"You lad have certainly lived up to your father's expectations! Although you haven't had any military training, your skills are no less than those of soldiers! It just so happens that this time you can come north with us and fight the enemy on the battlefield, sword and spear!"
"Yes, Father!" Yun Tiankuang answered loudly. He had long wanted to go to the battlefield, but with his elder brothers and the two Song brothers as role models, he was afraid that if he joined the army, the soldiers would laugh at him for relying on his father and uncles' connections. He always felt that he needed a reputation to go to the border to make a name for himself.
Now that I have the title of top military scholar, I am not afraid of being looked down upon by those military thugs when I join the army.
Madam Yun scolded, "Aren't there any military officers serving in the capital? Why must you travel thousands of miles to the border?"
Yun Yue just laughed loudly and said, "Mother, a man's ambition is on the battlefield, and protecting the country is the duty of a military general! Our Duke's family is a family of military generals. He is the top scholar in the military examination, not the top scholar in the civil service examination. What's the point of him staying in the capital?!"
Seeing that his mother's face was about to fall again, he quickly changed the subject, "Mother, we have all come back together this time, firstly to celebrate your birthday, and secondly to arrange Tianbai's wedding!"
Madam Su quickly chimed in, "Your sixtieth birthday is in half a month! It's time for a proper celebration. Tianbai is also over twenty, it's time for him to get married. It wouldn't be right to keep Miss Shi waiting forever."
She phrased it tactfully, without revealing that the Yun family was waiting for the Shi family's daughter to finish her mourning period.
Yun Tianbai subconsciously glanced at Su Youran, who was sitting obediently to the side, holding her younger brother.
Su Youran forcefully restrained her struggling younger brother, gritting her teeth to keep from laughing out loud.
In Yun Tiankuang's eyes, this expression was just as restrained and serene as in his previous life.
After many years, she had blossomed into a stunningly beautiful young woman.
Her features were still the same stunning combination: a delicate nose, crimson lips, and a pair of beautiful eyes that sparkled beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows. Her fair and delicate skin was so fair it seemed like it could be pinched to release water, making her an absolute beauty.
Over the years, he had kept in touch with Shi Wenxia. Whenever he read Shi Wenxia’s heartfelt words in his letters, he would think of Su Youran’s stunningly beautiful face.
Unfortunately, she is now his nominal younger sister, and there is no longer any possibility between them.
However, these are all secondary matters. Besides marrying Shi Wenxia, he has another important matter to plan upon his return.
Thinking of this, he smiled and said to Yun Tiankuang, "Third brother, in that case, you will go in my place when Father returns to the Northern Territory."
Yun Tiankuang asked in surprise, "Brother isn't going back to the military camp?"
Yun Tianbai smiled and said, "I came here to get married. Since it's a big wedding, can't I stay in the capital for a year or two longer? There's no war on the border right now, so I thought I'd stay a little longer to take care of my grandmother."
Madam Yun smiled and said, "Good, good, it's a good thing to spend more time with your new wife."
"By the way, where's Wenxia?" Yun Tianbai looked around but couldn't see her.
Madam Su smiled and said, "She's still in Mulan Courtyard. She's suffered so much these past years, devoted to mourning her parents and never leaving the courtyard. Now that you're back, go and see her."
"Okay." Yun Tianbai said a few more words before getting up to take his leave.
An old woman led the way for him.
As Yun Tianbai walked towards the Mulan Courtyard north of the Duke's Mansion, he was secretly surprised.
At this time in his previous life, his mother, Zhou, had passed away for five years, and the Duke's mansion was gradually falling into disrepair. He still remembered that when he returned that year, the red paint on the gate of the Duke's mansion was already peeling and unusable.
The household affairs of the Duke's mansion were in the hands of the second aunt, Li, who complained of poverty every day, saying that the Duke's mansion was already short of funds.
He was also aware of the Duke's mansion's financial situation. Most of his father's salary was used to subsidize the pensions of wounded soldiers in the army. Unfortunately, his third uncle often took public funds to do business, and every time he lost everything. His fourth uncle was the kind of person who didn't care about anything. Since being exiled to the Northwest, he had been wandering around the Northwest in a carefree manner, only returning home occasionally.
The Duke's mansion could only barely survive on the salaries of the second uncle and the remaining grandsons stationed at the border.
This situation only improved after Su Youran married into the family.
In her previous life, Su Youran was called Jiang Youran. She grew up in the Su family and brought an extremely generous dowry with her when she got married.
After she married into the Duke's mansion, she spent a fortune to renovate the entire mansion, inside and out.
That New Year was a year of great pride and honor for the Duke's Mansion.
Not only has the entire Duke's mansion been completely renovated, but the gifts given by various old friends during festivals have also increased by 30%, changing the previous impression of being frugal and stingy.
The smiles on the faces of the two aunts and grandmother during the New Year's reception were more smug and relaxed.
Looking at it now, the Duke's mansion is still brand new, but it has lost some of the gaudy splendor of the previous life and gained more of a restrained and calm elegance.
As expected, the Su family is indeed the Su family; she truly deserves the title of the most talented woman in Dingzhou.
How could Jiang Youran, who grew up surrounded by money, compare?
Thinking this, he had already seen the gate of Mulan Courtyard.
He was delighted to see this courtyard.
Because in her previous life, when Shi Wenxia was brought into the Duke's mansion as a concubine, it was he who personally chose this Mulan Courtyard.
Mulan Courtyard has a nice name, which conveys a sense of heroism that women are not inferior to men. It is also located in a remote area, which makes it quiet and peaceful, far away from the noise that used to frequently emanate from the main courtyard.
When he first returned a few years ago, he never expected that Shi Wenxia, who had moved into the Duke's Mansion several years earlier in this life, would also choose this courtyard. It was indeed a case of kindred spirits.
He stepped into the threshold of Mulan Courtyard.
Shi Wenxia had also received the news long ago and was already waiting expectantly at the door for the returning young man.
He has grown taller than he did a few years ago, and he also appears more mature and composed.
She knew he had returned to marry her, and her heart was filled with anticipation for the future.
Five years ago, Yun Tianbai was appointed as the heir apparent by Yun Yue. After the marriage, she would be the rightful heir apparent's wife, and she would no longer have to covet Jiang Youran's position as she did in her previous life.
Oh, right, Jiang Youran is now called Su Youran in this life, and she is Yun Tianbai's biological younger sister. It's impossible for her to compete with her anymore.
She felt very proud whenever she thought of this.
So what if you have a father, mother, and several brothers who dote on you? You still don't have the right to compete with her.
In a few years, Yun Yue will die in battle at the border, and her husband will be the Duke, so she will naturally become the Duchess.
The position I struggled for until my death in my previous life but never obtained, I obtained in this life without lifting a finger.
Thinking of this, a slight smugness appeared on her lips. She lowered her head to greet him, and when she looked up again, her eyes were brimming with tears. "Your Highness, you're finally back!"
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