After General Liu Wei's troops returned to the imperial court, the people in the capital respected General Liu Wei more and more. There was even a vague saying that 'if there was no General Liu Wei, Dafeng would have already been destroyed'. The face of His Majesty became more and more ugly day by day.
"After my troop return to the court and the army seal is handed back to his Majesty, those literate officials, who only opened their mouths to attack this and that at the court meeting at the beginning, know to step forward and speak this and that. Back then when the Northern Ethnic nearly attacked Luohe Prefecture, why did everyone only f*cking know how to be a coward? It can't be that they want me to show my ambition by death?" Liu Wei smashed the empty wine bottle on the table. The bitterness and sadness in his eyes seemed to be spill out like a vat of spring water being disturbed: "I, Liu Wei, have been a soldier all my life. Naturally, I naturally looked up to the sky and bowed down to the ground. If it wasn't for the common people in the world, who would covet such a pretentious name?"
What happened to General Han back then was vivid in his mind. Wasn't he the same as General Han back then? Although the merit was high, why would they ever consider shaking the Lord's position? "How pathetic! How laughable! How deplorable!"
"Master, you were drunk." Liu Wei's wife brought a bowl of hangover soup and looked at him with tears in her eyes. The husband and wife have been married for nearly thirty years. How could she not know the bitterness in his heart? But no matter how bitter it was, so what? At most, it was crying it out for nothing and dropped it.
Liu Wei accepted the hangover soup and down it. He took his old wife's hand and patted it tenderly: "It doesn't matter if I die, it's just you and the children who are implicated for nothing!"
Although Liu Wei was a martial artist, he wasn't a fool. His current situation was to be roasted on top of a raging fire. He had been a soldier all his life and devoted himself to serving the country. If it ends in tragedy, it will really stir laughter everywhere.
A trace of determination flashed in Liu Wei's bloodshot eyes. He looked at his old wife, and said, "I hand in my resignation to his Majesty at the court meeting tomorrow. Then I will take you and the children back to Hongzhou. I will farm and you weave. We'll live the rest of our lives steadily."
Now that his Majesty was getting older and there was no crown prince, the situation gradually became five sons fighting over the throne. Liu Wei was aware that his accidental injury in Northern Xinjiang looked accidental, but it was actually man-made. If he hadn't been vigilant and dodged in advance, the cold arrow fired from behind wouldn't have injured his arm, but instead passed through his left chest!
"Okay, let's go back to Hongzhou together!" Liu Wei's wife wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. Her eyes were red. It wasn't that she didn't know that her husband had the ambition to serve the country, otherwise he wouldn't take the initiative to request from the emperor to be in command this time. But the current emperor made one's heart chilled! When the war in northern Xinjiang came to an end, her husband was called back to the court in a hurry. Although he was named a heroic general, his Majesty sent someone to retrieve the army seal before he even took off his armor. The more she thought about it, the more she felt distressed for her husband. So she called a servant to help her support Husband back to bed with her to rest.
***
In the court hall, Liu Wei was dressed in commoner clothes. He held the first-ranked general's court uniform bestowed by His Majesty and kneeled down to thank sky-high grace and sincerely asked to resign: "I dare not forget the kindness of His Majesty to this subject. The helpless minister is already old and suffers from a lot of ailments. I beg his Majesty for mercy and allow this subject to be dismissed and returned to the field! "
"What is the meaning of this, General Liu?" His Majesty signaled the eunuch to help him up and said with concern: "General Liu is a hero of the country and a good minister of mine. How can you belittle yourself so absurdly?"
His words were laced with praises for Liu Wei, but the coldness in his eyes was like a thousand years of ice.
"Your Majesty! I am old. I really can't bear the heavy responsibility. I still hope that His Majesty will fulfill my wish!" Liu Wei refused to get up, knelt in the court hall, and kowtowed until his forehead was slightly oozing blood before the eunuch pulled him up with all his strength. Seeing Liu Wei's eagerness to resign, all the officials in the court each had their own reaction for a while. No one stood up to speak for him though.
"Don't mention it again, Beloved Subject. Beloved Subject had made great contributions to defeating Northern Ethnic this time. If I let Beloved Subject take off armor and return to the field at this time, what will the people of the world think of me?" His Majesty's fury was truly ignited now. His gaze looked at all the officials below in the court with burning eyes and declared: "I have made up my mind, Beloved Subject is suffering from illness. Pass on my will, the imperial hospital personally order two imperial physicians to enter the general's manor to take good care of the general. If the general is not better, let them come to see me with their head. Dismiss the court! "
Seeing his Majesty flinging his sleeves and leaving, Liu Wei fell to the ground. A burst of sadness overwhelmed his heart for a moment. His Majesty wasn't willing to let him go! Back then when General Han conspired against him, he was no longer serving under Han Family's army. He escaped by chance as he was training soldiers in southern Xinjiang. Liu Wei never believed that the loyal General Han would be involved in the case of Third Prince's treason. However, he wasn't in the capital back then. He only heard about the case back then and knew that hundreds of members of Han Family were executed overnight. The blood at the vegetable market entrance was washed away by a heavy rain for three days and three nights. General Han, who spent his entire life in the army, ended up with no one to collect his body!
Liu Wei was distraught and closed his eyes tightly. He already knew in his heart that if things were allowed to continue, the end of General Han's family back then would be his future end! For the country and the people, he had no fear of death. But what about his wife, his children, and his three-year-old grandson? Did they have to die with him?
At this moment, the capital city was still bustling and lively. However, dark clouds hung over it. No one knew who the first thunder would hit. There was a sense of self-insecurity among the officials. No one dared to act rashly .
The capital, Xiao Family.
Xiao Lin Feng always had a feeling that his parents and Eldest brother were hiding many things from him, but he had no way of finding out. Until today. Father actually want him to leave the capital and go back to Luohe Prefecture.
Xiao Lin Feng, who was so pleasantly surprised that he couldn't believe it, stood beside Xiao Lin Yu and blinked his eyes with joy. His slightly trembling voice was full of disbelief: "Eldest Brother, can I really go to Luohe Prefecture alone?"
Can't blame him for being excited. For more than a year, he hadn't even gone out of the gate of the capital. Every day he attended the academy to study like he was in prison. .
"What? Does Lin Feng not want to go back to Luohe Prefecture?" Xiao Lin Yu stuffed the letter from Luohe Prefecture into the booklet calmly, and then looked at Xiao Lin Feng as if nothing had happened: "If you really don't want to go, I will go talk to Father."
"Don't, don't! Eldest brother, I am willing to go!" Seeing Eldest Brother making a gesture to get up, Xiao Lin Feng hurriedly held him back: "I'm overjoyed, Eldest Brother. You don't know that I have been in the capital for more than a year. I'm almost bored to death!" Although he can only play with Su Family's little lasses when he goes to Luohe Prefecture, old Ancestor, his parents, and Second Uncles won't be present in Luohe Prefecture! Xiao Lin Feng felt that he could smell the breath of freedom coming toward him.
Xiao Lin Yu looked at his younger brother who was smiling so carefree and felt both envy and pity in his heart. What he envied was that he could be carefree and the family would support the sky when it fell; what he felt pity for was that if Xiao Family collapses, there will be no one in this world who can protect him a bit.
"Eldest Brother, why are you looking at me like this?" Xiao Lin Feng didn't know the inside story. He just felt that the way Eldest Brother looked at him was a bit perplexing. "I'm just going to Luohe Prefecture for a while. It's not like I won't be back."
"Fine. You're leaving tomorrow. Have you packed all your things? You better not remember that you didn't bring something with you after you left." Xiao Lin Yu withdrew his thoughts and patted Xiao Lin Feng's shoulder with a smile: "Lin Feng, you are an adult now. When we aren't by your side, you have to be careful in everything. Don't be impulsive in everything and listen to Uncle Qin more. Lin Wen is still young. You are the older brother. You have to take good care of him got it?" Second Master Xiao's only son will also go to Luohe Prefecture with Xiao Lin Feng this time.
"I'm not a child anymore, Eldest Brother. How come you have become naggy like Mother now?" Xiao Lin Feng felt that Eldest Brother was getting more and more strange. The doubts continued to churned but he couldn't grasp the reason for it.
Initially, he was worried about youngest brother. Never thought he would be disdained. Amusingly shaking his head, he dismissed Youngest Brother: "Go quickly."
Xiao Lin Feng couldn't figure it out, so he simply let it be. He turned around, came out of Eldest Brother's study, and went back to his own yard. He was leaving tomorrow. So he had to think hard about what to bring.
Seeing the departing, carefree back of Youngest Brother, Xiao Lin Yu sat in the study and took out the letter that had been sandwiched. He couldn't help being dazed. Sending Xiao Lin Feng and Xiao Lin Wen away this time was the result of discussions between Xiao Hai Ru father and son and Second Master Xiao. Xiao Family can be regarded as a respectable household in the capital. If all the masters of the family leave suddenly, it will cause some people who are interested to take the opportunity to make a fuss about it. Sending the two children away can be inconspicuous and stealthily done. As long as the two children were safe, the incense of the Xiao family will not be cut off like this even if something happens in the capital.
As for Luohe Prefecture, it was just an excuse to coax Xiao Lin Feng. Once they leave the capital, they will change their identities before they reach the next town and quietly go to Xijing. Xiao Wen had already arranged everything in Xijing.
On the second day before seven in the morning, outside was dim. Several carriages came out from the back door of Xiao's house without a sound. There was no sound of people. Only the sound of horses' hoofs and the sound of wheels rolling over the bluestone road cut through the morning's peacefulness. Comfortably in the carriage, Xiao Lin Feng and Xiao Lin Wen were still sleeping soundly while holding the brocade quilt. They didn't know that this might be the last time they saw their family members.
"Don't blame old Master. He had made many friends in his life and was the most enthusiastic person. Old Maater participated in General Han's incident because he wanted to save the last bit of blood for the loyal Han Family." Xiao Family's old Ancestor, Mrs. Xin family sat in the main hall of the Fu-an Courtyard where she lived. Looking at Daughter-in-law and Eldest Grandson, she spoke in a solemn voice: "When old Master and General Han met each other in the early days, there was a flood in Luohe Prefecture back then. If General Han hadn't helped him, old Master would have died a long time ago. How can there be today's Xiao Family then? After careful calculation, we owe it to Han Family."
Xiao Lin Yu didn't know that his Grandfather had such an experience when he was young. He sat down and listened carefully to old Ancestor's recount of old matters without interrupting.
Originally, Xiao Hai Ru and Second Master Xiao still resented old Master for meddling in the affairs of Han Family. They felt that he didn't want a peaceful life when he dared to intervene in Han Guang Hong's treason case and saved Han Guang Hong's grandson. Especially Second Master Xiao, who was an official in the court. At first wished he could go to the underworld to find the old man to settle accounts. This was setting a pit for his own son to fall to death!
"Later, General Han rose above others and your Father inherited the family business. One was a favorite in the court, and the other was just a businessman who works with traffickers and pawns. General Han had served the country all his life. Old Master always felt he was too foolishly loyal. The two gradually drifted away." Thinking of the matters from back then, Mrs. Xin's full of vicissitude gaze was full of nostalgia and emotion: "After Han Family mishap broke out, old Master still tried his best to arrange a wild cat swapping with the crown prince despite lingering on the sick bed and rescued the grandson of General Han. It was said that this matter was done in secret at the time. There were very few people who knew about it. But now because of General Liu Wei, I am afraid that if His Majesty had intentions, no one can say for sure what happened back then. ."
After listening to Mother's words, Xiao Hai Ru and Second Master Xiao were a little speechless. What could they say? Blame old Master for disregarding the life and death of the family and meddling in General Han's affairs? But if it wasn't for General Han, their Xiao family would have lost their incense in the early years? Whether old Master was right or wrong, no one can make a judgment for a while.