Wei Yun remained kneeling, his head bowed, not daring to look up.
Chu Yu stood before the coffins, her hand resting on the black lacquered surface, silent.
Although Wei Yun hadn’t specified which coffin belonged to whom, the placement of coffins followed certain etiquette rules. Wei Zhong, as the Marquis Zhen Guo, naturally stood alone in the first row, while Wei Yun, as the heir, was behind Wei Zhong’s coffin on the left side.
In the distance, muffled cries could be heard from the long street. Chu Yu’s hand trembled slightly. She was about to say something when a heart-wrenching cry rang out: “Sixth Young Master!”
Suddenly, Wang Lan could no longer contain herself. She lifted her skirts and rushed down the steps towards the last row of coffins.
Still pregnant, her maids were startled and hurried to support her, but Wang Lan ran too quickly. She threw herself onto the coffin and began to wail uncontrollably.
This cry seemed to break some kind of taboo. Everyone else could no longer suppress their emotions. Some whimpered softly, others wailed loudly. In an instant, the entire Wei Manor, inside and out, was filled with the sound of weeping.
Jiang Chun had already cried her share, even died once in her heart, so at this moment, she managed to remain composed. With reddened eyes, she approached Chu Yu and said hoarsely, “Young Madam, the Seventh Young Master is still kneeling.”
Chu Yu suddenly came back to her senses. She turned around and hurried to help Wei Yun up. “Seventh Young Master, please rise.”
However, Wei Yun didn’t move. Chu Yu was slightly taken aback and softly called, “Seventh Young Master?”
Wei Yun didn’t speak. His other leg also knelt, changing from a single-knee kneel to both knees on the ground.
Chu Yu was stunned as she watched the young man kneel before her and slowly kowtow.
“Sister-in-law,” his voice was hoarse, “Little Seven has failed to keep his promise. I couldn’t bring Big Brother back.”
When he left, he had said that if even a single hair on Wei Jun’s head was harmed, he would offer his head in return.
Yet now he was still alive, but what he brought back were coffins for the entire family.
His body trembled slightly, and finally, like the young man he was, he spoke with a suppressed voice, “Sister-in-law… I’m sorry…”
Before he could finish, he felt a hand on his head.
Though the hand was slender, it was exceptionally warm. He heard Chu Yu’s gentle voice: “It’s alright. I’m very happy that Little Seven has returned safely.”
Wei Yun looked up blankly, seeing the woman’s teary gaze. That gaze was both resilient and gentle, carrying a strength that could support one’s heart. Amidst the wailing, it seemed out of place, yet extraordinarily clear.
Wei Yun looked at her and saw her suddenly stand up, smiling at him, “Stand up. You’ve returned from a thousand-mile journey. Let’s cross the fire basin first.”
With that, she called for people to bring the fire basin and helped Wei Yun stand up.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from afar. Wei Yun and Chu Yu looked up simultaneously to see more than a dozen people in the official robes of the Da Li Temple stopping their horses in front of the Wei Manor.
Wei Yun clenched his fists. Everyone around was startled. The maids supporting Wang Lan quickly moved aside, and the young madams who had been weeping over the coffins also hastily stepped back.
The leader, who looked no more than thirty, sat on his horse, coldly looking at Wei Yun. Holding up an imperial edict, he announced, “By imperial decree, the Da Li Temple is here to arrest the criminal Wei Yun.” Then he waved his hand and ordered, “Seize him!”
As soon as the words fell, the people from the Da Li Temple surged forward.
Wei Qiu, leading the guards, suddenly stepped forward, drawing his sword to face the surrounding soldiers. He angrily shouted, “Cao Yan, what nonsense are you spouting!”
Looking at the coffins standing there, Wei Qiu’s hand holding the sword trembled slightly. “Our entire Wei family has died loyally for the country. How can there be any reason to arrest this last young master and throw him in prison?! Don’t you dare go too far!”
Cao Yan was the youngest son of the Cao family. Years ago, the Cao family had sent their eldest son to the battlefield under Wei’s army, but he was beaten to death for not following military discipline. Now that the Wei family had fallen, Cao Yan, from his position in the Da Li Temple, immediately took on the task of arresting Wei Yun.
The grudge between the Cao and Wei families was known throughout the court. With Cao Yan here now, everyone naturally thought he was deliberately making things difficult.
Hearing Wei Qiu’s words, Cao Yan coldly smiled, “Who do you think you are? This is the Emperor’s handwritten imperial edict! Your Wei family, in your greed for merit and victory, caused the deaths of 70,000 elite soldiers of our Great Chu in Baidi Valley. Did you think this matter would be over just because people died? Wei Yun,” Cao Yan raised his voice, “If you know what’s good for you, don’t struggle. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Wei Yun didn’t speak. He looked up at Chu Yu.
Amidst everyone’s panic, this person had maintained a calm and composed demeanor. When he looked at her, she simply said, “Step over this fire basin to ward off bad luck, then you can enter the house.”
“Sister-in-law…” he said dryly, but Chu Yu grasped his wrist and pulled him across the fire basin.
Then she took some mugwort and gently patted it on his body.
Everyone fell silent, watching as Chu Yu acted as if nothing had happened, simply welcoming home a traveling son. She lightly sprinkled mugwort water on Wei Yun’s head, then took a wine cup from the side and handed it to Wei Yun.
“Although you couldn’t return in triumph, I had prepared this celebratory wine when you left. Now that you’re back, you should drink it.”
Chu Yu held the wine cup with both hands, her voice gentle.
Cao Yan frowned and shouted angrily, “Wei Yun!”
Wei Yun ignored him, looking at the woman holding the wine before him.
He had thought that upon returning home, he would face devastation, a house full of wailing and that he alone would have to support himself and carry the Wei family forward.
But unexpectedly, he could still, like before, cross the fire basin before entering, ward off bad luck, and even drink a cup of celebratory wine as if his father and brothers were still here.
In his youth, his father and brothers hadn’t allowed him to drink. Now, if he didn’t drink, there would be no one left to drink this wine.
He took the cup and gulped it down.
Cao Yan finally lost patience and shouted, “Wei Yun, are you defying the imperial edict? South City Army, are you just standing there planning to shelter the Wei family?!”
Hearing Cao Yan’s words, the South City Army, who had been silent on the sidelines, could no longer pretend to be deaf and blind. The leader took a deep breath, extended his hand towards Wei Yun, and respectfully made a gesture of invitation, saying, “Seventh Young Master, please don’t make this difficult for us.”
Wei Yun looked at him, then at Chu Yu, and finally nodded.
He extended his hands, allowing them to put shackles on him.
The shackles weighing several dozen catties were put on him, yet he still stood straight. Cao Yan had people bring over a prisoner transport cart and coldly said to Wei Yun, “Seventh Young Master, shall we go?”
Wei Yun didn’t speak. He turned back to look at the Wei Manor’s plaque, his gaze falling on Chu Yu.
“The Wei family… I leave in your care, Sister-in-law.”