Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 454 Su Yun's Past in Meishan!

Chen Zhiyi's throat bobbed, his gaze sweeping in terror across the twilight outside the ancestral hall. He lowered his voice and almost shouted, "Naturally, it is the most virtuous man of the Su family of Meishan. He... he led 50,000 iron cavalry to take Jianmen Pass!"

Before the words were even finished, the Su clan members in front of the ancestral hall erupted in chaos.

Su He staggered back half a step, his forehead scalded with cold sweat. He suddenly remembered the boy who had single-handedly supported his family when he was young—was he really going to conquer the world?
Su Chun's cane slammed against the bluestone slab with a thud. Shock flashed in his cloudy eyes, then his expression darkened: "The Jianmen Pass is an impregnable fortress... How did he manage that?"

"Who knows!" Chen Zhiyi almost cried, shuffling his official boots on the ground. "The official document instructed the county to prepare for conscription and the collection of provisions, and then mentioned the news of the fall of Jianmen Pass!"
Now that the gateway to Sichuan is open, if he were to march south, the first place he would crush would be our Meishan County!

He suddenly grabbed Su Chun's sleeve, his fingernails almost digging into the old man's flesh. "Clan Chief Su, you are his great-uncle!"

When he left home, you even stuffed some dry food into his bundle! You have to plead for him, say that Chen is blind and has been misled by greed…”

Su Chun abruptly shook off his hand, slamming his cane heavily on the ground: "Magistrate Chen must have made a mistake." He stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over the astonished clansmen in the room. "Su Yun started doing business on his own at the age of thirteen. At fifteen, he injured a tax collector for refusing to pay exorbitant taxes and was wanted by the government. There has been no news of him since."

Whether he becomes a prime minister or a rebel is none of our business with the Su family of Meishan, and Magistrate Chen need not say more.”

"This...this..." Chen Zhiyi was speechless, then suddenly realized what was going on, and quickly said, "Yes, yes, you naturally have nothing to do with Su Yun, hahaha, good, good, it seems that I have misunderstood you."

"Very well, your Su family truly lives up to the reputation of being loyal and virtuous members of the Song Dynasty. All the shops and land deeds confiscated before have been returned. Furthermore… it would be inappropriate not to reward such a loyal and virtuous family. Therefore, on behalf of the county, I will donate a thousand acres of fertile land to you as clan land to encourage the youth of your clan to study. Hahaha! It's settled then. I won't disturb you any longer, everyone. Goodbye!"

Seeing Magistrate Chen's hasty attempt to get into the car, all the members of the Su clan present fell silent.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the ancestral hall.

"Chief Su! His Majesty has ordered me to deliver a message—Jianmen Pass has been captured. The people of Sichuan have long suffered under oppressive rule. The general has ordered us to first take Meizhou and then empty the treasury!"

Several knights galloped in, and the one at the head shouted loudly.

Chen Zhiyi fell off the carriage with a thud, his official hat rolling to his feet, revealing his bald head.

Su Chun stepped forward and quickly cupped his hands in greeting, asking, "Is your Emperor... Su Yun?"

"Indeed! His Majesty instructed us to first appease the Su clan members in order to avoid making things difficult for the officials. Oh, right, Young Master Su Guo has already met His Majesty."

Su He suddenly looked up at Su Chun.

Tears welled in the old man's eyes, but then froze. "Lord Chen," his voice suddenly became calm, "three days ago you smashed my ancestral hall, seized my property, and even tried to kill my grandson."

Now my nephew's army is at the city gates, what do you suggest we do?

Chen Zhiyi scrambled to grab Su Chun's leg, his forehead pounding against the bluestone pavement with a thud: "Clan Chief Su, spare my life! I was blind and looked down on people!"
"If you would put in a good word for me with Mr. Su, I, Chen, am willing to hand over the county government seal with both hands, and also hand over the treasury silver I have embezzled over the years..."

“No need.” Su Chun interrupted him, his gaze falling on the burnt fragments of the family genealogy in the ancestral hall. “The Su family has lived here for generations and has never been enemies of the government. But we will not tolerate the oppression of corrupt officials.”

He turned to the messenger, "Please inform your Majesty that the Su family is willing to open the granaries and distribute grain to help him pacify the people. As for this Magistrate Chen..."

The old man paused, then pointed his cane at Chen Zhiyi, who was slumped on the ground: "He embezzled public funds, abused the people, and should be executed according to the law."

But considering that he has now repented, he was first imprisoned and will be dealt with after the general enters the city.

As dusk completely enveloped Meishan City, Su Chun stood before the broken walls of the ancestral hall, watching his clansmen carefully pick up the fragments of the family genealogy.

Su He walked up to him with the land deed in her hands, hesitant to speak.

The old man suddenly sighed: "Go and get the keys to the kiln, and prepare several cartloads of freshly fired white porcelain—your nephew probably hasn't seen porcelain from his hometown for many years."

A faint horn sound came from afar, seemingly coming from the direction of Jianmen.

Su Chun looked up at the night sky, where countless stars seemed to reflect the silhouette of a young man leaving home.

He didn't know why Su Yun had returned with his iron cavalry, nor did he know where the land of Sichuan was headed, but he knew that the eternal lamp in the Su Clan Ancestral Hall would eventually be lit again.

Su He's expression was very complicated, even frightened. The fear that had been lingering in his heart surged up again: After Su Yun's father, Su Lin, passed away one after another, he left behind only a young son. At that time, he had his eye on Su Lin's family's land and houses, so he used some tricks. Unexpectedly, Su Yun, who was only a few years old, gave the land to the clan, causing his plans to fail.

Later, when Su Yun got a little older, he actually learned how to do business, and soon his business became very large. He still coveted those businesses, which caused him a lot of trouble. He used many tricks to hinder him. Eventually, Su Yun knew the difficulties and withdrew, disposed of all his businesses, and went far away.

Many of those shops ended up in his hands.

Now... he's coming back, and he's coming with the force to sweep across the world!

As dusk deepened, horses galloped in.

The bluestone slabs in front of the ancestral hall trembled under the hooves of horses.

Five or six men dressed in tight-fitting clothes dismounted, the tassels of the swords at their waists fluttering in the night wind.

The man in the lead had a scar on his left cheek; he was none other than Old Qian, the shopkeeper who had followed Su Yun across Meizhou ten years ago.

The accountant following behind him was carrying a lacquered box, with half a yellowed ledger peeking out from the gap in the lid.

"Clan Chief Su!" Old Qian knelt on one knee, his voice roughened by the wind and sand, "When my master left Meishan, he instructed me to wait for his return. We have traveled day and night to come here, firstly to protect the Su clan, and secondly..."

He suddenly looked up, his scar contorted and grotesque in the lantern light. "Secondly, to settle accounts with the rats who emptied the Su family's assets back then!"

Suhe's pupils suddenly contracted, and he instinctively hid behind the clan elder.

Old Qian stepped forward and grabbed his wrist with his iron-like hand: "Su He! Ten years ago, you colluded with the brokerage firm, forged documents to seize Uncle Su Lin's ten acres of fertile land, and you think we didn't know?"

He winked at the accountant, and the ledger was unfolded with a "snap." The vermilion annotations on the yellowed pages were shocking: "This is the stub of the bank you bribed the county clerk back then, and there's even your fingerprint on it!"

"You're spouting nonsense!" Su He roared, struggling as an old wound on his forehead reopened, blood dripping onto the ledger and spreading into red dots. "That was Su Lin's own mismanagement, what does it have to do with me!"

"Poor management?" Another man stepped forward and pulled open Su He's collar, revealing a silk lining embroidered with gold thread. "Fine, then even if it's poor management by Mr. Su, who's running my master's silk shop now?"

Suhe was terrified. He could deny everything else, but he couldn't deny this.

Suddenly, an old craftsman leaning on a cane squeezed out from the crowd. He was the master craftsman of the bamboo weaving workshop back then: "I can testify! When the owner was not doing well, Suhe replaced all the bamboo fan blanks that the workshop was going to send as tribute to the palace with inferior products!"

As the old man spoke, he shook out half a broken bamboo fan from his sleeve. "The '允' character engraved on this fan rib was taught to me by my employer!"

Su Chun slammed his cane down heavily, his gaze fixed on Su He as cold as ice.

He recalled that when Su Yun was thirteen years old, he cried under the oil lamp in the ancestral hall, clutching the account book, saying that his uncles refused to lend him grain, and it was this child who melted down the gold hairpin left by his mother to exchange for rice, which allowed the orphans in the clan to survive the famine.

Now the truth is like a festering sore that has been exposed, and its stench permeates the twilight.

"And the kiln!" Old Qian suddenly lifted the bottom of the lacquer box, revealing half a glazed pottery shard. "Suhe sold the first batch of celadon porcelain that the master had saved up to make to itinerant merchants as junk!"

Su He collapsed to the ground, staring at the half-piece of pottery. He suddenly recalled that rainy night ten years ago when he pried open the kiln door while Su Yun was asleep and watched a kiln full of exquisite porcelain crack as the rain poured down on it, feeling a secret sense of pleasure.

Now these fragments have become evidence of guilt, gleaming coldly under the lanterns.

"Clan Chief," Old Qian clasped his hands in greeting, his gaze sweeping over the shocked clansmen in the hall, "My master is a magnanimous man. Back then, the Su clan repeatedly harmed us, but my master simply refused to confront them directly. If it were up to us, we would have trampled Meishan with our horses back then."

"Hmph, the landlord is kind-hearted; considering we're from the same clan, let's have the clan discuss it first."

Upon hearing this, Su Chun closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, tears streamed down his face. He recalled the sound of Su Yun kneeling in the ancestral hall before leaving home, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab: "Grand Uncle, after I leave, if anyone makes things difficult for the clan, hand over the land deed of this kiln to the clan head."

The land deeds are still there, but people's hearts have been clouded.

“Suhe,” the old man’s voice was hoarse, “you embezzled clan property and framed your own clansmen. According to clan rules…”

"Chieftain, spare me!" Su He suddenly grabbed Su Chun's leg. "I was confused for a moment! I was bewitched back then, thinking he was an orphan who was easy to bully..."

"Shut up!" Old Qian kicked him away. "The boss is kind and considerate of family ties, but we, as his subordinates, will stand up for him even if he punishes us in the future!"

With a wink, several burly men immediately restrained Su He. Su He, trembling with fear, begged for mercy, "This old man...this old man is willing to offer all his wealth to Su...Su...Yun-ge! Please spare this old man's life!"

The area in front of the ancestral hall was deathly silent, with only the faint sound of horns growing ever closer in the distance.

Su Chun looked at Lao Qian and the others, then at Su He trembling on the ground, and finally closed his eyes, saying sorrowfully, "According to clan rules, he is expelled from the ancestral hall and shall never set foot in Meishan again. As for the embezzled property..."

"No need." Old Qian put away the token. "Although the master did not give any instructions, the Su family's belongings should belong to the clansmen."

and……"

He smiled and said, "Our master has already conquered Sichuan. The whole world will belong to him in the future. As the ruler of the world, why would he care about such a small thing!"

After saying that, he gave his men a wink, and two men stepped forward to lift Su He up. "We'll take him to the county jail first, and then deal with him according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty after the master enters the city!"

When Su He was dragged away, the jade pendant with two fish on her waist fell to the ground and rolled to Su Chun's feet.

The old man bent down and picked it up; it was warm to the touch, yet it felt like he was holding a piece of ice.

He remembered that Su Yun always kept this jade pendant in his palm when he was young, saying that he would leave it to his future wife.

Now the child returns with his iron cavalry, only to face the betrayal of his own people.

"Give the kiln key to Lao Qian." Su Chun stuffed the jade pendant into Lao Qian's hand. "Tell Yun Ge'er that we will keep watch over the eternal lamp in the ancestral hall for him."

Old Qian nodded, and as he turned around, he saw Su He being led out of the alley. Suddenly, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss! It's time to pay back the wages you owe me from back then!"

A soft laugh came from the darkness, like the playful banter of a youth, or the echo of iron cavalry shattering the long night.

Inside the ancestral hall, clansmen gathered to repair fragments of the family genealogy, their solemn faces illuminated by candlelight.

Su He's name was crossed out with vermilion ink, and in the blank space next to it, someone added a line of small characters with fresh ink: "Yun, courtesy name Juzheng, inherited his father's business at the age of thirteen, went far away at the age of fifteen, and now leads the royal army back..."

The night wind blew through the broken wall, causing the eternal lamp on the offering table to flicker.

Looking at the deepening night outside the door, Su Chun knew that Su Yun's iron cavalry was not only for Jianmen Pass.
It is also for the people who have been crushed by oppressive government, and for this land that has been hollowed out by corrupt officials.

The purge of the Su Clan Ancestral Hall was merely the prelude to this storm.

……

Just after the third watch gong sounded, the gates of Meishan City creaked open.

Iron cavalry shattered the night, their hooves thundering across the cobblestone streets, their armor gleaming coldly in the dim moonlight.

Su Yun, draped in a black cloak and with the sword he had seized from a general hanging at his waist, sat upright on his tall horse, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling people on both sides—their faces showing both fear and a secret expectation.

"General... no, Your Majesty!" Chen Zhiyi, dressed in a patched prison uniform, was escorted to the front of the line by the yamen runners. His gapping teeth made it sound like he was speaking out of nowhere, "The people of Meishan have prepared provisions and are ready to welcome the royal army!"

Su Yun reined in the horse, and its head traced an arc in the night.

He didn't look at Chen Zhiyi, but instead looked at the shop on the street corner with the plaque that read "Su's Silk Shop"—the door still had the dents that the yamen runners had smashed three days ago.

"Distribute the embezzled treasury funds to the disaster victims," ​​he said in a low voice, but with an undeniable authority. "The people in the county jail shall be dealt with according to the law."

Before he finished speaking, Old Qian had already spurred his horse forward and presented a document bound with cinnabar ink: "Master, Su He has confessed to all the facts of corruption, and even the account books of his collusion with tax officials back then have been found."

Su Yun took the document, his fingertips lingering on the words "Su He" for a moment, when he suddenly remembered that this man's grandson used to snatch the sweet cakes from his hand when he was a child.

At that time, Suhe had many grandsons, who always liked to bully him, an orphan. If he hadn't been a time traveler and had beaten them into submission several times, he probably would have suffered even more!

He handed the document to Wang Baopu beside him and said calmly, "According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, anyone who embezzles more than one hundred taels of silver shall be executed. However, out of consideration for his clan, he is permitted to commit suicide and leave his body intact."

The sound of a gong came from the direction of the ancestral hall, and Su Chun led the clan elders over with lanterns.

When the old man saw Su Yun, he almost dropped his cane. The boy before him had grown into a strong, burly man with broad shoulders and a thick back. Only the stubbornness between his brows remained, just like when he was calculating accounts under the oil lamp. "Yun-ge'er..." he choked up, unable to speak.

Su Yun dismounted and stepped forward to help the old man, his movements carrying both awkwardness and deep affection as they reunited after a long separation.

“Grand Uncle,” he said, his gaze darkening as he looked at the burned-out eaves of the ancestral hall, “I will send people to rebuild the ancestral hall.”

"No need."

Su Chun shook his head and took out the jade pendant with two fish from his sleeve. "The root of the Su family is not in the bricks and tiles, but in the hearts of the people."

The jade pendant was warm from being warmed by him, and it still carried a lingering warmth when it was handed to Su Yun. "After you left, some people in the clan wanted to divide your family's land. You gave me the land deeds, saying, 'Leave them for the orphans in the clan.'"

Now that you have returned with the king's army, do not forget these words.

Su Yun held the jade pendant, his knuckles turning slightly white.

At this moment, the military advisor stepped forward with the imperial seal: "Your Majesty, the garrison of Jianmen Pass has appointed you as the Grand Commander of Sichuan. This is the commander's seal."

Su Yun took the seal, looked at it, and casually handed it to Wang Baopu.

“Master,” Old Qian led his horse over, “the prefect of Meizhou has sent a letter of surrender, along with a gift list, saying he wants to host a welcome feast for you.”

Su Yun took the gift list, glanced at it, and casually handed it to Su Chun behind him: "Grand Uncle, exchange this gold and silver for grain, and cook porridge for the disaster victims outside the city first."

He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and looked towards the sunrise in the direction of Jianmen Pass. "Once we've settled things in Meishan, we should go see the people of Chengdu."

Su Yun took the lead, followed by his iron cavalry. The whole of Meishan was shaken. In the end, the sound of horses' hooves echoed throughout Meishan.

The eternal lamp in the ancestral hall was still burning in the morning light, its wick bursting with light, making the newly placed celadon porcelain vase on the offering table shine brightly.

That was the last piece of porcelain that Su Yun fired before leaving home. The crooked character "Yun" carved on the bottle has now been covered with gold powder by the clansmen and shines with a warm light in the morning.

Su He's name never returned to the family genealogy; instead, it was inscribed on a stone tablet in the corner of the ancestral hall with the words: "A warning to those who are greedy for money."

Su Chun's old eyes were sharp as he looked at the young people kneeling in the hall and said loudly, "Yun-ge'er is already the emperor. This is an immense fortune for our Meishan Su clan. You young men, as the saying goes, brothers fight tigers together and fathers and sons go to war together. Yun-ge'er needs the help of our clansmen to conquer the world. You, go and help him!"

"Yes, clan leader!" the young men replied in unison.

(End of this chapter)