Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

Shi Liujie is now sixty-six years old, but his great-aunt is only thirty-five. There's no way around it; she's of a higher generation, and the relationship between Master Shi and his great-aunt is far beyond the fifth degree of kinship. However, this great-aunt is lucky. Old Master Shi arranged a marriage for her when she was young, but by the time she reached marriageable age, the betrothed family had already fallen on hard times. Yet, she withstood the pressure from her parents to break off the engagement, declaring that if they did, she would cut her hair and become a nun. Ultimately, at the age of eighteen, this great-aunt married the man to whom she had been betrothed since childhood.

To everyone's surprise, the heartbroken Mr. and Mrs. Shi didn't see their daughter suffer. Instead, in the second year after their marriage, their son-in-law, from a humble background, became the top scholar in the imperial examination. Before Mr. and Mrs. Shi could even recover from their joy at their daughter becoming the wife of a top scholar, their son-in-law soared to even greater heights, becoming the Grand Tutor of the then Crown Prince at a young age. To this day, this son-in-law of the Shi family is not only one of the four regents appointed by the late emperor, but he also maintains a clean reputation and dotes solely on his daughter. The entire Shi family envies their daughter's good fortune.

Shi Liujie, as the nephew of this great-aunt, who was beyond the fifth degree of kinship, never used this status to curry favor with Grand Tutor Wu. He had served as an official for forty years, and while his political achievements were not particularly outstanding, his cautious nature had allowed him to remain safe in the officialdom. He maintained a close but not intimate relationship with this great-aunt, who was now the wife of the Grand Tutor. During holidays, he would prepare an appropriate gift list and send it to the Wu residence, indicating that it was a nephew's filial piety towards his great-aunt. Every month or so, he would pay his respects to her and bring novel but not overly expensive gifts for his "younger brothers and sisters" who were old enough to be his grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Lord Shi kept the relationship to this extent, never asking his uncle for any favors in the officialdom, and rarely even showing his face before Grand Tutor Wu.

Lord Shi had no great ambitions, only a desire for peace. His insight and adherence to rules naturally earned him the favor of this lady. In fact, Lord Shi knew that although he had never made any demands of the Grand Tutor or his wife, he had managed to stay in the position of Prefect of the Capital for ten years, and the Grand Tutor's uncle must have played a part in it.

Madam Wu was somewhat surprised that Shi Liujie visited her at such an unusual time. She greeted her distant nephew with great enthusiasm, exchanging pleasantries for a long time before asking, "Liujie, you look rather haggard today. Have you encountered any trouble?"

Lord Shi immediately wiped his eyes and said, "It is still my aunt who loves me the most. I have been fortunate to have your care over the years, and I have had a relatively peaceful life in the capital. I have never wanted to take advantage of your love to gain anything I shouldn't have; I only wish to preserve this blood bond. However, I am foolish, and the officialdom is treacherous, so I have to act cautiously. Now I have indeed encountered something I cannot understand, but I dare not be careless, so I would like to ask my uncle for some advice."

Madam Wu replied, "I've heard your uncle say that although you haven't done anything particularly outstanding in your position as the Prefect of the Capital, you are diligent and meticulous. You don't need to be so worried about your own relatives. If you encounter any difficulties, you can bring them up. If your uncle can't do it, I'm sure Liu Jie won't blame him."

Lord Shi hurriedly said he dared not, and then told the story of Peng Zizheng's assassination attempt, the Emperor's anger, and his inability to find the suspected child.

After hearing this, Madam Wu laughed and said, "I thought it was a big deal. Although I don't understand the affairs of the court, I know that General Peng's troubles are not the fault of Liu Jie. Once His Majesty calms down, I'll have your uncle mention transferring the case to the Dali Temple."

To everyone's surprise, Lord Shi waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Grandma, I am not trying to shirk responsibility. Although I am not talented, the household registration system in the capital is strict and entry and exit are recorded. How could a child disappear in just one day? I have a bad feeling that this matter is not simple, but I am dull and cannot see through the tricks of this matter. Moreover, I am of low rank and dare not trouble the government with a big fuss based on a guess. So I came to find my uncle. My uncle is extremely smart and will surely be able to see the problem here."