Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 25
Chapter 25: The Xie Family Deceived You
He Shi felt a pang of sorrow.
She was the exact same age as Xie Jingyu. At this age, he was still that elegant and dashing young gentleman, while she had already withered with age.
"What are you doing here?"
Seeing her standing at the doorway of the courtyard, Xie Jingyu's exhausted face betrayed a flash of irritation.
He Shi lowered her head. "Master, I made a mistake and willingly accepted my punishment, but that does not mean I am willing to be tortured to death... Under the Madam's tacit permission, Aunt Tao has cut off the food in the small temple. This is trying to block my only path to survival..."
Xie Jingyu pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had just returned from Official Li's residence. Having spent the better part of the day at Official Li's estate, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Official Li's shadow.
In the past, Official Li had treated him quite favorably, taking him along to any social gathering and introducing him to many important figures in officialdom.
With performance evaluations imminent, Official Li had suddenly grown cold toward him.
He simply could not understand what he had done wrong.
With no one to confide his day's worth of frustration to, the moment he returned home, he was cornered by He Shi to talk about these trivial, petty matters.
He was not a man who lost his temper easily, but at this moment he was reaching his breaking point. He said coldly, "You were the one who insisted on staying in the Xie family. Whatever treatment you suffer as a result is your own choice. Furthermore, I ordered you to confine yourself in the small temple, yet here you are appearing at the entrance of my study. Since you don't take my words seriously, I have no choice but to assign someone to keep watch at the door of the small temple."
He Shi's lips stiffened abruptly.
She thought back to their very first meeting, so very long ago, when the look in his eyes as he gazed upon her was filled with captivated awe.
She thought back to after she gave birth to An-ge'er, and the heartache in this man's eyes.
She thought back to years ago when she lived with their three children in the outskirts of the capital, and the tender affection he showed when he visited once a month.
Ever since she moved into the Xie estate, she and he had been reduced to master and servant, and her form of address for him had changed from "Yulang" to "Master"...
Until this very moment, she finally realized that they could apparently never return to the past.
"Are you still not leaving?"
Xie Jingyu's voice was filled with impatience.
Tears suddenly welled up in He Shi's eyes.
She had racked her brains to have the children return to their ancestral lineage, she had gone to great lengths to stay by Xie Jingyu's side, and she had willingly lowered herself to servitude just so the family could be together... Had this man truly ever seen her sacrifices?
"Yes, Master. I will leave right now."
He Shi curtsied, turned around, and let her tears stream down her face.
Watching her retreating figure, Xie Jingyu could not help but sigh. Keeping her in the Xie family was already out of consideration for past affection.
If he did any more for He Shi, it would undoubtedly arouse Yun Chu's suspicion. He still had to rely on the Yun family's influence to make a meteoric rise in his career; how could he afford to fall out with Yun Chu?
Returning to the small temple, He Shi felt as though her heart had turned to ashes.
She still had to watch An-ge'er place first in the imperial examinations and become a high-ranking official, she still had to personally send Ping-jie'er off in marriage, and she still had to see Wei-ge'er make something of himself... She absolutely could not die in this small temple.
Since Xie Jingyu could not be relied upon, she could only depend on herself.
She penned a letter and offered the only bracelet on her wrist to the young nun, begging her to help smuggle it out.
"Oh, she wants to send a letter to Manager He of the outer courtyard?" Yun Chu looked at the young nun who had come to report and replied, "Then go ahead and send it out for her."
The young nun acknowledged the order, took the letter, and headed to the outer courtyard.
Ting Shuang asked with a hint of surprise, "He Shi shares the same surname as Manager He of the outer courtyard. Could the two of them be related?"
Yun Chu nodded. "The two of them are likely biological siblings. If we want to uncover He Shi's true background, we must start with He Xu."
He Shi's background was undoubtedly extraordinary; otherwise, she would never have harbored ambitions for the position of the legitimate wife, and even if she couldn't become the wife, she certainly would have been willing to be a concubine.
A vague suspicion stirred in her heart, but without evidence, speaking of it aloud would convince no one.
Whether Xie Shian's official career could be completely cut off depended entirely on He Shi's true identity.
At that moment, a manservant from the front courtyard ran over to report, "Madam, this servant made a trip to the Yun residence. The people from the Yun family said the eldest young master will return to the capital tomorrow morning."
Yun Chu abruptly stood up.
Jizhou was not particularly far from the capital, but her eldest brother had official business to attend to in Jizhou. Being able to return to the capital this early completely exceeded her expectations.
The rest of the day dragged on with agonizing slowness. Early the next morning, she boarded a carriage and returned to the Yun residence.
However, upon returning to the capital, Yun Ze first went to the imperial city to report on his duties, only returning around midday. He was utterly exhausted, and her eldest sister-in-law, Liu Qianqian, took him back first to change his clothes.
Lady Lin asked with curiosity, "Chu'er, is there something urgent between you and your eldest brother?"
Ever since her daughter returned home, she had been absent-minded, frequently gazing outside, until Yun Ze returned and eased this anxious mood somewhat.
Yun Chu hurriedly forced a smile and replied, "The Xie family ancestral home is in Jizhou, and my husband hasn't been back there for many years. I wanted to ask Eldest Brother to inquire about the situation over there."
Lady Lin nodded thoughtfully.
Once Yun Ze had changed his clothes and returned, Lady Lin led Liu Qianqian out of the reception hall, leaving the space entirely to the brother and sister.
"Eldest Brother." The moment Yun Chu spoke, her voice was slightly hoarse. "The children... have they already come back?"
Yun Ze opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
If those two pitiful children had truly been brought back, he would have told his younger sister immediately instead of using changing clothes as an excuse to stall and figure out how to gloss over the truth.
The light in Yun Chu's eyes slowly faded, and her voice grew even hoarser. "Eldest Brother?"
Yun Ze sighed. "Chu'er, I personally went to the Xie family's ancestral home in Jizhou and asked the elders of the clan about the resting place of the children. But the elders in the clan told me that four years ago, the capital's Xie family never sent anyone back, nor had they ever heard that Xie Jingyu's legitimate son and daughter had perished early. The Xie family deceived you..."
A loud roar echoed.
Yun Chu felt as though her mind had exploded.
Her figure swayed, and she only managed to keep from falling by grabbing onto the table.
Closing her eyes, she took a few slow, deep breaths before her mind gradually steadied.
"Thank you... Thank you, Eldest Brother!"
She forced out a few difficult words and turned to walk away.
"Chu'er."
Disregarding the proprieties between brother and sister, Yun Ze grabbed her wrist.
"Eldest Brother will accompany you back."
Yun Chu pressed down on Yun Ze's arm, her voice raspy to the extreme. "I can face these matters myself. If I truly cannot handle them, I will come back home to ask Eldest Brother for help."
She turned around and strode outside.
Normally, she would have gone to bid farewell to her mother and sister-in-law before leaving.
But right now, she no longer had the heart for it.
Supported by Ting Shuang, she walked briskly out of the Yun residence, boarded the carriage, and urged the driver to go faster, ever faster.
The carriage galloped down the street and quickly returned to the Xie residence.
Striding in with heavy steps, she sat powerlessly in the reception hall, her voice laced with a bone-chilling frost. "Bring He Shi here."
The two maidservants had never seen the Madam look like this before. Exchanging a glance, they hurried off to the small temple to seize the person.
He Shi lay on her bed, feeling weak all over. Having suffered injuries earlier without medical treatment and going many days without a single full meal, her body was truly failing to hold on.
Just as she closed her eyes, the door to the side room was kicked open with a loud crash.
Startled out of her wits, she assumed Aunt Tao had brought people over, but upon looking up, she saw it was the rough-task maidservants from the Yusheng Residence instead.
These were the people sent by the Madam.
The Madam had always maintained a facade of hypocrisy; even if she wanted to deal with her, she would usually have Aunt Tao step forward. Why would she send people directly?
Without giving her time to think, He Shi was hoisted up by the two maidservants and dragged outward.