Chapter 384: Before Returning to One’s Hometown

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.

"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."