Wei Yun left early the next morning.
He departed without disturbing Chu Yu. By the time Chu Yu awoke, he had already gone. Chu Yu stood at the doorway with her hands tucked into her sleeves, staring blankly outside for a long while until Chang Yue called out to her, “First Madam.” Only then did Chu Yu snap out of her daze, responding softly before turning back into the room.
After Wei Yun’s departure, the entire Bai Ling estate was left in Chu Yu’s care. While Wei Yun was at the frontlines, Chu Yu was responsible for managing the rear. Though not particularly skilled in these matters, she had learned much from observing Gu Chusheng over the years and knew how to handle things.
The most complex aspect of managing the rear was navigating human relationships. There were intricacies in sourcing and transporting food, weapons, and military supplies. With an area at war, decisions had to be made about tax collection, encouraging trade, and implementing policies that could maintain military resources without burdening the people. These were all issues Chu Yu had to consider.
Great Chu had traditionally looked down on merchants, but Chu Yu went against convention by strongly encouraging trade. She even urged merchants to invest in agricultural production. These merchants were far cleverer than Chu Yu, and if they were willing to get involved in agriculture, they had ways to increase yields.
During Wei Yun’s absence of over ten days, Chu Yu hardly returned to the Wei residence, instead resting directly at the government office. Firstly, she dared not face Liu Xueyang, and secondly, she truly had no time.
Sometimes she would think of Wei Yun, and when she did, she would write to him. The young man’s replies came quickly, with letters arriving almost daily. This reminded her of the time when he first went on campaign with Wei Jun, writing letters back on Wei Jun’s behalf. Chu Yu carefully stored all of Wei Yun’s letters in a box, keeping it close at hand.
Every day while working, when she missed him, she would look up at those letters, feeling as if he were still by her side.
Wei Yun at the front lines did the same.
He would carefully fold Chu Yu’s letters and place them against his chest. Before every battle, he would touch those letters, feeling as if she were right behind him, saying, “Huai Yu, go and return quickly.”
Perhaps due to their urgent longing, Wei Yun fought this campaign swiftly. When Wei Yun turned his spearhead from the Northern Di back to Great Chu’s internal strife, everyone realized that this young military talent’s abilities were not mere boasts.
The fall of the entire Hui City, from attack to complete occupation, took only half a day.
This lightning-fast assault speed instantly shocked all of Great Chu. The letter Chu Yu received that day contained only one sentence: “I’ll be back soon.”
Chu Yu couldn’t help but smile as she read the letter, understanding Wei Yun’s meaning. He fought so urgently only because he was too eager to return.
She wanted to scold him a little but then thought that at this moment, he must be feeling proud and impatient. Such a reprimand seemed somewhat inappropriate. So after much consideration, she only replied with, “Mm, waiting for your return.”
Liu Xueyang and Chu Yu received the news of Wei Yun’s return almost simultaneously.
Chu Yu’s stay at the government office made Liu Xueyang uneasy. She didn’t know what Chu Yu was thinking. Liu Xueyang wanted to talk to Chu Yu several times but was worried. She feared that if Chu Yu didn’t know about this matter, exposing such feelings would be too embarrassing. Yet she also feared that if Chu Yu did know… it would be even more awkward for the Wei family.
But this issue needed to be resolved. Liu Xueyang was eager to know exactly how far things had progressed between Chu Yu and Wei Yun. She was still pondering when the news of Wei Yun’s return forced her to make a decision.
She understood her son’s personality well. Any decision had to be made before Wei Yun’s return. Liu Xueyang thought long and hard, worrying herself sleepless. Seeing this, Gui Mama finally said, “Madam, why torture yourself like this? Why not ask someone else?”
“Ask what?” Liu Xueyang sighed. “Do you want me to spread this matter for everyone to know?”
“Madam, there’s no need to be so direct,” Gui Mama suggested. “You could first ask the Second Madam and Sixth Madam. Don’t mention it explicitly, just bring it up and see how they react. If there’s any unusual response, you can probe deeper. What do you think?”
Liu Xueyang remained silent.
In terms of managing the big picture, she might not be considered a good matriarch, but after so many years in the inner court, she wasn’t entirely naive either. She used to avoid meddling in affairs, but now that it involved her only son, she couldn’t stay uninvolved. She had put all her wits into this matter. Taking a deep breath, she thought for a moment and then asked someone to summon Wang Lan first.
She knew Jiang Chun’s personality well. If Jiang Chun had known about this and had kept it secret for so long, she would have made her choice and wouldn’t reveal anything. This daughter-in-law was extremely clever; if she didn’t want to speak, not a word could be extracted from her. Wang Lan, on the other hand, wasn’t as smart.
Liu Xueyang pondered what to say for a while. When Wang Lan was brought in, she revealed nothing on her face and simply said, “Little Seven sent a letter saying he’s coming back. I had a nightmare last night and couldn’t sleep well, so I called you to chat.”
Wang Lan was puzzled, not understanding why Liu Xueyang would call her over after having a nightmare. But she had always been filial, so she obediently offered a few words of comfort. Liu Xueyang sighed, her face showing some concern as she said, “In my dream tonight, I saw your father-in-law and the young masters again. It makes me sad.”
Hearing this, Wang Lan felt uneasy, wondering if Liu Xueyang knew about Shen You’s matter and was hinting at her. However, Liu Xueyang sighed and said, “Actually, among all the children, I feel most sorry for A Jun. He was sensible from a young age. At first, he wasn’t very fond of his marriage to Chu Yu, but later he accepted it calmly. Now when I look at A Yu, such a fine girl, I think if A Jun were still here and knew A Yu’s character, he would probably like her very much. They would have been a harmonious couple, wouldn’t they?”
Hearing this, Wang Lan began to have some inkling, but her heart started racing.
She twisted her handkerchief, pondering how much Liu Xueyang knew and what exactly she wanted to ask by calling her here today.
She wasn’t skilled at concealment, and all her actions were observed by Liu Xueyang and Gui Mama. Liu Xueyang understood that even Wang Lan must have noticed something.
She clenched her fist and said with a smile, “A Lan, I’m very fond of A Yu. Today I have an idea that I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Wh-what is it?” Wang Lan stammered.
Liu Xueyang suppressed her emotions and put on a loving facade, saying, “I think A Yu is such a good child, and Little Seven isn’t married yet. A Yu will have to marry someone eventually, so why not marry her to Little Seven? That way she can stay in the Wei family forever. What do you think?”
Hearing this, Wang Lan was certain that Liu Xueyang must know!
She broke out in a cold sweat, unsure whether to speak or not. Liu Xueyang closed her eyes and suddenly slammed her hand on the armrest, angrily saying, “Even now you still want to cover up and conceal?! How did you find out, how much do you know, tell me everything!”
“Mother-in-law!” Wang Lan quickly knelt, anxiously saying, “This matter… this matter… I don’t know how to explain it.”
“I already know the gist of the matter,” Liu Xueyang said coldly. “Just tell me what you know.”
Wang Lan hesitated for a moment. Liu Xueyang stood up angrily, “Even you want to deceive me like this?!”
“Mother-in-law, please calm down!” Seeing Liu Xueyang’s great anger, Wang Lan figured she couldn’t hide it anymore and told everything she had seen in the carriage in detail, anxiously adding, “Daughter-in-law didn’t see anything else, it’s all speculation. Perhaps First Madam has someone else, that’s why I didn’t say anything.”
Liu Xueyang didn’t speak. She clenched her fists, her whole body trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Gui Mama quickly said, “Sixth Madam, you should go back and rest now. The Old Madam is tired. Don’t mention today’s conversation to anyone else.”
Wang Lan had been wanting to leave. Hearing this, she said a few words wishing Liu Xueyang to take care of herself, then hurriedly got up and left. After leaving, she didn’t know what to do. After some thought, she rushed anxiously towards Jiang Chun’s room.
After Wang Lan left, Liu Xueyang’s long sleeve swept violently across the table, instantly smashing everything on it to the ground.
Liu Xueyang trembled, repeatedly saying, “Shameless… shameless…”
Yet as she said this, she didn’t know who she was cursing.
She suddenly felt everything had become extremely dirty and disgusting. She clenched her fists, breathing heavily, thinking back to the past. When Chu Yu had just married into the family, she had earnestly told her that she would never leave the Wei family. At the time, she thought it was Chu Yu’s innocent heart, but today…
“When did they get together?” Liu Xueyang asked urgently. “Was it after A Jun passed away… or…”
Or was it even before that, when they had already formed a connection? So even after Wei Jun’s death, she refused to leave. Instead, she stayed with the Wei family, disregarding life and death, for so many years.
If it was before Wei Jun’s death…
At that time, Wei Yun was only fourteen years old!
And Wei Jun had waited for her for so many years…
Liu Xueyang’s eyes were red. Just thinking about this possibility, thinking about her eldest son who died in his prime, she could barely contain herself.
She had to get to the bottom of this. She must know whether it was Wei Yun’s one-sided infatuation or if Chu Yu and Wei Yun had been involved long ago.
She rushed out urgently, calling all the people Wei Zhong had left for her and headed straight for Chu Yu’s courtyard. After entering the room, Liu Xueyang had the main door closed and said with red eyes, “Search, find everything related to men!”
Given the order, the secret guards began to search quickly.
The cabinet where Chu Yu kept her treasures was locked. When the secret guards found it, Liu Xueyang ordered them to break it open.
After breaking it open, there were various objects scattered inside. Although the owner couldn’t be identified, they were items related to emotions. Beneath these things were some letters. Liu Xueyang opened the letters and found they were the correspondence between Wei Yun and Chu Yu from when Wei Yun was writing on behalf of Wei Jun.
Liu Xueyang immediately recognized Wei Yun’s distinctive handwriting from that time. Seeing the dates on the letters, her whole body began to tremble.
She was shaking all over. Gui Mama came forward with some clothes.
Wei Yun often spent the night at Chu Yu’s place, and Chu Yu had prepared some of his belongings. Gui Mama brought these things over. Liu Xueyang raised her hand to feel the size and confirmed that they indeed belonged to Wei Yun.
Her body trembled, her chest heaving with surging emotions.
She had only two sons. One son had kept himself pure, waiting from age nine to twenty-four just for this woman. But this woman was so shameless as to seduce her only remaining son.
She was going to ruin Wei Yun, ruin the Wei family!
But even though her mind was filled with countless sordid speculations about this relationship, Liu Xueyang still remembered the scene from that year when Chu Yu held her hand and told her, “My body belongs to the Wei family, in life and death I am a member of the Wei family.”
She couldn’t easily condemn a person. If it was a false accusation, it would be too disheartening.
She took a deep breath, raised her head in the night, and said coldly, “Please ask the First Madam to return.”
By this time, Jiang Chun had already sent someone to fetch Chu Yu as soon as Liu Xueyang went to Chu Yu’s courtyard.
Chu Yu had not yet retired for the night and was discussing the route for disaster relief in Yuan City with Wei Qingping. Although Wei Qingping didn’t understand why Chu Yu was so certain that Qing Province would face a disaster, she never questioned her friend and just listened quietly to Chu Yu’s words.
When the servant arrived, Chu Yu had just about finished speaking. The servant rushed into the room anxiously, knelt, and said, “First Madam, Second Madam sent someone to say that the Old Madam has led people to search your room. She asks you to return quickly and prepare!”
Hearing this, Wei Qingping was stunned for a moment before reacting angrily, “How dare she do this?!”
Randomly barging into someone’s room was indeed a great insult.
However, Chu Yu’s expression remained calm. She seemed unsurprised by Liu Xueyang’s actions. She even calmly rolled up the map and handed it to Wei Qingping, saying softly, “You should rest now and set off tomorrow. The sooner you can leave, the better. I will catch up.”
With that, she stood up, adjusted her clothes, and prepared to leave.
Wei Qingping was bewildered by her actions. As Chu Yu walked to the edge of the long corridor and changed into wooden clogs, she finally reacted and anxiously said, “You’re going back now? Liu Xueyang is looking to cause trouble for you.”
Chu Yu didn’t speak.
She wore a light blue wide-sleeved robe with a white inner garment. Cloud patterns were printed on the edges of the wide sleeves. A white hair ribbon was casually tied at the back of her head, dampened by the night air, the ribbon falling among her hair.
She didn’t turn back. With her hands tucked into her sleeves, she spoke calmly and serenely, “Since she has gone to my room, she naturally intends to confront me. There are some things I need to clarify with her.”
A light rain was falling. Chu Yu looked up, a hint of coldness in her gaze.
“I don’t seek trouble, but if trouble comes, I’m not afraid of it.”
With that, she suddenly opened her umbrella and stepped into the wind and rain.
Her demeanor was as calm as water, her bearing naturally elegant.