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Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 199

Chapter 199 - Forcing a Severance of Ties

The news of the Pillar-Holding Great General losing his whereabouts spread rapidly among the common folk.


"I never expected that what the old man selling copper coins said was actually true. The Pillar-Holding Great General is really missing!"


"I heard that the divination cast by the current Grand Astrologer pointed to the same thing, darkly hinting that the Pillar-Holding Great General is a traitor. Could that possibly be true?"


"Of course not! The Yun family has been loyal for generations, protecting our homes and defending our country. How could they possibly betray our Great Jin!"


"..."


When the news reached the military camp outside the capital—the stationing grounds of the Yun Family Army, comprising three thousand elite soldiers personally trained by the Yun family who only recognized members of the Yun household—a commotion instantly broke out. The deputy general requested an imperial decree, petitioning the court to allow the Yun Family Army to head to the southern frontiers and search for the whereabouts of the Pillar-Holding Great General.


This request was naturally rejected.


Disregarding the laws, the deputy general mounted his horse, rode straight into the capital, and knelt before the palace gates to beg for an audience.


Originally, the Emperor held deep trust in Yun Shilin.


Yet the deputy general's defiant posturing and the actions of the Yun Family Army caused the Emperor to frown in displeasure.


Though they were the Yun Family Army, they were first and foremost the army of Great Jin. No matter what happened, he, the Emperor, was their ultimate master.


Now, things had been turned completely upside down.


"General Dingyuan, step forward!" the Emperor commanded coldly. "Starting today, the three thousand Yun Family Army soldiers shall be temporarily placed under your command!"


General Dingyuan was ecstatic.


Though there were only three thousand men, the Yun Family Army's unmatched prowess in battle was renowned both at home and abroad, frequently forcing many smaller nations to retreat without a fight.


For the Yun Family Army, fighting one against ten was merely a baseline. Skilled in strategy and military formations, three thousand of them could easily rout thirty thousand enemy elite troops.


Now that disaster had struck the Yun family, these three thousand Yun Family Army soldiers were now his to command.


General Dingyuan proclaimed loudly, "This subject obeys the decree!"


The news that the Yun Family Army had been taken over by General Dingyuan spread across the entire capital in an instant.


Qiutong returned with the news, her face etched with deep anxiety.


Sitting at her desk, Yun Chu was in the middle of blending incense. She inhaled the fragrance, and finding it to be the exact scent she desired, she instructed the maidservant to light it.


"Mistress, why aren't you worried at all?" Qiutong was usually composed, but now she was burning with anxiety. Having grown up amidst the Yun Family Army and mastered martial arts, she found it impossible to remain detached, and she gritted her teeth as she spoke. "Deputy General Yin was far too reckless; he shouldn't have petitioned to go to the southern frontiers. Now look at what's happened—the Yun Family Army has actually been taken over by someone else!"


Of course Yun Chu was not worried.


According to the events of her past life, her father would return in triumph after two years.


However, given her warnings, that long span of two years would likely be shortened to around half a year...


The Yun family would experience a brief period of low tide, but it is precisely when people are at their lowest that they can clearly see whether those around them are human or monsters.


Yun Chu stood up, preparing to make a trip back to the Yun residence.


Before she even stepped out of the Sheng Residence, she saw several members of the Xie family walking toward her courtyard.


Madam Yuan and Xie Shi'an led the way, followed by Tingyu and Concubine Jiang in the rear.


"Chu'er, everyone on the street is discussing the Yun family's situation. What on earth has happened?" Madam Yuan asked with a worried expression. "Has your father truly lost his whereabouts?"


Yun Chu lowered her eyelids and remained silent.


Madam Yuan slapped her own thigh in despair. "It's over, it's completely over! We originally had the Yun family as our backing, so outsiders dared not look down upon our Xie family too much. Now that the Yun family is also falling, what are we orphans and widows supposed to do..."


"Mistress, what do you mean by saying the Yun family is falling?" Concubine Jiang, who usually maintained a very low profile, spoke up. "The Yun family is only facing a minor trouble temporarily; it will pass very soon."


She did not wish for anything bad to happen to the Yun family, nor did she want her mistress to lose her backing.


The box of legacy items belonging to the Old Mistress that the Mistress had handed to her was safely tucked away; it was Xian'er's foundation for life.


She was willing to trade ten years of her life in exchange for the Yun family's safety.


"Is it really just a minor trouble?" Tingyu raised her eyes. "People on the street are all saying that General Yun colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, allying himself with the King of Southern Yue. Otherwise, why would the Emperor strip the Yun family of their army?"


Yun Chu looked toward Xie Shi'an. "Shi'an, what is your view on this?"


"If the charge of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country is confirmed, it means execution of the entire clan!" Xie Shi'an drew in a steady breath. "Before the situation reaches that point, Mother must make a decision as early as possible."


A perfectly measured look of bewilderment appeared on Yun Chu's face. "What decision?"


Xie Shi'an lowered his gaze. "Write a letter severing ties, cutting all relation with the Yun family. That way, regardless of whether the Yun family is found guilty, Mother will not be implicated."


Once his mother completely severed ties with the Yun family, she would be a member of the Xie family in life and a soul of the Xie family in death. All the assets under his mother's name would then belong to him as the eldest son.


Yun Chu smiled.


Xie Shi'an truly possessed a deep and calculated scheme.


Before she had even torn off the mask of civility with Xie Shi'an, he was already plotting against her to this extent.


If a day ever came when they turned from mother and son into enemies...


She dared not imagine how this wolf in sheep's clothing named Xie Shi'an would tear a chunk of flesh from her body...


Suppressing her inner thoughts, Yun Chu spoke up, "Shi'an, you're simply afraid that the Xie family will be implicated, aren't you?"


"I am worried about Mother," Xie Shi'an gazed into her eyes. "Grandfather and Grandmother have always cherished Mother dearly; surely they will understand Mother's choice."


Madam Yuan said softly, "The Xie family can no longer withstand even the slightest blow. Chu'er, please consider the rest of us."


Tingyu urged anxiously, "Mistress, colluding with the enemy and betraying the country is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine familial relations. Although you are a married daughter, you might still be implicated. Only by severing ties with the Yun family can you preserve your life."


She wasn't hoping for her mistress to stay alive out of kindness.


Rather, she hoped her mistress would completely cut all ties with the Yun family.


Because as long as her mistress remained a member of the Yun family, even if she died, the Yun family had the legal right to pull back all of her dowry.


Once ties were severed, the moment her mistress drew her last breath, her dowry would become the exclusive property of the Xie family, and Yun'er would inevitably receive a share of it.


Concubine Jiang looked at the group before her with an expression of utter disbelief.


The Xie family had received countless benefits from the Yun family in the past. Now that misfortune had struck the Yun family, not only were the members of the Xie family failing to think of ways to help, but they were actually forcing the Mistress to cut ties with her own flesh and blood...


Tingyu cut her off sharply. "The Xie family has old folks and young children now; what kind of solutions can we possibly come up with? Aside from self-preservation, what else can we do?"


Concubine Jiang looked toward Madam Yuan, but Madam Yuan averted her gaze.


At that exact moment, she suddenly realized that the people she lived with every day—whether it was the elder Madam Yuan, her peer Auntie Yu, or the younger generation Shi'an—were every last one of them cold-blooded, heartless ingrates.


How on earth had she spent so long treating such a group of people as family...


"I understand your concerns." Yun Chu shook her head.


She had been waiting for the right moment to produce the divorce agreement.


She had originally thought she would have to wait until her father's misfortune was entirely confirmed before the Xie family made their move.


Never did she imagine that the moment trouble first showed signs at the Yun family, this bunch of vultures from the Xie family would lose their patience.


"The Xie family truly can no longer withstand any winds and rains," Yun Chu swept her gaze across each person present. "I will leave the Xie family. No matter what happens to the Yun family or how severe their charges are, it will have absolutely nothing to do with the Xie family."


Madam Yuan froze in place, dumbfounded. "Chu'er, what do you mean by that?”

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