Her guards

Chapter 96 The Father's Longing

The women in embroidered robes all around burst into laughter.

"The Commandant is right."

“They were all either dukes, marquises, nobles, or imperial relatives. They were all outwardly strong but inwardly weak. When their homes were confiscated and they were questioned, they didn’t even dare to scold the captain.”

"That's because they did something wrong."

"Sigh, it's still my fault, I didn't do enough."

Strange, distorted voices came through the tent. Wei Xu covered his head with his cloak but couldn't block them out, so he angrily threw it off and sat up.

"It's so annoying. I couldn't sleep all night, and now it's so noisy so early in the morning," he said angrily in a low voice.

A brazier was burning inside the tent, but it wasn't as warm as the campfire outside. Master Wei and the other two, wrapped in cloaks and with their eyes closed, didn't get a good night's sleep.

"There were clearly post stations before, but he didn't stay there because he thought they were too simple. Now he thinks sleeping in the wilderness is luxurious?" Wei Xu couldn't help but continue to complain after he started speaking.

Of course, keep your voice down.

"...He's deliberately making things difficult for us."

Master Wei closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "We've also stayed in luxurious places, such as government offices and famous gardens of prominent families."

Wei Xu, wrapped in a cloak, moved to Wei Qiye's side: "That's using the name of the Great General to tarnish his reputation. It's not for our sake; it's out of ill intent."

Wei Xu felt embarrassed when he thought about the way those powerful families and government officials looked at them.

Having grown accustomed to the respect shown to the Wei family by both officials and commoners in Longxi, these cold stares were truly hard to accept.

The General's reputation has been ruined by Wei Jiao!
“It’s normal that he has ill intentions.” Master Wei opened his eyes and frowned. “What I don’t understand is, is it really that simple that he’s been following us all this way just to cause us trouble?”

When Wei Jiao said he would send them back to Longxi, he knew Wei Jiao would make things difficult for them, but there was no need for him to suffer in the dead of winter just to make things difficult for them.

"What's unnecessary? This kid's a madman, and madmen's thoughts are just different from ordinary people," Wei Xu snorted.

The other man opened his eyes and said, "I still think he wants to run home." He sat up and whispered, "Seventh Master, you must keep a close eye on him. If he really runs back, the Emperor will be angry and have an excuse to punish the General. We will be in a passive position."

Master Wei Qi also sat up, nodded and said in a low voice, "I know, I'm on guard. I've already sent a message to the General that he will send more men to guard the Longxi border. No matter how capable he is, he won't be able to cross that line."

He smiled again as he said this.

"Don't worry, we'll arrive in Qin'an City tomorrow."

Wei Xu looked delighted: "Once we arrive in Qin'an City, it's like home."

Master Wei glared at him: "What are you talking about? Qin'an City belongs to the Ma family of Guanzhong. Like the General, they were both people who assisted His Majesty in the past."

But in the end, the Ma family still chose to follow the general. Wei Xu thought to himself, but he knew he couldn't say it. He chuckled twice, wrapped himself in his cloak, and suddenly felt relaxed and no longer agitated. He then lay down.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, sleep a little longer."

Wei Qiye and his companion lay down, but before they could close their eyes, Wei Jiao's raised voice came from outside.

"Seventh Uncle, Seventh Uncle, Seventh Uncle."

Master Wei was about to pretend he couldn't hear, but the tent had already been opened by the embroidered man, and a cold wind rushed in, almost extinguishing the fire in the brazier.

Master Wei had no choice but to get up, wrap himself in his cloak, and walk out.

Wei Xu remained inside the tent, listening to the conversation coming from outside.

"Seventh Uncle, did you sleep well?"

"It's alright, it's alright. What's wrong, A-Jiao?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to see if you were awake."

Wei Xu wrapped the cloak around his head and cursed angrily, "You dog!"

.......
.......
Standing on the city wall of Wangyang Pass in Longxi, on a clear day you can squint and see a faint shadow of Qin'an city in the distance.

However, the heavy snowfall today, coupled with the constant movement of troops across the land ahead, obstructed the view.

The garrison commander of Wangyang Pass strode up the city wall and immediately spotted the man standing on it, gazing into the distance.

The man was slightly overweight and wore a blue cloak, making him look like a wealthy old man.

The wealthy man didn't use an umbrella and was covered in snow.

"Why didn't you hold an umbrella for me?" the middle-aged man shouted.

Before the guards on the city wall could speak, the wealthy man turned his head and waved his hand.

"I told them not to use umbrellas," he said with a smile, "because they would block their view."

The wealthy man, whose face was now fully visible, had a slightly dark complexion and appeared to be around fifty years old, with a gentle smile on his face.

The garrison commander immediately stood up straight, bowed, and said with excitement and respect, "This humble general greets the Great General."

General Wei Cui of Longxi nodded: "No need for formalities." After saying that, he turned around again and continued to gaze into the distance.

“General, the Third Young Master should be entering Qin’an City soon.” The garrison commander said from behind, “The city garrison commander Ma must have already seen the Third Young Master, after all, he will come out of the city to greet him personally.” Wei Cui nodded with a smile: “That is to be expected, after all, he is carrying out His Majesty’s mission.”

"What does His Majesty's job matter?" The garrison commander spoke of the emperor with no respect and a hint of disdain. "The position of garrison commander of Ma City was also given by His Majesty."

The reason why the city garrison commander was willing to personally go to receive him was naturally because the person who came was Wei Jiao, the third son of Wei Cui.

This is a tribute to Wei Cui.

Wei Cui understood the general's flattery and said nothing more, only looking into the distance: "I wonder how tall he's grown now."

Fathers everywhere miss their sons, especially after so many years apart.

The garrison commander looked tense: "General, you must not go to Qin'an City in person."

Logically speaking, neither Wei nor Cui should be allowed to leave Longxi City.

This time, not only did they leave Longxi City, but they also came to Wangyang Pass. It should be noted that not far from Qin'an City, the imperial general Feng Su of Yunyang was stationed there.

This is too dangerous.

"After Seventh Master and the others return, they will tell you about the Third Young Master's condition, so you don't need to worry."

The garrison commander tried to persuade him again.

Wei Cui turned around and, looking past the guard, saw the civil and military officials and servants following behind him, all of whom looked tense.

He laughed: "Don't worry, I won't go to see him. I just knew he was here, so I came to take a look."

After saying that, he looked into the distance again.

"It's so close, I had to come and take a look."

Being able to see that city and know that the Third Young Master is there is enough for a father to be satisfied.

As they spoke, another layer of snow covered Wei Cui's body and head.

Just as Wei Cui was about to say something, hurried footsteps sounded from below the city wall.

"General, General, something terrible has happened!"

The officer on the city gate felt a chill. Had the Third Young Master Wei really returned? Would the General order his men to intercept him?

With shouts, soldiers rushed forward and knelt before Wei Cui.

"Ma Qing of Qin'an City was beheaded by the Third Young Master... by the Commandant of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

what?
Those present were stunned, their faces blurred by the stillness of the swirling snow.

……

.......
"Wei Jiao! You're insane!"

When Master Wei was released, the body of the city garrison commander Ma Qing was already covered by heavy snow.

The heavy snow covered the blood on the ground, and the severed head and body, barely visible in the snow, no longer looked so gruesome.

Master Wei's face was contorted as he roared at Wei Jiao, who was sitting under the eaves, wearing a black cloak and red brocade robe, with a face as white as snow and lips as red as blood.

"How could you kill him! How could you kill him!"

All of this happened so suddenly that Master Wei Qi couldn't even remember how it happened.

Everything was perfectly fine.

Upon entering Qin'an, the city's governor, Ma Qing, personally came to greet Wei Jiao, showing him great respect.

Moreover, Ma Qing knew Wei Jiao's preferences and said that the government office had been prepared and invited him to move in.

Wei Jiao, as always, was picky and said he didn't want to stay at the government office, and that he had heard that Ma Qing had a nice villa for enjoying the snow.

Without hesitation, Ma Qing took Wei Jiao to the other courtyard.

The group arrived at the villa, where Ma Qing hosted a banquet, inviting renowned scholars from Qin'an to accompany them. There were also beautifully dressed singers and dancers in thin gauze dancing gracefully in the snow, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

As they were drinking, composing poems, and enjoying the lively singing and dancing, Wei Jiao suddenly gestured for Ma Qing to come forward. He whispered a few words to Ma Qing with a smile, and Ma Qing's expression changed instantly. He stood up abruptly, but before he could speak, Wei Jiao, sitting in his chair, drew the long sword from the embroidered waist of his robe...

A flash of light, and Ma Qing's head flew off.

As heads flew off, blood spurted out.

The blood was as red as the gauze dress of a dancer in the snow, as red as the grape wine in Master Wei's glass.

The scholar who was reciting poetry crawled under the table. Ma Qing's guards rushed in from outside the hall and were hacked to death by the men in embroidered robes.

Master Wei stood up, his face pale, but he didn't know who to deal with. He had no weapon with him. While he was still at a loss, some men in embroidered robes came over and slashed him with the back of a knife.

The moment his consciousness faded, Master Wei saw a chaotic hall filled with flying blood and gore. Wei Jiao was covered in Ma Qing's blood, a smile on his face, swirling a glass of fine wine in his hand.

This was truly a magnificent yet terrifying nightmare.