The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Outside Chang'an City, Chen Huai'an stood with Feng Qiao'er and Feng Zhidai, watching Feng Ang and his wife leave.

They originally intended to see Feng Ang off to the Wei River to board a boat, but Feng Ang refused, saying that there was no need to waste too much time on them, and that there would be plenty of opportunities to meet again in the future.

"Sigh." Feng Zhidai was a little depressed, wondering if it was a good thing for his wife and children to stay.

"Huai'an, little sister, let's go home."

Chen Huai'an responded and led Feng Qiao'er and the others back.

Feng Ang's last words to him were worth pondering, leaving him with mixed feelings.

In any case, it seems he has achieved his goal and has a solid escape route.

With this escape route, his long-standing tension finally eased considerably.

Furthermore... Feng Ang is far more decisive than I imagined, and it seems he really intends to place his bets on him.

Although I don't understand why, as long as the result is good, that's fine.

He was too lazy to think about it anymore.

All problems will eventually surface; it's just a matter of time, and he has plenty of time. "Husband, what are you thinking about?"

On the way back, Feng Qiao'er noticed that he seemed lost in thought, so she couldn't help but ask him.

"Oh." Chen Huai'an came back to his senses, shook his head, "I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just thinking about where I would take you to live after I stopped being an official."

Upon hearing this, Feng Qiao'er laughed and said, "It's fine, just do what you want. You can also go back to your hometown. I heard from Sister Su Jin that your hometown is very nice, and the people in your village are very kind. They used to take good care of you."

"When you retire from officialdom, we can go back to our hometown, build a small courtyard, and live a simple life."

"Hometown..." Chen Huai'an was in a daze again.

Feng Qiao'er is right. The people in his hometown are very kind. It's just an ordinary little village where everyone shares the surname Chen, and they help each other out on a daily basis.

Back then, the villagers helped him a lot to afford his schooling; otherwise, given his family's financial situation, they wouldn't have been able to afford it even if they had saved every penny.

Thinking about it carefully, Chen Huai'an's rise to power was inseparable from the help of benefactors, good family members, harmonious village, and the deceased storyteller.

Thinking of all this, Chen Huai'an fell silent, feeling somewhat sad.

Feng Qiao'er noticed these emotions and suddenly realized that she might have said something wrong.

In the past, Chenjia Village was considered a clan, which is why everyone seemed so united. Back then, Chen Huai'an was not only the hope of his family, but also the hope of the entire village. However, Chen Huai'an, who came to Chang'an to take the imperial examination with so many hopes, was almost crushed by reality and could only stay in the school as a teacher, barely making ends meet.

Given the circumstances at that time, Chen Huai'an had no face to go back.

He didn't know how to face his sister, how to face the deceased storyteller, or how to face the villagers of Chenjia Village.

Since his rise to prominence, he has been too busy to go back.

The only help he provided to Chenjia Village was to secretly write a letter to the local county magistrate and to take good care of the villagers when implementing the work-for-relief program.

Feng Qiao'er knew about these things, and she also knew what Chen Huai'an was thinking, but she couldn't bring herself to speak up.

The journey passed in silence.

Back home, Chen Huai'an went to train as usual, while Feng Qiao'er told Chen Sujin what had just happened.

Upon hearing this, Chen Sujin recalled the past and her eyes welled up with tears: "Back then, if it weren't for everyone's help, Xiao An would never have been able to afford to go to school."

"Xiao An probably feels guilty. He was too ashamed to go back before, but now that he is a third-rank official, he doesn't even have time to go back to his hometown to visit his family."

"Yes, of course it is!" Feng Qiao'er said with certainty, "If my husband wants to go back, His Majesty will definitely understand."

"I feel... my husband is hesitant to face his parents and mentor." Chen Sujin was taken aback: "Why?"

Feng Qiao'er certainly didn't understand Chen Huai'an as well as Chen Sujin, but her ability to read people was far superior, something she had cultivated since childhood, and naturally, Chen Sujin couldn't match her.

"My husband probably thinks that if he hadn't insisted on studying, my parents-in-law wouldn't have had this accident..." Feng Qiao'er explained softly.

Since she married into the family, she has often offered incense to her parents-in-law's memorial tablets, and of course, the Chen siblings also did so.

Every time Feng Qiao'er saw Chen Huai'an offering incense to his parents, she felt a sense of guilt.

The only time I stood up straight was probably the day I married her.

"This..." Chen Sujin suddenly realized, then said irritably, "He's been smart all his life, why is he so muddle-headed about this?"

"What does his parents' death have to do with him?"

"If his parents knew about his achievements today, they would be able to rest in peace with a smile on their faces."

"Sister Sujin, it's different," Feng Qiao'er explained patiently. "You and your in-laws naturally won't blame him, but he will blame himself."

"Leaving aside your parents-in-law, doesn't your husband also feel guilty towards you?"

"In his eyes, you deserve a better life, even if you just marry an honest farmer and live a harmonious family life." Chen Sujin retorted without hesitation, "Our family is quite harmonious now, what kind of bullshit farmer is he?"

"If I marry a farmer, will I still be able to live in such a big mansion?"

Feng Qiao'er: "..."

She knew Chen Sujin was just saying it in anger, but she still couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

"Sister Sujin, my husband still has a knot in his heart."

"What's bothering you?" Chen Sujin stood up. "I think he's just being dramatic. You wait, I'll talk to him."

Feng Qiao'er immediately fell silent, watching Chen Sujin run out with a smile.

Xiao He suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gave her a thumbs up: "Sister Qiao'er, you're amazing."

Feng Qiao'er was startled: "What are you doing here?"

"I've always been here," Xiaohe said matter-of-factly. "You just haven't noticed me."

Feng Qiao'er: "..."

"Sister Qiao'er, can we go back to our hometown now?" Xiao He asked expectantly. Feng Qiao'er smiled and said, "That depends on what your mother says."

"Anyway, I hope I can go back."

"No matter what, I have to go and pay my respects to my in-laws."

"Rely on Xiuya?" Xiaohe pouted. "That's hopeless. You might as well rely on me."

"Rely on you?" Feng Qiao'er couldn't help but chuckle. "Relying on you is certainly possible, after all, Xiulian is more resilient than Xiuya, right?"

Xiao He: "......"

"..."