Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 119
Chapter 119 - The Grand General Returns to the Capital
Before the imposing gates of the palace, human figures appeared exceptionally minuscule.
Dressed in his black-and-purple court attire, Chu Yi had just stepped down from his carriage when he caught sight of a delicate and charming figure up ahead.
Involuntarily, his mind conjured the scene inside the wooden cabin on the bandit mountain—that gruesome wound, that skin like white porcelain... This was their very first encounter since that day.
Though he had visited the Yun estate numerous times, each occasion had been spent conversing with Yun Ze in the study, with only the two children going in to see her.
On every journey back home from the Yun residence, Yu Ge'er would be brimming with high spirits, chattering away endlessly without a pause, while Changsheng would also wear a soft, pursed-lip smile.
He knew the children were deeply fond of being in the company of the woman before him.
Not only did Yun Chu spot the Prince of Pingxi, but she also noticed the other man descending from a carriage alongside him—the Second Prince, Prince Gongxi.
Lowering her gaze, she led Xie Ping forward.
She curtsied gracefully.
"Greetings to Prince Gongxi."
"Greetings to Prince of Pingxi."
Prince Gongxi wore a genial smile: "The Xie Mistress needn't stand on ceremony."
His address of "Xie Mistress" stirred an indescribable sense of discomfort within Chu Yi, though he couldn't quite fathom why.
"I heard the Xie Mistress has been unwell," Prince Gongxi remarked. "I wonder if you are feeling better?"
"Thank you for your concern, Prince Gongxi. This subject is much better." Yun Chu's voice was placid, yet her eyes remained frozen as ice.
With numerous princes residing within the palace, only the first four currently held princely titles; once the remaining imperial heirs grew older, both the outer court and inner palace would gradually descend into chaos.
Back then, the Yun family had sought to stand aloof from worldly affairs, resolutely refusing to entangle themselves in the struggle for the throne. Desperate to rope the Yun family into his faction, the Second Prince had called upon them three times to no avail, and ultimately utilized Xie An as a blade to kick the Yun family straight out of the imperial court...
Right now, the Xie family was completely within the palm of her hand.
Yet seeking vengeance against the Second Prince proved an exceedingly daunting task...
Furthermore, even if the Second Prince were truly dragged down from his horse, another "Second Prince" would undoubtedly emerge to court the Yun family...
Unable to find an answer for now, she temporarily set the thought aside. Her father would soon return to the capital, and upon his arrival, she could thoroughly deliberate the matter with him and her grandfather to devise a proper course of action.
"Prince Gongxi, Prince of Pingxi, this subject will take her leave with her daughter."
With a brief bow, Yun Chu led Xie Ping onto the Yun family carriage.
"What a pity." Watching the carriage vanish beyond the palace gates, Prince Gongxi shook his head. "A woman of such standing as the eldest legitimate daughter of the Yun family ought to have married into the imperial family, yet she became the wife of a humble scholar. Third Younger Brother, don't you think it's a terrible shame?"
When his father had been selecting a primary consort for him years ago, he had actually favored a match with the Yun family, except that the Yun family had possessed no daughters of suitable age at the time. There were collateral branches, certes, but he had looked down upon them.
Of course, his current primary consort—the legitimate second daughter of a grand academician—was by no means inferior; it was simply that she lacked any military power in her hands, which inevitably left a degree of regret.
Chu Yi stated indifferently: "Second Imperial Brother would do well to refrain from uttering such remarks in the future. It damages the reputation of the Xie Mistress."
Prince Gongxi chuckled softly: "If you didn't already possess a pair of children, I would almost suspect you weren't a man at all."
The woman who had just departed was, after all, once hailed as the peerless beauty who graced the capital. Even someone like him, who usually kept his distance from female company, felt a faint ripple stir within his heart upon beholding her.
Yet his third younger brother hadn't even shifted his gaze an inch.
No wonder Consort Yin had constantly fretted over his marital prospects; a man entirely devoid of interest in women naturally had no desire to take a wife.
Chu Yi strode forward, stepping into the palace grounds.
When Yun Chu had appeared earlier, he truly hadn't dared to look at her, fearing he might startle or offend her...
The two princes entered the inner palace and proceeded directly to the Imperial Study.
As it happened, the Emperor was currently occupied. A eunuch informed the pair: "His Majesty is presently conferring with Beauty Zhou within the inner chambers. Will Your Highnesses please wait a moment."
A mask of utter detachment remained fixed on Chu Yi's face.
Every single time he came to pay an audience, his Imperial Father was either with Beauty Zhou or Talent Li... In short, there were invariably imperial concubines present within these halls.
After waiting roughly the span of a quarter of an hour, Beauty Zhou emerged from the inner chambers, allowing the two princes to finally follow the eunuch inside.
Seated upon the dragon throne, the Emperor spoke: "I summoned the two of you here together to dispatch you on a task. The Grand General Pillar of the State has beaten back the enemy forces for our dynasty, safeguarding our national territory and protecting our common folk—he is a monumental hero without peer. The Grand General will arrive in the capital shortly, and I want the two of you to represent me and go forth to welcome him."
Simultaneously, the two men declared: "This subject obeys your decree!"
The Grand General Pillar of the State was the individual most deeply trusted by the Emperor, holding command over three hundred thousand troops. Every five years upon returning to the capital to report on his duties, the Emperor invariably bestowed upon him the highest honors—an occasion grand enough to be celebrated by the entire nation.
Representing the sovereign, Prince Gongxi and the Prince of Pingxi mounted magnificent steeds and, accompanied by dozens of court officials, headed toward the outskirts of the capital to welcome the returning Grand General of the State, Yun Silin.
Yun Silin could only return to the capital once every five years. Leading three hundred personal guards, he had ridden half a month across the frontier lands before finally reaching the imperial city.
Still seventy or eighty li away from the capital, he caught sight of the two long-absent princes and hurriedly dismounted from his saddle, calling out: "This subject pays respects to Prince Gongxi and the Prince of Pingxi!"
"The Grand General, quickly rise!" Prince Gongxi moved a step faster than Chu Yi, supporting Yun Silin by the arm. "The Grand General has braved life and death for our dynasty; neither my third brother nor I could ever bear such a formal greeting. His Majesty and the hundred officials have already prepared fine wine, eagerly awaiting the Grand General's entry into the city!"
Cupping his fists, Yun Silin grasped his reins, remounted his horse, and rode alongside them toward the capital.
The populace within the city had long since boiled over with excitement.
Ever since a century ago, the Yun family had defended the nation against foreign invasions, safeguarding every inch of sovereign territory and protecting every single commoner... Now, while the people enjoyed peace and prosperity, numerous members of the Yun family had perished upon the blood-soaked battlefields, never to return.
"Look quickly, the Grand General Pillar of the State has returned!"
"The last time I laid eyes on the Grand General was five years ago. Five years have passed, yet the Grand General remains as peerlessly valorous as ever!"
"I've prayed for a life-protection talisman for the Grand General, hoping he lives to ninety-nine. If the Grand General were to fall, who else could possibly protect our homes and defend our country?"
"To think that the younger generation of the Yun family hasn't produced a single military general!"
"Haven't so many people from generation unto generation of the Yun family died on the battlefield already? Surely that is enough. The merit accumulated by their ancestors is more than sufficient; the younger descendants of the Yun family ought to live out peaceful and stable lives."
"..."
Accompanied by the civil and military officials, the Emperor awaited the return of the Grand General atop the city walls.
The Grand General Pillar of the State knelt alongside his personal guards to kowtow in reverence, whereupon the Emperor instructed that a cup of fiery wine be handed to every single man who had returned.
"The enemy forces in the western frontier harbored unyielding villainy and repeatedly violated our borders, yet they were entirely held at bay thanks to the generation-after-generation steadfastness of the Yun family!" Descending from the ramparts, the Emperor approached Yun Silin. "The heavenly qilin has its destined lineage, how could the ants within their burrows escape their fate! Now that the Grand General Pillar of the State has returned to the capital, the General and I shall cast off our battle robes together!"
With his own hands, the Emperor unfastened the battle robe from Yun Silin's shoulders.
This was a supreme, peerless honor.
As the battle robe was handed to the adjutant standing nearby, the Emperor lifted a wine goblet and clinked glasses with Yun Silin: "To be able to raise a cup with the General is my greatest honor. Bottoms up!"
"Bottoms up!"
"Bottoms up!"
The three hundred personal guards of the Yun family, together with all the civil and military officials of the court, raised their wine goblets as one.
Following the grand celebration, the Grand General entered the city.
Countless commoners lined the streets to welcome the Grand General home, and Yun Chu was among them, standing on the second-floor balcony of a wine tavern.
Looking down from the railing, her gaze instantly locked onto her father riding into the city alongside the Emperor. Her father seemed scarcely different from her memories—majestic and inviolable, standing tall enough to strike terror into the hearts of enemies and force them into defeat without a fight...
Yun Chu watched silently as her father followed the Emperor into the inner imperial city.
Turning away, she boarded her carriage and returned to the Yun estate.
Her father would only be able to return home after entering the palace to report on his duties, and countless court officials would inevitably come to pay their respects; today was destined to be an exceedingly busy day for the Yun family.