad, but Xu Rao insisted on it. Anyone could make other clothes, but Chen Zhaoci had to make the undergarments herself. Over the years, Chen Zhaoci had hardly made any other clothes, but she made several white cotton undergarments every year, even if she didn't wear them, she still had to make them and keep them.
As Chen Zhaoci worked, he asked, "You two just left yesterday, why are you back today?"
Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "We went to the Treasure Pavilion to buy things just now and met the fourth master of the Ming State Duke's Mansion. He secretly told Brother Boyuan that someone was trying to play a trick on him. Brother Boyuan was a little worried, so he wanted to come and talk to Grandfather and my father about it."
Hearing Xu Zhi's words, Chen Zhaoci paused in her work, sighed, and said, "You two are going through the most difficult time right now. You're so young, yet you have to shoulder such heavy responsibilities. Look at you, and look at Boyuan. You're still just teenagers, but you're being treated like adults. As your mother, it makes me very sad."
Seeing Chen Zhaoci's worried expression, Xu Zhi leaned on Chen Zhaoci's arm and said, "Mom, aren't we all fine? I think it's great. We're young, energetic, and always busy. I feel good in both spirit and body."
Chen Zhaoci gently shook her head and said nothing more. She lowered her head and continued doing her needlework. Xu Zhi turned her head to look at Chen Zhaoci, leaned closer to her, and didn't say anything either. The room fell silent for a moment.
When the Marquis saw Zheng Boyuan coming over, he invited him to sit down and said, "I just remembered something last night that I wanted to tell you, and here you are."
When Zheng Boyuan heard that the Marquis had something to say to him, he quickly sat up straight. The Marquis said, "The garrison commander in Wuzhou now is surnamed Mu. His grandfather was a subordinate general of our old Marquis. He died in battle at Yanmen Pass. Because of this, the old Marquis took good care of General Mu's descendants. Unfortunately, our family was forced by circumstances to sever ties with many people, including the Mu family."
Hearing the Marquis's words, Zheng Boyuan felt that his trip to Wuzhou shouldn't be too difficult, and said, "Thank you, Grandfather."
When Marquis Yongning saw Zheng Boyuan, whose eyes were resolute but whose face still held a youthful innocence, he sighed and said, "It must be hard for you. You can't stay in one place for long. Boyuan, you must remember that no matter what, you must never lose your integrity or the honor that our ancestors earned for us."
Zheng Boyuan stood up, bowed deeply to the Marquis, and said, "Boyuan will certainly keep in mind my grandfather's teachings."
After chatting for a while, Xu Rao returned from his official business and saw Zheng Boyuan there. He smiled and said, "Did you and Xiao Jiu know that I ordered a basket of crabs during the day before you came over?"
Autumn has arrived, which is the perfect time for plump and tender crabs. Chen Zhaoci and Xu Zhi both love to eat crabs, and Xu Rao had sent someone to order two baskets of crabs from a familiar shop well in advance. The shop delivered them today, and Xu Rao only found out about it at lunchtime.
When Zheng Boyuan heard that they were going to eat crabs, he laughed and said, "It really is something Azhi loves to eat. We two are just lucky to have arrived at the right time."
Zheng Boyuan recounted his encounter with Li Jingming at the Treasure Pavilion that afternoon. Xu Rao listened, then looked at the Marquis. The Marquis pondered for a long time before saying, "We have indeed made a mistake. In any case, we must not be too high-profile in the future. As the saying goes, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Being too conspicuous makes us easy targets for others. Boyuan, since this child from the Li family has given you this warning, you should keep it in mind. If things don't look good, it's necessary for you to leave the capital as soon as possible. However, you should still thank the person from the Li family who reminded you."
Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "I used to hang out with the fourth master of the Li family because we were in the same boat and had a mutual respect. The Li family has never had a good reputation. This fourth master is a rare clear-headed person who takes good care of me. However, his stepmother's suppression of him is really severe. He can neither study nor join the army, and he lives a very stifled life."
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