A servant brought out the horse first. After bidding farewell to Madam Rong, Lu Qiqi mounted the horse and rode away.

The families who could live in Lingyun Lane were all wealthy and influential.

Therefore, there weren't many pedestrians on the street, so Lu Qiqi took advantage of the fact that no one was around and put the medicine box on her back into her spatial storage.

The Feng residence is located in Chizha Lane, which is next to Lingyun Lane. It used to be a lane where military generals gathered. It is said that the local people could hear the generals sparring every now and then.

Lu Qiqi asked two peddlers before finally finding the gate of the Feng residence.

She had asked Zhou Yi to deliver a visiting card, but unexpectedly, Zhou Yi ended up attending the Feng family's school and even brought back a jade pendant.

According to a report on Monday, as long as she had time, she could enter the mansion directly with the white jade pendant without having servants announce her arrival and wait for her.

Lu Qiqi showed the jade pendant to the servants of the Feng family. After the servants confirmed her age and appearance, they led her into the mansion and walked with her into the courtyard.

As a first-rank military marquis and the Grand General of the Border Garrison bestowed by the emperor, General Feng's residence in the border town was naturally very grand.

As Lu Qiqi walked, she examined the mortise and tenon joints of the corridor railing. Before she could figure it out, a woman dressed in a light green dress walked over.

The woman came forward and bowed to her, saying, "Miss Lu, my young lady is in the classroom. Please come to my place."

Lu Qiqi smiled and replied, "Please lead the way."

Judging from the woman's tone, one could tell that she was Feng Yu'er's maid.

Lu Qiqi couldn't help but sigh again, "This is indeed a wealthy family; even the maids' clothes and appearance are very particular."

Following the maid through the long corridor, past the beautifully landscaped waterside gardens, and stepping through a flower-curtained door, the scene before me was a stark contrast to what I had seen before.

The courtyard in front of me looked like it had been wantonly destroyed; the four large pillars in front of the house all had marks from being hacked with a knife.

The knife marks were very deep, indicating that the person who used the knife must have exerted a great deal of effort.

What deep-seated hatred could possibly drive someone to treat you this way?

Suddenly, she remembered when they were fleeing famine, the border town was about to fall, and General Feng sent people to escort Feng Yu'er back to the mansion.

General Feng has disappeared without a trace; it is likely that this was all the work of the Tatars.

The Tatars are uncivilized and have always believed in the supremacy of the strong and the triumph of the mighty. They have always disregarded the etiquette and moral values ​​of the Central Plains.

General Feng had been guarding the border city for many years and had long been a target of the Tatars' desire to kill him. Once the city gates fell, the first to suffer would be the residence of the commander-in-chief.

Whether it is a person or an object.

For a moment, Lu Qiqi felt somewhat fortunate that General Feng had taken precautions and ordered someone to send Feng Yu'er back to the old lady's side before the city gate was about to fall.

Otherwise, given the Tatars' hatred for General Feng, the humiliation of the Kangjing Emperor would likely have surfaced in the inner quarters of Feng's residence.

The sound of reading aloud reached Lu Qiqi's ears.

It seems that the Feng family's school has quite a few students.

Stepping into the room, Lu Qiqi saw several children diligently reading.

These students, seemingly undisturbed by the sudden arrival, continued their reading aloud in unison.

Lu Qiqi spotted Zhou Yi in the last row among the students.

Zhou Yi's height made him stand out among the children who looked to be only eight, nine, or ten years old and hadn't yet reached their full height.

It was hard not to see him, but his gaze was fixed on the book, and he didn't notice Lu Qiqi's arrival at all.

The master standing on the platform looked quite young, with a long beard, appearing to be in his thirties.

He was the first to see Lu Qiqi arrive, and he nodded and greeted her.

Lu Qiqi returned the greeting in the same manner.

"Miss Lu, this way please," the maid leading the way pointed in a direction, and Lu Qiqi then noticed that there was a small door ahead.

Upon entering the school, one sees signs of carbonization on the walls and wooden structure.

This is clearly not right; this place has been set on fire.

Or perhaps the fire started here but was extinguished in time.

Why would the vast Feng family mansion set up its school in a place that had almost become ruins?

Puzzled, Lu Qiqi followed the maid through the small door and saw Feng Yuer under the pavilion.

When Feng Yu'er saw Lu Qiqi, she put down the teapot in her hand, ran a few steps to her, and hugged her tightly.

"Qiqi, you've finally come to my manor to find me! I've missed you so much!"

The height difference between Lu Qiqi and Feng Yuer is quite large; Lu Qiqi only reaches Feng Yuer's chin at most.

Ugh, it's a bit big, she can hardly breathe.

Fortunately, Feng Yu'er quickly noticed her struggle and, overjoyed, released her.

Having escaped the danger of suffocation, Lu Qiqi took a deep breath and then heard Feng Yuer's complaining voice.

She said, "Why did it take you so long to come looking for me?"

After saying that, she seemed to remember something and said reproachfully, "How many times have you visited the Wu residence? The Wu residence isn't even as grand as my Feng residence!"

Looking at the lively Feng Yuer, Lu Qiqi felt as if she had returned to the time when she saved her, when she was unaware that her family had been destroyed.

She only wanted to go back and reunite with Madam Feng as soon as possible, and also to complain about her father's ruthless methods and how he forcibly sent her back without any regard for her wishes.

After scolding her, Feng Yu'er realized that it would be noon in another hour.

He immediately instructed his maid to go to the kitchen and prepare some delicious food.

Lu Qiqi hurried along the way, and apart from drinking a cup of tea at the Rong Mansion, she did not touch a drop of water.

When she saw the tea that Feng Yu'er poured for her, a sudden feeling of emptiness welled up in her heart.

After drinking twice the amount of tea, Lu Qiqi sighed deeply, "Good tea."

Feng Yu'er laughed and said, "Not only do we have good tea, but I also have a lot of good wine. Today, the two of us sisters must have a drink together."

Lu Qiqi thought that there were no further plans, and that having a meal and a little wine at noon would not be a problem.

So she readily agreed.

During their casual conversation, Lu Qiqi told Feng Yuer about some things she hadn't understood about the school she had previously set up at the Feng residence, hoping that Feng Yuer could help her understand them.

Feng Yu'er drank a cup of tea, and the smile from before gradually faded from her face.

She put down her teacup, refilled the two teacups on the table, and then met Lu Qiqi's gaze.

Her expression turned slightly somber as she said, "This was not originally the Feng family's school, but a shrine dedicated to the generals who guarded the border!"

Upon hearing the words "ancestral hall," Lu Qiqi's breathing became labored; she couldn't bear to imagine what it looked like when it was first destroyed.

No wonder Feng Yu'er insisted on bringing her half-brother back to the border town after the situation stabilized following the recapture of the border town.

This is not only the mansion where she once lived, but also the place she is determined to protect. Even if it is reduced to ruins, she will rebuild it!