Granny Lu said, "The baby looks very good. He's lively and active, always moving around. Zhao Ci eats and sleeps well. I think he's doing great. You don't need to worry about these things. Just take good care of him. When this family comes back, you'll be the one protecting them."
The old lady smiled and said, "Yes, that's what I was thinking too. It's getting late, so go and freshen up first. We'll have a nice meal tonight to welcome you back."
Granny Shen led Granny Lu to a room in the backyard, a room specifically for bathing. The bathwater was already heated. Granny Lu had been traveling all the way and hadn't had a proper bath. Granny Lu was a clean person and didn't care about anything else. She soaked in the hot water and scrubbed her whole body thoroughly before she felt better.
Granny Shen helped Granny Lu style her hair, and Granny Lu said, "I was too embarrassed to ask about Third Master's birth mother, Aunt Zhu, whether she still spends all her time in the Buddhist hall."
Granny Shen said, "Yes, it's still the same as before. This old lady Zhu was once the eldest daughter of the Zhu family. Although the Zhu family was raided and exiled, she was able to leave the brothel because of the Marquis."
Granny Lu said, "Sister Chen, don't you think Aunt Zhu is strange? She is the Third Master's birth mother, so why is she so indifferent to this child? In this mansion, the Third Master is her only hope."
Granny Shen said, "She's always been like this, ever since the Third Master was a child. She didn't care about him when he was little. I remember when the Third Master was only a few years old, he had a fever and no one cared. It was the Old Madam who couldn't bear it and brought him here to be raised for two years. She raised him until he was seven years old and could live in the outer courtyard on his own. Only then did she let go. Some people in the mansion say that Concubine Zhu is heartless, while others say that Concubine Zhu's lack of contact with the Third Master is for his sake. There are all sorts of opinions."
Granny Lu was still somewhat puzzled and said, "Logically speaking, a mother shouldn't treat her child like this. The child is flesh of her own flesh."
Granny Shen said, "After all these years, everyone in the manor has gotten used to it."
Suppressing her doubts, Granny Lu went to the old lady's room after tidying up. There was a small kitchen in the old lady's courtyard, where the cooking was usually done. This time, a large table of Granny Lu's favorite dishes were prepared, and they even dug up the wine jars buried in the courtyard.
Granny Lu bowed to the old lady and said, "Thank you, old lady."
The old lady said, "Sit down quickly. These are all your favorite dishes. It's a long and difficult journey to Hexi, so it's not easy to send some to you. Now that you're back, I've made them all for you. Eat your fill first."
Granny Lu smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll eat my fill first."
After the meal, the Marquis came over to pay his respects to the old lady. After meeting with Granny Lu, he inquired carefully about the current situation in Hexi. He then began to think about what else to send to Hexi. After sitting for a while, he took his leave and returned to his study.
Since falling out with his wife last year, the Marquis has been resting in his study. Now, the actions of the Emperor's several adult sons are becoming increasingly blatant, and the noble families in the capital are the targets of their vying for their favor. The more this is the case, the more he needs to remain calm, because one wrong move could lead to the utter destruction of his entire family.
Two advisors were already waiting in the study, so that the Marquis could discuss the situation in Hexi County after he had met with Granny Lu, and analyze the current situation in the court.
The Marquis gestured for his two advisors to sit down and recounted everything he had heard from Granny Lu. He continued, "That's the gist of it. Granny Lu said that Yanmen Pass and Hexi County are outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense. Various preparations for resistance have been made within the city. When Rao'er wrote to me last time, she described in detail the defensive fortifications that Hexi had built. I think there must be a major battle coming soon."
One of the advisors said, "If that's the case, then the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War will be very busy. My lord, I think we should try to find a position for the heir apparent in one of these two ministries."
Marquis Yongning shook his head and said, "At this time, the more we do, the more mistakes we make. We should still follow the Emperor. The Emperor is in good health. Although the princes are causing a lot of trouble, the world still belongs to the Emperor. Those princes must first be the Emperor's subjects, and then the Emperor's children. Although it is good to follow the Emperor, it requires risking the lives of the entire family. We don't need to be the first to stick our necks out. After all, we still have a Third Master in Hexi."
Another aide said, "Hexi is just a small county town. Although it is a border town, it is not easy for them to do something that will catch the emperor's eye."
Lord Yongning shook his head and said, "Border wars have never been trivial matters. Since both Yanmen Pass and Hexi are preparing for war, I have decided to send a batch of supplies to Hexi, including warm clothes and food. These are supplies that need to be stockpiled after a war breaks out. We don't need to use the official accounts of the Marquis's mansion; we can use my private accounts. If it's not enough, we can collect the profits from my shops first. This time, I want to be Rao'er's strong support and help him defend the city of Hexi."
The moment Granny Lu returned, everyone in the mansion knew. When Granny Lu went to Hexi with Xu Rao, everyone in the mansion knew that Granny Lu's care in her old age would be the responsibility of Xu Rao's family. Now that Granny Lu had returned on her own, people in the mansion couldn't help but think about other things.
Before they had even had dinner, Madam Hou pulled Wu Mama aside and said, "Tell me, what is Mama Lu doing back here? Is she back to ask the Old Madam and the Marquis for money or things? I heard that the Third Prince's wife is pregnant again. Our Marquis is going to be a grandmother again, and the Old Madam is going to be a great-grandmother again. Thinking about it, the Third Prince and his wife are really shameless."
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