Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Fearing the Master's Anger

Dusk fell.

The lanterns in the courtyard lit up one by one.

After the incident broke out at Concubine Tao's place, the members of the Xie family had all gathered, save for Xie Jingting. Concubine Jiang, Concubine Yu, Xie Shi'an, and Xie Ping filled the small courtyard to the brim.

All eyes fell squarely upon Yun Chu.

Yun Chu stood there with casual composure. "So, in other words, the Old Madam suspects that I am the one who tried to cause Concubine Tao's miscarriage?"

"It is not that I suspect you, but rather that the evidence points directly at you," the Old Madam stated. "Chu'er, you know full well how deeply I trusted you; otherwise, I would never have handed all the household management authority over to you. Is this how you repay that trust?"

"This..." Concubine Jiang spoke up with utmost caution. "This concubine wishes to speak a word of fairness. The Mistress simply has no motive whatsoever to do such a thing."

If the Mistress had biological offspring of her own, one could understand her guarding against the birth of a concubine's son.

However, the Mistress was childless, and would never have children of her own. Furthermore, the master had explicitly decreed that any child born to a concubine must be registered under the Mistress's name. Raising one child was just as easy as raising a whole flock of them for the Mistress, so deliberately aborting the fetus in Concubine Tao's womb truly served no purpose at all.

Madam Yuan nodded in agreement. "Chu'er has always been magnanimous and lenient; it is impossible for her to commit such a heinous act of harming descendants."

The Old Madam let out a cold laugh.

Yun Chu certainly used to be magnanimous, but of late, she had become increasingly harsh and overbearing. It was entirely possible for her to pull off such a stunt.

At that moment, Concubine Tao's voice rang out from inside the room. "Old Madam, I know precisely why the Mistress has chosen to make a move against the child in my belly..."

The Old Madam motioned for someone to push the door wider, making Concubine Tao's voice ring even clearer. "Over these past few days, the master has continuously sent items to my quarters—a potted plant, several bolts of fabric, and hair accessories. The Mistress sees that the master is paying far too much attention to a mere concubine and fears the master might favor the concubine over his legitimate wife. That is why she laid her hands on the child in my womb..."

Madam Yuan sighed softly.

Four or five years ago when Chu'er was pregnant with child, Jingting certainly had never shown such meticulous attentiveness. It was small wonder Chu'er felt jealous enough to pull off such a deed.

Tingyu bit down on her lip.

Back when she was pregnant, she had kept it hidden from the Mistress all along precisely because she feared the Mistress might lose her composure and move against the child in her womb. Events had proven that her worries were not unfounded...

"Extreme jealousy is grounds for a wife's dismissal." The Old Madam spoke with a face full of bitter disappointment. "Chu'er, you are the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun family and the primary mistress of my Xie household. How could you be so utterly muddle-headed!"

Yun Chu cast her gaze around at everyone in the courtyard, taking in every single one of their expressions.

She brushed a stray lock of dark hair aside and remarked, "The Xie family is renowned as a scholarly household. Is condemning someone really this simple without even needing solid evidence?"

Her calm and breezy demeanor irritated the Old Madam to no end.

She much preferred the Yun Chu from the past—the one who had lost her child and remained submissive and silent, the docile primary mistress who could be easily molded or crushed at will.

She had to pin this mistake firmly on Yun Chu to force this granddaughter-in-law back into her old, obedient ways.

Pondering this, she commanded, "Someone, go search Yusheng Residence."

Nanny Zhou curtsied deeply toward Yun Chu. "Mistress, this old servant is forced to offend you."

With those words, she led seven or eight old maids and young servant girls from the courtyard straight toward Yusheng Residence.

It was not particularly far, and before long, Nanny Zhou returned, shaking her head. "Old Madam, nothing was found."

The Old Madam frowned. "How could that be? Did you check the storeroom?"

Nanny Zhou lowered her head. "That is the Mistress's dowry storeroom. Without the Mistress's personal permission, this old servant did not dare..."

The Old Madam's expression darkened heavily.

Chances were that Yun Chu had long since cleaned up and disposed of the evidence...

"Even if you had broken into my dowry storeroom, you still wouldn't have found what the Old Madam is looking for, because—" Yun Chu paused deliberately. "You searched the wrong place."

The Old Madam's eyes narrowed into slits. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Yun Chu lifted her gaze toward the outside of the courtyard. "Since Nanny He has already arrived, why are you just lingering out there?"

Madam He jumped in fright.

She was standing deep in the shadows; normally, it was impossible for anyone to spot her at a glance.

The Mistress was currently being interrogated, yet she had somehow managed to detect her presence.

Stepping into the light with her head bowed, Madam He spoke, "This slave was only worried that when the master returns to the estate and asks questions, I would be completely clueless about everything. That is why..."

Before she could finish, Yun Chu clapped her hands together twice.

Tingsheng, who had been guarding the courtyard entrance, walked in accompanied by two individuals.

One was dressed in the appearance of a shopkeeper, while the other was a scruffy young beggar of seven or eight years old.

Upon stepping into the courtyard, the two scanned everyone present before their eyes locked directly onto Madam He.

In that split second, Madam He felt her breath catch in her throat.

"It was her who gave me twenty copper coins and told me to buy medicine at Shende Apothecary," the little beggar pointed straight at Madam He. "I have a great memory for faces; I am definitely not mistaken."

The shopkeeper-looking man spoke up next, "Half a shichen ago, this little beggar came to my shop to purchase medicine without a prescription, reciting only the names of several medicinal herbs. I dispensed a small portion of each to him, and among them was safflower."

The moment these two spoke, the faces of everyone in the courtyard registered utter disbelief.

"It wasn't me! He has the wrong person!" Madam He fought hard to maintain her composure. "When this slave went out of the estate, it was to procure an inkstone for the master. I beg the Old Madam to thoroughly investigate and clear my name."

The Old Madam gripped her walking staff tightly. "Madam He is a mere servant; she could never dare to plot against the master's offspring. This is impossible."

Yun Chu's voice remained remarkably flat. "Naturally, I would never imitate the Old Madam by condemning someone without evidence. Now that we have human witnesses, all that remains is physical evidence. Tingshuang, take a few people and thoroughly search Nanny He's room."

"Mother!" Xie Ping could not hold back her tongue any longer. "Nanny He has been unswervingly loyal to Father and could never harm Father's offspring. Searching her room won't turn up anything either."

Xie Shi'an stepped forward a pace. "Nanny He is the master's person. For Mother to rashly search Nanny He's quarters, I am afraid it will provoke Father's anger."

The corners of Yun Chu's lips curved upward into a cool smile. "I am the wife your father married through formal matchmaker rites with open doors and grand sedan chairs. Why is it that searching my residence didn't provoke your father's anger, yet searching a courtyard manager's quarters will? Or perhaps, in your father's eyes, a domestic servant managing a yard is more important than his legitimate wife?"

Xie Shi'an was rendered completely speechless.

Yun Chu shook her head. "Shi'an, you are willing to place your trust in a servant rather than believe your own mother. You truly break my heart."

She made a subtle hand gesture.

Tingshuang immediately led her group toward the rooms where Madam He resided.

Not a single soul uttered a sound in the courtyard.

The Old Madam clutched her cane with a death grip. Although the physical evidence had yet to be retrieved, she already knew precisely how the matter stood.

Her cloudy, aged eyes swept across Madam He like a pair of razor-sharp blades.

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that Madam He would actually dare to plot against an unborn heir and frame the primary mistress!

She should never have allowed Madam He to remain in the Xie household in the first place, all for the sake of those three siblings.

Tingshuang's efficiency was remarkable. In less than a quarter of an hour, she returned with her people, bringing several medicinal herbs presented on a tray. "These were found hidden underneath Nanny He's bed."

The apothecary shopkeeper stepped forward for a look. "That's right, the little beggar boy picked up these exact herbs along with the safflower. I cannot possibly misremember."

"Thank you both for your trouble in making this trip." Yun Chu produced two money pouches and handed them to the two men. "As for today's events, consider yourselves as having seen and heard nothing. Many thanks."

This money essentially served as hush money, a fact both the shopkeeper and the little beggar understood well.

However, once they stepped outside the Xie estate and opened the money pouches to inspect them, they discovered only a few dozen stray copper coins inside. The shopkeeper's face twisted in disgust. He hadn't originally intended to gossip about the inner courtyard private affairs of a noble family, but being dismissed with such a paltry sum felt like an outright insult…