During my escape from famine, I survived by eavesdropping on the whispers of food.

Lu Jun slammed the cup down on the table and said to General Lu, "Father, have you forgotten what day it is today?"

Lu Yun, standing nearby, then said to Lu Jun, "Brother, what do you mean? Are you saying you don't remember what day it is today? It seems you don't respect my mother at all."

As expected, after all this time, my brother still doesn't respect me and Mom. It seems it's time for us to go back to my parents' home.

General Lu, his face displeased, said to Lu Yun, "How could I let you and your mother go back to your parents' home? It's my fault for not disciplining you properly, which is why your brother turned out like this. You should apologize to your aunt right away. You really made her unhappy in this situation today."

With so many guests here, are you not even going to give your father this much face?

Lu Jun said to him, "Do you remember what day it is today?"

Madam Yun was also confused and said to him, "Good child, just tell us what's wrong. How would we know what day it is today? Today is just my birthday. If you remember, that's fine too."

It doesn't matter if you don't remember, all I ask is that my family and I can have a happy meal together. Being happy is more important than anything else.

Upon hearing Yun's words, Lu Jun couldn't help but sneer, "What exactly are you thinking? Do you think I don't know?"

Why would you choose to celebrate your birthday today? Need I say more?

General Lu said to Lu Jun, "How dare you! She is your aunt, your elder! How can you treat her like this? Apologize to her immediately! If you don't apologize today, see how severely I punish you!"

You've been wandering around outside these days. Do you really think I don't know what you've been up to? How can a mere mortal like you join a battle? You're just a weak scholar; what if you hurt yourself?

"You're risking your life, but I still have my pride. I'm not particularly capable to begin with, and now you're going out here, thinking you can ruin your reputation, disgrace my General's Mansion, and, incidentally, disgrace you too."

Lu Jun remained calm and said to the general, "Father, what do you mean by that? Does it mean that a mere scholar like me shouldn't go to the battlefield?"

General Lu said to Lu Jun, "Now that you're back, from now on, don't use your pen to discuss matters of war between armies. That's not something you can comment on."

In all my years of battlefield experience, I've never seen a frail young man like you capable of fighting on the battlefield. Put away your ambitions and stay home to study. Passing the imperial examinations is far more important than anything else.

The Crown Prince even asked you to be his study companion; how could you refuse?

Upon hearing this, Yun realized that General Lu still held such high hopes for Lu Jun, and quickly said to him, "General, please don't be angry. Even if Lu Jun doesn't want to learn, it's fine if it's just martial arts, but don't forget we still have our second son."

We don't need to focus all our attention on the eldest son. If he doesn't want to, we can just give him his freedom and let him live happily, right? Our second son is truly a talent.

The other day, our mentor praised him for being able to recite several poems.

You haven't praised him since you found out, and now, comparing the two, our second son is definitely more successful.

Upon hearing this, the general couldn't help but laugh and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Compared to my eldest son, your son is a natural scholar. He will definitely pass the imperial examinations and become one of the Three Dukes. But my second son, no matter what he studies, he can't understand it. I think it's good enough that he's healthy."

Lu Jun was too lazy to pay attention to their back-and-forth. He said to General Lu, "Since Father knows that my return is for the anniversary of my mother's death, then I don't need to stay at your house any longer. I will go see her and leave tonight. I will not disturb you in the slightest."

Lu Jun turned and left. Seeing this, General Lu quickly said to Lu Jun, "Nonsense! You rarely come back, and you leave in such a hurry. Do you not want this family anymore? Do you not want your father anymore?"

Lu Jun coldly replied, "Whether you want me or not depends on whether you want me or not. Now that you have your own family, you don't need to care about me. Just live well with your wife."

Lu Jun finished speaking and left gracefully.

This sparked a flurry of discussion among the guests present.

"It's rare for this young master to be so angry, and there's a reason for it."

Before his mother's body was even cold, General Lu was forced to marry into the Yun family. At that time, the young master was still very young and had no choice but to accept this fact.

Later, as he grew up, he understood the reason. The second wife was simply someone General Lu had made a mistake in the past. Now, bringing the mother and son home together, the eldest son was still resentful. The thought of his father going out while his mother was seriously ill and committing a wrong he shouldn't have—how could he bear it?

"So, it's understandable that the young master is acting this way. It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. How can the young master be so short-tempered?"

"The young master is never short-tempered. You don't know, he is the most talented among the younger generation in the whole city. He is the most virtuous. The Crown Prince once wanted him to be his study companion, but he resolutely refused. He said he would do what he asked for."

"It seems that this young master is indeed no ordinary person. If so, no matter how much the Yun family schemes against their son, he will certainly not inherit General Lu's official position."

"I think it's highly likely that the young master will be seen."

"That's right, look at him, he doesn't look like an ordinary person. You don't know, do you? When he was very young, he became the youngest person in the entire capital to pass the provincial examination. He was very young at the time, and he applied for the exam on his first try. It seems that this young master will probably be a very successful person in the court in the future."

General Lu was so angry that his chest ached. He clutched his chest and slowly sat down. Seeing this, Lady Yun quickly went over to help him and said, "This Lu Jun is really too ignorant. General, don't worry, I will definitely discipline him properly in the future."

General Lu raised his hand to indicate, "This child has always been stubborn. I married you under those circumstances back then, so it's only natural that he harbors hatred now."

As soon as Lu Jun stepped outside, he saw a carriage parked there. At that moment, someone inside used a fan made of gold to lift the curtain and said to Lu Jun in a calm voice, "Get in."

After Lu Jun bowed, he got on the carriage. The carriage clattered along the street, leaving the city gate and finally arriving at a place on the outskirts of the city. Under a large cherry blossom tree, Lu Jun took out a move and placed the prepared words in front of the tombstone.

At this moment, the middle-aged man wearing a mask behind him spoke to Lu Jun, "As your teacher, I must advise you, all these years you have harbored resentment because your father married into the Yun family."

Our army definitely needs his assistance, as well as your classmate.

Lu Jun asked in confusion, "Are you talking about Qin Shuangshuang?"