After bidding farewell to the old lady, Yun Ye strode into the camp and checked all the transported supplies one by one, categorizing them and making proper accounts. After verifying everything and finding no major discrepancies, he carried the account book to the command hall.

He was not originally a meticulous person, nor was he a Daoist scholar capable of restraining his desires. He was simply using the opportunity of organizing accounts to calm his chaotic thoughts.

Just now, the old lady had held him, sometimes weeping about the Yun family’s hardships, sometimes thanking heaven’s mercy. In that instant, this pitiful woman truly and genuinely believed he was the sole remaining descendant of the Yun family, venting fourteen hundred years of sorrow, joy, and happiness without any qualms.

Yun Ye greedily enjoyed the warmth of family affection, while simultaneously suffering the whipping of his conscience. Fortunately, his surname was also Yun, and he had also paid respects at the ancestral shrine. Even he didn’t believe how much similarity blood could retain after stretching across fourteen hundred years. Never mind—Yun Ye had always been an open-minded person. Since fate had arranged things this way, there must be reason in this arrangement. Was Heaven the greatest? Hadn’t the old lady been thanking Heaven for returning her grandson to her? Theoretically speaking, he really was thrown into the Tang Dynasty by Heaven. Since he had come, he would settle here. After thinking this through, his footsteps quickened.

The command hall—this was Yun Ye’s name for it, though in fact it was called the Council Hall. Old Cheng sat in the chief position at the head. His table was covered with command arrows, and a ceremonial sword rested on a sword stand to display his authority. Beside it, a yellow brocade box contained half a tiger tally, the symbol of authority to deploy and command troops.

This expedition to Longyou was a military deployment meant to intimidate, not to conquer, so Old Cheng only had half a tiger tally to supervise military affairs. Otherwise, he would have to be addressed as some kind of commander-general, holding both military and civil authority, wielding overwhelming power. A small city like Lanzhou would have been trembling in fear, allowing the army to come and go at will, not daring to be as arrogant and domineering as in the previous months.

Old Niu sat in the first position on the left. Huang Zhi’en sat behind Old Niu. Writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were arranged on his desk—he had a seat because he served as secretary. The remaining officers and commanders all stood at attention on both sides, fully armed and in proper order.

Yun Ye announced himself upon entering. He dared not fail to announce himself, or he would lose his head.

“Left Militant Guard Grain and Fodder Supervisor, Marquis of Lantian Yun Ye pays respects to the General.” He performed the military single-knee salute. There was no choice—to demonstrate the commanding general’s authority, the Li Tang court required that anyone under a general’s command must perform proper salutes in this council hall. The slightest error meant light punishment with the military rod, or severe punishment with one’s life.

“This commander ordered you to supervise the transport of grain and fodder. Were there any mishaps?” This was the first time Yun Ye heard metallic meaning in Old Cheng’s voice.

“Reporting to the General, the Left Militant Guard’s grain totals one hundred thousand six hundred shi, sufficient to supply the army for fifteen months. Additionally, there are one thousand eight hundred loads of horse feed, fifty thousand bundles of hay, five hundred loads of salt, twenty-three thousand jin of dried meat, and seven hundred shi of miscellaneous grains. All have now arrived at camp. I request the General’s inspection.” After speaking, he presented the account book with both hands.

A personal guard took the account book and placed it on Old Cheng’s table. Old Cheng merely said he knew and waved his hand to dismiss Yun Ye.

It appeared Yun Ye was the last officer to surrender his command to the general.

“This old man has surrendered his command to the Ministry of War. The day after tomorrow is the Grand Court Assembly. All officers of the Left Militant Guard ranked sixth grade and above must attend court and have an audience with His Majesty. You must not be disrespectful or exceed proper conduct. Those who violate this will be severely punished. Gentlemen, you have not returned home for two years. This old man is not without human feeling. I specially grant you all two days’ leave to reunite with your families. Two days from now at this time, I will assemble the officers. Those absent without cause will be dealt with according to military law without mercy. Now disperse.”

All the officers responded in unison and filed out of camp. Just as Yun Ye was about to leave, Old Cheng called him back and tossed him a cloth bag. Yun Ye caught it and opened it to find a bag full of gemstones, colorful and dazzling to the eye.

“This is a little token of regard from this old man and your Uncle Niu. You have nothing of value. When reuniting with your relatives, you must have presentable gifts. Your teacher’s relics must not be given to your younger siblings. This old man still needs to use them to seek a good marriage for you. Remember this.”

Yun Ye had long since stopped fearing Old Cheng finding him a wife. What could he do about it? His love had long been taken away by his wife. Now only a shell remained. Continuing the family line was something that must be considered. As long as she wasn’t too unacceptable, who cared who she was?

He respectfully thanked the two old commanders and was promptly kicked out of the council hall. Like a happy lunatic, he went smiling to find Wang Cai and his personal guards. He was going home. Those personal guards who had families each received ten strings of cash to go home. They would all travel together when returning to the fief. The remaining eleven bachelor rascals whom neither heaven nor earth would claim would follow Yun Ye to the Yun residence to rest.

The court had taken back the old Yun family residence that had been sold years ago and renovated it completely. They had specially asked the old lady to inspect it. Everything inside—furniture, porcelain, antiques, and all daily necessities—was fully equipped, which made the old lady cry again.

Thirteen people and fourteen horses quickly passed through Jinguang Gate and entered Chang’an City. The city gates were already closed. If Old Cheng hadn’t obtained special permission from the Military Affairs Office, they would have had to wait until sunrise tomorrow to enter Chang’an.

Zhuang Santing, the newly appointed head of the Yun household guards, seemed to know the marquis’s thoughts. He led the way at a fast gallop through Jude Ward, West Market, Yanshou Ward, and finally arrived at Yong’an Ward where the Yun family resided. Yun Ye had no heart to view the nightscape of Chang’an. He only felt people coming and going, quite prosperous. West Market hadn’t even closed yet, brightly lit with bustling business.

A servant standing at the entrance of Yong’an Ward saw more than ten horses galloping on the wide Chang’an avenue, all in full armor, and knew the master had arrived. He ran back with all his might, running and shouting: “The marquis has returned home! The marquis has returned home!” This drew the attention of passersby, who wondered what kind of marquis commanded such ceremony.

Four huge red lanterns hung on the newly built tall gate tower of the Yun residence. Enormous Yun characters written in black ink were quite ostentatious. Red Western Region wool felt was spread at the entrance, never mind the heavy snow that had just stopped. Inside the household, women of all ages, along with thirty or forty servants all dressed in plain green clothes, gazed toward the ward entrance. Across the street stood the ward official—essentially the neighborhood committee director—all respectfully watching the dozen or so warhorses galloping toward them.

Yun Ye reined in his warhorse at the residence gate. He saw the central gate of the Yun residence wide open. The old lady, wearing the official robes of an ennobled lady, stood inside the main gate with tears in her eyes, looking at Yun Ye in full armor. This grandmother was perfect in every way—she just cried too much.

Yun Ye silently grumbled happily to himself as he dismounted. The other warhorses were all led by servants to the stables. Only Wang Cai bit anyone who tried to pull him, stubbornly following behind Yun Ye without leaving. Zhuang Santing, knowing Wang Cai’s position in the marquis’s heart, stopped the servants who wanted to forcibly drag him away.

Everyone watched as Yun Ye stepped over the brazier, his full armor clanging, majestically saluting the old lady. Beside the old lady stood seven or eight women in their thirties and forties. At the old lady’s command of “remove the armor,” they all stepped forward together—some removing the helmet, some removing the armor, and some taking bowls and sprinkling rice over his head. After Yun Ye was relieved of his armor, dressed in full brocade robes with his hair bound in a topknot and adorned with a white jade hairpin, he did have some of the bearing of a marquis.

Taking his seat in the great hall, all thirteen sisters of the same generation in the family knelt in unison, calling out that their brother had labored hard in battle for the nation and achieved great merit. Flustered, Yun Ye hastily rose to help them up, but the old lady stopped his futile action, saying this was a custom in Guanzhong for a thousand years. When soldiers returning from campaign came home, they would receive grand salutes of respect from their families.