1880
Jiao Letong was really excited and told his mother he wanted to go to Xihua City to see his father. Lady Gao disagreed: "I heard things are chaotic in the city right now; don't go adding trouble for your dad."
Lady Gao was not an unwise woman. Even though her husband hadn't returned with any news, she could guess that Shi Xiang had been captured and that her husband surely had many matters to handle.
Moreover, Lady Gao had another worry: Shi Xiang had been captured by her own husband. Those loyal to Shi Xiang surely hadn't all been apprehended, and if they sought revenge on her husband, they might target her and their sons. She couldn't let her son go out alone anymore.
Things Lady Gao had thought of, Jiao Guangcheng had overlooked because he needed to integrate the private soldiers Shi Xiang had raised into the regular army before the Imperial Court issued its orders, which was the only way to escape blame.
