Hearing these words, Wei Yun raised his eyes, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Chu Lin Yang spoke calmly, “Yao Yong is incompetent, yet a cunning villain, deeply favored by His Majesty. If he remains the commander in this war, I fear we’ll exhaust our national strength and lose our ability to fight back. The new Northern Di Emperor has now sworn an oath at the altar that their cavalry will not enter Hua Jing, and the Northern Di will not withdraw. This shows their firm resolve, making negotiations impossible. Therefore, Lin Yang has come to seek Marquis Wei’s help, willing to lend a hand in quickly eliminating Yao Yong.”

Wei Yun remained silent, lightly tapping the table. Chu Lin Yang waited quietly. After a moment, Wei Yun chuckled softly, “I’m but a young man. How does the Young Master think I have such ability?”

“I don’t trust in the Marquis, but in the Wei family,” Chu Lin Yang looked up at Wei Yun. “A centipede dies but never falls. I don’t believe the Wei family has no remnant influence in the military.”

A family of four generations and three dukes, its foundation incomparable to ordinary families. If the Wei family hadn’t been so loyal and refrained from establishing too much influence in Hua Jing, how could Wei Yun have ended up in this situation?

Wei Yun scrutinized Chu Lin Yang, who picked up his teacup and took a light sip, his face elegant and composed.

“Then, how does Young Master plan to assist me?” Wei Yun stared at Chu Lin Yang.

Chu Lin Yang smiled gently, “The Southern Yue Kingdom is now showing signs of unrest. My father and I will soon head to the southwest. At crucial moments, I hope for the Marquis’s guidance.”

Hearing this, Wei Yun’s pupils constricted.

Chu Lin Yang’s words were tantamount to handing over the initiative of the southwestern troops at critical moments entirely to him!

Wei Yun’s heart raced, but his face remained impassive. He simply said, “I understand.”

Chu Lin Yang raised his hand, smiling as he cupped his fists, “I await good news.”

Wei Yun nodded, understanding what Chu Lin Yang wanted. He said seriously, “Rest assured, I will overthrow Yao Yong as soon as possible.”

Chu Lin Yang nodded with a smile and took his leave.

This conversation wasn’t particularly long. Chu Yu had only been waiting at the door for a short while when she saw Chu Lin Yang come out. She hurried forward, asking, “Are you finished?”

“Mm,” Chu Lin Yang nodded, walking with Chu Yu toward the dining hall. After chatting with her about her daily life in the Wei mansion, they entered the main hall.

By this time, the dishes had been served, and everyone was waiting for them. As soon as Chu Lin Xi saw the two enter, he eagerly came over and took Chu Yu’s sleeve, whining, “Sister, you’re finally here. Second Brother is starving to death.”

“How do you look like a second brother behaving like this?” Chu Lin Yang smiled. “You look more like a little brother.”

“Yes, yes, I’m the little brother,” Chu Lin Xi quickly smiled and said, “Little Brother invites Big Brother and Sister to dine. Is that alright?”

With Chu Lin Xi’s banter, the atmosphere finally livened up. Chu Jin sat silently to the side, not saying a word, lowering her head to eat.

The family ate and chatted, and when night fell, Chu Jian Chang prepared to leave with Xie Yun. Xie Yun repeatedly tried to persuade Chu Yu to return home, but seeing that she couldn’t be moved, she could only leave with tears in her eyes.

Chu Yu saw her family off to the carriage. Chu Lin Yang stood beside her, being the last to leave. After everyone had boarded the carriage, he turned and said, “I’ll be going to the southwest soon. Take good care of yourself at home.”

Hearing this, Chu Yu was slightly stunned. Countless memories flashed through her mind, but in the end, she only said, “Stay well in the southwest, write to me often about your situation, don’t go silent once you’re there.”

She had wanted to remind Chu Lin Yang of many things, like not to go to Feng Ling City, not to stand up for the Song family, not to leave the southwest…

However, before she could speak, she suddenly remembered the fate of the Wei family.

Dissuasion had no effect; sometimes you didn’t even know the reasons. So you could only act directly.

Rather than telling Chu Lin Yang not to go to Feng Ling City, it would be better to deal with Song Wen Chang before he was trapped, so there would be no chance for him to be rescued, and thus no need for Chu Lin Yang to save him.

Instead of countless reminders, it would be better to have Chu Lin Yang write her more letters to understand his situation.

Chu Lin Yang hadn’t expected Chu Yu to say these things. Chu Yu had been very close to him when she was young, but as she grew up, her emotions became more reserved. He was stunned for a moment, then slowly smiled and said gently, “Alright, don’t worry.”

After saying this, Chu Lin Yang boarded the carriage. Chu Yu watched the carriage sway and disappear into the distance before slowly returning to the mansion.

She had only walked a few steps when she saw Wei Yun standing in the long corridor, holding a lantern and waiting for her. Chu Yu was a bit surprised, “What are you doing here?”

“I had intended to join Sister-in-law in seeing off General Chu, but I arrived a bit late.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Chu Yu smiled as she walked over. “I can see them off myself. My family doesn’t care much about these formalities.”

“Xia said you seemed to have had some conflict with your family?” Wei Yun inquired.

Chu Yu raised an eyebrow, “Who’s being so gossipy?”

“It’s out of concern.” Wei Yun held the lantern, speaking slowly, “I just came to ask if there’s anything I can help with?”

“It’s nothing,” Chu Yu reflexively replied, but after saying it, she felt a bit regretful. She sighed, “Xiao Qi if a person is used to saying it’s nothing, do others believe there’s nothing wrong?”

“It depends on who they’re talking to, and whether that person cares about them,” Wei Yun didn’t turn to look at her. He gazed straight ahead, his voice steady and composed. “You’ve told me it’s nothing, Second Sister-in-law has told me it’s nothing, Mother has told me it’s nothing, but I never believe it’s truly nothing. Hearts are made of flesh. Everyone’s just holding themselves together. Who has nothing wrong?”

Hearing Wei Yun’s words, the restlessness in Chu Yu’s heart slowly faded. She turned to look at Wei Yun. During this time, he seemed to have grown a bit taller. When they first met, they were about the same height, but now Wei Yun was noticeably taller than her. She thought of Wei Yun’s future appearance and joked, “Xiao Qi, you need to grow taller quickly, so you can take good care of your sister-in-law in the future.”

Wei Yun glanced at her sideways, his slightly curved eyes containing a faint smile.

“Alright,” he nodded, “When the time comes, I’ll find ginseng, deer antler, and cordyceps for you to eat as meals. I, Wei Qi, have always been filial to my elders. You must not be polite then.”

Chu Yu understood that Wei Yun was teasing her about being an old lady in the future. She snatched the lantern from Wei Yun’s hand and lightly tapped his hand, Wei Yun immediately cried out loudly, clutching his hand in pain, “Oh no, it’s fractured!”

Chu Yu glanced at him and calmly reminded him, “You’re overacting.”

Wei Yun sighed, “Sister-in-law, you don’t care about me.”

“I do care about you,” Chu Yu smiled slightly, “Without you, how would I eat ginseng and deer antlers as meals in the future?”

The two bantered as they walked back. For a moment, Chu Yu completely forgot all her previous worries, annoyances, and anxieties.

When Wei Yun escorted her back to her room and was about to leave, she suddenly realized and called out to him, “Did you come to wait for me specifically to comfort me?”

Hearing this, Wei Yun’s face showed a bit of embarrassment. He rubbed his nose, somewhat shyly saying, “I saw that Sister-in-law was unhappy, but I didn’t know how to console you. I remembered how my Sister-in-law used to comfort me, by talking to me about the scenery and other things so that I wouldn’t keep thinking about painful things. So I thought, since I’m in the mansion, I might as well keep Sister-in-law company and chat.”

Chu Yu didn’t speak. She just looked at him.

The young man’s way of showing kindness was clumsy and simple, completely different from his composed demeanor as the young marquis outside. Her gaze softened as she looked at him for a long time before finally saying, “Thank you, I feel much better.”

Wei Yun smiled brightly, “That’s good.”

Chu Yu waved her hand, “You can go now.”

Wei Yun bowed and took his leave.

As Chu Yu was preparing for bed, the Chu family had finally returned to their mansion. Xie Yun was complaining to Chu Jian Chang, dissatisfied, “Look at the child you’ve raised, what has she become? Does she have any semblance of a proper lady? I told you back then to let me raise the child, but you had to take her to the southwest. Look at what she’s become now! Does she understand what being widowed for three years means? What if she can’t marry well after three years? What then?!”

“Mother,” Chu Lin Yang spoke from behind, “Sister is not an ordinary woman. Mother should not judge her by the standards of ordinary women. Instead of discussing how Yu’er should be, why doesn’t Mother ask herself how she raised Jin’er to become such a scheming girl?”

“Big Brother!” Chu Jin cried out tearfully, about to say something, when she saw Chu Lin Yang turn his head, smiling at her, “Don’t speak.”

Seeing that smile, Chu Jin’s whole body suddenly trembled.

Chu Lin Yang raised his hand, pointing towards the ancestral hall, and said gently, “Go kneel there, hmm?”

“Lin Yang…” Xie Yun said uneasily, “This is…”

“How am I? Unfair? Mother, do you know what’s truly unfair?” Chu Linyang’s eyes were filled with coldness. “If I were truly unfair, do you think Chu Jin would still be standing here instead of kneeling in the ancestral hall? Given the outrageous things she’s done, I would have married her off to Pig Food Alley long ago!”

“How can you be certain she did it intentionally…” Xie Yun supported herself as Chu Linyang laughed coldly. “Because Chu Yu is my sister, and she is also my sister. I know their characters very well. Whether I’m biased or you’re unfair, Mother, you know it. A Yu is capable and can let things go, but don’t always expect A Yu to endure when problems arise.”

Chu Linyang then raised his eyes to look at Chu Jin standing to the side and said coldly, “Go kneel!”

Chu Jin didn’t say a word. She coldly looked at Chu Linyang and turned to leave.

After Chu Jin left, Chu Linyang turned to look at Xie Yun and spoke gently, “Mother, I treat A Jin well, so don’t be so biased. Be a little kinder to A Yu. If A Yu doesn’t have it easy, I’ll make sure A Jin doesn’t have it easy either, alright?”

“You… you…” Xie Yun spoke urgently, “How did I give birth to such an unfilial son!”

Chu Linyang didn’t speak. He calmly looked at Xie Yun, his gaze chilling her to the bone.

All words stopped at the lips, and seeing that she had fallen silent, Chu Linyang gracefully turned and slowly walked towards the ancestral hall.

After entering the ancestral hall, Chu Jin knelt on her own. It wasn’t long before Chu Linyang stood behind her.

The moonlight elongated his shadow, their shadows intertwining. Chu Jin’s body trembled involuntarily. Chu Linyang sighed softly, “Why did you have to be so foolish as to provoke A Yu?”

Chu Jin didn’t speak, slowly clenching her fists.

Chu Linyang looked at her back, his expression still gentle, “Do you remember what I told you when you were twelve?”

“I remember…” Chu Jin’s voice trembled as if trapped in a nightmare. Chu Linyang walked behind her, his warmth approaching. She trembled even more. Chu Linyang crouched down, smiling as he looked at her profile, “Recite it for your brother again?”

“Don’t… provoke sister. Don’t… scheme against your sister. Don’t… harbor ill intentions towards sister… Let her, tolerate her, love her.”

“Did I say anything wrong?” Chu Linyang’s voice was as gentle as water. Chu Jin’s tears slowly fell as she spoke hoarsely, “No.”

“Then can you give me a reason for today’s incident?”

Chu Jin dared not speak. She bit her lower lip hard, not daring to say a word. Chu Linyang looked at her, his eyes full of amusement, “If A Yu hadn’t mentioned it today, I wouldn’t have known you had such audacity. Encouraging her to elope, scheming against her reputation. A Jin, have I been too good to you these years?”

Chu Jin still didn’t speak. Chu Linyang suddenly raised his voice, “Speak!”

“What do you want me to say…” Chu Jin turned back crying, no longer able to endure, “What do you want me to say?! You ask me for a reason, I should be the one asking you for a reason. We’re both your sisters, why do you treat me like this? Why do you do this to me!”

“Yes, when I was twelve, I schemed to make her fall into the well, but you took revenge for her. I trusted you so much that when you told me to go down the well, I did. And what happened? You trapped me down there, so dark, so cold. You tricked me into staying down there for three days! She had a high fever for three days and got her revenge, you locked me in the well for three days. Wasn’t that enough?! Why do I have to tolerate her and let her have everything? Why does she get whatever she likes?”

“You ask me for a reason?” Chu Jin seemed to no longer care about anything, laughing out loud, “Fine, I’ll tell you. I want to be better than her! I want to show you clearly, you blind fool, that I’m a thousand times, ten thousand times better than her! I’ll marry better than her, I’ll have a better reputation than her, I’ll be better than her in every way. You, as a brother, were wrong! You misjudged!”

“Back then, you said—”

Chu Jin cried so hard she could barely breathe. Her usual crying was pitiful and delicate, but today’s crying was completely unrestrained, tears and mucus mixing, all semblance of decorum gone.

She was like a child, prostrating herself at Chu Linyang’s feet, crying out in pain, “It was you who said I could never catch up to her in my lifetime. If I could catch up to her, you would treat me the same way—”

“And now you come to ask me for a reason? What other reason could I have?!”

What other reason could there be?

It was nothing but dissatisfaction, nothing but a desire to compete. Competing not for glory and wealth, but for his unique love and favor.

She also wanted to be like Chu Yu, to be the apple of someone’s eye.

Chu Linyang’s protection was irrational, resolute, and intense. She craved it, envied it, was driven mad by it, and couldn’t accept it.

She cried and laughed loudly while Chu Linyang silently watched.

Finally, when she could cry no more, she lay at his feet, softly sobbing. Chu Linyang looked at her with pity in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I never thought that what happened when you were young would trouble you so much.”

His voice was very gentle. Chu Jin slowly raised her head, hope in her eyes. Chu Linyang took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

Chu Jin stared at the handkerchief, lost in thought.

This person was very gentle, with a stable, meticulous kindness.

She had always liked this brother the most since she was little. Every year during festivals, he would come back, and she would stand at the door, holding the doll he had given her the previous year, waiting for him.

Every year he would bring back a different doll, always her favorite.

But when she was twelve, what came back with him wasn’t just a doll, but also her sister who had grown up in the southwest and only now at twelve could travel without getting motion sickness.

After meeting Chu Yu, she realized that the dolls this person gave her were just the most insignificant part of his gentleness. The young her became jealous. She threw a cat into a well and tricked Chu Yu into rescuing it, intending to harm Chu Yu and vent her dissatisfaction.

When Chu Linyang found out about this, he didn’t scold her. Instead, he told the family he was taking her out for a trip. How happy she was then, thinking that without Chu Yu, her brother would be hers alone. Little did she know that after Chu Linyang took her out, that very night, he would trick her into an old well.

The brother she thought was the best tricked her into the well, then stood at the well’s mouth, looking at her indifferently.

She cried and begged him to let her out, but he just silently watched her: “When A Yu’s fever breaks, that’s when you’ll come out.”

“What if she dies?”

Chu Linyang smiled. His smile was gentle yet cold, chilling to see in the moonlight.

He gently asked her, “If she dies, what’s the point of you living? Shouldn’t you pay with your life?”

At that moment, looking at the calm and composed expression of the person before her, a sense of despair and unwillingness surged over her like a tidal wave.

She cried and asked him, “Why? What’s so good about her? I’m your sister too, why do you treat me like this?”

Chu Linyang looked at her silently and spoke coldly, “She’s better than you in every way. With your character, you’ll never catch up to her in this lifetime.”

“How can’t I catch up? How am I not as good as her? Chu Linyang, what if I become better than her?”

“You?” Chu Linyang’s smile deepened, but it was like a joke, “Then whatever you want, so be it.”

Whatever you want, so be it.

How many years had those words sustained her?

She studied, learned to read and write, mastered poetry and prose, and excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She achieved everything a woman of her time could aspire to. What could Chu Yu do? Other than wielding spears and sticks, she couldn’t do anything.

But in his heart, Chu Yu was still that unique, wonderful sister.

If at first, it was just ordinary jealousy between sisters, over time it turned into envy and hatred.

Chu Jin painfully closed her eyes, no longer able to make a sound. Chu Linyang silently looked at her for a long time before finally speaking, “I was young then and didn’t know how to handle it better. It was my fault. But it’s all in the past now, and I apologize to you. I hope for family harmony and that you can understand me. So from now on, don’t cause trouble for A Yu. Treat her properly as your sister, alright?”

“What if I don’t?” Chu Jin said hoarsely. Chu Linyang sighed with some exasperation, “You’ve always known my temper. You’re my sister, so naturally, I don’t have the heart to kill you. We’ll have to consider each situation separately.”

“If you do something like this again to defame her reputation, I’ll cut out your tongue.”

“If you physically harm her, I’ll cripple your limbs.”

“If you obstruct her marriage, I’ll find you a more ‘suitable’ marriage that will make you regret for a lifetime.”

“If you cause her death,” Chu Linyang’s eyes showed pity, “A Jin, I’ll let you know what it means to be worse than dead.”

Chu Jin raised her head in disbelief. Chu Linyang crouched down, looking at her.

“A Jin, people are growing up. If I hadn’t stopped A Yu today, the next time you scheme against her, you might end up dead.”

“Childish things like locking you in a well, your brother won’t do that anymore. Do you understand?”

The gentleness in Chu Linyang’s eyes frightened her. Chu Jin trembled uncontrollably.

Chu Linyang took off his outer robe and gently draped it over her. He looked down at her with concern, “The night is cool and dewy. Kneel well.”

With that, he stood up and walked out, slowly closing the door.

Despair, terror, and the fear of waiting for death in the dry well when she was twelve all surged up.

He knew that after she turned twelve, she couldn’t stay alone in dark places, yet he still closed the door.

He was punishing her! He wanted her to know that Chu Yu was an untouchable deity, an existence she could never reach.

“No!”

She tried to stop the door from closing, wailing, “Big Brother, don’t close the door. I’ll listen to you, don’t close the door!”

But it was useless.

Just like when he put her in the well when she was twelve, he never cared about her words.

Chu Jin wailed inside the room. Chu Linyang stood outside the door for a long time before slowly walking away.