After Xiao Fubao's life was stolen, he became the favorite of everyone in the capital

Chapter 476: Yellow Rice Wine Recipe
Xie Xingchuan vaguely heard about what happened in the Dali Temple.

In the great battle three years ago, he was also following his adoptive father as a soldier. He felt something was wrong at the time. It was as if those grassland people suddenly had brains and easily found their offensive and defensive weaknesses.

Now that Lin Tao had made random connections and exposed the traitor Mrs. Xie, Xie Xingchuan felt that everything made sense.

He was glad that his adoptive father figured it out at the critical moment and adopted the method of turning the tide against the grassland people, and finally defeated them. But even so, it was still only a tragic victory, and his adoptive father almost lost his life.

"How dare she! If only I had noticed it earlier! So many of my comrades wouldn't have died on the battlefield!" Xie Xingchuan originally thought that his adoptive mother was mentally twisted because she had stayed in the inner house for a long time and lost her own son.

But no one expected that she herself was a person who could not distinguish between good and evil. For the sake of her son and her mother's family, there was nothing she could not do.

Gu Mingda patted his son on the shoulder and said, "You have no way of knowing what others are thinking. The one who did something wrong is her, not you!"

Xie Xingchuan nodded reluctantly.

Gu Mingda knew that the war three years ago was an uncontrollable painful past for his son, and it was not something that could make him feel relieved by just a few words now.

But fortunately, they still have Niu Niu.

Niuniu held Xie Xingchuan's hand at this time: "Brother, can you take me to catch sparrows? I want to raise a little sparrow!"

Gu Mingda looked at the little sun at home and pulled Xie Xingchuan step by step towards the warm place.

He turned around, looked at his wife, and asked, "Has anything happened to you during this period?"

Seeing that Mrs. Xie's matter had come to an end, Zhang Yunniang finally nodded.

"The Queen Mother summoned me some time ago and wanted to grant a marriage between Niu Niu and Li Xuan."

Gu Mingda's face turned ugly in an instant. He actually didn't hate Li Xuan. As a student, Li Xuan was considered to be relatively outstanding among the royal family children. He was smart and motivated, and he could understand things quickly. No teacher would dislike such a student.

But when he thought about how this brat dared to covet his precious daughter, Gu Mingda couldn't help but feel his teeth itching.

"Qi and Da are not a good match. The two families are not a good match. This is probably the Empress Dowager's wishful thinking. Prince Jing's Mansion may not be happy about it." Gu Mingda found an excuse.

Zhang Yunniang sighed: "You are wrong, the palace is willing."

When Gu Mingda heard this, his face suddenly darkened: "Could it be that Prince Jing's Mansion thinks that Niuniu's favor by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will help Li Xuan compete for the throne?"

Zhang Yunniang was of course unable to explain, and only said, "Although this is the first time the Empress Dowager has mentioned this to me, she seems to be very enthusiastic about this matter, even a little anxious."

Gu Mingda found it extremely strange when he heard this.

"Even if Niuniu marries Li Xuan, she won't live in the palace forever. Why is the Queen Mother so anxious? Is there something we don't know?"

Zhang Yunniang shook her head. "I have tried to inquire with Niuniu in the past few days, but she couldn't tell me. There doesn't seem to be anything unusual in the palace. Concubine Shun's belly is getting bigger day by day. The emperor and the empress dowager are looking forward to the birth of their own child. If it's a boy, Li Xuan won't be able to become the crown prince."

Gu Mingda frowned even deeper and said, "Shen Ling is older and hasn't even settled down yet, why is the Queen Mother so anxious about Niuniu's marriage?"

The strange thing about this matter is that the Prince Jing's Mansion does not have a close relationship with the Empress Dowager's family, and the two families do not even have an intermarriage. The Empress Dowager does this without any motivation from any interests.

"The Queen Mother seems to be not willing to accept the offer. Do we really have to agree?" Zhang Yunniang asked. Gu Mingda suddenly held his wife's hand and said, "It is difficult to disobey the Emperor's order. If it is really impossible to refuse, we can only agree. However, we have to wait until Concubine Shun's child is born."

Gu Mingda hoped to give birth to a boy. At least that would mean the battle for the crown prince would be over and Prince Jing's Mansion would not be a dangerous choice.

If a girl was born, Gu Mingda's heart would sink. He did not want to get involved in the fight for the crown prince. Following the dragon might make a family soar quickly, but it might also make everyone disappear into thin air.

"Actually, we forgot to ask Niu Niu what she thinks. Maybe she likes Li Xuan very much and wants to marry him." Zhang Yunniang said.

Zhang Yunniang also met Li Xuan once. It was at the palace gate. Li Xuan called her "Master's wife" very politely, while the other members of the royal family acted as if they didn't see her.

Gu Mingda immediately said, "Niuniu is so young, how can she know what she likes and what she doesn't like? At her age, she only knows how to eat, drink and have fun."

In Gu Mingda's eyes, Niu Niu always seems to be just that five-year-old girl.

Gu Mingda now has something more to worry about. The ice and snow have melted, and Gu Yan's teacher at Baiyun Academy told him that Gu Yan can now try to get out.

The Gu family’s hometown is Guang’an County, which also means that Gu Yan has to return to Guang’an County to take part in the county examination.

In a blink of an eye, it was the day for Gu Yan to set off. This time he returned to Guang'an County with the Luo family's caravan.

With Manager Luo, the uncle, leading the team personally, the Gu family doesn't have to worry about Gu Yan's safety, but Zhang Yuniang is still used to nagging.

"If you feel something is wrong, you must run as soon as possible. Do you have enough money? If it is lost on the way or stolen, don't be shy. Your uncle is not an outsider. If things get bad, you can still borrow money from your family in Guang'an County, okay?"

Gu Yan listened to his mother's instructions patiently, without a trace of impatience on his face.

Zhang Yunniang couldn't help shedding tears when she thought that this was the first time her son had left her and her husband to travel far away.

Gu Mingda said: "The young eagle will eventually leave the protection of the eagle. Sooner or later, this day will come."

Zhang Yuniang nodded reluctantly.

Niuniu grabbed Gu Yan's hand and said, "Brother, even if you fail the county exam this time, you will always be my best brother!"

Gu Yan couldn't help laughing, touched Niuniu's head, and said, "Okay, I've remembered it all. Even if I don't pass the exam, as long as I think about having a good baby waiting for me at home, I will never cry."

Niu Niu handed over a big bag of snacks that she had prepared.

Old Mrs. Gu secretly gave Gu Yan a silver ingot: "Grandma hasn't saved much money in the past two years, you can spend it."

"Grandma, my parents gave me a lot of money. I'm not short of money." Gu Yan refused.

Old Lady Gu said with a stern face, "I'm poor but rich on the road. I don't have much to spend money on in the capital. Take it. If you don't spend it all, return it to me when you come back."

Gu Yan had no choice but to accept it.

It was unknown when Father Gu came to Gu Yan's side, patted his grandson on the shoulder, and said, "The recipe for yellow rice wine is hidden in the cracks of the wood of the beam..."