As soon as he knelt, the others followed suit.

The sergeant didn't want to make a big deal out of this, so he wanted to give them a way out, so he shouted in a low voice, "Why don't you let them go?"

The guards looked at each other, and none of them dared to speak.

When Lou Yunchun saw this, he knew that his guess was right. He thought that someone had received the news and knew that they were going to pass through here, so he ordered them to be stopped.

A sense of crisis suddenly arose in his heart, and he immediately called Lao Duan and asked him to take his token and ride at full speed to Ulan Pass to mobilize people.

Old Duan took the order and left.

Lou Yunchun stared at the guards and asked, "Who ordered you to stop me?"

The guard who was accusing the crime did not dare to confess and could only stammer, "This..."

There was only a sharp sound, and a flash of snow flashed before the guard's eyes. When he came to his senses, Lou Yunchun had the knife on his neck. "Speak or die? I will only give you one chance."

"Sir, please spare my life. It's Captain Wei."

Wei?

As soon as the guard finished speaking, a general led several teams of people and rushed towards this side. Seeing this, he quickly shrank his neck, wishing he could bury himself in the ground.

Lou Yunchun thought to himself that this seemed to be the Captain Wei he was talking about.

The general stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Lou Yunchun, "General Wei Yinuo pays his respects to you, sir."

The people behind him did not follow suit in saluting, but instead stroked their weapons, looking as if they were ready for battle.

Lou Yunchun's heart sank, but his expression remained indifferent. He sized him up and asked, "Who is Wei Yuankui to you?"

Wei Yinuo said frankly: "He is my father."

Lou Yunchun, intent on stalling for time, stepped back two steps, sheathed his knife, and, pretending to reminisce about the past, asked, "I've met your father a few times, but he only mentioned the names of the Wei family's eldest and second sons. I haven't heard that he has a son stationed on the northwest border. What's the story behind this?"

The Wei family was one of the five great aristocratic families in Beijing. By this generation, no one had served in the imperial court, so the family had become wealthy through business, with businesses spanning a wide range of industries.

Although its power is not as great as that of the Wang, Luo, Liu, and Dou families, and it even fell behind the Zhou family at one point, its financial resources cannot be underestimated. It is the purse of the gentry.

The accounts of Jisheng Bookstore confiscated by Lou Yunchun showed that the Wei family had paid a considerable amount of money.

The Wei family's original connections and business were all managed by Wei Yuankui, but after the bankruptcy of Jisheng Bookstore, he hid behind the scenes and handed over the business to his two sons.

The Wei family has a wide range of business, and the two young masters are young and energetic, so it is inevitable that they will fall into the hands of Lou Yunchun, and Wei Yuankui has to come forward to plead for them.

That's how Lou Yunchun met him.

But this fate was an ill-fated one. Wei Yuankui swallowed his pride and begged for mercy, but was rejected every time. He couldn't help but feel resentful towards Lou Yunchun.

Now that I have met his son at this point, it seems that it will not be so easy to get through. I just hope that Old Duan can run faster and get reinforcements as soon as possible.

Wei Yinuo sighed, "I am a concubine's son, so I am not worthy to be mentioned on the same level as my two brothers."

A strange look flashed across Lou Yunchun's eyes. "He's your own son after all. Your father is truly willing to leave his son despite the bitter cold at the border."

After a moment of silence, Wei Yinuo said devoutly, "I will serve the court even if it means death. This little hardship is nothing."

Lou Yunchun asked, "Since we both serve the imperial court, why did Captain Wei want to stop me here?"

"Have you ever heard a saying, Lord Lou?"

"What?" Lou Yunchun became alert and tightened the knife in his hand.

"Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial."

Wei Yinuo scoffed twice, raised his head and looked directly at Lou Yunchun, his face full of regret. Then he smiled helplessly, bowed and said quietly: "Although I have the heart to serve the court, my father's orders are above everything else. I dare not disobey. I hope you will understand."

As he said this, he suddenly drew his sword and stabbed Lou Yunchun's injured left leg.