As she finished speaking, the Princess Consort strode in with her head held high.
By now, only a few soldiers with better physical condition and Jiang Chun and Yao Ju remained kneeling behind. These two, like Chu Yu, came from military families and had some martial arts training since childhood. Though not as skilled as Chu Yu, they were still quite robust.
Although Yao Ju was a concubine’s daughter, she had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered such humiliation before. But every time she raised her head and saw Chu Yu’s straight and unyielding back, she felt she couldn’t give up.
Though she and Wei Feng often bickered, finding him incredibly annoying, in the end, on this path, she still wanted to do something for him.
Chu Yu raised her eyes to look at the palace gates. Now that the Princess Consort had intervened, the time had come.
As expected, when the Princess Consort entered, the court was already in heated debate over this matter. Grand Tutor Xie led one group arguing forcefully, while the Crown Prince led another group desperately trying to obstruct them.
As the Princess Consort entered, Grand Tutor Xie was pointing his tablet at Duke Yao, shouting angrily, “Regarding these seventy thousand troops, does your Yao family dare to let me investigate thoroughly?! If you dare, this old official will request permission immediately to go to the border personally and see what happened with these seventy thousand troops!”
“Old Xie, stop your nonsense!” Duke Yao shouted anxiously, “If you want to investigate, then investigate! My Yao family has nothing to hide, what would we be afraid of you investigating?”
“Oh, what’s going on here?” The Princess Consort’s cool voice came from outside. Everyone looked up to see a woman in golden-threaded robes enter gracefully, gently waving a round fan.
Seeing the newcomer, the Emperor hurriedly stood up, asking in surprise, “Why has the Princess Consort come?”
The Princess Consort had grown up with the Emperor and was deeply favored by him. She had the special privilege of attending court without prior announcement. However, the Princess Consort had always been a sensible person, and though she had this privilege, she never abused it.
Now that she had come, the Crown Prince felt a sinking feeling in his heart, immediately sensing trouble. The Princess Consort bowed to the Emperor, who frowned, feeling somewhat awkward.
He had just issued a confinement order to the Princess Consort, yet here she was, appearing so casually in court. He was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to speak or not. If he spoke, it would be like slapping the Princess Consort’s face, and this sister of his might have some anger to vent.
As the Emperor remained silent, the Princess Consort knelt down and loudly said, “Your Majesty, please forgive my offense!”
This sudden kneeling startled the Emperor, who hurriedly said, “Princess Consort, what offense have you committed?”
“Four days ago, Your Majesty issued a confinement order for Changming, yet today Changming has forcibly come to the hall, interrupting Your Majesty’s deliberations. This is the first offense.”
The Emperor said nothing. He had indeed been annoyed by this matter, but now that the Princess Consort had apologized first, his anger subsided somewhat. He sighed and asked, “If that’s the case, why did you still come?”
“This is the second offense. Changming heard that the Wei family’s widows were now kneeling outside the palace gates. Although I know Your Majesty is a ruler who strictly upholds the law, I still felt compassion and came before the throne to plead for the Wei family. I ask Your Majesty to show leniency and spare the life of Wei Yun, the sixth son of the Wei family!”
After these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. Then, the Princess Consort’s voice continued, filled with sorrow: “Does Your Majesty remember when you were young and broke a jade bowl? You asked the late Emperor for punishment, but he did not punish you. Does Your Majesty know why?”
The Emperor understood that the Princess Consort’s words had hidden meaning, but he still asked, “Why?”
“Because the late Emperor sought me out and asked me why Your Majesty broke the bowl that day. I told the late Emperor that it was because Your Majesty wanted to bring him a bowl of snow pear soup. The late Emperor then asked if the snow pear soup was personally prepared by Your Majesty. I answered that Your Majesty had heard that the late Emperor was coughing frequently and learned that snow pear soup could soothe the throat and quench thirst, so he specially prepared it. Then the late Emperor told me that Your Majesty’s preparation of the snow pear soup was meritorious, while breaking the bowl was a mistake. Everything arose from filial piety, so the merits and faults balanced each other out. He said there was no need for reward, but if he were to pursue the matter further, it might discourage Your Majesty’s filial heart.”
“Is the Princess Consort suggesting that if Father Emperor acts according to the law, it will discourage the Wei family’s loyalty?” The Crown Prince, standing at the Emperor’s side, spoke mockingly, “If loyalty is so easily discouraged, then the Wei family’s loyalty might be questioned.”
Hearing this, the Princess Consort looked up at the Crown Prince, her eyes cold, “Huan’er, your words are inappropriate.”
By calling him Huan’er, she was asserting their relative status. Even though he was the Crown Prince, she was still his elder. When she spoke, even if the Crown Prince disagreed, he should respond with utmost respect.
The courtiers present were all shrewd individuals and immediately understood the Princess Consort’s meaning. The Crown Prince’s expression changed slightly, and then he heard the Princess Consort continue, “The Wei family has now lost all its male members except for the fourteen-year-old Wei Yun.
What was this sacrifice for? It was to protect our Great Chu’s mountains and rivers, for those of you standing in this Huajing wearing fine clothes, for you and me who bear the Li surname and are part of the royal family!” The Princess Consort suddenly raised her voice, challenging, “Crown Prince, if this is considered ‘easy,’ then tell me, what level of sacrifice would be considered ‘not easy’? Water can carry a boat or overturn it.
The Emperor may be the master of the world, but he is also the ruler of the people. A ruler should show compassion and love for his subjects. If you only expect people to sacrifice for you, Crown Prince,” the Princess Consort let out a cold laugh, “I must ask, was this idea taught by your tutor, or did you come up with it on your own?”
“This idea was not taught by this old official,” Grand Tutor Xie interjected coolly as soon as the Princess Consort finished speaking.
The Crown Prince looked embarrassed and was about to say something when the Princess Consort turned her head, showing a sorrowful expression, and said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, if after an entire family has shed their blood on the battlefield, the only surviving heir and the remaining women still have to taste the bitterness of this world, if after four generations of fighting on the battlefield for over a hundred years, there’s still no chance for the descendants to make a mistake, then our royal family would be too cold-hearted! It is precisely because of this concern that Changming has come here, disregarding Your Majesty’s confinement order. I beg Your Majesty, in consideration of the Wei family’s four generations of loyal souls and hundred years of devotion, to release Wei Yun!”
The Princess Consort prostrated herself and cried out loudly. Grand Tutor Xie, standing beside her, said wearily, “Your Majesty, according to our dynasty’s laws, if an only son commits a crime and has parents who need support, he should be allowed to care for his parents until their passing before receiving punishment. This is the way of filial piety in our dynasty. Now, Wei Yun has not committed any crime but is implicated by his father’s actions. He is the only remaining bloodline of the Wei family. The Wei family has an eighty-year-old grandmother above and a two-year-old child below. Both emotionally and rationally, Wei Yun should be pardoned. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy,” Grand Tutor Xie’s voice trembled, carrying a tone of weeping as he slowly knelt, “and spare this only remaining bloodline of the Wei family!”
The Emperor said nothing. He let out a sigh and turned to look around, “What do the ministers think?”
“Your Majesty,” Duke Yao spoke up, “Does Your Majesty know how great a loss seventy thousand elite troops is to the court? Seventy thousand people, all buried in the White Emperor Valley due to Wei Zhong’s mistake. The Wei family lost seven people, are their lives the only ones that matter? What about the lives of those seventy thousand? Should the fault for the deaths of these seventy thousand people go unaccounted for?!”
The Emperor frowned slightly but didn’t speak.
The Princess Consort looked up at the Emperor. She understood his meaning; at this moment, this emperor was likely extremely impatient.
Those matters that couldn’t be brought to light, the Emperor probably already knew about, if not in detail, at least had a general idea. He was waiting for someone to give him a way out, and just as he was about to step down, he was now being blocked again. How could he not be annoyed?
Sensing the Emperor’s mood, the Princess Consort hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, this matter concerns the Wei family. Why doesn’t Your Majesty go to the palace gates and see those Wei family women? Only then will Your Majesty truly understand why we are kneeling here for so long, begging Your Majesty to show mercy!”
The Emperor looked at the Princess Consort for a long time. Finally, he sighed, “Since the Princess Consort invited me, I shall go and see.”
With that, he stood up and led the group towards the palace gates.
At this time, it was raining heavily. Large raindrops pelted down on people, causing an indescribable pain. The Wei family members who had been kneeling for so long were already swaying, and with this heavy rain, many more collapsed. In the end, only Chu Yu, Yao Ju, and Jiang Chun remained, still enduring in their original positions.
Chu Yu turned her head and looked at Yao Ju, seeing her clenching her teeth and her body slightly trembling. She knew Yao Ju was at her limit. Chu Yu sighed and said to her, “You don’t need to keep kneeling. Go rest.”
“I’m still fine,” Yao Ju’s voice was hoarse, “Don’t think you’re the only one who can endure.”
Chu Yu felt somewhat helpless. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Yao Ju’s body sway and then collapse to the side.
Jiang Chun quickly grabbed her. Wang Lan and others came over, helping to support Yao Ju. Wang Lan, with red eyes, holding her belly, tried to persuade Chu Yu, “Young Madam, why don’t we go back…”
“It’s alright,” Chu Yu shook her head and looked concernedly at Wang Lan, “You’re still carrying a child. Don’t catch a cold. I’ll wait here.”
“If Little Seven doesn’t come back,” Chu Yu’s gaze fell on the palace gates, her voice calm, “I won’t leave.”
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade Chu Yu, Wang Lan said no more. She helped Yao Ju to a nearby carriage and had a doctor come to give her medicine.
The rain was pouring down heavily, and Jiang Chun was also struggling to hold on. It was at this moment that the palace gates slowly opened.
Chu Yu looked up and saw at the forefront a figure dressed in bright yellow, wearing an imperial crown with twelve strings of beads hanging in front, swaying in the wind, giving his expression a touch of sorrow.
Behind him stood the Princess Consort in her golden-threaded robes and the Crown Prince in his pure white, gold-embroidered dragon robe with wide sleeves. Behind them was the grand array of civil and military officials. As the palace gates opened, they appeared one by one.
Opposite them were the kneeling Chu Yu and Jiang Chun, and behind them, standing in the wind and rain, were one hundred and thirty-two memorial tablets.
The two women were in snow-white clothes, while the memorial tablets were black wood with gold characters. The black and white stood in contrast, facing the crowd, solemn and quiet as if they were from two different worlds separated by the palace gates.
On one side was the prosperous world of the living; on the other, the silent world of the dead.
On one side was the singing and dancing of Huajing; on the other, the piles of white bones at the border.
These palace gates seemed to separate two worlds of yin and yang. The one hundred and thirty-two deceased members of the Wei family, along with the two surviving women, calmly looked at those inside the palace gates, as if asking a question—
Is your conscience at ease?
Chu Yu said nothing and did nothing. When the Emperor appeared, she didn’t wail, nor did she cry. She just calmly looked at the Emperor, her gaze falling on him, resilient and clear.
In that instant, the Emperor felt as if he had returned to his youth, seeing the young Wei Zhong.
A childhood companion, a young adult accompanying the emperor, and then a lifetime protecting the country, buried on the battlefield.
Even if he didn’t know exactly what happened at the border, what darkness hadn’t an emperor seen in his lifetime? Even if he had to guess, he could deduce that this general, who had lived a clean life, had fallen victim to conspiracy and injustice.
He thought his imperial blood was cold, but when he encountered this woman’s gaze, so similar to that of the Wei family, when he saw the hundreds of memorial tablets standing quietly before him when he saw Wei Zhong’s tablet standing in front of the woman, as if it had eyes, calmly gazing at him—
The Emperor’s hand finally trembled slightly.
This scene was not only shocking to the Emperor but also to the civil and military officials behind him. Seeing the heavy rain pouring down from the sky, seeing the memorial tablets of the heroes standing in the wind, rain, and mud, they couldn’t help but wish for the rain to stop.
Everyone finally understood why the Princess Consort had brought them here.
Seeing this scene, anyone with even a shred of conscience would find it hard to remain stone-hearted.
The Emperor walked forward. An eunuch came forward to hold an umbrella for him, anxiously saying, “Your Majesty, be careful of the muddy water underfoot.”
The Emperor said nothing. He came before Chu Yu, lowered his gaze to Wei Zhong’s memorial tablet in front of her, and asked hoarsely, “Which madam of the Wei family are you?”
“In response to Your Majesty, I am Chu Yu, wife of Wei Jun, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo, and daughter of the Great General of the Southwest.”
“Oh, Chu Yu.” The Emperor nodded. He had heard of this young woman whose husband had left for the battlefield on their wedding day. He had even joked with Imperial Consort Xie that when Wei Jun returned, he might not be able to enter his own home.
The Emperor gathered his thoughts and suppressed his emotions, asking, “You kneel here seeking an audience with me, what for?”
“Your Majesty, I have brought the entire family to beg Your Majesty to release Wei Yun, the seventh son of the Wei family, from prison.”
“The country has its laws…”
“It’s not for personal gain,” Chu Yu looked up at the Emperor, her expression calm. “Chu Yu comes from a military family and has followed her father to battle, considering it her duty to protect the country and the family. The Wei family’s sons are the same. The Wei family’s sons can die, but they should die on the battlefield, not in prison.”
“I am but a woman, unaware of what crime the Wei family or my brother-in-law has committed. But I do know that our Wei family is loyal and devoted. If Your Majesty wants my brother-in-law to pay for his mistakes with his life, then I beg Your Majesty to let Wei Yun die by the sword in battle, to fulfill our Wei family’s desire to serve the country.”
These were beautiful words.
Everyone present knew that if these words came from someone else, they would be mere flattery. However, in front of the Wei family’s numerous memorial tablets, everyone knew that regardless of the intentions behind these words, this indeed represented what the Wei family had done over the past hundred years.
Born into a family that protects the country, dying in wars that protect the country.
The men of the Wei family all died by the sword, how could they let petty people humiliate them?
The Emperor said nothing. His gaze fell on Wei Zhong’s name, and after a long while, he turned around and returned to the palace gates.
As the gates slowly closed, the Emperor raised his sleeve and spoke, “Bring Wei Yun to the hall!”
This command made Cao Yan’s heart tighten. He was aware that Wei Yun had been beaten in prison these past days. The Wei family had made many enemies, and now that they were in trouble, Wei Yun had become the perfect outlet for their frustrations. Everyone thought that with a case involving 70,000 people buried in Baidi Valley, the Emperor would surely be furious, just like the Qin Wang case years ago. Who would have thought that Wei Yun would still have a chance to see the Emperor?
Cao Yan wanted to speak up, but he saw Grand Tutor Xie glance at him. His eyes were full of warning, and Cao Yan suddenly came to his senses. He couldn’t speak; he mustn’t speak.
Now that the Emperor insisted on seeing Wei Yun, this matter couldn’t be concealed. He hadn’t touched Wei Yun in the imperial prison, and if he tried to intervene now, he might end up implicating himself.
Cao Yan broke out in a cold sweat as he stood among the crowd, waiting for Wei Yun’s arrival.
After a long while, footsteps were finally heard outside. Then the Emperor saw that the once spirited young man was being slowly carried in on a sedan chair.
His clothes were stained with blood, and there wasn’t a single uninjured spot on his body. He looked haggard, yet his eyes remained as bright as ever.
Upon seeing Wei Yun in this state, the Emperor’s face changed dramatically.
However, Wei Yun still struggled to his feet, respectfully kneeling on the ground and kowtowing as he spoke, “Wei Clan’s Seventh Son pays respects to Your Majesty!”
His voice was hoarse, completely different from the brash youth the Emperor remembered.
The Wei family had once been favored, and Wei Yun had been quite close to the Emperor. It could be said that the Emperor had watched him grow up. Seeing him in this state now, the Emperor gritted his teeth and asked, “How did you end up like this?”
Wei Yun didn’t speak. The Emperor raised his head and said, “Minister of Justice, come out and explain to me. How did a perfectly fine person go in and end up like this?!”
“Your Majesty, I don’t know,” the Minister of Justice rushed out, knelt on the ground, and began to kowtow desperately. “I will investigate immediately! I will investigate immediately!”
The Emperor ignored the Minister of Justice. With reddened eyes, he walked down the steps, approaching Wei Yun step by step. He spoke gently, “Wei Yun, how old are you this year?”
“In half a month, I will be fifteen.”
“Fifteen…” the Emperor sighed. “If your Imperial Uncle were to sentence you to death today, would you accept it?”
Wei Yun stiffened. He raised his head, his gaze falling on the Emperor’s face, his expression calm. “If the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. However, may I ask Your Majesty, for the sake of my father and brothers, to allow me to choose how I die?”
“How do you wish to die?”
“I want to go to the border and kill a few more Northern Di people,” Wei Yun said firmly. “My father once said that the sons of the Wei family should die on the battlefield, even if they must die.”
These words coincided with what Chu Yu had said earlier.
The Emperor looked at him for a long time. Then he turned around and announced, “Look, this is a descendant of the Wei family, a son of our great Chu!”
“He’s only fourteen…” the Emperor’s voice trembled. “Only fourteen!”
No one in the hall spoke; it was dead silent. With the Emperor saying this, everyone understood his intentions.
From the Wei family being bullied by Cao Yan to Chu Yu kneeling, to Grand Tutor Xie arguing based on reason, to the Princess moving people with emotion – after all this build-up, the common people, the officials, and the Emperor had all softened. Only the Crown Prince’s faction still wanted to argue, but with the situation having reached this point, what more could they say?
So they could only watch as the Emperor turned back and placed his hand on Wei Yun’s head.
“Years ago, I broke a dragon bowl. The late Emperor told the Princess that everything I did was out of filial piety. The merits and faults balanced each other out, so there was no need for reward, and further pursuit would only discourage me. I am grateful for the Wei family’s loyalty and passion. Your father has already paid for his crimes with his life, so his merits and faults are balanced. There will be no further pursuit. As for you… I hope you will live well and revive the Wei household. As long as you’re alive, the spirit of the Wei family lives on.”
“Xiao Qi,” the Emperor’s voice was hoarse, “do you understand your Imperial Uncle’s difficulties?”
This last question, Wei Yun understood, was asking if he could understand the Emperor’s pain in not being able to fully exonerate the Wei family, despite being the Son of Heaven.
Wei Yun didn’t speak. He raised his head to look at the Emperor and calmly said, “Wei Yun doesn’t understand many things. Wei Yun only knows that Wei Yun is a member of the Wei family.”
The Wei family motto: Protect the country and the ruler, with no regrets even in death.
The Emperor’s hand trembled slightly. Finally, he said, “Go back and find a good physician to take a look at you. I will have someone investigate what happened to you in the imperial prison.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
After kowtowing, Wei Yun was helped onto a sedan chair and headed towards the palace gates.
At this time, outside the palace gates, only Chu Yu remained kneeling.
After seeing the Emperor, Jiang Chun could no longer hold on and had also collapsed. Only Chu Yu remained, still kneeling motionless.
But the wind and rain were too heavy, and she had been kneeling for so long that she was starting to feel dazed. She could hear the rain pouring down, and her mind drifted in and out of focus.
Sometimes she felt the palace gates standing majestically before her, and sometimes she felt as if she was back in her previous life, on the night Chang Yue died, kneeling at the door of Gu Chusheng, crying and begging him.
That was the moment in her life she regretted the most, her most desperate moment.
It was also the beginning of letting go of her love for Gu Chusheng.
The decision to let go of Gu Chusheng stemmed from this kneeling. But truly letting him go took many years.
Because she had invested too much in Gu Chusheng. People are often like gamblers; the more they invest, the harder it is to give up.
For Gu Chusheng, she had left her family and lost herself. She didn’t know where she could go without him.
In this vast world, where could she call home?
She had grown accustomed to giving and waiting, wearing herself down day after day, like a constantly burning candle, burning away her blood and soul, all for Gu Chusheng.
But it hurt so much.
Chu Yu was becoming disoriented.
At this moment, Wei Yun had also arrived at the palace gates. He had heard about Chu Yu’s situation, and when he reached the gates, he called out to the sedan bearers, “Stop here.”
He then turned to the eunuch holding an umbrella beside him and said, “Give me the umbrella. I’ll walk over.”
“Young Master, your feet…”
The eunuch’s gaze fell on Wei Yun’s feet. He had seen the bruises and wounds on his legs earlier.
Wei Yun shook his head. “I can’t look too miserable when I return home. The family will worry.”
After saying this, he adjusted his clothes, covered his wounds, and retied his hair behind his back with a hair band.
After tidying himself up, he finally didn’t look as wretched. He then borrowed a handkerchief, dampened it with rainwater, and wiped the blood and mud from his face.
Finally, he took the umbrella from someone’s hand and walked towards the palace gates.
As the palace gates slowly opened, he saw Chu Yu in her white clothes, holding the Wei family’s ancestral tablet, kneeling in front of the gates.
Her face was flushed, seemingly having caught a cold and developed a high fever. Her expression was somewhat dazed, her gaze fixed on some distant point, not even noticing his arrival.
Wei Yun’s heart clenched painfully, but his face remained composed. Holding the umbrella, he endured the excruciating pain in his legs and walked step by step towards Chu Yu.
The umbrella sheltered Chu Yu from the pouring rain, and only then did she notice someone standing in front of her. She raised her head and saw the young man holding an umbrella, standing tall. His handsome and delicate features still carried a hint of childishness, with slightly upturned eyes giving him a naturally dashing appearance.
His gaze fell on her, his expression gentle.
“Sister-in-law,” he shielded her from the wind and rain, his voice soft as if afraid of startling her. He said gently, “Let’s go home.”
Let’s go home.
Chu Yu suddenly came to her senses. All the past seemed to be blown away by the strong wind. She stared fixedly at the young man before her.
Yes, this life was different.
She hadn’t married Gu Chusheng. She hadn’t had her edges worn away. She was the young madam of the Wei household. She still had a home.
Her heart melted, and looking at the young man’s resilient yet gentle eyes, a surge of grievance suddenly welled up inside her. Her eyes reddened, filled with unshed tears.
“You’ve finally come…” she casually made up an excuse to cover her current miserable state, “Kneeling here… it hurts so much.”
“Then hold my hand and stand up,” Wei Yun reached out his hand, speaking earnestly, “Sister-in-law, I’m back.”
He had returned alive, and in this lifetime, he would never again let his family members suffer such hardships.