The 18th year of the Da Yong reign: The beginning of the story involves rescuing revolutionaries.

In front of the Earl's mansion, a dozen or so people, led by the lady, stood behind her, craning their necks and looking expectantly at the long street.

A group of servants and maids lined up in two neat rows behind the gate. Steward Liu stood in front of them, equally careful, for the lord was their god.

Wang Zhi had heard the commotion from the courtyard long ago, but since no one came to inform him, he didn't dare to run around recklessly.

The Earl's mansion has strict rules, and I dare not go against them.

I imagine that once the lord returns and learns what happened, he will naturally meet with him.

Soon, the lord's four-horse carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate.

The procession with gongs and drums had long since dispersed, and the long street had been cleared out. The personal guards who had returned with the lord quickly took over the entire street.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a warrior in armor jumped down and appeared before everyone.

His already imposing physique was made even more imposing by the armor.

His personal guard, the flag bearer, had already put away the general's flag and stood a step behind the general like a large spear.

"My lord." The lady led her daughter forward and bowed gracefully.

"You must have had a hard time while I was away," the lord said with a smile, his thick beard trembling.

"Father!" Wang Lingguan called out happily.

"Oh, my dear daughter." Wang Donglai bent down, scooped up his precious daughter in his arms with one arm, and carried her inside.

After the group exchanged pleasantries, the heads of the other departments came forward to greet them one by one.

These are the Lord's brothers, all of whom are now in their fifties or sixties, especially the eldest, whose temples are already gray.

The Duke responded calmly and without revealing his thoughts. Even the Third Master did not notice anything unusual. As for his son, Wang Guangyou, he hid behind him and did not dare to raise his head.

But the lord's reaction reassured the father and son, who were still feeling uneasy. After all, they were a family, even if their bones were broken, they were still connected by blood.

"Greetings, Your Excellency! Congratulations on your triumphant return!" the servants shouted in unison, waking the sleeping mansion.

Wang Zhi, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them.

"Okay. Manager Liu, tell everyone to disperse and have the kitchen prepare lunch, make sure there's plenty." Wang Donglai waved his hand and instructed Manager Liu.

"Yes," Manager Liu replied and hurried off to make the arrangements.

"All members of the household, follow me to the main hall for a meeting." With that, Wang Donglai walked in front. With just one glance, Madam Pei understood and quickly followed, leaving her brothers behind.

Wang Donglai spoke in a voice only the mother and daughter could hear: "Girl, when I came here, I heard from Magistrate Zhang that you had just returned to the manor as if you were fleeing a disaster, and that the one who tried to harm you along the way was Wang Guangyou from the third branch of the family, isn't that right?"

"Yes," Wang Lingguan replied succinctly, as he was used to his father's way of asking questions.

Having received an affirmative answer, Wang Donglai continued, "Madam, several days have passed. After your investigation, have you confirmed it? Does Third Brother know about this?"

"It's true, but whether Third Brother was behind it is still hard to say. Guangyou has always been a scheming child," Pei replied.

"Also, Third Brother threw a punch at our daughter's savior, but this girl stopped him."

"Yes." Wang Lingguan nodded in agreement.

"Oh? Is that so?" The Duke looked into his daughter's eyes and flicked her nose with his finger. "As expected of my daughter, Wang Donglai, you've got some nerve."

After saying that, he said softly, "Why didn't you tell me about these things beforehand, Madam? In fact, I even learned about them from outsiders."

Before Pei could speak, the Duke turned to look at her with gentle eyes: "You and I are husband and wife, husband and wife who have gone through life and death on the battlefield. You are much closer to me than my so-called brothers. Some things don't need so much consideration."

Lord Pei's words touched the softest spot in her heart, and she looked at Wang Donglai with tender affection: "Yes, I understand."

In private, she did not refer to herself as "I" but as "I". Only in front of those people did they observe the aristocratic etiquette of this dynasty.

That year, after crawling out of a pile of corpses, Wang Donglai took out a jade pendant from his pocket, stuffed it into her palm without saying a word, and said to her, "Pei Huaiyin, you are my subordinate, my comrade-in-arms, my 'family' who shares life and death with me. Now, I want you to be my wife. Nod your head if you agree."

The past is like smoke, and the group finally arrived at the main hall, which has five bays.

The first thing you see is a towering roof, five or six meters high, with carved blue stone pillars and a thick beam painted red. In the due north position, the ancestral tablets of the Wang family are enshrined, with an incense burner, two candlesticks, and two flower vases in front of it, and incense smoke swirling around.

The lord and his wife went straight to the main seat of the grand master's chair and sat down. They put down the girl Wang Lingguan, and the other four brothers, including the capable nephews and nieces of the family, stood behind them.

After everyone had settled down, Wang Donglai spoke up: "Please invite Chief Wang, who is stationed in Liuzhou County, into the main hall."

"Yes," replied Manager Liu, who had returned from the doorway.

That one sentence instantly put the hearts of the three family members on edge.

"My lord, today is such a solemn occasion, and it's the main hall. You've returned in triumph, and you should be offering incense to your ancestors. It wouldn't be appropriate to let an outsider in." The speaker was naturally the Third Master.

But it must be said that what he said makes sense.

The other rooms all nodded frequently.

Wang Donglai picked up a teacup from the tall coffee table, blew on it, and drank it all in one gulp before saying, "Offering incense to the ancestors is a must, Third Brother, why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm in a hurry? I'm not in a hurry." The Third Master sat down a little further in the chair.

As Wang Zhi stepped over the high threshold, everyone in the main hall instantly focused their attention on his face.

He took the sword from his waist and handed it to Steward Liu, who took the sword, left the room, and closed the main hall door.

He and Wang Qi, the lord's personal guard, stood like door gods on either side of the main hall entrance.

Wang Zhi ignored everyone's gazes and recognized Lord Wang Donglai at a glance—the heroic figure who fought against the foreigners and died on the battlefield in the later stages of the game.

He quickly stepped forward and said, "Wang Luoyun greets Your Excellency and wishes you invincible victory in every battle."

Wang Donglai laughed heartily twice: "Very good, I, the Duke, will accept your blessing."

"I heard you escorted my daughter south back home, and you've had quite an experience. There are no outsiders in this house, so let's chat, and tell our brothers, the Duke, what you've been through."

"My lord." The third master was about to speak again, but this time Wang Donglai interrupted him before he could say anything: "Third brother, don't speak, listen to me."

After that, Wang Zhizhi recounted everything, from rescuing Wang Lingguan from kidnappers in Liuzhou County to dealing with bandits on a cargo ship and intercepting them on a train, all without leaving a trace.

No one dared to interrupt the entire process, even though the matter was so shocking.

After Wang Zhi finished speaking, there was a few breaths of silence in the hall.

Then Wang Donglai roared, "Wang Guangyou, come here!"

An incredibly powerful suction force pulled Wang Guangyou, who was standing behind the Third Master with his head down and cold sweat pouring down his face, to the ancestral tablets.

An invisible force pressed him down, forcing him to kneel before the offering table.