Finally, he slowly looked at Wei Chenglin and pronounced his final verdict word by word: "The Duke of Ying, Wei Chenglin, and his wife, Zhou, are to be divorced!"

Wei Chenglin, who was shocked by the truth of his biological father's death, raised his eyes suddenly, his handsome face turned pale, and his body swayed as if he was about to fall.

A righteous death, haha, it is actually a righteous death!

"Your Majesty, please have mercy on me. I am willing to take all the blame. Please revoke your order. What has happened to my little girl? What has happened to my little boy?!" Zhou Mao could no longer bear it and fell to the ground, begging in a mournful voice.

"Sir Zhou, Qiao Liu lost his lifelong friend, what have I done to blame? The late Princess lost her son in her old age, what have she done to blame? Your son-in-law Chenglin lost his father at a young age and has to support the family alone in the face of wind and rain, what have he done to blame?!" Qiao Liu, who had been standing silently aside, spoke angrily with a fierce look in his eyes.

"I wish..."

"Now that things have come to this, no matter how much you do, what can you do to make up for it?!"

Wei Chenglin seemed not to have heard the argument between Zhou Mao and Qiao Liu. He looked blank for a long time before he knelt down towards Emperor Yuanyou, who was looking at him the whole time, as if waiting for his reaction. “Your Majesty, I accept your order and thank you for your grace!”

"Wei Chenglin, you..." Zhou Mao never dreamed that he would receive the imperial order in this way.

Wei Chenglin met his murderous gaze and bowed to him: "Ah Wan, from now on, I will leave everything to Master Yue... Zhou."

A tear fell from his eyes and hit the golden brick, stirring up small tears, but he calmed down in an instant...

Several major events occurred in the court this year.

First, Empress Zhou was deposed and subsequently sentenced to death by Emperor Yuanyou; second, Emperor Yuanyou issued an edict to sever ties between Duke Ying Wei Chenglin and his wife Zhou, and the marriage relationship between the Wei and Zhou families was officially severed; third, Chief Minister Zhou was dismissed from office, the Zhou family was repatriated to their hometown, and men were not allowed to enter officialdom within ten years.

The whole government and the public were in an uproar.

In particular, the separation between the Duke of England and his wife caused a lot of discussion among the people in the capital.

Everyone knows that the Duke of England and his wife are deeply in love. The Duke of England and his wife have long been the object of envy and jealousy of the ladies in the capital, not to mention that this lady has two sons and a daughter with the Duke. Now that the imperial edict has been issued, the couple's relationship is severed. How can this not make people sigh.

Issuing an order to separate a loving couple is one of the few things that Emperor Yuanyou, who is known as a wise ruler, was criticized for. In many unofficial folk histories and chapter novels that depict the love between husband and wife in later generations, Emperor Yuanyou was portrayed as a negative character who beat a pair of lovebirds with a stick.

Of course, this is a hundred years later.

At this time, Wei Chenglin looked blankly at his wife and children who were crying with their heads in their arms. After so many blows, his heart had been completely numb. Even when he saw Zhou Wanning's tears that had made him feel so distressed in the past, he no longer felt the slightest bit of emotion.

His father died at the hands of his wife's aunt; his mother also died at the hands of his indifference and abandonment; his only sister also died at the hands of his beloved wife's brother.

"Husband..." Zhou Wanning grabbed his hand tightly and cried bitterly. Behind her, the eldest daughter Xian Jie'er tightly hugged the second son Hong Ge'er who was crying loudly. The eldest son Ming Ge'er had red eyes and pushed away the maid who wanted to hug him.

The huge house was filled with cries.

"That's enough, A'wan. Since he doesn't want you, why are you still hanging around here? Go back with big brother!" Zhou Chang walked in with a cold face, and shouted in a deep voice when he saw the chaos in the room.

"Brother, please go and beg His Majesty to revoke his decision. For the rest of my life, I will be a member of the Wei family both in life and in death. I don't want to be annihilated..." Zhou Wanning rushed over, grabbed him, and begged, crying, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"The imperial edict has been issued, and there is no turning back. If he had said a few soft words to His Majesty and begged for mercy back then, he wouldn't have ended up with his wife and children separated today! Ah Wan, just consider yourself blind and have made the wrong promise for the rest of your life!" Zhou Chang suppressed the anger and sadness in his heart and tried to persuade her reluctantly.

"No, I don't want it! For what?! It was my aunt who killed someone, and it was my grandfather who made the mistake. Why should I have to bear the consequences for their mistakes?!" Zhou Wanning screamed and pushed him away.

"Because my aunt killed his biological father! Because my aunt has Zhou family blood in her body!" Zhou Chang closed his eyes in pain.

Zhou Wanning's pretty face turned pale, her eyes filled with tears. She covered her mouth and shook her head in disbelief. Then, she stepped back step by step, and finally collapsed to the ground, her face full of despair.

The hatred for the murder of my father is irreconcilable...

Wei Chenglin finally turned around and looked at his wife who was crying on the ground with her face covered. He then looked at his children who were crying and trying to break free from their nannies' arms. It was not until they were carried out that he stood up and walked forward to personally help Zhou Wanning up.

Zhou Wanning just cried into his arms, letting her tears flow freely.

"Awan, go back with your elder brother! I have been wrong in this life. I have let down too many people. I deserve this fate." He said hoarsely after a long time.

Zhou Chang roughly pulled his sister out of his arms and said through gritted teeth: "Don't worry, I will take her away now, and from now on I will have nothing to do with your Wei family anymore!!"

After saying this, he ignored Zhou Wanning's crying and struggling and forcibly took her out.

The chaotic house suddenly returned to silence. He fell down on the bench and for a moment, covered his face to hide the moisture in his eyes.

For several days, he locked himself in the room, allowing all kinds of past memories to invade his mind.

In those memories, there is my father's gentle smile, my mother's ingratiating approach, my sister's fearful yet stubborn expression, and even my cousin Shen Huiran's admiring eyes.

Then, everything froze in that eerie and silent mourning hall.

"You are indeed a heartless and ungrateful person!" The man's cold voice suddenly rang out in the house. He looked up, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Shen, Shen Feng?!"

The person who came was none other than his cousin Shen Feng who had been missing for several years!

Ever since his cousin Shen Huiran hanged herself, his brother Shen Feng has been missing and no news has been heard of him. Everyone thought he might have met with an accident outside, but he unexpectedly showed up in the Duke's Mansion today.

Shen Feng ignored him and walked in slowly. "Because of her, you ignored your sister's death and Hui'er's love for you. Later, you even sent your biological mother to the family temple and ignored her. Now, you abandon her because of your so-called guilt. Wei Chenglin, your hypocritical face is really disgusting!"

Wei Chenglin had lost count of how many times he had been scolded since his biological mother's death, so in response to Shen Feng's rebuke, he just shook his lips and didn't say much.

"But don't worry. I will not let go any of the people who bullied Hui'er and killed Ying'er! I will make them pay with blood and experience the feeling of a life worse than death!" Shen Feng approached him with a grim expression, speaking word by word.

"You, what did you do?" Wei Chenglin's heart skipped a beat and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Didn't you say that back then? It was just an accident, and Zhou Zhuo just made a mistake that caused Ying'er's death. Are you trying to say that it was just Ying'er's bad luck that caused her to suffer such a tragic death?"

"Today, I will give them a taste of their own medicine and see what luck the Zhou people have. If they escape this time, it will be God's blessing and I will have nothing to say. If they cannot escape, it can only be considered that they have bad luck and deserve to die!" Shen Feng sneered with a sinister look in his eyes.

"What on earth did you do?!" Wei Chenglin grabbed his collar and asked in a trembling voice.

"Try their luck!" Shen Feng pretended to be innocent.

He looked up at the sky and saw a beautiful rainbow that had appeared on the horizon after the rain.

He spoke slowly, "But at this moment, the result has probably come out. Today, the Zhou family set out for home. On the way, they passed Yanming Mountain. There were a few loose rocks on Yanming Mountain. And with the continuous heavy rain, maybe..."

Before he finished speaking, Wei Chenglin stood up and ran out like the wind.

With a hint of sneer on his lips, he did not stop and walked out of the door leisurely. He took the reins handed to him by his follower, jumped on the horse, and followed Wei Chenglin who had already galloped on his horse.

Wei Chenglin was extremely anxious and whipped the horse hard again and again, hoping that it would run faster and prevent the tragedy from happening.

He didn't know how long he had been running, until he saw the scattered carriage wreckage, boxes containing luggage and other items, and even several pools of blood at the foot of the mountain. His face finally changed drastically.

Suddenly, a faint cry came from not far away. He immediately came to his senses and ran towards the place where the cry came from.

Beside the stream, several men and women who looked ferocious were kneeling on the ground. Surrounded by them was a middle-aged man with a desperate look on his face. In his arms, he was holding a woman covered in blood.

His pupils suddenly shrank as he recognized that the desperate man was Zhou Mao, and the woman in his arms was none other than Zhou's wife, Wen.

"Mother!!" The next moment, a familiar cry of grief was heard. He looked over and saw Zhou Wanning lying on the body of the already dead Wen, sobbing inconsolably.

"It seems that Zhou Mao's family is lucky. Only one person died, and even the half-dead Zhou Zhuo is fine." Shen Feng's regretful voice echoed behind him. He turned around suddenly and stared at him fiercely, "Shen Feng, what's the difference between your action and murder of innocent people!!"

After saying this, she didn't look at him again and walked towards the family.

Shen Feng sneered: "At this point, he is still helping the Zhou family. It seems that he has not changed his bad habits!"

"You're wrong. He doesn't want to help the Zhou family, but you!" The man's indifferent voice reached his ears. He turned around and looked, "Lord Hou!"

Lingfu did not look at him. Instead, he stared at the Zhou Mao family who were crying in the distance. He said in a calm voice, "Zhou Mao has followed your majesty for many years. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard. Your majesty would never want to see him die an untimely death. If anything happens to him, your majesty would definitely not stand idly by."

"When His Majesty comes to investigate, Shen Feng, how many lives do you think you will have? Not only you, but also General Xia behind you will be implicated by you."

"Zhou Zhuo is seriously injured and unconscious, Murong Tao has lost his leg and is now disabled, and now Madam Zhou is also dead. Shen Feng, you have done enough. Those who died in vain would hope that you would stop now. Your loved ones are still waiting for your return."

"Go back! Jing'an is already old, I'm afraid he can't wait for a few more years. It's hopeless to want to raise your parents but they are no longer around. Even if you spend the rest of your life, it will be hard to let go. Don't let yourself regret it."

Shen Feng's lips moved, and he unconsciously thought of his old father whom he had secretly visited some time ago. His back was hunched, his temples were gray, and his old appearance was no longer the person he remembered.

The body in his arms gradually became cold. Zhou Mao slowly lowered his head, his face pressed against the delicate face covered in blood. The cries of his children rang in his ears, but he seemed not to hear them. His eyes were empty and he seemed to have lost his soul.

"Father-in-law..." Wei Chenglin couldn't bear it and called in a hoarse voice.

Zhou Mao finally raised his head and looked at him intently for a long time, muttering, "Retribution..."

After saying this, he struggled to get up, without anyone to help him, and ignored the calls of Zhou Chang and Zhou Wanning. He staggered, holding his wife's body, and walked further and further away...

"Daddy, Mommy!"

The sorrowful cries echoed through the air and lingered for a long time...

Former Minister of Finance Zhou Mao and his family suffered an accident on their way home, and Mrs. Zhou died. Except for some concerned people, no one paid attention to it.

There are so many nobles coming and going in the capital, and new things happen one after another. No one can remember who left behind...

***

When the news came back that the Rongdi royal family secretly united with their old subordinates and intended to join forces with Dongming to invade the Central Plains through the northern border, the northern border, which had just been pacified a few years ago, was about to rise in rebellion.

There was a heated debate in the court about who should lead the troops to quell the rebellion. There were three candidates: Duke Ying, Marquis Zhenbei and General Xia.

Among them, the Duke of England and the Marquis of Zhenbei have the highest voices.

Wei Chenglin ignored the court officials' recommendations because Mrs. Zhou died unexpectedly not far from the capital. Zhou Mao's family naturally could not leave for the time being, so they had to return to the capital and handle Wen's funeral in a low-key manner.

A few days ago, he sent his eldest son and daughter to Zhou Wanning, hoping that the two children could comfort her a little for the loss of their mother.

He patiently coaxed his young son to sleep, and looking at the tears hanging on his eyelashes, he felt unbearable sadness in his heart.

He gently stroked the boy's tender face, tears welling up in his eyes unconsciously.

After receiving the order to lead the troops to war, he was silent for a long time. Finally, he stood up, told the wet nurse to take good care of his sleeping second son, returned to the study to get a brocade box, and went to Eighteenth Alley alone.

Wei Chengzhao was somewhat surprised that he would come to look for him, but seeing that he looked so haggard and skinny, he couldn't help but think of all the things that had happened to him in recent days. He sighed inwardly and led him into the house.

"His Majesty has ordered me to lead the troops to war." Wei Chenglin said calmly.

"Going to war at this time?" Wei Chengzhao frowned.

"I don't know when I will be back, but I am worried about my sister Xian and her brother. I have done many wrong things in the past, so I would like to apologize to you, my second brother. I also ask you to take care of them for the sake of my children's innocence."

After saying this, he stood up and bowed deeply to Wei Chengzhao, who was so frightened that he quickly stood up and avoided him: "Brother, you don't have to do this, I will accept it!"

"Thank you!" Wei Chenglin thanked him softly.

No matter how much resentment or unwillingness he felt, Wei Chengzhao could no longer utter a word of blame when he saw his brother, whom he once admired the most, in such a miserable state.

"This contains the property of my fourth brother. Now, I would like to ask my second brother to return it to him on my behalf so that it can be returned to its original owner." He took out the huge brocade box and gently pushed it in front of Wei Chengzhao.

Back then, Wei Chengqi exchanged everything he had for the life and freedom of his biological mother Fang. This brocade box contained what Wei Chengqi exchanged.

He has never touched it in all these years and doesn't know what to do with it.

Although he hated Fang's vicious means and her intention to frame his pregnant wife, he could not hate Fang's own son Wei Chengqi, let alone hate him.

Until now, he didn't want to think about why his cousins, who used to be harmonious, had gradually become estranged in recent years. He only knew that when he was desperate, the first person he could turn to was his cousin.

"Brother!" He turned and left, but just as he stepped out of the door, Wei Chengzhao called him.

He stopped walking and did not look back. He only heard Wei Chengzhao's low voice, "Brother, please take care of yourself! Don't forget that you still have three children. They have already lost their mother and cannot lose the care of their father!"

He nodded imperceptibly, and without another word, strode away.

On the day when the army set out, Qiao Liu stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back, watching the army go away gradually. After a long moment, he sighed softly.

"The person is gone, what's the point of sighing here? I haven't seen him for a few years, but I never thought that Mr. Qiao Liu has become so fussy." The woman sitting on the wooden wheelchair said with a smile.

Even though Qiao Liu had a lot on his mind, he didn't know where to start for a moment, so he simply put it aside and forced a smile, saying, "Master Xu is right."

Xu Sumin snorted coldly and ignored him.

At a pavilion ten miles outside the city, Zhou Wanning held her son in one hand and her daughter in the other, staring blankly at the army that could no longer be seen, tears in her eyes.

"Mom..." The sensible Sister Xian shook her hand gently.

She suppressed her sadness, touched her daughter's head, looked at her son's tense face, took a deep breath and said, "Let's go back!"

In this life, whether it is right or wrong, there is no turning back.

The battle in the northern border was not particularly difficult, at least for Wei Chenglin, who had fought against the Rongdi people before. Moreover, the Rongdi royal family and the Dongming people were suspicious of each other, and the foundation of cooperation was unstable. He only needed to use a little trick to sow discord between them, and they would naturally be defeated one by one.

In just less than a year, Wei Chenglin personally led the army, captured alive the remnants of the Rongdi royal family, approached the Dongming territory, and forced the king of Dongming to present a letter of friendship for generations.

The war was over and they were about to return victorious, but Wei Chenglin showed no joy on his face. He led his horse, sent his followers far away, and walked alone on a quiet path.

This was the second time he had set foot on this land. The last time, his grandmother, mother, and sister in Beijing were waiting for his return, but what about this time?

There was a sudden heaviness in my heart.

Now, he has nothing but his three children. Perhaps after returning this time, he will quit all his jobs and devote himself to educating his children and raising them to be truly capable men, just like their grandfather.

He took a long breath and was about to climb onto his horse when he suddenly heard a loud shout from behind him - "Wei Chenglin!!"

He turned around subconsciously and suddenly felt a cold light. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and a sharp arrow pierced steadily into his heart.

"Murong..." Blood spurted out of his chest and as he fell into the river, he saw a sharp arrow shot out from another direction and hit Murong Tao's chest as he was laughing up at the sky in a wheelchair. The laughter stopped abruptly.

"Wei Chenglin! Cousin!" Shen Feng threw away his longbow and rode towards him like crazy. He wanted to reach out to pull him, but his fingers could only touch his fingertips. He watched him fall into the surging river, and disappeared in a moment.

***

Wei Chenglin only felt his body rising and falling, his mind sometimes conscious and sometimes unconscious. When he finally slowly opened his eyes, he saw a slender figure walking towards him.

After a moment, the man squatted in front of him, as if to check the wounds on his body. He tried to focus his eyes and finally recognized the other person's face.

"Mrs. Huang..."

Huang Qingshu didn't expect that he still recognized her. She was silent for a while and said calmly: "I'm sorry, I can't save you."

With an arrow piercing his chest and having been soaked in the river for such a long time, even the great gods could not save him.

"Don't worry, I know I'm going to die." Wei Chenglin murmured, with a faint smile on his lips.

Huang Qingshu's eyelids trembled, and her heart, which had long been as still as a pool of water, suddenly began to stir. She asked softly, "What unfulfilled wishes do you have? I will do my best to fulfill them for you."

"Unfulfilled wish..." Wei Chenglin muttered in his sleep as his consciousness gradually faded.

In a trance, a scene seemed to appear in front of his eyes - the gray-haired father gently holding the gentle mother in one hand, both of them with loving smiles on their faces. Around them, there were lively children one after another, calling "grandfather and grandmother" or "grandfather and grandmother". In the midst of the flowers, a pair of beautiful people came together, and in an instant, the joyful shouts of "daddy and mother" rose one after another.

The woman bent down and picked up her little daughter, and smiled at her husband who was also holding his son. The picture froze, the man was him, and the woman was Huang Qingshu.

"It feels so good..." He murmured, his smile deepening. After a moment, his hands finally dropped down powerlessly.

Duke of Ying, Wei Chenglin, died on his way back to the capital after his victorious army victory.

The Duke of Yingguo, a family of illustrious military commanders, once again began to decline.

At the same time, Emperor Yuanyou suddenly attacked the Zhenbei Marquisate and took away the title that the Murong family had worked so hard to obtain. After the Duke of Ying's Mansion, the former Zhenbei Marquisate, now the Murong General's Mansion, also quickly declined.

Ping Fu personally handed the urn containing Wei Chenglin's ashes to Wei Chenglin and Zhou Wanning's eldest son Mingger. Tears welled up in the nine-year-old child's eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Pingfu patted his shoulder, looked up at the blue sky, and felt confused.

Life and death, coming and going, gratitude and resentment, all turned into a wisp of breeze. We came naked and left naked...

A few months later, Zhao Linfu, the Marquis of Loyalty, converted to Buddhism and became the last disciple of Master Huiming of Lingyun Temple...