The two spared no effort in teaching, displaying their exceptional martial arts and medical skills without reservation.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. The couple decided to return to the capital. The Emperor had already avenged Ouyang Chenxi's grievance. When the Prefect informed the Emperor of Wu Guozhong's misdeeds, the Emperor promptly dispatched men to apprehend him. The commander was replaced, and numerous letters detailing his dealings with neighboring countries were discovered in his study. It was then the Emperor learned that the neighboring country's decision to attack the Celestial Dynasty at that particular time had been instigated by Wu Guozhong.
His objective was to isolate the northern army, leaving them without support. The Huns successfully advanced south. The Emperor trembled with rage, never imagining that someone he had so highly regarded and trusted would betray him. The consequences were as expected, with rivers of blood flowing.
Upon learning of Ouyang Chenxi's condition, the Emperor bestowed upon him the title of a First-Rank Civilian, a mere honorary title with no real power. This was unavoidable, as his health no longer permitted him to return to the battlefield.
He had spent three years in the borderlands under the guise of recuperation. It was time to go. As they departed, the Prefect and various generals came to see them off with great reluctance. Liu Daniu, in particular, wept uncontrollably like a grown man. His sorrow stemmed from the knowledge that his master would not return from this journey.
After bidding farewell to them all, Wu Caiwei, accompanied by the children she had raised over the years, set off for the capital.
Having lived in the borderlands for so many years, the children were filled with yearning for the outside world. Their journey was lively and cheerful, filled with chatter, as if they were sightseeing rather than traveling.
Upon entering the city gates, they returned to the residence the Emperor had bestowed upon Ouyang Chenxi three years prior. He had a family, but the current matriarch of the Ouyang family was his father's second wife. The relationship between him, the son of the original wife, and his stepmother was predictable. Otherwise, how could a scion of a noble family have shed blood and sweat on the battlefield? It was precisely because his stepmother feared he would usurp her own son's connections that she had suppressed him at every turn. His father, who favored his second wife, offered no support, leaving him with no recourse but to secretly enlist.
Initially, Master Ouyang considered his son becoming a military general a sign of ignorance and a disgrace, and he showed him no favor. Every encounter was met with criticism. Later, when Ouyang Chenxi fell into trouble at the border, rumors circulated that he had not been swept away by a tornado but had colluded with the enemy. Lady Ouyang, upon hearing this, grew increasingly fearful of implicating herself and quickly whispered her concerns to her husband.
Master Ouyang was shocked. With so many members in the Ouyang family, they could not be affected by one rebellious son, so he immediately disowned him.
Even though the Emperor had cleared his name, Master Ouyang was unwilling to acknowledge him. When he held great power, Master Ouyang had looked down upon military men. Now that his son was crippled, he held no value to him. More importantly, readily acknowledging him would make his past actions seem like a joke, and him appear as a self-serving, heartless wretch.
When the news reached him, Ouyang Chenxi shrugged indifferently. He was relieved that Master Ouyang was unwilling to acknowledge him. He had no desire to be associated with them and wished only to live a quiet life with Wu Caiwei.
After returning to the capital, the couple lived reclusively, continuing to teach the children in their spare time, much like they had in the borderlands.
The Zhou family heard that General Ouyang had returned and married a commoner. They paid it no mind, considering it irrelevant to the Zhou family and thus not requiring their attention.
During these past three years, although the Zhou family had successfully married the Eldest Princess into their family as Zhou Jiayang had wished, the Eldest Princess had driven him out of the princess's residence the day after their wedding, and continued her affairs with her paramours.
Master and Mistress Zhou were furious, even lodging numerous complaints against her, both overtly and covertly, to the Emperor. While the Emperor usually brushed them aside, he would occasionally dispatch his chief eunuch to admonish her when he could no longer bear it.
Life continued in this frustrating manner. Although many in the capital mocked them behind their backs, they were astute enough to realize that the more Zhou Jiayang suffered, the more tolerant the Emperor would be towards the Zhou family, making them hesitant to provoke him.
Consequently, in recent years, Zhou Jiayang found his life quite comfortable, apart from the Eldest Princess's disrespect and infidelity. When he went out, he was treated with respect. Upon returning home, concubine maids would attend to him. The Emperor had forbidden him from taking concubines, but he had not forbidden him from having a family.
Besides, given the Eldest Princess's actions, any ordinary woman would have been divorced by her husband. They could not let the Zhou family remain childless.
Zhou Jiayang had assumed his life would continue this way until, one day, a mysterious individual known as the Green Lotus Hermit appeared and sold several paintings, causing a sensation in the capital. The main reason was that the painting style was identical to that of the Zhou Jiayang of years past.
Father and son exchanged astonished glances upon hearing this news. They simultaneously thought of one person: Liu Yanyu, who had left the capital years ago and seemed to have vanished. They wondered about her intentions.
If she were to reveal what happened back then, it would be difficult to explain to the Eldest Princess and the Emperor, and in severe cases, the entire clan could be implicated.
At this moment, they truly regretted their past actions. Had they known this would be the outcome, they would have been better off marrying Liu Yanyu. Her paintings could have certainly helped Zhou Jiayang establish himself in the capital. In contrast, marrying the Eldest Princess had brought them little more than some benefits from the Emperor, making it a loss rather than a gain.
"Eldest Consort, do you perhaps know the Green Lotus Hermit? If so, could you introduce us? My elders are extremely fond of his paintings, and we wish to please them."
Zhou Jiayang felt a pang of frustration as his friends gazed at him expectantly. Over the past three years, he had learned to maintain a poker face. He smiled and replied, "You jest. How could I possibly know her?"
"That's not right. Everyone says that your brushwork, style, and the artistic conception in your paintings are identical, possessing a sense of inheritance. It's impossible for there to be no connection!"
Seeing his friend's puzzled expression, Zhou Jiayang asked, "Over the years, many have attempted to imitate my work without success. Perhaps this individual has some talent and has managed a remarkably lifelike imitation."
Everyone considered this plausible. They nodded in agreement and quickly changed the subject.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, having narrowly averted discovery. He had a nagging feeling that his cousin's intentions were not straightforward and was determined to find her current whereabouts and neutralize this ticking time bomb.
Wu Caiwei had not deliberately concealed her movements. She wanted to confront them face-to-face, to keep them living in fear.