Chu Yu clutched the paper, quickly regaining her composure.
She had been closely monitoring the frontlines. Based on the letters sent back by Wei Yun and Wei Jun, the Wei family’s military strategy was indeed very conservative. It seemed unlikely they would pursue the enemy forces. Yet everything had still unfolded – on the eighth day of the ninth month, they were trapped in Baidi Valley. Today was the ninth day of the ninth month…
Chu Yu closed her eyes. She knew that something she was unaware of must have occurred on the battlefield.
She also realized that the Wei family’s ennoblement years ago wasn’t solely due to Wei Yun becoming a capable general and receiving the emperor’s favor.
The information gained from her rebirth might not be entirely accurate. She had been too arrogant, too trusting of the knowledge she believed she possessed. She thought that by being reborn, she could alter the course of events.
With her eyes still closed, she regulated her breathing. Behind her stood Wei Qiu, Wei Xia, Chang Yue, Wan Yue, and others. Wei Qiu’s face betrayed his anxiety as he whispered, “Young Madam, we can’t keep news like this under wraps.”
“I know.”
Chu Yu opened her eyes, exhaling deeply before saying, “I’ll go speak to my Mother-in-law right away. Until then, no one else is to know of this news.”
Wei Qiu looked troubled; this news was too significant. However, Wei Xia remained composed and respectfully replied, “Yes, we’ll follow Young Madam’s orders.”
Chu Yu nodded and strode quickly toward Liu Xueyang’s chambers.
The Wei family’s Old Madam usually resided in their fief in Lanling rather than in the capital. Currently, Liu Xueyang was the only one in the household capable of making decisions. Chu Yu knew clearly what the Wei family would face in the coming years and what Liu Xueyang had done. She wasn’t a woman who could endure silently, and as the mother of Wei Yun and Wei Jun, she was unwilling to let Liu Xueyang face the rest alone.
She entered Liu Xueyang’s room without being announced. Liu Xueyang was reclining on a couch, listening to a servant play the pipa. Hearing the music stop abruptly, she looked up in confusion to see Chu Yu standing before her, her expression calm as she said, “Mother-in-law, I have urgent matters to report. We should dismiss the others.”
Liu Xueyang hesitated for a moment but nodded to those around her.
The attendants withdrew, and Wan Yue and Chang Yue stood at the door, closing it. Only Liu Xueyang and Chu Yu remained in the room. Liu Xueyang smiled and asked, “What brings you here today, A’Yu?”
“News has arrived from the border,” Chu Yu began. Liu Xueyang’s expression immediately changed.
Being from a military family, she understood all too well what a message from the border that required everyone else to leave meant. Seeing that Liu Xueyang hadn’t lost her composure, Chu Yu continued, “Yesterday, our troops were surrounded in Baidi Valley. Xiao Qi led forces to their rescue, but we must prepare for the worst.”
Liu Xueyang sat up straight, gripping the edge of the table as she asked with difficulty, “How many… are trapped?”
“Apart from Xiao Qi, Father-in-law, and the six elder brothers, along with seventy thousand elite troops, are all trapped within.”
Hearing this, Liu Xueyang swayed. Chu Yu rushed forward to support her, calling out anxiously, “Mother-in-law!”
“I’m fine!” Liu Xueyang, with tears in her eyes and gritted teeth, grasped Chu Yu’s hand. Though her body was still trembling, she said to her, “Don’t be afraid. They’ll be all right. As long as I’m still here, you’ll all be safe.”
“Besides,” Liu Xueyang raised her head, forcing a smile, “Even if they die, they’ll have given their lives for the country. His Majesty won’t be too harsh on us. Don’t be afraid.”
Chu Yu remained silent. She supported Liu Xueyang, crouching beside her. After pursing her lips, she finally said, “Mother-in-law, at this time, shouldn’t we keep this news to ourselves?”
“Yes.”
Liu Xueyang nodded tiredly and said to her, “This matter should be known only to you and me. Oh, and the Second Madam…”
“Mother-in-law!” Chu Yu interrupted her urgently, “That’s precisely why I’m here. In the current situation, we absolutely cannot allow Madam Liang to continue managing the household affairs.”
Liu Xueyang looked bewildered. Chu Yu probed, “Mother-in-law, you know that Madam Liang has been abusing her authority and embezzling from the Wei family treasury for years, don’t you?”
“This…” Liu Xueyang hesitated, “I do know, and I’ve spoken to the Old Master about it. But he said that water too pure has no fish. No matter who’s in charge, it would be the same. As long as it doesn’t cause major harm, he lets her be.”
“But in our current situation, how can we entrust such important matters to someone of such questionable character? Mother-in-law, haven’t you considered how dangerous this is?!” Chu Yu exclaimed.
“This…” Liu Xueyang still didn’t quite understand, “It’s been this way for over a decade, so now…”
“Now is different,” Chu Yu took a deep breath and finally decided to lay everything out, “Mother, according to the information I’ve received, this defeat might be due to Father-in-law’s misjudgment of the situation. If anything happens to those seventy thousand troops, the Wei family will be held accountable!”
Hearing this, Liu Xueyang’s face turned deathly pale. She trembled as she spoke, “How is that possible…”
“If Madam Liang learns of this news, how can you guarantee she won’t take advantage of the chaos to flee with the money? If Madam Liang takes the family’s wealth, what will we use to handle matters and protect those who remain?” Chu Yu continued.
Seeing Liu Xueyang waver, Chu Yu pressed on, “Mother-in-law, money may only be an added luxury in peaceful times, but in times of life-and-death crisis, it becomes our lifeline! Your life, Xiao Qi’s life, my life – are you willing to place them in Madam Liang’s hands?!”
Hearing these words, Liu Xueyang suddenly came to her senses. Her gaze gradually steadied, and she turned to look at Chu Yu, “Then what do you suggest we do?”
“If Mother-in-law trusts me, let me handle all subsequent matters. What do you think?”
Liu Xueyang didn’t speak immediately. She stared at Chu Yu for a long while before finally saying, “Since you already know the news from the front lines, you must understand that no matter how many of those seventy thousand troops survive, the Wei family will be held responsible. Why don’t you leave now?”
Chu Yu didn’t understand the meaning behind Liu Xueyang’s words. She looked confused, “What do you mean, Mother-in-law?”
“If you wish, I can give you a letter of divorce on behalf of my son right now. You can quickly return to the General’s mansion. If my son… truly meets with misfortune, you can use this divorce letter to remarry.”
Liu Xueyang spoke with difficulty, turning her head away, “A’Yu, you still have other options.”
Hearing these words, Chu Yu understood Liu Xueyang’s intentions. She lowered her head and smiled softly.
“I promised A’Jun…” her voice was gentle. This was the first time she had called Wei Jun by his name. Although she had never spent a moment alone with Wei Jun, somehow, from the moment she married into the Wei family, she felt in her heart that she wanted to spend this lifetime sharing the family’s honor and disgrace.
This was the backbone of the Great Chu Dynasty.
For the past hundred years, the Wei family had expanded the territory with the blood of their entire clan, establishing the Great Chu.
For the next dozen years, until her death, it was Wei Yun alone who, carrying the memorial tablets of the entire Wei family, guarded the northern border alone, defending against foreign enemies and protecting our rivers and mountains.
In her previous life, she had been consumed by love and hadn’t done anything for this country.
Now, living this life again, she hoped to become the person she had aspired to be in her youth.
She admired the Wei family and wanted to become one of them.
So she lowered her head and said softly but firmly, “I will wait for him to return.”
Alive or dead, she would wait for him.
Tears immediately welled up in Liu Xueyang’s eyes. She suddenly stood up and hurriedly entered the inner chamber, retrieving a jade token.
“This is the token the Old Master left with me, to be used in times of danger. Anyone in the Wei family who sees it must obey its commands. I know I’m not capable of managing affairs, so I’m entrusting this token to you.”
Liu Xueyang, crying, placed the token in Chu Yu’s hands, “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll follow your lead.”
Chu Yu took the token in her hand. She had initially wanted Liu Xueyang to support her in dealing with Madam Liang, but Liu Xueyang’s trust in her was beyond her expectations.
With a hoarse voice, she said, “Mother-in-law… you…”
“I know you’re a good child,” Liu Xueyang held her hand, her eyes full of hope, “I know you’ll wait for A’Jun to return.”
She stared at Chu Yu, forcing a smile, “Surely some of them will come back, right?”
Looking at the woman before she tried to put on a brave face, Chu Yu held back the cruel words on the tip of her tongue. Finally, she said, “Mother-in-law, no matter what happens, A’Yu won’t leave.”
Liu Xueyang lowered her head, nodding vigorously, “I know, I’m not afraid.”
“Mother-in-law,” Chu Yu pursed her lips, “I’m going to have Madam Liang arrested on charges of embezzlement. In a while, please take the five young masters out of the capital and make your way to Lanling to find the Old Madam.”
Hearing this, Liu Xueyang’s eyes widened, “You want me to leave?”
“The five young masters cannot stay in the capital,” Chu Yu said decisively.
She didn’t know how bad the situation might become, so she could only have Liu Xueyang take the important family members away in advance.
Liu Xueyang was about to say something, but Chu Yu continued, “You are A’Jun’s mother, the face of the Wei family. Everyone else can be humiliated, but not you. If you stay, when Xiao Qi returns one day, you’ll be a puppet, a weakness to exploit. And with the five young masters in the capital, it’s like putting the entire Wei family in the emperor’s hands.”
“Mother-in-law, take them away. If any misfortune befalls us… take them and flee from the Great Chu.”
“What about you?” Liu Xueyang came to her senses, “What will you do if you stay here?”
“I’ll stay here, waiting for the Wei family’s sons to return,” Chu Yu said firmly. “If they return safely, I’ll welcome them home. If they return in coffins, I’ll arrange their funerals. If they’re wrongfully imprisoned, I’ll work tirelessly to save them. If their heads are displayed at the city gate, I’ll collect their remains for burial.”
Chu Yu’s voice was calm as she listed all possible outcomes, good and bad.
She looked at Liu Xueyang and, amid the other’s shocked expression, calmly said, “As a woman of the Wei family, I live and die with the Wei family.”