Madam Yun understood and said to her only son in the capital, Yun Rui, and her three grandsons, "You gentlemen, go and take care of your important matters. Don't disturb our reunion."
Yun Rui stood up and bowed, and Yun Tiankuang, Yun Tianzhi, and Yun Tianjiao quickly followed suit.
The main room was now occupied by a group of women from four generations, including the elderly, middle-aged, young, and children, as well as a few boys.
The three aunts, Li, Guo, and Yu, were also very happy.
Suddenly, no one knows who started it, but the whole room was filled with chatter and noise.
It took You Ran a full hour to figure out that the fourth generation of the Yun family now has six children: two in the Yun Tiankuang family, one in the Yun Tianbai family, one in the Yun Tianbai family, and two in her brother's family. However, the question of who will be raised by her brother's two children remains unresolved.
Logically speaking, she and her brother Su Youchen both have the surname Su, but they are recorded in the Yun family genealogy. Since both children also have the surname Su, it would be inappropriate to record them in the Yun family genealogy as well.
The mother suggested they all change their surname to Yun, but the Duke disagreed, saying that the reason he applied to the government to have them take his mother's surname was so that future generations would remember the glory of the Su family as female officials. If they changed back to Yun, wouldn't all their efforts be in vain?
The Su family then suggested that You Ran remain on the Yun family genealogy, while You Chen establish his own residence and create a separate Su family branch genealogy.
The Su family was very much in favor, but Old Madam Yun disagreed, saying that he was their own grandson and there was no reason for him to separate from the family.
Speaking of this, Old Madam Yun suddenly remembered to ask You Ran, "Qianqian and Wanwan are nicknames, right? What are their formal names?"
Just as You Ran was feeling touched, she was suddenly asked this question and became extremely embarrassed, frantically wiping her forehead, "He...they...don't have any names!"
"Nonsense!" Old Madam Yun slammed her hand on the table, about to call for a dictionary, when she remembered that these two great-grandchildren should be surnamed Chu...
He waved his hand and said, "Forget it, we can't choose the official name anyway, so let's just follow the imperial decree."
At the end of the hour of You (5-7 PM), Su Youchen stepped through the door and saw two exquisitely beautiful dolls as soon as she entered. All her anger and scolding words were swallowed back down.
She stood up leisurely, looked at her older brother whom she hadn't seen for several years, her nose tingled, and her eyes blurred with tears again.
Su Youchen stepped forward to greet the elders, then glared at her younger sister before finally uttering, "It's good that you're back."
You Ran suddenly threw herself into her brother's arms, "Brother..."
After the siblings cried for a while, You Ran pushed the two children over, saying, "This is your fourth uncle, your own uncle."
Wanwan asked, bewildered, "How come there's another uncle? Wasn't there a little uncle just now? Why is this one so old?"
"Hahaha—" Everyone burst into laughter again.
Just then, an old woman came in to report, "Madam, someone from the palace has arrived."
Madam Yun quickly sent someone in.
A young eunuch bowed to everyone in the room and then respectfully handed a card to You Ran. "Princess," he said, "His Majesty says that the names the Emperor Emeritus has chosen for his eldest son and daughter are listed here. Please choose one. If you are not satisfied with any of them, you may suggest another and have it sent to the palace."
You Ran was startled.
Everyone gasped in surprise.
You Ran took the invitation and nodded.
The young eunuch respectfully took his leave, and Madam Su hurriedly asked the old woman to see him off, and also slipped him a red envelope.
Madam Yun glanced at the others and said, "It's getting late. Let's go back and get ready for dinner."
"yes."
The second, third, and fourth wives, each with their own daughters-in-law and grandchildren, tactfully took their leave.
Only a few people remained in the main house.
Then Su asked Zhao Mama and Suyue to take the four children out to wash up.
Only Madam Yun, Madam Su, and her son remained in the main room.
Madam Yun looked at You Ran and said, "You Ran, the Emperor's affection for you is known throughout the land. This time, even the names of his sons and daughters are so respectful of your wishes. What do you think?"
You Ran bit her lip, knowing what her grandmother meant, and hesitated before saying, "I...I don't really want to go to the palace..."
Therefore, Chu Heng mentioned several times along the way that he wanted to welcome her back to the capital with the honors due to an empress, but she did not agree. She only said that she wanted to go home and stay for a while first.
Su Youchen said coldly, "If my sister doesn't want to come in, then she doesn't have to."
Madam Su, knowing her daughter's temperament, said with heartache, "Things have come to this point. The fact that the two children are of royal blood is undeniable. Although the Emperor respects your wishes, he will not allow the two children to remain outside the palace. If they enter the palace, but you do not... wouldn't that mean being separated from them?"
This is also what makes You Ran very conflicted.
After a moment's contemplation, Madam Yun made her decision. "You Ran, marriage is a lifelong commitment. You can think about it slowly. If you truly don't want to enter the palace, we will never force you. The Yun family is already thriving and prosperous; we don't necessarily need another empress to maintain our prestige. However… we are also worried that if you are separated from the children… oh dear, I really can't bear to part with them… I've only just seen them…"
As she spoke, she wiped away her tears.
You Ran was startled. "Grandmother! Even if they live in the palace, they should still be told to come and visit you often!"
Madam Su was still conflicted, "But, Youran... you still have to get married after all..."
If the emperor's women don't enter the palace, who will dare to marry them in the future?
If the birth mother of these two children is unknown when they enter the palace, it will not arouse suspicion.
However, if someone frequently enters and leaves the Yun residence, those with a keen eye will naturally guess what's going on.
Moreover, it is common knowledge that the Crown Prince frantically searched for the Sixth Miss of the Yun Family when she ran away back then.
Yueyue saw through her sister's thoughts and comforted her, "Grandmother, Mother, my sister has just returned. Why don't she rest for a while? We can talk about the future later. Maybe things will take a turn for the better?"
She put her arm around You Ran and led her outside, saying, "Yueyue will take her back to her room first!"
Madam Yun and Madam Su exchanged glances and had no choice but to give up for now.
As Yueyue walked along, she asked You Ran about her life over the past few years. When they arrived at the courtyard where You Ran used to live, she had some guesses in her mind.
As soon as she sat down, Yueyue said angrily, "I never expected that my brother Crown Prince and my cousin Yuanbai are the same person! After you left, every time I saw the Crown Prince, I would say something sarcastic, to the point that my brother Crown Prince would avoid me after that."
You Ran imagined the scene for a moment and then burst out laughing.
After a few jokes, Yueyue got down to business. "You know, what Mother and Grandmother meant just now was that if you don't want to be separated from Qianqian and Wanwan, you have no choice but to enter the palace. Even if the Emperor allows you to stay outside the palace, the world's opinion won't allow you to stay outside the palace. You should understand that."
She smiled leisurely, "I understand, and I know that perhaps entering the palace is the only way in the end. But I have to try, maybe there's a way to have the best of both worlds?"
Yueyue stared at her intently. "You Ran, tell me the truth. After all these years, is your feeling towards the Crown Prince... the Emperor still only one of disgust?"
You Ran was momentarily at a loss for words.
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