Because of the heat, Xu Di and Zheng Boyuan did not lie on the tent, but instead laid out a wolfskin rug on each of them by the fire.
Xu Di looked at the starry sky. The fire beside him was burning dry pine branches. The burning pine branches emitted a pleasant smell. After the two guards finished their meal, they went to sleep in their own tents.
Xu Di looked at Zheng Boyuan, who was lying down just like him, and asked him, "Boyuan, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"
Zheng Boyuan said, "I have considered it. I plan to join the army. When I was a child, I followed my grandfather. My grandfather's wish was that the Pingxi Marquis family would produce another general who could guard a region. I have been learning martial arts from the masters in the mansion since I was a child, so that I could join the army in the future."
Xu Di said, "No matter what, as long as you have a goal and can work hard towards it, that's good."
Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "You know how things are in our household. My father dotes on my stepmother and values her children very much. My sister and I are just an eyesore to them. If I don't stand up for myself, I won't be able to survive, and my sister probably won't live long either. I didn't understand this before, but I realized it later. If I had accepted their arrangements, they might have spared my life. Now that I've run away, I guess in their eyes I'm no different from a dead person. Brother Xu, I've been thinking about this for a long time. I want to change my identity and join the army."
Xu Di pondered for a while and said, "That's an idea, but have you decided what kind of identity you want to adopt?"
Zheng Boyuan shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. I'll discuss it with my uncle when I see him. Besides this matter, I also have my sister to worry about. I don't know how she is doing. My grandmother is old and can't take care of her for many more years. I don't know if my sister can survive alone in that cannibalistic place."
Xu Di said, "You'll have to discuss this with your uncle. If it really doesn't work, you can find a husband for your sister first, or even have someone take her in and raise her for a few years before consummating the marriage. Also, sometimes you have to give up some benefits. Nothing is more important than your own life."
Upon hearing Xu Di's last sentence, Zheng Boyuan's eyes lit up. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The Pingxi Marquis's mansion hasn't had much income in recent years. The shops and estates they own don't generate much profit each year. Yet, the mansion still values pomp and circumstance. My stepmother didn't have much dowry when she married into the family. The Marquis gave a considerable portion of his property to my stepmother. I think I can make a fuss about this."
Xu Di suddenly thought of something and asked, "In your family a few years ago, so many of those who went to war died young without leaving any descendants or elders?"
Zheng Boyuan thought for a long time and said, "My grandfather's younger brother died on the battlefield after leaving behind a posthumous child. That posthumous child died before reaching adulthood."
Xu Di said, "Then let's make a fuss about this and find a way to get your father to adopt you so that you can carry on the family line from your grandfather's brother's side."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Boyuan said, "That would be difficult, after all, I am the eldest son of the first wife."
Xu Di smiled and said, "You are the eldest son of the first wife, and it is because of this identity that your stepmother hates you to the bone. There is nothing that cannot be accomplished in this world. It just depends on whether you have tried your best and whether you have paid the corresponding price."
Zheng Boyuan pondered for half the night, and in the morning, with red eyes, he said to Xu Di, "When we pass through the capital, I want to go back and have a good talk with my uncle."
Xu Di glanced at Zheng Boyuan and said, "When we get to the capital, do I need to wait for you?"
Zheng Boyuan said, "Brother Xu, I'll have to trouble you to wait for me a bit. I'll tell my uncle about my plans and then I'll come with you. I want to see what this beautiful land that my grandfather and the others risked their lives to protect looks like."
Xu Di said, "Alright, but I don't want to go into the city. If you want to discuss this with your uncle, I don't recommend that you go into the city. We don't know what the situation is like yet, nor do we know what your family's attitude is towards you, who has been missing for so many days. It would be best to find a place to stay outside the city and then find a reason to bring your uncle over."
Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "My uncle told me that if there is anything urgent, I should go to the pancake shop in East Second Alley in the city and leave a message for him, and someone will go and talk to him."
Xu Di nodded, indicating that he understood.
After stopping at the post station outside the capital, Xu Di sent a guard to deliver a message to Dong Er Hutong. The guard waited until the man with the sesame seed cake found Zheng Boyuan's uncle and followed him to the post station.
Zheng Boyuan's maternal uncle had come secretly. Upon seeing Zheng Boyuan, the two men, with red eyes, briefly explained the current situation of the Pingxi Marquis's residence.
After the manor outside the city was burned down, Zheng Boyuan disappeared. Madam Chen asked Marquis Xiping to announce Zheng Boyuan's death. Madam Chen thought that as long as Zheng Boyuan's death was announced, he would be a dead man and would have no identity even if he came back. Then the Marquis Xiping's mansion would belong to her children. Unexpectedly, the first person to object was Marquis Pingxi.
On the Chen family side, Chen's eldest uncle forced his father to deny that Zheng Boyuan was dead. Because of this, the Marquis of Pingxi told the outside world that Zheng Boyuan had made a mistake, was flogged and injured himself, and had been recuperating at his estate outside the city. As for the search for him, the Marquis of Pingxi did not take any action. However, Chen's eldest uncle knew that his half-sister had hired people to search for Zheng Boyuan everywhere, and after finding him, she killed him. Little Chen has now completely torn off the pretense of civility with the Chen family.
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