Chapter 3: The General's Mansion

The lake was surrounded by walls and guarded by sentries at all times; only high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the royal family were permitted to enter.

As she stepped out of the lake gate, Su Jingyao curled her lips. Yingyue Lake—what a lovely name, though it was a pity that the people inside were a bunch of snobs to the extreme.

"Sister..." Su Jingyan, who was being led by the hand, tilted his head to look at his sister.

"Hmm?" Su Jingyao lowered her head to look at the little one beside her.

If her memory served her correctly, the owner of this body was twelve years old, and her younger brother had just turned nine.

"You were amazing," Su Jingyan said, his face showing a faint trace of excitement.

"Jingyan will be even more amazing than Sister in the future," Su Jingyao said, patting his head with a smile.

The two siblings walked along, and she had yet to notice that she had already become the focus of attention for those at Yingyue Lake.

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Su Jingyao finally arrived at the entrance of the General’s Mansion. It was truly a General’s Mansion; its imposing aura was different from that of an ordinary residence, faintly carrying an overbearing murderous intent. An ordinary person would likely feel a sense of trepidation just looking at it, and there were four stone lions standing at the gate.

A total of eight guards stood at the entrance, standing straight with expressions as unchanging as stone statues.

It seemed the rules of the General’s Mansion were quite strict, which made Su Jingyao feel a bit of appreciation.

However, she did not know what kind of person her father, the General, was. The original Su Jingyao had felt immense fear toward him and was not close to him at all.

Yet, her father had no concubines; there was only her late mother, who had been his one and only wife. It seemed her father was a devoted man after all.

Because of this, the General’s Mansion was sparsely populated, and it always felt a bit desolate during holidays and festivals.

As Su Jingyao stepped into the General’s Mansion, soaking wet, the lead guard immediately stepped forward to greet her: "Miss, what happened?"

"It's nothing," Su Jingyao shook her head and led Su Jingyan into the mansion.

An elderly man, looking to be around sixty years old, walked over from a distance. Seeing Su Jingyao and Su Jingyan, he immediately hurried toward them: "Miss, you’ve finally returned. The Master is waiting for you in the main hall." This man was the steward of the General’s Mansion, having served there for over forty years, and was deeply trusted by her father.

Su Jingyao was stunned, not understanding why her father wanted to see her, but she replied, "I will go over immediately."

"Jingyan, go back to your room and change into some dry clothes first," Su Jingyao said, letting go of Su Jingyan’s hand.

Su Jingyan nodded and headed to his room.

Su Jingyao watched him go before heading in the direction of the main hall.

As soon as she stepped into the main hall, she felt a heavy atmosphere. The pressure made it difficult for Su Jingyao to speak, and she felt deeply uncomfortable.

"Father," Su Jingyao called out as soon as she entered.

Her father, named Su Aotian, was a famous Great General of the Northern Yue Kingdom. Holding military power over three hundred thousand troops, he was a renowned figure in the Northern Yue Kingdom.

The world was divided into four great nations: the Eastern Xuan Kingdom, the Southern Lin Kingdom, the Western Qi Kingdom, and the Northern Yue Kingdom, where she currently resided.

In terms of strength, the Eastern Xuan Kingdom was the leader, while the other three were evenly matched.

Therefore, each nation was constantly on guard against the others.

Every great nation had smaller states emerging around them, and the four great nations would never allow them to grow; the Northern Yue Kingdom was no exception. Thus, her father was often away on campaigns, spending no more than three months a year at the mansion.

From an outsider's perspective, she admired this General. But as his daughter, she felt nothing but disdain for him, because he had failed to protect his own children! He was not worthy of being a General!

Su Jingyao and Su Jingyan’s mother had passed away when Su Jingyao was five. At that time, Su Jingyan was only two years old, and their only mother had left them behind.

They had no other relatives, so during holidays and festivals, they could only stay in the mansion.