5 – First Meeting with Su Jingyuan
Inside the tent, Yun Canglan, having just bathed, changed into a deep purple robe and tied up his dark hair with a jade crown. He stood before a table studying the map of Da Yu, his brows tightly furrowed.
The Northern Qiang army had advanced deep into Da Yu’s heartland—a situation unseen in a century…
“Imperial Brother!” A lively voice accompanied by light footsteps entered the tent.
Yun Canglan’s furrowed brows relaxed considerably, though he remarked:
“Why have you come, Rong’er? I thought you no longer acknowledged me as your brother.”
“Imperial Brother, those angry words from our argument shouldn’t be taken seriously.”
Yun Chaorong removed her veil hat and offered an awkward smile. Though she hadn’t been the one arguing with Yun Canglan, according to Yingxia’s account, the two had quarreled fiercely.
Moreover, Xie Nanzhu had been mentioned during their argument. Yun Canglan had remarked that Xie Nanzhu’s eagerness for victory had led him into a trap, resulting in his capture—a grave military blunder.
The original host had retorted sharply: “Eldest Imperial Brother has never fought on the battlefield, so it’s easy to talk strategy on paper.”
This struck a nerve with Yun Canglan, and the siblings had erupted into a heated quarrel.
Yun Chaorong thought to herself: …If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have transmigrated into this sixteen-year-old fool!
“Imperial Brother, I’ve already told Father that I no longer wish to pursue the marriage alliance. I was immature before, unable to see things clearly and acting recklessly.”
Only then did Yun Canglan drop his formal demeanor, patting Yun Chaorong’s head gently. “It’s good that you’ve come to your senses.”
After chatting for a while, as Yun Chaorong was about to leave, she reminded him:
“Imperial Brother, bring up leading troops into battle with Father again in a couple of days.”
At the mention of this, Yun Canglan’s previously relaxed expression turned serious. “Father likely won’t agree.”
He had already broached the subject twice with the emperor, only to be cut off and rejected each time before he could finish.
“I visited Father today. In two days, he might soften his stance—you’ll see then. However, Imperial Brother should consider which general to bring along. Father definitely won’t allow you to lead the army alone.”
Yun Chaorong’s eyes were filled with concern. She genuinely hoped Yun Canglan would have the chance to realize his ambitions on the battlefield.
In the original story, Yun Canglan never had the opportunity to earn military merits or establish authority among the troops. Later, when Xie Nanzhu supported the fourth prince in rebellion, they swept through everything in their path.
Yun Canglan was appointed in a crisis to lead the Northwest Army and Southwest Army to suppress the rebellion. Unfortunately, he had never fought alongside the soldiers of these two armies, and their loyalty was swayed by Xie Nanzhu’s faction, ultimately leading to a mutiny.
Yun Canglan resisted desperately, drenched in blood, refusing to surrender even unto death. The rebels trampled over his corpse to storm the palace, severed his head, hung it on a spear, and trampled his body into the mud.
The original host, amidst the chaos, witnessed her brother’s bloody head, overwhelmed with grief and terror, her hair turning white overnight…
But now, Yun Canglan stood alive before her. There was still time.
“Alright, I understand,” Yun Canglan said, lightly flicking Yun Chaorong’s forehead. “You’re frail—don’t overexert yourself.”
“Why flick my forehead so hard!” Yun Chaorong rubbed her forehead, her melancholic mood seemingly flicked away.
Yun Canglan guiltily withdrew his finger, worried his sister might throw another tantrum, and quickly changed the subject:
“I recently acquired a piece of fine jadeite. I’ll have it made into a bracelet and sent to you tomorrow.”
Yun Chaorong smiled. “Make it into a hair crown instead. I can use it to tie my hair when riding.”
Yun Canglan replied, “You’re frail and don’t ride often.”
Yun Chaorong: “…I’ll learn how to do it later!”
Before leaving, Yun Chaorong even sketched out the general design.
The two of them talked for a long time without realizing it. By the time Yun Chaorong left the military camp, the sun was setting.
On the way back, Yun Chaorong sat in the carriage, eating pastries while pondering the matter of military provisions.
Although the war with the Northern Qiang wouldn’t drag on much longer, the national treasury’s provisions were being depleted day by day. As a result, once the war ended, the treasury would inevitably be empty.
She had to figure out a way to make the seasoned officials in the capital cough up some silver.
Lost in thought, Yun Chaorong didn’t notice the sudden commotion outside.
The carriage came to an abrupt halt, and she tumbled off the seat with a thud, landing squarely on her bottom.
“Princess!”
Michun and Yingxia had also stumbled, but they quickly got up to help Yun Chaorong.
Michun, adopting the authoritative demeanor of the princess’s chief maid, asked sternly, “What happened? Why the panic?”
Xiao Fengzi, the driver, immediately replied, “Sister Michun, the horse of the carriage ahead seems to have been spooked.”
Yun Chaorong rubbed her bottom and lifted a corner of the gauze curtain to look outside.
Sure enough, she saw a dense crowd gathered on both sides of the road, their expressions clearly saying, “I’m scared, but I still want to watch the commotion.”
In the middle of the road was a somewhat worn carriage. The horse had lost control, throwing the driver to the ground.
“Neigh—” The horse whinnied and suddenly bolted, dragging the carriage along in a chaotic jolt.
The driver, sprawled on the ground, shouted, “My family’s Second Young Master is still inside! Second Young Master! Young Master…”
Yun Chaorong whispered something to Michun, who then ordered two imperial guards skilled in horsemanship to give chase.
The imperial guards were no pushovers. They galloped after the carriage, decisively drew their swords to cut the reins, and intercepted the carriage. Afterward, they re-harnessed the horse and led the carriage back.
“Princess, the person has been rescued. We asked the driver earlier—this is the Second Young Master of the Duke of Yu’s residence.”
The Duke of Yu’s residence?
Yun Chaorong’s eyebrows twitched at the mention.
She had some impression of the Duke of Yu’s residence, and for no other reason than she thought their family was truly unlucky.
The old Duke of Yu, Su Haoqi, died of illness in his forties. His eldest son, Su Mingyuan, inherited the title but died of illness a few years later, and the old duchess soon followed her son to the grave. Then, the second son, Su Jingyuan, inherited the title, but he also died of illness after a couple of years!
The family was already sparse in numbers, and with everyone dead and no heirs left, the title had no one to inherit.
Families in the capital used this as a cautionary tale for their younger generations, emphasizing the importance of expanding the family line early. Otherwise, ancestral property would have no one to inherit.
Don’t believe it? Look at the Duke of Yu’s residence. Now you believe it.
Even Yun Chaorong, when she read the book back then, sighed at how fragile this family’s fate was.
“How is Second Young Master Su?”
“Your Highness, Second Young Master Su is unconscious and doesn’t seem to be in good condition.”
Yun Chaorong: …No way, he couldn’t have died on the spot, could he?
“I’ll go see him myself.”
She ordered the carriage to be moved to a less crowded spot, intending to see the Second Young Master of the fragile family with her own eyes.
This Su Jingyuan had little role in the original plot, described only with the dry phrase “sickly beauty.”
His only appearance in the story was at Xie Nanzhu and Yun Jingshan’s wedding, where he sneered, “What a fortunate life General Xie has, climbing to wealth through Princess Rongyang and now marrying a princess.”
This single sentence left Xie Nanzhu’s face stiff with anger, and it also gave Yun Chaorong, who was reading the book at the time, a great deal of satisfaction.
For this reason alone, she couldn’t let Su Jingyuan die here today. With a personality like his, he deserved to live at least a few more episodes and continue to provoke Xie Nanzhu.
Yun Chaorong stepped out of the carriage.
The setting sun had disappeared behind the buildings.
The twilight was deep, and Yun Chaorong felt somewhat languid.
She walked up to the carriage of the Duke of Yu’s residence, had someone lift the curtain, and peered inside curiously.
Through her veil hat, she glanced once.
Just one glance.
She forgot her weariness and drowsiness.
She forgot the deep twilight.
She forgot the clamor of carriages and horses.
All she saw was a person inside the carriage, as beautiful as a celestial being descended to earth.
The celestial figure was dressed in white.
There was blood on his white clothes, and blood at the corner of his mouth as well.
Like plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
From his robes, they bloomed all the way into her heart.