After the Marquis of Yongning submitted a secret memorial to Emperor Cheng of Liang, Emperor Cheng, for reasons unknown, actually agreed to it.
Xu Rao and the Marquis of Yongning went to the old lady's courtyard and told her the whole story. The old lady listened from the Zhu family to the people in the valley of Wuzhou. She was silent for a long time. These things were from a long time ago and involved a wide range of people. Even the late emperor and the elders of the Xiao family could not find out about them. But she did not expect that Xu Di would find out about them.
After pondering for a long time, the old lady said to Marquis Yongning, "Since His Majesty has entrusted you with such an important task, then you should do it well. Our Xu family probably owes the Xiao family something."
Upon hearing the words of the Old Madam, the Marquis of Yongning's expression changed drastically, and he called out softly, "Mother!"
The old lady smiled nonchalantly and said, "I'm practically buried in the ground, what's there to be afraid of? Alright, alright, these are just some agreements from our ancestors. Once I'm gone, these agreements will be useless. I've lived for almost eighty years, and only now do I realize that I have nothing to ask for. I just want my children and grandchildren to live a good life. Alright, you should all go now."
After leaving the old lady's courtyard, Marquis Yongning said to Xu Rao, "Your grandmother is getting old, and she sometimes just says things because she feels good. Third brother, as subjects, we can't disobey the emperor's decree." Marquis Yongning himself couldn't continue speaking. Xu Rao chuckled twice. It was really difficult for someone who had been influenced by socialist values for decades to accept these feudal dregs of the emperor's will and the subject's obligation to die.
Marquis Yongning abruptly changed the subject, saying, "Have you and Zhao Ci decided on what reason to use to leave the capital?"
Xu Rao laughed and said, "Zhao Ci said he'd rather not give any reason at all. I'll ask for leave, and we'll just go to Jiangnan openly and honestly. Let others do whatever they want and think whatever they want."
Looking at his willful son and then at his somewhat unruly and free-spirited daughter-in-law, Marquis Yongning managed to swallow his sigh.
The reason for Marquis Yongning's departure from the capital was readily available: every year at this time, he would go to the south to inspect several estates and shops. A few days after he left, Xu Rao asked Emperor Liang Cheng for leave, saying that he wanted to accompany his wife to Jiangnan to pay respects to Chen Zhaoci's grandfather. His colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue did not quite understand Xu Rao's actions, but considering that this Lord Xu was a man who loved his wife, they could understand.
Xu Rao and Chen Zhaoci traveled and enjoyed the scenery along the way, visiting the Fuchun River. After lingering for several days, they went to a manor by the river, and then used a secret passage in the manor to shake off their followers, disguised themselves, and rode quickly towards Wuzhou.
Marquis Yongning has found a place in the mountains dozens of miles from Wuzhou. It is nestled against the mountains and by the water, and there are some wastelands nearby that can be cultivated into fertile fields. He has asked Wei Lang for several hundred people to start a kiln to fire bricks and tiles and build a village for the people in the valley.
Xu Di and Ma Ming eventually drove the people of Great Yan back to the other side of the border river. Then they began to build fortifications on the riverbank. This time, Xu Di was determined to build a strong fortification like the Great Wall, which could block the enemy army on the border river.
Xu Di was building a brick kiln by the river when someone came to report that the Marquis of Yongning wanted him to take him to the valley. Xu Di quickly packed up and, with a few men, rode fast horses toward the valley.
Marquis Yongning didn't bring many people with him, just a few personal guards. When he saw Xu Di coming over, he said, "The place has been chosen. I want you to take me to find the chief of the valley and ask him to come out and see if it's suitable. After all, this village is where they will live in the future. Also, I need to make some of His Majesty's conditions clear to him. These people are not ordinary citizens of Daliang; they need to be tested over a long period of time."
Xu Di agreed and led the Marquis of Yongning up the mountain ridge.
Standing on the mountain ridge, Marquis Yongning saw that one side of the ridge was sheer and incredibly difficult to descend. The mountain opposite was just as steep. Marquis Yongning marveled to himself, wondering which master had chosen such a place.
Xu Di carried a cloth bag, found a spot, checked the wind direction, and then took out three fireworks from the bag. These were specially made signal fireworks by Xu Di. When he left the valley, Xu Di had made an agreement with Leng Pingzhi that if things were resolved, Xu Di would come and set off three fireworks, and Leng Pingzhi would come out to meet him.
Xu Di understood that the passage in and out of this valley wasn't just the one he had taken before. Since they had said they would meet, they must have gone through a place he didn't know. Things had already developed to this point, so it was better to have more trust between them. However, their master, An Muyuan, had already been secretly sent to the capital by Xu Di and was now imprisoned in Emperor Liang Cheng's prison, guarded by special personnel. It was only because Emperor Liang Cheng was a benevolent person that these people had no way to survive; they would either starve to death in the valley or be killed when they came out.
Not only Xu Di understood this problem, but Leng Pingzhi also knew very well that the current situation was no longer about what they wanted, but rather that they were fish on a chopping board. Whatever others wanted, they had to do unconditionally according to their arrangements. Ordinary people in the valley did not know about the outside situation, but the third leader, Xiang Jianzhou, often traveled outside. They had no connection with the training bases under An Muyuan's command, but that did not prevent Xiang Jianzhou from finding out some things through his own channels. This time, Xiang Jianzhou came out and learned that Da Yan had been defeated. This was not good news for the people in the valley.
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