Chapter 100

The next morning, the two of them packed up and went to Yu's house with their gifts.

The Yu family's residence was located in the north of Yutian City, and the carriage journey only took an hour. We set out at Chenshi and arrived at the Yu family's courtyard just after Sishi.

An old man sat in the Yu family's courtyard, leaning back in a chair, squinting his eyes and looking up at the sun. He was dressed in plain clothes, but he had a carefree air about him. His handsome features, unfaded by time, bore a striking resemblance to the Yu family.

Hearing the movement of a carriage at the door, the old man only slightly opened his eyes and glanced in his direction. When he saw the two people getting out of the carriage, a look of surprise flashed across his face. He remained seated in his chair, looking up and calling out behind him. Immediately, a woman emerged from the room. She looked older, but her every move was elegant and reserved.

The old woman didn't care about the old man sitting there and hurried over. When she opened the door and saw Zhou Jingchen, she immediately showed joy: "Yun An is here!"

After saying that, he immediately looked at Ye Jia next to him.

The weather was perfect today, the sun shining brightly. Ye Jia's Xiangfei-colored dress, bathed in sunlight, accentuated her complexion like a blooming flower. Zhou Jingchen had chosen the dress himself, even though he'd sent someone to buy it. He'd always remember one midsummer afternoon when Ye Jia's Xiangfei-colored outfit had caught his eye. He walked over, holding Ye Jia's hand, and Old Lady Yu was quite taken aback.

Before Zhou Jingchen planned his wedding, he had already written to the Yu family. They knew he had married a local woman. They had expected her to be a docile country girl, but they hadn't expected her to be so strikingly beautiful. While her demeanor wasn't that of a young lady from an aristocratic family, she was graceful and elegant.

Mrs. Yu immediately took a liking to her: "Is this Jia'er?"

Old Madam Yu had seen Ye Jia's maiden name in the letter before, and she called it out naturally at this moment.

"It's me, Grandmother." Ye Jia had only ever been called this cloying name by Cheng Feng, but now, hearing it from Old Madam Yu, it held a special kind of intimacy. Ye Jia felt a strange blush on her face, and she politely greeted him.

Old Mrs. Yu smiled and held Ye Jia's hand, looking left and right, then happily pulled Ye Jia into the house.

While the Yu family's courtyard was smaller than their former residences, it was still considerably more impressive than the courtyards of ordinary people. There were many rooms and a spacious courtyard. Perhaps someone in the family knew how to care for flowers and plants, as they had planted many. The climate in Anxi Protectorate was much better than that in Beiting Protectorate, and since Khotan was located in the southwest, the Yu family's courtyard had many flowers and plants that were well-maintained.

The commotion outside the yard quickly drew a few people out of the house. They were all children from the Yu family.

Speaking of which, despite being exiled to the Anxi Protectorate and their property confiscated, the Yu family didn't suffer much. After all, the Yu family's reputation was immense. Not only was Old Master Yu the late emperor's Grand Tutor, but his eldest uncle was also a renowned scholar with numerous students across the country. Although the Yu family had offended the new emperor and been exiled, and many prominent families in Yanjing were taking advantage of their misfortune, the new emperor didn't dare to kill them due to their status and prestige among scholars. They had received covert and overt care from many people along the way from Yanjing, so naturally, they hadn't suffered any harm.

These children are the great-grandchildren of the Yu family. It must be said that the Yu family is truly a family of beauties. From the oldest to the youngest, there is no one who is ugly.

Perhaps it was because Zhou Jingchen was cold and distant, or because the children were too young to see him often, but the Yu family children would hide away when they saw him. Ye Jia couldn't help but secretly wink at Zhou Jingchen, signaling him to look at the children being frightened by him.

Zhou Jingchen smiled with his eyes curled up. He really wasn't very popular with children. As he spoke, he reached out and touched the child's head.

It had been ages since he'd seen the Yu family, and honestly, Zhou Jingchen felt a bit emotionally turbulent. In his previous life, he'd lived alone, carrying a rage and hatred that hadn't even reached the Yu family. Now, seeing his deceased relatives again, seeing his grandparents alive, was the greatest blessing of his life. With his family still around and his beautiful wife by his side, Zhou Jingchen's temperament had softened considerably.

The children were flattered when he rubbed their heads. They lowered their heads one by one, their cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Ye Jia blinked. The children seemed to like her very much and came over to greet her politely, calling her aunt. Ye Jia hadn't known the Yu family had children before she came, so she hadn't prepared any gifts. Instead, Zhou Jingchen gave them to her.

Old Madam Yu introduced the names of these children one by one and their family rankings. Ye Jia had a good memory, so he remembered the names at a glance.

"Everyone, come in and sit down, everyone, come in and sit down." Old Madam Yu was delighted. She had never liked Gu Mingxi. She saw the girl from the Gu family as a porcelain vase that could not be touched, confused and rather spoiled, and not worthy of her grandson in the slightest. But her grandson was a dragon and a phoenix, and it was not her grandmother's turn to decide on such matters. She was dissatisfied with the royal family's words, but she dared not refute them.

At this moment, she felt happy looking at Ye Jia's clear eyes. Old Madam Yu secretly liked women who were organized and strong-willed.

Zhou Jingchen muttered quietly while holding Ye Jia's arm: "Five years later, I will have it too."

Ye Jia was speechless: "..."

Several people gathered in the front yard, talking. Old Master Yu, sitting on a chair in the back, refused to get up, staring intently. He kept winking at the old lady. But the old lady ignored him, dragging Ye Jia along and talking non-stop. After a long while, when the old lady still didn't bring anyone over to him, the old man suddenly coughed heavily.

Old Madam Yu rolled her eyes right in front of Wai Jia, turned around and led everyone over there: "Jia'er, this is your grandfather."

Ye Jia was nearly stunned by the old lady's eye roll. It had to be said that the old lady's reaction made Ye Jia relax a lot. It seemed like the Yu family wasn't that formal and serious.

"Only grandmother can cure grandfather's temper." A voice floated into my ears, like the sound of the wind.

Regardless of what they were thinking, Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen walked up to Old Man Yu and called him politely.

Old Master Yu glanced at Ye Jia and responded.

He saw Ye Jia's straight features, and though his face was bright, he was not at all frivolous. He stood there with the straightness of a man, his demeanor steady and calm, without a trace of fear. He was immediately very satisfied. The old man stroked his beard and said, "You have always had a sharp eye."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and touched a jade pendant at his waist, pulled it off and handed it to Ye Jia.

As soon as the old man moved his hand, everyone in the room looked over. Even Zhou Jingchen's eyes flickered for a moment, as if the jade pendant was something extraordinary. Ye Jia blinked, and the hand that was about to take it paused, a hint of hesitation.

Old Madam Yu held Ye Jia's hand and asked her to accept it: "Just accept this gift from your grandfather."

Since she said so, Ye Jia naturally did not refuse.

As soon as they entered the house, Old Master Yu immediately summoned Zhou Jingchen to the inner room. Ye Jia sat with several of her aunts, feeling rather embarrassed by the presence of a group of beautiful women who still retained their charm. No wonder the Yu family couldn't produce ugly children. Not to mention the old man and the old lady, each of the aunts was incredibly handsome.

The Yu family has a really good atmosphere. The relatives are very harmonious with each other, and the aunts are all kind-hearted.

They first pulled Ye Jia aside to ask about the family situation, then proceeded to ask him about Yu Shi. Yu Shi had been raised in a world of luxury. In her home, she was pampered by her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law, and indulged by her husband's sons and daughters. She had never known hardship, but when things got tough, she was devastated. Her sisters-in-law worried that Yu Shi, a fragile woman, wouldn't be able to cope. Without the support of King Jing, Yu Shi's children had all died young, leaving only Zhou Jingchen as her sole son. She wouldn't be able to survive.

"Mom is fine. She's very strong-willed." They asked detailed questions, so Ye Jia naturally answered them in detail.

When the aunts heard that Ye Jia and Yu Shi were tinkering with rouge and powder, planning to open a rouge and powder shop, they finally felt relieved. The eldest aunt smiled with her eyes curved, "Your mother loved tinkering with these rouges and powders when she was little, and she was quite good at it. I haven't seen her touch these things for years, and now that you're around to look after her, she's really living a more comfortable life."

Ye Jia smiled and said, "My mother is naturally open-minded. I didn't do anything."

Of course, it wasn't just Zhou Jingchen who wrote to the Yu family; Yu had also written. When Ye Jia remarried Zhou Jingchen, Yu had written to her family. She couldn't wait to praise Ye Jia like a flower in the letter, and her aunts knew what she was doing.

Ye Jia was pulled by her aunt, and the atmosphere between Zhou Jingchen and Old Master Yu in the room became less relaxed.

Although the Yu family didn't know what Zhou Jingchen had done in the Beiting Protectorate, Old Master Yu could guess. His grandson was a vengeful person at heart. He would never let go of the annihilation of Prince Jing's mansion.

Given this, Zhou Jingchen couldn't remain quiet in Beiting; he was bound to make some subtle moves. Old Master Yu had never held the imperial court in high esteem, believing the people were the most important, the state the second, and the emperor the least important. Old Master Yu didn't even take the thief who now sat on the throne seriously. But he didn't want Zhou Jingchen to play with the lives of ordinary people for revenge.

The grandfather and grandson sat facing each other. Zhou Jingchen slowly picked up the kettle and poured a cup of tea for the old man. In the quiet study, the lingering aroma of tea blurred the eyes of the old and the young. Zhou Jingchen said calmly, "Grandfather, you taught me this."

"It's precisely because you were taught by me personally that I'm worried!"

Old Master Yu's beard twitched as he said, "You are a hard-hearted and conceited child, and you are very ruthless."

Speaking of this, Mr. Yu could not forget Zhou Jingchen when he was a child.

This boy's temperament has been different from that of an average person since childhood: indifferent and indifferent to human life. No matter how polite he appears, he's inherently ruthless. Old Master Yu will never forget that Zhou Jingchen was kidnapped when he was less than six years old. He, a child, was able to kill more than a dozen kidnappers in a single night and return unharmed. Upon returning home, he personally executed the entire family of his personal wet nurse, who had cared for him since childhood, without a moment's hesitation. No matter how much the wet nurse pleaded, no matter how complicated the hidden story was.

Taking a life is like killing a chicken. Old Master Yu always worried that he would go astray. The experience of Prince Jing's Mansion made Old Master Yu always worry that he would be blinded by hatred and do something like sacrificing the world and becoming bloodthirsty.

Zhou Jingchen smiled and said nothing more. In his previous life, he was indeed called bloodthirsty and inherently vicious. He had indeed killed many people and never made excuses.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh! All you do is laugh!" Old Master Yu was very angry at his nonchalant look.

After a long moment, the old man finally sighed, "...There are countless intelligent people in this world, and many die young, even bringing disaster to their entire families. I'm not trying to persuade you to let go of your family feud, but the people are the foundation. Dayan is currently facing internal and external troubles, and stability is paramount. The court is currently perverse, and those who commit injustice will inevitably perish. Those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few. Just be patient and wait."

The word "wait" never occurred to Zhou Jingchen. All he wanted was to hit the target with one strike.

"Grandfather, do you think Dayan can hold out at this rate? How can you be so sure that it would be unjust for me to rise up?" Zhou Jingchen maintained his unhurried demeanor, but his every word was sharp. "Only by removing the rotten flesh before the wound collapses can it have a chance to heal. The sooner this absurdity ends, the sooner we can recuperate."

"But can you bear this infamy?" Old Master Yu scolded. "If you fail, how will you bear the eternal infamy?"

"Why did Grandfather think it would be a curse? Perhaps it would be the founding of a new dynasty."

"You are so conceited!"

Zhou Jingchen curled his lips, "My grandson is not conceited, I am just stating the facts."

The grandfather and grandson looked at each other, and the atmosphere was a little tense.

There was no need to argue with the old man today. Besides, he loved his people like his own children, so this was just good advice. Zhou Jingchen smiled, turned around and took the chessboard off the bookshelf. "Grandfather, it's been a while since we played chess. How about a game?"

Seeing his stubbornness, Old Master Yu knew he wouldn't obey. He sighed and said, "Go ahead. I see your chess skills have improved."

The two men played chess until the evening. It wasn't that the game was inconclusive, but rather that the old man's skills were inferior to his opponent's, and he kept fighting despite repeated defeats. After losing the first game to Zhou Jingchen unexpectedly, the old man insisted that he was distracted for a moment, otherwise he would never have lost. He then asked Zhou Jingchen, as an elder, to play with him until he won.

The two stayed at the Yu family's house until dusk before leaving. Before leaving, Old Man Yu gave Zhou Jingchen a seal with a sullen look on his face: "Why are you acting so arrogantly? Didn't you come all this way just for this?"

"Of course I'm here to see my grandparents and uncle."

"No," the old man didn't buy his trick at all, "Go, go, go, hurry up and leave."

Zhou Jingchen smiled and boarded the carriage with Ye Jia. It wasn't long before Ye Jia fell asleep against the wall. Although the Yu family's aunt and sister-in-law were both very kind, spending a day with someone they didn't know well was exhausting.

Ye Jia was sleeping when Zhou Jingchen got up and took her into his arms.

The carriage creaked toward the inn, the afterglow of the setting sun shimmering in golden red, casting a long shadow. Just as they reached the inn's doorway, they heard the sound of chaotic footsteps. Zhou Jingchen lifted the curtain to one side and looked out. A group of lightly armored guards hurried past on the street. People were walking in groups of three or four. The soldiers, each holding a portrait, pulled those on the street and asked them questions in a gruff voice.

Zhou Jingchen woke Ye Jia up, and the two of them got off the carriage one after the other.

The guards parked the car in the backyard. Just as they reached the inn's entrance, they saw a young man in military uniform jogging towards them. The man was initially dazzled by the couple's appearance, seemingly having never seen such strikingly handsome men and women before. He paused, then produced a portrait and asked the couple who they were, where they were from, and if they had ever seen the person depicted.

Zhou Jingchen pulled Ye Jia behind him and responded with his prepared excuse.

The man in military uniform cast a sharp, piercing gaze upon Zhou Jingchen, his eyes slightly scrutinizing. Just as he was about to say something, Ye Jia, standing nearby, peeked at the portrait. It must be said that ancient portraits are truly difficult to reconcile with the real person. Flat features and physiognomy particularly challenge a person's spatial thinking. Ye Jia stared at the painting for a long time but couldn't make out who it was, other than that it was an elderly woman. Recalling what Zhou Jingchen had said, Ye Jia immediately guessed who the group was looking for.

The man in military uniform saw Ye Jia's curiosity and spoke to him in a much softer tone: "Take another look, do you recognize it?"

Zhou Jingchen frowned.

Ye Jia didn't notice, only his eyes flickered, and he shook his head and said, "I can't tell, it seems like I don't know him very well."

"Someone has seen you two bringing an elderly woman who is not in her right mind from out of town, and you even called a doctor. Is that true?" The man withdrew his veiled gaze from Ye Jia's face, coughed heavily, and looked away. "This person is a thief who has committed a serious crime. He is the one the Grand Protector has specifically wanted. If you two happen to encounter this person, do not hide anything from him."

He emphasized this sentence: "Otherwise, the higher-ups will be furious, and you two will end up getting into trouble, which will be more trouble than you gain."