Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Kneeling in the Ancestral Hall

Head splitting with pain.

The pain pierced straight through her flesh and bones.

Yun Chu laboriously lifted her eyelids.

A face slowly magnified in her vision—it was the eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Shi'an.

The scenes from right before she lost consciousness to agonizing pain replayed in her mind one by one: the Yun family estate raided and confiscated, her grandfather committing suicide by cutting his throat, her parents thrown into prison, and all one hundred and some members of the Yun family sentenced to be beheaded...

All of this was brought upon them by the very person in front of her.

Without a second thought, she raised her hand and delivered a fierce, ruthless slap across his face.

Caught completely off guard, Xie Shi'an was knocked to the ground by the blow.

"Mother?"

Incredulity covered his entire face.

Yun Chu was equally stunned to the extreme.

She only now realized that the Xie Shi'an before her looked tender and green, completely lacking the aura of high office and overwhelming authority he would later possess.

How could Xie Shi'an, at twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age, be so many years younger?

She looked down at her own hands; her skin was as white as porcelain, completely devoid of even the slightest scar from burns.

An absurd thought surfaced in her mind.

Xie Shi'an stood up from the ground, cupping his hands in a salute. "If I have done something wrong, I beg Mother to make it clear."

Yun Chu's lips moved. "How old are you this year?"

Not understanding why she would ask such a question, Xie Shi'an still answered dutifully, "Twelve."

Yun Chu's hands clenched tightly.

She was only eight years older than this son, so had she returned to the year she turned twenty?

Her gaze fell upon Xie Shi'an's face; that slap had practically used up all her strength, leaving his face red and swollen.

Yet, it was still not enough to eliminate even a ten-thousandth of the hatred in her heart.

"You are already twelve, and you still don't know where you went wrong?" Suppressing that monstrous hatred, she spoke in a calm voice, "Go kneel in the ancestral hall and think carefully about what you did wrong!"

Shock filled Xie Shi'an's eyes.

Having been raised by his mother's side for four years, not only had his mother never laid a hand on him, but she had never even spoken a harsh word to him.

Yet today, she had...

He opened his lips as if to say something, but met Yun Chu's gaze, which was filled with a terrifying, bone-chilling coldness.

He lowered his head. "Understood."

A mother's command could not be disobeyed.

He turned and walked outside.

Yun Chu waved her hand wearily.

The two maidservants in the room did not dare to draw a loud breath, and keeping their heads down, they quietly retreated.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked out toward the courtyard. The Chinese flowering crabapple trees by the courtyard wall had been planted in the very first year she married into the Xie household.

Thinking back on her past life, she truly was pitiful, laughable, and even more tragic.

She was the legitimate eldest daughter of the General's Estate, born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

Her grandfather was a grand general, and her father was also a grand general. The Yun family enjoyed deep popular support, and fearing that their achievements might overshadow the monarch, her marriage had been handled with exceptional care.

After searching for two years, her mother finally selected a fine match for her: the top scholar of that year, Xie Jingyu.

The Xie family came from humble origins, so she was considered marrying downward. Her family believed this union was exceptionally good, as it would neither arouse the Emperor's suspicion nor subject her to bullying by her husband's family.

After their wedding night, she became pregnant, and every day she fantasized about what the child would look like when it was born.

Never did she expect that, eight months into her pregnancy, she would suffer a fall resulting in a massive hemorrhage; the child was born prematurely and died shortly after, and the physician told her she would never be able to conceive again.

Childlessness was one of the seven grounds for a wife's divorce, yet the Xie family not only refrained from divorcing her, but cared for her meticulously, granting her the proper dignity due to a primary wife.

At that time, she felt deeply grateful and indebted to the Xie family.

Therefore, upon learning that Xie Jingyu already had a child before their marriage, she did not dare harbor any resentment.

When Xie Jingyu proposed registering all of his children by concubines under her name, she felt grateful to her husband for allowing her to secure her footing within the Xie household.

A sneer formed on Yun Chu's face at the thought.

She was thirty-four years old when she died. The Xie family descendants were numerous, truly thriving and flourishing.

Every single one of these children had been personally raised and educated by her. She had poured her heart, soul, and exhaustive efforts into them, and the scars on her hands were the result of saving the children... As the eldest daughter of a General's Estate, she had learned how to be a virtuous wife, learned to shoulder the responsibilities of a legitimate mother, and given everything she possibly could—hoping only that the children would grow up safely and bring honor to the family name.

Indeed, they had accomplished just that.

Yet, once the Xie family rose to become the new favorites of the imperial court, they turned their weapons directly against the Yun family.

The eldest son meticulously planned the Yun family's treason conspiracy.

The second son concealed the forged evidence within the Yun family estate.

The third son personally handed the poison to her, their legitimate mother.

The fourth, fifth, and youngest sons... those children watched with cold detachment as they simply looked on while she drank the poison.

The poisoned wine slid down her throat, piercing straight through her heart and bones.

She had thought she was dead.

Yet she had returned to this year when she was twenty, four years after Xie Shi'an came to her side.

Ever since Xie Shi'an was registered under her name, she had poured boundless effort into him.

If not for her meticulous scheming and paving the way, how could Xie Shi'an have achieved his later successes, and how would he have ever had the opportunity to plot against the Yun family?

When all was said and done, it was she who had ruined the Yun family.

Yun Chu forced her tears back.

The raiding of the Yun family was an event that would take place more than a decade later. Now that she had been reborn, she would never allow this to happen again.

Xie Shi'an, who would one day rank first in the imperial examinations three times consecutively, ascend into the Cabinet, and wield immense power, was right now nothing more than a twelve-year-old child.

Everything was still in time.

Organizing her thoughts, Yun Chu gradually drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up again, the orange light of dusk was shining through the window into the bedchamber, making it feel as though she were dreaming.

"Mistress, you're awake?"

Hearing the movement, a maid lifted the curtain and walked inside.

"Half a Shichen ago, Old Madam's personal servant, Mammy Zhou, came by and said that once Mistress woke up, you should go to Anshou Hall."

Yun Chu looked toward the two maidservants who had walked in.

Of the four personal maids she had brought with her from the General's Estate into the Xie household, only Tingfeng and Tingxue had remained by her side all along.

Tingyu had become Concubine Yu to Xie Jingyu during the year of her pregnancy.

Later on, Tingshuang had been crushed to death by a burning roof beam while trying to save her during the great fire at the Xie residence.

Yun Chu looked toward the dressing mirror where Tingshuang was currently combing her hair, a worried expression on her face as she said, "Mistress, the Old Madam calling for you is surely on account of the Young Master. You had the Young Master kneel in the ancestral hall, but he hadn't even knelt for a quarter of a shichen before the Old Madam had the Young Master get up. I'm afraid she's coming to call you to account this time."

Yun Chu smiled faintly. "I am a bit hungry. Serve the food first."

In her past life, plagued by guilt over her childlessness, whenever the Old Madam summoned her, she would force herself to go even if she was sick.

Now that she was reborn, if she were still as cautious and careful as before, putting the Xie family above all else, then what would be the point of living another life?

Tingshuang hurriedly instructed the others to bring the dishes out.

Looking at the table full of food, Yun Chu's appetite was thoroughly awakened.

After eating her fill, she changed her clothes before heading toward Anshou Hall.

In her previous life, the Old Madam had lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully after Xie Shi'an entered the Cabinet, with mourners coming in such numbers that they nearly trampled the threshold—a display of boundless glory.

Right now, however, Xie Jingyu was merely a minor official of the fifth rank, and Xie Shi'an was only twelve years old.

The Xie family was still just an inconspicuous little clan in the capital.