The carriage stopped at the gate of the General's Mansion.
"Miss!"
"The eldest lady is back!"
The two guards guarding the door of the mansion saw her, saluted, turned around and ran in to report.
As soon as Yun Chu walked in, her mother Lin and sister-in-law Liu Qianqian came out to welcome her.
Mrs. Lin took her hand and said happily: "Chu'er, why didn't you say anything when you came back?"
"Mom was still talking about you a few days ago." Liu Qianqian said with a smile, "If your elder brother knew that you were coming back today, he would have put off any social activities outside."
At the mention of his eldest brother, Yun Chu's eyes suddenly turned red.
The Yun family has been in the army for generations, and their great-grandfather died on the battlefield. His grandfather was the only one left in his generation, and his father was injured and guarding the front line.
Because many men of the Yun family died on the battlefield, the eldest brother was not allowed to learn martial arts when he came to his generation. The eldest brother studied and pursued an official career. Last year, he won the top three Jinshi, and now he is a seventh-rank official in the imperial court.
When the Yun family was accused of conspiracy, the eldest brother was the first to find out. He immediately went to court to defend the Yun family, but was thrown into prison.
On the second day after the eldest brother was imprisoned, news came from the prison, asking the Yun family to collect the body.
She didn't even see her eldest brother for the last time...
"You're so good, why are you crying?" Mrs. Lin was startled, "Chu'er, do you want to thank your family for the injustice they have done to you?"
Only then did Yunchu realize that her face was slippery. She quickly wiped it with her sleeves and threw herself into Lin's arms: "Mom, I haven't been back for a long time. I miss you and home..."
"You kid, go home if you want." Mrs. Lin patted her back and said, "Although there is no rule for married women to go home often, the Xie family can't take care of our Yun family. From now on, I will come home every once in a while. Let someone go to Xie's Mansion to pick you back up."
Feeling her mother's reassuring breath, Yun Chu's mood gradually calmed down.
It will be more than ten years before the Yun family is confiscated, and such a thing will never happen again in this life. She does not need to be sad.
She said in a hoarse voice: "I'm going to see my grandfather."
When my grandfather was young, he fought on the battlefield and was covered with wounds. Now that he is old, his legs and feet are a bit inconvenient and he spends most of his time lying on the bed.
Originally, my grandfather could die with dignity and merit, but in the end, in order to prove his innocence, he cut his own neck with the knife that was used to attack the enemy.
"Chu'er is back." The old general of the Yun family was half lying on the couch. When he smiled, the scar on his face was covered by the folds. "Come here and let grandpa try to see what tricks you can do."
Yun Chu felt guilty: "Grandpa, please let me go."
When she was a child, her grandfather was injured and could no longer go to war. He spent most of his time at home. His eldest brother wanted to study, so his grandfather watched her teach martial arts.
She had a playful temperament and could not sit still. Her grandmother was still there at that time and often defended her and did not allow her grandfather to teach her kung fu.
After two days of fishing and three days of drying nets, I managed to learn some tricks, but after I got married, I forgot all about them.
"People, you still have to have some skills." Old General Yun said, "Everyone can leave, the backers will fall, and the money will run out one day. Only the talent and martial arts deep in the bones will last a lifetime."
"I'm sorry, Grandpa, I was too ignorant before." Yun Chu raised his eyes, "Grandpa, can you arrange someone for me to teach me kung fu?"
General Yun looked at her: "Are you telling the truth, or are you just trying to make grandpa happy?"
Yun Chu said coquettishly: "Even if it's just to make you happy, I have to study hard. Then I'll come to my grandfather every few days to challenge me. Don't think you're annoying me."
General Yun laughed heartily and promised to find a suitable person for her to send to the Xie family within three days.
Yunchu had a meal with his family, and then sat in the flower hall with his mother and sister-in-law to talk about recent gossip, feeling very happy.
Ms. Lin sighed: "Your sister, Sister Ran, fell ill two years ago and her marriage was delayed. Now that she is seventeen, she will become an old girl if we don't see each other anymore."
Liu Qianqian said: "The eldest princess's flower-viewing banquet tomorrow is actually a banquet for all the major families in the capital to see each other. When the time comes, just show Sister Ran a good family. Mother doesn't have to worry about this."
Yun Chu pointed his fingers.
Yunran was her concubine, but her biological mother died in childbirth, so she was raised by her mother, and she was like a biological sister.
Because my concubine was weak and fell ill two years ago, which affected her marriage. She was getting older, so she was a little anxious about choosing a marriage and made the wrong decision.
"Mom, can you take me with you to the flower viewing party?" Yunchu said, "Since I became Mrs. Xie, I haven't seen my former close friends for a long time."
She was the wife of a fifth-rank official, and she was no longer in the same circle as the daughters of second- and third-rank officials in the past.
For example, she would never be invited to the eldest princess's flower viewing party.
She could only use the invitation from the Yun family.
Mrs. Lin nodded: "Just in time, I want you to take a look at the two families I am showing you as my concubine. You can help me choose one."
While he was talking, Yunze came back.
Yun Ze is the eldest young master of the Yun Mansion, four years older than Yun Chu. He was only awarded the top three Jinshi last year when he was 23 years old. He is not outstanding in the entire capital.
But Yun Chu knew that her brother was very good, and he would have been admitted to the imperial examination at the age of eighteen, and he would have been at least second in the rankings, but because he was afraid that the Yun family would be feared by the emperor, he took the imperial examination five years late...
"Your eldest brother is back. You brothers and sisters, please chat for a while." Lin stood up and said, "Qianqian, come with me to the kitchen to see if the snacks are ready."
She knew that her daughter must have something important when she came back this time, otherwise she wouldn't have been waiting.
Yunchu was indeed waiting for Yunze to come back.
"Brother, I want to ask you for help with something." She pursed her lips and said, "Can you arrange for someone to go to Jizhou?"
"Jizhou, isn't that where the Xie family's hometown is?" Yunze looked at her, "Did something happen?"
Yun Chu lowered his head: "I dreamed about the dead child. They said it was so cold... The child died when he was born and could not enter the Xie family's ancestral grave. They randomly found a place to bury him in his hometown. I would like to ask my eldest brother to arrange it. The children's bones were brought back to the capital, and I, I want to rebury the two children..."
Xie Jingyu had a son and a daughter and would not care about two dead children, so she could only ask her eldest brother for help in this matter.
"Don't tell mother and grandfather." She whispered, "I don't want them to worry...Brother, don't worry about me either. I just want the children to be buried in peace again. Please grant my wish."
Yunze sighed.
He stretched out his hand, rubbed her head like he did when he was a child, and said in a gentle voice: "There is a flood in Jizhou. The court is about to send someone there, so I will personally go and pick up my nephew and find it for them." A geomantic treasure.”
Yunchu choked up and said, "Thank you, brother."
"Chu'er, please remember that our Yun family will always be your strongest support. If the Xie family has wronged you, the worst possible outcome is divorce." Yunze said warmly, "It's not your fault that you can't have children. Don't do it because of this." The thing is that you are inferior to others in the Xie family. You are the eldest daughter of the Yun family, my proudest sister, and the jewel in my parents’ palms. How you want to live is how you want to live."
After leaving Yun's house and sitting in the carriage, Yun Chu burst into tears.
