Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Reburied 

Xie Jingyu was dressed in his fifth-rank official attire, making it immediately apparent that he had rushed straight to the Sheng Residence the moment he returned from court, without even having the time to change his clothes.

A trace of delight flickered in Consort Ting's eyes.

In the past, when she resided in the Madam's courtyard, the Master would sometimes come to discuss official matters with the Madam, affording her an opportunity to catch a glimpse of him.

However, ever since she had been moved to the small courtyard, she had not seen the Master for a long time, and she deeply feared that he might forget about her existence as his concubine.

Pushing Xie Xiyun forward, she prompted, "Yun-ge'er, didn't you mention your father just last night? Hurry up and pay your respects to him."

Xie Xiyun immediately stepped forward and called out, "Greetings, Father."

With an indifferent expression, Xie Jingyu nodded curtly, walked straight into the courtyard of the Sheng Residence, ascended the terrace, and headed toward the side hall of Yun Chu's quarters.

Utterly ignored from start to finish, Consort Ting clutched the handkerchief in her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She could not comprehend why the Master, despite being slapped across the face by the Madam, not only bore no grudge against her but actually came running back so eagerly.

Was it simply because the Madam was the eldest daughter of the grand general, granting her the privilege of being coddled by everyone?

"What are you still standing around here for?" Consort Tingfeng walked up to her, offering a cold, mocking sneer. "Surely you don't think that bearing a son for the Xie family will make the Master look at you in a different light, do you? Heh, a disloyal maidservant like you is destined to be despised by others for the rest of your life..."

Consort Ting pressed her lips together tightly, took her child by the hand, and turned to leave.

After Xie Jingyu had waited in the side hall for a short while, Yun Chu finally emerged from her bedchamber.

She was dressed in a plain white robe, devoid of any hairpins or jewelry, and wore no powder or rouge upon her face, making her entire appearance austere to the extreme.

Precisely because she lacked the embellishments of cosmetics and vibrant attire, her natural features stood out all the more starkly. At a glance, she was ethereally striking, and upon a second look, she possessed a breathtaking allure.

An irrepressible surge of emotion welled up from the depths of Xie Jingyu's heart.

Retaining a completely expressionless face, Yun Chu said coldly, "Let's go."

Forcing down those inappropriate feelings, Xie Jingyu accompanied her outside.

Parked at the main entrance of the estate was a carriage, followed closely by a second cart. When she clearly saw what rested upon the second cart, a ripple finally stirred across Yun Chu's face.

"This is the Phoebe zhennan wood coffin I searched for throughout the entire night; it remains uncorrupted for a millennium," Xie Jingyu explained. "I was the one who failed the children, and I will do everything in my power to make it up to them."

Dropping her gaze, Yun Chu lifted the hem of her skirt and boarded the carriage.

The carriage rolled forward smoothly toward the outskirts of the city. After traveling for roughly an hour and a half, they finally arrived at the village Xie Jingyu had mentioned.

Ting Shuang and Consort Tingfeng supported Yun Chu on either side as she stepped down from the carriage.

Gazing at the mountain rising before them, Xie Jingyu said, "The children's remains are up on the mountain. The mountain paths are difficult to traverse, so the Madam should be careful."

Leading the way ahead, he was followed by Yun Chu and her two maidservants, while four robust men trailed behind them in pairs, carrying the small Phoebe wood coffin between them as the entire party slowly ascended the mountain.

Because of days of unceasing rain, the mountain path was covered in thick, sticky mud. Within just a few steps, Yun Chu's shoes were soaked through, and the hem of her pristine white dress was entirely stained with black mire.

Yet she paid it no mind whatsoever. Refusing the support of her maidservants, she forged ahead step by step under her own power.

After walking for nearly an hour, they finally reached a relatively flat expanse of terrain. Halting in his tracks, Xie Jingyu announced, "This is the place."

Yun Chu cast her gaze around her. There wasn't even a single raised earthen mound to be seen here; there was only the lush vegetation of spring and blooming wildflowers. A patch of wild blossoms had bloomed ahead of schedule, displaying a riot of vibrant colors that looked exceptionally vivid.

Her heart suddenly began to tremble.

Xie Jingyu spoke up, "Madam, you should step back a bit."

Shaking her head, Yun Chu replied, "Begin."

Armed with tools, the four strong men stepped forward, carefully clearing away the wild blossoms before slowly beginning to excavate the earth.

No sooner had they broken the ground than streams of groundwater began to seep out.

Recalling the dream in which her children cried about being freezing cold, Yun Chu wondered if it was because they had been perpetually soaking in water all these years...

The mere thought that her children had been denied peace even in death caused a burning, aching sensation in her eyes, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

The sight of her grief wrenched at Xie Jingyu's heart.

Stepping forward, he reached out to wrap an arm around Yun Chu's shoulders, but she sidestepped to avoid his touch.

Withdrawing his empty hand, he offered, "Madam, my father owns an estate situated in a location of supreme geomantic fortune. We can reinter the children's bones amidst a landscape of singing birds and fragrant flowers..."

"There is no need."

A deep, chilling voice cut across the air.

Turning around, Xie Jingyu saw Yun Ze leading a retinue of attendants as they climbed up the mountain.

The moment she laid eyes on Yun Ze, Yun Chu's untethered heart finally steadied, though her throat tightened with a suffocating ache: "Eldest Brother."

Raising a hand, Yun Ze gave her shoulder a gentle pat before turning his gaze toward Xie Jingyu. "As an outsider, I have no business meddling in the affairs of the Xie family, but Xie Jingyu, you have gone far too far. Four years ago, if you had no heart to bury the children properly, you could have told me instead of casually tossing them away to be buried on some random hillside. For these past four years, the children have suffered untold hardships buried here, and we have no way of knowing if their souls have found rest. If they are unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation, it is entirely thanks to you, their biological father!"

Always gentle by nature, Yun Ze delivered a scathing, blistering reprimand that left Xie Jingyu utterly unable to lift his head in shame.

At twenty-eight years of age, Xie Jingyu was even a few years older than Yun Ze, yet he was scolded to the point where he could not utter a single word in rebuttal.

"Of course, I can understand your perspective," Yun Ze continued, his tone softening slightly. "At the time, you were right in the midst of your career advancement. How could you possibly allow such a trivial matter to consume your precious time? Furthermore, since you already had three other children, it is only logical that you wouldn't care about the ones who died."

Though spoken in a milder tone, every word struck directly at the core of Xie Jingyu's conscience. With great difficulty, he parted his lips: "Eldest Brother, I..."

"Enough, there is no need to say any more." Yun Ze exuded an overwhelming aura of authority. "The children that your Xie family failed to cherish will be cherished by the Yun family instead. These two children shall be interred within the Yun family's ancestral grounds; Official Xie need not trouble himself any further."

Stepping forward, the dozen or so guards he brought with him unceremoniously pushed the four Xie family laborers aside.

Xie Jingyu's complexion turned ashen to the extreme, but not a single soul present cared about his emotional state.

Working with utmost care, the dozen Yun family guards cleared away the soil, and before long, two tiny infant skeletons—no larger than the palm of a hand—were revealed to view.

Yun Chu's tears broke through like a breached dam, entirely beyond her control.

Her knees buckled, and her body began to slide downward.

"Chu'er, you are the children's mother. To kneel to them will shorten their karmic lifespan in the next reincarnation," Yun Ze caught her, pulling her back up. "Ting Shuang, support your young mistress properly."

In his eyes, Chu'er would forever be the pampered young lady of the Yun family.

Why must a younger sister who deserved a lifetime of peace and happiness suffer the agony of parting in life and death...

Yun Ze's heart felt as though it were being twisted by a blade.

Yun Chu was crying so hard she was nearly gasping for breath.

Clutching Ting Shuang's hand, she dragged herself forward step by step until she reached the edge of the small pit.

Squatting down, she personally scooped up those tiny, fragile bones with her own hands, placing her children one by one into the new coffin...

Her hands trembled incessantly, her tears flowed without pause, and her legs remained weak beneath her.

After the children were finally laid to rest in the burial plot adjacent to the Yun family's ancestral grounds, Yun Chu completely lost consciousness, slipping into a darkness where she knew nothing more.