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

Wei Jun originally planned to take a short trip to the border before bringing Qi Yunli back with him.

The border environment is harsh, with sandstorms everywhere. He worried that his wife's health might not be able to withstand it, or that she might not be used to the food or the living conditions.

Unexpectedly, Qi Yunli adapted exceptionally well, even becoming one of the soldiers and listening to their recollections of their hometowns.

The soldiers had been away from home for too long, and most of the scenes in their memories were blurry, but they still remembered some precious people and things.

They train and stand guard all day and night, and when they have a little time, they can only talk about interesting gossip. Few people listen to each other's emotions.

Now that someone can listen to their troubles, they are naturally overjoyed.

Moreover, once the general's wife hears about their homesickness, she will be even more sympathetic to them and will try to secure more benefits for them.

After finishing his official business, Wei Jun often wanted to take his wife for a walk, but she was always busy.

Having no other option, he could only talk to his subordinates.

"If I had known, I would have gone and come back quickly, and not let Ah Li linger here any longer. Now that you've all discovered how good she is, I actually feel a little uneasy."

His men burst into laughter, all bringing up the saying: "General, didn't you once say that love is useless?"

Wei Jun wanted to return to the capital. Traveling such a long distance, they could leisurely while away the time.

But Qi Yunli thought that since the veterans were going to return to the capital with her anyway, she might as well wait for their replacements to arrive and then go with the main force. This way, she could continue to accompany the veterans for a while, and the soldiers could protect them.

"Am I not enough to protect my wife?" Wei Jun retorted.

Moreover, he was accompanied by many capable guards, and there were also secret guards who couldn't show their faces along the way. Anyone who dared to rob him of his money or women would be courting death.

"I used to focus only on the power struggles within the inner quarters and never cared about matters of state. To me, matters of state were something very distant, but after seeing these flesh-and-blood people guarding the borders, I realized that they also needed to be cared for."

Qi Yunli became somewhat emotional as she spoke.

Wei Jun no longer objected.

He had never been a part of his wife's past, when she was all alone, destitute, and had only one younger brother, for whom she had to provide for him. The hardships she endured on her journey from Jiangnan to the capital were things she never told him much about.

Thinking about it this way, a loving marriage is not only about traveling and seeing all the mountains and rivers, but also about having heart-to-heart talks with each other, relieving each other's worries, and sharing each other's pain.

"Madam, there's no need to blame yourself. You didn't have the opportunity to care about matters of state before. Those so-called trivial matters of the inner quarters could crush you with a flick of your finger. Everyone has their own struggles and difficulties."

Wei Jun went over and hugged her.

"I like you, A-Li. Even if your dream is just to stay at home embroidering and raising children, like many women, I will still like you. You are intelligent, wise, thoughtful, and unwilling to submit, which is why I am so captivated by you."

Qi Yunli's eyes were filled with tears.

She longed to go back three years and see the cautious version of herself she had been when she first entered the Marquis's mansion.

Back then, she was constantly on edge, worried that she wasn't doing enough, and endlessly agonizing over small things, fearing it would affect her younger brother.

So much so that they consumed themselves and didn't have time to appreciate the good people and good deeds around them.

Ah Li, you did a great job. Don't blame yourself. Keep moving forward boldly, and fate will give you another path.

The journey back to the capital from the border was long and arduous. Among the soldiers were veterans who had served for ten years; their bodies couldn't withstand such rapid travel and they wouldn't be able to keep up.

Wei Jun deliberately slowed down the journey and ordered his secret guards to gather provisions from surrounding prefectures and counties to sustain the food consumed along the way.

If they encounter disaster victims begging along the way, they will stop and ask where the main force is.

They considered taking them in and arranged logistics positions for the disaster victims in the army, such as feeding horses and cooking.

However, once the disaster victims join the army, they must obey the army's orders and cannot run around at will. If they are discovered, they will be expelled immediately.

The disaster victims who were about to be expelled knelt on the ground and ran to Qi Yunli to plead for them, feeling that she was a woman and could better understand and sympathize with them.

Qi Yunli stepped back, unwilling to have any more contact with them, and said:

"The general risked enemy spies to infiltrate the army, which was already a great favor. Yet, once inside, you disobeyed orders and abandoned your posts. According to military regulations, you must be punished; otherwise, where does the safety of the soldiers lie?"

By the time they were nearing the capital, they had been traveling for two months. Although exhausted, the joy of returning to the capital overcame all the hardships of the journey.

Qi Yunli's feet developed chilblains. The temperature difference in the border region during winter is huge, and her feet had been frostbitten on the way back. They were hot and itchy at night, and red and swollen during the day. Walking on the road felt like a dull knife was rubbing against the soles of her feet.

Wei Jun felt sorry for the team and wanted to stop them, but Qi Yunli stopped him.

Qi Yunli said, "The capital is right in front of us, only a five or six-day journey away. If I delay it because of myself, wouldn't I become a sinner? Besides, if I can't even endure this little bit of pain, I'm being too dramatic."

Wei Jun left, somewhat annoyed.

He didn't see Qi Yunli all day.

Qi Yunli heard from her subordinates that the general had left the army and returned to the capital. She was somewhat saddened.

The following evening, Wei Jun rode his horse back from the direction of the capital.

Qi Yunli was somewhat stunned when she saw that it was him who had come.

"Didn't you go back to the capital? Why have you come back?"

Wei Jun grabbed her wrist and led her to a corner.

Without saying a word, he took out the ointment from his sleeve, took off her shoes, and applied it to her.

"What are you doing?"

Wei Jun carefully applied the ointment to her feet, then wrapped them with gauze.

"When we get back to the capital, I'll hire an embroiderer to make you the thickest stockings, so you won't get hurt even if you go to the border. No, I won't allow you to go to the border again next time."

Qi Yunli then realized that he had rushed back to the capital to buy her some ointment. She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and pinched his cheek.

"How can you be so adorable? Even when you're angry, you're still so cute. Where did the decisive, ruthless Wei Jun of the past go?"

Wei Jun turned his head away, pretending to be angry.

Their subordinates would occasionally pass by them, glancing at them with gossipy eyes.

"General, we've found two people. They claim to be from the Wei family and have ties to the Dingyuan Army."

"Do they know I'm here?" Wei Jun stood up and said coldly.

"The general no longer holds any official position in the court, and his departure was unknown to anyone. If they are imposters, they probably know something about the lingering connections with the Dingyuan Army and are trying to freeload off them."

"Then let's go take a look."