A Firm Resolve

Upon hearing this, the two soldiers immediately turned pale and looked distressed.

They were only doing this because this Miss He was the daughter of General Who Pacifies the Distant, and she had been bringing food and drink to their young general these past few days, but the young general ignored her, which was truly pitiful.

Furthermore, the Lady Hou had secretly instructed them that this was the wife of the heir apparent she had taken a liking to, which is why they dared to make some concessions.

However, they didn't dare let her in, only making her wait outside the courtyard. This way, they wouldn't break the rules, and perhaps the young general would take a liking to this young lady, bringing about a good outcome and rewarding them handsomely. Miss He became the heir's wife, she would surely repay them in return.

Unexpectedly, his attempt to flatter backfired.

He Ying immediately looked embarrassed.

She fought back tears and said, "Brother Yunkai, do you... do you really hate me that much?"

Fu Yunkai is a soldier who dislikes being indecisive and prefers to be straightforward.

However, since Miss He hadn't gone too far the past two days and hadn't revealed anything, only making some local snacks as a reward for him and the soldiers, he didn't feel comfortable saying anything.

But he didn't touch anything she sent, and he wasn't kind to her at all.

If she were a girl who knew when to back down, she would have given up after his attitude. But this girl seemed oblivious to his feelings and persisted in her pursuit.

"It's not that I dislike her, but I already have a girl I like, and I'll be proposing to her soon. Miss He keeps appearing before me, and if the girl I'm so eager to marry finds out and thinks I'm a womanizer, she might reject my advances, and I'm afraid I'll hold a grudge against her. As the saying goes, 'Better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage.' I'm afraid Miss He wouldn't want to do something so immoral, would she?"

As Fu Yunkai spoke, he ordered his servants and guards, "Keep an eye on things from now on. If you encounter Miss He in the distance, remind me immediately so we can take a detour or go straight back. As for any delays in military affairs caused by this, I will report it to the court and have His Majesty reassign General He to another position."

"Yes," everyone answered in unison.

He Ying took a few steps back, staring at Fu Yunkai with disbelief on her face.

Even as she retreated, Fu Yunkai saw that she was still blocking the entrance to the outer study courtyard. If he were to pass by, he would inevitably be very close to her.

Over the years, as his father gained more and more favor from the emperor and his military achievements became more and more prominent, many women tried their best to get close to him. Even though he already had a fiancée, some women still flocked to him like moths to a flame.

He found this type of woman extremely repulsive.

"Let's go back." He turned around and instructed, "Inform me again after Miss He leaves."

His actions were not only ruthless, but also contained a hidden contempt and humiliation that even the most thick-skinned girl would find unbearable.

He Ying grew up with her father at the border, and only moved to the capital in the last two years after her father was promoted to General Who Pacifies the Distant. She was more thick-skinned and resilient than most girls in the capital. But she couldn't take Fu Yunkai's move, and burst into tears, turning around and running away.

The group of men watched helplessly as the beauty ran away crying. When they turned to look at their young master, they saw him standing there with an icy expression, completely devoid of emotion. They couldn't help but inwardly despise Fu Yunkai Kai.

"General, this Miss He quite lovely, why don't you like her? Which girl do you have your eye on?" A man who had fought alongside Fu Yunkai on the battlefield, and who was also very outspoken, had just been punished with five strokes of the military rod because of Miss He and couldn't understand it, so he simply asked directly.

Marquis of Pingnan Fu Dayong, is Grand General of Dragon and Tiger, Principal Second Rank; Fu Yunkai himself is General Who Proclaims Martial Might, Principal Fourth Rank official. Miss He's father, however, is a Dingyuan General Who Pacifies the Distant, Subordinate Third Rank- rank official.

In the eyes of these soldiers, it was most appropriate for Fu Yunkai to marry the daughter of General Who Pacifies the Distant.

Miss He wasn't ugly; in the eyes of these soldiers, a girl like her was the best.

Those young ladies from noble families in the capital, to be honest, are beautiful, but they're like porcelain dolls, easily broken. These men are stationed at the border for long periods and rarely home; can such women bear children for them, care for their parents, and manage a household on their own?

Women like Miss He, who grew up on the frontier and came from military families, were the most suitable for them.

Fu Yunkai couldn't even be interested in a girl like that; in the eyes of these men, he was just being pretentious.

Fu Yunkai glanced at him sideways. "What do you know! It's none of your business!" He turned and went into the outer study.

The men outside burst into laughter as they watched the man whose face was flushed red from Fu Yunkai's retort.

"Let's go, let's go get our lashes." His comrade patted him on the shoulder. "I bet you're not comfortable unless you get a few lashes every day."

Fu Yunkai did not smile when he entered the study. He sat down at his desk, feeling a surge of irritation.

Lady He inexplicably moved into their Marquis's mansion with her daughter. The mother was Gao Xing and kept saying that Miss He was much better than Fifth Miss Zhao.

That night, after returning from the Prince of Zhennan's Residence, my mother kept saying that the Fifth Miss Zhao was an arrogant and impolite woman. If she married into the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, she would definitely not respect her as her mother-in-law. She said that if he insisted on marrying that woman, she would kill herself in front of him.

To be honest, Fu Yunkai sometimes found his mother's shallowness and vulgarity distasteful, but she was, after all, the mother who gave him life and raised him. Even after he got married, he could give his wife the power to manage the household. But if his wife was disrespectful and unfilial to her mother-in-law, he would certainly be Gao Xing.

Back when Marquis of Pingnan Fu Dayong, rose to a high official position, he did look down on Lady He. After entering the capital, Lady He embarrassed Fu Dayong on many occasions, making him ashamed to face others. He even considered divorcing his wife.

Twelve-year-old Fu Yunkai made a bold statement, saying that if his father wanted to divorce his wife, he would take his mother and younger brother and move out to start their own household. Only then did Fu Dayong give up the idea of divorcing his wife.

Now that his mother was using these words to blackmail him, Fu Yunkai understood that if he married Fifth Miss Zhao, the family would definitely be in chaos. He was now wavering, wondering if he should back down and choose someone else.

But seeing Miss He reminded him of Fifth Miss Zhao. He felt that if he really married Miss He, he wouldn't want to go home for three to five years. It wasn't that this girl was bad, but that she wasn't the girl he liked.

Fu Yunkai rubbed her temples, her head aching, and sighed once more: Why did I have such a mother?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly stood up, and his mind cleared instantly.

My father married after he became a captain, and because he was good-looking, he could choose any girl from the border region. In the end, he chose my mother. The reason was simple: my mother, Lady He, was the most beautiful among all the girls from the border region.

But the father only thought about choosing the best-looking one, without considering whether he should choose someone with brains.

If he were to settle for marrying a woman who isn't very bright, his future son would likely resent him; and he himself would probably suffer the same pain as his father.

Therefore, he still wanted to marry Fifth Miss Zhao.