Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 117
Chapter 117 - Who Is Disregarding the Rules
The carriage pulled up outside the Xie residence.
Having spent half a month away from the Xie family, Yun Chu naturally went to pay her respects to the Old Madam upon returning.
The Old Madam had fallen ill previously, but after recuperating for a spell, she had improved considerably. She sat propped up against the cushions on the couch, and there were no blocks of ice placed in the room.
It wasn't that they couldn't afford ice—stingy as the Xie family could be, they would never scrimp on her, the old matriarch. Rather, having been through a bout of illness, she was somewhat sensitive to the cold and preferred to endure the warmth.
"To stay at her maternal home for half a month—she truly is the very first person in our current dynasty to do so!" The Old Madam's gaze was gloomy. "Outsiders probably think my Xie family has done something wrong to her, and Jingyu's official career has also suffered as a result. What an absolute jinx of a woman!"
Nanny Zhou stood off to the side, not daring to chime in.
Over this past period, the Old Madam's grievances toward the mistress had only grown deeper, prompting her to utter curses every now and then. If Nanny Zhou were to attempt any persuasion, the Old Madam would simply scold her even more fiercely.
In her view, ever since the mistress returned to the Yun family, the internal affairs of the Xie residence had been managed by the eldest miss, resulting in mistakes at every turn and dragging her old bones down to assist the eldest miss with household duties...
"As a century-old noble clan, how can the Yun family also be so utterly devoid of rules?" the Old Madam continued. "To let a married daughter stay in her maiden home for so long—not even the imperial family would allow such a thing. The Yun Lady is clearly dead-set on making a mockery of my Xie family..."
"The Old Madam is mistaken in saying that!"
Yun Chu walked in through the main entrance, stepping right up before the Old Madam.
Startled, the Old Madam gave a sharp shudder. Over the past half month, Jingyu had gone to the Yun residence every few days to fetch Yun Chu, yet Yun Chu had consistently refused to return.
The old matriarch had assumed this trip would likewise result in an empty-handed return.
Never had she imagined that while cursing someone inside her own room, she would be caught red-handed. Had the maidservants and matrons at the door all dropped dead?
"No matter how devoid of rules my mother is, she would never conceal things from my eldest sister-in-law while secretly welcoming an outside mistress and her illegitimate children into the estate." Yun Chu paused slightly in her tone. "Oh, I misspoke as well. No matter what my eldest brother is like, he would never keep his wife in the dark while keeping a mistress, let alone bear children with one."
"You! You!"
A sudden surge of blood rushed to the Old Madam's head.
This was pure rebellion! A mere junior actually dared to use such a tone to speak to her, an elder—was the world turning upside down, or what!
He Shi was already dead; she had been dead for half a month, her corpse long since cold. Why continue bringing up matters that were already in the past? Was there any point to it?
"Old Madam, do not let your anger flare." A smile graced Yun Chu's lips. "Half a month ago, didn't I sustain an injury? It happened to be near the Yun estate, so I stayed behind there. Surely you wouldn't have expected someone with injuries to endure a bumpy carriage ride back, would you? If my condition had worsened, wouldn't you, Old Madam, have felt pained as well?"
She softened her tone, leaving the Old Madam with no choice but to force her fiery rage back down.
What else could she do if she didn't suppress it? Should she, at her advanced age, stand here and hurl insults back and forth with her granddaughter-in-law?
Besides, the Xie family was in the wrong to begin with, having deceived Yun Chu and driven He Shi to her death...
"Since you are back, you should rest properly." The Old Madam waved her hand dismissively. "There are numerous matters waiting for your attention; make sure you don't wear yourself out."
Stepping out of the Ansou Hall, Yun Chu returned to the Sheng Residence.
She used to consider this place her home, but after spending half a month living at the Yun residence, she realized that the true home in her heart would forever be the Yun estate.
No sooner had she taken her seat than the residents of the inner courtyard all came to pay their respects, including Concubine Tao, who had yet to complete her confinement month.
Conjugal concubine Tao was young indeed; twenty days post-birth, she had recovered almost to her original state, though due to the fragile constitution of her premature baby, anxious clouds still lingered between her brows.
"I heard the mistress was injured, and this concubine was utterly panicked," Tingyu spoke up. "I originally wanted to go tend to the mistress, but given my current status, it is difficult for me to cross the threshold of the Yun estate once more. I beg the mistress to forgive me."
Concubine Jiang looked at Yun Chu and said: "The mistress has grown a bit thin. If the mistress does not disdain it, this concubine will personally stew some nourishing soups and send them over every day for the next half month."
Yun Chu smiled and accepted the offer.
"Mistress..." Concubine Tao hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I heard that the mistress previously consulted the divine physician Divine Physician Si for medical treatment. Might I trouble the mistress to implore the divine physician to also check Kang'er's pulse?"
Yun Chu replied indifferently: "Divine Physician Si has already left the capital. Even members of the imperial family cannot summon him, let alone someone like me."
In her previous life, Xie Shikang had been born frail. After raising him for several months, Concubine Tao watched the child's health steadily deteriorate, eventually sending him into Yun Chu's care.
In order to save the child's life, Yun Chu had traveled through wind and waves alongside Kang'er, journeying for over two months to find the divine physician in Qingzhou down south...
And during that very period when she was away from the capital, something had gone wrong at the Yun residence, causing her eldest sister-in-law to lose the child in her belly. When she later asked her mother about it, no clear answers could be elicited.
"Mistress, what on earth is to become of Kang'er?" Concubine Tao wept bitterly. "He vomits the moment he drinks milk, unable to keep anything down, and he won't put on any weight either, growing thinner and frailer by the day. This concubine is powerless to keep Kang'er alive..."
She detested He Shi to the marrow of her bones; had it not been for that wretched woman, she wouldn't have gone into premature labor, and Kang'er wouldn't have had to endure all this suffering.
He Shi had died just like that, yet Kang'er still had to struggle so bitterly to survive.
"Concubine Tao, you are Kang'er's birth mother. If even you cannot raise him, others are all the more helpless," Yun Chu stated. "The child is young, so you must exercise a bit more patience. From now on, you may skip the morning greetings; spend more time taking good care of Kang'er instead."
Concubine Tao sobbed miserably.
If even the mistress refused to get involved, the master certainly couldn't manage it either. Her poor Kang'er had suffered such a bitter fate.
Yun Chu lowered her head to sip her tea.
In her past life, Xie Shikang had relied entirely on her visits to famed physicians far and wide before slowly developing into a normal child. Yet what had that child, whom she had saved with her own hands, ever done in return?
Never mind; things that were impossible to happen in this lifetime weren't worth mentioning.
Yun Chu waved her hand, signaling for everyone in the room to withdraw. Xie Ping stayed behind to give her a detailed report regarding the household affairs managed over the past half month.
Listening with a casual air, Yun Chu remarked after the report concluded: "Ping'er has made tremendous progress and handled things very well."
A smile bloomed across Xie Ping's face.
Nanny Zhou had kept telling her that her methods lacked structure and constantly pointed fingers at her, almost making her truly believe she was completely incompetent.
Fortunately, her mother had offered her encouragement; she would definitely study household management with greater diligence so that she could firmly plant her feet once she entered the Prince Anjing's Estate.
At the mere thought of the Prince Anjing's Estate, Xie Ping's smile instantly vanished. Twiddling her fingers nervously, she said, "Mother, the dowry previously prepared for me by Father had already been fully recorded on the inventory. Yet over these past few days, all of those items have been taken away, leaving only ten celebratory quilts on my dowry list..."
Yun Chu looked at her: "And then?"
"I—I am the future Princess Anjing, after all," Xie Ping looked on the verge of tears. "As a imperial princess consort, to have such a meager dowry—isn't that asking to be looked down upon? Being looked down upon myself is one thing, but I'm afraid outsiders will look down upon our Xie family..."
Yun Chu wore a half-mocking smile: "Does Ping'er mean to say you wish for me to prepare your dowry for you?"
Not daring to meet her gaze, Xie Ping lowered her head.
Wasn't it only natural for a mother to prepare a dowry for her daughter? Yet facing such a counter-question from her mother left her momentarily speechless, not knowing how to reply.
"Your father's official career has been rocky of late," Yun Chu said in a flat tone. "Our Xie family is merely of humble origins; how could a daughter possibly bring a lavish dowry upon her marriage? If the dowry were overly extravagant, it would inevitably attract the scrutiny of the Censorate. You wouldn't want your father to be impeached in a memorial, would you?"
Xie Ping stammered, her lips moving without sound.
No matter how humble their origins, it was impossible they couldn't even put together a decent dowry.
Even a family selling tofu on the streets could manage to assemble sixteen chests of dowry items for their daughter's wedding, while she...
Her mother wasn't afraid of the Censorate impeaching her father at all; rather, she simply didn't want to spend a single coin on her. Because her mother knew she was the daughter born of Concubine He...
So it turned out that her mother, who used to dote on her wholeheartedly and teach her everything, had suddenly changed.
It was all He Shi's fault. Why had she given birth to her if she couldn't secure a brilliant future for her? Why hadn't she just died completely before everything was brought to light…