In the capital city, at Sun Mian's residence.
With a loud crash, a teacup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, spilling tea all over the floor.
The maid panicked and quickly bowed, apologizing, "Master, please forgive me, my hand slipped! I know I was wrong, and it will never happen again." As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the broken teacup.
"It's alright, you didn't burn yourself, did you?" Sun Mian reassured him.
"It's alright, sir, you're not burned!"
"It's good that everyone's alright!" Sun Mian sat back down. "Let's get ready and head out!"
He has never been arrogant towards his servants, which is rare among officials in the entire capital.
At this moment, Sun Ruoxi rushed in in a panic. She didn't notice the maid who was bent over on the ground, and the maid didn't notice her either.
So, when the maid finished tidying up and stood up, she bumped into Sun Ruoxi who was walking towards her.
The teacup that had just been picked up fell to the ground again.
"Ouch!" Sun Ruoxi exclaimed angrily, "Are you blind?"
As she spoke, she kicked the teacup on the ground.
"Miss, I know I was wrong!"
"Damn it, I'll beat you to death!" Sun Ruoxi cursed.
"Stop!" Sun Mian said sternly, "It was your own carelessness, how can you blame others!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Ruoxi felt extremely wronged, "Father, I..."
"Get ready quickly! Go downstairs!" Sun Mian ordered.
The maidservant quickly bent down again to collect the broken teacup pieces and hurriedly retreated.
Sun Mian's face was cold. He slammed down his chopsticks and asked Sun Ruoxi, "What's all the fuss about?"
"Father, haven't you heard? Rumors are spreading all over the capital that Brother Lin Mo... he's a demon. They say His Majesty wants to send troops to wipe him out!" Sun Ruoxi said. "Not only His Majesty, but also the Qiu Zi Kingdom... they're saying they'll send troops to punish him!"
"Demons?" Sun Mian trembled upon hearing this. "These rumors are unbelievable. Don't take them to heart!"
"The news has spread throughout the capital, Father. How can you say you don't need to take it to heart?"
"Young lady, don't bother with these things!" Sun Mian changed the subject. "Have you had dinner yet? Come, have dinner with your father! It's been a long time since we ate together!"
Before Sun Ruoxi could speak, Sun Mian began to complain, "Sigh, a few years ago, all your brothers would eat at home, but this year, it's just the two of us. It's really..."
These seemingly unintentional words were actually meant to distract Sun Ruoxi.
"In the past two years, His Majesty has sent my Sun family members to various places. I really don't know when I, Sun, will be able to enjoy the happiness of family life!" Sun Mian spread his hands and kept rambling on.
Sun Ruoxi lowered her eyes and let out a barely audible sigh. "Brother..."
Sun Mian had three sons, all of whom were sent to other provinces by the Empress.
"Father, your daughter also hopes that my brothers can come back soon so we can celebrate the New Year together and have a reunion dinner!"
Sun Mian pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at the dishes on the table, feeling a mix of emotions.
"It's not that simple," he said. "Without His Majesty's permission, no one would dare to return to the capital!"
Some time ago, Wei Maozhen even sent Sun Mian's third son to Jidong. His intentions were quite obvious, clearly a punishment for him speaking up for Lin Mo in court.
Dongpango has its eyes on Daxia, and sending him there means he could face war at any moment.
“Father, I think His Majesty intends to train Third Brother!” Sun Ruoxi said.
"Exercise?" Sun Mian smiled bitterly. "Ruoxi, you are a woman after all."
“What’s wrong with being a woman? Isn’t Her Majesty a woman too?” Sun Ruoxi retorted. “Doesn’t Her Majesty nurture Third Brother? Just like she does with Brother Lin Mo. Father, look at Brother Lin Mo’s achievements now, they’ve probably already surpassed Uncle Lin!”
Sun Mian stretched out his hand, pointing at Sun Ruoxi, momentarily at a loss for words. "You...you..."
Compared to Sun Ruoxi, Sun Mian was more worried about the safety of the three sons.
Unlike his brave and resourceful eldest son, this youngest son is now the one who worries him the most.
This young man is just like Sun Ruoxi; he's also an impulsive young man.
It has been more than twenty days since I went to Jidong.
Before he set off, Sun Mian repeatedly instructed him to send back messages on time after he arrived in Jidong.
But even today, so much time has passed, and still not a single piece of news has come.
This made Sun Mian very anxious, and he hadn't slept well for the past few nights.
He had no clue what the situation was like... Thinking about this, Sun Mian became increasingly irritable and couldn't help but scratch his head.
Seeing her father's worried expression, Sun Ruoxi quickly comforted him, "Father, don't think too much. Third Brother is a lucky man; he'll be alright."
"Come, try this steamed carp. My daughter made it for you herself!"
Hearing the word "carp" sparked endless imagination in Sun Mian: "Carp...fish farmers!"
"Father, did I say something wrong again?"
Sun Mian frowned. "This is none of your business!"
Seeing this, Sun Ruoxi changed the subject, "Father, there's something I've always wanted to tell you."
"Speak!"
“Alright, I am a woman. Father, if you think it makes sense, then listen to me. If you think it doesn’t make sense, then don’t listen!” Sun Ruoxi said. “My eldest brother and second brother have both told me this.”
Back when Uncle Lin was fighting in the war, he always liked to say, "A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders." His daughter felt that this was wrong.
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. As subjects, we should obediently listen to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty tells us how to beat someone, we will do it! If we listen to Your Majesty, we won't make a mistake!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Mian's face darkened considerably. "You know nothing!"
He thought to himself that war and politics are two completely different things, and he really didn't know where his two sons got their ideas from.
“If Lin Mo had completely obeyed His Majesty, could he have won so many battles?” Sun Mian said sternly.
“My daughter said that I am a woman, and if Father doesn’t want to hear it, then don’t listen!” Sun Ruoxi explained.
"Alright, alright, I won't argue with you!" Sun Mian said helplessly. "If you have nothing else, you can go now!"
"Alright!" Sun Ruoxi stopped insisting. "But Father, if you have time, please write a letter to Brother Lin Mo and tell him not to go against His Majesty. I'm very worried..."
"Alright, alright!" Sun Mian said impatiently.
After Sun Ruoxi left, he couldn't help but savor her words in his mind.
"Don't go against His Majesty!"
"Yes, if Lin Wenzhong had been as obedient as Li Hu from the beginning, things wouldn't have come to this!"
"A general who is too capable will eventually arouse the suspicion of those in power; this is an eternal truth!"
"Lin Mo, Lin Mo, I wonder if you can understand this principle!"
Just as he was feeling sentimental, a servant came to report, "Master, His Majesty summons you for an immediate audience!"
"Sigh, what was bound to happen has finally happened!" Sun Mian sighed.
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