37

On this day Yuhong Xuan took his wife with him to pay New Year's respects to the Princess Yun, Yuhong Guang's youngest sister. Since he was very familiar with her mansion, they didn't bother with a formal announcement. Upon entering, he inquired about where Princess Yun was and headed straight there with his wife. However, to his surprise, as soon as they entered, they found the Princess Yun in tears, crying. Yuhong Xuan quickly asked:

"My aunt, what happened? Why are you crying during the New Year? Did Zhao Yan play some prank and upset you again? If so, just let me know, I'll punish him."

Princess Yun wiped away her tears and forced a smile, saying:

"No, no, Yan has become much more well-behaved now. Perhaps he has grown up, started studying and practicing Kong fu. He says he'll join the army and go to the troop of your uncle's in the western at his 18. So, lately, I will consider to find a right girl for him. Regardless, he has to wait until he's married and has a child before he can leave, just like Zhao Wei, his elder brother. Now I'm happy to take care of my grandson."

"That's good to hear, Aunt Yun. If you have any issues, make sure to let me know. I'll stand up for you. Among these relatives, you and I, as aunt and nephew, are the closest."

"Alright, I understand." then Princess Yun spoke to Xuan's wife, "My child, could you have a chat with my daughter-in-law? She is in her room with my grandson. I want to talk with Xuan in private."

"Yes, Aunt Yun. I was actually planning to have a chat with her and we brought some toys for Peng."

With that, Xuan's wife left the room.

"Xuan, did you attend Xun's party that day?"

"Yes, but why didn't Yan go to the party?"

"Well, I let him to go there but he refused. I told him that Xun is in a position of power now and Yan shouldn't let their relationship get too strained. This was a matter between his mother and me, it shouldn't be counted against him. His mother had died for many years and he still calls me aunt. But you know Yan's temperament that he's quite stubborn. Let's not talk about my son. I wanted to ask whether you happened to meet a boy of ..... His name…his name…., Xun's favorite boy."

"Zhou Chuyu?"

"Yes, yes, that is the name. Did you have met this boy?"

"Yes."

Yuhong Xuan wasn't sure whether to share information about Zhou Chuyu with Princess Yun. He decided to hear what she had to say first, as it was peculiar for her to inquire about a young boy. 

"Could you find out more about the background of this boy? Also, can you arrange a meeting for me with him? I have some questions for him."

"I know a bit about him. His family lives in Yucheng county and they are local merchants with a relatively prosperous household. He has decent talents, performs well in his studies. He has already passed the provincial examination. Initially, he planned to attend the Imperial Academy in Jingdu and participate in the metropolitan examination. However, unexpectedly, he was forcibly brought into the mansion by Xun and became his boy."

"What? Isn't he willing to be his boy?"

"No, he used to be a lively, cute and somewhat delicate boy. But now, as his words, he's just a walking corpse, a living dead person. He is only 16."

Princess Yun expressed her anger:

"How could Xun treat a boy like this? But think about it, it's not surprising. It is true that the son looks like his mother. Xun's behavior is so cruel like her mother. By the way, can you arrange for him to meet me? I have some questions to ask him."

"It might not be easy. Xun keeps a close eye on him. Aunt, if you have something to ask him, why not tell me first? Maybe I can find an opportunity to ask him."

Princess Yun sighed and said:

"Do you remember that I once went for a political marriage?"

"I vaguely remember something like that happening but I'm not very clear on the details."

"Yes. It has been more than twenty years ago. Your father, the Emperor, didn't want me to bring it up, fearing it would sadden me. However, after all these years, I've moved on from the sadness so I'll tell you about it today. You know, among our generation, I am the youngest. Among my elder brothers, I am closest to your father and the eighth elder brother, Yuhong Yang. Your father was the crown prince and the eighth elder brother was stationed at the northern camp, the last defense line in the capital. At that time, your father was facing difficulties. The fourth elder brother, Yuhong Chen, formed alliances, engaged in private affairs and constantly suppressed and marginalized your father in order to catch more power. Your grandfather, our former emperor, was seriously ill and confused. It was during this time that Huichun Tribe suddenly proposed a marriage alliance with our dynasty. Surprisingly, your grandfather agreed. They searched for a suitable princess within the imperial family. At that time I was still quite young and not really suitable. Honestly, no one had thought that Lai Shangde suggested me for this marriage alliance. Your grandfather agreed to this advice. Later, I found out that the reason was that the Crown Princess, Lai Ruqing, envied the favor I received from all of my elder brothers, especially from your father. As the Crown Princess, she couldn't win your father's heart, which had always belonged to Concubine De, your mother. My relationship with your father was simply that of siblings." 

At this point, she took a sip of tea and looked at Yuhong Xuan, who was listening to her intently, Princess Yun continued:

"I was young at that time. I didn't understand much, just thinking that being chosen for a marriage alliance meant that I was not useless person. So I agreed. Initially, things were fine after coming to Huichun. But after a few weeks, the Khan's former wife used the influence of her powerful in Antare clan to pressure the Khan and restore her own status. If she was Khan's wife, I, a princess from Yuhong Dynasty, was demoted a concubine, which meant becoming a slave in Huichun. I vowed not to yield and they resorted to beating and abusing me, imprisoning me and preventing me from contacting people from our country. Later, with the help of the Khan's son, his name is...."

"Zakkel."

"Yes, Zakkel. You see, as you grow older, you tend to forget. It was Zakkel who released me. He used to visit me often and I would tell him about the culture and customs of our dynasty. Actually I liked that boy and he also was interested in to listen to me. We became friends soon and had a nice chat each other so I persuaded him to let me go. Yes, he set me free secretly. However, being a weak woman in a foreign country and unfamiliar with everything, I wandered in Huichun. Later I encountered two persons, Zhang Chao and his partner, Mr. Nie. I don't remember his full name. They were from our country and came to Huichun for business. When they heard about my situation, they wanted to take me back to our dynasty. But at that time, my health was frail and I was plagued with illnesses, making it impossible for me to travel far. So we decided to let Mr. Nie return to Yuhong Dynasty to explain my situation in Huichun and asked Zhang Chao to stay with me. Zhang Chao was a kind person, taking meticulous care of me. Gradually, we grew closer. Before long, I discovered that I was pregnant. No one on the border, however, remained aware of my situation as they didn't believe Mr. Nie's words. Mr. Nie had no choice but went to the capital, which finally made the central government aware of my circumstances in Huichun. They decided to use force against Huichun and sent Zhao Hai as reinforcement to the front lines. Unexpected, all of this was planned by my fourth elder brother, Yuhong Chen. He colluded with Antare clan, orchestrating everything to force the abdication of your grandfather, the Emperor. And in the Huichun Tribe, the Antare clan aimed to control the Khan so they cooperated with the Yuhong Dynasty, especially if Yuhong Chen were to ascend to the throne. That was why the Khan's wife agreed to abandon her status as a wife. However, when I was there, the Antare clan supported her to reclaim her position. Of course this angered the central government, leading them to choose war against the Huichun. Zhao Hai was selected as the first general to the frontline. Once he left Jingdu, Yuhong Chen planned to force my father, of course, your grandfather to abolish your father's status as the Crown Prince and abdicate the throne to Chen. Actually it took a long time for Chen to plan this. Fortunately, your father's faction saw through his plot, turned the tables and Zhao Hai thwarted Chen's plan. There was only one unexpected event that Lai Shangde's advice was accepted by my father and I went to Huichun. When the war commenced and Zhao Hai departed Jingdu, Chen began implementing his plan within the capital, even mobilizing the army to exert pressure on the Emperor. However, in reality, Zhao Hai didn't have left Jingdu. When Chen started moving his forces, Zhao Hai led his troops to intercept them. It was a surprise for Chen when Zhao Hai successfully repelled his army and my eighth brother led his forces to take control of Jingdu. Wang Qing, Xu Xing, along with some officials, supported your father. In the end, Chen lost everything and was left with no choice but to take his own life. Consequently, my father had no option but to step down from the throne and your father inherited the imperial seat."

"By the time Zhao Hai reached the border, several months had passed. It was then that Mr. Nie found us again, informed us that the central government was preparing to use force against Huichun and urged us to leave to the east quickly. Meanwhile, Huichun, upon seeing the Yuhong forces attacking, started searching for me everywhere. Zhang Chao and Mr. Nie took me, fleeing to the east while hiding, but it was a difficult for me because my belly was too big. One day, I went into premature labor, giving birth to a boy. Mr. Nie carried the child and Zhang Chao carried me. We rode east on horseback. Unexpectedly, we entered a war zone and encountered the Huichun's army. Zhang Chao was killed because he tried to save me and I got separated from Mr. Nie. In the chaos of the Huichun's army, the Yuhong forces seized the opportunity to deploy troops. Zhao Hai rescued me in the midst of the confusion and without minding my situation, he married me later."

As Princess Yun reached this point, tears streamed down her face, rendering her nearly voiceless. Yuhong Xuan was deeply moved, never anticipating such an extraordinary experience from his aunt. After a long while, he asked:

"What does this have to do with Zhou Chuyu?"

"Oh, one day Xun and his wife had an quarrel. You know, I have a good relationship with Xun's mother-in-law. Being their aunt, his wife asked me to come to their mansion because she hoped me to mediate their quarrel. What else could I do? Xun didn't listen to me so all I could do was comfort his wife. As I was leaving, I saw a maid playing with a fish-shaped jade pendant. I was shocked when I saw it because that fish-shaped jade pendant was something I cherished. It could be divided two parts. When I gave birth to that child, I had split it into two parts. I put one part on the child's neck and the other I kept with me. So I quickly brought this maid to my palace. I was told that Xun, for some unknown reason, was whipping his boy. He found this pendant on his boy and threw it out of the window. This boy was Zhou Chuyu. This maid picked it up and wanted to keep it secretly." 

"Did you go back to Xun's mansion to find Zhou Chuyu later?"

"I went there several times but it seems like Xun is keeping a close watch on this boy. I only encountered him alone once. I quietly asked him about it but his gaze was too cold and he showed no emotion. Although he seemed a bit startled when I inquired about the pendant, he then coldly saluted me and left without saying a word."

"Do my two younger cousins know about your story?"

"I didn't keep it from your uncle and my children. I even showed them the pendant. If they happen to encounter the person wearing this pendant, they must bring him back. He is their elder brother and your cousin."

After saying this, she took out a complete jade pendant with two fish-shape.