Martial Cultivator

Chapter 384: Before Returning to One's Hometown

The Great General's manor, located in the northeast corner of the Divine Capital, finally showed some signs of life.

General Xiao He had been stationed at the Northern Frontier for many years. He had no sons; only one daughter, who had been married off to the First Prince as his princess consort several years ago. Consequently, she had long left this mansion. Over the years, although this mansion should have been bustling with activity, due to the Great General's prolonged absence from the Divine Capital, there was only an old steward and a few servants left in the mansion.

Now, as the Great General was about to retire and return to the Divine Capital, ministers from the court came to visit one after another. In just one day, the old steward received dozens of invitations, all from those who wished to see the Great General before he left for his hometown. Every day, when the old steward opened the door, he would see a bunch of stewards from various families waiting outside the mansion. However, all these invitations were collected and placed in the Great General's study. Despite the limited time, the old general did not show any interest in reading even one of them.

In other words, during this period, not a single person has been able to enter this Great General's mansion.

Today's weather was pleasant, with the warm spring sun shining into the courtyard. Even the old locust tree, which seemed to have little life left, showed some vitality today. The old steward brought a reclining chair and placed it in the yard. Then, he set up a small square table next to it, with two flasks of palace-bestowed wine and an exquisite white jade wine cup placed on top.

The Great General slowly walked out of his study and lay down on the reclining chair. His head full of white hair was somewhat disheveled, appearing particularly striking under the sunlight.

The old steward carefully poured a cup for his master, whom he had not seen in probably several decades. However, before he could even put down the wine flask, the Great General casually said, "Old Ji, the weather is nice today. Join me for a couple of drinks.

The old steward's hand trembled slightly, but he did not say anything. He just nodded and went to fetch another chair along with an ordinary wine cup. Sitting beside the Great General, he poured himself a drink as well.

The Great General squinted at the sun in the sky and suddenly asked, "Old Ji, how many years have you been in this mansion?"

The old steward shook his head and said softly, "I can't recall exactly. I only remember when Emperor Lingzong was still reigning."

The Great General sighed emotionally and said, "Indeed, Emperor Lingzong spent quite the effort to plant you in this mansion."

Hearing the revelation of the secret he had guarded for many years being exposed by the Great General, a hint of panic appeared in the old steward's eyes. However, he quickly calmed himself down. At this moment, he felt a sense of relief instead. Guarding this secret had made him feel akin to treading on thin ice over the years, but he had never imagined that the Great General before him had known all along.

Without waiting for the old steward to speak, the Great General smiled faintly. "Emperor Lingzong has been gone for many years. After that deposed emperor died in the fire, even if you knew something over these years, there's nowhere to pass it on." The old steward nodded gently. Indeed, he was the old man Emperor Lingzong had planted in the General's mansion. At that time, the Great General was about to be appointed as the Great General of the Northern Frontier, commanding the most elite frontier troops of the Great Liang Dynasty. Emperor Lingzong naturally had to be cautious, so he planted an informant in the mansion. Actually, this sort of thing was not uncommon throughout history. After learning about it, the subjects could only feign ignorance. If the person appointed by His Majesty the Emperor was expelled, that would be losing all decorum with the Emperor.

Not many would do this sort of thing.

After Emperor Lingzong's demise, the old steward passed on information to the palace, but it was to that deposed emperor. However, after the deposed emperor was consumed by fire, whether it was because the palace didn't find his presence or the current Emperor of Great Liang simply didn't care, he never contacted the palace again. In the initial years, he often worried, but as time passed, the old steward gradually forgot about this matter. He had even started to think of himself as a servant of the Great General's mansion. It was only when the Great General mentioned it again that he remembered these things once more.

"Don't worry, I'm old and no longer involved in court affairs. I don't want to kill you either. Just live well."

The Great General took a sip of wine, narrowing his eyes. Drinking in the Northern Frontier Army mostly involved strong liquor. Although it gave a kick, after drinking it for so many years, his body could not handle it anymore. Now, drinking something less strong was more suitable for him.

"The old servant also doesn't have many years left." The old steward said softly, "But, I still must thank Great General for sparing my life."

The Great General smiled faintly, "I had no friends or allies in the court. The juniors I appreciate are all in the Northern Frontier. In such a big Divine Capital, there are few whom I can speak my mind to. Today's weather is good. Shall we speak frankly for a moment?"

The old steward nodded slightly and took the initiative to say, Back when that deposed emperor was battling with the current Great Liang Emperor, when the imperial edict reached the Northern Frontier, you didn't follow the edict and lead the army down south, Great General. Actually, an edict came from the palace that your wife and daughter were to be executed on the spot."

During the great battle back then, the deposed emperor retreated continuously, unexpectedly losing half of his territory to a vassal king. Later, some court officials suggested that the Great General lead his troops southward, using the most elite frontier troops of the Great Liang Dynasty to deal with the current Great Liang Emperor. At that time, the deposed emperor was full of confidence, thinking that the Great General's wife and daughter were in the Divine Capital, and the Great General had no reason to disobey the imperial edict. However, the result was unexpected. In a fit of rage, the deposed emperor wanted to execute Great General's wife and daughter publicly. But later, the situation deteriorated rapidly, some people in the Divine Capital tacitly accepted that the Great General was on the side of the Great Liang Emperor, so they intervened to save your wife and daughter.

The Great General was not surprised and just said casually, "Emperor Lingzong was always paranoid, and the deposed emperor even more so. His actions weren't unexpected."

The Great General smiled and said, "When Emperor Lingzong passed away, I thought the throne should rightfully pass to the current emperor. Who would have thought Emperor Lingzong made such a mistake and passed it to his imperial grandson."

Discussing such historical events of the previous dynasty, both individuals who had lived through it felt quite emotional at this moment.

The Great General said, "Let me reveal something to you. Back then, when His Majesty entered the Divine Capital, someone in the palace informed him about your situation. His Majesty sent me a secret edict, informing me of this matter. Your life or death was to be decided by me. I spared your life, and His Majesty did not plant any more spies in the Great General's mansion. Just this magnanimity alone qualifies His Majesty to be called a wise ruler."

"At that time, people used to say I was watching from the sidelines and waiting for the highest bid. But today I can tell you that I hoped for His Majesty's victory from the beginning. Only in the hands of someone like His Majesty can the Great Liang Dynasty truly flourish. As for that deposed emperor, if he had remained in power, the backbone of every person in the Great Liang Dynasty would have been broken."

An old matter speculated by the world for decades was casually revealed by the Great General just like that. It would surely cause a storm if the news spread. However, the only listener at this moment no longer harbored such thoughts.

Since it had come to this, the old steward also said sincerely, "Indeed, His Majesty's ability far surpasses that of the deposed emperor. Among Emperor Lingzong's sons, perhaps only that late Crown Prince could compare."

With the name of the late Crown Prince being mentioned again, the Great General smiled and said, "The late Crown Prince excels in matters of governance and has good cultivation talent as well. If he ascended the throne, he would have been a wise ruler. However, his attitude towards the foreign lands is too mild; lacking in courage. His Majesty surpasses him in this aspect by far."

At this point, the Great General suddenly asked, "Among those invitations, is there one from the Deputy Commander of the Left Guard?"

The old steward shook his head. He had seen those invitations, and he knew about the current Deputy Commander of the Left Guard who had been granted the right to bear arms, but he did not see his name among them.

"I want to see this young man before leaving the Divine Capital. Ning Ping holds high expectations for him, and His Majesty also regards him highly. I'm curious to know what ability he possesses to earn such high regard from those two."

The Great General felt a surge of emotion. During the years in the Northern Frontier, the thing he did the most was to promote those youngsters for the benefit of Great Liang. He had assumed that the most outstanding among the younger generation of Great Liang would be in the Northern Frontier Army. However, he had not realized that there were still two individuals, a man and a woman, in the Great Liang Dynasty's Divine Capital.

The old steward hesitated for a moment before saying, "Should this old servant go and invite the Deputy Commander to the mansion?"

The Great General shook his head and said, "Although I'm retired and no longer the Great General, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to personally invite him. Besides, we have guests arriving at our mansion today."

The old steward was taken aback and was about to speak when a servant approached from afar. After glancing at the Great General, the servant said softly, "The First Prince and Miss have arrived."

The Great General smiled, waving his hand for the servant to leave. Then he turned to the old steward and said, "I can choose not to meet other people, but my own daughter came, if I don't meet her, people will scold me for being heartless and ungrateful."