“How dare you, Gongsun Ning! Who gave you such audacity!”

The Emperor’s expression was extremely cold.

The Gongsun clan relied on the Empress and Crown Prince and constantly caused trouble. He had already endured this for a long time.

He raised his hand and slammed the table, furiously saying, “Someone come!”

“Your Majesty.” The Empress immediately spoke. “Miss Yun was once the capital’s foremost beauty. When she married down into the Xie Family back then, all the men in the capital were heartbroken. Now that Ning’er has gotten this opportunity, he only wanted to be close to Miss Yun. In fact, he didn’t actually do anything crossing the line. How about taking this excellent opportunity to turn misfortune into fortune and achieve a good story?”

Gongsun Ning couldn’t help but be overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed. “Please bestow a marriage, Your Majesty!”

Madam Lin was so angry her head spun.

First they said her Chu’er seduced Gongsun Ning. When that false accusation didn’t work, they sought a bestowed marriage.

Her Yun Family’s daughter would absolutely never marry such a scoundrel.

As Madam Lin was considering how to speak.

An extremely cold and deep voice sounded beside her ear.

Chu Yi’s voice was as if it had taken a round through an ice cellar, cold to the extreme. “If Father Emperor bestows a marriage today, then the men of this world will know that if they fancy any family’s daughter, they need only harass her a bit and can turn misfortune into fortune. Won’t this world’s order then fall into chaos?”

The Empress’s expression darkened. She hurriedly looked toward the Emperor and explained warmly, “Your Majesty, this consort’s meaning is…”

“You need not say more.” The Emperor impatiently waved his hand. “Gongsun Ning humiliated the Yun Family’s eldest daughter—this was witnessed with their own eyes by Yi’er and Rui’er. This matter needs no further investigation. Someone come, drag Gongsun Ning down and administer thirty strokes of the rod according to law!”

Two Imperial Forest Guards stepped forward, grasping Gongsun Ning’s shoulders from left and right, and directly dragged him out.

The Empress’s expression was clouded with darkness.

She looked coldly toward Chu Yi.

She just didn’t understand why Chu Yi opposed her at every turn.

If Chu Yi didn’t already have someone in his heart, she would truly think Chu Yi had those kinds of intentions toward Yun Chu.

“Father Emperor, the Yun Family’s men have died in battle on the battlefield for generations, defending our Great Jin’s borders. Now that General Yun’s whereabouts are unknown, the Yun Family only has the old, weak, women, and children left. Therefore, they are bullied. If this happens once, it will happen twice.” Chu Yi cupped his hands and spoke. “The Yun Family’s men died for Great Jin, yet the women are humiliated by Great Jin’s men. May I ask Father Emperor, is this fair?”

Yun Chu had already been pulled up by Madam Lin and had dried her tears.

She looked toward Chu Yi somewhat bewildered.

The matter was already resolved. She couldn’t understand what this man wanted to do.

The Emperor’s eyes darkened slightly.

In his heart, he trusted Yun Silin enough to believe the Yun Family would absolutely never betray Great Jin.

However, so many days had passed and Yun Silin still had no trace. Nine times out of ten, he had perished in the southern border.

If Yun Silin was truly dead, the Yun Family would have no successor. Even if they truly were to slowly disappear from among the great families…

“The Yun Family’s crime has yet to come to light. Let’s set this matter aside for now.” A veteran minister stepped forward. “Let’s just speak of the Yun Family’s eldest daughter. I’ve heard Miss Yun established Ciguotang, sheltering homeless orphans, providing a place of refuge for those children. The Yun Family’s eldest daughter is charitable and benevolent. She shouldn’t suffer such humiliation.”

Chu Yi turned his head slightly.

With one look from him, several more ministers immediately stepped forward.

“The Yun Family’s men fight at the front lines. The women also care for the people. Several months ago during the scorching heat, it was the Yun Family who opened cooling houses, saving countless commoners from dying of heat.”

“Now Miss Yun has built Ciguotang before the bitter winter, ensuring countless children won’t die on snowy nights. This is a great meritorious deed.”

The Emperor tapped his fingers.

The things the Yun Family’s women had done, in his view, were hardly worth mentioning.

But the majority of the Yun Family’s men had indeed died on the battlefield. Yun Silin had also gone missing in order to help him eliminate the Empress Dowager’s right hand, the General of Chariots and Cavalry.

The civil officials from the Yun Family in the previous court had basically all been dismissed because of Yun Silin’s incident.

It seemed he should indeed compensate the Yun Family somewhat.

Thinking of this.

The Emperor spoke. “The Yun Family’s eldest daughter, Yun Chu, is dignified and benevolent, with a peaceful disposition. She cares for the people and is truly a person of genuine goodness and pure harmony. Transmit my decree: she is hereby conferred the rank of Fifth Grade Lady of Honor. So decreed!”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.

In this dynasty, when women received imperial titles, they basically relied on their husbands. If the husband had merit to the court, he could request an imperial title for his wife.

But Yun Chu’s husband had long since died.

There were also women who received titles through their natal families, but the Yun Family had already fallen.

That the Emperor could confer an imperial title on a Yun Family woman at this time—what did this mean? It meant the Emperor had not given up on the Yun Family.

Yun Chu knelt and kowtowed. “This titled lady Yun Chu kowtows in gratitude for imperial grace. May His Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.”

She understood very clearly that Chu Yi’s actions this time were to obtain a protective talisman for her. In the future, no one would dare harbor such filthy thoughts toward her again.

She also understood equally clearly that the Emperor’s move was not because of any cooling houses or Ciguotang, but rather to pacify the Yun Family members.

As long as her father’s whereabouts remained unknown for one day, the Emperor would not truly abandon the Yun Family for one day.

She wondered, the Emperor who now trusted the Yun Family so much—why would he, more than ten years later, believe slanderous words and execute the entire Yun Family?

The Empress’s expression looked very displeased.

The Emperor punished Gongsun Ning with rod strikes, yet gave Yun Chu a reward.

This was equivalent to slapping her face.

Originally, inviting the Emperor to the banquet for welcoming the secondary consort was to give face to the Crown Prince.

Yet the result was that the Gongsun clan lost face.

A knot of frustration formed in the Empress’s heart.

The banquet for the Crown Prince welcoming his secondary consort thus ended.

Many people surrounded them to congratulate the Yun Family.

Madam Lin protected Yun Chu. After briefly thanking everyone, she pulled her daughter onto the carriage.

“Today’s matter was orchestrated by Prince Pingxi.” Madam Lin spoke slowly. “He couldn’t openly protect you, so he obtained a reward for you instead.”

Yun Chu didn’t dare think deeply about it.

She feared that once she fell in, she would never be able to get out again.

The carriage arrived at Yulin Alley. Yun Chu had just reached her courtyard when the two little ones pounced over, one in front and one behind.

For such small palace banquets as the Crown Prince taking a secondary consort, the two children could go or not. Since Yu’er had books he hadn’t finished reading, Yun Chu had let the two children stay at home.

Not having seen them for most of the day, she missed them quite a bit.

Chu Hongyu said with a grin, “Mother, I heard from Uncle Chengxu that you’ve been conferred as a Fifth Grade Lady of Honor by Imperial Grandfather!”

Yun Chu held her forehead.

Did news from the palace spread this fast? Such a small child had already received the news so quickly.

She pinched the little one’s face. “Yes, from now on Mother is an imperially titled lady.”

“Fifth grade is still too low.” The little one propped up his chin. “The most noble woman in this world is Imperial Grandmother, right?”

Yun Chu nodded. “The mother of the nation is naturally the most noble.”

“I also want Mother to become the mother of the nation, respected by ten thousand people…”

The little one had only said half this sentence when Yun Chu covered his little mouth with her hand.

She said seriously, “Yu’er, such words—even in front of the closest people—you must never say again.”

If heard by someone with ulterior motives, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Chu Hongyu widened his big eyes and nodded forcefully.

Yun Chu released him and said gently, “What book did you read today? Read it to Mother and your sister.”

The little one turned around to fetch his book, placed it on the table, and began reading earnestly.

Later in the evening, Chu Yi returned from the palace and had even invited back a tutor for the little one, who would henceforth be responsible for teaching the little one reading and writing at home.