Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

He Erye and He Lanting were kept by the old lady and did not go with them. After all the female relatives left, the old lady He restrained her smile, looked at her grandson and said, "The letter only said that there was some unrest on the road. What exactly is the situation?"

There were actually two letters sent back by Mr. He a month ago. One only said that the family met He Lanting on the way back, while the other described in detail the encounter with He Lanting and the danger he encountered. However, Mrs. He was afraid that Xie would panic, so she did not show it to her.

It is said that when a family passed through Qionglai County, they encountered a group of fleeing soldiers. The soldiers chased several old, weak, women and children, shouting and killing them. When the shining big knife was about to fall on a lame old woman, a young man in black clothes who appeared out of nowhere blocked it with his sword. He picked up the big knife with his sword and fought with several soldiers again.

However, although he was agile, he could not withstand the enemy's large numbers and was about to be defeated. He Tongchen quickly called on his own soldiers to come forward for help. After rescuing the young man from the stray soldiers, he discovered that the young man was actually his nephew. He could not help but feel frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.

Finally, He Erye arranged for his own soldiers to send those wandering soldiers to the nearest county government office, and sent those old, weak, women and children home, and then he calmed down and asked He Lanting why he was here. It turned out that three years ago, not long after He Erye and his family took office, He Lanting had reached a bottleneck in reading scriptures and understanding history, so he made an appointment with his friends to travel together.

But after one year, his friend had to return home due to family problems. He Lanting had to continue his study tour with his follower Hengzhi. Finally, he received guidance from a great scholar and had an epiphany. Thinking that he had been away from home for three years, he prepared to go back. But he did not expect that he would encounter stray soldiers on his way home. He had been taught since childhood that he should benefit the world, so he could not bear to watch women and children suffer. Although he knew that his ability was only enough to protect himself, he still went forward to fight with the stray soldiers.

"Do you know that if you hadn't met me today, you would have died at the hands of those bandits?" Master He was frightened and blamed He Lanting for his recklessness.

"Uncle, don't worry. When I rushed forward, I had already told Hengzhi to ride as fast as possible to the nearest county government. Reinforcements will be here soon. Besides, I have a sword in my hand, so I can still fight back. But those women and children are unarmed, and I really can't bear to see them die by the sword." He Lanting knew that his uncle cared about him, so he didn't get angry when facing the accusations from his elders, but just explained.

"I know you are a kind-hearted young man, but swords are merciless. If you get hurt, what will happen to your grandmother and parents? You are the only child of your eldest brother. If something happens to you, the entire Anguo Mansion will be turned upside down." Hearing that He Lanting had a backup plan, Master He's expression eased a little, but he still patiently analyzed the pros and cons with him. He Lanting also knew that he was taking a risk this time, so he stopped arguing and lowered his head to listen obediently.

Hearing this, the usually amiable Old Lady He couldn't help but look cold, "Your second uncle is right, he was indeed a bit reckless. If anything happens to you, do you want me, an old woman with half of my body buried in the ground, to send you off?"

"My grandson knows he was wrong, and my uncle and aunt have already scolded him all the way. I will think carefully next time."

Seeing that he admitted his mistake, Old Lady He let him go and turned to ask He Tongchen, "Have you found out the origins of that group of thieves?"

"The governor of Qionglai County used some tricks, and those stray soldiers quickly confessed. They said they escaped from the military camp in Fuyang. Because they committed a crime, they dared not return to the military camp, so they had to become bandits and commit murder and robbery." He Tongchen replied.

"Fuyang is close to the border of Beidi and has tens of thousands of troops stationed there. How could they be so lax?" Old Lady He put down the teacup in her hand and frowned.

"It is said that Concubine Cen asked Your Majesty to send Cen Ji to Yanyang..." Master He lowered his voice.

"No wonder." Old Lady He groaned.

"Your Majesty is becoming more and more confused now." He Lanting sighed in a low voice.

"Be careful with your words!" Hearing He Lanting speak so disrespectfully, He Tongchen couldn't help but scold him.

"It's okay, it's just a private conversation between family members." Old Lady He was not as nervous as He Tongchen. "Your Majesty has been favoring Concubine Cen over the years, and her behavior has become more and more erratic. The censors have submitted several memorials, but Your Majesty still does what he wants."

"That Cen Ji relied on Concubine Cen's favor and bullied men and women all the time. This time, he even broke the leg of the young master of the Hu family."

"General Hu bitterly accused Cen Ji of many crimes in the Jinming Palace, forcing Your Majesty to not step down. He had no choice but to give in and beat him with ten boards, and then sent him to the Fuyang camp."

"They say that he is asking him to atone for his sins, but in fact they just want him to stay out of the spotlight. Besides, those people in the military camp are all shrewd people, so they dare not do anything to him."

"Not only did he not discipline him strictly, but he also tried to curry favor with him, which made him even more lawless. He began to interfere in important military matters. One day he said the soldiers were lazy and made them train day and night. The next day he said the food was too good and wanted to cut expenses."

"This group of soldiers just couldn't stand the increasingly bland food in the barracks, so they slipped out in the middle of the night. They just wanted to have a bite to eat, but when they returned, they found that the barracks were shouting and killing and wanted to catch deserters. How could they dare to go back? So they just became bandits."

Mr. He finished explaining the whole cause and effect of the incident in one breath. He felt his mouth was dry and he raised his head to drink the cup of tea in his hand.

"Fortunately, the whole family has returned safely. Your Majesty has neglected state affairs in recent years, and there have been constant disturbances of all sizes in the local area. If this continues, I'm afraid there will be a major chaos." Old Lady He also came from a prominent family and raised a son like He Tongguang, who was so ambitious, so she naturally could see further.

"What does mother mean?" Mr. He's face turned pale.

The current emperor, who was the fifth prince at the time, conspired secretly with He Tongguang and took advantage of the situation. However, the coup that lasted for several months and sacrificed countless souls still left a heavy shadow in the heart of Master He.

Now that they have finally had a few years of peace, Mr. He naturally does not want to go through those precarious days again.

"The Crown Prince is mediocre, Prince Cheng is violent, Prince Yue is smart but too young. Although the noble families behind them have been suppressed by Your Majesty in recent years and have become increasingly depressed, a centipede will still die even after its limbs are cut into pieces..." Old Lady He did not continue speaking, but Master He and He Lanting both heard the unspoken meaning in her words and could not help but frowning.

But when Old Lady He saw them like this, she laughed first, "You don't have to worry too much. The Duke's Mansion has been known as 'powerful' for a long time. We have always accumulated some confidence for you. Even if that day really comes, we will definitely be able to protect our family."