Chapter 121: What Should the Yun Family Do?
The banquet hall was bustling with excitement.
Prince Gong Xi was the first to stand up, raising his wine cup: "On behalf of the imperial family, all civil and military officials, and all the common people, I toast to the Pillar of the Nation Great General!"
Everyone present followed suit, standing up and raising their cups in unison.
Since they were all family members sitting together at one table, many couldn't help but whisper softly.
"The Yun family has served in the military for generations, but unfortunately, there's no one in the next generation who can take over the position of Pillar of the Nation Great General."
"Who knows who will be the next person to command three hundred thousand troops."
"Prince Pingxi once followed General Yun to the battlefield, brave and skilled in warfare. If General Yun can no longer fight, the Military Tally should fall to Prince Pingxi."
"Do you think the Empress would agree to let Prince Pingxi hold military power? Wouldn't that make him the greatest threat to the Crown Prince..."
Everyone's discussions only touched upon these points without delving deeper.
Yun Chu sat quietly in her seat, eating her meal. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the eighth prince suddenly leave his seat and sneak over to Jiang Ge'er's side.
She was somewhat surprised. The eighth prince and Jiang Ge'er only occasionally met at palace banquets—since when had their relationship become so close?
Just as she was wondering, she saw the eighth prince suddenly pull out an exquisite small sword from his sleeve, only as long as a child's arm. Though small, it was intricately crafted.
Jiang Ge'er drew the sword, its blade gleaming sharply. Afraid of being discovered, he quickly hid the sword back in his sleeve in a panic.
Yun Chu sighed softly.
So, from such a young age, Jiang Ge'er had already developed a fondness for weapons and martial arts.
In her previous life, this child left the Yun family at the age of fifteen and secretly joined the military camp. However, before he could achieve any notable success, the Yun family encountered trouble, and he was captured and brought back...
The children of the Yun family carried the Blood of a General's Family in their veins, yet they couldn't openly pursue what they loved.
"Madam," Xie Jingyu suddenly spoke up beside her, "let An Ge'er and Ping Jie'er go pay their respects to their maternal grandfather."
Yun Chu replied indifferently, "There's no need to rush this."
Xie Jingyu was secretly annoyed.
Why wasn't it urgent?
Precisely because the majority of the court's important officials were present, having the children meet their never-before-seen maternal grandfather, Yun Silin, at this moment would surely result in him giving them gifts. This would publicly acknowledge the children's status—who would dare look down on An Ge'er and Ping Jie'er then?
Yet, Yun Chu was unwilling.
Without Yun Chu leading them, if the two children went forward rashly, they would likely only become the subject of ridicule.
Xie Jingyu picked up his wine cup and took a sip, suppressing his urgent thoughts.
Yun Chu had no patience to sit with him, nor did she wish to engage in polite conversation with the attendees as "Madam Xie."
After eating until she was seventy percent full, she stood up and left the banquet. She packed some delicious dishes into a food container, handed it to a maid, and headed to Old General Yun's residence.
Old General Yun had limited mobility and spent most of his days lying on his couch, so he naturally hadn't attended the banquet in the front courtyard. His courtyard seemed quiet and deserted.
"Grandfather!"
Yun Chu called out cheerfully as she stepped inside.
"I brought you Braised Lion's Head Meatballs and roast duck..."
As soon as she placed the food container on the table, she felt a swift gust of wind above her head. She raised her hand and caught a teacup mid-air.
"You've finally gained some skill," Old General Yun laughed heartily. "For you to learn this much, it seems Qiutong has some talent."A bright smile graced Yun Chu's face. "Grandfather, why won't you praise me for being diligent myself?"
Old General Yun snorted. "You little rascal, always cutting corners. When you were five or six, every time we asked you to practice martial arts, you'd hide in your grandmother's room..."
Mentioning his late wife dimmed the old general's expression.
Most Yun men died on battlefields, leaving their widows behind. He was the exception—the old widower.
Yun Chu also remembered her grandmother. The only comfort was that Grandfather had been by her side when she passed, leaving no regrets...
Lost in thought, she heard movement behind her.
As she turned, hands pressed down on her shoulders, pinning her against the wall.
Thinking bandits had infiltrated the Yun residence, she was startled by her father's hearty laughter.
"Hearing the old man praise you, I actually thought you'd improved." Yun Silin released her. "Your reflexes are still too slow. Going to the battlefield like this would be suicide."
"Our Yun family doesn't send women to war!" Old General Yun scoffed. "Why are you here with so many guests in the front courtyard?"
"Just checking on you, old man." Yun Silin sat at the table, popping a lion's head meatball into his mouth. "Everyone kept toasting me out there—my stomach's full of liquor. Finally getting some real food."
The old general grumbled, "Chu'er brought these for me. Scram."
Yun Silin defiantly snatched the plate, deliberately provoking his father's ire.
Yun Chu couldn't help laughing.
This was family—even after five years apart, not a trace of distance remained.
After teasing his father, Yun Silin set the plate down and turned his gaze to Yun Chu.
Five years ago, he'd personally escorted his daughter to the wedding sedan. Now she was no longer that young girl.
At the banquet, he'd seen the boy and girl beside her—thirteen and twelve years old.
Though the family had written to him, bitterness welled up... That Xie fellow had concealed such momentous facts when proposing marriage...
But since Chu could no longer bear children, Xie Jingyu's premarital offspring became an unactionable offense...
"Father, why are you staring?" Yun Chu smiled lightly. After both elders had nearly finished eating, she asked, "Have you ever considered relinquishing military power?"
Yun Silin thought he misheard. "What?"
"As the saying goes: 'When the cunning hares are gone, the hound is stewed; when the rival kingdoms fall, the strategist is killed.'" Yun Chu spoke softly. "When you conquer the western frontiers, will our Yun family become that hound, slaughtered at will?"
"Impossible!" Old General Yun interjected. "I understand your concern—fearing our achievements may overshadow the emperor. Your father and I know this well. That's why we've long learned restraint: collateral branches hold no office above fifth rank, main lineage marries beneath itself. We've demonstrated utmost loyalty. The emperor knows the Yuns' generations of faithfulness—he'd never do such things.""But the Emperor is growing old," Yun Chu continued. "When one ages, it becomes easy to be swayed by the voices around them, leading to judgments that go against their true intentions. Now that the princes from various palaces are gradually coming of age, the battle for succession is imminent. Our Yun family holds significant military power and will inevitably become the target of courtship from all sides. Even if our family has no such ambitions, we will be falsely accused of crimes we did not commit. If the Emperor believes these slanders, where should the Yun family turn then?"
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