Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 121
Chapter 121 - What Lies Ahead for the Yun Family
The banquet hall was exceptionally lively.
Prince Gongxi was the first to stand up, raising his wine glass. "On behalf of the royal family, the civil and military officials, and all the common people, I offer this toast to the Pillar of the State, the Great General!"
Everyone present stood up and raised their glasses in unison.
As they were all family sitting together at one table, many people could not help whispering softly amongst themselves.
"The Yun family has served in the military for generations, but unfortunately, the next generation has no one capable of succeeding to the position of the Pillar of the State's Great General."
"I wonder who the next person holding three hundred thousand troops will be."
"The Prince of Pingxi once followed General Yun onto the battlefield and is fierce and adept in battle. If General Yun can no longer fight, that military tally will surely fall into the hands of the Prince of Pingxi."
"Do you think the Empress would agree to the Prince of Pingxi holding military power? Wouldn't that make him the greatest threat to the Crown Prince..."
Everyone's discussions stopped before going too deep.
Yun Chu sat quietly in her seat, eating her food. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Eighth suddenly leave his seat and stealthily run over to Brother Jiang's side.
She was somewhat surprised. Eighth and Brother Jiang only occasionally ran into each other at palace banquets; since when had they become so close?
While she was still wondering, she saw Eighth suddenly pull a delicate little precious sword from his sleeve. It was only as long as a child's arm—looking small, but extremely exquisite.
Brother Jiang drew the sword, and the blade's glare was piercingly sharp. Fearing discovery, he hurriedly hid the treasured sword back inside his sleeve.
Yun Chu sighed.
So Brother Jiang had loved brandishing sabers and spears ever since he was this young.
In her past life, when this child reached the age of fifteen, he left the Yun family and secretly joined the military camp, but before he could make a name for himself, disaster struck the Yun family and he was dragged back...
The children of the Yun family had the blood of a military household flowing in their bones, yet the things they loved could not be openly enjoyed.
"Madam," Xie Jingyu suddenly spoke up from beside her. "Let An'er and Ping'er go pay their respects to their maternal grandfather."
Yun Chu's expression was calm. "There is no need to rush it at this very moment."
Xie Jingyu felt a trace of annoyance.
Why was there no need to rush at this moment?
Precisely because the vast majority of high-ranking court officials were right here. If the children went to pay their respects to the grandfather they had never met before at this exact time, Yun Silin, as their maternal grandfather, would definitely give the children greeting gifts. That would be equivalent to publicly acknowledging the children's identities—who would ever dare look down on An'er and Ping'er after that?
Yet, Yun Chu was actually unwilling.
Without Yun Chu leading them, if the two children rushed over rashly, it would probably only make them a laughingstock to everyone.
Xie Jingyu picked up his wine cup and took a sip, finally suppressing that impatient urge within his heart.
Yun Chu had no patience to sit together with him, and she was even less willing to exchange polite pleasantries with the people present under the identity of Madam Xie.
After eating until she was seven parts full, she stood up and left her seat, having the maid place some delicious dishes inside a food box so she could carry it to Old General Yun's residence.
Old General Yun had inconvenient legs and feet, and spent most of the day lying on a couch, so naturally he had not gone to the front courtyard to attend the banquet. His courtyard appeared cold and desolate.
"Grandfather!"
Yun Chu called out cheerfully as she stepped inside.
"I brought you braised lion's head meatballs, as well as roast duck..."
The moment she placed the food box on the table, she felt a fierce wind strike from above her head. She raised her hand and made a grab, catching a teacup right out of the air.
"You finally have some martial arts skills after all." Old General Yun laughed heartily. "To be able to make you learn like this, it seems Qiutong has some genuine capability."
A bright, radiant smile appeared on Yun Chu's face. "Why doesn't Grandfather praise me for being studious on my own?"
Old General Yun snorted coldly. "You little girl love being lazy the most. When you were five or six years old, every time I made you practice your martial arts, you would run off to your grandmother's room to hide..."
Mentioning his late wife, Old General Yun's expression dimmed slightly.
The men of the Yun family were basically always on the battlefield, and traditionally the men died first while the women lived as widows. He was the sole exception, becoming an old widower.
Yun Chu also thought of her grandmother. The only comforting thought was that when her grandmother passed away, her grandfather was right by her side, so there were practically no regrets left...
Just as she was feeling sorrowful, she heard a commotion coming from behind her.
Before she could turn around, a pair of hands pressed down on her shoulders, pushing her entire body firmly against the wall.
She initially thought bandits had sneaked into the Yun family to assassinate someone, but instead she heard her father's hearty laughter.
"Hearing the old man praise you, I actually thought you learned quite well." Yun Silin released her. "Your martial arts skills are still far too poor. Going onto the battlefield like this would simply be delivering your head on a platter."
"Our Yun family doesn't need women to go to the battlefield!" Old General Yun scoffed. "There are so many guests in the front courtyard; what are you doing here?"
"Didn't I come to check on you, old man?" Yun Silin sat down beside the table and popped a lion's head meatball into his mouth. "With a bunch of people offering toasts in the front courtyard and a stomach full of nothing but alcohol, you've finally allowed me to get a real meal."
The old general said with dissatisfaction, "Chu'er brought that for me. Get lost over there."
Yun Silin refused to do so, seizing the opportunity to snatch the plate away and deliberately making the old general puff his beard and stare in anger.
Yun Chu could not help but laugh.
This was family. Even after five years apart, there was not the slightest bit of estrangement.
After teasing his elderly father for a moment, Yun Silin placed the plate of meatballs back on the table and let his gaze fall upon Yun Chu.
When he returned to the capital five years ago, Chu'er was getting married, and he, her father, personally sent her off in the grand bridal sedan chair. Returning now after five years apart, she was no longer that young maiden from before.
Just now at the banquet, he had caught sight of the son and daughter by her side—the daughter was thirteen years old, and the son was twelve.
Although the Yun family had written letters telling him all about this, his heart still felt stifled... That scoundrel of the Xie family actually dared to conceal such a massive matter when asking for Chu'er's hand in marriage...
Yet, since Chu'er could no longer bear children of her own, Xie Jingyu having a child prior to marriage seemed impossible to pursue any further...
"Dad, why are you staring at me like that?" Yun Chu wore a relaxed smile. She sat down and waited until the two elders had eaten their fill before speaking up. "Dad, have you ever thought about giving up military power?"
Thinking he had misheard, Yun Silin dug into his ear. "What?"
"An ancient saying goes, once the crafty rabbits are killed, the loyal hounds are cooked; once the enemy states are destroyed, the strategists perish," Yun Chu said softly. "Will there come a day when Father leads troops to conquer the Western Frontier, and when that time arrives, will our Yun family become like those loyal hounds, left to be slaughtered at will?"
"Impossible!" Old General Yun retorted. "I understand what Chu'er means. Aren't you just afraid that the Yun family's achievements will overshadow the monarch and arouse the Emperor's suspicion? Your father and I both understand this principle, which is why the Yun family learned long ago to restrain its sharp edge. For instance, among the collateral branches of the Yun family, no official holds a rank higher than the fifth grade. And for another instance, the main branch of the Yun family only enters into marriages with families of equal or lower status. Our Yun family has fully demonstrated our loyalty, and the Emperor knows that the Yun family has been loyal for generations; he would flatly refuse to do such a thing."
"But the Emperor is getting old," Yun Chu continued. "As people age, they are easily influenced by the voices around them and make judgments contrary to their true intentions. Nowadays, the princes of the various palaces are growing older, and the battle for the throne is on the verge of breaking out. With our Yun family holding massive military might, we will inevitably become the targets that the various palaces strive to pull into their camp. Even if the Yun family has no such intentions, fabricated charges will still be pinned upon us. If the Emperor listens to slanderous words, where then should the Yun family go?”