Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 125
Chapter 125 - The Dream Is Real
The next morning, Yun Chu went to the Yun residence and finalized Tingshuang's marriage.
Yu Ke's mother was a trusted confidante and mama by Lady Smith's side, while Yu Ke's father was the head steward of the Yun estate's outer courtyard. Both families were hereditary servants of the Yun household, having dedicated their entire lives to serving the family. As a token of favor, they had requested and received Yu Ke's emancipation from servitude at an early age so he could train and temper himself in the military camp outside the city.
"Let's set the wedding for half a month from now; it's an auspicious day," Mama Yu said with a beaming smile. "Our Yu family has purchased a small courtyard outside the city, which is plenty spacious for the two of them to live in and raise children down the road. From here on out, it will be convenient for Yu Ke to report to the military camp, and equally convenient for Tingshuang to handle matters for the eldest miss."
Ordinary commoners did not burden their wedding preparations with the tedious rules and rigid procedures of great aristocratic families. So long as both sides agreed on the terms, the bride could cross the threshold at any time.
Once the date was set, the heavy stone that had been weighing on Yun Chu's heart finally landed in place.
Without delay, she made her way to Yun Silin's study. Two guards stood watch at the entrance—one was a deputy general from her father's personal staff, and the other she recognized as a regular shadow guard often seen trailing behind the Prince of Pingxi.
"Eldest Miss, the General and the Prince of Pingxi are currently discussing official matters. Please have a seat in the side hall for a moment."
Yun Chu nodded, stepping into the side hall to sit down and sip some tea.
She had barely been seated for a moment when the study door swung open, and Yun Silin escorted Chu Yi out. "...Whatever His Highness is worried about is indeed a distinct possibility. I wonder when this summer will finally come to an end; so many people have been baked to death. Ah, fortunately, we occasionally get a heavy rainstorm, otherwise the crops would have withered away completely, and heaven only knows how many riots that would spark."
Chu Yi spoke up, "Once His Majesty's decree is issued, I will return to discuss the matter further with the General."
For months on end, scorching heat had gripped the land, causing countless people to die of heatstroke. Numerous commoners outside the city had gathered in unrest; while their destructive force couldn't compare to hardened bandits, they had still managed to stir up widespread panic.
The Emperor would inevitably issue a decree ordering him to suppress the unrest. Since those people were ordinary commoners, he had no way of employing bandit-suppression tactics against unarmed civilians, which was why he had come to seek advice from the Pillar of the State's Great General.
Just as he was about to depart, he raised his gaze and caught sight of a bright, elegant figure seated within the neighboring side hall.
It seemed to require no effort whatsoever for him to instantly capture her silhouette in his line of sight.
"Ah, right, right, right. I also have a favor to ask of you," Yun Silin said, slapping his own forehead. "My daughter has been studying martial arts lately, and I've been meaning to hunt down a suitable weapon for her. Since you're an imperial prince with broad connections, could I trouble you to handle this matter?"
Chu Yi replied, "May I ask what kind of weapon Miss Yun prefers?"
The title "Miss Yun" rolled off his tongue far more smoothly than "Madam Xie."
Yun Silin was a rough-hewn military man who saw nothing remotely improper about the form of address. He waved heartily toward Yun Chu's direction. "Chu'er, come here!"
Yun Chu set down her teacup, emerged from the side hall, descended the steps, and walked over. "Greetings, Your Highness."
Yun Silin said casually, "Chu'er, I've asked the Prince to help you procure a weapon. Tell him whatever style you fancy."
Yun Chu hardly knew what to say anymore.
She had just troubled the Prince of Pingxi over business matters yesterday, and now her father was asking a dignified prince to handle petty errands like weapon-hunting...
"There's really no need to trouble Your Highness," she declined. "As a beginner, any decent weapon given to me would simply be a waste."
Chu Yi stated, "Five years ago, when I accompanied General Yun to the Western Frontier, it was the General who procured a halberd for me. Today, sourcing a weapon for General Yun's daughter can be considered repaying that past kindness."
Fearing that Yun Chu might refuse again, he cupped his fists in farewell and turned to leave.
"Dad, how could you ask His Highness to do something like that?" Yun Chu pressed a hand to her forehead. "Don't you know how limited your daughter's skills are? What would I even do with such a fine weapon?"
Yun Silin burst into hearty laughter. "It's precisely because your skills are still lacking that you need a formidable weapon to protect yourself. The Prince of Pingxi and I share a bond of life and death, so stop torturing yourself with needless mental burdens."
Since he put it that way, Yun Chu pushed the matter to the back of her mind.
She followed Yun Silin into the study, retrieved a sheet of paper from her sleeve, and handed it over.
Yun Silin unfolded the creased paper and skimmed its contents, his expression shifting abruptly. "Chu'er, are all these things events from that dream of yours?"
Yun Chu nodded.
Shock was plastered all over Yun Silin's face.
The paper was filled entirely with affairs concerning the Yun family. Aside from the exact timestamps being somewhat hazy, the cause, progression, and outcome of every single event were laid out with crystal clarity.
Normally, people's dreams were hazy and fragmented; the vast majority of people woke up only to forget them instantly, and even if they remembered, they could never recall them with such razor-sharp precision.
Initially, he hadn't put stock in his daughter's dream, but the contents written on this sheet of paper were simply too terrifyingly true.
At that moment, the voice of a manservant drifted in from outside the study: "General, the clan elders have arrived, saying they have an urgent matter to discuss."
Yun Silin folded the paper away. "Come, Chu'er, let's go see what this is about."
In his eyes, his daughter remained an integral member of the Yun household; since the clan elders had arrived, it was only natural for her to join in meeting the senior figures.
Yun Chu followed him into the main hall. Before they even stepped inside, the sound of weeping reached their ears.
A woman from a collateral branch was clutching the hand of Lady Lin, crying bitterly. "Qin'er has suffered terribly! Half a year after her marriage, she's been beaten nearly every single day, and one of her legs has been broken... If she is forced to stay in the Fang family any longer, she'll lose her life..."
Yun Chu and Yun Silin exchanged a glance.
The very first event recorded on her sheet of paper was the Yun family's collateral daughter, Yun Qin, seeking a divorce.
A profound tremor shook the depths of Yun Silin's heart.
There were countless branches and sub-families within the sprawling Yun clan. For it to happen to this exact person, over this exact grievance, and precisely at this juncture—
All of this matched up seamlessly.
That meant Chu'er's dream was real!
Everything in the dream was bound to happen!
"Madam, I beg you to step forward and secure a divorce for Qin'er so she can sever ties with the Fang family!"
The moment the woman finished pleading, the group of clan elders seated nearby immediately voiced their objections.
"The Yun family has stood in the capital for a century or two, and we have never once had a daughter divorce her husband. If one woman divorces, the marriage prospects of every single daughter in the Yun family will be tainted."
"Now that the General has returned to the capital and been welcomed personally by the Emperor, which of the imperial princes fails to show the General some respect? Surely this Fang family will exercise some restraint now."
"Why don't we do this: a few of us clan elders can accompany the Madam to the Fang family residence and apply pressure. That should put a stop to any further abuse."
"I agree with this course of action."
"It must be done this way."
The clan elders unanimously agreed upon this plan.
Among these clan elders, there was only one male elder; the rest were elderly matriarchs, owing to the fact that the male members of the Yun family invariably met early deaths on the battlefield.
Yun Silin strode into the hall, and the chatter instantly died down.
Lady Lin spoke up, "The General must have heard the situation just now. The Fang family actually dared to bully a married daughter of our Yun family. I plan to visit the Fang family alongside the elders right now. What are your thoughts?"
Yun Silin let out a cold huff.
Chu'er had written quite clearly on the paper: after the Yun family applied pressure, the Fang family did indeed lie low for a short spell.
However, the moment he left the capital, the Fang family's audacity swelled once more, going so far as to blind one of Yun Qin's eyes. Due to various complicating factors, a divorce still hadn't been secured back then, forcing him to eventually cook up a pretense to exile that scum of the Fang family to the Western Frontier on hard labor, where he never managed to return to the capital for the rest of his days.
Breaking a leg was bad enough; to top it off with losing an eye—there was simply no justice in such behavior.