Hearing these words, Wei Yun couldn’t help but smile. He bent his leg, resting his hand on his knee, his eyes filled with amusement: “Please continue, sister-in-law.”
Although he asked her to continue, Wei Yun had already guessed eight or nine out of ten. Chu Yu wasn’t affected by his jovial mood. Her expression remained calm as she analyzed: “He already knows you’re at odds with Yao Yong, so he deliberately created the appearance of Yao Yong stealing his credit. If you found out, you’d naturally think he’s on your side, thus lowering your guard against him.”
“And Yao Yong abandoning the city, him having his credit stolen – when the time comes for you to take down Yao Yong, this can become a fuse, a blade to strike. As a key figure, you’d certainly want to recruit him. He’s probably waiting in Kunyang now for your people to approach him.”
“But how could Yao Yong leave such a crucial person for me?” Wei Yun tapped his knee, pondering: “If I were Yao Yong, I’d either recruit or kill this person. Gu Chusheng…”
Wei Yun frowned, looking at Chu Yu with some hesitation: “He’s the eldest son of that Gu family implicated in the Prince Qin case, right?”
“That’s right.” Chu Yu nodded: “He cannot currently protect himself, and absolutely no way to contend with Yao Yong. If Yao Yong wanted to kill him, in terms of strength, he’d have no power to resist. So by the time you reach Kunyang, he might already be Yao Yong’s man.”
“Then I’d have to value him even more,” Wei Yun nodded, but showed some concern: “But… what if he’s killed by Yao Yong before I get there?”
Hearing this, Chu Yu smiled: “Since he’s done this, he must have a plan. If he’s killed by Yao Yong, it’s not worth your worry.”
“That’s not quite right,” Wei Yun thought for a moment and said: “After all, he saved the people of Bai City. Whether we recruit him or not, we can’t let such a person die at Yao Yong’s hands.”
“How about this,” Wei Yun pondered for a moment, then beckoned to the side: “Wei Qiu.”
“Master.” Wei Qiu came forward, respectfully. Wei Yun tossed a jade pendant to him, instructing: “Take twenty top-tier secret guards to Kunyang to protect Gu Chusheng’s safety covertly. Don’t intervene unless it’s a matter of life and death, and first observe his abilities.”
Wei Qiu received the jade pendant and left.
After all, the Wei family was a centuries-old noble house, different from those families like Gu Chusheng’s with unstable foundations. Now that everything had settled down, Wei Yun had reorganized and taken over the Wei family’s power, indeed able to do much more than Gu Chusheng could.
Chu Yu’s heart gradually calmed. She took a sip of tea, the warm vapor rising. She unconsciously gripped the teacup, drawing some warmth from it.
Wei Yun turned his head, seeing Chu Yu holding the teacup, and then said: “Add some charcoal to the fire, and bring a fox fur coat.”
“It’s fine,” Chu Yu heard Wei Yun’s voice and came back to her senses, feeling much clearer. She continued: “Do you have anything else to ask?”
“Not really,” Wei Yun smiled: “Since it’s clear that Gu Chusheng hasn’t let sister-in-law down, I’m at ease. If sister-in-law still likes him in the future, I can…”
“I don’t like him anymore.” Chu Yu looked at the tea leaves floating in her cup, speaking calmly: “I haven’t liked him for a long time.”
Wei Yun was taken aback but didn’t pursue the matter, nodding silently.
Chu Yu didn’t dwell on it either, instead changing the subject to ask about what had been weighing on her mind recently: “When do you plan to return to the front lines?”
“When does sister-in-law think is appropriate?” Wei Yun looked up at her, throwing the question back to Chu Yu. Chu Yu understood Wei Yun’s meaning; at this moment, this question was not just a simple request for opinion, but also a test. If Chu Yu’s answer aligned with Wei Yun’s thoughts, he might discuss such matters with her again in the future.
Chu Yu pondered for a moment, then slowly said: “Let Yao Yong take a big fall first.”
“How big of a fall?” Wei Yun gazed at her intently. Chu Yu enunciated each word: “A fall big enough for His Majesty to completely strip him of his power.”
“Currently, whoever goes to the battlefield will face a situation of overt and covert struggles with Yao Yong, being attacked from both sides. If you go now, it would be tantamount to suicide. His Majesty might know something of Yao Yong’s actions, but due to various considerations, he wants to protect Yao Yong. Only by making His Majesty see what the situation would be with just Yao Yong, will he be able to harden his heart and abandon Yao Yong.”
As Chu Yu spoke these words, her gaze fixed on Wei Yun. Wei Yun looked out the window, his expression carrying a hint of compassion.
Chu Yu couldn’t help but lean forward, speaking with difficulty: “But by that time, there will surely be widespread suffering and the country will be in turmoil. Xiao Qi, can you bear it?”
Wei Yun held his cup, taking a sip of tea. He lowered his eyes, seeming to be in thought. Chu Yu didn’t disturb him, just quietly waiting. After a while, Wei Yun raised his head and said seriously: “I can bear it.”
“If Yao Yong holds power at the front, my going there would be like eggs against rocks, merely repeating the fate of my father and brothers. Only when his claws are completely removed can my going to the front lines not be in vain. I can die on the battlefield, but I refuse to die in schemes and tricks.”
Light shone in Wei Yun’s eyes as he gripped his cup, controlling his emotions: “If this war is lost, and innocent civilians are displaced in the conflict, that’s not my fault. It’s the responsibility of today’s Emperor and the generals at the front. How could I feel guilty for that? What I should do is bring Yao Yong down as soon as possible, to let the Emperor see his true face sooner. Once he’s dealt with, I’ll return a clean and upright Da Chu army, and then recruit talented young men.”
As Wei Yun spoke, he seemed to waver. He straightened his back, gripping the teacup, his face stern, trying to make himself believe that everything he said was what he truly thought.
However, Chu Yu perceived Wei Yun’s rigidity and struggle from these subtle gestures.
He had spent fourteen years learning to be a loyal minister protecting his family and country. How could he suddenly become accustomed to being like Gu Qiangsheng and Yao Yong, factoring the common people and the country into his calculations?
She was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to console him. After a long silence, she finally heard Wei Yun say: “It’s late, we’ve said all that needs to be said. Sister-in-law, you should go to sleep.”
Chu Yu acknowledged but didn’t move. Wei Yun looked up at her, and finally heard Chu Yu say: “Xiao Qi, we all grow up eventually.”
Growing up means turning a world that was once purely good or purely evil into one where good and evil intertwine. It means carefully maintaining a patch of clarity amid chaos.
Wei Yun heard the consolation in her words. Not knowing how to respond, he could only softly reply: “Mm.”
Chu Yu had nothing more to say. She stood up, said goodbye to Wei Yun, and walked out. After she left, Wei Yun stayed quietly for a while. He finished the last cup of tea in the pot, stood up, wrote a memorial, and sent it to the palace overnight.
In the memorial, he lavishly praised Song Wenchang, concluding that for balancing Yao Yong and resisting the Northern Di at the front, no one was more suitable than Song Wenchang among all the young masters in the capital.
After sending the memorial, Wei Yun felt somewhat better and finally slept peacefully.
On the other side, Chu Yu didn’t sleep very soundly. Too many things had happened that day, and it wasn’t until nighttime that she could think quietly.
With no one to disturb her, she was better able to part the clouds and mist, seeing places she couldn’t see during the day.
Why did Gu Chusheng choose Wei Yun?
Wei Yun was only fifteen now, and the outside world knew very little about him. Why did Gu Chusheng, in the current situation, choose Wei Yun as an ally?
Did he know Wei Yun?
Probably not. In her previous life, Gu Chusheng only met Wei Yun for the first time after Wei Yun went to the battlefield, recognized his abilities, and then formed an alliance.
But in this life… given Gu Chusheng’s current capabilities, he shouldn’t have met Wei Yun at all.
Gu Chusheng had always been steady in his actions. Since when would he entrust his life to someone he had never met?
Chu Yu had some doubts, intuitively feeling that there were changes in this matter that she didn’t know about. But she didn’t delve deeper into it and fell into a drowsy sleep.
The next morning, shortly after she woke up, she received a notification that Chu Jianchang had brought Xie Yun, Chu Jin, and the brothers Chu Lingyang and Chu Lingxi.
She sat on the bed, frowning in thought for a moment, but finally went to the main hall.
When she arrived, she saw the family of four waiting in the hall. She walked forward, respectfully bowed to her father and brothers, then asked: “Why has everyone come today?”
“We heard about yesterday’s incident,” Xie Yun sighed: “Your father and brothers were worried, so we hurried to see you.”
“Why come to see me?” Chu Yu smiled: “It’s not a big deal, I haven’t taken it to heart.”
“It’s good that you haven’t taken it to heart,” Xie Yun sighed: “Ajin is young and doesn’t understand things. I was afraid there might be a rift between you sisters, so I came specially to have her apologize to you. Please forgive her thoughtlessness?”
Chu Yu didn’t speak. She sat down in the main seat, poured herself some tea, and took a light sip.
As she did these actions, everyone watched her, quietly waiting for her to speak. Xie Yun frowned slightly, seeming somewhat displeased: “What’s this? Surely you’re not going to hold a grudge against Ajin?”
“If she truly spoke without thinking, then I’d give her a whipping and be done with it.” Chu Yu put down her teacup, and looked up at Chu Jin, her expression calm yet sharp, carrying an interrogative intent that pierced straight to the heart: “But whether it was carefully planned or thoughtless, I think Ajin knows better than anyone in her heart.”