“In this afternoon, we also came to the feast held by the eldest branch. There, what we drank was green tea, but why did someone say we drink Baijiu? Recently, grandmother doesn’t feel well, which is known by our family. First sister-in-law is prudent, so how could she make that mistake? Two days ago, she also said but for domestic things in the Wei Family, she would have taken care of grandmother in the Su Mansion. Therefore, first sister-in-law might be misunderstood.” Wei Changying said to Qin’ge, “Please come to Xinyi Court to tell eldest brother that eleventh miss of the Liu Family perhaps didn’t know that grandmother is ill. It was merely a joke. Don’t mistake her.”

Qin’ge got it. She saluted and left.

Wei Changying winked at Yan'ge to let her guard the door. Yan'ge got it and left the room to stand in front of the door. Now, Wei Changying turned to ask Mrs. Huang, “Granny, how do you like Liu Ruoye?”

“She is ambitious,” said Mrs. Huang with a smile. “I have lived in the Capital City for many years and heard a few stories about young ladies of the great families here. Eleventh miss of the Liu Family has been a little famous since two or three years ago. The good remarks she received are usual, from elegance to sensibility. Generally, young ladies would be praised as their elder generations talked with others in public. However, eleventh miss deserves the praise. On the contrary, tenth miss is so timid and weak. It is said that we can guess mother’s character according to her daughter. Therefore, Mrs. Zhang is sophisticated. Additionally, she is tenth miss’s stepmother and always bullies her by the means of her status. So, it is pretty difficult for tenth miss to defeat her stepmother.”

Wei Changying said with a sneer, “I have imagined for many times how Liu Ruoye would be like. Today, after meeting her, I find that I was wrong before. We all underestimated her. Large as Fengzhou is, it couldn’t be compared with the Capital City, a rich place filled with unusual people. Liu Ruoye is three years younger than me, but she is so sophisticated. When I was fifteen years, I was not smarter than her.”

Mrs. Huang answered with a laugh, “As a saying puts that a wise person would be ruined by his wisdom. So, it is not good for people to be overly sophisticated. Luck is the more important. You are so lucky that no one could bully you.”

“Granny always comforts me,” said Wei Changying, ironically smiling. Apparently, Mrs. Huang comforted Wei Changying, but she stressed the importance of luck and then thought that being clever was not good. Actually, she admitted that when Wei Changying was fifteen years old, she was not cleverer than Liu Ruoye. But for a series of troubles Wei Changying had experienced last year, she would not have been sophisticated like Liu Ruoye now.

At the feast, because Mrs. Liu did not behave properly, Liu Ruoye did not say something but wanted to leave on the excuse of time. She stopped Mrs. Liu from ushering her out of the door on the pretext of Mrs. Liu’s pale face and even pretended to care for her health. Wei Changying was also there, so she had to take the place of Mrs. Liu to send off Liu Ruoye. At that time, Mrs. Liu was so upset that she could not pretend anymore and ended up accepting their requirement.

After Wei Changying and Liu Ruoye came out of Xinyi Court, Liu Ruoye beamed and asked, “Sister Wei, do you know why does it call Xinyi Court?”

In the view of Wei Changying, Liu Ruoye casually asked the question. So, Wei Changying recalled Jintong Court where she lived and then answered, “Is it because first sister-in-law likes Xinyi flower?”

Unexpectedly, Liu Ruoye said with a meaningful smile, “If so, why are Xinyi flowers not planted in this court? I heard that seventh brother-in-law insisted calling this name, Xinyi Court. Back then, my second aunt talked with Madam Su about the name. But he did not compromise. Therefore, elder generations did not discuss it anymore.”

Wei Changying frowned. It occurred to her that Mrs. Liu today was easily provoked. Wei Changying guessed that her excitement had something to do with the name of Xinyi Court. She did not want to be gossiped that she had discussed the eldest branch with Liu Ruoye. After all, as a guest, if Liu Ruoye discussed the eldest branch, she would merely not be welcomed by the Shen Family. Moreover, Mrs. Liu who favored Liu Ruoyu disliked her.

However, Wei Changying was the wife of the Shen Family. Before her marriage, her father, Wei Zhenghong had given her some advice. Besides being discreet, she should avoid talking domestic things with others or spreading rumors of the family. Generally speaking, what she spoke or acted was not supposed to be against the principle of the Wei Family. Wei Changying still remembered it, so she changed another topic on purpose, “Eleventh miss, this tiny plum blossom embroidered on your upper shirt is beautiful.”

“After hearing your brave story about killing enemies, I asked people to embroider it.” Liu Ruoye deliberately linked her words with Wei Changying. Touching the flower on her upper shirt, she curled her lips and said, “Plum blossom bravely faces snow, so it symbolizes someone who remains faithful and unyielding. Although I’m a weak girl, I hope that I would hold a sword to kill enemies in the battle to protect the Great Vi, like you someday.”

“...” Wei Changying stopped for a moment and then praised her with a smile, “As a young lady, it’s unusual for you to have aspirations like this.” Wei Changying did not look down upon Liu Ruoye. Unlike Liu Ruoyu who was physically weak, Liu Ruoye was still a childish beauty without any valiant feature. On the contrary, Wei Changying would tease these ambitious words if her sisters suddenly aspired to battle for the Great Vi, such as Wei Chang’e, a girl whom Wei Changying thought highly of.

However, Wei Changying was not familiar with Liu Ruoye, so she tried to look serious.

Liu Ruoye turned around and said with a smile, “I see, you don’t believe in what I said.”

Wei Changying found it a little ridiculous. She almost mistook Liu Ruoye for a naughty girl, so she pretended to answer in a serious manner, “How could I think so?”

“As a child, I often heard stories about my hometown from my father. Eastern Hu is a cold region bordering northern Rong tribes, so people there behave in a barbaric way. Of course they would not survive there if they didn’t do so.” Touching her lips with fingers, Liu Ruoye slowly said, “My father often tells my younger brother and me that we grow up in the Capital City and never experience the cold weather there, from heavy snow to blowing wind, so we are not real members of the Liu Family in certain point. Several hundred years ago, one of the Liu Family’s ancestors was originally a country gentleman in Eastern Hu. He did not bear northern Rong tribes who bullied local people, so he sold his property to recruit strong men to defend his hometown. Gradually, more and more people joined this group. There were also famous generals and officials from descendants of the Liu Family. They became a renowned family in Eastern Hu and then was famous in the world. Sister Wei, do you know among six gentlefolks, there was a spirit only shared by the Liu Family and the Shen Family? That is we should guard our hometown to prevent foreign tribes from intruding us.”

Her tone suddenly became serious, “If northern Rong tribes were to attack Zhongyuan, they should firstly defeat the army led by the Liu Family. Also, western Di tribes could not invade Zhongyuan from the west unless all members of the Shen Family die. This is the spirit inherited from ancestors of the Shen Family and the Liu Family.”

It occurred to Wei Changying the victory in north of the province in Fengzhou. As she recalled what had happened on her way from Fengzhou to the north, she privately found Liu Ruoye’s words ridiculous. If another people heard what Liu Ruoye spoke out, they would be touched and inspired by her and would naturally admire her.

However, Wei Changying knew the truth about the victory in Fengzhou. In the document, the victory was achieved by Song Duan and Song Han. Actually, it should have owed to Mo Binwei. Although he had narrowly survived in the battle, he ended up being wronged. After deceived by Wei Xinyong, Mo Binwei was forced to kill guards of the Wei Family and then fled away.

Mo Binwei won the greatest victory during recent years in the Great Vi despite he battled against the enemies with a little preparation. Now, who could expect that Mo Binwei hid in Chaoyun County, a remote place? As planned, Song Duan and Song Han would be written into the annals of history because of their so called success. On the contrary, this honor had nothing to do with Mo Binwei.

The real hero in the battle against northern Rong tribes was once valued by the Wei Family. In this victory, he would merely be recorded as a government runner ordered by the county magistrate to protect those citizens striving to flee away. His experience was at most written into the official document of Liao County with a few words.

Thousands year later, how could people know about his real achievement? However, what Mo Binwei had suffered did not happen to descendants of great families.

Wei Changying didn’t sneer at Liu Ruoye who was eager to battle for her nation regardless of a young lady. On the contrary, she doubted that Liu Ruoye’s purpose was not pure.

People from great families or in a high status got used to overlooking everything, so they would witness something terrible. Therefore, they should be more poised as they faced a seemingly grand situation.

As Song Han and Song Duan were praised for their victory, they spoke out each detail of the battle. Therefore, sophisticated as Wei Huan was, he did not suspect their behavior after reading the battle report. It was obvious that Song Han inquired the truth with a trick from Mo Binwei who knew the actual situation of the battle.

The young government runner of Liao City helped the old assistant of county magistrate escort those citizens who strove to escape from the city attacked by northern Rong tribes. The city where the government runner had grown up was destroyed. There were piles of bodies, called as Jingguan, outside the walls of Liao City. In this situation, the government runner led the survived men in the Liao City to ambush the enemies with irritation and hatred. As he fought with northern Rong tribes and then beheaded the leader of them, troop reinforcements finally reached. However, did he expect that what he would face later was not praise or honor, but slander and murder?

Back then, in the view of Mo Binwei, Song Duan and Song Han thought highly of him, so they asked him the course of the battle. He was perhaps too naive at that time. If he hadn’t secretly hidden the amulet of that leader of northern Rong tribes, Wei Huan could not have owed the victory to him.

People’s mind was mysterious. If someone were easily inspired, he might be a cat’s paw finally.

This was the advice told by Wei Huan to Wei Changying, before her marriage. In spite of a son of the concubine, this old man became the Head Family after seeing through the plots made by his father's wife and other people. In his life, he met plenty of accidents, but he was always poised to deal with them and even took everything in hand.

As his only lineal granddaughter was going to get marry, he privately gave her this advice drawn from his own experience. It was that someone should not make an important decision when he was extremely happy or sad. Wei Huan knew that her granddaughter was too young to understand the motto: never pleased by external gains, never saddened by personal losses. All he could do was to have her granddaughter remember that she should neither be tricked by appearance nor easily be enticed by others.

After hearing Liu Ruoye’s seemingly inspiring words, Wei Changying became more vigilant to her. As Liu Ruoye firstly met Wei Changying, she told her father’s motto to Wei Changying. Did she like to talk something important with someone whom she firstly encountered? Mrs. Liu was the same. Now, Liu Ruoye seemed to get along with Wei Changying with sincerity, but Wei Changying privately refused this false attitude. What was more, Liu Ruoye used to covet her husband, so Wei Changying did not want to honestly chat with her.

Hence, she said with a smile, “Eleventh miss is so aspired and ambitious. You are so brave.”

“My father often tells stories about ancestors fighting with northern Rong tribes to me. Every time, I’m inspired by them.” Liu Ruoye was a little stunned that Wei Changying had not been affected by her words. But a timid smile quickly appeared on her face again. “As a child, unlike my younger brother, I was too delicate to learn material arts from my father. Now, it is late to regret what I have done. So, as sixteenth brother told me how perfect your material arts are, I thought that if I had been more diligent in material arts, I could have persuaded my father to allow me to head for Eastern Hu with my younger brother to experience something unique several days later.”

Clutching her white fists into balls, Liu Ruoye slightly waved them. There was an air of anger on her pretty face. She seriously spoke out, “I hear violent behavior by northern Rong tribes. They showed off their power by piling bodies of innocent people of Great Vi into Jingguan. I am eager to beat back the enemies, like you, to reveal the Great Vi’s national power.”

Wei Changying showed her admiration to her and said, “Although I learned material arts from my coach, I don’t have such a great ambition. Back then, I was forced to kill assassinators. Now, your ambition makes me shame.” Her words seemingly sounded good, but they were not meaningful.

Wei Changying was not affected at all. After noticing this, Liu Ruoye slightly bit her lip and then beamed at her, “Sister Wei, I am sorry about my words. It seems that you have mistakes for me.”

“Why do you think so, eleventh miss?” asked Wei Changying calmly, “It is my first time to meet you. How could I misunderstand you?”

Liu Ruoye looked up at the blue sky far away from her, her lips curling into a sneer, and then said, “In the Capital City, there used to be a rumor that I have seen Brother-in-law Wei.”