Under the verandah, Xiao Chengyou came back from the palace, his face gloomy, his dark eyes filled with uncontrollable emotions, as if a storm was brewing.

This was the first time since he grew up that he saw his third uncle - the enemy who falsely accused his father of treason eighteen years ago and whom he hated the most in his life, is now the emperor.

Memories came flooding back, and Xiao Chengyou's mind couldn't help but think of the ambitious face of the man above the hall, as well as his questions word for word, insinuating how the general led his men to fight in a difficult environment for decades, and whether the frontier Hiding soldiers and horses...

Without exception, there is all kinds of suspicion about the General's Mansion.

Xiao Chengyou's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his cold brows concealed the surging hatred in his heart.

He had been planning this revenge for decades and answered the emperor's deliberate questions meticulously. Even so, he still felt unworthy of the General's Mansion.

Even when a hated man ascended the throne and was ordered to lead the remaining defeated soldiers to garrison in the extremely cold place, the general never gave up on the safety of the people on the border. Countless bloody battles and the sacrifice of many soldiers were able to achieve peace on the border.

And the emperor, who was living extravagantly and absurdly in the palace, was sure of the general's upright character. He had done so many things secretly over the years. He probably wanted to see the general's pale corpse back to the capital day and night, so that he could be killed in one fell swoop. The long-coveted military power was legitimately taken into his hands.

Suddenly, the woman's clear voice interrupted Xiao Chengyou's thoughts.

Not far away, there are layers of green trees in the courtyard, and the lingering breeze is blowing the waves of emerald green.

Looking through the sound, a pale and skinny girl in the corner was sobbing suppressedly, looking extremely pitiful. The woman next to the little girl was his nominal wife Fu Ling, whom they had just separated not long ago.

She had long since changed out of her charming and flamboyant attire. She was wearing a light blue emerald smoked sweater, a pleated skirt with mist and green grass, which was beautiful and delicate. Her black hair was lightly rolled up with butterfly tassels.

She was placing her hand on the little girl's back and caressing her slowly, not caring that the dirt on the little girl's body had stained her delicate skin like cream. The girl's sobs gradually subsided because of this friendly comfort.

Xiao Chengyou's heart suddenly dropped as if someone had grabbed it.

"Your Highness?" The boy beside him asked softly when he saw Xiao Chengyou stopped moving forward, but his voice was quickly blocked by Xiao Chengyou's raised hand.

As dusk deepened, the sunlight was cut diagonally by the beams and pillars under the corridor, falling quietly on Xiao Chengyou's stern face.

His eyes slid from the back of Fu Ling's white hand to the part of her wrist exposed by her sleeves, where she wore an ordinary-looking jade bracelet. The slender joints were slightly raised, and the jade bracelet exuded a halo and light golden color. The sunlight blended into one place, illuminating her wrists almost as if they were transparent, as if they were crystal clear glass that could break at the touch of a touch, making people unable to help but be lost in thought for a long time.

Xiao Chengyou just looked at the scene in front of him quietly. After a moment, he took a step back and fell into the shadows.

Fu Ling's comfort had made the little girl stop crying. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that the darkness under the verandah was completely invisible.

He didn't care about her to begin with, so it was normal for him to walk away now.

Fu Ling didn't have any expectations for Xiao Chengyou, thinking that he had left. Although he sighed slightly in his heart, the feigned weakness on his body dissipated in an instant, and his slightly drooped eyebrows were covered with a cold and distant look. .

From the little girl's intermittent narration, Fu Ling already understood the reason for the incident.

The little girl was originally an orphan. She was beaten half to death by a homeless man while trying to grab a piece of rancid pancakes on the street. She developed a high fever and thought she was about to die. However, she was discovered by a passing cook from the kitchen of the General's Mansion and took her home. adoption.

The cook's husband died young and the family was impoverished. She relied on working hard in the general's mansion to earn food and clothing. She collected some of the master's leftovers in a decent manner and raised the little girl.

However, a few days ago, the girl's old illness relapsed, and the cook was forced to ask Butler Zhang to advance next month's salary to buy medicine for the girl. Upon hearing this, Butler Zhang made an exception and asked the cook to take the girl into the house to take care of her. Upon entering the house, the cook was kidnapped. The girl was unfamiliar with the place in the general's house, so she had no other choice but to hide in the chaos.

Fu Ling's eyes darkened as he listened to the little girl's cries.

Outsiders who enter and exit the inner courtyard of the General's Mansion at will will have their legs broken and kicked out. Butler Zhang has been in charge for many years and is most familiar with the rules. If he truly sympathized with the mother and daughter, how could he pretend to invite you to the urn?

Fu Ling was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from behind, "We found her!"

When I turned my head, I saw Chen Yuxiao's flamboyant smile. The tails of her long and slender eyes seemed to be pulled high by the silk threads in a shadow play, and a sense of pride came over me.

Chen Yuxiao was at the front, leading a group of servants and walking forward aggressively. When the little girl saw Chen Yuxiao, her already sickly face turned pale in an instant, and she hurriedly hid behind Fu Ling, but was still grabbed by Butler Zhang.

"You little bitch, you're hiding here!"

Chen Yuxiao gave a look, and Butler Zhang ignored Fu Ling's presence and was about to slap the little girl. She was already ill, and this slap might take her life.

"How dare you!" Fu Ling stretched out his hand and stopped Butler Zhang's falling hand.

Butler Zhang didn't expect that Fu Ling, who looked weak, could withstand his full-strength palm effortlessly. He couldn't help but widen his eyes. While he was stunned, a woman with disheveled hair at the end of the crowd suddenly rushed forward and hugged the little girl.

"Auntie——" The little girl couldn't help but have tears in her eyes that covered her face. The cook had obviously been beaten, and blood was oozing out from the torn parts of her clothes, but she still patted the little girl to comfort her and looked at her. Full of tenderness.

"The Crown Princess doesn't know something. This cook brought people into the house without permission. She should break her legs and drive them out."

Chen Yuxiao stared at Fu Ling and said with a smile on his face, "I'm afraid the imperial concubine's defense of sinners will break the rules of the general's palace."

As a concubine, she had some means to be in charge of the general's mansion. A few years ago, she took the opportunity to arrange for her cousin to be the housekeeper. The old lady was old and did not want to interfere in family affairs. The General's Mansion became their hall of speech.

There was a trace of gloom in Chen Yu's smiling eyes. It would have been nice if Fu Ling had known better and followed her in everything. But now she is just a bride who has just entered the mansion and is not even favored by the prince. If she dares to interfere in this matter, she will definitely give Fu Ling a hard time. Learn some lessons.

Fu Ling met Chen Yuxiao's demonstrative gaze without fear and retorted, "This cook has been working in the general's mansion for decades and has never done anything wrong. I just felt that this little girl's pulse is weak. If I don't use medicine anymore, I'm afraid her life is in danger, so why didn't Aunt Chen listen to her explanation and rush to convict her?"

"You are really sharp-tongued." Chen Yu smiled and raised his eyebrows, "You really are from a humble background. It's really ridiculous to feel sorry for a slave."