For Cui Ling, bidding farewell to Yuan Wulang was a bit sad. After all, this man went on an expedition for the country and did a righteous act of protecting his family and defending the country. From the resolute back view when he got on his horse and left, she could see his strong will and perseverance.

  Even if it's just a passerby, they would be moved by his heroic sacrifice, let alone her who is in the midst of it all.

  But that faint sorrow only lingered in her heart for a moment, and then vanished without a trace.

  It's not that she is heartless, but rather that she hasn't even gotten a clear look at what Lianyue Wulang looks like, and even if she wants to reminisce for a while, she still needs a specific image to carry her thoughts.

  Cui Ling's heart was free from worries, and she felt particularly relaxed. She followed the leading nanny all the way to Cangxiang Garden.

  She had been busy since dawn the day before, and didn't rest at night. She was still able to put on a good face when serving tea just now, but at this moment she felt mentally exhausted, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her, making her want to lie down immediately, so she hurried back to her room to catch up on sleep.

  Who would have thought that just as they stepped into the house, Old Lady Tai'an sent Du Mama to deliver a message again.

  Du Niangniang smiled and greeted Cui Ying, "The old lady said that although the fifth master has left home, life must go on as usual. She is afraid that the fifth madam will be alone in the house with wild thoughts, so from now on, she plans to take you along for morning exercises."

  She paused for a moment, "Also, please ask Fifth Granny to find a neat dress to change into, and go with Yaya to the Shangwu Hall."

  "What? Morning exercises?"

  Madam Du pursed her lips, "The General's mansion of the Town Nationality has risen to power through military merit. Since the founding of the country by our great ancestor, every generation has produced famous and good generals. It is said that women are not inferior to men, and the ladies in the mansion have all read military books."

  Although things are different now, the ladies of our general's mansion are still different from those in other families. They may not be as skilled with swords and guns, but they have never missed a day of morning exercises. The old lady said that she doesn't expect them to become experts, just being healthy and strong is enough.

  She said proudly, "Our family has produced several female generals!"

  Cui Ling's cherry-like mouth was agape, her eyes wide with shock, "F... Female General?"

  Isn't Sheng Dynasty a typical patriarchal society of feudal dynasty?

  Isn't the idea of male superiority and female inferiority in feudal society quite serious, with women existing only as appendages to men?

  According to her previous life, in the long history, although there were many women with excellent military talents, and even many who had really fought battles, the only officially recognized female commander, recorded in orthodox history, was Qin Liangyu of the late Ming dynasty.

  A woman interferes with state affairs, it is called a hen crowing at dawn.

  A woman may have no talent, but she has virtue...

  The General's Mansion of Quelling the State had produced several female generals, which was inconsistent with Cui Rong's understanding, making her feel extremely shocked.

  Du Niangniang was somewhat surprised by this, "Doesn't Fifth Granny know?"

  In the great Sheng Dynasty, there were only a few female generals, all of whom were from the Yuan family. For hundreds of years, no one had heard of such a thing. The whole country and the people knew about it, especially the women in the inner chambers, who all admired the women of the Yuan family.

  Grandma Ke seemed to have heard it for the first time...

  Du Niang thought back to when Old Lady Lao had sent someone to inquire about the ninth Miss Cui, but who would have expected that no one could clearly describe this ninth Miss's temperament.

  It seems that Wu Nainai lived a secluded life at her maiden home, and her birth mother had passed away early on. Without anyone to guide her, she didn't know many things that she should have known, making her a rather pitiful person.

  She thought so, and felt a few more points of pity for Wu Nainai. Since it was still early, she decided to tell these things in detail.

  Du Niangniang said with great pride, "Not to mention the distant past, just talk about the present. Our family's old lady had followed the late General to conquer the southern region when she was young. That time was perilous, and the general suffered serious injuries. Fortunately, the old lady remained calm in the face of danger and defeated the enemy thoroughly."

  When she got excited, her eyebrows danced with joy, and her words were full of ups and downs, just like a storyteller. "After the victory, the emperor at that time specially awarded a certificate to commend her, and in addition to being a first-class national lady, she was also specially granted the title of 'Female General', although it was only an honorary title, but it was still the highest honor."

  Cui Ling was stunned. When she paid her respects with tea in the morning, the Old Lady Yuan she saw was a well-preserved and elegant noblewoman, just like her grandmother, Mrs. Anning Bo, who had been raised in luxury and refinement, looking no different from others, without thinking that she had such a legendary past.

  She let out a soft "ah" and her eyes sparkled with starry lights, "Grandma is so fierce!"

  Because of the creed of muddle-headedness, Cui Rong's more than a decade in Anning Bo Fu was spent in a daze, without any grand ambitions to thoroughly understand the history and culture of the prosperous dynasty, nor even a basic understanding of the human emotions and social customs of his time.

  She lived too hard in her past life and didn't get a good result in the end, so this life she thoroughly gave up on self-requirements, thinking that as long as she went with the flow, didn't stand out, and wasn't envied by others, it was okay to just muddle along like this.

  Because of her laziness and lack of motivation, the teacher at the girls' school in Anning Bo Fu had tactfully suggested to her aunt that Ninth Miss was born without a natural sensitivity for literature, and it would be better if she didn't continue studying, instead focusing on needlework, so as not to waste time.

  Her biological mother died early, her father remarried, and her stepmother gave birth to three more children, leaving no extra energy to take care of her.

  And Wu Fang had always been inconspicuous in the An Ning Bo Fu, among the fifteen sisters, she was born to be the best, but her foolishness since childhood also made her lose the attention of her elders.

  It was thus, sir, that she had said so, from her great aunt to her biological parents, no one had any objections. She came out of the girls' school smoothly and later drove away the seamstress who taught her needlework in the same way, gradually mixing into her ideal state of no organization, no discipline, and nothing to do.

  Cui Ying always thought that this was her ideal life, no need to spend energy and brain power, just muddle along and wait for death, relaxed and burden-free.

  But as she listened to Du Niangniang recounting the story of Old Lady Yuan with vivid descriptions, she suddenly felt a little ashamed of her own ignorance and began to regret her past indulgence.

  At her parents' home, no matter how stupid she is, relying on blood ties, there is no one who will really be cruel to her or bully her.

  Now she's married into another family, having to watch others' faces to eat, it's understandable that she knows nothing about the outside world, but surprisingly, she doesn't even know about the glorious past of the Yuan family, this is a bit unbearable.

  Thinking so, she couldn't help but lower her head in shame, "I don't go out much when I'm at home and I rarely read books, so... I didn't know all this..."

  Du Niang saw Wu Nainai lower her head and remain silent, like a child who had done something wrong, so she quickly said, "These are all old things from the past, Wu Nainai is young and hasn't heard of them before, it's not surprising."

  She paused, and then continued cautiously, "During the previous emperor's time, there were some taboos. Later, when General Yuan went on a campaign, the old lady didn't follow him anymore. Until now, the men of the Yuan family have been defending the country on the battlefield, while the women stayed in the mansion to raise children and teach them etiquette. It has been decades since anyone mentioned this matter again. I'm afraid I've misspoken today, causing trouble for Fifth Madam."

  Cui Ling knew in her heart that something must have happened here, but she hadn't done any homework beforehand, so naturally she didn't know anything.

  There is no medicine for regret in this world, and it will be too late to repent once you have gone.

  She thought for a moment, understanding the things of this world can be done slowly, but the so-called morning exercise in front of her, it seems that she couldn't avoid it at all. She could only say, "Wait for me for a while, I'll change my clothes and come right away."

  There wasn't any special clothes for practicing martial arts, but there were two simple and neat ones. Cui Ying didn't dare to be slow, quickly found a festive-colored suit and put it on, then hastily came out of the inner room.

  Du Niang's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Fifth Granny is indeed a remarkable person! No matter what clothes she wears, she always looks good. It's no wonder Fifth Master loves her so much. Before he left, Fifth Master begged Old Lady to promise that no matter where they went or what they did, she would always bring you along, fearing that if you were alone, you'd get lost in thought."

  She clucked her tongue several times, "Fifth Master is really good at hurting people!"

  Cui Ling's mind was buzzing, what! Wherever he went and whatever he did, he had to bring her along? What did Yuan Wulang mean by this!!!!!