After time travel, share a space with your modern family.

Chapter 172 Telegram with Relatives in Beijing

"Let Young Master Liu stay here and guard the place!" Qiao Tinghao suggested.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man rushed in from outside, shouting loudly, "You want me to stay here? Where are you going?"

Qiao Tinghao glanced at him and said coolly, "That's none of Young Master Liu's concern. You just need to do your own thing."

Liu Ziyun angrily flung his sleeves and said, "Whoever wants to guard it can guard it, I'm not guarding it."

"Whatever you want." After saying that, Qiao Tinghao pulled Ruan Mumu and walked out.

He originally wanted to add, "If you don't protect your Liu family's empire, who will?" But then he thought that with so many people talking, he decided not to say it, lest the villains find out his identity and harm him.

"You're not allowed to leave!" Liu Ziyun rushed out and shouted at the two of them.

Qiao Tinghao ignored his shouts, grabbed Ruan Mumu's waist, and leaped away using his light-footed skill.

Unwilling to give up, Liu Ziyun also used his lightness skill to follow behind them.

The three chased each other all the way to Fuquan Palace, which was the palace that Ruan Mumu had chosen as her resting place.

"Aren't you tired? You had an electric scooter, so why did you use your kung fu to show off?" Ruan Mumu complained to Qiao Tinghao as soon as her feet touched the ground.

"It's rare for me to show off like this, so please don't expose me, it's kind of embarrassing," Qiao Tinghao said somewhat awkwardly.

His words drew another burst of laughter from Ruan Mumu.

After laughing, Ruan Mumu said, "If an ancient woman laughed like me, she would definitely be criticized to death. She would not act like a woman at all. Fortunately, I was not born into a wealthy family. Otherwise, with my skills, I would not have survived half an episode before I would have died."

Ruan Mumu's words successfully made Qiao Tinghao burst into laughter again.

"What are you talking about that's so funny? You never take me with you anymore." Liu Ziyun stopped, panting, and saw Qiao Tinghao and the other guy laughing heartily, and her heart started to ache again.

Ruan Mumu barely managed to suppress her laughter before speaking, "Actually, it's nothing. I just thought of some funny things. You don't have to listen, because you wouldn't understand anyway."

"How do you know I don't understand if you haven't even said anything? Girl, you've changed. You've become someone I don't recognize," Liu Ziyun said somewhat angrily.

Ruan Mumu ignored him, went into the inner room for a while, and brought out a pot of tea, two plates of pastries and two plates of fruit.

Having been busy for a long time, they were exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. Only after the three of them had eaten and drunk their fill did they sit down to chat.

"You are the most beautiful cloud in my sky, let me keep you with my heart..." A melodious ringtone rang out, and Qiao Tinghao and Ruan Mumu both took out their phones at the same time.

“She is my mother,” Qiao Tinghao said.

Then the call connected, and a gentle woman's voice came from the other end: "Hao'er, is that you?"

"Mom, it's me. I was just about to call you!" Qiao Tinghao's voice unconsciously lowered a little.

"Your father just called and said that you have not only conquered Xirong, but also occupied Xirong's royal palace. Is that true?" The woman's voice trembled slightly, and she was clearly very excited.

"Yes, Mother, we captured the Western Rong palace very smoothly. It's just a pity that we couldn't capture Emperor Zhou Geng of the Western Rong alive. He committed suicide by poisoning himself beforehand." Qiao Tinghao briefly reported the matter to his mother.

"Then...you're not hurt, are you?" The woman's voice was filled with concern and worry.

"Mom, I'm not hurt, really, I'm perfectly fine," Qiao Tinghao assured her.

"By the way, Hao'er, didn't you tell me last time to go to the palace to see the Imperial Concubine? I just entered the palace and am currently in the Imperial Concubine's palace. Is there something you need to see the Imperial Concubine about?" The woman told her where she was.

Qiao Tinghao's mother was named Wang Hui, the eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of War.

Liu Ziyun's mother was named Xiao Qianqian, and she was the eldest daughter of the Minister of War.

Wang Hui and Consort Xiao had known each other since childhood and were of similar age. They grew up together and were close friends.

However, they haven't been in contact much since they got married.

Because Wang Hui's husband held military power, and Consort Xiao's son had been favored by Emperor Kangsheng since childhood, Consort Xiao and Wang Hui reduced their contact to prevent Liu Shengxu from becoming a target of attacks from his other brothers.

Even so, Wang Hui still had the waist token that Consort Xiao had given her, allowing her free entry and exit from the palace, so it wasn't difficult for her to enter the palace.

At this moment, Consort Xiao's Qingli Palace was deserted, with only her trusted maid and wet nurse remaining to attend to her.

When Consort Xiao saw her best friend talking while holding a small box, she thought her friend missed her youngest son so much that she was using the box as a way to express her feelings. But why did she hear a voice coming from the box and a response coming from it?

She moved a little closer to her best friend, wanting to hear what her friend's box was saying.

"Aunt Hui, Aunt Hui, is my mother by your side?"

An anxious voice rang in their ears.

"It's Xu'er, it's actually Xu'er!" Consort Xiao naturally recognized the familiar voice as her son Liu Shengxu's. Overwhelmed with excitement, she stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the table next to her.

"Your Highness, are you hurt?" Biyu, the maidservant beside her, rushed over to help her, while the wet nurse also held onto the table.

(To clarify, Liu Ziyun's real name is Liu Shengxu. He's called Liu Ziyun because a household registration document in Dr. Liu's possession used that name, and he used it to conceal his identity. Now that his identity is about to be revealed, his real name will be restored, and he will be referred to as Liu Shengxu in normal circumstances from now on.)

Wang Hui was also very happy and hurriedly asked into the phone, "Hao'er, is it really the Third Prince?"

“Mother, it is indeed the Third Prince. Your Highness, the Third Prince has something he wants to discuss with you,” Qiao Tinghao replied.

Consort Xiao took Qiao's mother's phone directly and put it to her ear.

"Xu'er, Xu'er, is it really you? Your mother thought... thought... that she would never see you again, sob sob sob... Xu'er, Xu'er, my Xu'er..." Consort Xiao was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing Consort Xiao so agitated, Qiao's mother feared she might overreact, so she quickly stepped forward, embraced her thin body, and gently patted her back to comfort her.

Since receiving the news from the border that the Third Prince had been assassinated while escorting grain to Xiyang County, and that he had been neither found alive nor dead, Consort Xiao had fainted countless times from crying. This was her only son, and she must be heartbroken.

If it weren't for Emperor Kang Sheng staying with her all this time, she probably wouldn't have made it through.

Liu Shengxu was also very excited when he heard Consort Xiao's voice.

"Mother, it's me. Your son is unfilial and has worried you." Liu Shengxu's voice was also a little choked up.

"Xu'er, where are you?" Consort Xiao asked anxiously.

"Mother, your son followed Tinghao to attack the Western Rong. We fought all the way from the border to the Western Rong palace. Your son performed very well this time and made many great contributions..." Liu Shengxu briefly recounted how they fought their way to the Western Rong.

Although he spoke of it casually, as if it were a leisurely trip, they knew that the scene was fraught with danger, with swords and spears everywhere. Just thinking about it made them realize that it was like walking through the gates of hell, which terrified the two mothers.

Wang Hui had already learned from her husband that her son had led troops to conquer the Western Rong, but she really didn't know that Liu Shengxu was also involved.

"Mother, I'm fine, I'm not hurt at all," Liu Shengxu quickly reassured Consort Xiao, fearing she would worry.

He knew perfectly well that his mother would be devastated to hear the news that his fate was uncertain, but in order to conceal the fact that he was still alive, he had to give up the impulse to contact his mother.

At that time, he was powerless to protect himself, so he did not send the news back to the capital.

"Xu'er, when will you be back?" Consort Xiao asked anxiously.

Consort Xiao's question had hit the nail on the head.

Liu Shengxu suddenly fell silent, because he himself didn't know when he could go back.

The war with the Western Rong has just ended, and everything is in need of rebuilding. Just as Qiao Tinghao said, someone needs to stay here to guard the area.

"Xu'er, what's wrong? Can't you come back yet?" Consort Xiao asked anxiously when she didn't get a response from her son.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Shengxu said, "Mother, it may be a while before I can go back to see you."

When Consort Xiao heard that her son would not be able to return for some time, tears streamed down her face.

Liu Shengxu panicked when he didn't hear his mother's voice and quickly asked, "Mother, I will come back to see you after I've settled things here. Don't worry, if you miss me, just ask Aunt Hui to bring your phone into the palace so we can chat on it."

"Really? Mother Consort, can we really chat with you often?" Consort Xiao asked in surprise.

“Mother, of course you can. Oh dear! I forgot, we can also meet and chat. Wait a minute, I'll call back, and then we can chat face-to-face.” Liu Shengxu suddenly remembered that they could video chat.

After saying that, he hung up the phone and then dialed the number using his own phone.

The call was answered quickly.

"Mother concubine..."

"Xu'er..."

They both saw each other on the phone.

Consort Xiao was extremely excited, and the moment she saw her son, she was so moved that she wiped away tears.

"Xu'er, your mother has finally seen you! This thing is truly amazing. I never thought I could see you from so far away. But why are you so tanned?" Consort Xiao exclaimed in surprise as she looked at her son's face on the phone screen.

“Mother, I came here to fight, not to travel and enjoy the scenery. If I don’t learn skills, how can I protect myself?” Liu Shengxu was overjoyed to see his mother.

"Good, good, my Xu'er has finally grown up." Consort Xiao looked comforted.

"Mother..." Liu Shengxu hesitated, his words trailing off.

"Xu'er, what's wrong?"

"Mother, let's keep what I'm doing a secret from Father for now! I'll explain everything to him when I return to the capital," Liu Shengxu said.

Consort Xiao had just been overjoyed and wanted to tell Emperor Kangsheng that Liu Shengxu was still alive, but she was stunned when she heard her son's words.

"Mother, the grain I was escorting was robbed, and I almost lost my life. This was no accident. If I hadn't run into my third uncle, you probably would never have seen your son again," Liu Shengxu said in a low voice.

I originally wanted to tell Consort Xiao about this, but if I didn't explain the problem to her clearly, I was afraid she would do something foolish and rush to send messages to those with ulterior motives.

What if the person who wants him dead is acting on his father's orders?

Or perhaps Emperor Kangsheng learned of Doctor Liu's whereabouts and wanted to exterminate him?

It's estimated that many people hope he will never return to the capital, as there are too many opportunities to make a move outside.

"Xu'er, are you doubting your father? And you've run into your third uncle?" Consort Xiao seemed to have realized something at this moment, so she lowered her voice again and asked.

Consort Xiao hadn't heard anyone mention Liu Hong, the Prince Qing who had been demoted to a commoner, for many years.

Nearly ten years have passed without any news, only to find out that he was the one who saved his son.

"Mother, I will explain this matter to you in detail when I return," Liu Shengxu said.

"Alright! The Second Prince has also gone to the border. Did you run into him?" Consort Xiao suddenly remembered that the Second Prince had gone to the border and wondered if he had seen her son. So she asked anxiously.

When Liu Shengxu thought of Liu Shengpei's appearance, he felt like spitting at him.

“Mother, don’t mention that coward. The war is about to start, and he’s actually hiding. He’s probably heading towards the Western Rong to steal the war merits right now!” Liu Shengxu said with some contempt, then changed the subject and said, “Mother, I suspect that the person who wants to kill me is not the Second Prince, but someone else.”

"What? Who exactly is the murderer who poisoned you?" Consort Xiao asked in surprise.

"Mother, I feel that the Crown Prince is more likely to succeed. Therefore, you must be extra careful in the capital and not be easily fooled by others," Liu Shengxu instructed again.

Although Consort Xiao was a highly respected figure in the harem, she was still above the Empress, and they were in opposing positions. In addition, Emperor Kangsheng doted on her, so there was no guarantee that the Empress wouldn't harbor murderous intentions at any time.

"Your mother knows. Xu'er, you must be even more careful outside," Consort Xiao instructed.

Before Liu Shengxu and Consort Xiao finished their conversation, Qiao Tinghao and Ruan Mumu came out of the inner room.

"Young Master Liu, it seems you don't need to stay here to guard. My father just called and said that the Second Prince is already at the intersection on his way to Xirong Capital." Qiao Tinghao told Liu Shengxu the news he had just received.

"Mother, can you hear me? Your son will be able to come back to see you soon!" Liu Shengxu shouted excitedly.

Consort Xiao was quite surprised to hear her son's words and asked, "Do you intend to let the Second Prince take over the Western Rong?"

Liu Shengxu's smile widened, and he said with a hint of wickedness, "Since he wants to manage things, then let him stay here from now on!"