After Xu Shi gave his orders, the soldiers responded immediately.

While Old Lady Fu was still sitting on the ground, dazed, two towering figures in black armor approached her from either side.

They dragged Old Lady Fu to the sunlit street outside Wuyi Lane, their voices booming like thunder.

“Kneel!”

Old Lady Fu was handled like a rag doll, her world spinning as she looked up and saw the passersby pointing and whispering.

Her face turned as red as liver, her ears buzzing.

“How dare you! I am a noblewoman, and my son is an official in the Ministry of Rites! My eldest son is a valiant minister who fought in the northern campaigns!”

She tried to get up from the ground, but before she could finish her words, two more old women, Wang Miao and Li Miao, were thrown beside her to keep her company.

Xu Shi glanced coldly at the disheveled old woman and took a long, narrow brocade box from his retinue.

He walked toward the gate of the Lady Zanying residence.

Upon seeing Xu Shi and the black-armored guards supporting the young lady, Manager Du, quickly greeted him with a bow and allowed him entry into the house.

Both sides walked side by side, ignoring the old woman who was still crying and calling out at the alley entrance.

In the east hall, after Zan Ying had calmed down, she was sitting silently with her hands resting on her neck.

When she saw Xu Shi arrive, her eyes brightened instantly, and she stood up, looking outside. “Did my Little uncle come?”

Xu Shi removed his shoes on the wooden corridor outside the railing, lightly brushing off his sleeves, and walked into the hall with a smile, holding the box. “The master didn’t come, but he sent me to deliver two items to you.”

He added, “You don’t need to worry about the commotion outside. The guards will handle everything.”

While speaking, he was carefully observing Zan Ying’s expression.

Xu Shi had followed closely behind Qiu Shi’s carriage to Wuyi Lane.

Out of respect for the master’s instructions, he had endured hearing the old woman’s tirade, his teeth clenched.

In the Great Jin Dynasty, filial piety was paramount—a principle as towering as a mountain and as deep as an abyss.

Xu Shi knew how intimidating and oppressive this was for a fifteen-year-old girl.

He couldn’t imagine how Zan Ying would react.

But he hadn’t expected Zan Ying to respond with such determination, as if facing Mount Tai without changing her expression—calm and resolute.

Yet Xu Shi still worried about her suffering.

Zan Ying, however, was curious about what Xu Shi was holding. “What is it?”

Xu Shi opened the box, revealing a small wooden bow of unknown wood.

The bow was elegantly crafted, its curves reminiscent of a refined profile of a lady.

The bow’s surface was inlaid with seven tiny red gemstones, spaced about three fingers apart.

At first glance, the design seemed understated and matched the wood color, but it was extraordinarily delicate and exquisite.

Beneath the bow was a matching wooden polo stick.

Zan Ying had seen the Fourth and Fifth Princesses playing with such items in the Huayin Garden, but she had never used them herself.

Upon seeing this, her troubles seemed to vanish instantly.

She carefully picked it up, finding it neither too light nor too heavy, perfectly suited to her hands.

A few casual swings felt as natural as an extension of her arm.

“The general said you must eat well and rest properly. Once you’re recovered, you can enjoy these toys.” Xu Shi smiled and added, “This bow and stick were made by the general himself, a rare treasure. Take good care of them.”

Zhan Ying, who had been reluctant to let go of the polo stick, felt a warmth in her hand, as if the meticulously carved wood had come to life.

A pair of gentle dimples appeared on her cheeks, not very pronounced but very serene.

She said softly, “Little Uncle cares for me.”

Xu Shi, having given his instructions, asked, “Does the young lady have any message for the Grand Marshal?”

Zan Ying slightly bowed and replied, “Please convey my thanks to Little Uncle for his kind gifts.”

Xu Shi paused, looking at the clear and unclouded eyes of the young lady.

He realized that no further questioning would be fruitful, so he nodded and left.

But just as he reached the door, he couldn’t help but turn back and offer some words of comfort. “Although I don’t know the specifics of what happened in the capital back then, I know that Madam Tang was a person of great ambition and versatility. Not bothering with petty matters does not mean she feared them. So, no matter how you act, young lady, you are not deviating from the way of your parents, and there is no need to feel regret.”

Zan Ying had resolved to do what she must without regret.

Hearing these words, she felt a shift in her heart and asked hurriedly, “Do you know my mother, and were you familiar with her?”

Xu Shi’s gaze, softened by the memories, reflected the brilliance of such a person.

How could he not remember her?

How could he not find her unforgettable?

The middle-aged scholar finally said softly, “Your mother was a very good and remarkable person.”

As soon as he left, the Prince of Huai and his wife arrived at Wuyi Alley to comfort Zan Ying because of the commotion caused by the Qiu family.

This part is not mentioned here.

However, about fifteen minutes later, a covered carriage hurriedly arrived at Wuyi Alley.

The person who tumbled out of the carriage was none other than Fu Xiao.

As he got out, this Deputy Minister almost tripped over the footstool and disheveled his headscarf but paid no attention.

Seeing a crowd of heavily armored soldiers in front of him, under the scorching midday sun, he saw his mother kneeling in the bustling street.

Fu Xiao felt as though he was being slapped repeatedly by invisible hands, the pain searing.

He cried out, “How did it come to this? How did it come to this?”

He moved closer and saw his mother’s distress more clearly.

Old Lady Fu’s hair was disheveled, and her face was streaked with what was indistinguishable as tears or sweat.

Her lips trembled, her chest heaved, and her gown had stains of unknown liquid.

She no longer resembled a respectable matriarch of a prominent family.

Fu Xiao’s heart ached, realizing that from this moment on, the Fu family’s reputation was irreparably damaged.

He asked with trembling voice, “Mother, are you hurt anywhere? Please get up, get up first.”

He tried to help her up, but two soldiers with drawn swords blocked his way, their expressions stern.

Fu Xiao recognized them as the Grand Marshal’s men and was both angry and fearful.

He recalled vividly the shadow of that day when An’er and Fu Zhuangxue had to walk back to the Fu residence from Xishan.

He had heard the rumors about the Grand Marshal being as fierce as a tiger or dragon, his enemies vanquished with ease.

He was afraid, but he could not let his mother die here.

He had no choice but to lower himself and plead with utmost humility.

Despite his most earnest pleas, the soldiers remained unmoved.

At this moment, Old Lady Fu finally turned around.

Through the soldiers, she saw her second son, and tears welled up in her murky eyes as she sobbed, “My son, please save your mother. I don’t want to kneel here.”

The crowd was watching, and it was incredibly humiliating.

Fu Xiao, with red eyes, stamped his foot angrily, “Mother, you foolishly insisted on acting rashly when I had advised you to be gentle. Why did you insist on threatening the younger generation, thinking you could force them to yield? You didn’t realize it would shame the Fu family.”

Qiu Shi(Old Lady Fu’s Name), with her disheveled hair and tearful face, looked pitiful. “I acted with the best intentions for the Fu family. I thought with Zhou Xie’s repeated assurances, it would work.”

Upon hearing that name, Fu Xiao’s mind went blank. “Who?”

Old Lady Fu, thinking her son did not hear clearly, explained with a sob, “Zhou Xie. I sought his advice.”

Fu Xiao was well aware of who Zhou Xie was.

He was a minor advisor to his elder brother, originally from a humble background.

With his sharp tongue, he had managed to secure a low-level official position.

Fifteen years ago, during the Northern Campaign, his elder brother Fu Rong was the flag-bearer, and the third brother was an aide, accompanying General Liu Huan to Yanzhou and Chenliu County to contest the Yellow River region against the Huns.

Among the clerks, Zhou Xie was present.

The campaign was one of the most brutal of the Jin Dynasty’s three Northern Expeditions, with fierce northern cavalry familiar with the terrain, nearly leading to the annihilation of Liu Huan’s army, suffering heavy losses.

Ultimately, Fu Rong managed to escape the encirclement and seek aid from the Xianbei Gaoxin tribe, unexpectedly turning the tide of battle.

However, Fu Rong was unfortunately intercepted and killed by the Huns on the way back, and the third brother and several aides did not survive the final chaotic battle.

The only survivor from the Fu family’s expedition was Zhou Xie.

Upon returning to the capital, Zhou Xie, having contributed greatly, rose to become a mid-level official from a humble seventh-rank clerk.

It was known that in the Jin Dynasty’s nine-rank system, the highest position a commoner could achieve was the sixth rank, making Zhou Xie an exceptional case.

Old Lady Fu seemed particularly fond of doing things like “love the house and the crow,” especially since Zhou Xie had accompanied her eldest son through his final moments and had carried the head of the family’s coffin home from afar.

She took special care of him and even personally arranged a marriage for him.

This matter had caused quite a stir among the aristocracy back then.

Old Lady Fu had concealed it from Fu Xiao, and when Fu Xiao heard from others that his mother had arranged a match for a mere scholar, he was almost heartbroken.

He simply couldn’t understand this so-called “love son as life.” To treat a small clerk from his deceased son’s side so favorably—what was she thinking?

Fortunately, Zhou Xie had some talent and was valued by the upper court, so this somewhat small storm had been covered up.

But Fu Xiao still disliked this person.

Indeed, his premonition was correct.

Today, this man had come to cause trouble for the Fu family.

“Mother, you didn’t consult me first and trusted an outsider?”