Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 62
Chapter 62 - Bullying Others Too Intolerantly
Qin Mingheng lowered his gaze, looking at Yunchu, who stood merely a few steps away from him.
This was the first time the two of them had been this close in public. With a gentle breath, he could catch the faint, delicate fragrance emanating from her.
He felt as though he had drifted back in time to that night five years ago, the night of her grand wedding, when she was stunningly beautiful. The passage of five years had left no mark upon her face; she was still as captivatingly gorgeous as ever.
"The Heir to Marquis Wu being injured in the Xie estate is indeed the fault of our Xie family, but the child's leg is broken, which can also be considered reaping what he sowed..." Yunchu said with her head lowered. "The Xie family will bear all medical expenses for the Heir to Marquis Wu, and the precious remedies needed for this month of recuperation will also be provided by the Xie family..."
Seeing her display such servile submissiveness, the anger in Qin Mingheng's heart flared fiercely upward.
Whenever he used to see her in the past, she was still the eldest young lady of the Yun family; she would tilt her fine, delicate chin up with a proud, haughty expression.
How could she have learned to be so submissive after five years in the Xie estate? For the sake of the Xie family, how could she allow herself to fall into the lowly dust!
Qin Mingheng's fury intensified further: "Does my Marquis's Mansion lack this bit of silver, Madam Xie? Do you think that by doing this, you can casually sweep this matter away as if it were nothing?"
"Then how does the Marquis believe it should be handled?"
Lin Shi walked over from the side.
This was a matter between the Xie family and the Marquis's Mansion; Chuyi stepping forward to offer amends was entirely proper, and she originally had no intention of stepping in on her daughter's behalf.
Yet, seeing the Marquis of Wu vent all his rage upon Chuyi while not a single person among the entire Xie family stood up to help...
Old Madam Xie had fainted as if seeking escape, Xie Zhongcheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the background, Yuan Shi lowered her head in a trace of fear, Xie Jingyu stood bowed to one side, and as for the rest, they were merely children entirely incapable of standing firm.
The grand Xie estate actually required her daughter to stand at the absolute forefront.
Lin Shi stepped forward, unostentatiously blocking Yunchu behind her, and raised her head: "The Marquis's Heir injured a single finger and would recover completely after resting for a few days, whereas the Xie family's Second Young Master has had his leg broken from this day forth. Is such a punishment not enough?"
Although the Marquis's Mansion held aristocratic titles, it possessed no real political power, while the Yun family were influential ministers wielding heavy military might. As the primary matriarch of the Yun family, she had no need to lower her head before the Marquis's Mansion.
Yunchu let out a soft sigh.
With her mother stepping forward, no matter how much anger the Marquis of Wu harbored, he could only swallow it down. It truly was letting the Xie family off easy.
"Marquis, let this matter rest here." Lady Luo had already instructed the wet nurse to carry the child onto the Marquis's carriage. In truth, it was merely a minor superficial wound that was already close to scabbing over and would likely heal by tomorrow; there was truly no need to make such a massive fuss out of it. On the other hand, the Xie family's Second Young Master had his kneecap crushed to pieces, making walking in the future exceptionally difficult...
"Then let it be as my Lady suggests." Qin Mingheng looked toward Yunchu. "Madam Xie is the legitimate daughter of a prominent military family, yet she has raised such a child—truly a disgrace to the illustrious reputation of the Yun family. If you do not discipline him properly so he does not run amok and commit outrages in the future, at least do not drag the Yun family down to share in the shame."
With those words, he turned and strode away. Lady Luo bowed respectfully to Lin Shi and Yunchu before following closely behind him.
Once the people from the Marquis of Wu's Mansion departed, the remaining guests exchanged glances before successively offering their farewells.
As they walked out to the entrance of the Xie estate, the crowd could not help buzzing with discussion.
"Does the feng shui of the Xie estate have some kind of problem? How is it that two banquets in a row have resulted in such massive incidents?"
"Did you not see how terrifying the Marquis of Wu's expression was? He looked as though he wanted to devour the Xie family alive. The Xie family and the Marquis have forged a deep grudge now."
"The Xie family's eldest young master is merely a provincial examination top scorer; to make his way up in the imperial court will still take at least a dozen years. By offending the Marquis's Mansion, the Xie family is completely finished."
"Do not forget that the Xie family also has the marital alliance with the Yun family. Just now, Madam Yun spoke up to intercede for the Xie family, which is quite enough to show that the Yun and Xie families have not broken ties."
"The reason the Marquis let the Xie family off just now was largely because the Marchioness spoke up to persuade him. I can't help but exclaim—how fortunate the Marchioness of Wu is to have encountered such a deeply devoted man as the Marquis, when a grand Marquis's Mansion doesn't even have a single concubine or mistress."
"..."
Yunchu saw the Yun family members out to the gate, took Lin Shi's hand, and said, "Today's incident, if downplayed, can be called children at play; if exaggerated, it can be called the Xie estate condoning its own to commit violence. If the Marquis's Mansion has no outlet for this pent-up fury, they will constantly target the Xie family in both overt and covert ways. Therefore, Mother, please do not meddle in this matter anymore."
Lin Shi gently stroked her hair: "Because of those two children last time, your eldest brother had a bout of drinking with the Minister of Revenue, and originally intended to find an opportunity to create some trouble for Xie Jingyu. Now it seems your eldest brother doesn't even need to step in; the Marquis's fury is quite enough for him to suffer quite a bit. By that time, he will come to understand that without the Yun family's protection, his Xie family is absolute nothingness."
A wave of warmth washed over Yunchu's heart.
Family was truly like this—even if she said nothing at all, they would still charge to the absolute frontlines for her sake.
The cold reprimands the Marquis had leveled at her moments ago, witnessed by her mother, would surely prompt her mother to find an opportunity to exact payback for this grievance.
"Mother, do not worry about me; be careful on the journey back." Yunchu watched the Yun family's carriage depart before turning around to walk back inside.
Old Madam Xie had already slowly regained consciousness. Supported by a servant woman's hand, she raged with a voice lacking in full breath: "The Marquis is simply bullying others too intolerantly, pushing people too far! Wei-ge'er's leg is broken, his entire life is ruined, yet he still refuses to let my Xie estate go! On what grounds does he intend to file an imperial complaint? If anyone is going to file a complaint, it should be my Xie family! A full-grown man stepping and breaking the leg of a legitimate son of the Xie estate—His Majesty will certainly punish him!"
Xie Zhongcheng closed his eyes: "The Marquis of Wu's great-grandfather once rendered meritorious service in saving the Emperor and holds grace toward the imperial house, so His Majesty will naturally stand on the Marquis's side. Furthermore, the Marquis has only this single son, who is naturally far more precious than a concubine-born son born of an outside mistress in my Xie estate..."
Yuan Shi's lips trembled: "Is the matter simply going to end like this? Will my Xie family swallow such a bitter, massive loss?"
"The matter is far from over," Yunchu said as she walked in from the entrance. "The Marquis departed brimming with fury, and this fire could flare up and burn anew at any moment."
How could Xie Jingyu not know this? As long as Qin Mingheng continued to harbor this resentment in his chest, he wouldn't hope to live a single peaceful day from here on out.
The Xie estate had finally struggled its way to this point—was it going to grind to a halt right here?
"Old Madam, what is to become of the Second Young Master..." Lady He spoke up weakly from the side, expending every ounce of her strength to hold back her tears. "Didn't a divine physician arrive in the capital? Please, please invite the divine physician to treat the Second Young Master! He is only eight years old, he cannot be crippled just like this..."
The Old Madam nodded: "Yes, yes, quickly invite the divine physician over. Right now Wei-ge'er's condition is of the utmost importance; we can discuss other matters once his health is cured."
"Father, do we truly need to treat Wei-ge'er's illness?" Xie Shian spoke in a calm, measured tone. "Precisely because the physician asserted that Wei-ge'er's leg is broken, the fury in the Marquis of Wu's heart has dissipated somewhat. If Wei-ge'er is cured, the Marquis will believe the Xie family paid no due price whatsoever. Father should be able to imagine what the consequences would be."
Lady He, standing to one side, lifted her eyes in sheer disbelief.
An-ge'er was actually Wei-ge'er's own blood brother; how could he possibly utter such a cold-blooded and merciless remark!
Siblings of the same flesh and blood should share breath and fate, advancing and retreating together—how could he abandon Wei-ge'er...
Yunchu cynically curved the corners of her lips. This was precisely the kind of thing Xie Shian was capable of saying, because this person was inherently selfish and cold-hearted to the absolute extreme...
Xie Jingyu looked toward Yunchu, dazed as if he had caught a glimpse of the derisive smirk at the corners of her lips. When he looked closer, however, he discovered that Yunchu was merely pressing her lips together in worry; it must have been his imagination. He opened his mouth to inquire: "Madam, what are your thoughts?"
Yunchu raised her gaze, just about to reply.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the area outside the window behind Xie Jingyu—that was a courtyard wall roughly two meters high, with several tall trees growing near the corner. From that very corner, two little heads suddenly popped up.
Those two faces—she recognized them instantly. They were actually the little Heir and the little Princess of the Prince of Pingxi's Estate!