Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

The Baoxie Road ends where the Wei River flows long, and iron cavalrymen churn up dust in the setting sun.

I see the distant shadows of Chang'an's palaces, and I urge my horse onward to pass through Xianyang.

After completing the Baoxie Road and joining forces with Li Xuanba's personal guards, they prepared to travel along the river to Xianyang.

Standing at the mouth of Xiegu Valley and looking into the distance, the Wei River flows gently, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Pick up a flat stone from the ground, get into position, and throw it.

The stone skipped across the water, leaving a long trail of stones that drew cheers from the onlookers.

They were all Li Xuanba's personal guards!

Li Yu felt that even if he accidentally threw himself into the river, they would praise his superb skill in skipping stones.

Just look at those spoiled young men; they all have a look of disdain on their faces.

Too lazy to look at their sour faces, and after briefly enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention, Li Yu went to Sun Simiao's side: "Master, where is the direction of Wuzhang Plain?"

Sun Simiao, who had traveled to many famous mountains and rivers, was currently engrossed in a medical book and conducting research. Upon hearing Li Yu's question, he pointed to the opposite bank of the river without looking up and said, "You'll arrive twenty li west of here."

Upon hearing the distance, Li Yu ultimately gave up the idea of ​​going to take a look.

It's too far! I don't have time to go myself, so I can only say, Prime Minister, please take care...

Following the group along the Wei River, they arrived in Xianyang, by which time it was already dark.

Not daring to waste any more time, the group set off for Chang'an again before dawn the next day…

.........

Upon receiving Niu Jinda's letter, the next morning, Li Er and his wife, along with several parents who had lost their children, went up to Longshouyuan early in the morning, much like parents picking up their children from school.

"Erlang, Xuanba and the others should be arriving soon."

After waiting on tiptoe for a long time without seeing anyone in the distance, the eldest grandson, who was worried about his son, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Don't be impatient, Guanyin!"

Li Er helped Changsun, who almost lost his balance while standing on tiptoe, and comforted him, "Those lads weren't seriously injured, but they must have been in a terrible state. According to Jinda's letter, they went through a lot of hardships and were found looking much thinner."

Upon hearing her husband's words, the image of her two fair-skinned sons looking no different from beggars instantly flashed into Changsun's mind.

So the initial eagerness for her son to come back instantly turned into heartache.

The group of noblewomen who had come with Li Er and his wife were equally heartbroken. After hearing Li Er's words, they all sobbed uncontrollably with red eyes...

Li Er discovered that he didn't know how to comfort people.

So all he could do was pull his eldest grandson into his arms and pat him gently, which was enough to comfort him.

After calming Changsun down from crying, Li Er turned around and realized that quite a few of his subordinates were henpecked, and they were all so flustered that they were even more panicked than he was.

However, there were a few who were quite assertive, pointing at their wives and scolding them for being mere women...

"Your Highness! This is the entourage of Prince Zhao!"

The coachman's exclamation brought Li Er back to his senses, and he looked in the direction the coachman was pointing towards the Wei River.

Sure enough, a group of people appeared there.

"Prepare the horses! Go out to greet them!"

.........

After traveling from Xianyang, Li Yu finally understood why Chang'an had become the capital of thirteen dynasties.

In an era when land transportation was underdeveloped, Chang'an, surrounded by eight rivers, was indeed the best choice as the capital.

As they approached Chang'an, the young men, who had been wandering for many days, almost burst into tears, a testament to their trepidation at the prospect of returning home.

Unlike the others who felt apprehensive about returning home, Li Yu was filled with anticipation for Chang'an, a city built like a chessboard.

Just past the banks of the Wei River, a group of people came riding in front of us, their dust billowing like clouds.

"Father! Mother! Your child is here! Your child is here!"

Upon seeing his parents arrive, Li Chengqian jumped up and down excitedly.

The other boys did the same; seeing their parents come to pick them up, they all rushed out of the group.

Li Yu dared not rush out; he didn't want to be trampled to death by horses near Chang'an.

"My son is so steady and reliable, well done!"

Seeing his son so calm, Li Xuanba blurted out words of praise and even patted Li Yu on the back of the head twice.

Li Yu's head was buzzing from being slapped so hard; his father really spoiled him rotten!

I enjoy being pampered like this, but if I continue to be pampered like this, I'm afraid I'll soon be nicknamed "bastard".

While he was still thinking about how not to become a bastard, a graceful woman rushed over from the group of people.

The woman's beautiful face was familiar to him; she was Dugu, the wife of Li Xuanba.

Li Yu's birth mother died in childbirth, and on her deathbed, she entrusted him to her younger sister.

The two were siblings from the same mother, and were extremely close, even sharing the same husband when they married. Moreover, Lady Dugu had no children of her own, so she always treated Li Yu as her own son.

When Li Yu was lost, she was so heartbroken that she tried to hang herself at her sister's grave several times, but Li Xuanba saved her each time.

So when Li Yu was found, Dugu spared no effort to compensate him, and her affection for her nephew was even greater than that for Li Xuanba.

It was because of this affection that when she heard Li Yu call out "Mother" after a long pause, tears immediately streamed down her face.

"Oh! Oh! My son! I'm so glad you're back safe and sound."

The cries were so mournful that they saddened those who heard them and brought tears to their eyes.

Especially Li Xuanba, a seven-foot-tall man standing in front of the army, constantly wiping his face. Could it be that the Li family all have a gene for crying?

It would be a lie for Li Yu not to be moved, but... he had only thought about it for a long time and realized that calling her "Auntie" wasn't quite appropriate, so he called her "Mother" without knowing what else to call her.

He hadn't expected such a huge reaction, which left him somewhat bewildered and amused...

.........

After exchanging pleasantries with his mother for a while, he saw Li Er and his wife walking towards him with Li Chengqian and Li Tai.

"Good lad, I heard your headache has healed, and you even led your two younger brothers out of the Qinling Mountains! Your second uncle has to thank you!"

I really hate people who like to slap others on the head all the time, and they all have a really strong hand!

Li Er patted the back of Li Yu's head twice. Li Yu's eyes darted around, and he bowed slightly: "Uncle Wang, you flatter me! We were lucky to escape. We just happened to find a stone that could be used as a knife, twelve inches long and extremely sharp. But it's a pity..."

At this point, Li Yu changed the subject, "The stone was unfortunately lost when we left the Qinling Mountains, which saddened my nephew for a long time!"

After saying that, Li Yu even let out a mocking sigh.

Seeing Li Yu's expression, Li Chengqian and his brother were so surprised that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

When did they find such a stone? If they had such a stone, why would they need the dagger that Sun Simiao used to scrape away pus and blood?

"Hahaha!"

Seeing his two silly sons staring wide-eyed, how could the shrewd Li Er not understand Li Yu's little scheme?

He couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Good lad! Your headache just recovered and you've already become so smooth and shiny!"

"Fine! Once we get back to the manor, my second uncle will have someone forge the finest dagger and send it to your Prince Zhao's residence..."

.........