Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 61
Chapter 61 - Xie Shiwei Causes Trouble
The Xie residence was not particularly large, and the jujube orchard was naturally not far away.
Before even drawing near, one could see the vast expanse of jujube trees planted along the courtyard wall. Though they had not been planted for long, they already displayed a vibrant vitality, their branches dense with lush green leaves that rustled softly in the passing breeze.
Beneath the jujube trees, a group of children were playing. The older children and Xie Shian were engaged in pitch-pot in the front courtyard, while those under seven or eight years old were playing wildly right here.
"The tips of the jujube branches are dense with green leaves, the clear sky and gentle breeze call to the singing birds," one official could not help but recite in verse. "Once these jujube trees grow tall, the scenery here will surely become even more exquisite."
Official Yuan chuckled and said, "With so many jujube trees planted in the estate, Lord Xie and Lady Xie's wish will surely come true."
Qin Mingheng's expression grew gloomy.
Did that woman still expect to have a child with Xie Jingyu?
Did she know that the two children she had given birth to back then were thrown by Xie Jingyu right at the front gates of his Marquis Wu's Mansion?
Two children who were not yet fully dead, only the size of a palm, so very small. On a howling, snowy winter night, wrapped only in a thin, tattered bed curtain, their little faces frozen into a bluish-purple...
If she knew about this, would she hate Xie Jingyu?
No, she would hate him even more, hate him for almost sending her children onto the road to the underworld.
Just as Qin Mingheng was deep in thought, he heard the voice of his own son. Raising his head, he saw that his son was in a dispute with the Second Young Master of the Xie estate.
The Heir to Marquis Wu stared fixedly at the cricket pinched in Xie Shiwei's hand and angrily demanded, "I saw this cricket first, it's mine!"
He reached out his hand, ordering Xie Shiwei to hand it over.
"Clearly I caught it first!" Xie Shiwei let out a cold snort. "Who told you to be so slow."
The six-year-old Heir to Marquis Wu was furious beyond measure: "You actually dare to defy me? Who gave you the gall? I'll say it one more time, hand it over!"
He carried the imposing aura unique to the scions of high aristocracy. Xie Shiwei suddenly came to his senses, realizing that the person before him was the legitimate eldest son of Marquis Wu, a towering figure that even his own father dared not offend.
If he offended the Heir to Marquis Wu, his father would surely give him a fierce tongue-lashing.
Realizing this, he cast a reluctant glance at the cricket in his hand, hesitating over whether or not to hand it over.
"Second Young Master, this cricket was found in the Xie estate, so it belongs to the Xie estate," Jiuer stepped forward, lowering her voice to murmur in his ear. "Although the little heir of the Marquis's estate holds a higher status, he cannot simply snatch away things belonging to the Xie estate out of thin air. Where would that leave the dignity of the Xie family?"
These words struck right at what Xie Shiwei desired. It originally belonged to the Xie estate, and furthermore, it was a cricket he had caught himself; why on earth should he hand it over?
He raised the cricket high up: "If the Heir wants it, come and get it yourself."
He was slightly taller, and on top of that, he held the cricket up so high that the Heir to Marquis Wu could not reach it at all, making the latter so angry that he gave Xie Shiwei a fierce shove.
Xie Shiwei instinctively pushed back by reflex. Being two years older and possessing greater strength, his shove sent the Heir to Marquis Wu tumbling straight over, eliciting a miserable shriek.
Xie Shiwei looked over and saw that the Heir to Marquis Wu's hand had scraped against a rock, drawing a great deal of blood.
He was stunned with fright for a moment, then immediately walked over, bending down to help the person up. At that very moment, a large palm suddenly came from behind and shoved him violently away.
He was pushed hard to the ground. Raising his head, he saw a furious Qin Mingheng, the Marquis of Wu.
"M-Marquis..."
Xie Shiwei stammered out.
The next moment, Qin Mingheng's boot-clad foot came down heavily, stamping right onto Xie Shiwei's knee.
A crisp crack rang out.
A sharp sound echoed from the joint, and Xie Shiwei's face instantly turned ashen, followed immediately by a wail of agonizing pain.
Back courtyard.
Yunchu and the Marchioness of Wu, Lady Luo, were chatting and laughing together. Lin Shi and Madam Dai sat side by side discussing children, while Old Madam Xie and Yuan Shi were also conversing delightfully with several other madams.
The atmosphere here was entirely harmonious.
Just at that moment, an old servant woman came running over with a face full of anxiety: "Mistress, something has happened."
From the start of the banquet until this moment when it was nearing its end, Old Madam Xie's mood had been consistently wonderful because the things she worried about had never come to pass. Just as her heart was about to settle completely into her stomach, the servant's declaration that something had happened struck like a thunderbolt splitting her heart. She was truly terrified of a bizarre incident occurring akin to the last birthday banquet.
Yunchu's expression remained calm: "What is it?"
Lowering her head, the servant woman said, "The Heir to Marquis Wu's finger is bleeding a lot..."
Old Madam Xie's heart settled a fraction; she let out a breath of relief and said, "Children of five or six are right at the mischievous age, it's quite normal to accidentally hurt a finger. Have you summoned a physician..."
Lady Luo stood up abruptly, cutting off the old madam's words: "How could he hurt his finger?"
"It was the Second Young Master..." The servant woman kept her head bowed low. "The Second Young Master pushed the Heir, the Heir fell against a rock, and his finger started bleeding."
"What?!" Old Madam Xie stood up too fiercely, knocking over her stool in the process. Steadying herself against the table, the old lady enunciated every single word: "It was Wei-ge'er who caused the Heir to be injured?"
Seeing the servant woman nod, her vision began to darken. Had the servants not caught her, she likely would have collapsed limply to the ground right then and there.
The previous farce had merely caused the Xie family to lose face.
Yet injuring the Heir to Marquis Wu was tantamount to offending the Marquis of Wu, and the consequences were simply too dreadful to contemplate.
Old Madam Xie was practically frightened half to faint. Raising her head, however, she saw Yunchu wearing an expression of absolute composure. For reasons unknown, it was as if she had found a backbone, and strength gradually returned to her limbs and bones.
"Marchioness, do not be anxious. Let us go over and take a look first," Yunchu spoke up. "The jujube grove is over that way."
Lin Shi's heart felt somewhat heavy.
The Marquis of Wu had only ever married one wife, and there were no concubines or mistresses in his back courtyard. For all these years, the Marchioness had given birth to only this single legitimate son. The couple doted on this sole child to the extreme, treating him as a treasured pearl they feared might drop, a precious gem they feared might melt. Yet this darling of their palms had drawn blood right here in the Xie estate; this matter would likely not be resolved easily.
Lin Shi followed along as well.
Upon reaching the jujube orchard, they heard the physician walking out of the room to report: "The Heir's finger has not damaged bone or tendon, but he has lost too much blood and will require a full month of careful recuperation... As for Xie Second Young Master's leg, it is rather tricky; even once it heals, he will walk differently from ordinary people in the future."
Xie Jingyu's figure staggered.
His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Qin Mingheng.
The Marquis's Heir had merely broken the skin on his finger and bled a little, yet Qin Mingheng had actually stamped and broken his own son's leg! Wei-ge'er was only eight years old—his future was completely ruined.
Qin Mingheng looked at him coldly: "A mere concubine-born son of your Xie estate, even if raised under the primary wife's name to become a legitimate son, is not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Heir to Marquis Wu. Even if all four of his limbs were broken, it would hardly appease the hatred in my heart. Today's matter absolutely cannot be settled like this! Lord Xie has indulged his beloved son in bullying the Marquis's Heir, committing an offense against a superior and acting with unpardonable audacity. I am going to petition His Majesty to preside over justice!"
At the very mention of "His Majesty," Old Madam Xie could no longer sustain herself; rolling her eyes back, she fainted dead away at the entrance of the courtyard.
Xie Jingyu's fists clenched tightly.
Although the Marquis's Mansion held no real political power, it walked exceedingly close to the imperial family. Should Qin Mingheng casually drop a few words before the Emperor, it would be more than enough to spell disaster for his Xie estate.
The fact that Wei-ge'er's leg was crippled had already become a reality; they certainly could not afford to drag the entire Xie estate down with him.
Relaxing his five fingers, he cupped his hands together and said, "It is this lower official who failed to teach his son properly. Injuring the Heir is the Xie family's fault, and I beg the Marquis to be magnanimous..."
With a cold face, Qin Mingheng clearly showed that he was extremely dissatisfied with his attitude in admitting fault.
At that moment, Yunchu walked in from the entrance, approached Qin Mingheng, and curtsied slowly: "Marquis, please calm your anger…”