“Why would he sell the seeds to His Majesty rather than present them as tribute? Does he not understand that ‘presenting’ and ‘selling’ carry entirely different meanings? While the Yun Family is indeed short on money, with Cheng Zhijie supporting them, they shouldn’t be in such dire straits. Why is he so impatient to speak of such copper-stinking matters? If he presented them to His Majesty, would there be no reward? Even as a virtuous person of high standing, arriving for the first time and immediately expressing that his relationship with His Majesty is purely transactional with no sentiment—what is his purpose? A fifteen-year-old youth who clearly expresses his position during his very first dealings with His Majesty surely must have ulterior motives. This consort is quite curious about this young man and looks forward to meeting him.”
Empress Zhangsun completely ignored the military dagger His Majesty Li Er was toying with in his hands, turned a deaf ear to the new method of forging hundred-refined steel, and instead seized upon a single word—”sell”—to make a big issue of it. She and Li Er had been husband and wife since their youth, supporting each other through thick and thin for fifteen years, and already understood each other deeply. What Li Er found inconvenient to say, she could voice; what Li Er found awkward to question, she could ask. Even their private conversations as husband and wife followed this pattern.
The military dagger spinning in the Emperor’s hand paused slightly for a moment, then spun rapidly again. After a brief pause, he gripped the handle firmly and pulled out a handkerchief from his robes to wipe the blade. Once the entire dagger was wiped spotlessly clean, he wrapped it in the handkerchief, placed it back in the wooden case, and set the case on the dragon desk before addressing the Empress: “The ancients spoke of commoners who looked down upon princes and marquises with pride. Those with some ability often resist propriety to some degree. This child Yun Ye has depended on his teacher since childhood, so naturally he has acquired some unworldly air about him and doesn’t quite fit in with the mortal world—this is understandable. In the end, he’s just a child. The Empress worries too much. Niu Jinda reporting Yun Ye’s family background to me clearly hopes that I will comfort the Yun clan members. Bestowing grace from above, he hopes that through the Yun clan members, I can show favor to Yun Ye and win his heart, so this talented person can be used by me. He has put some thought into this. Very well, for Zhijie and Niu Jinda’s sake, their face must be given. Someone come!”
The eunuch holding a whisk responded immediately, bowing as he awaited the Emperor’s orders.
“Command the Hundred Cavalry Division to take in all members of the Yun clan without missing a single person. No matter where they are, immediately remove those in slave status from their registers, elevate those in lowly status, and send them all to the fief of the Baron of Ping’an County. Order the Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Works to build the Baron of Ping’an County’s residence according to earl standards. All funds and provisions shall be supplied by the Inner Court Treasury. It must be completed before New Year’s Day.”
A single memorial submitted in the morning reaches the nine-layered heavens; by evening one is demoted to Chaoyang, eight thousand li away. The one who can determine rise and fall with a single word is the Emperor. Yun Ye did not encounter Han Yu’s tragedy. Due to the tight schedule and heavy workload, the Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Works quickly organized craftsmen and all necessary building materials. Three days later, a construction team of five hundred people entered the Baron of Ping’an County’s fief and, amid much discussion, began building the Yun residence.
Yun He Shi was already sixty-one years old this year. Blue hemp cloth wrapped around her graying hair, she sat in the drafty thatched hut weaving a new batch of hemp cloth. Daya and Erya’s clothes were already worn and tattered. If she couldn’t earn enough grain before winter arrived, these two frail children might not survive the winter.
Last night’s labor had drained the elderly woman of her last bit of strength. She cut off the woven hemp knots and sighed. After all, she was old and useless—her eyesight was getting worse and worse, and the hemp thread she had just tied broke again.
The old woman rubbed her aching shoulders, gazed at the memorial tablets on the wooden platform, and slowly stood up. She untied her headscarf and dusted off each memorial tablet one by one.
All the Yun Family’s male members were here. She still clearly remembered the lively days in the old Yun Family estate. In one night, the sky collapsed. Her father-in-law, husband, eldest uncle, youngest uncle—all prostrate on the ground, bright red blood flowing everywhere. Her eldest son wailed as he rolled in the blood, a long sword wound on his chest gushing blood. No matter how hard she tried to cover it with her hands, she couldn’t stop it, and she watched her son become silent and motionless. Thinking of this, Yun He Shi’s heart still ached as if stabbed by knives. There were no more tears in her eyes—she had cried them all dry over these years. Of the three families, only her youngest son with broken legs remained, but unfortunately, he only left behind two young granddaughters before departing from this world.
The nightmare wasn’t over yet. Her married daughter was also divorced by her husband’s family. If not for the young granddaughters who depended on her for survival, Yun He Shi would have long since given up on living, would have long since wanted to leave this cruel world.
With no hope of continuing the family line, no family would take the girls as wives. Even in this new dynasty, “harbinger of misfortune” was the label for all Yun Family women. The Lantian property left by their ancestors had been encroached upon over these years by officials, wealthy families, and tenant farmers until little remained. No one sympathized with the Yun Family, no one wanted to marry Yun Family daughters, and even the authorities turned a deaf ear to the Yun Family’s plight, because the Yun Family were bandits—rebels were rebels, whether in the previous dynasty or the current one. Pitiful Yun Family women could only become slaves and servants, lowering themselves to become entertainers.
“Grandmother, I’m hungry.” A timid childish voice startled Yun He Shi from her long reminiscence. Daya and Erya hugged her legs, gazing up at her with bright, dark eyes. Yun He Shi suddenly felt filled with strength again. Yes, there were still two little ones depending on her.
She bent down and embraced the two frail little bodies, her heart full of bitterness. No matter what, she must raise these two little ones to adulthood. The fortune-teller had said these two children were born with fortunate destinies. All suffering eventually ends, all difficulties eventually pass. The Yun Family has done nothing unconscionable—why should they suffer such hardship generation after generation?
Heaven in its vast mystery seemed to have made arrangements. Just as Yun He Shi was praying to Heaven to let her live a few more years so she could raise the two children, a team of robust horsemen escorted a carriage drawn by two horses from the village entrance toward the Yun home. The carriage stopped at Yun He Shi’s door, and an elderly servant in blue robes, holding a calling card in both hands, knocked on the Yun Family’s dilapidated wooden gate.
Hearing the knock, Yun He Shi didn’t know who it could be, because no one ever knocked on the Yun Family’s gate—they usually just barged straight in. She put down the firewood in her hands and led her granddaughters outside.
“This old servant, following my master’s command, pays respects to Old Madam Yun.” After speaking, the old servant presented the calling card with both hands.
It had been fifteen or sixteen years since Yun He Shi had received a calling card. The last time someone presented a card to visit was when her father-in-law and husband were still alive. Puzzled, she opened the card and saw written on it: Cheng Pei Shi, signed as the Duke of Lu’s residence.
Yun He Shi was shocked. Why would a duke’s residence present a calling card to a lonely old woman like her? Just as she was about to say the card was delivered to the wrong person, she saw a woman adorned with pearls and jade descending from the carriage. The woman came before Yun He Shi and curtsied: “This humble woman, Cheng Pei Shi, pays her respects to Old Madam Yun.”
Yun He Shi was so astonished her mouth wouldn’t close. Then she saw Cheng Pei Shi pull a wooden plaque from her sleeve and say to Yun He Shi: “Does Old Madam recognize what this is?”
A peach wood plaque one inch long, half an inch wide, and one-tenth of an inch thick appeared before Yun He Shi. She grabbed the plaque and turned it over to look. On it was written: Yun clan male, Ye. Clutching the wooden plaque, Yun He Shi burst into wailing tears.