Marriage to the Royal Prince's Uncle

C2. It's Not Good To Bully Others.

Chapter 2

Ganzhou, located more than three thousand miles away from the capital, was the location of Li Yong's third defeat and near capture. Due to the distance, the battle report would not reach Beijing for another four days, even if it was rushed eight hundred miles.

At Zhenghe Hall in Duke Ningguo's Mansion, Yunzhu walked along the veranda to the door where she saw her mother, Meng shi, sitting on the Taishi chair in the north. Meng shi was sitting with her left elbow on the table, her right hand covering her face and yawning.

Yunzhu smiled and asked her "Mom, didn't you sleep last night?"

Meng shi, wiping the corners of her sleep-filled eyes with a handkerchief, sighed and explained, "No, I had a dream that your father was defeated again, and I couldn't sleep after that."

The dream had felt so real that Meng shi was left restless and unable to sleep, worried about her husband who was far away in Ganzhou.

Looking at the two main seats on the north side, Yunzhu decided not to sit in the empty one and instead sat next to her mother, trying to comfort her by saying, "It is said that dreams are reversed. If mother dreamed that father was defeated, then father must have won."

Meng shi patted her daughter's hand and voiced her hope, "Your grandfather expressed his anxieties, suggesting leadership might not be your father's true calling. Regardless of victory or defeat, my deepest wish is for your father's safe return and a peaceful future within the capital's walls. I envisions a life of affluence and dignity, a Duke revered for his integrity, forever spared the perils of the battlefield."

Yunzhu's mind drifted back to a time when her father's spirit soared like a flame defying the wind. Now, she offered a wistful smile, "Perhaps Papa has a penchant for courting challenges, wouldn't you say?"

Meng shi let out a low rumble, a lament escaping her lips, "He throws himself into the lion's den, your grandfather warned. Serve the court, he said, or risk leading men to their demise."

Yunzhu's smile widened, a playful glint in her eyes, "Once upon a time, you scoffed at Grandfather's strictness towards Papa. Now, his words seem permanently etched on your tongue, wouldn't you agree?"

Meng's words hung heavy in the air, like the weight of unspoken truth. "Facts speak louder than words. Your father seeks not mere words, but deeds to validate the wisdom whispered through generations."

The maid brought breakfast for the mother and daughter. Yunzhu's elder brother, Li Yao, had gone to the imperial palace on errands before dawn, and her younger brother, Li Xian, worked as a companion to the Crown Prince in the East Palace and could only come home for a day once a month.

Sitting face to face at the dining table, Yunzhu asked her mother, " Would you dislike Papa now that he had lost the battle and was not as powerful as everyone thought?"

Meng shi, putting down her chopsticks, looked at her daughter and replied, "If I say I dislike you, will you go to your father to complain?"

"How can I?" Yunzhu assured her mother that she wouldn't, "Our bond transcends the typical mother-child relationship. We share a depth of understanding and connection that runs deeper than words can express."

To which Meng shi snorted and said, "You know how to talk sweet words."

A flicker of sadness crossed her eyes as she took a bite. "I saw something special in your father, a spark that had nothing to do with titles or victories. He might have stumbled this time, but that doesn't change the love and respect I have for him."

Yunzhu understood and jokingly said, "Papa must also know that my mother was fascinated by his male passion, as he had not grown a beard so far."

Meng shi shook her head and suggested they stop talking about him, as thinking about it was starting to worry her.