vrcanaries Chapter 297: Disobeying the Emperor's Order
Chapter 297: Disobeying the Emperor's Order
Xiao Zhixue sighed inwardly, the world is like a new chess game, and there are such coincidences in the world.
She stared at Fan Yanmu: "Who is Yin Qing's father-in-law? Is he famous?"
Fan Yanmu pondered for a moment: "It seems his name is Zhong Wen."
When Xiao Zhixue heard this, a light flashed through her mind, but it quickly disappeared and was difficult to grasp.
She tried to dig deeper into the memory, but it was like looking at flowers in the fog. The more she thought about it, the more vague it became. In the end, she could only shake her head and smile bitterly: "Alas, my memory has really not been as good as before after I got pregnant."
Seeing this, Fan Yanmu's worry was evident in his words: "Are you feeling uncomfortable? How about taking a rest first?"
After saying that, he wanted to help Xiao Zhixue back to her seat.
Xiao Zhixue insisted on standing, partly to complete her daily exercise, and partly because she still wanted to pursue those fleeting thoughts.
Until late at night, when the two were preparing to go to bed, the lost memory had not yet been recovered, like a shooting star in the night sky, fleeting.
The next morning, Fan Yanmu went out on business, leaving Xiao Zhixue alone at home. After breakfast, she felt very lonely. Apart from casually flipping through a few books, she seemed to have nothing else to do.
"An Lan, please go to the courtyard and invite Sister Qing Ling and Xin Er to come over to play. If Auntie is free, please come along as well. I'm really feeling depressed here, and I'm eager for someone to talk to me."
An Lan obeyed the order and left. Not long after, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming back from outside the door. She hurriedly reported: "Princess, I just went out and met the eldest lady and Miss Ya who came to visit."
Xiao Zhixue was surprised and delighted when she heard this: "What a coincidence! Then you should go and greet the guests and lead them in directly."
In just a few minutes, Jiang and Xiao Ruoling walked into the house accompanied by An Lan. After some formalities, the host and the guest sat down and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Jiang's eyes were slightly red, and this ominous omen quietly grew in Xiao Zhixue's heart.
"Xue'er, Auntie asks you for a favor."
Facing Jiang's request for help, Xiao Zhixue was embarrassed, but still asked with concern: "Aunt, please tell me frankly, what's the difficulty?"
She knew very well that it was not wise to make a promise rashly, and she needed to hear everything in detail before making a decision.
"Your elder brother, Yu Tao, suddenly announced yesterday that he would go to Yizhou to find your father. He said that he wanted to fulfill his promise to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and fight in battle to achieve great success..."
After hearing this, Xiao Zhixue was silent for a while, and finally spoke slowly: "Aunt, I'm afraid I can't do anything about this matter. Brother Yutao has already made a promise to the prince, and dissuading him from going to Yizhou at this moment is tantamount to disobeying the emperor's order."
After the words were spoken, silence fell in the room. The wind outside the window blew through the treetops, bringing a barely perceptible chill that seemed to add a touch of heaviness to this sudden change.
She continued to persuade him earnestly, with a hint of subtle worry in her voice: "To be honest, even if I could go to the trouble of begging Uncle Crown Prince, and even if Uncle agreed not to pursue the matter out of consideration for family affection, Brother Yu Tao's future in the court would probably be overshadowed by this, and it would be difficult for him to be as smooth as before."
Xiao Zhixue's eyes revealed a hint of understanding of the fickleness of the world, but she knew deep down that reality was often much crueler than human nature.
Once Xiao Yutao compromised on this matter, even if the prince did not blame him on the surface, Xiao Yutao's future path to promotion in the court would most likely come to an abrupt end when he reached the fifth rank.
After all, in the arena of power, no one in power wants to see his subordinates showing inconsistency or lack of responsibility.
After hearing Xiao Zhixue's detailed analysis, Jiang felt as if she were poured with cold water. She came to her senses in an instant. An embarrassment appeared on her face, and her heart seemed to be weighed down by two huge rocks: on one side was her son's bright future career, and on the other was his personal safety.
Such a choice is undoubtedly a heavy burden for her.
Xiao Ruoling stepped forward at the right time and tried to ease her anxiety: "Grandfather and my brothers explained the truth very clearly yesterday. You can relax. Big brother will definitely be able to turn danger into safety and be safe. Besides, isn't Second Uncle still watching over us in Yizhou? There are some things that we can't control, but at least we can choose to believe, right?"
There was delicate tenderness in her words, hoping to bring some comfort to her mother.
With the patient persuasion of Xiao Zhixue and Xiao Ruoling, Jiang's mood gradually calmed down.
At this moment, Xiao Qinxin, the little darling of the family, who is already ten months old, is sitting on the soft carpet. Her chubby little hands are tightly holding a bright fruit, and she is chewing it with relish using her newly emerged milk teeth. Her naive look makes people laugh.
When Xiao Zhixue saw this scene, she felt a surge of love and pity in her heart.
Although this little girl is two months younger than Han Yuexi's son, she has shown courage that is no less than that of a boy in their previous gatherings. She can even make the lively twin brothers cry, which surprises and delights the adults around them.
Remembering that scene, Xiao Ruoling felt particularly embarrassed, fearing that Han Yuexi would be angry about it. However, surprisingly, Han Yuexi was not angry at all. Instead, she took this opportunity to teach the children: "Boys, remember, this is your sister. From now on, only she can 'bully' you a little bit. As brothers, you must never bully your sisters. Do you understand?"
Although the children present may not fully understand the deep meaning behind these words, Han Yuexi insisted that boys should be taught to respect and protect girls from an early age to prevent them from growing up to be people who disrespect women in the future.
Xiao Zhixue privately felt that this method of education seemed to be worth discussing, while Xiao Ruoling laughed so hard that she fell over, thinking that this remark was both interesting and philosophical.
Jiang adjusted her mood and said solemnly, "Xue'er, my aunt came to see you today because she actually has another very important matter to discuss."
Xiao Zhixue was slightly stunned, with a hint of doubt in her eyes. She looked at Xiao Ruoling, who also had a puzzled look on his face.
It seems that this is not a continuation of the previous topic.
Xiao Zhixue nodded and motioned for Jiang to continue: "Aunt, please go on."
Jiang's eyes gently turned to Xiao Ruoling. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by Xiao Ruoling anxiously: "Mother, what is it about me that you are talking about? How come I don't know anything about it?"
There was curiosity and anxiety in her tone.
After hearing this, Jiang glared at Xiao Ruoling in dissatisfaction: "Don't rush to interrupt me, just listen to what I have to say."
Xiao Ruoling pouted, looking unwilling but helpless, and had to turn her attention to Xiao Qinxin who was concentrating on eating fruit.
Jiang continued, "That happened before the New Year. Your brother Yuxuan was out on business and caught two fugitives. When he returned home to celebrate, one of his colleagues came along. That young man was handsome and he mentioned it to your brother Yuxuan privately a few days ago, saying that he had taken a fancy to your sister Ling."