Chapter 5 Entering the Palace to Serve Tea
Zhou Si retreated with a gloomy face.
Yun Zhao almost escaped from the suffocating gate of the Su Mansion.
She jogged all the way back to the Duke's Mansion, her heart still pounding in her chest. The cold wind stirred the cold sweat on her back, making her feel bone-chilled.
There is no peace after surviving the disaster, only a deeper haze.
Yun Zhao was perfectly clear-headed: the Duke's sword had merely been raised higher, not truly removed! How could the bastard emperor let her go? Clearly unwilling to embroil himself in a conflict with the thief Su at this moment, he was suppressing the situation and using her life as a way for both sides to back off.
As she stepped into the house, her mother Zhao Yuanying rushed over and hugged her tightly. Her hot tears instantly soaked her shoulders and her body was shaking.
The mansion had been simply cleaned up, but the smell of dust in the air, the traces of rough disturbance, and the frightened eyes of the servants all indicated the catastrophic disaster that had just passed.
"A Zhao...my A Zhao..."
Zhao Yuanying burst into tears, her voice breaking.
Yun Zhao suppressed his nasal drip and gently patted his mother's back, his voice maintaining a deliberately calm tone: "Mom, don't be afraid. For now...for now, we are safe."
She raised her eyes and looked at her father, whose face was ashen and whose hair had turned white overnight. "The Su family did hide our jade mine map. The emperor didn't dare to touch Prime Minister Su, but because of this," she paused, her tone becoming more serious, "he is even more afraid of the 200,000 border troops under my eldest brother's command!"
Yun Chongshan nodded gravely, his eyes a mixture of fatigue and anger. "That's right. He had hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to take down the Yun family and regain control of the military. Now that the map hasn't been found, and the military power is nowhere to be found, I'm afraid he must be furious right now!"
"That's too much!" Zhao Yuanying choked up, carrying the pride and grievance of a noble lady. "Even fighting on the battlefield has never been as exhausting as today!"
Yun Zhao gently wiped the tears from her mother's face with her fingertips, her eyes resolute. "Mother, this is not the time to be sad. Father," she turned to her father, her voice clear and resolute, "Send a secret letter to my eldest brother immediately: no matter what the imperial court orders, I will not return to the capital! I have the military token in my hand and will never hand it over! This is the only way to save the Yun family right now!"
Yun Chongshan's eyes flashed, and he glanced at his daughter deeply. The calmness and determination in the face of danger made his heart tremble slightly. "Okay! I'll write it right away!" He patted his wife's hand, "Yuanying, take Ah Zhao to have some hot food to calm her nerves."
Yun Zhao was dragged by his mother towards the inner hall, each step touching the cold ground. Temporary safety?
No, it's just another, fancier cage.
She clenched her slightly cool fingertips in her sleeves. The crisis was far from over and the storm was still brewing.
The seal on the heavy door of the Duke's Mansion had just been removed, but traces of the torn seal were still visible.
The eunuch Zhang Fuan held the imperial edict in his hand and said in a shrill voice: "Duke Yun, please accept the edict—"
"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: After investigation, the evidence in the case of corruption at the Yun Mansion is questionable and unfounded! The Yun family is acquitted! This is my decree!"
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!" Yun Chongshan's voice trembled, and he could hardly hold the light silk that weighed over a thousand pounds.
A whimper of survivors was heard behind me.
Not reinstated?
However, Zhang Fuan did not signal to stand up.
He lowered his eyes slightly, and broke the silence with a low voice: "Duke, His Majesty...has other wishes."
Yun Chongshan's heart suddenly tightened, and an ominous premonition was like a pour of ice water.
Zhang Fuan's gaze fixed precisely on Yun Zhao in the crowd, and he pronounced a verdict, "Duke, Miss Yun Zhao is very graceful... and has been chosen by His Majesty."
Yun Chongshan's face turned pale: "Eunuch Fu! My daughter is already engaged to the King of Qin..."
"Your Highness is mistaken." Zhang Fuan's lips twitched stiffly, "The old maid who served His Majesty has unfortunately passed away. His Majesty needs someone to serve tea. The eldest lady is perfect for this job."
Tea-serving maid
Yun Zhao's drooping eyelashes cast a shadow on his pale face, and his fingernails dug deep into his palms.
So what if you're with a tyrant?
If it means the safety of the Yun family, she will brave the dangers of danger!
All eyes were focused on her, full of sympathy and fear - serving a king is like serving a tiger, let alone a tyrant who even the old nanny who had served him for ten years died inexplicably?
"Father," Yun Zhao's voice was cold and calm, breaking the dead silence. She raised her head, a cold, determined expression on her face. "Accept my order. Ah Zhao... is willing to enter the palace."
The King of Qin? Forget it! Yesterday, when the Yun family collapsed, did he even make a single move? In his previous life, all he pleaded with at the palace gate was a "rubbish"!
Yun Chongshan looked at his daughter's resolute face, his heart aching. He could only tremble as he accepted this invisible shackle. "Eunuch Fu, please allow my daughter to..."
"Duke," Zhang Fuan lowered his voice, his voice unmistakably cold, "The Emperor's intention... is to enter the palace immediately. There can be no... delay."
The last two words made my heart sink.
There was a suppressed sigh in the hall.
"Please wait a moment, eunuch." Yun Zhao bowed, turned around and walked towards the inner room. His back was straight, but revealed the sadness of a desperate gamble.
Simply pack a few pieces of clothing and make a small bag.
Her mother tightly grasped her hand, tears bursting out: "A Zhao...please be careful! Everything...be patient! If you can't bear it anymore, send a message back...please, father..." She sobbed and felt as if she wanted to vomit her heart out.
Yun Zhao hugged her mother back tightly, the tears she had been holding back finally rolling down her cheeks. "Don't worry, mother... I will definitely come back safe and sound! Your Majesty has pardoned the Yun family, and my trip is a gift of grace... Thank you for all the hard work you've put into the palace."
She wiped the tears from her mother's face and turned her gaze to her father who was standing silently beside her and seemed to have aged ten years overnight.
Yun Chongshan's lips moved, his Adam's apple rolled violently, and the hands that once commanded thousands of troops were now trembling slightly.
He took a sudden step forward and pressed his rough hands hard on Yun Zhao's thin shoulders, with such force that she almost staggered.
He stared intently into his daughter's eyes, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was rubbing against him, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from deep in his chest:
"Ah Zhao... stay alive! No matter... no matter what happens, stay alive for your father! Do you hear me?!" His eyes were filled with utter grief, the humiliation of being a father unable to protect his daughter, and the clearest understanding of the intentions of the man on the throne. How could this be considered grace? They were clearly treating his own flesh and blood as a rope hanging over the heads of the Yun family, a rope tying the loyalty of their sons and daughters! A living proton!
Yun Zhao nodded vigorously, digging her nails into her palms again, using the pain to stay awake: "Daughter...I'll remember this! Take care, Daddy too!"
She turned to her brother Yunfeng, whose eyes were red and lips were tightly pursed, and forced a soothing smile. "Ah Feng, take good care of your parents and study hard. You are the only one in the Yun family who is best at studying. I am waiting for you to win the imperial examination in the autumn and bring honor to our family."
Yun Feng straightened his still frail back, nodded solemnly, and said in a voice choked with suppressed sobs: "Sister, don't worry! I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
"Remember to write a letter..." The mother's hands were shaking as she stuffed a thick stack of banknotes and several small but priceless pieces of jewelry deep into her daughter's sleeve. "There are many places in the palace where money is needed... Pay attention... Pay attention... Tell your family if you don't have enough food... If you've been wronged... If you've been wronged..."
Yun Zhao's throat was blocked and he couldn't utter a word. He could only nod vigorously over and over again, as if he wanted to carve this heavy promise into his bones and blood.
Outside the door, Zhang Fuan's sharp voice sounded like a death wreath: "Miss Yun! The time has come!"
After finally hugging his mother tightly, Yun Zhao turned around resolutely and never looked back.
The thin but straight figure walked step by step towards the green-curtained carriage in the courtyard.
The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, and the rumbling sound was monotonous and heavy.
The carriage passed the corner of the street. Yun Zhao glimpsed through the slightly lifted curtain and saw a familiar luxurious carriage also heading towards the palace - it was the Su Mansion's carriage.
Will Su Mingli eventually enter the palace as a concubine?
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