Seeing He Jiuniang's calm expression, it seemed she was really alright. Old Man Lu breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that she hadn't caused any trouble for the family.
Sun asked again, "Didn't we say before that we shouldn't have any dealings with these envoys? Since we rejected the Eastern Court so decisively, why should we bother with the Southern Tai?"
Sun didn't understand those important matters; all he wanted was for his family to stay away from those turmoil. He knew none of the envoys had good intentions, so naturally, his family should stay as far away as possible.
He Jiuniang patiently explained, "The reason we refused Dongting is because we have an open conflict with them. Dongting's third prince is still in our hands, and Dongting previously tried to disrupt the Northern Yan court, so we need to avoid suspicion. As for Xiteng and Nantai, there is no major conflict on the surface, and it wouldn't make sense to completely cut off contact. Now that the Nantai heir is starting with Father, it's a good excuse. Let's go with the flow and see what they really want to do."
At this point, she added, "Father, although we don't mind associating with him, you should still consider what to say and what not to say, so that he doesn't find out all our secrets."
Sun slapped Old Man Lu on the arm and asked, "Did you hear that? If you dare to reveal all the secrets of our family, I might as well kick you out!"
"Okay, okay!"
Old Lu glanced at Sun Shi with some resentment, feeling that Sun Shi had disrespected him and made him lose face in front of his daughter-in-law.
However, it was indeed his fault, and he could only swallow his pride and admit it.
Even so, Old Man Lu still tried his best not to go out, after all, he wasn't that smart and wouldn't know when he was being tricked.
Even though he doesn't go out much, he can still run into Prince Namtae when he goes out occasionally.
Although Crown Prince Namtae doesn't usually talk to him, whenever he goes there, someone will warmly invite him over, and then there will be an unavoidable negotiation.
Now Old Man Lu was certain that Prince Nantai was really after him. He was on tenterhooks every day, and after returning home, he had to report everything he had said and done to Madam Sun. If Madam Sun thought there was a problem, she would talk to her daughter-in-law. If there was no problem, she didn't have to worry about it. Old Man Lu was under immense psychological pressure.
With the coronation ceremony imminent, Lu Baichuan did not go to the military camp, but instead took charge of the city's security. During this period, no mistakes could be made.
The Imperial Academy had a day off, so Lei Zi and the others went to help out at the shop. Gou'er, who finally had a chance to spend time with Lu Baichuan, took his little monkey and went out with Lu Baichuan to patrol the city.
As the commander-in-chief, Lu Baichuan was not required to personally patrol the streets, but he still habitually went out for a stroll to get a sense of the situation, so that he wouldn't be clueless when asked in a critical moment.
"Father, when can I wear armor like you?"
The dog followed beside Lu Baichuan, with a small monkey perched on its shoulder. It was unclear what breed the monkey was; it wouldn't grow very big, just a tiny one, about the size of a cat.
It perched on the dog's shoulder, its little hands tightly gripping the little tuft of hair on the dog's head, looking very nervous with so many people around.
The dog sensed its tension, stretched out a paw to support it, and then looked up at Lu Baichuan's armor, its eyes shining.
Lu Baichuan looked down at his son and said, "If you like it, Daddy will have someone make a set for you according to your size."
"Really!"
The dog got excited instantly, thinking that he could only do it when he grew up and joined the army.
"Of course, I'll make it for you if you like."
Lu Baichuan rubbed his son's head, smiling indulgently.
He felt guilty towards his son, and even after they reunited, he was busy with official duties and didn't have much time to spend with him, so he wanted to make up for it in these ways.
Since he paid for the custom-made armor for his son himself, there's nothing anyone can do if they want to cause trouble.
The dog was overjoyed; dressed in armor, he was a majestic little general!
"Are you tired? Come here and let Daddy hug you."
Lu Baichuan bent down to hug him, but Gou'er quickly said, "No need, I can manage!"
He's destined to be a little general, how can he still need his father to carry him?
Lu Baichuan laughed and said, "Okay, then I'll carry you when you get tired."
As the father and son were talking, the little monkey suddenly became agitated, barking at the crowd in front of it. Then it abruptly let go of the dog it was holding, jumped off its shoulder, and headed towards the most crowded area.
"Little monkey! Come back quickly!"
As soon as it started to get agitated, the dog tried to hug it, but failed and watched helplessly as it ran away.
"Daddy, please help me find the little monkey!"
The dog was a little anxious. The little monkey had been mistreated by those people and was afraid of people for a long time. It was much better now and would occasionally go out shopping with him, but it had never been like this before. The dog thought that the little monkey must have encountered the people who had hurt it before.
Although Lu Baichuan was on duty, this was still part of his duty. He instructed his subordinates to continue patrolling while he picked up the dog and went to chase the little monkey.
Suddenly a little monkey ran out. The crowd in front was already in chaos, with women screaming and men shouting. The dog became even more anxious.
"Father, faster!"
The dog still hasn't mastered the light-footed skill, so it can only place all its hopes on Lu Baichuan. Lu Baichuan carried it and jumped into the crowd, where they saw the little monkey holding a man's head and tearing at it frantically.
The man tried to pry the monkey off, but it wouldn't come down. So the man hit the monkey with something in his hand, and the monkey was instantly injured and bled, but it still clung to the man's head and wouldn't let go.
"Little monkey, come back!"
The dog barked, and the little monkey, seeing it, seemed to want to express something, and its behavior became even more intense, biting off the man's ear.
This was the first time anyone had ever seen such a crazy monkey; it was so small, yet its fighting power was so strong.
Lu Baichuan had initially thought the little monkey had caused trouble and was about to step forward to stop it, but when the man saw him, he acted like a mouse seeing a cat, pulling the monkey off his head and throwing it to the ground, then quickly pushing through the crowd and running away.
Lu Baichuan realized something was wrong with this person and immediately summoned his men to arrest him.
The dog rushed forward and picked up the little monkey who had been thrown to the ground and was barely alive. Its hands were covered in blood, and it burst into tears instantly.
"Waaaaah, little monkey, you can't be hurt! Daddy, take me to Mommy, waaaaah..."
The little monkey had been beaten by that man and then thrown to the ground. It's easy to guess that several of its bones must have been broken, and it was bleeding from its head. If the internal injuries were serious, it would most likely not survive.
However, his wife's medical skills are exceptionally refined, so it's possible she might actually have a solution.
Lu Baichuan stepped forward, picked up his son, and comforted him, "Don't worry, Daddy will take you home now."
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