Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 120
Chapter 120 - Nightly Nightmares
It was already early August, and the scorching sun blazed like fire.
With the Grand General Pillar of the State returning to the capital, people came and went in a constant stream. Every five years around this time, the Yun family would take the opportunity to host a banquet to entertain their guests.
By the time Yun Chu arrived, a considerable number of people had already gathered in the courtyard. Male and female guests were not seated separately; instead, they were arranged by official rank and status, with each household occupying a single table.
No sooner had she arrived than the Xie family made their appearance.
Xie Jingyu brought Xie Shi'an and Xie Ping along with him.
"Mother," Xie Shi'an and Xie Ping called out in unison.
Yun Chu nodded: "There are many distinguished guests today, so all of you should mind your manners and be on your best behavior."
"Shi'an, stay close behind me. Ping'er, stick tight to your mother," Xie Jingyu instructed. "Do not speak out of turn, and make sure not to disgrace your maternal grandfather."
The four of them stepped through the main gates of the Yun residence together.
Once inside, Xie Jingyu caught sight of numerous high-ranking officials he could never hope to befriend under normal circumstances—such as Grand Tutors, Grand Mentors, Ministers of the Six Ministries, and Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Cabinet... Virtually all the most crucial officials of the imperial court were in attendance. They gathered in small clusters to converse, and in the absence of the Emperor, the atmosphere appeared remarkably relaxed and carefree.
Because the Grand General had not yet returned to the Yun estate, only Yun Ze and the collateral branches of the Yun family were on hand to receive the male guests. Although the younger generation of the Yun family held relatively modest official posts, which of those first- and second-rank dignitaries dared put on airs or show disrespect to Yun Ze?
"Official Xie," his colleague, Official Yuan, stepped over to greet him. "With Grand General Yun returning to the capital, he will likely remain for some time. As a son-in-law, Official Xie has the opportunity to raise a cup and drink with a current first-rank Grand General—it is truly something to be immensely envied."
How could Xie Jingyu fail to hear the sarcasm laced within those words? It was a jab mocking him for relying on the Yun family and his maternal father-in-law.
With a placid expression, he retorted: "Then Official Yuan is quite welcome to keep on envying."
Official Yuan choked on his words, momentarily speechless.
As expected, once a man found himself a powerful backing, his spine stiffened with confidence.
Taking a deep breath, Yuan remarked: "I somehow feel that Official Xie's complexion doesn't look too well. The skin around your eyes is dark and bruised—is it possible you've fallen ill, or perhaps encountered something inauspicious? Official Xie ought to find the time to have a physician take a look."
He was merely spouting nonsense off the top of his head to claw back a bit of pride.
Who would have thought that these words struck directly at a raw nerve within Xie Jingyu? Ever since He Shi's death, he had been plagued by nightmares every single night, unable to enjoy a single sound slumber.
He felt as though his constitution was growing steadily weaker, frequently finding himself sapped of strength. He knew this was the direct result of poor sleep... It seemed he truly needed to find a physician for an examination and have some calming sleeping drafts prescribed. Once he could sleep soundly through the night, He Shi would surely stop haunting his dreams.
"Father, with so many guests present, Uncle is somewhat overwhelmed trying to receive everyone," Xie Shi'an suggested. "Father should go lend a hand."
Ignoring Official Yuan's probing gaze, Xie Jingyu walked over in the direction of Yun Ze.
However, everyone present was well aware that the eldest daughter of the Yun family had returned to her maiden home to stay for a full half-month just prior, a clear indication that their marital relationship was strained to a greater or lesser degree.
Coupled with the fact that upon Xie Jingyu's entrance, none of the Yun family members had stepped forward to proactively greet him—with Yun Ze in particular refusing to cast even a single glance in Xie Jingyu's direction—the implications were glaringly obvious.
Those high officials of the court were all seasoned schemers; not a single one harbored any genuine intention of engaging in an in-depth conversation with Xie Jingyu.
While the Xie father and son were left sitting out in the cold, Yun Chu's side was bustling with vibrant activity.
Since many court officials were still accompanying the Emperor within the palace, the current assembly consisted primarily of matrons and young ladies, filling the courtyards with a sea of female guests.
"I heard that on his journey back to the capital, Grand General Yun casually wiped out three bandit hideouts without losing a single soldier. The Grand General's tactical genius is truly godlike."
"Indeed! With the Grand General guarding the western frontier, my heart feels infinitely more at ease."
"Judging by the looks of it, the Yun Eldest Young Mistress is carrying a child—this is truly a double blessing."
"With Second Miss Yun's grand wedding just around the corner, we'll soon have to brazenly beg for a cup of wedding wine."
"..."
Lady Lin smiled warmly: "Invitations are currently being dispatched to every household. Everyone with spare time is welcome to come drink a cup of wedding wine and share in the joyous occasion."
As she spoke, Madam Du arrived, accompanied by her legitimate eldest daughter, Du Ling.
Following the incident at the Qing'an Temple that day, Yun Chu had specifically dispatched someone to inquire at the Du household, and upon learning that Du英 had not attempted anything drastic or self-destructive, she had finally set her mind at ease.
Lady Lin stepped forward to welcome Madam Du, while Yun Chu walked over toward Du Ling: "Madam Ji."
Du Ling pressed her lips into a thin line.
A former close friend had plotted against her at the Qing'an Temple and even left Du Ying weeping for a full month; truth be told, Du Ling still harbored a lingering grievance toward Yun Chu.
At the same time, she understood that back then, Yun Chu's younger half-sister had cornered the Fourth Prince into a trap. Under those circumstances, Yun Chu had been left with no choice but to use her as a witness to compel the Fourth Prince to take responsibility.
Come to think of it, she actually owed a debt of gratitude to Yun Chu's illegitimate eldest daughter. It was precisely because she had secretly investigated the Fourth Prince that she discovered there were at least ten concubines tucked away within the inner quarters of the Prince Anjing's Estate.
Throwing those hard facts right into Du Ying's face was what finally made her younger sister stop grieving over the Fourth Prince.
Hearing yesterday that Noble Consort De had arranged for a secondary consort to enter the household on the very same day as the primary consort—effectively dragging the primary consort's dignity through the mud—she couldn't help but feel a flicker of schadenfreude.
"Congratulations, Miss Xie," Du Ling said, her lips curving into a smile as she glanced at Xie Ping standing behind Yun Chu. "You'll soon be getting your wish to marry into the Prince Anjing's Estate. When the time comes to share a home with so many sister-wives, how is Miss Xie's mood?"
Xie Ping's complexion turned ashen.
Forcing a stiff smile, she replied: "To wed the Prince Anjing, become his primary consort, and join the sisters of the estate in expanding the imperial lineage is this subject's supreme honor."
Du Ling let out a cold, mocking scoff.
Xie Ping's face drained of color entirely. Unable to bear Du Ling's piercing gaze a moment longer, she excused herself under a pretext and hurried off to the side.
"Xie Mistress, your daughter actually had the audacity to plot against the Fourth Prince—she is truly no ordinary character," Du Ling remarked. "You'd better be careful she doesn't turn around and scheme against you one day."
Yun Chu knew Du Ling spoke out of genuine concern; the unpleasantness from the Qing'an Temple incident could now be considered completely put to rest.
Changing her form of address, she smiled: "Lingling, when you have time, come over to the Xie residence for tea so we can have a proper catch-up."
Du Ling let out a soft huff: "You'll have to send me a formal invitation first; I'll need to carefully consider whether or not I want to come."
The two women exchanged a mutual smile, the fleeting atmosphere making it feel as though they had returned to their carefree days before marriage.
At that moment, a wave of lively commotion erupted from the main gates of the Yun estate. Glancing over, Yun Chu saw that her father had returned, accompanied by a large retinue. Several imperial princes were among them—while the Crown Prince remained too ill to attend, the Second Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and Eighth Prince had all arrived in full force.
The Third Prince, Prince of Pingxi, was present because he had originally accompanied the Grand General to the battlefield to earn his military merits, making the two of them close friends across generations.
The Fourth Prince, Prince Anjing, was naturally in attendance due to his betrothal to the Xie family, a close relative by marriage.
As for the Eighth Prince, born to Imperial Consort Yun within the palace, he had naturally come to join in the lively festivities to honor his maternal uncle's return.
And the Second Prince... Yun Chu was crystal clear on what objective had brought him to the Yun estate. It was likely around this time that he had begun harboring designs to rope the Yun family into his faction.
The guests assembled in the courtyard collectively bowed to pay their respects to the imperial princes, and once the formalities concluded, everyone took their designated seats.
Seated beside Yun Chu, Xie Ping cast her gaze toward the Fourth Prince, Prince Anjing, who was stationed not too far away. In truth, she and the Fourth Prince had crossed paths on only a handful of occasions.
The first time had been at the Eldest Princess's estate, where the Fourth Prince had picked up her fallen handkerchief and tucked a blossoming flower into her hair, making her feel as though a deep mutual affection existed between them.
The second time was at the Qing'an Temple...
The third time was inside Noble Consort De's Evergreen Palace, where he had watched her suffer reprimands and punishment without batting an eyelash or offering a word of comfort.
This was now their fourth encounter, yet the man who was to be her future husband couldn't even spare her a single glance…