Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 198
Chapter 198 - The Yun Family Is in Trouble
The next day.
A piece of news rocked the capital.
The legitimate eldest son of the fourth-rank Xue family, who had gone lost for more than a decade, had actually been found. Such a bizarre occurrence was practically unheard of, and it immediately spread like wildfire among the common folk.
At the same time, word came back from the Yatang Teahouse: Ding Yiyuan had agreed to join the Buddhist Gate.
This development came well within Yun Chu's expectations. She penned a letter, had Qiutong deliver it to the Yatang Teahouse, and arranged for someone to pass it through several hands before finally reaching Ding Yiyuan.
Upon reading the letter, Ding Yiyuan once again felt it was utterly absurd.
And yet.
That Master Shanjing had even accurately foreseen the matter of a noble personage emerging from a ruined temple; the contents of this letter were likely true as well.
Without further ado, he retrieved the copper coin from the envelope, took along his newly minted travel documents, entered the capital city, and found a spot to sit down right in the most bustling street of the East Market.
At present, he no longer bore the unkempt and bedraggled appearance of three days ago.
He wore a long robe of dark blue and black, his graying beard and eyebrows neatly groomed and cascading down to his chest, making him look like a man of forty or fifty.
In truth, he was not even thirty years old yet, but having suffered unimaginable hardships over the past half-year, coupled with his long beard, the man appeared far older than his years.
He drew a copper coin from his sleeve and placed it flat on the ground.
The woman selling handkerchiefs right beside him looked over in astonishment. "What is the meaning of placing a copper coin down? What kind of business are you running here?"
Ding Yiyuan replied, "By placing the copper coin down, I am selling the copper coin."
Finding it quite amusing, the woman pressed further, "How much for this copper coin?"
Ding Yiyuan raised a single finger. "One liang of silver."
As soon as those words left his mouth, many people in the marketplace burst out laughing.
"A single copper coin is worth one cash; one liang of silver can buy a thousand copper coins. Do you take everyone here for fools?"
"I've been setting up a stall in the East Market for over twenty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen someone selling copper coins. Truly a rare sight!"
"You can say that again."
Remaining entirely calm, Ding Yiyuan turned a deaf ear to everyone's mockery.
A full day passed, and naturally, no one showed the slightest interest.
On the second day, he appeared in the East Market once more. The woman couldn't help but chuckle. "It didn't sell yesterday, which means everyone isn't a fool. Why are you back again?"
Ding Yiyuan sat cross-legged on the ground. "Therefore, today I am selling it for ten liang of silver."
The onlookers roared with laughter.
They regarded him entirely as a joke.
By the third day, his asking price skyrocketed to one hundred liang of silver, drawing an even larger crowd. Aside from watching the spectacle, curiosity was the primary reason people gathered around.
On the fourth day, Ding Yiyuan quoted a price of one thousand liang of silver.
Despite his outward composure, panic was quietly churning in his heart. A single copper coin sold for one thousand liang of silver—was that even possible?
He deemed it impossible.
Yet Master Shanjing had explicitly stated that someone would come to buy it.
All he had to do was wait.
As the crowd of spectators swelled and people chattered noisily among themselves, he forced himself to maintain his composure and remained seated.
"Interesting, how interesting!"
The voice of a young man rang out.
It was none other than the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Pingjin's estate, notorious as one of the capital's playboys.
He shoved his way through the crowd, squatted down before the stall, and reached out to touch the copper coin, inspecting it closely from left to right without finding anything remarkable about it.
"This little trinket costs a thousand liang of silver?"
With his eyes fixed on his nose and his nose on his heart, Ding Yiyuan spoke in a calm, detached tone, "Flowers bloom in the blurred space between illusion and reality; the tangles of destiny are hard to comprehend. The copper coin is illusory, yet it is also real."
The Heir of Pingjin dug his finger into his ear, completely failing to understand a word.
However, he was wealthy.
Spending money to amuse himself was part of his daily routine.
He tossed a money pouch straight at Ding Yiyuan's chest. "I'm buying this copper coin! Cut the mumbo-jumbo about illusions and reality, and spell out what you mean clearly."
Ding Yiyuan rose to his feet.
Only then did the Heir of Pingjin realize that this man was quite tall, with a remarkably long beard that gave him the faint air of an exalted master. The playful grin on his youth's face faded somewhat.
"The southern regions shall soon face great turmoil," Ding Yiyuan proclaimed, gazing toward the south before shifting his gaze in the direction of the Grand General Yun's estate. "The copper coin points the way, the astral signs show anomalies, and the martial pillar of our nation has his destiny obscured by dark clouds..."
The Heir of Pingjin furrowed his brow. "Can't you speak plain human language?"
Ding Yiyuan stated slowly, "The God of War of our dynasty is none other than the Pillar-Holding Great General, which means that the Pillar-Holding Great General has gone missing."
"Nonsense!"
"Where did this swindler come from, daring to spout wild defamation about the General's estate!"
"The Pillar-Holding Great General is fighting enemies at the front lines; how could he possibly go missing!"
"A fraud! A massive fraud!"
The Pillar-Holding Great General commanded immense prestige among the common folk. Not a single person believed a word of Ding Yiyuan's claim, triggering a wave of profound outrage as people began hurling objects at him.
Amidst the chaos, the Heir of Pingjin's attendants snatched the money pouch back. "Spreading panic with heterodox words, and you even dared to trick our Heir! Let's show you how to behave!"
Cowering and shielding his head with his arms, Ding Yiyuan endured a barrage of kicks and blows.
Having grown accustomed to being beaten over the past half-year, he knew precisely how to curl up to minimize injury.
Once the mob had vented their frustration, they gradually dispersed.
Word of the exorbitant copper coin sale had already reached many ears, and now that this man had uttered such treasonous statements—further embellished and spread by the Heir of Pingjin—the affair quickly circulated through the capital's aristocratic circles. When it reached the ears of interested parties who decided to investigate, the grim truth emerged: Yun Shilin had indeed lost all trace.
Instantly, the imperial court erupted into a fierce uproar.
"Your Majesty, eyewitnesses saw General Yun enter the borders of the Southern Yue Kingdom, after which all contact was severed."
"The Chariot and Cavalry General's memorials mention that the King of Southern Yue held multiple secret talks with General Yun, intending to win him over..."
"As the commanding general garrisoning the western frontier, why did General Yun suddenly head to the southern frontiers? Such behavior is far too suspicious."
"This subject has reason to suspect that General Yun has defected to the enemy and betrayed the country..."
The Emperor's face sank heavily.
Yun Shilin had carried an imperial decree to secretly travel to the southern frontiers to execute the rebel Chariot and Cavalry General, only to vanish without a trace. The Emperor refused to believe that the Chariot and Cavalry General had no hand in this.
Yet the Chariot and Cavalry General was the Empress Dowager's own nephew. Remnants of the Empress Dowager's and the former crown prince's factions still lingered in the court, and such sensitive secrets were not suitable for public disclosure.
He trusted Yun Shilin; the man would never betray the country.
However, the Grand Astrologer's divination, the rumors among the common people, and the fury of the court officials could not be dismissed with a simple statement of trust.
"I beg Your Majesty to dispatch troops to Southern Yue and apprehend Yun Shilin!"
"Yun Shilin has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the state—a crime so heinous heaven and earth cannot tolerate it! I beg Your Majesty to deal with the Yun family!"
"Our Great Jin has reached its current state through extraordinary hardship; we cannot tolerate a single mishap. I beseech Your Majesty to make a decisive judgment!"
The Emperor remained silent.
Chu Yi chuckled first. "To condemn the Yun family based merely on this flimsy nonsense—do my lords not find it rather rash?"
An official stepped forward fearlessly. "Then perhaps the Prince of Pingxi can explain why Yun Shilin abandoned his post at the western frontier to travel to Southern Yue? Furthermore, why did contact cease after Yun Shilin arrived in Southern Yue?"
"The Grand General who guards our nation's borders can defend the western frontier just as well as the southern frontiers. There is no need for him to explain himself to a mere third-rank official like you." Cupping his hands toward the dragon throne, Chu Yi said, "Imperial Father, this son is willing to lead troops to Southern Yue, rescue General Yun from dire peril, and execute the true traitors who colluded with the enemy!"
The Emperor: "..."
He had just punished the Third Prince with twenty heavy cane strikes—the most brutal kind of beating. Being able to stand and attend court was already remarkable; riding horses into battle was completely out of the question.
Pondering for a moment, the Emperor declared, "Where is the Agile Cavalry General!"
The Agile Cavalry General stepped out of the ranks.
"I grant you an army of thirty thousand elite troops to head to Southern Yue and make certain you find Yun Shilin's whereabouts!"
"Understood! This subject obeys the decree!”