Chapter 75

The Shao family was prestigious. Even when Shao Jingyu was merely a young master of the Shao family, he had been the ideal son-in-law in the eyes of many noble families. Now, as a first-rank official highly favored by the emperor, he had become the de facto leader of the military officials in the court. Even Chancellor Jian, who had once looked down on Shao Jingyu, believing he could only rely on his clan, had completely changed his opinion.
Chancellor Jian placed great importance on his daughter Jian Yu’er’s marriage. Back then, for some reason, Jian Yu’er had fallen for the Crown Prince, which had worried Chancellor Jian for a long time. Later, when a woman from the Yan family intervened, although his daughter was heartbroken for a while, Chancellor Jian was quite satisfied with the outcome.
However, speaking of which, his daughter's romantic life always seemed to be somewhat troubled.
The Crown Prince from before was not even worth mentioning. What Chancellor Jian truly admired was Jiang Yi, the current rising star who had achieved the top honors in the imperial examinations, the Zhuangyuan. Not only was he exceptionally learned, but his strategic mind was also remarkable. Today, he was deeply trusted and favored by the emperor.
Chancellor Jian was a civil official, and he himself had risen through the imperial examinations. Thus, compared to Jiang Yi and Shao Jingyu, he held Jiang Yi in higher regard. He had once asserted that this young man would achieve great things in the future.
What surprised him even more was that his daughter and Jiang Yi had a childhood connection. As a result, Chancellor Jian was even more inclined to draw Jiang Yi closer, perhaps even considering him as a potential son-in-law.
But for some unknown reason, after Jiang Yi achieved the top honors and visited their residence, he returned treating Yu'er as if she were a stranger. When he encountered Chancellor Jian, he would only offer a cold “Chancellor Jian,” leaving the chancellor momentarily unsure how to respond.
Later, Chancellor Jian heard that Jiang Yi's fiancée had passed away due to illness. Several years had passed since then, and countless families had proposed marriages to Jiang Yi. Even the emperor had offered to arrange a marriage for him, but Jiang Yi had firmly declined every time.
Jiang Yi was a man of deep affection, but his devotion had been buried along with his late wife. Chancellor Jian lamented that his daughter and Jiang Yi were fated to meet but not to be together, and from then on, he abandoned the idea of making Jiang Yi his son-in-law.
Jian Yu'er was no longer young, yet Chancellor Jian could not find a son-in-law who could compare to Jiang Yi. The young man from the Shao family, whom Yu'er had known since childhood, came from a noble family, but that was all he had. Grand Tutor Shao held a first-rank position but had no real power. The imperial consort, though favored, had no children, and none of the Shao family's younger generation stood out in any remarkable way.
Chancellor Jian never expected Shao Jingyu to achieve such success one day. In just two years, he had risen to a position comparable to his own.
For the first time, Chancellor Jian sighed at his own misjudgment.
Looking at Shao Jingyu now, with military power in his hands and the emperor's deep favor, he was in no way inferior to Jiang Yi. Chancellor Jian couldn't help but entertain the idea once more.
But before Shao Jingyu could return, for some reason, Yu'er suddenly broke down in tears. Neither Chancellor Jian nor his wife could get her to reveal what had happened. Later, when Chancellor Jian brought up Shao Jingyu, Jian Yu'er proactively told him that she no longer liked Shao Jingyu and did not wish to marry him.
Chancellor Jian was so furious that he slammed his chopsticks down.
Yan Yiming and Little A witnessed this confrontation between father and daughter firsthand. Looking at Jian Yu'er, despite her many flaws and unlikeable traits, she was genuinely kind-hearted.
Yan Yiming recalled that when she was trying to win over Jian Yuyan, Jian Yu'er had shown slight signs of turning dark, but in the end, her humanity prevailed, and it came to nothing. Now, she had even concealed Shao Jingyu's faults, swallowing the bitter pill alone.
Whether she liked him or not, she had sincerely written a letter and sent it over a great distance. But when she received a reply, it turned out to be a “breakup letter.” Jian Yu'er stared blankly at the words in Shao Jingyu's letter, which stated that his heart belonged to another. After a long while, she cried until her eyes were red, then burned the letter to ashes before anyone could discover it.
Jian Yu’er did not tell Chancellor Jian, fearing he would cause trouble for Shao Jingyu. Instead, she took the initiative to inform him that she no longer wished to marry Shao Jingyu. After a fierce argument between father and daughter, the Chancellor was so enraged that he nearly overturned the desk in his study.
Back then, Jian Yuyan had grown distant from him over a mere actress, and now his daughter was defying him as well. The Chancellor’s heart ached with fury.
The thought of Jian Yuyan only worsened his mood. According to the servants, Jian Yuyan had not returned home that day.
Ever since that actress left, Jian Yuyan had taken up residence in the house where she once lived. Unless there was an important matter, he seldom returned home. What the Chancellor found most unbearable, however, was that since then, Jian Yuyan had openly declared he had no intention of restoring their fallen kingdom.
He claimed the current emperor was benevolent and wise, the world was at peace, and even urged the Chancellor to let go of his stubbornness.
Stubborn? For the first time, the Chancellor slapped Jian Yuyan, furiously demanding how he could face their ancestors, who had been destroyed by the Nan clan. To his surprise, Jian Yuyan replied calmly and mockingly, “After I die, I will seek them out and apologize.”
It was precisely because he had upheld his duty to their ancestors that he had lost the one he loved most.
A daughter and a lowly actress, how could they have such an influence on Jian Yuyan? The Chancellor bitterly regretted not having executed that actress himself. After Jian Yuyan left, he let out a cold laugh.
Some things were not so easily abandoned just because one wished to. Jian Yuyan’s identity destined him to be unable to escape unscathed, the finale had been written from the moment he was born.
Jian Yuyan’s matter could wait. The most pressing issue now was Yu’er and Shao Jingyu. However, Shao Jingyu was currently at the peak of his fame. Countless noble families in the capital were eagerly awaiting his return, and even the emperor might consider marrying one of his princesses to him.
To understand why Yu’er had suddenly declared she no longer wished to marry Shao Jingyu, the Chancellor summoned all of Yu’er’s maids for questioning. It didn’t take long for him to piece together the story.
One of the maids mentioned that on the night Yu’er cried all night, she had received a letter from Shao Jingyu sent from the north. The maid didn’t know what the letter said, but after reading it, Yu’er burst into tears and eventually burned it completely.
The Chancellor immediately understood, Shao Jingyu must have done something to wrong Yu’er.
Although the Chancellor had considered many other suitors for Yu’er before Shao Jingyu rose to prominence, he now felt no guilt toward Shao Jingyu. Instead, he blamed him for breaking his daughter’s heart.
Shao Jingyu must have met someone else he fancied while stationed at the frontier, the Chancellor could think of no other explanation.
Sure enough, on the day Shao Jingyu returned to the capital, news spread that he had brought a woman back to the Shao residence.
That day, aside from the Shao family members, the niece of Madam Shao had also come to the residence specifically to welcome Shao Jingyu home. However, before she could exchange more than a few words with him, she was shut out.
The cousin indignantly reported that Shao Jingyu had personally carried the woman into his quarters, summoned a royal physician to treat her, and after briefly meeting his family, hurried back to check on her.
Shao Jingyu’s deputy general stated that she was Shao Jingyu’s betrothed.
After nearly two years away at war, Shao Jingyu had somehow managed to find himself a wife, and she was a woman with no family background, an orphan.
Before the Shao family could even attempt to conceal the matter, the talkative cousin had already spilled everything. Furious, Master Shao forbade that cousin from ever setting foot in the mansion again. He then turned to his now-grown son and pleaded earnestly,
“If you wish to take this girl as a concubine, that is acceptable, but you must wait until after you have formally married a wife...”
Before he could finish, Shao Jingyu spoke with utmost seriousness, “I brought her back because I intend to marry her as my wife.”
Master Shao choked on his tea, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Shao Jingyu. After a long pause, he declared firmly, “I do not agree.”
Without giving Shao Jingyu a chance to respond, he continued, “I heard from the imperial physician that the girl is severely injured. It is uncertain whether she will even wake up. To put it bluntly, even if she does awaken, there is no telling how long she will live. Moreover, her background is unknown. There are countless noble ladies in the capital who wish to marry into our family, how could they compare to a mere commoner?”
Shao Jingyu disliked the first part of his father’s words, but out of respect for his elder, he refrained from arguing. Instead, he simply responded to the latter part, “How could any of them compare to her?”
It took Master Shao a moment to grasp the meaning behind Shao Jingyu’s “them” and “her.” He was astonished, wondering what kind of spell this woman had cast on his son to bewitch him so.
Master Shao was the eldest son of Grand Tutor Shao, but he lacked his father’s steadiness and wisdom. Though mediocre in talent, he was born with a fiery temper.
Even though his son now held a higher official rank than him, in his eyes, Shao Jingyu was still just his son. The fact that his son was now defying him over a woman brought in from outside infuriated him. “The Shao family does not welcome women of unknown origins,” he roared. “I am not discussing this with you. In matters of marriage, parents' orders and matchmakers' words hold sway, you have no say in this!”
The phrase “unknown origins” instantly darkened Shao Jingyu’s expression. Suppressing his anger, he refrained from arguing with his father and turned to leave without another word.
Master Shao assumed his son had taken his words to heart. Little did he know that the very next day, Grand Tutor Shao summoned him and berated him, demanding to know what he had said to Shao Jingyu.
Since Master Shao refused to allow Yan Yiming to stay in the Shao mansion, Shao Jingyu was unwilling to endure such treatment. The emperor had personally bestowed a general’s residence upon him, so he immediately dispatched his personal guards to move his belongings there.
Upon hearing this, Madam Shao was greatly alarmed and at a loss for what to do. In desperation, she sent someone to fetch Grand Tutor Shao.
Coincidentally, the girl who had been unconscious since her arrival finally awoke. Shao Jingyu immediately halted his preparations and hurried to see her. Madam Shao followed closely behind and watched from a distance as her proud son knelt by the bedside, gently tucking the blankets around the girl. His tone was one of tenderness that no one had ever seen in him before.
After days of watching the drama unfold and growing tired of playing, Yan Yiming and Little A finally regained their senses. Slowly opening her eyes, Yan Yiming met Shao Jingyu’s tearful, overjoyed expression and asked, as if completely unaware of everything that had happened,
“Did we win?”
Shao Jingyu's expression stiffened abruptly, a flicker of panic flashing in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant as he smiled and said, “We won.”
“And General Chen?”
“General Chen... died for his country.”
Yan Yiming closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time. Shao Jingyu gently sat by the edge of the bed. “It's all in the past now. Let's not talk about the war, alright?”
“But if we don't talk about the war, what else is there to discuss?” Yan Yiming let out a bitter laugh. As she shifted slightly, she noticed the clothes she was wearing and the embroidered quilt covering her. Stunned, she murmured, “You know.” After a long pause, she finally asked him, “Then... where are we?”