Chapter 1302 - 1: Entering the Capital
This is the story of Marquis Dongxiang (Shen Junshan) and Mrs. Tang (An Yunchu).
This is the story of the Heir of Duke Chong (Shangguan Ji) establishing the Flying Tiger Army.
This is the story of the Emperor meeting Consort Yun.
This is...
This story must begin with the wrongful suffering at the Wenyuan Bo Mansion.
It was a sunny day.
The sky was azure, the clouds white as cotton.
Neither hot nor cold, it was a rare good weather.
The Shangqing Temple stood solemnly with picturesque surroundings.
A young lady knelt on a prayer mat, full of sincerity as she sought a divination.
This young lady was none other than An Yunchu, the eldest daughter of the Wenyuan Bo Mansion.
Beside her knelt a maid, head tilted as she watched her mistress shake the tube of sticks, curious about which divination stick might jump out.
Her mistress was seeking a family divination, but she wished her mistress would seek a marriage divination.
She wondered what kind of gentleman could win her mistress’s heart.
But the young lady wouldn’t ask.
Maid Cai Die looked distressed.
While shaking, a divination stick jumped out.
Yunchu quickly picked up the stick with a smile, but as soon as she turned it over, her smile froze.
It was a very bad omen.
Yunchu’s heart dropped from the clouds to the bottom of a valley.
The Shangqing Temple’s divination was known to be accurate. Early that morning, her mother’s eyelid twitched, prompting her to send the copied Buddhist Scripture to the Shangqing Temple. Upon arrival, seeing someone seeking divination made her want to seek one herself.
Who knew it would turn out to be a very bad omen?
After looking at the divination text, Yunchu placed the stick back into the tube and shook it vigorously, another stick jumped out.
This time, without turning it over, she saw it was the same stick she had just drawn.
Cai Die didn’t see it the first time, but saw it the second, declaring, "This divination can’t be accurate!"
"Back to the mansion," Yunchu exclaimed urgently.
Ever since drawing the bad omen, she felt uneasy, certain something had happened to her parents.
With her maid in tow, Yunchu hurried back, only to find a crowd gathered in front of the Wenyuan Bo Mansion.
As Yunchu approached, she heard the crowd discussing Uncle Wen Yuan’s treason and betrayal.
Yunchu’s face turned as white as paper.
She tried to go forward, but Cai Die clung tightly to her, "Miss, don’t be impulsive."
Yunchu was in a panic; her father was loyal to the court and could never commit treason!
This must be a mistake!
She needed to ask clearly!
Yunchu overheard that the Emperor had ordered the entire Wenyuan Bo Mansion household to be imprisoned.
Maid Cai Die, with sharp ears, heard someone say that except for the eldest daughter who wasn’t in the mansion, everyone else had been captured.
If she returned home, she’d be walking into a trap.
Cai Die used all her strength to pull Yunchu away from the crowd.
Both maid and mistress reached a secluded place and burst into tears.
Yunchu wanted to be with her parents; Cai Die wanted it even more.
But she was her mistress’s maid; for her mistress, she was willing to risk her life.
Yunchu didn’t know what to do; although smart, she had never been in such a situation.
The only thing she could do was hide, avoid being captured, and find out what had happened to the Wenyuan Bo Mansion and why the Emperor accused her father of treason.
Hidden from view, Yunchu watched helplessly as her parents, shackled, were taken to prison.
In the crowd, Uncle Wen Yuan immediately recognized the face of his daughter darkened with soot and motioned for her to hide.
Hide.
She must hide well.
Afraid to be seen by others, Cai Die pulled Yunchu far away.
Treason is punishable by the execution of nine generations; Yunchu, as Uncle Wen Yuan’s daughter, would not be spared by the court.
Before Yunchu could think of how to save her parents, news spread that Uncle Wen Yuan had committed suicide in prison.
Devastated, Yunchu fainted.
When she awoke, she found herself in a thatched hut, attended by an elderly woman.
She was wearing Cai Die’s dress, but Cai Die was nowhere to be found.
Yunchu questioned the elderly woman.
The elderly woman handed her a letter.
The court threatened her mother’s life, if she didn’t go to the government office and confess, her mother would be dead by this time next year.
Uncle Wen Yuan was dead; nobody cared about Madam Wen Yuan’s life.
Even if captured and taken to the Capital City, she couldn’t escape death.
Only she might live a few days longer.
Cai Die knew that Yunchu would surely inquire upon awakening, and that knowing the court threatened Madam’s life, Yunchu would inevitably show herself.
Cai Die knew she couldn’t stop her, so she secretly swapped their dresses and went to the government office to confess.
If she could deceive them, Miss Yunchu could live in hiding, continuing her life.
If not, at most she would be captured before Yunchu; it was no loss.
Fortunately, the Magistrate was a good person, having benefited from Uncle Wen Yuan; he knew Yunchu and recognized Cai Die as Yunchu’s maid.