Chapter 589 Extra Chapter—Overbearing

Lin Changning hadn't seen Yue'er for three years and wondered if she had grown any taller. She should be seven years old by the Chinese age reckoning now. Having been away from home for three years, Lin Changning was truly homesick.

Now that the border war has ended, it's time for her to return home.

Zhiyuan is now working alongside Li Mingxiu. He was commended for his meritorious service in investigating cases in his first year and was appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel by His Majesty last year.

Li Mingxiu got married last year, marrying the eldest daughter of the Cui family. The Cui family's daughter became the Crown Princess, while the Xie family's daughter became a concubine.

Two months ago, Li Mingxiu sent a letter to the frontier, saying that the Crown Princess was four months pregnant and he would become a father by the end of the year.

Since the war was over, they urged Lin Changning to return as soon as possible. Old Qin had already returned to the capital to recuperate. After Lin Changning stabilized the border, he led his army back to the capital.

The war lasted three years, and the Xuantong Emperor won a great victory.

It is said that the emperor, empress, and countless high-ranking officials in the court are preparing to go to the city gate tower to welcome the army's return.

The current head of the Cui family, Cui Jie, and the elder of the Xie family, Xie Yun, have both entered the cabinet and become Grand Secretaries.

Under their leadership, the court has now undergone a clean-up of its discipline, and the efficiency of all departments has more than doubled. The atmosphere is clean and honest, and corruption has decreased significantly.

Lin Changning had captured a lot of gold and silver jewelry while fighting on the frontier in recent years. Some of it was sent back to the capital. The majority went to the emperor, while the remainder was divided equally among the Duke of Qi's mansion, the Crown Prince's mansion, and his own residence.

Qi Rong refused to accept it no matter what she said. In the past few years, she had been away from the capital, and her family had been well taken care of by Qi Rong and Li Mingxiu.

Li Mingde has been fighting alongside her for the past two years, and his martial arts skills have improved significantly. Of course, he still gets beaten up by Lin Changning every now and then.

Li Mingde still believes that Lin Changning is a man; his true identity is currently only known to the Emperor, the Empress, Qi Rong, and the Crown Prince.

"Xiao Liu, there's a letter for you."

Li Mingde stood outside Lin Changning's door, shouting loudly into the room. As for why he didn't go in?

Last winter, Li Mingde broke into Lin Changning's camp and was beaten by Lin Changning for three whole days, leaving him with a bruised and swollen face.

Although Li Mingde didn't quite understand why Lin Changning was so possessive of the tent, after being beaten twice, he could only understand and agree, obediently standing behind the door and waiting for people to leave.

Lin Changning gets angry whenever this is mentioned. That time, she had just finished taking a bath and put on her clothes when Li Mingde suddenly lifted the curtain of the tent, howling that it was too cold and people were freezing to death, and barged into the place where she was taking a bath.

Startled, Lin Changning quickly put on his clothes, gritted his teeth, and then dragged the person out the door: "Your Highness! It's been so long and you still haven't learned to come in. Shouldn't you call out first?!"

Afterwards, he dragged the person along and beat them up several times under the guise of a friendly spar.

Lin Changning, who was inside reviewing official documents, looked up at the person outside and said, "Come in."

Li Mingde then entered Lin Changning's room with the letter tucked in his pocket. After looking around, he casually tossed the letter onto Lin Changning's table.

"A letter from the Marquis's residence."

Lin Changning nodded, opened the letter, and quickly scanned its contents. His expression slowly darkened.

He clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table. With a crack, the table was broken in half by Lin Changning's punch.

With a loud crash, everything on the table and the documents scattered onto the floor.

Li Mingde was startled and took a step back, looking at Lin Changning with an unusually wary gaze: "I knocked on the door to call you today!!"

Lin Changning looked up at Li Mingde, rolled her eyes speechlessly, and handed the letter in her hand to Li Mingde.

"Yue'er has been wronged in the capital. You take the army back, I need to return to the capital ahead of schedule!"

Li Mingde glanced at the paper Lin Changning handed him, then frowned and said, "Although it was meant to be a girl's joke, it was indeed a bit too much. Go ahead, and remember to inform His Majesty."

Lin Changning nodded, quickly got up, changed into civilian clothes, put on a cloak, left the camp, mounted his horse, and headed towards the capital overnight with only a few dozen personal guards.

Lin's mother told her that Yue'er had attended many banquets in the capital these days. Because she had a lot of white hair, she was looked down upon, and some ignorant people even danced in front of her.

They were all young girls, along with a few ignorant young masters who mocked Yue'er for being born with white hair, making the children cry several times when they got home.

Words can be sharp blades, and they hurt even more when they pierce you.

After entrusting the army and official duties to Li Mingde, Lin Changning turned around and rode his horse toward the capital. Along the way, he even sent a letter to His Majesty through a post station.

Children may not understand, but adults surely do, right?

To dare to say these things to Yue'er, one must not take the Lin family seriously. Lin Changning sent a letter to the emperor, and also wrote a letter to Qi Rong and Li Mingxiu.

After traveling at breakneck speed for half a month, Lin Changning finally arrived in the capital city. He led a group of guards to the city gate, where a group of people quickly stopped them.

"Who goes there?!"

Lin Changning's personal guard casually tossed over his waist token: "The Marquis of Wu'an is returning to the capital, make way immediately!"

The soldiers guarding the city looked up at Lin Changning's face, hesitated for a moment, then quickly took a step back, clasped their hands, and said, "Greetings, Lord Marquis!"

After speaking, he quickly ordered his men to make way for Lin Changning and his guards, a hint of unspoken joy on his face.

"The Marquis is back! The Marquis is back! Our Great Xuan's God of War is back!!"

As Lin Changning rode his horse into the city, he heard what the soldiers below were saying, and his lips twitched inexplicably.

He shook his head, sighed, and ran home.

The Lin residence was even more magnificent than when she left three years ago, and the same servant guarding the gate was still there.

Seeing Lin Changning dressed in a blue robe, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then stepped forward with a joyful expression: "Greetings, Lord Marquis! Lord Marquis, you're back? I'll open the door for you and inform the Old Madam and the others right away!"

As he spoke, he had someone open the door, welcoming Lin Changning inside while preparing to send someone to inform Lin's mother and the others.

Lin Changning gently shook his head: "Don't disturb my mother. I have to go out later. Where is Yue'er?"

The gatekeeper nodded, unable to hide the joy on his face: "The young princess is currently in the main courtyard."

Lin Changning nodded and strode towards the main courtyard. The maids along the way were stunned for a moment when they saw Lin Changning, but then their faces lit up with joy.

Lin Changning gestured for everyone to be quiet, while he had his guards stay in the courtyard and quietly slipped into Yue'er's room.

Seven-year-old Yue'er was sitting on the table, swinging her legs and playing listlessly with the nine-linked rings that the emperor had given her. After a while, she became a little irritable and, hearing a sound at the door, instinctively said, "You all go out. I told you I need to be alone!"

Lin Changning looked at Yue'er, whose white hair had reached her waist and whose height had increased significantly in the past three years, and his eyes welled up with tears. He quietly reached behind Yue'er and scooped his daughter up in his arms.

"Moon? Father is back."

Lin Wangshu was held in Lin Changning's arms, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at the face she had been longing for day and night. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had just cried last night, and there were still some swollen marks on her eyelids.

Thinking of the grievances she had suffered in the capital these past few days, Yue'er suddenly hugged Lin Changning's neck and burst into tears: "Daddy, Daddy, why did you only come back now? I missed you so much, I was so worried about you!"

Lin Changning sighed softly and patted Yue'er's back: "It's Daddy's fault. Daddy came back late and made Yue'er suffer."

Yue'er nestled in Lin Changning's arms and cried quietly for a while, hiccuping as she cried. Lin Changning wiped away Yue'er's tears and looked tenderly at his daughter, who had grown quite a bit.

Yue'er's features have matured considerably, and her eyebrows and eyes now resemble Li Mingshu's. Lin Changning used his rough fingers to wipe away Yue'er's tears.

These are the belongings that Ashu left her...

Yue'er clung tightly to Lin Changning's neck, unwilling to let go.

All the grievances he had suffered these past few days were vented on Lin Changning.

Lin Changning picked up Yue'er, bounced her a couple of times, and then laughed: "Yue'er has grown quite a bit. Come on, Daddy will take you out for a while."

With a hint of curiosity, Yue'er wrapped her arms around Lin Changning's neck and rubbed against his somewhat rough face. The wind and sand were strong in the border region, and Lin Changning's face was exposed to the wind and sun every day, making him look a bit weathered, but he also looked more heroic.

"Where are we going, Father?"

Lin Changning carried Yue'er out of the courtyard and winked at her: "Let's go out and beat someone up, to avenge Yue'er!"

Then he looked at Wan Jin beside him and asked, "Is everyone ready?"

Wan Jin clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Changning, then winked and said, "Everyone is in ambush, Lord Marquis. We're just waiting for your order to bring them out!"

Lin Changning nodded, led a group of people out of the mansion, mounted his horse, and waved his hand: "Let's go!"

After leading his men to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, Lin Changning, holding Yue'er, sat on his horse and glanced at Wan Jin: "Go, bring them out!"

Yue'er looked up at Lin Changning behind her, feeling extremely safe leaning against him. However, she was also a little suspicious when she saw that Lin Changning had brought her to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion.

"Dad? What are we doing here?"

Lin Changning gently ruffled Yue'er's snow-white hair and smiled at her, saying, "Yue'er will find out soon enough."

Before long, the heir of the Duke's mansion was escorted out by Wan Jin and a group of people, with the Duke of Jingguo following behind him anxiously.

After being pulled out of the door, the Duke of Jingguo immediately saw Lin Changning riding on horseback. Thinking that his son had done something serious, he hurriedly ran out and cupped his hands to Lin Changning: "Marquis Wu'an? Isn't the Marquis at the frontier? Isn't the army supposed to return to the city in a month? Why have you come to our Duke of Jingguo's mansion today?"

Lin Changning dismounted and bowed to the Duke of Jingguo: "Indeed, I have offended the Duke in some matters!"

As she spoke, she turned to look at Wang Hu, who took out a piece of paper and loudly read aloud as more and more people gathered around: "In the spring of the third year of Jingning, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion spread rumors and insults at the Hundred Flowers Banquet of the Zhou family, accusing the current princess of being a monster! She also instigated the young ladies of the Zhou, Liu, and Yang families to secretly trick the princess into going to the servants' quarters, causing the princess to fall into the water and catch a cold!"

Lin Changning drew his riding whip, looked at the Duke of Jingguo, nodded and said, "I will not hold a grudge against a little girl. However, if a son is not taught properly, it is the father's fault. My daughter has been wronged, and I will naturally take revenge. Duke of Jingguo, I will not harm your granddaughter, but your son will have to suffer in her place. I hope you can discipline your son and granddaughter properly in the future."

After saying this, Lin Changning dismounted, glanced at Yue'er, and ordered his men to bring the Duke of Jingguo's heir down the steps. He then looked at Yue'er and said, "Good girl, Daddy's back to support you!"

After saying that, he lashed the back of the Duke of Jingguo's son with a whip. The Duke of Jingguo's face was a little pale. He remembered what happened when the Marquis left the capital a few years ago. He cupped his hands and said to Lin Changning, "It is my fault for not disciplining my son properly. I hope the Marquis will forgive me! I will accept any beating or punishment. I hope the Marquis will spare my son's life."

Lin Changning lashed out with her whip, causing the heir of the Duke of Jingguo to howl in pain. His brocade robes were instantly torn open by the whip, and blood slowly seeped out from beneath them.

"Please rest assured, Duke. It's just a few lashes to teach her a lesson. I can't be risking my life on the front lines while my daughter is being gossiped about and bullied in the rear!"

The Duke's heir was whipped ten times by Lin Changning. Lin Changning held back a little; if she had really hit him hard, the Duke's heir probably wouldn't have survived.

The Duke of Jingguo watched as Lin Changning let go of his hand, then looked at his son, who was panting heavily and covered in cold sweat. He went up and kicked his son hard in the chest: "You good-for-nothing! How did you raise your child!"

The Duke's heir gritted his teeth. How could he possibly teach his daughter to gossip? But when he thought of how his wife usually talked behind his back, he roughly understood.

Looking up, she saw Lin Changning ride off to the side and said to her own father, "How could I possibly teach Zhu'er to say such things?! Father! It's Madam!"

The Duke's heir touched the wound on his back, gasped a few times, and hurriedly beckoned someone: "Quick, quick! Go get a doctor!! Come and help me up!!!"

The emperor looked at the letter in his hand with a hint of helplessness, while the empress shook her head and chuckled as she looked at the letter: "This child."

After tucking the letter into the memorial, the emperor chuckled and said, "Let her be. She just returned from a victorious battle. It's not a bad thing for her to be a little arrogant. At worst, we can just fine her two months' salary."

Qi Rong listened to the report from the person beside him: "Lord Duke, the words of the ladies and young ladies of each family have been transcribed into a book and sent over. The Marquis entered the city two hours ago and just went to the Duke of Jing's mansion."

Qi Rong took a sip of tea and nodded: "Alright, prepare everything I need for tomorrow's court session. I'm afraid we'll have another verbal battle tomorrow."

Li Mingzheng was pacing around the Crown Princess, worried that she might bump into something or go hungry. As he was talking to her, he heard a report from below. A knowing look flashed in his eyes, and he smiled at her, "Little Six, you're going to cause a huge stir in the capital when you get back. Alright, you rest for a while. I'll take you out to see what's going on later."

The Crown Princess smiled gently at Li Mingxiu: "Yes, my husband."

Lin Changning, holding Yue'er, watched as several families behind him were brought to the front of the Lin residence. He then had the guards beside him loudly read aloud the words the women in these families had whispered about Yue'er behind her back.

The group was brought before the Lin residence gate, and a loud announcement was made:

"My lords, I, Lin, am petty. Your wives and children have all spoken ill of my daughter and tried to trip her up. I am not one to lay a hand on women and children, but if a child is not properly taught, it is the parents' fault. Since you have bullied my daughter, I will naturally seek revenge. So, I will have you gentlemen carry out the punishment! Ten lashes each, so that you will all remember this lesson and discipline your own children properly when you go home! Execute!"

The sounds of whipping and screams of agony from a group of people attracted a large crowd in front of the Lin residence.

Yue'er's eyes were red, and she hugged Lin Changning tightly: "Father, will you be in trouble if you hit their father?"

Lin Changning shook his head: "You are your father's child. If their children bully you, your father cannot bully children. It is no problem for him to beat up these fathers who have not raised their children well. Yue'er, don't worry."

Yue'er nestled in Lin Changning's arms and rubbed her face against his neck again: "Daddy, it's so good to have you back..."