When Li Zhenchun returned to the courtyard, Wei Nancheng was sitting alone in the pavilion. Just as she walked in, he folded up a letter.
He looked up at her and was about to speak when Li Zhenchun quickly said,
“I know, I know. Learning the guqin without practicing is no better than pulling noodles. I’ll go practice right away.”
Wei Nancheng stood up.
“No need.”
“I’m going to Grandmother’s courtyard. Would you like to come with me?”
Li Zhenchun couldn’t think of a reason to refuse, so she followed him.
Before leaving the courtyard, Wei Nancheng also asked Hongxiu to invite the First Madam, the Second Madam, Fourth Aunt, and the youngest aunt.
Li Zhenchun paused.
This must be something important.
…
“Beidi is gathering troops at the border?”
The First Madam of the Wei family stood up in shock and took a few quick steps toward Wei Nancheng.
“Yes.”
“There is no suitable general left in court.”
Wei Nancheng replied.
The First Madam frowned.
“What does that have to do with our Wei family?”
The Old Madam of the Wei family, seated at the head of the room, said,
“Runiang, sit down first. Let Nancheng finish speaking.”
Li Zhenchun stood behind Chen Runiang’s chair, quietly watching Wei Nancheng.
“Third Uncle is still guarding the border. If Beidi attacks now, he won’t be able to leave.”
The Old Madam looked at him.
“So… what do you want to do?”
Wei Nancheng knelt.
“Grandson wishes to join the army.”
“No!”
Chen Runiang immediately stood up.
“You cannot go!”
“Runiang!”
The Old Madam stopped her.
“Let him finish first.”
“Mother.”
Chen Runiang also knelt on the floor.
Looking up at the Old Madam, she said,
“His father died on the battlefield.”
“If Nancheng goes too, how am I supposed to live?”
“He’s my only son.”
“And poor Zhenchun… She has only just married into our family. She’ll become a widow before she’s even had a proper marriage.”
Fang Rushi also knelt and grabbed Wei Nancheng’s sleeve.
“Nancheng… it’s fine to think about going to war, but don’t actually do it.”
“You’ve never trained in martial arts since you were young. If you go to the battlefield, you’ll only become someone else’s target.”
“Just stay home. Why make your mother suffer like this?”
Fourth Aunt also knelt.
“My husband died young and left me with no children.”
“I’ve watched Nancheng grow up since he was little.”
“I’ve always treated both Nancheng and Xinian as my own sons.”
“It’s not only the Sister-in-law who doesn’t want him to go.”
“I don’t want him to join the army either.”
Wei Zhouqing, the youngest aunt, looked around.
Her eyes landed on Li Zhenchun.
The two looked at each other.
Without another word—
They both knelt.
Wei Zhouqing thought,
I don’t know what to say.
I’ll just kneel too.
Li Zhenchun thought,
If Aunt is kneeling too, then only Grandmother and I would still be standing.
That would be awkward.
The Old Madam looked at Wei Zhouqing, whose knees had hit the floor with such force that it sounded as if they had shattered.
“Zhouqing.”
“What do you think?”
Wei Zhouqing blinked.
“Since Mother asked… I’ll speak honestly.”
“If His Majesty were still willing to use female generals, I would gladly fight for Great Jin.”
“I would charge into battle, defeat enemy generals, and even if I died wrapped in my horse’s hide on the battlefield, I would have no regrets.”
“But, Mother…”
“His Majesty no longer wants the Wei family.”
“He has no use for the women of our family.”
“He dismissed your women’s army.”
“He only gave you the title of First-Rank Lady, while forgetting the bloody military achievements you earned yourself.”
“How does such an emperor deserve the Wei family’s loyalty?”
The Old Madam stood up.
She struck her walking stick heavily against the floor.
“How dare you!”
“How can you criticize His Majesty?”
“Those words are reckless!”
“If the Imperial Astronomical Bureau hears what you said, no one in the Wei family will be able to save you!”
Li Zhenchun knelt nearby and watched the sharp spirit of the once-famous female general slowly disappear from Wei Zhouqing’s face.
Finally, she pouted and said sadly,
“But… Mother was the one who asked me.”
Wei Zhouqing puffed out her cheeks.
“Mother and my sisters-in-law don’t want Nancheng to go.”
“So I thought I’d go to his place.”
“But Great Jin doesn’t accept female generals anymore.”
“So even if I wanted to go… it wouldn’t matter.”
Li Zhenchun smiled and quietly comforted her.
“It’s alright, Aunt.”
“I’m useless too.”
Perhaps…
They had all been born at the wrong time.
Everyone said the world was beautiful.
But when they arrived…
It was still the middle of winter.
The land was full of hunger and death.
At that moment, Li Zhenchun finally understood.
She understood why Wei Xinian had been framed.
She understood why such a small case had forced Wei Nancheng to resign.
Because war was coming again.
Among everyone in the imperial court…
The only person capable of becoming commander-in-chief was the Wei family’s Third Uncle, who was still only a minor commander guarding the border.
One person could excel in both civil and military service.
But one family could not.
Either Wei Nancheng would rise as a civil official…
Or Third Uncle would rise as a military commander.
Not both.
If Third Uncle became a great general…
Then Wei Nancheng’s success in court would become an eyesore.
…
Wei Nancheng returned to the ancestral hall.
The First Madam had declared that he was not allowed to leave until he changed his mind.
Li Zhenchun sighed.
What else is there to think about?
If he had already said he wanted to join the army…
Then he had obviously thought it through.
In the Wei family…
No one would casually suggest joining the battlefield without serious consideration.
She squatted on top of the ancestral hall wall, holding the crow whose resting place she had stolen.
Right now…
She felt like that lonely bird.
Perched alone on the wall.
Watching another lonely person kneeling alone inside the ancestral hall.
She had just sighed when she noticed a strange figure swaying toward the hall.
The shadow staggered like someone who had drunk fake wine.
It wandered unsteadily into the ancestral hall.
Li Zhenchun widened her eyes.
She watched Wei Xinian trip over the doorway before climbing back to his feet.
“Hm?”
“Brother?”
“Why are you here?”
Wei Xinian knelt beside Wei Nancheng, sounding weak.
Wei Nancheng didn’t answer.
Wei Xinian wasn’t in the mood to notice.
He looked up at the ancestral tablets.
“Brother…”
“What does it feel like to become a father?”
“Congratulations.”
Wei Nancheng answered.
Wei Xinian frowned.
“Congratulations?”
“Is that really something worth celebrating?”
“I’m still so young.”
“I haven’t even grown up myself.”
“How can I become someone else’s father?”
Besides…
The child would only call him “Father” and expect him to raise it.
It wasn’t even really his child.
…
Thinking about it only made him feel worse.
I’m still this young, yet I’ve already become the fool who has to raise another man’s child.
The more he thought about it, the more miserable he became.
He lowered his forehead to the floor and refused to lift it.
From the wall outside, Li Zhenchun watched him kneeling with his backside sticking up in the air like a devout worshiper.
Did he drink too much?
Or take the wrong medicine?
She jumped down from the wall and quietly crept to the entrance of the ancestral hall.
Hiding outside the doorway, she looked inside.
Wei Nancheng was kneeling perfectly straight.
Beside him…
Wei Xinian was curled into a miserable little ball.
Li Zhenchun looked down at the crow in her hands.
She blinked…
Then gently released it into the ancestral hall.