The Ningyuan Marquis’s mansion was located in the same alley as the Shuntian Prefecture office. Officials and runners from the prefecture frequently passed through, deterring ordinary citizens from venturing there casually.
Moreover, after Lu Jiaxue took control of the Marquis’s estate, the neighboring Jining Marquis had his title stripped, and the Song family moved out of the alley. The entire lane now belonged to the Ningyuan Marquis, making it even more desolate.
Yet, these sights were all too familiar to her. The crooked willow at the alley’s entrance, the stone lions guarding the mansion’s gate. The tall, black-lacquered paulownia wood doors with gilt bronze qilin knockers. The guards standing at attention by the entrance gave the Ningyuan Marquis’s mansion a more austere and tightly controlled atmosphere compared to the grandeur of the Duke of Wei’s residence.
The accompanying steward presented a visiting card. The Ningyuan Marquis’s steward opened it and looked, his brow furrowing slightly despite his seemingly small stature.
To be the face of the Ningyuan Marquis’s household, one naturally had to be well-versed in human affairs.
The Wei and Ningyuan houses had frequent interactions, but now everyone knew about Wei Ling’s predicament. The Commander hadn’t spoken on the matter, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Letting someone from the Wei household in rashly might displease him. If the Wei family had come to cause trouble, wouldn’t that create problems for the Commander?
The slight steward bowed with a smile, “Our Marquis went to the Ministry of War yesterday and hasn’t returned yet. I’m afraid this guest might have to wait.”
The Wei family’s steward frowned upon hearing this. He turned back to consult with the person in the carriage, then returned to say, “Our young miss has urgent matters to discuss with the Commander. We hope you’ll allow the carriage in first. It’s getting late, and there are many mosquitoes on summer nights.”
The slight steward hesitated for a moment before ordering the guards to open the gates.
As night fell, guards escorted Lu Jiaxue’s carriage into the Ningyuan Marquis’s compound. He alighted from the carriage, wearing a cloak, his tall figure appearing even more imposing in the lantern light beneath the eaves.
As Lu Jiaxue walked towards his study, the steward immediately approached, reporting in a low voice, “My Lord, the young miss from the Wei family… is waiting for you in the front hall.”
Lu Jiaxue’s steps faltered. He had been discussing the redeployment of Xuanfu’s forces with Wang Yuan, the Minister of War, and others when his informant among the palace servants came to tell him about the Emperor’s anger towards Wei Ling due to the Zhongqin Marquis’s memorial. Many people sought audiences with him, but he hadn’t paid much attention, as the border situation was more urgent. Moreover, he was indeed displeased with Wei Ling’s recklessness.
Others only dared to send word, waiting for him to summon them.
This daughter of Wei Ling was bold enough to come herself.
Lu Jiaxue turned back and asked, “You just let her in like that?”
The slight steward hurriedly explained, “You recognized the Wei family’s young miss as your goddaughter, and she said she had urgent matters to discuss with you. Besides, it was her who came; I wouldn’t have dared let anyone else in.”
What could an unmarried girl who hadn’t even come of age do? He even felt a twinge of sympathy when he imagined the steward lifting the carriage curtain to reveal a frail figure inside.
No matter how noble one’s status and position, it could vanish in an instant. If the Wei family had any other options, they wouldn’t have sent out their young miss, who hadn’t even reached adulthood, to plead with Lu Jiaxue.
Hearing this, Lu Jiaxue’s mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing and strode towards the front hall.
Since she had come all this way, he might as well hear what she had to say.
The maid serving in the front hall brought tea for Yining. She noticed it was still Lu Jiaxue’s favorite Junshan Silver Needle. She didn’t know why he liked this tea so much. The needle-like leaves, initially withered and green, floated to the surface when hot water was poured, then slowly sank to the bottom of the cup – a sign of premium quality. The tea water turned a pale yellow, its fragrance wafting up.
As Lu Jiaxue entered the front hall, through the latticed door he saw her wearing a white jacket scattered with small cherry blossoms, a twelve-panel Xiangqun skirt falling to her feet, her waistline accentuated by a thin belt, with jade beads of her chastity pendant hanging down. Her full bosom made her waist appear even more slender. She held the teacup, examining the leaves inside. The steam rising enveloped her face, making it appear hazy yet pure.
Hearing Lu Jiaxue’s voice, Yining looked up.
His guards still stood outside as Lu Jiaxue entered and sat down without a word. Though he didn’t pay much attention to his posture, he exuded an air of composed authority.
A steward came in to present him with a letter, then stood aside with hands lowered, waiting for him to read it.
While reading the letter, Lu Jiaxue looked up and said, “Well? Didn’t you come to my mansion to see me? What do you want to say?”
His question wasn’t particularly polite, even carrying a sense of intimidation, making the atmosphere tense.
Yining had anticipated that Lu Jiaxue wouldn’t be friendly at this time; the fact that he was willing to see her was already unexpected. If Lu Jiaxue had refused to see her, she had ways to force him. She knew many of Lu Jiaxue’s secrets – his ruthless usurpation of power and the brutality of killing his brother. To protect the Wei family, Luo Yining wouldn’t hesitate to use these to negotiate with Lu Jiaxue.
She bowed to Lu Jiaxue and said, “Godfather, I know you’re busy with state affairs and shouldn’t disturb you. But my father’s situation is dire, and now… I truly have nowhere else to turn.” She extended her wrist, revealing a string of dark, heavy beads that were a bit too large for her slender wrist. She removed the bracelet and continued, “When you accepted me as your goddaughter, you said you would protect me in the future… Father said these beads were what you often wore on the battlefield for protection. Now I only ask that you consider our past relationship and save him.”
Lu Jiaxue heard this and smiled, slowly asking, “What makes you think that coming to plead as my goddaughter would make me agree?”
“If it weren’t for your father failing to report military intelligence and rashly deploying troops, Pingyuan Fort would still be intact, and the border civilians wouldn’t have to worry about where to flee tomorrow,” he said, putting down the letter and continuing, “Do you know how long the border conflict will drag on because of your father, how much manpower and resources will be wasted? Do you know that because of your father, even I was questioned by the Emperor?”
At times like this, he was always extremely clear-headed.
Since taking power, he had rarely spoken so much to anyone at once. Once he spoke, his words were final.
Lu Jiaxue’s inaction had already told Yining he didn’t intend to help. Firstly, if Wei Ling was already dead, helping the Wei family would be pointless and might displease the Emperor. Secondly, he was also dissatisfied with Wei Ling’s defiance; after becoming the Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, Wei Ling had subtly slipped from his control. So he chose to stand by and watch.
Lu Jiaxue’s words were indeed reasonable. Wei Ling’s mistake had indeed caused the situation to escalate dramatically! But how could Wei Ling have ever imagined that 30,000 troops would perish and he would die in battle? When he was crawling around in military camps as a child, how could he have foreseen today’s events?
Lu Jiaxue hadn’t heard her speak, but he saw her take a step forward. Then her knees bent, and she suddenly knelt before him. Her skirt spread out on the ground like a lotus flower as she knelt.
At this moment, Yining truly didn’t know what Lu Jiaxue was thinking. As she humbled herself before him, he only looked at her with an indifferent expression, as if quietly observing.
But regardless, these were words she had to say: “Even if Father made mistakes, he has fought alongside you for many years, risking life and death. His body is riddled with battle scars, and our home has enough medicinal ointments to open an apothecary. His old wound on his left leg aches when it rains.” She raised her head to look at Lu Jiaxue, “He has protected the border for so many years. Will all his merits be erased because of one defeat? If the soldiers of the world heard this, they would surely laugh at the court’s injustice. The Oirats were burning and pillaging villages at the border, and Father led troops to suppress them but fell into an ambush… How could Father have wanted to fall into such a trap?”
Thinking of Wei Ling potentially being stripped of his title and young Ting, Yining felt a wave of moisture blur her vision. She continued, “When he’s wrapped in a horsehide for burial, even his reputation will be completely ruined… The loyal bones buried under these green mountains have piled up year after year, layer upon layer, indistinguishable from one another. Shouldn’t all errors be forgiven by now?”
Even the steward listening to her words was taken aback. Although the young miss of the Wei family was a sheltered girl, such depth of understanding was rare. Her words even moved him somewhat, but their Marquis had a heart of stone – no amount of softness could move or shake his iron resolve.
However, upon hearing this, Lu Jiaxue lowered his head, slowly closed the letter, and tossed it to the steward. Then he said, “You, get out!”
The steward was genuinely curious whether Lu Jiaxue would agree, and he even feared that Yining might have offended Lu Jiaxue, provoking his displeasure. As he hesitated, Lu Jiaxue’s voice deepened, “Get out! Do I need to repeat myself?”
It was impossible not to feel nervous and afraid. Yining knelt on the cold floor. She heard the steward leave and close the latticed door of the front hall behind him.
Suddenly, only the warm glow of candlelight remained in the room.
Outside, Qingqu saw this and wanted to rush in but was stopped by the guards at the door.
She saw those dark boots walk up to her, and Lu Jiaxue bent down, suddenly reaching out to grasp her chin, and lifting her face.
Luo Yining didn’t know what he was doing, but as he drew near, she saw his chiseled, deep-set face bearing a cold expression. He leaned in very close and said, “Do you know the complete version of that saying? The loyal bones buried under these green mountains have piled up year after year, layer upon layer. If one day we were to identify the bones, we wouldn’t know which belonged to our relatives. What should be done then? Perhaps it’s better not to fight at all. Forget about military merit; at least we won’t have to face a day when we can’t even recognize the remains.”
Luo Yining’s lips trembled slightly. She felt Lu Jiaxue’s breath was unfamiliar, almost between their lips and teeth.
She spoke slowly, very slowly, “Commander, I don’t understand what you mean. What are you doing?” She tried to break free, but Lu Jiaxue gripped her tighter, drawing closer with a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. Looking directly at her, he said, “If you admit that you understand what this phrase means, I’ll save your father. What do you think? Is it worth it?”
Luo Yining couldn’t remember what she had said in front of him at all! Could it be that he never forgot anything he heard, remembering every word others had said?
Luo Yining bit her lip and said resolutely, “I want you to save my father. If I knew what you were talking about, I would naturally agree! But I don’t know, and I can’t speak falsely. Father often said these words to me. If they’ve somehow displeased you, Commander, I can only ask for your forgiveness.”
Lu Jiaxue’s expression remained impassive as he finally released her.
“As a young lady from a respectable family, you shouldn’t come pleading to others late at night in the future,” Lu Jiaxue said coolly. “I’ll have someone escort you back.”
Yining stood up from the ground, immediately feeling a sharp pain in her knees.
She saw Lu Jiaxue with his back to her and bowed, saying, “Thank you for your guidance, Godfather.”
Lu Jiaxue merely grunted in response.
As Yining was walking out, she heard him say from behind, “Wei Ling’s title… I’ll help him keep it. But I’ll only do this once. If there’s a next time, don’t come looking for me.”
After hearing this, a bitter smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She slowly turned back and bowed to him again, “I understand. Thank you, Godfather.”
She walked out of the front hall. Qingqu had been pacing outside, waiting for her. Seeing her come out, Qingqu hurried over to support her. Yining was grateful for Qingqu’s help.
Because immediately after, her legs gave way, and she could no longer support herself.