Wealth and glory seek stability

Tao Ran snorted coldly, "Humph, does he want to emulate the late emperor?"

Tao Lechu calmly analyzed the situation. "Your Majesty doesn't have many generals available now. The old Marshal Xu of the Xu family is seriously ill, and his eldest son Xu Jinpeng can't take on the position of commander-in-chief. Duke Lan is already old, and his son Lan An is mediocre, not to mention the Wu'an Palace. Looking at the court, there are actually few descendants of Wu Yin who can make a difference."

"So Your Majesty wants us to die?" After a long time in officialdom, Tao Ran's first reaction when encountering things is to calculate the gains and losses.

"I don't know about this either. I only know that the Cui family has begun to gather the tribe members to disperse to various places to preserve the family foundation. Qinghe is closest to Jiangning and the information it receives is the most accurate. Father, do you think we should make plans early?"

Tao Letu analyzed the situation and believed that when a large family encountered a disaster, the most important thing was to preserve the fire for the future.

A big part of the reason why the clan has been able to survive for hundreds of years is that they knew how to disperse the family power. The Tao family's power was previously based in the White Tiger Dynasty, but because of the internal strife in the White Tiger Dynasty.

The head of the family at that time decided to divide the family power into three parts. The Tao Ran lineage was the luckiest among them. Not only has it survived to the present day, but it has also grown stronger and stronger. It has intermarried with the Lu family for generations and has the momentum to surpass the Cui family.

Tao Ran felt a little tired and rubbed his eyebrows, which was his habitual action when he was thinking. The sandalwood lit in the study made people think clearly.

"I still need to think about this matter. Is Le Jiao back?"

"My second brother hasn't. He holds the title of governor. If there is any movement in the court, he will send a message back."

Tao Lechu saw the weariness on his father's face and was a little worried. "Father, mother is seriously ill. You should take care of yourself. When my little sister comes back, we can be reunited as a family."

Tao Ran sighed, "I hope so."

at this time.

Jian Xi has already disguised herself and arrived in Guangling.

Guangling is located in the south of the Yangtze River. Different from the prosperous Jiangning, it has endless green waters along the way. Taking a boat is the fastest way to go south.

The Xia Kingdom and the Xuanyuan Dynasty are now at loggerheads, and it is not easy to travel between the two places.

It became much more convenient with the token given by Shen Nanxing.

Jian Xi wore a veiled hat and a tiger-skin cloak on the outside. The tiger skin was made from the skin of a white tiger that Zhang Cen'er had shot in previous years. It was also a cloak that Zhang Cen'er personally ordered the craftsmen to make for Jian Xi.

Chu Lu and Mo Chuan behind him also changed into the clothes of the Xuanyuan Dynasty. They both had cold faces and swords on their waists, and they looked like they were not easy to mess with.

Jian Xi lifted her veil and looked at the mansion in front of her, where she couldn't see the edge of the wall.

She took off the pearl bracelet on her hand and handed it to Chu Lu.

Chu Lu understood and knocked on the door.

The gatekeeper knew the pearl bracelet was of extraordinary quality as soon as he saw it, and hurriedly entered the mansion holding the bracelet.

The gatekeeper did not dare to be negligent and found the old woman in charge of the inner courtyard to take Jian Xi and others into the reception room.

Jian Xi entered.

The Tao family became lively.

A man in a blue brocade robe strode over. He was about twenty years old, with phoenix eyes, sharp eyebrows, and a calm expression.

"Little sister." The man's voice was magnetic and his posture was upright as he moved. Although there was some joy on his face, his temperament was restrained and very noble.

Hearing this, Jian Xi did not speak without permission.

The man seemed to suddenly remember something and said with some annoyance, "Look, I forgot that you have never seen us since you were born. I am Tao Lechu, your eldest brother."

Hearing the last name Tao, Jian Xi took off her veil and revealed her true face.

At just one glance, Tao Letu was sure that Jian Xi was his sister.

Tao Ran has two sons. Tao Lechu looks and has the most personality like Tao Ran. Lu Feiman has been sickly and disabled in recent years, so the second son Tao Lejiao looks most like Lu Feiman.

Jian Xi looks about 50% similar to Tao Lejiao, especially the charm of her eyes, which exude coolness without her having to speak. The difference between the two may be that Tao Lejiao's facial features are tougher, while Jian Xi's are softer.

"Xier, is Xier back?" Tao Ran staggered, and Tao Letu hurried forward to support his father.

When Tao Ran saw Jian Xi for the first time, he felt as if he had seen a young Lu Feiman.

Jian Xi looked at the two father and son opposite her who looked very similar. For a moment, her mouth seemed to be tied up and she didn't know what to do.

Tao Lechu was very careful. "Little sister has never been home, so she is not used to it. Mother should be waking up soon. Can we go see her together?"

Tao Ran nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, your mother misses you." As he spoke, he tightly grasped the gold and jade bracelet in his hand.

When Gao Yunhuai left Guangling last time, he took the pearl bracelet with him and said that he would bring Jian Xi to visit in person next time he returned.

Now that Tao Ran saw Jian Xi coming to Guangling alone, he felt somewhat dissatisfied with Gao Yunhuai as his son-in-law, but he did not show it on his face.

Tao Letu talked to Jian Xi for a long time along the way, all of which were about Jian Xi's recent situation.

Jian Xi had nothing to hide, so she only talked about the most important things.

But she still had some questions, "Brother, do mother and her half-sister look alike?"

When Mrs. Gao saw her for the first time, she said that she looked very much like the original owner's mother.

She was also very confused, wondering if there was a mistake.

“This...?” Tao Letu looked at his father as if asking for help.

Tao Ran looked bewildered, "I haven't seen Fei Man's concubine sister either."

When he proposed to marry her, the only adult girl in the Lu family was the legitimate daughter, Lu Feiman. As for her half-sister, she was said to be only six years old.

Tao Lechu's expression froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal. "It's okay, we'll find out if we ask mother."

When talking about Mrs. Lu, the atmosphere between the few people became tense.

Jian Xi remained silent.

The purpose of her visit this time was because she heard that Mrs. Lu didn't have much time left, so she wanted to take one last look at the original owner's mother.

She had never seen her mother in her past life or this life. This was not only to fulfill the original owner's wish, but also to make up for the regret in her heart.

The house in the middle of the Tao family is open from north to south, and the sun can shine into the room when it rises, making it an extremely suitable residence for patients to recuperate.

There are several pavilions with corridors in the courtyard. Jian Xi took a quick look and found that cushions were placed everywhere in the pavilions, which showed the attentiveness of the staff.

A maidservant looked anxious and rushed out of the door. Seeing this, Chu Lu quickly stood in front of Jian Xi and opened her arms to protect Jian Xi.

When the maid saw Tao Ran, she fell to her knees with a plop, holding a bloody handkerchief in her hand, and cried out in grief: "Master, the Madam has vomited blood."

"what?"

Tao Ran felt his body shaking for a moment. Mo Chuan happened to be standing behind Tao Ran and quickly supported Tao Ran.

"Dad." Tao Lechu realized it belatedly and supported Tao Ran from the other side.