My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 112 Don't be afraid of him, just beat him up if he deserves it.

Faced with his unambitious and useless son Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di was much more composed than the Princess of Yan, who was furious. He stroked his beard and said slowly, "Where could he have gone? He must have gone to the palace. His father made him study with Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru every day. How could he dare not go?"

"Yes, Mother, Second Brother will study hard," Zhu Gaoxi replied after bowing to the two of them.

Zhu Youdun then put in a lot of good words for her, but Xu Miaoyun was still worried. "I still have to go and see, and say hello to the two gentlemen. Miaojin has two nice paintings and calligraphy pieces that I can send over."

"I have an appointment with Jiujiang, so I can't go with you," Zhu Di said, turning to look at Zhu Gaoxi. "Fourth brother, you have to be polite to Duke Cao. We're relatives."

Li Jinglong's nickname was Jiujiang. Zhu Di was three years older than him, and the two had been playing together since childhood.

Just as Zhu Gaoxi was about to defend himself, Zhu Di frowned and said, "You even tied up Zengshou, who is your father-in-law."

Xu Miaoyun laughed dismissively, "Third brother must have made some mistakes. You can't blame the fourth brother entirely. When Muxue wrote to me about this, I was shocked. I thought Zengshou had caused a huge disaster."

"I beg my father and mother to keep this a secret," Zhu Gaoxi pleaded earnestly.

He wasn't afraid of Xu Jingyan. Although that little girl was domineering and unreasonable, she was still young and her fighting power and destructive force were relatively limited. If Xu Miaojin found out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

You can't afford to offend them, and you can't avoid them either.

It can drive people to the brink of despair.

Zhu Gaoxi couldn't do anything to that old lady.

"Why would you need to beg? Your father and mother aren't fools, how could they not side with their son?" Xu Miaoyun skillfully pulled Zhu Gaoxi to her side and embraced him.

This stepmother, who has no blood relation to him, is really outgoing. Zhu Gaoxi is inwardly resistant but can't let her see it, so he has to rely on his acting skills to maintain appearances.

"Father, Mother, Li Jinglong is not without fault for Guan Tong's incident. He is very close to the Crown Prince. He was the one who sent the painted-face eunuch who framed Fu Zhong."

Zhu Gaoxi brought up the matter himself to avoid his adoptive father getting the news from elsewhere first and becoming passive.

"Li Jiujiang is always shrewd and sociable, just a rich kid. Are we afraid of him?" Xu Miaoyun smiled at her husband. "Fourth Brother only had Youdun brandish a sword in front of him, he didn't do anything to him. Look how pitiful he wrote in his complaint letter, that brat is good at bluffing!"

How can you talk like that in front of a child?!

Zhu Di coughed twice, signaling his wife to stop talking.

His stepmother's scolding was truly exhilarating, and Zhu Gaoxi admired it greatly. He immediately felt a deep affection for her and leaned his small body close to her.

Influenced by this, Xu Miaoyun whispered in Zhu Gaoxi's ear, "My son, don't be afraid of him. Beat him if he deserves it."

Taking advantage of his father's inattention, Zhu Gaoxi quickly nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead, Xi'er will keep me company," Xu Miaoyun said gently as she stood up and straightened her husband's clothes.

This gentle and compliant demeanor, emanating from within, is a stark contrast to her previous domineering presence.

Perhaps, this is the power of love.

After Zhu Di left, Xu Miaoyun, accompanied by Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun, went to the palace to pay her respects to the old emperor.

The two top-quality mink cloaks were made by Xu Miaoyun herself. As she got older, she was afraid of the cold and found winter the hardest time to endure. The old emperor wore them and smiled broadly. What he valued was the sentiment behind them.

Xu Da's eldest daughter-in-law was always efficient and knew how to charm people.

When the old emperor was most moved, Xu Miaoyun knew when to stop and immediately took her leave, saying that she was going to the Eastern Palace to visit the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince's Consort.

Actually, she wanted to go to the Grand Hall to give gifts to Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru, asking them to strictly control Zhu Gaoxu. Going to the Eastern Palace was just a side trip; she had to go through the motions when returning to the capital.

Xu Miaoyun had always been on good terms with Chang Lin and disliked Lady Lü, believing that Lady Lü was too scheming and not a good person.

Therefore, Xu Miaoyun wholeheartedly supported Zhu Gaoxi's secret investigation of the Lü family.

Someone should have investigated this matter long ago. The Lü family always pretended to be so harmless, yet they received almost all the benefits. Who knows how many bad things they did behind the scenes?

Xu Miaoyun walked along the corridor, gazing at the East Palace, and pondered to herself.

The main hall specially set aside a separate courtyard for Zhu Gaoxu and Mu Xin to study, mainly because they were worried that they would lead other students astray.

Unruly students should be treated specially.

Just in time for the break between classes, Xu Miaoyun first approached the two teachers and presented them with gifts.

Fang Xiaoru sternly refused and then gave a long explanation of his reasoning. Xu Miaoyun responded with ease, citing numerous examples, and actually persuaded him to reluctantly accept the gift.

Historically, Empress Xu was exceptionally intelligent, well-read, and possessed a photographic memory.

Zhu Gaoxi and the others outside secretly admired her, thinking that she truly deserved the title of "female scholar" and that her reputation was well-deserved.

Zhu Gaoxu secretly pulled his younger brother aside to a secluded corner and whispered, "Fourth brother, why did you chase us into the palace?"

"Your mother cares about you," Zhu Gaoxi said sympathetically, looking at his second brother who was as frightened as a bird startled by a bow.

"You're so smart, why didn't you try to stop them?"

Zhu Gaoxu sighed and complained.

"How could those petty tricks possibly escape the notice of Mother?" Zhu Gaoxi said with a wry smile.

In the classroom, even if parents are extremely disappointed in their children, they have to suppress their anger and take action at home in front of the teacher.

Moreover, Xu Miaoyun's main purpose for this trip was not to assault someone, but to visit the gentleman.

Like a gentle rain nourishing the earth, with the teacher's strict discipline day after day, the second son would surely make progress; this was Xu Miaojin's plan.

Fighting is not the goal; the most important thing is the actual effect.

If you can get your second child to behave without using force, who would want to go through all that trouble?

Seeing Xu Miaoyun come out of Fang Xiaoru's room, the second son was terrified, like a mouse seeing a cat, and slowly moved towards his mother.

"Mother," Zhu Gaoxu called out meekly.

Unexpectedly, his mother smiled and kindly told him and Mu Xin to go back to the vegetable garden for lunch, without mentioning anything about beating people.

It turned out to be a false alarm, and Zhu Gaoxu happily agreed.

It wasn't that he was naturally timid, but rather that he had too many painful memories from the past.

"Brother, could this be a trap?" Mu Xin felt that the Princess Consort of Yan's smile was a bit fake. While the Princess Consort of Yan was exchanging pleasantries and saying goodbye to Xie Jin and Fang Xiaoru, Mu Xin lowered her voice to Zhu Gaoxu's ear and gave him a gentle reminder.

"No, my mother has always been straightforward," Zhu Gaoxu whispered in Mu Xin's ear.

Mu Xin nodded with some doubt, and together with Zhu Gaoxu, they watched the Princess of Yan leave.

Zhu Gaoxi sensed his stepmother's suppressed anger, and after they had walked some distance from the main hall, he advised her, "Second brother will study hard."

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun smiled and said, "Mother Consort knows what she's doing and will make your second brother obedient and dare not act recklessly."

Zhu Gaoxi smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to reply. He really couldn't figure out whether having such a strong-willed mother was a blessing or a curse.

When they were about several dozen meters from the gate of the East Palace, Zhu Gaoxi asked with some concern, "Aren't we going to be turned away?"

"They wouldn't dare," Xu Miaoyun said confidently.