It was Old Uncle Qiu’s family who suddenly brought up a topic, catching Bai Sasa off guard.
At that time, Qiu Da had wolfed down his porridge and earnestly gave a thumbs-up, "I really didn’t expect there to be good people in these troubled times."
"Indeed! Everyone was just praising the Ninth Prince. It’s truly rare to find a prince who is admired by people in these times," someone agreed.
"In my opinion, the Ninth Prince would make a good..." Qiu San pointed upwards and nodded confidently, "I think he’s up to it."
After thinking for a while, Qiu Da and Qiu Er also nodded in agreement.
Seeing the respectful expressions on his three sons, Old Uncle Qiu couldn’t help but shake his head.
"You shouldn’t be talking nonsense here. The Ninth Prince is sent to the Northern Lands by the Former Emperor precisely because he was too kind, which The Former Emperor did not like. He wanted him out of sight and out of mind," Old Uncle Qiu corrected them.
Madam Liu was surprised, "Isn’t kindness a good thing?"
As a mother, she thought that kindness was one of the most valuable qualities for a child to have.
"Of course it’s good for us commoners, but not for The Celestial Family. After all, there’s only one throne, so many brothers, so many courtiers, so many subjects. Without some guts, no one can sit firmly on that throne," Old Uncle Qiu explained.
Everyone nodded thoughtfully, as if that made sense!
Seeing how easily they were persuaded and how none of them raised any objections, Old Uncle Qiu couldn’t help but add, "Of course, it’s not necessarily because he disliked him. Maybe the Former Emperor did it to protect him, too."
"Ah? Sending him to the barren Northern Lands is considered protection?" Madam Liu, with her soft heart, was completely baffled.
"You see those in the south? Now only Lao Da, Lao Er, and Lao San are left; the others are all gone."
Reminded by Old Uncle Qiu, Madam Liu caught on.
If the Ninth Prince had been in the prosperous south, he might have been swallowed up early on just like the other princes. Isn’t it thanks to the Northern Lands that he’s been able to survive unharmed?
She lamented speechlessly, "The matters of The Celestial Family are truly too complicated to deal with. It’s better to be ordinary folks like us."
"Better? Haven’t you seen what we commoners have been reduced to?"
Qiu Da looked helplessly at his wife, "Those so-called royals are living the life, eating and drinking well, yet outside there are batches of people starving to death. In my opinion, neither the royals nor the commoners have it good, but the Shi clans are the ones who really have it made. Prosperous times, they enjoy glory by serving; troubled times, they find peace by hiding away."
"Huh, these past few years, even the Shi clans have had a hard time. I don’t know about those hiding in the south, but most of the aristocrats who have come north are gone," another man suddenly joined in the conversation.
The crowd was taken aback and it took a moment before they recognized him as the fellow traveler they had met before.
Back then, the man didn’t know Old Uncle Qiu was a doctor, so they had just nodded to each other. But after realizing that Old Uncle Qiu’s family was skillful, he warmed up to them significantly.
This uncle would often come over to chat with Old Uncle Qiu when he had nothing else to do.
Since Old Uncle Qiu started chatting with this uncle, he had seldom talked to Bai Junjun.
While the uncles were having their grand conversation, Bai Junjun had already finished her porridge and scurried back to the side of the small cart, starting to bond with the little Cedarwood again.
Gossiping was not at all her cup of tea.
Why care whether the Ninth Prince was kind or cruel? If it didn’t concern her, she might as well hang it high and focus on improving her own abilities!
Ever since Sasa was tasked with taking care of Small Cedarwood, she had been diligently and meticulously working on it.
Fearing that the strong sun would harm Dawn Cedar, she would always cover it with her veiled hat, and whenever there was a break, knowing Dawn Cedar liked water, she would immediately carry it to the riverside for a soak.