Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Early Demise Is Deemed Inauspicious 

Yun Chu sat in the rattan chair in the courtyard.

She had already downed four or five cups of cold tea in succession, yet she still could not calm her roiling emotions.

The mere thought that she had no idea where her children were buried made her heart ache as if it were being sliced apart by knives.

In her previous life, she had never once asked about the children, and until the day she died, they had never truly found peace. She hated her past self to the core.

He Shi was dragged in through the gate.

The inner pain in Yun Chu's heart transformed into searing hatred, and her gaze, sharp as blades, locked mercilessly onto He Shi.

He Shi involuntarily shuddered all over.

The Yun Chu she knew had always been gentle and magnanimous, never once failing to wear a pleasant expression even toward the lowest errand boys in the estate.

Even on the last occasion when she framed the Madam, the Madam had never revealed such a terrifying expression.

Who knew which of the two maidservants behind her delivered a kick, but her knees buckled and she dropped heavily to the ground.

Yun Chu looked down at her coldly. "Four years ago, my unborn children passed away prematurely. Wasn't Mama He the one who took the children back to their native soil for burial? Tell me, where were the children buried?"

He Shi's heart leapt into her throat. Why would the Madam suddenly start questioning events from four years ago?

She lowered her eyes and brows. "The Master was swamped with official duties, so he ordered this slave to make the trip in his place. This slave took the young master and young miss back to our ancestral home in Jizhou for burial, laying them to rest on the mountain behind the Xie family's ancestral hall. Because no gravestone was erected, this slave cannot specify the exact location."

"Bang!"

Yun Chu slammed her teacup heavily onto the table.

Her brows and eyes were frosted with ice. "It seems Mama He has no intention of speaking the truth to me. Someone come."

At her command, two robust maidservants in the courtyard carried over a long bench, pressed He Shi down onto it, and picked up two thick wooden boards.

He Shi was frightened out of her wits. "Madam, everything this slave said is the truth..."

Yun Chu made a hand gesture.

Receiving their orders, the two maidservants flanked her left and right and began administering the blows.

Accustomed to heavy labor, these maidservants possessed astonishing physical strength. After just three or four strikes, He Shi's breath grew weak.

"Mama He, I'll give you one more choice." Yun Chu articulated each word with chilling precision. "As long as you tell me where the children are buried, I will spare you."

He Shi was in such agony she nearly fainted.

She knew full well that the Madam must have verified that the children were not buried in Jizhou; otherwise, she would never dare to interrogate her so openly.

Persisting with her original story was utterly meaningless.

"Madam, this slave, this slave truly doesn't know..." He Shi gasped out laboriously. "The Master ordered me to bury the young master and young miss, but before I could even set off for Jizhou, the Master took the children's remains away himself. This slave really knows nothing..."

Yun Chu shook her head. "Continue."

The two maidservants poured all their strength into the board beatings, causing He Shi to shriek in unceasing agony.

Before long, she passed out cold.

Without a shred of emotion on her face, Yun Chu commanded coldly, "Splash her awake and keep beating."

A basin of icy cold water was dashed across He Shi's face. Before she could even regain her senses, the heavy boards fell upon her once more, submerging her in wave after wave of crushing pain.

Yun Chu dug her fingernails fiercely into her palms.

She only wanted to know where her children were buried. Why had such a simple yearning become an extravagant hope?

Why on earth was He Shi so terrified to reveal the whereabouts of the children? What other secrets lay hidden in the middle of all this that she knew nothing about...

Never before had Yun Chu loathed herself so deeply.

She hated her own weakness, hated her own foolishness in being deceived, and hated herself for being unworthy of calling herself a mother...

Outside the courtyard, Xie Ping was burning with anxiety.

If the beating continued like this, He Shi would lose half her life even if she didn't die.

She couldn't fathom it either. They were merely the burial sites of two children who had died prematurely; why was He Shi being so tight-lipped and secretive about it?

Stamping her foot in frustration, she turned and headed toward the Hall of Longevity.

Hearing that Yun Chu was having He Shi caned, the Old Madam paid it no mind. But upon hearing further that Yun Chu's rage was sparked by her prematurely deceased children, the expression on the Old Madam's face soured uncomfortably.

Those two kids were dead and gone; did it matter where they were buried?

Leaning on her cane, the Old Madam made her way toward the Yusheng Residence, only to arrive at the entrance and notice that the plaque of the Yusheng Residence had somehow been changed to simply the Sheng Residence.

However, now was not the time to inquire about such trivial matters.

"Chu'er!"

The Old Madam strode rapidly inside.

"What fault has He Shi committed to warrant such a massive and violent uproar?"

Yun Chu gazed quietly at the Old Madam. "If the Old Madam happens to know where the children are buried, I might actually spare her."

"A child who breathes its last right after birth is considered inauspicious. In any clan or family, they are simply buried in some random patch of earth so as not to affect the family's fortune," the Old Madam declared. "Even in the imperial family, if a newly born prince or princess dies prematurely, they are buried in some random spot outside the city walls, let alone the children of our mere fifth-rank household?"

"You have plenty of grandchildren, Old Madam, so naturally you wouldn't care about children who died prematurely." Yun Chu's voice was exceptionally cold. "But I only have these two children. Until I know for a single day where they are buried, I will not rest for a single day. If the children cannot rest in peace, then the Xie family will never enjoy peace within their household!"

She stood up and walked into the inner chambers.

Old Madam Xie was so infuriated she nearly keeled over backward. "S-She, what does she mean by this? How dare she show such disrespect to an elder?"

"Old Madam, ever since our Madam married into the Xie family, she has always been filial and polite toward you. This offense stems solely from excessive grief," Ting Shuang said, lowering her head. "The fact that the young master and young miss's remains were never in Jizhou was discovered by the Madam's eldest brother himself after making a trip to Jizhou. If the Xie family cannot provide an explanation, the Yun family will personally come knocking to demand justice."

A lump caught in the Old Madam's chest.

This was an undisguised threat.

She glanced at He Shi, who lay sprawled and limp across the bench, and said coldly, "Hurry up and spill everything you know. Don't ruin the marital alliance between my Xie family and the Yun family."

He Shi bit down hard on her parched, cracked lips.

If she told the unvarnished truth, the Yun and Xie families would truly be finished.

Her son, An-ge'er, still needed to rely on the connection with the Yun family to enter officialdom. No matter how much she loathed Yun Chu, she knew she could not let Yun Chu cast the Xie family aside...

"Old Madam, Mama He is practically at death's door," Xie Ping could not help interjecting. "Please summon a physician first."

"The Eldest Miss must not let a good intention lead to a bad outcome," Ting Shuang said coldly. "Without the Madam's permission, no one is permitted to take He Shi away."

The Old Madam's expression turned gloomy.

Although she was an elder, if this granddaughter-in-law was determined to carry something through to the end, she truly had no way to stop her.

The Yun family was a towering mountain standing firmly behind her granddaughter-in-law.

Musing upon this, the Old Madam turned around, leaned heavily on her cane, and strode straight out.

Xie Ping was frantic with worry inside, but she dared not display it too overtly.

She simply couldn't understand why He Shi was capable of stirring up so much trouble. If not for the fact that she had crawled out of He Shi's belly, she would have preferred not to bother with this mess at all.

Yet since even the Old Madam couldn't control the Madam, she, as a junior, was even less equipped to handle her.

She had no choice but to ask her father to step in.

Xie Ping hurried off to the Pines Pavilion to find Xie Shian.

Xie Shian was currently practicing his calligraphy, having already been informed by his serving manservant about the commotion that had transpired at the Sheng Residence.

Maintaining a composed expression, he asked, "Do you know why Mother has suddenly started caring about children who died four years ago?"

Xie Ping shook her head.

"During that incident last time, we chose to believe a servant rather than her," Xie Shian said, looking at Xie Ping. "Mother likely believes that none of us non-biological children are wolves that can be tamed, which is why she remembered that pair of children who died in infancy. At a time like this, if you continue to speak up for He Shi, I'm afraid Mother will become completely disappointed in you, and when attending banquets of aristocratic families in the future, she probably won't take you along anymore.”