Chapter 116: You May Return Slowly
Yun Chu gently touched the little girl's face, noting how thin she truly was.
The little girl nestled into her embrace, while Chu Hongyu reminded from the side, "Changsheng, Aunt Yun is injured here. Be careful not to bump it."
The little girl obediently nodded, shifting her body downward before pursing her lips to blow gently on Yun Chu's wound.
Yun Chu felt her heart melt completely.
"Qianqian, have you noticed how much the Little Commandery Princess resembles Yun Chu?" Lin Shi whispered softly. "Especially their eyes."
Liu Qianqian looked over and was startled. "They do share some resemblance. But perhaps this is simply fate bringing Yun Chu and the Little Commandery Princess and Young Son together."
It was rare for these two children to grow so attached to Yun Chu, and for Yun Chu to adore them in return. Such serendipity was truly precious.
"I heard the marriage discussion between Tan Er Xiaojie and Prince Pingxi fell through," Lin Shi murmured in a hushed tone. "Tan Furen is such a gentle woman, and her daughter must be equally refined. I fear Prince Pingxi will struggle to find a more suitable Princess Consort to serve as stepmother than Tan Er Xiaojie."
Liu Qianqian nodded in agreement.
Tan Er Xiaojie was undoubtedly carefully selected by Yin Pin, yet she failed to capture Prince Pingxi's favor.
Over the following days, Chu Hongyu and Chu Changsheng visited the Yun residence regularly. Initially, Prince Pingxi accompanied them, but later only sent servants along.
Without strict supervision, the children would arrive at the Yun household in the morning and stay until evening. Were it not for fear of angering their father, Chu Hongyu would have gladly stayed overnight with his sister at the Yun residence.
Xie Jingyu visited every couple of days but was consistently turned away by Yun Ze.
As days slipped by, the Dai family's betrothal gifts arrived swiftly—according to capital customs, these were presented one month before the wedding. Watching the procession of betrothal gifts being carried in, Yun Chu marveled at how quickly time had passed. It was late March when she was reborn, and now it was already July.
She noticed Yun Ran and the young master of the Dai family exchanging shy glances across the crowd, their cheeks flushed pink, and couldn't help but smile.
However, discordant whispers soon reached her ears.
"How could the eldest madam arrange such a mediocre match for Ran? A mere fifth-rank official—their status is far too humble."
Yun Chu turned to see a lavishly dressed woman from a collateral branch of the Yun family. She addressed her as Third Aunt Yun—this aunt's father-in-law was the biological brother of Yun Chu's grandfather, though he had died on the battlefield years ago. The aunt's husband was Yun Chu's father's third cousin.
Third Aunt Yun continued muttering, "Who knows what the eldest madam was thinking? When she married Yun Chu to the Xie family, at least Xie Jingyu was the Number One Scholar—quite a catch. But this second young master of the Dai family is merely a Cultivated Talent. How is he worthy of a Yun family daughter?"
Another woman sighed. "Our Yun family relies solely on military achievements to maintain our standing. None of the younger generation have joined the army—who will uphold the family's honor in the future?"
Third Aunt Yun shook her head. "Ze is the legitimate eldest son, yet he's only a seventh-rank official in his twenties—hardly capable of supporting the Yun family... He's not even as promising as our Run..."
She dared not speak these words loudly, only murmuring them under her breath.
Her son, Yun Run, had also earned his Presented Scholar degree through the imperial examinations, though he started as an insignificant Ninth-Rank Sesame Official.Later, she found a good marriage for her son. With the Yun family's influence, marrying a daughter from a third-rank official family wasn't actually that difficult—with some careful maneuvering, the match was settled. After the wedding, with his father-in-law's support, Run'er had already become a fifth-rank official in the court. With some luck, he might even be promoted to fourth rank by year's end... Far better than Yun Ze.
Children's marriages are like ladders—whether they lead upward or downward depends entirely on the judgment of the matriarch of the household.
In her view, her sister-in-law's perspective was still too narrow-minded...
Yun Chu glanced around before withdrawing her gaze.
The Yun family's collateral branches were numerous and intertwined, each with their own ambitions. As long as these branches didn't commit major mistakes or damage the Yun family's reputation, even the clan elders wouldn't interfere with their choices.
On the day the Dai family delivered the betrothal gifts, there was no need for a grand banquet—only the closest family members were invited to share a meal and serve as witnesses.
The Xie family were in-laws by marriage and normally shouldn't have attended, yet Xie Jingyu still came.
This was Xie Jingyu's first time seeing Yun Chu in about half a month—the longest separation they'd experienced in all their years of marriage.
"You look much better, Madam," he said with an elegant, gentle smile. "The flowers have bloomed along the path—you may return home at your leisure."
Yun Chu smiled.
Such a romantic and beautiful phrase, yet when spoken by Xie Jingyu, it completely lost its charm.
Still, after being away for so long, it was indeed time to return.
She nodded. "Very well."
Yun Chu bid farewell to each family member one by one.
Lin Shi was very reluctant to see her go, but she understood that for a married daughter to stay at her maiden home for half a month was already quite rare—any longer would strain the marital relationship.
Although she was gradually growing to dislike her son-in-law Xie Jingyu, since Chu'er clearly wanted to continue the marriage, she would respect her daughter's choice.
Under the watchful eyes of the Yun family, Yun Chu took Qiutong's hand and boarded the carriage.
Just as the carriage curtain fell, she noticed Ting Shuang standing below, gazing at someone at the foot of the Yun residence's steps—it was Yu Ke.
Yun Chu couldn't help but let a smile touch her lips.
No sooner had she settled in the carriage than Xie Jingyu followed and sat down beside her.
Looking at Yun Chu's profile, he spoke slowly, "Are you aware of what has happened these past days, Madam?"
Yun Chu turned her head, assuming an attentive expression.
"My official rank has been demoted by one level," Xie Jingyu stared at her. "All because you stayed so long at your maiden home, my position was lowered."
Throughout the capital, no woman—not even princesses—who was married ever stayed at her maiden home for so long, unless she intended to end the marriage.
During Yun Chu's half-month stay at the Yun residence, countless rumors spread through the capital, all claiming that the Yun family was preparing for a divorce.
He hadn't cared about these rumors initially, but those in the court were adept at gauging the wind and currying favor—they deliberately set a trap for him. He accidentally fell into it and committed a grave error. The Minister of Revenue was furious: his superior Lord Yu was penalized with a year's salary deduction, while his own rank dropped directly from fifth-rank upper to fifth-rank lower.
He couldn't understand—even if he and Yun Chu were to truly divorce, he would still be the future father-in-law of the Fourth Prince.
Shouldn't being a prince's father-in-law be more prestigious and intimidating to those people than being the Yun family's son-in-law?
"Oh, that's an interesting perspective," Yun Chu's lips curled with sarcasm. "So according to this logic, whether you get promoted or demoted depends entirely on me, a mere woman?"
These words nearly made Xie Jingyu hang his head in shame.
Yun Chu might as well have stated outright that he was relying on a woman.It was clearly him who had endured over ten years of arduous study, advancing from a Cultivated Talent all the way to becoming the Number One Scholar, establishing his foothold in the imperial court... He admitted that the Yun family had contributed to his rapid promotion, but it was mostly due to his own efforts.
He simply couldn’t accept it—having already reached the fifth rank, only to be demoted by half a rank over such a trivial matter as Yun Chu returning to her maiden home. Why should this be?
Yun Chu curled the corner of her lips.
If he couldn’t handle a mere half-rank demotion, how would he endure the events yet to come?
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