Union

Chapter 194 Return to the Capital
Wang Meiniang said she didn't want her son to bother Yunying, but after only a short while, she hurriedly sent her son off to find Yunying.

It was now completely dark, and Yunying and the others were preparing for their evening meal.

Although no one had much of an appetite, the journey was already arduous, and if they didn't eat properly, they would lose a lot of weight.

Chen Yanzhou took over all these trivial matters. He arranged for someone to deliver dinner upstairs and persuaded everyone to eat some.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yun Cheng came looking for him.

Yunying looked at her father and said, "Father, I'll go down and see him."

Gu Yuanxi was furious. "His father sold you so he could go to school, how dare he come looking for you?"

Yunying said, "It must be something important."

Gu Yuanxi muttered, "What important thing could he possibly have to do?"

Despite saying that, Gu Yuanxi ultimately didn't stop his sister from going downstairs.

He himself did not want to see the Xu family, fearing that he might beat them to death if he couldn't control himself, so he asked Chen Yanzhou to accompany Yunying downstairs.

Yunying went down the stairs and immediately saw Yuncheng standing at the top of the stairs.

Yuncheng's eyes were still swollen, and when he saw her coming, he hurriedly went to greet her.

But as soon as he took a step, he pulled his leg back.

"Ah, elder sister..."

"Why are you here?"

Yun Ying looked at Yun Cheng, and then at the package that Yun Cheng was holding tightly in his arms.

The package was a small bundle, and it was unclear what was inside. But judging from Yun Cheng's careful handling, the contents must be very valuable.

Yuncheng followed his sister's gaze and looked at the bundle in her arms.

He pushed the bundle out, saying, "My mother asked me to bring this to you."

Yunying didn't take it, but only asked him, "What's inside?"

Yun Cheng said in a hoarse voice, "It's the swaddling clothes you used when you were little... not the ones your mother made for you, but the ones your father wrapped around you when he brought you home."

Yunying's breath hitched, and after a moment, she slowly reached out and took the bundle.

It was a very light thing, but it felt incredibly heavy to her.

Yunying held her breath until she couldn't breathe anymore, then she took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for coming all this way."

Upon hearing the word "thank you," Yuncheng immediately burst into tears.

"Ah, sister, I'm so sorry. I understand that you don't want to talk to me or see me. Sister, go and live your life happily. I won't bother you anymore, and I won't let Father and Mother bother you either. Sister, I'm leaving now. You should go back and have your meal soon."

After saying these words, Yun Cheng ran out of the inn in a disheveled state and disappeared in no time.

Yunying stared intently until the curtain hanging above the inn fell down, completely blocking her view, and she still hadn't come to her senses.

Chen Yanzhou took her hand and wanted to take the package from her arms, but after thinking about it, he didn't take it. Instead, he pulled Yunying upstairs.

"Let's go back quickly, Uncle Shi and Yuanxi are definitely waiting for us."

"it is good."

The two went up to the second floor, and before Gu Wangchen and Gu Yuanxi could ask Yun Cheng why he had come, Yun Ying told them the reason for his visit.

Finally, she handed the package to Gu Wangchen, "Father, open it and see if it's the swaddling clothes Mother prepared for me."

Gu Wangchen silently accepted the package and then silently opened it.

Before everyone's eyes appeared a remarkably well-preserved swaddling cloth. The cloth was made of the finest silk, bright red in color, embroidered with auspicious intertwined floral patterns. It was in extremely good condition, as if it had only been washed once or twice.

This is indeed the case.

Because the swaddling clothes were clearly valuable and not something that would appear in an ordinary person's home, Wang Meiniang put the swaddling clothes away in just two days.

She originally intended to keep it as a keepsake for her daughter, but she never expected that Yunying would be sold by Xu Shaotian.

Even so, she carefully kept the swaddling clothes.

At this time, the swaddling clothes became a keepsake left to her by her daughter.

Now, she has returned this item that can prove Yunying's identity.

……

Gu Wangchen touched the patterns on the swaddling clothes, his eyes welling up with tears again.

He touched it carefully, but fearing that his rough hands might damage the swaddling clothes, he only stroked the stitches from a distance.

"It was your mother who prepared the swaddling clothes for you, and she made them herself."

The imperial physicians initially said that Huiyin was most likely carrying a daughter, but some doctors also said that it could be a son.

Huiyin has always loved children, and before a child is born, she would make a series of little clothes, swaddling clothes, shoes and socks for the child.

But that was her third pregnancy, and she had a difficult pregnancy and lacked energy. She managed to make two sets of clothes for the baby, but her body couldn't take it anymore.

She originally wanted to make one pink and one blue swaddle blanket. If it turned out to be a girl, she would use pink; if it was a boy, she would use blue. But she simply didn't have the energy, so in the end she chose to make a bright red one. That way, she could use it no matter whether the baby in her belly was a boy or a girl.

He watched his wife make this swaddling clothes stitch by stitch. He remembered it clearly and would never mistake it.

Gu Wangchen choked back tears and said, "These are things your mother prepared for you, He'er. You can keep them yourself."

Yunying nodded and solemnly took the swaddling clothes.

The presence of swaddling clothes further corroborated her origins. Now, with both witnesses and physical evidence, her origins could no longer be mistaken, and Yunying was completely relieved.

After the meal, everyone prepared to return to their rooms to rest.

At this moment, Gu Wangchen spoke again, "Go to bed early tonight and get up early tomorrow. We're going back to the capital."

None of them had any objections, and they all nodded and agreed.

But once he left Gu Wangchen's room, Gu Yuanxi started acting like a jerk again.

He patted Chen Yanzhou on the shoulder. "Are you coming back with us? Aren't you going to help your uncle find someone or deliver something to them? You stay here, we'll go back to the capital first."

Chen Yanzhou didn't even raise an eyelid. "My dad said that since that person hasn't been in contact for a long time, it's okay if I don't want to look for him."

Gu Yuanxi: "...Uncle, you've really gone to great lengths for your sake."

Chen Yanzhou said, "Who told him to be my father?"

Gu Yuanxi: "..."

……

That night, Yunying slept very soundly. In her dream, it seemed as if someone was singing a lullaby by her bedside, gently patting her, and coaxing her to sleep.

That feeling was very reassuring, and Yunying gradually fell asleep. When she woke up, the corners of her lips were still turned up.

She was in a good mood, while her father, Gu Wangchen, had not slept all night and looked very tired and haggard.

Seeing this, Yunying felt heartbroken and couldn't help but say to her father, "Father, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Mother is watching from heaven, and she hopes you will take good care of yourself. You can't continue to neglect your health, or I will be angry too." Gu Wangchen naturally replied, "I won't again," and joked, "Even if it's just to spend a few more years with you, Father has to take good care of his health... Your mother and I haven't fulfilled our parental duties all these years, so I have to do better in the future, otherwise I won't be able to face your mother when we get down there."

……

After having breakfast, we packed up and set off.

This time, we went directly back to the capital. Since the destination was clear, the carriage traveled at a relatively fast pace.

They quickly exited the city gate and soon arrived at the post road.

But the carriage stopped shortly after it entered the post road.

Yunying lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. "Father, why are we stopping?"

Gu Wangchen looked back at the faintly visible hem of a garment peeking out from behind the large willow tree not far away. "Father, see if we've taken the wrong path."

Yunying was speechless for a moment. "Father, you've been leading troops in battle for so many years. If you can't even recognize the way, how did you, as a great general, win battles? Did you rely on getting lost and launching a surprise attack?"

Gu Wangchen laughed heartily, "This girl has a sharp tongue."

Gu Yuanxi seized the opportunity to complain, "My sister is not only sharp-tongued, but also has sharp feet. I just said that she had a good appetite in the morning, and she stepped on my foot. Dad, look, there's still a footprint on my shoe."

Gu Wangchen glanced at him sideways. "What mark? Where is it? I didn't see it. If you complain about your sister again, you'll be kneeling in the ancestral hall when you get home."

Gu Yuanxi wailed, "This is absolutely outrageous!"

The carriage started moving again. Gu Yuanxi and Chen Yanzhou glanced at the person still hiding behind the willow tree, as if they hadn't noticed anything, and quickly looked away.

The group quickly disappeared into the distance. Only when the sound of their horses' hooves and cart wheels could no longer be heard did Xu Yuncheng, who had been hiding behind the large willow tree, emerge from behind it.

It had been quite a while, but he was still panting heavily, and the beads of sweat on his forehead had not yet dried.

He watched his sister disappear into the distance, standing there staring blankly for a long, long time. Only when the sun was high in the sky, stinging his eyes, did Xu Yuncheng clench his fists, turn around, and head home.

……

They left Beijing with heavy hearts, but returned with a sense of relief.

With favorable weather conditions—temperatures rose further and there was no rain—the group successfully returned to Beijing from Lingshui County four days later.

The capital city is bustling and lively, filled with the sounds of people.

The capital city is a good place.

Throughout the land, whether they are poor commoners, wealthy merchants, or officials sent to distant places, no one does not wish to come to the emperor's feet and accomplish great things.

The carriage passed through the bustling city and the throngs of pedestrians, and slowly came to a stop in front of the Duke of Xuan's mansion.

Yunying helped her father out of the carriage, and at that moment, someone came out to greet them. Upon closer inspection, it was Gu Yuanming, who had just returned from the yamen.

Gu Yuanming breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his father and siblings were safe and sound.

But remembering the purpose of their trip, Gu Yuanming's heart, which had just been at ease, was now filled with anxiety again.

He subtly glanced at their expressions. His father remained enigmatic, his thoughts unreadable. His second brother was still unreliable, constantly complaining that he was exhausted and that his sister would treat him well later.

His sister's reaction was quite interesting. She glared at him while yelling at him, "Did I tell you to come out of Beijing with me? You were the one who insisted on coming along, you know?"

The two started arguing right at the gate.

It was clearly an unseemly scene, yet it made Gu Yuanming feel as if he had drunk ginseng soup on a cold day, making his whole body feel warm and cozy.

Steady!

His sister has really been found.

Gu Yuanming laughed and stopped the two from arguing, "Stop arguing, Grandmother is waiting at home, go see her quickly."

After saying these words, he noticed that there was a living person standing next to him. Who else could it be but Chen Yanzhou?
Gu Yuanming's cheerful mood instantly soured.

what happened?
Did Chen Yanzhou leave Beijing with his father, or did they meet on their return?

Why didn't my father mention it at all in his letter?

But now is not the time to talk about this.

Gu Yuanming nodded and greeted Chen Yanzhou, "Yanzhou, is there something you need to see Yuanxi about?"

Gu Yuanxi shouted, "If he doesn't come looking for me, why would he come looking for me? We both hate each other."

Chen Yanzhou ignored Gu Yuanxi's sarcastic remarks.

He looked at his uncle, then at Gu Yuanming, and finally at Yun Ying.

Yun Ying hesitated, but Chen Yanzhou knew her well enough to understand her predicament.

He hadn't spoken much to Yunying along the way, and if he let her go now, he didn't know when they would meet again. But if he didn't let her go, her father and brothers weren't just figureheads.

Chen Yanzhou sighed inwardly and, understandingly, offered to take his leave.

No one tried to stop him. After exchanging a few polite words with Gu Wangchen, Chen Yanzhou bowed and took his leave, disappearing from everyone's sight.

After seeing Chen Yanzhou off, the group headed towards the mansion.

As Gu Wangchen walked, he said to Yunying, "Before we left the capital, your grandmother was tidying up your courtyard. I don't know if it's finished yet. If it's not, you can stay at your grandmother's for a couple more days."

Yunying naturally had no objection and nodded in agreement.

Her yard has been there for a long time.

However, it has been neglected over the years and appears somewhat desolate.

Since she returned to the mansion, her grandmother and sister-in-law have put the renovation of the courtyard on their agenda.

But tidying up such a large courtyard to her liking is not something that can be done in a short time—mainly because her identity had not been confirmed beforehand, she was too embarrassed to offer too many opinions, which greatly delayed the progress.

But things are different now. Now that it has been proven that she is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Xuan's mansion, she can naturally offer suggestions for the renovation of the courtyard in a dignified and open manner.

While Yunying was talking to Gu Wangchen, Gu Yuanming and Gu Yuanxi lagged behind a few steps and whispered about Chen Yanzhou.

When Gu Yuanming learned that Chen Yanzhou had followed his father and the others out of the capital, his brows furrowed deeply.

"You know perfectly well what Chen Yanzhou thinks of his sister..."

“What good is it if I know? He’s so shameless. Do you think he’ll stop following us just because we tell him not to? Rather than letting him stalk us and making my sister worry about his safety, it’s better to let him stay with us.”

Gu Yuanming's brow furrowed even more with annoyance. "He's just being a scoundrel."

"How could I not know? But even if I did, there was nothing I could do. He's my uncle's son, after all, and I can't afford to break ties with him, so I can only let him come along."

Gu Yuanming: "In short, I do not agree to this marriage."

Gu Yuanxi quickly stated, "I disagree too. My sister has just been found and is going to stay at home as a lady-in-waiting for a few more years. What kind of man would she marry? There aren't many good men out there."

Gu Yuanming: "..."

Seeing his father and sister enter his grandmother's courtyard, Gu Yuanming quickly pulled his second brother to follow.

Seeing that his second brother was about to continue his rambling, Gu Yuanming quickly stopped him, "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

(End of this chapter)