The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

It was already evening when we left the village chief's house. The village affairs had been resolved, and the village chief was happy. He chatted happily with the Shen family father and son, both of whom were somewhat drunk.

Looking at her husband and son, who were leaning against the carriage with slightly flushed faces, Shen's mother said to Shen Cao, "Actually, when we left Stone Village, your father resented the village chief and hated the people in the village."

“Why can’t we live here anymore? We’ve always lived a peaceful and honest life, worked hard, earned money, and supported your older brother’s education.”

"Your mother also wants you and your younger siblings to learn to read and write. Your older brother knows that we don't have money, so every time he's home for a holiday, no matter how tired he is, he forces you to study with him."

"Children in the village as old as your older brother have long since gone out to work and earn money, or stayed at home to farm."

"Oh well! Oh well, it's all in the past."

"We're happy today, so let's not talk about those unpleasant things."

Shen Cao felt a bit stuffy inside the carriage, so she opened a corner of the curtain. It was pitch black outside, with only a few houses passing by, their faint candlelight standing out clearly in the darkness.

The General's Mansion in the Capital...

The study was brightly lit by candlelight. He Yu glanced at the tightly closed door. Ever since attending the palace banquet, his master had been locking himself in the study and refusing to see anyone.

"Heyu, let's go, they're all waiting," Hewu urged from the side.

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. The master gave them all a holiday. They were all orphans who had been raised by the master since childhood.

Every year on the day when families reunite, they would celebrate together.

Today, their master gave them five hundred taels of silver and told them to find a nice restaurant to treat themselves.

They originally wanted to invite their master along, but he hadn't come out since leaving the palace.

He glanced at the study door one last time, abandoned his original idea, and left with He Wu.

Inside the study, Ji Lingfeng was dressed in a black brocade robe, with delicate and understated cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with a band of black fox fur, the fur was bright and soft to the touch. Compared to the young general in armor, this casual attire made him appear even more noble.

At this moment, he was sitting at his desk, lost in thought.

On the desk lay an unfolded map of the Great Xia Kingdom, with a circle drawn on it, the red ink standing out prominently against the surface.

If you look closely, you can see that the circled area is Xin'an County.

Xin'an County is surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on one side, making it an important transportation hub of the Great Xia Kingdom. Its importance is self-evident.

After attending the palace banquet today, the Emperor specially kept him behind, and he recounted in detail his previous discoveries in Xin'an County and his own speculations to the Emperor.

Especially the matter of discovering the arms deal. He had previously sent Hefei and his men to investigate, but they only found some small fry.

In order not to alert the enemy, he had no choice but to let them retreat.

The Emperor's advice was to send two groups of people into Xin'an County without alerting the enemy, one in the open and one in the shadows.

The emperor asked him if he had a suitable candidate, and he did not hesitate to say that he was willing to go in person.

He still remembered the emperor's serious expression when he heard that he was going in person.

Has the situation at the border become that serious?

He quickly waved his hand, "That's not it. It's just that I don't trust the others. Although the spies in the army have been found, there's no guarantee that there won't be accomplices."

The emperor was finally relieved.

He didn't really know why he had to agree to this personally, when he could have sent Hefei and the others.

Perhaps it was because she wanted to find out the truth for herself, or perhaps she was simply missing that delicious bowl of chicken soup wontons.

He shook his head, took the black handkerchief from the drawer of his desk, and placed it next to the area he had circled.

He himself didn't realize the barely suppressed smile playing on his lips.

"Bang!" The sky outside suddenly lit up; someone was setting off fireworks.

He put away the handkerchief and walked to the window.

Looking up at the dazzling fireworks, my somewhat gloomy mood was somewhat relieved.

The Emperor had previously asked him, "If war breaks out and we fight against the Great Qing Kingdom, what are our chances of winning?"

He said 50%.

Actually, he said that to comfort the emperor.

Once war breaks out this time, the Great Qing Kingdom will not be as merciful to the Great Xia Kingdom as it was more than ten years ago; it will definitely be a fight to the death.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the garden.

In the garden, there was a woman dressed in a white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). The collar and cuffs of the ruqun were trimmed with white fox fur. She wore two hairpins made of white fox fur with red ribbons on them, which made her look very playful and cute.

This woman was Ji Lingfeng's younger sister, Ji Fu.

She was currently with her maid, sneaking around in the corner of the garden, looking up furtively as if talking to someone.

He didn't even notice Ji Lingfeng approaching.

"Fu'er, why aren't you sleeping at night? What are you doing sneaking around here?"

The sudden sound startled Ji Fu, "Thud!" Something hit the ground.

It sounded like her older brother's voice. She turned around cautiously and saw him standing under the pavilion with a dark expression, looking at her.

She glanced at the wall, gave the maid a look, and then slowly walked up to Ji Lingfeng.

"Good evening, big brother!" She flashed a smile and greeted Ji Lingfeng.

Ji Lingfeng looked at her and asked, "What are you doing there so late at night?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."

"You wandered to the corner?"

"Who was that kid on the wall just now?"

Ji Fu was stunned when she heard Ji Lingfeng's words; she knew she couldn't hide it from her older brother.

She lowered her head and whispered, "It's Ma Liangcai."

Ji Lingfeng frowned. "That kid from the Ma family?"

Ji Fu nodded.

"What's that kid doing climbing over the wall in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Ji Fu's face immediately turned red, but since she was standing in the shadows, Ji Lingfeng didn't notice. She didn't know how to answer Ji Lingfeng for a moment, so she didn't speak. However, she clenched her fists a little tighter, and even the things in her hands were gripped more tightly.

Ji Lingfeng continued, "That kid's got some skills now, he can even climb over walls. He used to be so weak, I could have knocked him down with one punch."

Ma Liangcai sneezed outside the wall, startling him so much that he quickly covered his mouth, afraid that Ji Lingfeng would discover him. He was unaware that he had been exposed.

Ji Fu recalled what had happened in the suburbs and silently shook her head. "Things are different now. He's not as frail as he used to be."

The thought that the kid had kept everyone in the dark made her chuckle softly.

"why are you laughing?"

Ji Fu pointed to herself, "Did I laugh?"

The maid beside her nodded.

She could only reluctantly say, "Nothing? But brother, what brings you to the study?"

"I couldn't sleep either, so I came out for a walk."

"Oh, then you can continue your stroll, I'll head back now."

Ji Fu tried to slip away, but before she could take more than a few steps, she heard Ji Lingfeng shout at the top of the wall, "Remember to come during the day next time and use the main gate."

Upon hearing Ji Lingfeng's words, she staggered and almost lost her balance.

This is so annoying! It's all Ma Liangcai's fault for coming in the middle of the night. My brother found out.