The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

"Go and find out who she gave the jade ring to."

After returning to Jingchen Courtyard, Wei Jun stared at the newly painted "Drinking Alone Under the Moon" picture on the wall, lost in thought.

"Yes." Ru Feng understood instantly. The "she" the eldest young master was referring to was currently only one person.

Ru Feng didn't need to personally search for information. There were many of Wei Jun's secret guards in the capital. They were few in number but each one was highly capable, and some of them were specifically responsible for gathering information and investigating people's backgrounds.

On Wei Jun's desk were piles of unopened letters, some from the Rong Prince's Mansion, some from the Sheng Prince's Mansion, and some from the two Dukes' Mansions. All four families wanted to curry favor with the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion.

This was because the deceased Marquis of Dingyuan had fought valiantly on the battlefield and was the only one among the three founding heroes who had helped establish the dynasty to hold military power and personally lead troops into battle. If the son of the Marquis of Dingyuan befriended someone, most of the officials in the court would also follow suit.

The allegiance of officials is secondary; what is more important is the support of the people.

Ordinary people don't understand the flowery language of civil officials. They only recognize who goes into battle to kill the enemy as a hero.

Therefore, the people revered Marquis Dingyuan. This is also why, when the emperor conferred titles after ascending the throne, the other two civil officials were both granted the title of Duke, while the Wei family alone was granted the title of Marquis.

After the death of the Marquis of Dingyuan, the Dingyuan Army remained at the border to guard the frontier. The Emperor sent him to escort military supplies, ostensibly to test his abilities, but more importantly, to see if he had any connection with the Dingyuan Army.

He studied literature from a young age, but secretly learned martial arts. His father was a military general, but he couldn't overcome the emperor's suspicion, and despite his daily caution and prudence, he couldn't escape death.

Wei Jun complied with the emperor's wishes and became a civil official.

At his desk, he ignored all the other letters and picked one that started with the character "付" (fu).

His expression darkened immediately after opening the letter.

"Pack your things, let's leave the mansion."

The night was as dark as ink. The capital city, bustling with traffic during the day, became deep and quiet after nightfall. Various lanterns hung from the shops along the street, swaying gently in the wind.

The horses neighed softly in the wind. The two men and two horses moved with lightning speed, like a gust of wind sweeping across the long street, finally turning into an extremely narrow alley and entering the most chaotic slum. Here, the place was bustling with noise during the day, but the night provided the best cover.

There was a woodshed on one side of the alley, with a crooked wooden sign hanging casually above the door. The door to the woodshed was tightly closed, with only a faint candlelight leaking out from the crack.

The two horses were led by Rufeng to graze on a distant meadow.

The woodshed was dimly lit. Wei Jun's sharply defined face was furrowed with worry: "Why are you here?"

The man being questioned was in his thirties, with a dark complexion, rugged features, and dressed in coarse cloth. He knelt down:

My wife... is sick.

Upon hearing this, Wei Jun's face showed a faint, almost absurd expression, followed by a silent, cold laugh:

"Du Fan, I ordered you to guard the border alongside Yan Tao. You should have been fighting the enemy at the border, but instead you're in the capital, a thousand miles away. Your only explanation is that your wife is ill?"

In his eyes, what a ridiculous reason this was. Someone actually disregarded military orders for love.

"You suffered a defeat at Longhu Mountain, also because of your wife?" Wei Jun's eyes turned icy.

Du Fan, a rough and unrefined man, knelt on the ground. The dim candlelight reflected in his eyes, revealing a sincere, even fearless, gaze, yet he lowered his head: "...Yes."

"If you had told me about your wife, I would have sent someone to take good care of her in the capital. But why did you sneak back from the border? Do you know the consequences of disobeying military orders? Besides, you were once one of the generals of the Dingyuan Army. Your unauthorized return could implicate the entire Dingyuan Army!" Wei Jun said angrily.

Du Fan, a dignified seven-foot-tall man, knelt on the ground, his eyes reddening, tears streaming down his face.

"My lord, I do not know how to explain... I cannot refute it. My wife and I are bound by life and death."

Before I became a general, she accompanied me day and night, fighting alongside me all the way to this day. I am stationed at the icy border, unable to return… but I received a letter from home saying she is seriously ill… Although I know the lord will send someone to take care of her, I am truly… worried.”

Wei Jun remained silent. But there was not a trace of sympathy in his eyes.

"My Lord is still young and has not yet experienced a love that is unforgettable. Perhaps in the future there will be someone who can enter my Lord's heart and make me think of him all the time."

Even if you know that the road ahead is thorny and a dead end, you will still rush to her side regardless of everything.

Du Fan spoke earnestly, but seeing his lord's reaction, his heart slowly grew cold. All explanations were nothing but excuses; his disobedience of military orders was a fact.

Wei Jun flicked his sleeve: "Love is the most useless thing in the world. I would never sacrifice my life for such a fleeting and illusory emotion!"

The Lord's resolute words echoed in my ears.

Du Fan slammed his head against the ground, blood seeping from his forehead: "Thank you, my lord... for sparing my life."

For the eldest son of an official family like the Marquis of Dingyuan, his wife was merely a figurehead, a position to take care of the household affairs in public and in private.

His lord does not need love. However, emotions are often beyond one's control.

My Lord, will you understand someday...?

Wei Jun rode in silence the whole way, and the anger emanating from him made Ru Feng feel something was off.

"Write a letter instructing Yan Tao to continue attacking the Xiongnu, but make sure no one knows that Du Fan has returned to the capital. Also, send the best doctor secretly and discreetly to Du Fan's home to treat his wife. Once her condition improves, send Du Fan back to the border. Withhold three years' worth of military pay from him and give him fifty strokes of the cane. We will pay for his wife's medical expenses."

Military orders are absolute. This punishment of a general who violated orders is already showing leniency.

For an ordinary soldier, such punishment would be fatal; but Du Fan, as a veteran who had seen many battles, might be able to save his life by sheer luck.

Ru Feng asked, "Then what about the position of general...?"

"Yan Tao will temporarily take full control of the military. However, we still need Du Fan's identity for now. After settling his wife, send him back to the border as soon as possible, without letting anyone notice."

"Furthermore, all the secret guards deployed recently have been transferred out of the capital. They didn't even notice Du Fan's arrival in the capital; these incompetent fools didn't even inform me immediately. Since they're useless, let them go. There's no need to waste manpower keeping them in the capital. Send in a new batch of elites, and they need to be rigorously selected."

The night is dark.

Wei Jun rarely drinks. But tonight, he sat under the spacious pavilion, holding a pot of wine, and poured it straight down his throat.

"Master, if you can't sleep tonight... shall we call Miss Biao over?"

"No need."

Wei Jun glanced sideways at the painting "Drinking Alone Under the Moon" hanging in his study. The painting featured contrasting black and white colors, and the walls were covered with flowers—roses.

Ru Feng was puzzled: In the past, when the young master was troubled, he would always call Miss Biao over. Only then would a smile gradually appear on his face. But these past two days, it seemed that there had been some unpleasantness between him and Miss Biao, and they were not as inseparable as before.

Could it be that the two of them have developed a rift because of the flower-viewing banquet?