There was already a tone of command in his voice.

…

After the conversation, Wei Ling sent Lu Jiaxue away. When he came back, he found Yining waiting for him in the study.

His expression was not very good at first, but when he saw her, he smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Why don't you go back to my place?"

Yi Ning looked at him and asked, "Father, are you going to be the general of Xuanfu?"

Yi Ning knew that the Mongol Oiran tribe had repeatedly invaded the border, even resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking imperial generals. While her understanding of what would happen next was incomplete, she did know that the Oirans had once nearly reached Longmen. From what she knew, Wei Ling would likely be safe. However, he and Lu Jiaxue gradually drifted apart, and she had no idea what would become of him.

Wei Ling patted her head. "I'm used to marching and fighting. It's just that you were home, so I stayed a few months longer. Oh, and I heard your former stepmother moved to the capital. Do you want to go back and see her? How about I ask your third brother to pick you up tomorrow and take you out for a few days?"

Thinking of what Lu Jiaxue and Wei Ling had just said, Yi Ning had a bad feeling. She didn't care what Wei Ling said. She shook Wei Ling's hand and said, "Father, are you unwilling to go? I heard that the border is very dangerous. Why don't you refuse the emperor's order? The title of General of Xuanfu is not as important as your life."

Lu Jiaxue was definitely not a good person. Wei Ling knew this very well. To him, nothing was more important than profit.

Lu Jiaxue had already petitioned the Emperor, so he couldn't refuse. Furthermore, he was supposed to continue serving as the general of Xuanfu, but after having a daughter, he suddenly became afraid of death. He had anticipated this trip, so the military drills he directed were much stricter than usual.

Wei Ling smiled and said, "I can't just turn it down. It's not that dangerous. I used to be stationed in the Xuanfu area, so I'm familiar with their habits."

In fact, she knew he couldn't refuse. Yi Ning pursed her lips and said, "When will you leave?"

"The commander of the Dragon Gate Guard, Sun Hao, has sent a call for help. I'm afraid he'll have to leave in a few days." Wei Ling met the girl's gaze and comforted her, "I'm fine. But I'm worried about you staying in the capital—" Thinking of what had happened recently, Wei Ling felt cold. If he wasn't in the Duke of Ying's mansion, what would have happened to Yining? Although he could send guards to protect her, guards were only a force after all. His mother's relationship with Mingzhu was unclear, so it would be better to let her third brother take her to live with him.

Luo Shenyuan was a very reliable man. As for Lu Jiaxue... he simply couldn't trust him. He just hoped that since Yining was his adopted daughter, he would protect her.

After hearing what he said, Yi Ning smiled bitterly and said, "I'm already a grown-up, what do you have to worry about? Don't worry, I'll help you take care of the mansion."

Wei Ling didn't take her words seriously. Anyway, he was worried about leaving Yining in the Duke of Ying's mansion.

He took Yining to visit Old Lady Wei and told her about the general of Xuanfu.

Mrs. Wei had gotten used to her son's occasional military expeditions. Although she was reluctant, she remained calm. She simply prayed to the Buddha once more each day while her son was away.

Sure enough, a few days later, the imperial edict came down, appointing Wei Ling as the general of Xuanfu. Wei Ling received the edict and ordered his servants to prepare the next day.

When Yining came back from worshipping Buddha with Old Lady Wei, she unexpectedly saw her third brother sitting in her yard drinking tea.

Luo Shenyuan had probably just left court. This was the first time Yi Ning had seen him in his official uniform. The crimson robe accentuated his slender figure, and the patch on his robe was embroidered with a cloud and wild goose pattern. He looked extremely dignified and serious, and his thick eyebrows only made him look even more awe-inspiring and handsome. She didn't know what others thought of him, but Yi Ning truly wanted to call him "Lord Luo."

"Third brother, why are you here?" She walked towards him with a little surprise.

Luo Shenyuan turned his head to look at her.

"Your father asked me to pick you up," Luo Shenyuan told her. "I have a courtyard in Xifang Hutong, and your mother will be coming soon. She misses you very much. Why don't you stay there for a few days?"

Why did Wei Ling still let his third brother come over?

Thinking that it had been a long time since she last saw Lin Hairu, Yining also wanted to see her.

"Aren't you busy these days?" Yi Ning asked the maid to pack up and sat down. She had heard that Luo Shenyuan had recently taken on a difficult case. Now that he had just been appointed as the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, the entire court was watching him, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

"I can still find time to come and pick you up," Luo Shenyuan said. In fact, he was indeed busy. If it weren't for Wei Ling's letter, he wouldn't have had time to come. "I happened to meet Lord Cheng on the way, so we came together. He went to pay a visit to Old Madam Wei."

When Yining heard Luo Shenyuan mention Cheng Lang, she couldn't help but think of what happened that day.

Cheng Lang saw it but ignored her. If she hadn't told Luo Shenyuan in the end, she probably wouldn't be sitting here peacefully now...

She raised this child... Now, her love for him has come to an end.

In fact, she should have done her best. She thought she was a different person from her previous life, so naturally there was nothing she couldn't do. Cheng Lang's behavior was inappropriate, but she couldn't say a word to him. She could only feel disappointed that he had really become extremely indifferent and didn't care about the world. Yi Ning came to her senses and said, "Then wait a moment, I'll go tell my father."

In fact, Cheng Lang wanted to apologize to Yining.

But when Cheng Lang came back from Old Lady Wei's place, he found that there was no one in the yard.

He had been too busy to come over these past few days, and had originally intended to apologize to the little girl. He had indeed been at fault in the incident, and it was indeed pitiful that Yi Ning was finally carried out by Luo Shenyuan. But after looking around, he found no one there, only a few maids sweeping the courtyard. When they saw him, they bowed respectfully and called him "Young Master."

Cheng Lang hummed. If she didn't see him, then forget it. This little girl probably didn't want to see him. He had important things to deal with, so he could come back another day.

As soon as Cheng Lang stepped out of the house, the cockatoo hanging under the eaves saw him.

It seemed a little unhappy that it wasn't taken away by its owner. But when it saw Cheng Lang, it became happier. It took two steps on the parrot stand and suddenly called out, "Alang, Alang!"

Cheng Lang suddenly stopped.

He slowly raised his head and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

The parrot was very good at mimicking speech, even its tone was so similar. He suddenly remembered that day when he woke up and saw her teasing the parrot. In the dim light, she smiled and asked, "Cousin, did you dream about something?"

He dreamed of something. He dreamed that she was back by his side again, coaxing him, "Alang, go to sleep. I'm here. It's okay."

The parrot noticed that he was ignoring it, so it tilted its head and called out, "Alang, Alang!"

Cheng Lang turned around, his smile completely gone.

He walked into the courtyard and called a maid to ask, "Where's Yining? Where did she go?"

The girl had never seen him look like this before, and she was stunned for a moment before saying, "Young Master Cousin..."

"Where did she go?" Cheng Lang suddenly couldn't control himself. Thinking of that possibility, his whole body was trembling. He grabbed the girl's clothes and said, "Tell me!"

The girl was startled by him and her tone was a little stammering: "Miss... went out to play with Young Master Luo San. Now... now they should have left the screen wall."