Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 76
Chapter 76 - Deprivation of Custody
No sooner had Ting Yu returned to her own courtyard than Tingshuan followed right behind her: "Concubine Yu, Master wants you to come over."
Ting Yu's fingers tightened involuntarily. Didn't Master say he wouldn't let her and Madam become alienated? Calling her over now, Madam would surely guess that she was the one who leaked the information.
How was she supposed to conduct herself in front of Madam from now on?
"Third Young Master, you needn't come along," Tingshuan said. "Concubine Yu, please."
Ting Yu had no choice but to let go of her son, handing him over to the wet nurse before following Tingshuan to Sheng Residence.
The moment she stepped inside, she sensed something unusual. Ascending the steps and walking to the entrance of the side parlor, her peripheral vision caught Yunchu and Xie Jingyu seated on the left and right main seats, drinking tea.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Concubine Yu, do you know why I called you here?" Yunchu set down her teacup, her voice chillingly cold. "Will you speak for yourself, or shall I spell it out?"
Lowering her head and gritting her teeth, Ting Yu answered, "This concubine does not understand what Madam wants her to say."
"Concubine Yu, back when you sneaked your way into Master's bed behind my back, I figured it was because of an overwhelming infatuation that led you to commit an improper act. Considering your meritorious service in serving us for many years, I never uttered a single word of harsh reprimand," Yunchu said, her eyes filled with disappointment. "I truly do not understand why you felt the need to sow discord between Master and me."
Ting Yu hurriedly defended herself: "This concubine did no such thing..."
"Was it not you who told Master that I intended to adopt a child from the Yun family into the Xie family?" Yunchu's voice turned stern and sharp. "Did you or did you not say such things to Master?"
Her sharp and forceful interrogation left Ting Yu with no means to parry or resist.
Knowing she could not possibly deny it, she could only brace herself and say, "Madam, this concubine believed that such a major matter warranted Master being informed. I am sorry, Madam; this concubine should not have betrayed you, and I beg Madam to punish me."
She dropped directly to her knees on the floor.
Yunchu gave a faint laugh. "I thought you were smart, but I never expected you to be so foolish. What kind of prestigious standing does the Yun family hold, and what kind of standing does the Xie family hold? Do you honestly think any child from a collateral branch of the Yun family would willingly change their surname to become a son of the Xie family? How could you speak with such absolute certainty to Master about something so utterly impossible? And what is even more laughable is that you, Husband, actually believed it."
Xie Jingyu's gaze turned gloomy.
People always said it was easy to enjoy the cool shade under a giant tree, and the collateral branches of the Yun family understood this truth deeply. Unless they had completely lost their minds, it was simply impossible for them to adopt out the male heirs of their own household to the humble Xie family.
How on earth had he believed Ting Yu's baseless words?
He raised his foot and kicked Ting Yu squarely on the shoulder.
Ting Yu was knocked flat onto her back. Staring at Xie Jingyu in disbelief, she could hardly reconcile the man who had been so tender with her just last night with the one now turning to violence against her.
Kneeling on the ground, she choked out between sobs, "Master, those were truly the exact words Madam told this concubine personally! This concubine did not lie! Yun'er even saw a young boy in Madam's courtyard; Master may not believe this concubine, but you can summon Yun'er here to ask him—Yun'er would never lie!"
Yunchu's voice was cold and heavy as she stated, "You sowed discord between Master and me, which I might have forgiven. But what you should never, ever have done was teach Yun'er to tell lies! Yun'er is not even four years old yet, and to be subjected to your kind of discipline at such a tender age—what kind of person will he grow up to be? Will he follow in Weiyi's footsteps? I dare not even imagine it."
"This concubine did not teach Yun'er to lie!" For the first time, Ting Yu felt a suffocating sense of helplessness as she cried out loudly, "Master, this concubine truly did not! This concubine is wronged..."
Belatedly, she realized that this was nothing less than a trap.
Madam had deliberately told her about wanting to adopt a child from the Yun family, deliberately led her to report it to Master, and deliberately orchestrated this entire scene.
And she had walked straight into the trap set by Madam without the slightest defense, leaving herself not even a shred of room to argue her case.
"Enough!" Xie Jingyu said in a cold, heavy tone. "Back then, you could betray your mistress and climb into my bed; it is hardly surprising that you would pull a stunt like this now. Madam, how do you propose we dispose of her?"
Yunchu shook her head. "If the punishment is too light, she won't learn her lesson; if the punishment is too heavy, she'll inevitably harbor resentment. You decide, Husband."
She looked down at the kneeling Ting Yu with eyes full of disappointment.
Mindful of the affection shared since childhood, she had given her an opportunity, yet Ting Yu failed to cherish it in the slightest and betrayed her so swiftly.
"Because you tried to sow discord between me and Madam, your motives were clearly improper. You are hereby docked half a year's stipend and ordered to copy the Buddhist scriptures one hundred times to reflect deeply upon your faults," Xie Jingyu declared word by word. "With conduct like yours, you are no longer fit to raise Yun'er. Yun'er was already registered under Madam's name anyway; from now on, he will live in Sheng Residence. I leave it to Madam's hard work to discipline and educate him."
His words struck Ting Yu like a thunderclap bursting overhead.
Although all the children in the household were nominally registered under the legal wife's name, they were actually raised and cared for by their biological mothers.
Only when Yun'er was first born, because Madam had just lost her own child, she had personally cared for Yun'er for a period of time, though later on, Ting Yu herself had mostly raised him.
Now, Master's words meant that she and Yun'er were to be separated, and she would forever lose the right to raise Yun'er...
"Master, this concubine truly did not corrupt Yun'er's character! I beg Master to take back your command!" Ting Yu was truly panicked now. Seeing that Xie Jingyu remained unmoved, she scrambled over to Yunchu's side. "Madam, this concubine should not have betrayed you, this concubine knows her wrong, please persuade Master to retract his command! Yun'er is still small, he is used to this concubine's care, he cannot live without me..."
Yunchu lowered her head to drink her tea, remaining entirely indifferent throughout.
"Someone come, escort Concubine Yu back!" Xie Jingyu commanded coldly. "Bring the Third Young Master to Sheng Residence."
The subordinates immediately moved to execute the order.
Once Ting Yu was dragged away, Yunchu turned her head and spoke, "Husband, I handle numerous matters every single day and truly lack the spare energy to discipline Yun'er. How about this: within the manor, only Concubine He has no children of her own. With nothing to occupy her days, she might let her imagination run wild and cause trouble. Why not hand Yun'er over to Concubine He to raise and discipline? What do you think?"
Xie Jingyu fell into serious contemplation.
Although Madam He had all sorts of flaws, he had to admit that An'er's exceptional talent was partly thanks to Madam He's contribution.
In recent days, Madam He had been chattering endlessly about wanting to go to the countryside estate to see Weiyi; it was indeed time to find something for Madam He to do so she wouldn't stir up any weird schemes.
Pondering this, Xie Jingyu nodded. "Then let it be as Madam says."
Yunchu smiled.
With one Madam He and one Ting Yu, the two of them would busy themselves plotting against each other, giving her a period of peace and quiet.
After finishing her midday meal, Yunchu prepared to head to the Yun family.
Hearing that she was to accompany Madam Lin into the palace, a deep longing stirred within Xie Jingyu's heart.
How wonderful it would be if the Xie family also had a daughter entering the palace as an imperial consort! The Emperor was most susceptible to pillow talk; with a Xie daughter speaking on behalf of the Xie family, how could the Xie family ever have fallen to such a state?
Yet the Emperor was already fifty years old, while Ping'er was only thirteen; for now, such a thing was utterly impossible.
The moment she saw Xie Jingyu's expression, Yunchu knew what he was thinking.
In her previous life, after the Fourth Prince met his downfall, Xie Ping abandoned the notion of becoming the Fourth Prince's consort and instead entered the palace to become a woman by the Emperor's side.
For a teenage girl to harbor such deep scheming, she found it hard to believe; Xie Jingyu must have been pushing things forward behind the scenes, and perhaps Xie Shi'an had even offered strategies and counsel.
Sending a girl barely in her teens into the palace to serve as a concubine to an Emperor in his fifties—if the Xie family could pull off such a thing, it was hardly surprising at all.