Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 196
Chapter 196 - Better to Replace the Grand Astrologer
Although the matter of the Prince of Pingxi defying the imperial decree had not spread widely, for a household of prime ministers and top-ranking officials like the Yun family, finding out about such things was not difficult at all.
"The Fang family is already the best choice within the realm of the Prince of Pingxi's capabilities," Yun Ze said slowly. "Choosing to defy the imperial decree rather than marry the Fang family's daughter—what on earth is he trying to do?"
Yun Chu shook her head.
Neither the previous Miss Tan nor the current Miss Fang had caught that man's eye, and she had no inkling of what he intended to achieve.
However, given that he had remained single well into his thirties in her past life, defying an imperial decree hardly seemed all that strange.
"I suspect the Princess Consort in his heart is someone else entirely," Liu Qianqian said, gently stroking her pregnant belly. "It must be for Chu'er."
"How could that be!" Yun Ze sneered. "If he genuinely wanted to marry Chu'er, he wouldn't have pulled such despicable stunts... But let's not speak of this anymore. During today's morning court session, the Grand Astrologer cast divinations on the national fortune, and the news is not good."
Yun Chu raised her eyes. "Is it about the southern frontiers?"
Yun Ze nodded. "The divination signs indicate that rebellious forces have emerged in the southern frontiers."
"The Grand Astrologer is certainly formidable," Liu Qianqian remarked. "Didn't Father go to the southern frontiers precisely to annihilate the rebel Chariot and Cavalry General?"
"The divination signs also indicate that white clouds crossing the borders leave not a blade of grass growing in their wake, pointing directly at our Yun family," Yun Ze's brow and eyes sank heavily. "Most of the court officials are unaware that Father went to the southern frontiers, so no one dares to explicitly mention that this is linked to the Yun family. Yet the Emperor knows the truth in his heart, and as soon as the court session ended, he summoned me to the Imperial Study to ask whether Father has written home recently."
Yun Chu picked up her teacup and took a light sip.
In her previous life, she had been a sequestered matron within the Xie family's inner courtyard, knowing only the outcomes of such major events without any inkling of the detailed processes behind them.
Only now did she realize that the Grand Astrologer had actually played such a crucial part in all of this.
Her father's disappearance was an expected occurrence; even without her rebirth assisting him, her father would have returned safely, so there was nothing to worry about.
Yet if this Grand Astrologer were left unchecked to cast further divinations in the future and fling more dirt at the Yun family, it would inevitably invite unnecessary trouble.
Was this Grand Astrologer a man of the Empress Dowager's faction, or perhaps a man of the Prince of Gongxi?
It mattered little.
"We simply need to replace the Grand Astrologer."
Yun Chu's words caused Yun Ze to turn pale with shock. "Chu'er, what did you just say?"
The Grand Astrologer was a top-ranking high official who headed the Bureau of Astronomy and served as a deeply trusted confidant of the Emperor.
For a Grand Astrologer to reach such a position required at least ten or twenty years of accumulation; it was not something that could be casually brushed aside and swapped out on a whim.
"Big Brother has forgotten—everything I saw in my dreams has come true," Yun Chu smiled. "The Emperor values the Grand Astrologer because the Grand Astrologer can foresee the future, while all other conditions are merely secondary. In other words, anyone who can see the future can earn the Emperor's trust."
Doubt flickered across Yun Ze's face. "Will this truly work?"
The Yun family had always advocated for self-preservation and discretion, refusing to meddle in court political struggles. Planting one of their own people as the Grand Astrologer—if it were ever exposed, the entire Yun family would face instant annihilation.
"The current Grand Astrologer's divination explicitly points toward the Yun family. If there is a first time, there will be a second; keeping him around is nothing more than a ticking time bomb," Yun Chu said softly. "Of course, such a major undertaking is ultimately for Big Brother to decide."
Yun Ze did not hesitate for long.
With prompt resolution, he declared, "Very well, let us do as Chu'er suggests—we will replace the Grand Astrologer."
After partaking in a midday meal together, the brother and sister headed out onto the streets.
Their carriage traveled all the way to the entrance of a dilapidated temple outside the city walls.
Yun Chu gently lifted the carriage curtain. "Let's wait here for a moment."
During the construction of the shelter, she had scoured every ruined temple and broken shack in the capital's suburbs, encountering numerous destitute and wretched souls.
One among them had left a deep impression on her.
If she were to choose someone to serve as the future Grand Astrologer, his appearance and background happened to fit rather well.
Moreover, this person possessed a fatal weakness.
The carriage stopped beneath a large tree directly opposite the dilapidated temple, peering across the distance.
Before long, a man walked down the path, dressed in tattered rags with a messy, unkempt beard, and stepped into the ruined temple.
After sitting for a short while, the sounds of a man crying out in pain drifted from within the temple.
The one howling in agony was none other than the bearded man himself. His name was Ding Yiyuan, a scholar who had spent the better part of the day scavenging for food for his wife and child, only to have it snatched away by other vagrants residing in the temple. When he rose to resist, he was outnumbered and surrounded by seven or eight thugs who beat him mercilessly. Not only did he fail to protect the food, but he also ended up covered in injuries.
"Stop beating him, please stop beating him," his wife cried out, rushing forward with their child in her arms. "If you keep hitting him, he'll die! Have some mercy..."
Those men were not vicious murderers; once they secured the food, they simply scattered.
Ding Yiyuan hugged his wife and child and sobbed bitterly. "It's my fault, I am too useless..."
His family had fallen from grace, yet his wife had stubbornly insisted on marrying him anyway. He was simply too incompetent—after studying books for so many years, he had achieved nothing, while his wife had fallen chronically ill trying to sustain the household.
He had ended up selling all his books to pay for his wife's medicine, and hearing that physicians in the capital were more skilled, he had brought his wife and child to the capital to seek medical treatment.
Along the way, however, all their money was looted by bandits. Reduced to begging all the way to the capital, penniless and without even a place to stay, they had settled into this ruined temple.
Every single day he tried to think of ways to earn money, but his travel documents had also been stolen by the bandits. Without any proof of identity, he couldn't find employment anywhere.
And so, this family of three had lived in the ruined temple for half a year...
With winter fast approaching, if he still couldn't find any work, he and his family might very well freeze to death right here in this dilapidated temple.
They say a real man sheds no tears easily, save for when he reaches the depths of despair. As Ding Yiyuan's thoughts drifted, grief overwhelmed him and he wept aloud, his wife and child weeping right along with him.
Amidst their crying, a rich fragrance of food suddenly drifted into the air.
Ding Yiyuan lifted his head and caught sight of Yun Ze.
"Take this," Yun Ze said, extending a meat pie. "Eat something first."
A look of profound vigilance filled Ding Yiyuan's eyes as he threw himself over to shield his wife and child. "Who are you? What are you doing? What is your ulterior motive?"
He had every reason to be vigilant, for over the past half year, many men had approached them with false kindness, all with the intent of seizing his wife.
He would rather starve to death than allow his wife to suffer humiliation.
Yun Ze was left torn between laughter and tears.
He was, after all, a gentleman of refined conduct; how could he possibly commit such base acts?
With no other choice, he motioned for Yun Chu to step forward.
"No matter what your intentions might be, you must fill your stomachs first," Yun Chu's voice was gentle. "This child is far too thin. If he continues to starve like this, he will surely fall ill."
A wife was Ding Yiyuan's soft spot, and their child was the shared weakness of the couple.
At the mention of their child, the two exchanged glances, dropped their resistance, and accepted the meat pie, preparing to feed it to the little one.
"The adults should eat the meat pie; the child should have some porridge," Yun Chu said as she handed over a steaming bowl of pumpkin porridge. "Eat some porridge to line your stomach before moving on to meat; there's no need to rush."
The woman repeatedly expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Madam, thank you..."
As the family of three partook in the meal, Yun Chu and Yun Ze learned of their background and experiences, evoking a wave of deep sighs from them both.
Yun Ze spoke up, "As for the matter of your travel documents, I will have them sorted out for you."
The woman wept tears of joy. "Thank you, thank you, my lord..."
With travel documents, they could enter the capital city proper, find honest work, and never have to endure starvation and freezing temperatures like this again.
Yet Ding Yiyuan maintained his composure and asked coldly, "You two might as well speak plainly—what is your true purpose?”