Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Slapping Xie Jingyu Across the Face 

Xie Shian lowered his head and continued writing.

Xie Ping pressed her lips together.

This younger brother was only a year younger than her, but he was far more mature and vastly more indifferent.

He Shi was, after all, their biological mother, and right now she had nearly lost half her life beneath the wooden boards. Yet this younger brother hadn't even furrowed a brow.

At the same time, she knew all too well that if she defended a servant in front of the Madam, the Madam would inevitably grow suspicious.

Saying nothing more, she turned and returned to her own courtyard.

Xie Shian gripped his writing brush, managed to finish writing the scroll, and then, his dark eyes turning profound, abruptly stood up and strode outward.

"Saddle a horse!"

A manservant led a horse to the estate entrance. Xie Shian mounted it in a single fluid motion and rode straight toward Official Li's residence.

Official Li was a third-rank official, and perhaps because he was hosting a banquet, the entrance of his estate was bustling with carriages and horses coming and going.

Xie Shian stopped beneath a large tree opposite Official Li's estate and waited quietly.

Before long, the banquet finally concluded.

He spotted Xie Jingyu walking out from the estate with a dejected expression. Hurrying forward, Xie Shian called out, "Father."

Xie Jingyu collected his crestfallen look and asked with mild surprise, "Why are you here?"

"Something has happened at home." Xie Shian said in a low voice, "Mother is interrogating He Shi, asking about the whereabouts of the pair of children who died prematurely four years ago."

Xie Jingyu's expression shifted drastically.

Drawing a deep breath, he asked, "What is the situation right now?"

"The Old Madam went to persuade Mother, but Mother stated that if He Shi does not confess, she will ensure the Xie family knows not a single day of peace." Xie Shian raised his head. "Father, were those two children never properly buried to begin with? Is that why He Shi didn't dare to confess, out of fear that Mother's rage would only grow worse?"

Xie Jingyu looked at his son with a complex expression.

If even a twelve-year-old like An-ge'er could guess this much, Yun Chu had likely figured it out as well.

If Yun Chu were to discover what happened to those two children... she would probably divorce him without the slightest hesitation, and his career in officialdom would likely come to an end right here.

"While questioning He Shi, Mother is also waiting for Father to return to the estate." Xie Shian continued, "If Father appears before Mother in your current state, even if Father doesn't say a single word, Mother will still be able to piece things together. The Xie family truly will have no peace."

Xie Jingyu led Xie Shian onto the carriage.

Inside the carriage were only the father and son. Outside came the rhythmic rumble of the wheels, accompanied by the uninterrupted sounds of pedestrians talking.

"Those two children... I was the one who instructed He Shi to throw them away..." Xie Jingyu closed his eyes. "They were never truly laid to rest in peace."

Xie Shian's heart sank.

It had turned out exactly as he had guessed.

Yet he could not understand: although those two children had died in infancy, they still carried their father's blood. Even if they couldn't be buried in the Xie family's ancestral hall, they shouldn't have just been thrown away like that...

Dwelling on the past was pointless now; the crucial issue was how to handle the present situation.

"An-ge'er, I am returning to the estate now to deal with your mother. You must use the utmost speed to visit the villages near the capital and make inquiries. The children who died prematurely in the villages should all be buried in one common place. Find a way to procure the bodies of two infants..." Xie Jingyu pressed his hands onto Xie Shian's shoulders. "Father knows this matter is somewhat difficult for you, but right now, the only person Father can trust is you."

With a complicated look in his eyes, Xie Shian replied, "Understood."

He lifted the carriage curtain, dismounted, and galloped away on horseback.

Xie Jingyu ordered the coachman to return to the estate.

The moment they reached the entrance of the Xie residence, the manservant who served him hurried forward. "Master, the maidservants from the Madam's courtyard have come over several times, saying that as long as you have returned to the estate, you are to go straight to the Sheng Residence at once."

Xie Jingyu nodded to indicate he understood.

Without even changing his clothes, he walked directly toward the Sheng Residence.

Along the way, a myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind.

He soon arrived at Yun Chu's dwelling, and the moment he entered, he spotted He Shi tied to the bench in the courtyard.

He Shi's back was stained with blood, her clothes beaten to shreds, looking utterly gruesome.

Yet the two maidservants standing guard did not spare her; instead, they dashed a bucket of water across her face, and as soon as He Shi regained consciousness, they resumed striking her with the boards.

"Stop at once."

Xie Jingyu uttered three cold words.

The two maidservants hurriedly bowed in salute. "Greetings, Master."

Xie Jingyu's expression was complicated to the extreme.

In his memory, Yun Chu had always been a gentle and magnanimous virtuous helper. Like the vast sky, she possessed the capacity to embrace all people and things.

In their five years of marriage, he had never once seen Yun Chu punish any servant.

This was the very first time he had ever witnessed her wrath.

This wrath burned fiercely, planting a seed of unease in his heart.

He stepped up the terrace and walked to the doorway of Yun Chu's bedchamber. Tapping lightly on the door, he called out, "Madam?"

He heard the sound of footsteps, and immediately afterward, the door was pulled open.

Before he could utter a single word, suddenly, a rush of wind swept forward.

Crack!

A resounding slap landed heavily across his face.

Everyone in the courtyard was dumbstruck, the surrounding area plunging into a dead silence where only the whistling of the wind could be heard.

Xie Jingyu wore a look of utter, unadulterated disbelief.

He had actually been slapped across the face by a woman.

He was probably the very first husband in this dynasty to be slapped by his wife.

This was nothing short of supreme humiliation!

Yun Chu's palm tingled with numbness, her eyes burning red as she stared fixedly at Xie Jingyu as if breathing fire.

She articulated each word with chilling clarity: "I will ask you only once—where are the children buried?"

Xie Jingyu's face burned with a fiery pain.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, forcing down the overwhelming wave of humiliation.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Madam, your emotions are far too agitated. Let us calm down before we discuss this."

Yun Chu said coldly, "You are my husband, so naturally I cannot interrogate you the way I interrogated He Shi. But I can request my grandfather to step forward."

Xie Jingyu pressed his lips tightly together.

In the past, the Old Madam had told him that marrying a woman of high lineage would leave him, the husband, perpetually overshadowed at every turn.

Yet throughout five years of marriage, Yun Chu had never once used the Yun family's influence to force him into submission. He had always been grateful to Yun Chu for respecting him as her husband.

But right now, Yun Chu had brought out Old General Yun.

She had clearly given up on continuing this marriage.

Yet as for himself...

With Official Li no longer favoring him, the Yun family was the only pillar he had left to lean upon.

Gathering every ounce of his remaining strength, he forced down all of his turbulent emotions.

When he raised his head once more, his expression had transformed into one of remorseful gentleness. "When it came to burying the children, I did indeed conceal the truth from the Madam, and that is precisely the part of myself I can never forgive. The slap the Madam gave me is something I deserved to bear. I originally intended to bury the children near the ancestral hall of the Xie family's old estate, but later I heard people say that children who die prematurely being buried near the ancestral graves would affect the entire family's fortune. At that time, I had only just secured my footing in the imperial court, and I was genuinely worried..."

Yun Chu's patience had reached its absolute breaking point, and she cut him off with icy ruthlessness: "You only need to tell me where the children are actually buried!"

"Four years ago, I had people find a place in a village on the outskirts of the capital to bury the children." Xie Jingyu lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions swirling in the depths of his eyes. "It is late now, and rushing over there at this hour would be inconvenient. Tomorrow morning, I will take you to see the children."

Yun Chu's lips had drained of all color, turning as pale as dirt.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she spat out a single word: "Get out."

Then, with a loud bang, she slammed the door shut.

Leaning her back against the door, she slowly slid down until she sat flat on the floor.

Should she feel a sense of fortune, she wondered—should she thank the heavens that Xie Jingyu had not discarded the children's bodies, and that the children had a resting place after all…