Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 64
Chapter 64 - Not Giving Him a Way to Survive
Xie Jingyu waited in the outer parlor.
After sitting for quite a while, he finally saw Yunchu emerge from the inner chamber.
Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he said in a deep voice, "I have discussed the matter with the Old Madam, and we have decided to send Wei-ge'er to the estate in the western suburbs of the capital. What does Madam think?"
"It is indeed a good place; letting him suffer a bit of hardship will naturally teach him to be sensible." Yunchu raised her gaze. "When does Husband plan to send Wei-ge'er away?"
Xie Jingyu enunciated every word clearly: "Right now, immediately."
Yunchu asked, "Should we not wait until Wei-ge'er's illness and injuries are mostly healed before going?"
"The Marquis of Wu is currently in the middle of a fit of rage. If the Xie family does not show an attitude right now, the Marquis will keep this matter engraved in his heart indefinitely." Xie Jingyu pressed his lips together. "We will just have to wrong Wei-ge'er for a little while."
Yunchu sneered inwardly.
Xie Jingyu and Xie Shian—these father and son were truly cut from the exact same cloth, equally adept at studying, and equally selfish and ruthless.
In truth, her past self had nothing to feel wronged about; if Xie Shian could abandon his own biological younger brother, how much more would he discard her, a stepmother with no blood relation?
"Once Wei-ge'er has been sent away, the Xie estate must still go and make a formal apology in person." Xie Jingyu looked at the woman across from him. "Madam, you shall accompany me."
Since they had already resolved to bow their heads before the Marquis of Wu's Mansion, they might as well bow all the way to the end. Regardless of whether the Marquis humiliated or insulted them, scolded or mocked them, he would simply endure it. A few years from now, once An-ge'er achieved greatness, the Xie family would sooner or later reclaim the dignity they had lost.
Yunchu furrowed her brow slightly.
She had no desire to accompany Xie Jingyu to the Marquis of Wu's Mansion just to suffer other people's disdainful looks.
While she was speaking with Xie Jingyu, two fuzzy little heads popped out from behind the folding screen in the parlor.
"Changsheng, look at that man. He is Mother's husband," Chu Hongyu said in a low voice. "Tell me, how is this man any better than our father? Why did Mother choose to marry him instead of Father?"
Chu Changsheng opened her wide, innocent eyes, indicating that she didn't understand either.
"Pfft—"
A peculiar sound escaped from Chu Hongyu's lower region.
Chu Changsheng wrinkled her delicate little nose and immediately covered it in disgust.
"Pfft-pfft—"
Two more consecutive sounds followed.
Xie Jingyu was in the midst of waiting for Yunchu's reply when he heard some sort of commotion coming from behind the screen, accompanied simultaneously by a strange odor.
His brows knitted together: "It smells like spoiled food."
Involuntarily, he walked toward the direction of the screen.
At a single glance, Yunchu spotted the two shifting figures of the little fellows behind the screen.
Her head was throbbing immensely; it was undoubtedly Yuge'er who, disobeying her, had snuck out of the inner chamber with Changsheng.
"Husband!"
Yunchu called out, stopping Xie Jingyu in his tracks.
"Then tomorrow I shall accompany Husband to the Marquis of Wu's Mansion to plead guilty. Husband, remember to prepare the apology gifts."
Xie Jingyu halted his steps, his gaze landing upon Yunchu: "Many thanks, Madam."
Yunchu only wished for him to leave quickly: "Is Husband not still taking Wei-ge'er to the suburban estate? The hour is getting late; if we delay any longer, it will be too late."
Hearing this, Xie Jingyu finally stepped outside.
The moment he left, Yunchu walked briskly behind the screen. Originally intending to put on a stern face, she instead caught sight of Chu Hongyu with his knees pressed inward against each other, one hand clutching his small belly and the other covering his tiny backside, hopping in place without stopping while his entire face was flushed red.
She could not help but laugh aloud in amusement: "Come, let Mother take you to the latrine."
Meanwhile, Xie Jingyu led people to the courtyard where Xie Shiwei resided.
He surveyed the entire room. Ever since Wei-ge'er made a mistake a month ago and incurred family discipline, all the items in this courtyard had been ordered removed by Yunchu.
Yunchu had said that when heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a person, it must first frustrate their mind and will. Even though the living environment was already considered austere, Wei-ge'er still showed not the slightest bit of improvement.
A few days ago, when Wei-ge'er mistreated the maidservants, he should have sent Wei-ge'er far away, or failing that, locked him in the ancestral hall for a few months. That way, today's disastrous calamity would never have occurred.
Yet saying such things now was already too late.
Xie Jingyu's expression was heavy as he walked into the inner chamber. Glancing at Xie Shiwei, who lay on the bed completely drained of color, he enunciated every word: "Shiwei, you have disappointed your father far too much. I gave you chance after chance, yet you remained utterly unrepentant, committing blunder after blunder. Today, I am having people send you to live long-term at the estate in the western suburbs. You will properly recuperate there, and at the same time, you must deeply reflect upon yourself. I only hope that the next time father and son meet, I can look at you with entirely new eyes."
Xie Shiwei was still trapped in the agony of his broken leg. Seeing Xie Jingyu approach, he assumed his father had come out of heartache to check on him.
Yet never in his wildest dreams did he expect to hear such words—his father actually intended to banish him to live at a suburban estate!
Looking toward Xie Shian, who stood behind Xie Jingyu, he cried out in a choked voice: "Eldest Brother, please help me plead with Father! Tell Father that I've mended my ways, that I've truly reformed... Today's incident was purely an accident; the Heir to Marquis Wu tried to snatch my things first, and he shoved me first—"
"Enough!" Xie Jingyu raged. "Things have reached this juncture, and you are still shirking responsibility, still unaware of where you went wrong!"
Xie Shian let out a sigh: "Shiwei, the Marquis of Wu stated that even breaking off your four limbs would scarcely appease the hatred in his heart. Sending you to the suburban estate is done to preserve your life; it is a course of action forced upon Father by circumstance. You must understand Father's painstaking intentions."
Xie Shiwei turned pale with fright.
His leg was already broken, yet the Marquis of Wu was still unsatisfied and wanted to sever his four limbs as well...
If he were sent to live at the suburban estate in the capital's outskirts, wouldn't it be even easier for the Marquis of Wu to take his life?
"Father, I was wrong..." Xie Shiwei rolled down from the bed. "I truly know I was wrong, I beg Father to give me one more opportunity..."
Lady He wept as she pleaded, "My Lord, Wei-ge'er is still young, he can still be disciplined..."
"Father, I will definitely change!" Xie Shiwei wept so hard he was gasping for breath. "As long as Father doesn't send me away, you can make me do anything."
He was merely an eight-year-old child after all, and one of his legs was broken. To banish him far away like this was completely denying him a way to survive...
"Men!" Xie Jingyu said in a cold voice. "Carry the Second Young Master to the carriage."
Two minor attendants walked inside, hoisting Xie Shiwei up from left and right as they carried him outward together.
A carriage was parked right in the courtyard, with Xie Zhongcheng sitting inside. Sighing, the old man said, "Wei-ge'er, from now on you will obediently live at the estate with your grandfather. There is nothing wrong with the estate either; slowly adjust your state of mind there, and your father will naturally welcome you back to the capital."
"No, I won't go!" Xie Shiwei struggled violently. The moment his leg brushed against the ground, a heart-rending pain shot through him, causing him to shriek in agony. "I refuse to go to the estate! Father, give me one more chance! Mother, Mother, save me..."
He had completely lost control. Glancing toward Lady He's direction, he shouted "Mother" at the top of his lungs.
Xie Jingyu's gaze darkened. Not daring to delay any longer, the two attendants hoisted Xie Shiwei up and tossed him straight into the carriage. Seeing him struggle fiercely, they produced a length of rope to bind him securely and stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth to silence him.
Lady He's tears fell in a continuous patter.
Before she had even come to terms with the reality that Wei-ge'er was crippled in one leg, she had to bear the agony of separation between mother and child. Her heart felt as though it had been split open, and she wept so heavily she was nearly fainting.
Several concubines stood not far from the courtyard entrance, each wearing an expression of perplexity.
Conubine Tao took the lead, speaking up first: "Do you all not think that Lady He seems a bit overly concerned about the young masters? The last time the Eldest Young Master passed the xiucai examination, she was happier than anyone; this time the Second Young Master is sent away, she is in more agony than anyone. Could it be that she harbors such deep affection for My Lord that her love extends even to the young masters by house association?"
Tingyu and Concubine Jiang both remained silent, merely tightening their grip on the hands of the children beside them while secretly instructing them that they were forbidden to cause any trouble…