Chu Yu spent the night alone in her new chamber. The next day, she methodically directed the servants to clean the house and then summoned all the staff from Wei Jun’s household to familiarize herself with them.
The Wei family had strict and righteous family rules, with many regulations for their children. One such rule was that they were not allowed to engage in intimate relations before marriage. Therefore, apart from a few newly assigned maids to serve Chu Yu, Wei Jun’s household consisted entirely of male servants.
Each young master in the Wei family was assigned three attendants: one skilled in martial arts for external affairs, one to manage internal matters, and one for personal service. The personal attendant had accompanied Wei Jun to the northern battlefield, while the housekeeper Wei Xia and the guard Wei Qiu remained at the manor.
After spending the entire morning getting acquainted with all the staff in Wei Jun’s household under the proper guidance of the two, Chu Yu had a general understanding of the Wei family. She reviewed Wei Jun’s accounts and, after some thought, asked Wei Qiu, “Is it possible to contact the people in the northern border now? I want to know the news from the battlefield as soon as possible.”
“Rest assured, Young Madam,” Wei Qiu promptly replied. “The Wei family has its carrier pigeons and will receive news from the front lines immediately.”
A private carrier pigeon communication channel – the Wei family was indeed a hereditary military household.
Chu Yu nodded and thought for a moment before asking, “May I write a letter to the Young Master?”
“Of course,” Wei Qiu said with a smile. “What would the Young Madam like to write?”
Chu Yu didn’t think too much about it. She took out paper and a brush, casually wrote about some daily life matters, and then inquired about the war situation.
All feelings need to be nurtured. Although Chu Yu’s feelings for Wei Jun were merely admiration, she still intended to actively cultivate this relationship.
After all, it was already a blessing to occupy the position of a wife, so she should make an effort to try with her partner.
Chu Yu always felt that her greatest strength was her resilient mindset.
It was the same when she was learning martial arts. Even when she was knocked down and her bones were broken, she could still support herself with the sword in her hand and slowly stand up.
Although she had experienced twelve years of despair with Gu Chusheng, she hadn’t lost hope in everyone in this world because of it.
She always believed that there were people in this world who were worthy of sincere treatment.
After finishing and sending the letter, Chu Yu spent the afternoon visiting the households of each young master.
The Wei family had seven children. Except for the legitimate sons Wei Jun and Wei Yun, who were not yet married, the other five had all taken wives and had children. Being of concubine birth, their wives were mostly daughters of high-ranking families but born to concubines.
Chu Yu didn’t have many memories of the various female members of the Wei family. She only remembered that Second Madam Jiang had committed suicide, and most of the others had requested to leave, abandoning their children in the Wei family for Wei Yun to raise alone.
During her visits, Chu Yu made a point of seeing these children. They were close in age, with the oldest being the child of Second Young Master Wei Shu, now just six years old, and the youngest being the child of Sixth Young Master, barely over two years old and still unsteady on his feet.
These children usually played together in the courtyard and seemed to get along well. After learning about the children’s habits and the temperaments of the various young madams, Chu Yu had a good grasp of the entire Wei family.
The young madams of the Wei family were all uninvolved in household affairs. Some, like Madam Jiang, were wholly focused on their husbands, while others were preoccupied with clothes, jewelry, and mahjong. The Wei manor was large and prosperous, so no one suffered any grievances, and they all got along harmoniously.
The only person managing the inner household of the Wei family was Second Madam Liang, who would eventually abscond with half of the Wei family’s fortune.
—Being emptied by a concubine not only made the Wei family the laughingstock of the noble families in Hua Capital for many years but, more importantly, it also made Wei Yun’s official career particularly difficult due to a lack of sufficient gold and silver for networking.
Chu Yu’s mind was occupied with concerns about the battlefield and household affairs, causing her to sleep lightly at night.
The next day, it was time for her to return to her maiden home. Chu Yu reluctantly got up early and first paid her respects to Liu Xueyang. After receiving permission from Liu Xueyang to return home, she had people prepare a carriage and set out.
She hadn’t gone far when a maid stopped her, hesitantly saying, “Young Madam seems to have not informed Second Madam?”
Hearing this, Chu Yu glanced at the maid. This was one of the maids sent by the Wei family to serve her. Now that the Wei family’s household was controlled by Liang, this maid must be Liang’s person. Her words were meant to reprimand Chu Yu.
Chu Yu smiled lightly and asked, “What was your name again?”
She had met too many people yesterday and had forgotten for a moment. The maid stepped back respectfully and said, “This servant is named Chun’er.”
“Oh, Chun’er,” Chu Yu nodded, then said, “Then you go and report to Second Madam.”
Seeing that Chu Yu had yielded, Chun’er’s face broke into a smile. She curtsied and withdrew. After she left, Chu Yu turned to the attendant beside her and said, “Let’s go.”
The attendant hesitated and said uncertainly, “Sister Chun’er…”
“Do I have to wait for a maid? As a personal maid, when the mistress is about to leave, she’s still wandering around. Am I the mistress or is she?” Chu Yu’s face turned cold. “Let’s go!”
Hearing this, the attendant instantly understood that Chun’er was in trouble.
How dare he get involved in this matter? Chun’er was a first-class maid, while he was just a coachman. He didn’t want to get entangled in these inner household affairs at all, so he quickly pretended to know nothing and drove the horse away.
When Chun’er reported to Madam Liang and received permission to leave, she happily ran out only to find that Chu Yu had already left. She widened her eyes and asked the guard at the gate, “Where’s the Young Madam?”
“The Young Madam has already left. Why are you still here?” The guard frowned. Hearing this, Chun’er’s face instantly turned pale, realizing that she must have offended Chu Yu.
Meanwhile, Chu Yu sat leisurely in the carriage, pondering. This time, she had married in a hurry, and the maids who accompanied her as part of her dowry were all arranged by Xie Yun’an. Her usual maids, Chang Yue and Wan Yue, were both beautiful, and Xie Yun’an worried they might have improper thoughts about Wei Jun, so she replaced them with two ordinary-looking ones. Chu Yu wasn’t familiar with these two, so bringing them was almost the same as not bringing anyone. Therefore, on this visit home, she not only planned to check on the situation at home but also intended to bring Chang Yue and Wan Yue back with her.
The General’s Manor and the Wei family were half a city apart. It took Chu Yu half an hour to arrive at the Chu family. However, it was still morning, and according to the Chu family’s habits, they had just finished breakfast.
As they hadn’t expected her to come so early, Chu Jianzhang, Chu Linyang, and Chu Linxi were all still out and hadn’t had time to return. Only the women were at home. Chu Yu wasn’t in a hurry; she had a whole day for her return visit and would surely be able to see her father and brothers.
She was led into the room by a maid. Xie Yun had already brought Chu Jin and her two sisters-in-law to wait for her.
The eldest sister-in-law, Xie Chun, was the legitimate daughter of the Xie family. She had grown up under Xie Yun’s care and was considered a cousin to Chu Linyang. She was a rather quiet and gentle woman. When Chu Yu arrived, she didn’t show much reaction, sitting in the first position beside Xie Yun. She stood up with Xie Yun, smiled at Chu Jin, and couldn’t be faulted for anything.
The second sister-in-law, Yao Tao, was a concubine-born daughter of the Yao family, but she was quite favored by the Yao family’s old madam. The Yao family had risen from merchant origins due to war merits, and they weren’t highly regarded by the aristocratic families. However, now that the Emperor was using the Yao family as a knife to pressure the aristocratic families, and even made a Yao family woman the Empress, the Yao family’s status was incomparable to before.
When Yao Tao first married into the family, she was just lively and clever, but after the Yao family’s rise to power, she developed a bit of arrogance and became increasingly overbearing in her actions within the Chu family.
She stood behind Xie Yun along with Xie Chun. When Chu Yu entered, Chu Yu came forward and curtsied. Xie Yun quickly supported Chu Yu and said with red eyes, “You haven’t come back for so long. Is the Wei family restraining you? Are the Wei family people difficult to get along with?”
“How can Mother-in-law say such things?” Yao Tao laughed lightly. “Elder Sister has just married over, and her husband has already gone to the battlefield. Being alone in the Wei family, naturally, there are many things she has to manage and busy herself with. How can we say the Wei family is difficult to get along with? Whether it’s good or not, I’m afraid Elder Sister doesn’t know yet.”
A newly-wed bride whose husband goes to the battlefield on their wedding night – this would be unpleasant for any woman, yet Yao Tao deliberately brought it up.
Chu Yu knew that Yao Tao was mocking her. She and Yao Tao had never gotten along. Yao Tao, being a concubine’s daughter, couldn’t stand her legitimate daughter’s demeanor, and Chu Yu also looked down on Yao Tao. Yao Tao was outgoing, Chu Yu was straightforward, and the two had already been at odds before, speaking without any pretense.
Having lived an additional twelve years, Chu Yu was much better at pretending than when she was younger. However, facing someone like Yao Tao, she didn’t want to pretend. Just as she was about to utter some biting words, she suddenly remembered that it was precisely this inability to conceal her nature in the past that had always made Xie Yun feel that she wouldn’t be bullied, and thus always favored Chu Jin.
So Chu Yu smiled, her eyes showing some sadness. She lowered her head and said hoarsely, “Second Sister-in-law, please don’t speak of these things.”
Chu Yu had always been of a fiery temperament, and this sudden change made Xie Yun feel heartbroken, thinking that her daughter must be upset.
Yao Tao was startled and momentarily found herself reflecting – with Chu Yu showing such an expression, had she perhaps gone too far?
Xie Yun’s eyes turned red with anger, and she shouted at Yao Tao, “Go back to your room! Is this how you speak to your sister-in-law?!”
Startled by Xie Yun’s shout, Yao Tao was taken aback. That moment of self-reflection instantly vanished from her mind. She coldly snorted, “I’m just speaking the truth. Do you think you’re so great now that you’ve married into the Wei family? Even if you have, so what? You’re just living as a grass widow…”
“Yao Tao!” Xie Yun roared in anger. “Get out of here!”
“Mother, don’t be angry,” Chu Jin sighed and looked at Yao Tao. “Second Sister-in-law, don’t argue with Mother. It’s just that Elder Sister is a bit sensitive, making Mother worried. Don’t take offense. Go back and rest for now.”
Chu Jin’s words put all the blame on Chu Yu while maintaining an air of magnanimity. Yao Tao and Chu Jin had always been on good terms. Hearing Chu Jin’s words, she felt much better. She snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Only Chu Jin and Chu Yu were left in the room. Chu Yu’s face didn’t show any emotion. According to her usual temperament, she would have slammed the table by now, questioning Chu Jin about how she was being “sensitive.”
However, without even thinking, Chu Jin would only say that she was just trying to appease Yao Tao, to make her feel better and not be so narrow-minded.
In the end, Chu Yu would wear all the tall hats and bear all the losses.
The reason Chu Jin dared to act like this was simply because she was certain that Xie Yun would favor her, and Chu Yu, as the elder sister, although seemingly sharp-tongued and unforgiving, had always valued family ties.
That was how Chu Yu used to be, but now she was quite different.
She remained silent, sipping her tea. The atmosphere quieted down. Because she didn’t make a fuss, it gave Xie Yun time to react and reproach Chu Jin, “Just now, it was the second daughter-in-law who first criticized A’Yu. How can you turn around and say it was your sister’s fault?”
“This was just a temporary measure. Sister has come home, we can’t keep arguing like this,” Chu Jin helped Xie Yun sit down and poured her some tea. The temperature was just right, making Xie Yun feel much better.
She turned her head to look at her eldest daughter, who had been silent all along, “It’s good that she’s gone. Let’s have a good mother-daughter talk. Tell Mother honestly, have you suffered in the Wei family?”
“Not at all,” Chu Yu smiled, her face showing some genuine tenderness that couldn’t be faked. She spoke of Wei Jun, “A’Jun is very good. I like him very much.”
Xie Yun felt relieved and nodded, “It’s good that you’ve married well. Now that you’re married, I should start worrying about A’Jin’s marriage.”
As she spoke, Xie Yun’s gaze fell on Chu Yu, “About A’Jin’s marriage…”
She didn’t finish, but Chu Yu understood Xie Yun’s meaning.
Xie Yun didn’t want Chu Jin to marry Gu Chusheng, and Chu Jin didn’t want to either, given how far the Gu family had fallen. However, she wouldn’t let Chu Jin have her way.
So she nodded and said seriously, “We should discuss the wedding date with the Gu family.”
Side Story
Wei Yun: “Shan He Zhen – Chapter 1 without seeing sister-in-law, lonely.”
Wei Jun: “Shan He Zhen – Chapter 1 without seeing my wife, sad.”
Gu Chusheng: “How am I supposed to get through Shan He Zhen – Chapter 4 without seeing my ex-wife?”
Chu Jin: “I don’t want to see my sister, not at all.”
Character Analysis of Gu Chusheng
Chu Yu and Gu Chusheng’s twelve-year timeline contains a lot of content, but I tried to cover the key points in the first chapter, so Gu Chusheng’s transformation might not be very clear.
Gu Chusheng’s feelings for Chu Yu started with liking her from a young age, but Gu Chusheng is a very proud person. He was repulsed by the strong-willed Chu Yu and always thought he liked Chu Jin. Later, after coming to Hua Capital, Chu Yu lost her composure due to jealousy and constantly argued with Gu Chusheng. This strong attitude further repelled Gu Chusheng, leading him to send her away from the capital. However, during those six years, Gu Chusheng still thought about her. It’s just that Gu Chusheng, being accustomed to coldness and selfishness, didn’t know how to give or how to love. Even though Chu Yu had left Hua Capital, she was still his wife, so Gu Chusheng never experienced losing Chu Yu.
But after Chu Yu’s death, Gu Chusheng finally lost her. He then spent nearly a dozen years coming to terms with the fact that he liked that person.
Thus, this emotional shift is not abrupt but rather complex. It’s difficult to fully develop a character within just one or two chapters. The narrative adheres to a natural progression, without forcing any emotional turns or changes. So, there is no need to worry that any character portrayal is being manipulated to fit a particular plot point.