Chapter 276: The Yun Family's Celebration Banquet
"An earthquake in the south three days from now?"
"This is truly nonsense."
"How utterly ridiculous! Your Majesty, have this man dragged away and executed!"
Everyone in the court wore expressions of disbelief.
Even Marquis Pingjin, who had always trusted Ding Yiyuan, felt somewhat uncertain.
Everyone knew that earthquakes frequently occurred in the mountainous northwest regions; no one had ever heard of earthquakes happening in the south.
It was difficult to believe such a claim.
"Since it's only three days, why not wait and see?" Ding Yiyuan stroked his long beard. "Your Majesty may imprison this commoner in the dungeon. The truth will reveal itself in three days."
He extended his hands, appearing completely open and honest.
The Emperor's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
He wasn't sure how capable this man before him really was.
But the man had given a specific timeframe.
Whether to believe him or not, whether it was true or false - they would have the answer in just three days.
The Emperor spoke calmly: "I invited Master Ding to the palace as a guest. How could I imprison him in the dungeon? Guards, escort Master Ding to the Purple Star Palace."
If this man could truly calculate the nation's fortune, he would be a rare talent who must not be offended.
If he was indeed spouting nonsense, there would be plenty of time to deal with him three days later.
Thus, Ding Yiyuan was taken to the Purple Star Palace.
State Preceptor Qi wanted to say something, but the Emperor waved his hand: "State Preceptor, calculate what weather the south will have."
State Preceptor Qi had no choice but to carry out the task.
Immediately after, the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Revenue to urgently gather provisions and dispatched Imperial Guards to rush eight hundred li overnight to the south...
Meanwhile, the celebration banquet for Pillar of the Nation Great General's conquest of the Southern Yue Kingdom began at the Yun residence.
Since Yun Silin's disappearance, nearly all civil officials from the Yun family had been dismissed. The Yun family's status in the capital had plummeted dramatically, affecting every aspect of their influence.
However, with Yun Silin's triumphant return and his appointment as Grand Commandant - holding two first-rank official positions simultaneously, unprecedented in the Great Jin Dynasty - such imperial favor had elevated the Yun family to its peak, surpassing even their previous glory.
One could imagine how many guests attended the celebration banquet.
When Yun Chu arrived, the courtyard was packed with people.
Although it had stopped snowing, the weather remained bitterly cold. Being an open courtyard rather than an enclosed room, even with charcoal braziers lit, they did little to dispel the chill.
Yet guests stood in small groups throughout the courtyard, engaging in conversation. Since Yun Silin wasn't present, the guests pulled other Yun family members into discussions.
Yun Run observed the bustling, prosperous scene before him with a sense of retrospective fear.
Actually, after the Yun family's downfall, his father-in-law had repeatedly hinted that he should abandon the sinking ship and trade secrets about some old Yun family subordinates in exchange for career advancement.
He had indeed been tempted, but his mother's constant warnings had nipped that temptation in the bud.
He felt immensely grateful that he hadn't made the wrong choice; otherwise, he would certainly have been expelled from the Yun family registry now.
Yun Chu stood in the courtyard for a while, but finding it too cold, she quickly entered the Warm Pavilion.
Her mother sat inside the Warm Pavilion, glowing with happiness as she chatted with a group of noblewomen. Yun Chu took a seat beside them.
The noblewomen immediately turned their attention to Yun Chu, showering her with compliments.
All sorts of exaggerated praise.
Yun Chu could hardly bear to listen.
Until a servant came forward to announce the Emperor's arrival, prompting everyone to hurriedly leave the Warm Pavilion to welcome him.
The Emperor and Empress, along with various princes, had all come - further demonstrating the royal family's trust and favor toward the Yun family."No need for formalities," the Emperor waved his hand. "Don't feel restrained just because I'm here. Today is the Celebration Banquet for the Great General. The greatest loyalty you can show is ensuring the General eats and drinks to his heart's content."
The imperial family members took their seats at the highest platform, where three-sided screens were arranged. Charcoal fires burned all around - in front, behind, beside, and even beneath the table - making the area exceptionally warm.
As Yun Chu was eating, a voice reached her ears: "Miss Yun, this princess is calling you."
She looked up toward her upper right and saw it was Qinghua Princess who had called her.
She curved her lips slightly.
Shouldn't this princess have returned to her consort's residence in Pingliang Prefecture after celebrating the New Year in the capital? Why was she still here?
"What instructions does Your Highness have?"
Qinghua Princess exchanged seats with someone and sat beside Yun Chu, lowering her voice: "Since you're familiar with Doctor Wu, could you obtain some medicine for me?"
Yun Chu inquired: "Does Your Highness have some private ailment?"
"Just wanting to preserve my youthful appearance," Qinghua Princess said. "What, are you refusing this princess's command?"
"Second Sister is truly the first to put on airs before the Yun family," Chu Yi's cold voice came from nearby. "Would Second Sister dare say such words before General Yun's face?"
Qinghua Princess ranked second among all princesses, and Chu Yi had always called her Second Sister.
Her face stiffened: "I was merely asking Miss Yun for a favor."
"One should have the proper attitude when asking for favors." Chu Yi drank a cup of wine and looked at Yun Chu. "Miss Yun, my Second Sister lacks maturity. I offer this cup of wine as apology on her behalf."
Qinghua Princess clenched her fists in anger.
She was thirty years old, yet her own younger brother had called her immature before a twenty-year-old woman.
What humiliation this was.
She could see it clearly now - Yi'er must have long held intentions toward Yun Chu, though the two children happened to facilitate this matter.
Otherwise, why would Yi'er make his own elder sister lose face before an outsider?
Fortunately, their astrological incompatibility prevented the marriage.
Otherwise, she might be angered to death by her own younger brother in the future.
Qinghua Princess flung her sleeves and left the banquet.
Yun Chu looked helplessly at Chu Yi and shook her head slightly.
The man's defense of her was well-intentioned, but Qinghua Princess would surely hold this against her.
It wasn't that she feared Qinghua Princess - mainly, she didn't want unnecessary trouble.
Fortunately, Qinghua Princess didn't reside permanently in the capital, so their interactions wouldn't be too frequent.
When the banquet was halfway through, Yun Zhenjiang came forward and composed a poem to celebrate his grandfather, the Pillar of the Nation Great General.
Following this, the Eighth Prince stepped out, took out his xiao flute, and played a soul-stirring marching melody.
Not to be outdone, Chu Hongyu, with his hands clasped behind his back and short legs striding forward, strained for a long moment before finally running to fetch a painting made by his younger sister to present.
"Rewards! Everyone shall be rewarded!" the Emperor laughed heartily. "How about a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for each?"
Chu Hongyu made a bitter face, wanting to protest, but after glancing at his father, he silently swallowed his desire to request a different reward.
Yun Zhenjiang very politely expressed gratitude and accepted the reward.
Suddenly, the Eighth Prince knelt by lifting his robe: "Imperial Father, your son ventures to ask - might I exchange for a different reward?"
Chu Hongyu puffed his cheeks. He wanted to exchange too - he had long coveted the Emperor's thumb ring. That small green gem would look so beautiful if pried out and made into a pendant for his mother.
The Emperor appeared somewhat surprised by the Eighth Prince's action.In his impression, the Eighth Prince had a very low presence, lacking the bearing expected of a royal son. The purity in his eyes was almost comparable to that of a little white rabbit.
He believed the Eighth Prince was quite timid.
Yet, on such an occasion, he proposed changing the reward.
Such a thing was usually only done by the immature Yu Ge'er.
The Emperor spoke: "What reward do you want?"
The Eighth Prince lowered his head and said, "Your son wishes to ask Your Majesty to grant me the title of prince ahead of time."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.
As imperial princes and grandsons, being enfeoffed as princes was inevitable sooner or later. But to request the title at just nine years old—wasn't that too hasty? The fifth, sixth, and seventh princes hadn't even been enfeoffed yet.
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