Volume 1, Chapter 7: The Soldiers of the Three Armies Are All Her Support

The Su family arrived in a rage, and they left in a rage.

Yun Jinhua clasped her hands in a salute. "Many thanks to you, my lord, for upholding justice."

"General Fu Yuan, do not bring up your military achievements when you appear before the Emperor. Speak only of your grievances: complain that the Su family set aside their legitimate wife to take another, pampered a concubine while persecuting the wife, and bullied an orphaned daughter. You may find it difficult to obtain a formal divorce, but you will not lose out if you seek a separation; this way, you can preserve your reputation and protect your assets. Whatever you do, do not provoke the Emperor, lest those with ulterior motives accuse you of being arrogant due to your past favors." Lin Sen pondered for a long time before offering this advice.

"Thank you for your reminder, my lord. Farewell." Yun Jinhua felt a glimmer of warmth toward this stern and serious Magistrate of the Capital.

Lin Sen watched her free-spirited figure depart, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. Her mother had been the "hottest pepper" in the capital back in the day; the daughter was truly her mother's child. This little girl’s temperament was even more unyielding than Lan Yuyao’s!

"My lord, you are not only an upright official but also take such good care of the descendants of loyal subjects. Some people previously slandered you, claiming you were at odds with the General of the State; that was clearly a baseless fabrication." The secretary also held the actions of the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate in utter contempt.

"That was not slander! I am at daggers drawn with Yun Ting!" Lin Sen roared angrily. He flicked his sleeves and returned to his inner quarters with a darkened face. It was just that... well, it was better left unsaid.

The entire alley leading to the General of the State’s mansion was swept clean. Colorful lanterns hung high before the gate, casting a soft, dim light through the crevices of the doors. It was not particularly bright, yet it felt gentle, providing an inexplicable sense of peace.

"Young Miss, we are home." Qingdai ran up the steps and knocked firmly on the door knocker.

A soft smile bloomed in Yun Jinhua’s eyes. Home—is it not the place that keeps a light burning for you, no matter what time you return?

Hearing that their young mistress had returned, the servants of the Yun household swarmed out, eagerly expressing their longing for their young master. Upon hearing the reason for their return, they cursed the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate for their shamelessness, praying only that the Emperor would grant their mistress justice.

Three days later, Yun Jinhua appeared before the Emperor.

"General Yun, you have labored greatly over these past three years. I will distribute rewards among the officers and soldiers based on their merits, and I shall bestow upon you fertile fields, gold, and silver, allowing you to lay down your armor and rest," Emperor Xuanping said, following the customary practice of rewarding meritorious officials.

The father and son of the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate exchanged a smile: just as expected, the Emperor intended to reclaim Yun Jinhua’s military authority. Now that she had lost her leverage, would she not be at the mercy of the Su family?

"I thank Your Majesty," Yun Jinhua said, her breath catching. Had she lost her status as a "subject" so quickly? *You protect the peace of the world, and I shall protect your tranquility.* This promise, it seemed, required her to withdraw from the court after the war.

"My loyal subject, do you have any other requests?" the Emperor asked with a smile.

"Yun Jinhua wishes to divorce my husband; I beg Your Majesty’s grace to grant it."

The words struck like a thunderbolt, and the civil and military officials looked at one another in shock.

"Bang!" As if something had shattered within his heart, a strange light flickered in the eyes of Emperor Xuanping, Xiao Jin'an.

"Your Majesty, this is contrary to all reason! Since ancient times, only men have had the right to divorce their wives; there has never been a case of a wife divorcing her husband. Yun Jinhua relies on her military merits to act recklessly. Our Naling cannot set such a precedent. If this happens, the ancestral rites will be disrupted, music and morality will collapse, and the world will fall into chaos!" Grand Tutor Li Chang rejected the idea outright, his beard quivering with rage.

"Grand Tutor, the Su family set aside their legitimate wife to take another, pampered a concubine while persecuting me, and bullied me because I am alone. They used the pretext of a separation to conduct a divorce, all to seize my dowry. The Marquis of Pingyang’s estate has bullied, humiliated, and schemed against me. May I ask, if your own daughter were to encounter such a family, how would you respond?" Yun Jinhua laid bare all the shameful deeds of the Su family, not forgetting to ask the Grand Tutor for his counsel.

"Yun Jinhua, it is clearly you who are jealous, unfilial, and selfish! You have slandered my Marquis of Pingyang’s estate for acting improperly. My taking a concubine was to continue the Su family line, and it was done with the permission of the family elders, not without notice. Lingxuan only thought the assets belonged to the Su family and took a portion for household expenses, yet you accused her of theft. I tried to reason with you, but you wounded me, defied your parents-in-law, and frightened your grandmother into a faint. A woman with such a venomous heart and narrow mind is someone my household cannot tolerate. It is the Su family who wishes to divorce you!" Su Ziwen hurriedly defended himself.

"So that is how the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate behaves. They shouldn't have schemed against their daughter-in-law’s dowry, no matter what."

"No wonder the Yun girl wants to break with the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate. No one could swallow such an insult!"

"One cannot blame Young Master Su. What man could endure three years of a lonely bed? Taking a noble concubine is hardly a great sin."

"What is the big deal? Is this worth bringing before the Emperor? The Su family is willing to keep Yun Jinhua as the legitimate wife, which is already giving her face."

The civil and military officials in the grand hall buzzed with discussion; some sympathized with Yun Jinhua, while others blamed her for not knowing her place.

No one noticed that on the dragon throne, the handsome and gentle face of the man was clouded with gloom, his deep, ink-like eyes narrowed in a dangerous gaze. Because of Yun Jinhua, he had given the Su family father and son the opportunity to serve in his court, and this was how they treated a meritorious subject of Naling?

Grand Tutor Li was also disgusted by the Su family’s conduct, but he still lectured her: "A subject serves the ruler, a child serves the father, a wife serves the husband. If these three are in harmony, the world is governed; if they are in opposition, the world is in chaos. This is the constant way of the world. Yun Jinhua, you should reflect upon yourself..."

"Reflect on your grandmother’s leg! The Yun family has been loyal and brave for generations. Yun Jinhua fought through blood and fire, killing enemies with all her might to win peace for the border, yet she cannot even protect her own home and property? And you want her to act like a submissive little woman to please that heartless Marquis of Pingyang’s estate? Oh, on the battlefield, you treat her like a man, but now you want her to observe the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? Are you reading the books of sages? Your head is clearly filled with nothing but filth, it reeks!" Assistant General Zhang Meng was so angry he cursed on the spot.

If the Grand Tutor would not speak like a human, and the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate would not act like humans, was this not just bullying a young girl who had no one to rely on? The troops who fought alongside Yun Jinhua were her support!

"You..." Grand Tutor Li was scolded into a state of fury, unable to speak. He was not defending the Marquis of Pingyang’s estate, but the ancestral regulations and the culture of ritual and music.

"Your Majesty, Assistant General Zhang has shown disrespect before the throne. I request that Your Majesty punish him severely," Grand Tutor Li said, bowing. He could not engage in a shouting match with Zhang Meng; firstly, he could not bring himself to use such crude language, and secondly, he would not lower his own status.

"Grand Tutor, Assistant General Zhang comes from the ranks and is a coarse man. I shall not hold it against him," Emperor Xiao Jin'an said, waving his hand magnanimously. He suddenly realized that this fierce-looking, boorish general was actually quite pleasing to the eye.

Grand Tutor Li looked up in astonishment. As the Emperor’s teacher, the Emperor had always been respectful toward him. Why this change of attitude today? Was it because the borders had just been pacified, and he could not afford to hurt the soldiers' hearts? Or was it because of that girl from the Yun family?