Chapter 199: Forced to Write the Severance Letter
The disappearance of the Pillar of the Nation Great General spread through the streets.
"I never thought that old man selling copper coins was telling the truth—the Pillar of the Nation Great General has really vanished!"
"I heard the Grand Astrologer's divinatory symbols pointed to the same, hinting that the Pillar of the Nation Great General is a traitor. Could that be possible?"
"Of course not! The Yun family has been loyal for generations, defending the nation. How could they betray our Great Jin?"
"..."
The news reached the military camp outside the capital, the garrison of the Yun Family Army. Three thousand elite soldiers, personally trained by the Yun family, recognized only the Yun family as their leaders.
Upon hearing of the Pillar of the Nation Great General's disappearance, the Yun Family Army immediately stirred. The deputy general petitioned the court, requesting permission for the Yun Family Army to head to the Southern border region to search for the Pillar of the Nation Great General.
The request was naturally denied.
Defying the law, the deputy general rode into the capital, straight to the imperial palace, and knelt at the gate, begging for an audience.
Originally, the Emperor had trusted Yun Silin deeply.
But the deputy general's actions and the Yun Family Army's behavior made the Emperor frown with displeasure.
Though it was the Yun Family Army, it was ultimately the army of Great Jin. No matter what happened, he, the Emperor, was their true master.
Now, the priorities had been reversed.
"General Dingyuan, step forward!" the Emperor commanded coldly. "From today onward, you will temporarily take command of the three thousand Yun Family Army troops!"
General Dingyuan was overjoyed.
Though it was only three thousand soldiers, the Yun Family Army was renowned far and wide for their bravery and combat prowess, causing many small nations to retreat without a fight.
It was basic for the Yun Family Army to take on ten enemies each. They excelled in strategy and formations; three thousand of them could rout thirty thousand elite enemy troops.
With the Yun family in trouble, these three thousand soldiers of the Yun Family Army were now his troops.
General Dingyuan declared loudly, "Your servant accepts the decree!"
The news of the Yun Family Army being taken over by General Dingyuan instantly spread throughout the capital.
Qiutong brought back the news, her face full of anxiety.
Yun Chu sat in her chair, blending incense. She sniffed the fragrance—it was exactly what she wanted—and had her maid light it.
"Madam, why aren't you worried at all?" Qiutong, usually steady, was now frantic. Having grown up mingling with the Yun Family Army and learning martial arts, she couldn't remain detached. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Deputy General Yin was too reckless! He shouldn't have petitioned to go to the Southern border region. Now look—the Yun Family Army has been taken over by someone else!"
Of course, Yun Chu wasn't worried.
Based on the events of her previous life, her father would return in triumph two years later.
However, with her warning, what should have taken two years would likely be shortened to about six months...
The Yun family would face a period of hardship. It was only when one was at a low point that they could see clearly who around them was friend or foe.
Yun Chu stood up, preparing to return to the Yun family.
Before she could leave Sheng Residence, she saw several members of the Xie family heading toward her courtyard.
Yuan Shi and Xie Shi'an led the way, with Ting Yu and Jiang Yiniang following behind.
"Chu'er, everyone on the street is talking about the Yun family. What exactly happened?" Yuan Shi asked with a worried expression. "Has your father really gone missing?"
Yun Chu lowered her eyelids and remained silent.
Yuan Shi slapped her thigh in distress. "It's over, it's over! We still had the Yun family as our backing, so outsiders wouldn't dare look down on our Xie family too much. But now that the Yun family is falling too, what are we, a widow and orphans, supposed to do..."
"Madam, what do you mean by the Yun family falling?" Jiang Yiniang, who usually kept a low profile, spoke up. "The Yun family is only facing temporary troubles. It will pass soon."She did not wish for anything to happen to the Yun family, nor for the Madam to lose her support.
The Madam had given her that box of Old Madam's belongings, which she had carefully hidden away—it would be Xian Jie'er's lifelong security.
She was willing to exchange ten years of her life for the Yun family's safety.
"Is it just a little trouble?" Ting Yu raised her eyes. "People on the streets are saying General Yun has committed treason by colluding with the King of Southern Yue. Otherwise, why would the Emperor take away the Yun Family Army?"
Yun Chu looked at Xie Shi'an. "An Ge'er, what do you think?"
"If the charge of treason is confirmed, it would mean execution of the entire family!" Xie Shi'an took a deep breath. "Before things reach that point, Mother should make a decision soon."
Yun Chu showed just the right amount of confusion on her face. "What decision?"
Xie Shi'an lowered his eyes. "Write a severance letter to cut ties with the Yun family. Then, regardless of whether the Yun family is convicted, Mother won't be implicated."
Once Mother completely severed ties with the Yun family, she would belong to the Xie family in life and death, and all the assets under her name would belong to him, the eldest son.
Yun Chu smiled.
Xie Shi'an's scheme ran deep.
Before she had even openly confronted him, he was already plotting like this.
If one day their relationship turned from mother and son to enemies...
She dared not imagine how this hungry wolf would tear a piece of flesh from her...
Yun Chu suppressed her thoughts and spoke, "An Ge'er, you're afraid the Xie family will be implicated, aren't you?"
"I'm worried about you, Mother." Xie Shi'an gazed into her eyes. "Grandfather and Grandmother have always loved you dearly. Surely they would understand your choice."
Yuan Shi said softly, "The Xie family can't withstand another blow, Chu'er. Please think of the rest of us."
Ting Yu spoke urgently, "Madam, treason is a capital crime that implicates the entire clan. Although you are a married daughter, you could still be implicated. Only by severing ties with the Yun family can you save your life."
She didn't actually wish for the Madam to live.
Rather, she wanted the Madam to completely break from the Yun family.
Because as long as the Madam remained part of the Yun family, even if she died, the Yun family had the right to reclaim her dowry.
After severing ties, once the Madam died, the dowry would become the Xie family's possession, and Yun Ge'er would at least get a share.
Jiang Yiniang looked at the people before her with disbelief. "The Xie family has received so many benefits from the Yun family. Now that the Yun family is in trouble, instead of thinking of ways to help, the Xie family is actually forcing the Madam to sever ties with her own blood relatives..."
Ting Yu interrupted her, "The Xie family now has only the old and the young. What can we possibly do? Besides protecting ourselves, what else is there?"
Jiang Yiniang looked at Yuan Shi, who averted her gaze.
In that moment, she suddenly realized that the people she had been living with—whether the elder Yuan Shi, her peer Yu Yiniang, or the younger generation's An Ge'er—were all ungrateful wretches.
How had she managed to be family with such people for so long...
"I understand your concerns," Yun Chu shook her head.
She had been waiting for the right moment to produce the divorce agreement.
She had thought it would only come after her father's situation was completely confirmed, that the Xie family would then show their true colors.
Never had she imagined that at the first sign of trouble for the Yun family, these people would already be unable to sit still."The Xie Family truly cannot withstand any more storms." Yun Chu looked around at each person. "I will leave the Xie Family. No matter what happens to the Yun Family, no matter how severe the punishment, it will have nothing to do with the Xie Family."
Yuan Shi froze instantly: "Chu'er, what do you mean by this?"
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