Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 82
Chapter 82 - There Is Only One Path
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Xie residence.
Xie Ping had cried almost to the point of fainting. Supported by two maidservants as she stepped down from the carriage, she had just walked into the residence when He Shi hurried out from the side.
Throughout the entire morning, He Shi could be said to have been sitting on pins and needles. Waiting and watching anxiously, she finally saw Xie Ping return, but seeing the girl crying in such a state, she had a dark premonition that something terrible had happened and anxiously asked, "Madam, what is wrong with the eldest miss? What happened?"
"Aunt He has come at just the right time," Yun Chu said coldly. "Please go invite the old madam and the mistress to the ancestral hall. If my lord is also there, invite him along as well."
With that, she led Tingshuang straight to the ancestral hall in the back courtyard. Xie Ping was tossed inside, kneeling with a pale face before the memorial tablets of the Xie family ancestors.
Before long, the sound of footsteps echoed, and the members of the Xie family walked in one by one.
"Chuchu, why have you made such a grand fuss and brought us all to the ancestral hall?" As soon as the old madam entered, she saw Xie Ping kneeling on the ground and could not help frowning. "What mistake has Ping'er made?"
Madam Yuan spoke up, "Why is Ping'er crying like this? What on earth has happened?"
Xie Jingyu also arrived, confusion written in his eyes.
Yun Chu stated, "Xie Ping, tell everyone what happened yourself. Tell the ancestors of the Xie family every single detail."
"I... I followed Mother to Qing'an Temple to offer incense and pray to Buddha. Hearing that the Fourth Prince, King Anjing, was staying at Qing'an Temple, I thought of a way to arrange a meeting with King Anjing..." Xie Ping knelt prostrate on the ground, her voice hoarse as she said, "King Anjing and I felt a mutual affection, and so in the side room..."
When she reached this point, she could no longer continue.
Yet everyone present understood perfectly.
"You—you are utterly audacious!" The old madam was so shocked she nearly lost her footing. "You haven't even reached your capping age yet, how could you dare to do such a thing!"
Madam Yuan felt her head spin. "Then you and King Anjing, did you or did you not..."
Xie Jingyu raised his hand and dealt Xie Ping a fierce slap across the face. "How could I have fathered such a shameless thing like you!"
Xie Ping was struck so dizzy and disoriented that she collapsed onto the floor, unable to get back up for a long time.
"Master, things have reached this point. Even if you beat the eldest miss to death, it will change nothing," He Shi said, burning with anxiety. "The eldest miss made a mistake, but wasn't King Anjing in the wrong as well?"
The old madam was jolted to her senses by this reminder. "Ping'er is not even fifteen years old, yet King Anjing dared to commit such an act. No matter how you spin it, it is still King Anjing's fault. Our Xie family cannot swallow this grievance in silence."
Madam Yuan paced about in a panic. "With our Xie family's humble status, what do we have to contend against King Anjing? What should we do, whatever is to be done?"
Xie Jingyu turned his gaze toward Yun Chu. "Madam, what are King Anjing's intentions?"
"King Anjing is willing to take Ping'er as a secondary consort," Yun Chu said. "What does my lord think of this?"
The old madam let out a breath of relief. As long as King Anjing was willing to take responsibility, it would solve the tricky problem of Ping'er losing her purity without anyone willing to marry her.
Xie Jingyu's expression was less than pleasant. A secondary consort was even lower than a concubine in an ordinary household; she would essentially be a maidservant specially kept to warm the bed. To be a daughter of an official family and fall to the point of warming a man's bed—both the reputation and substance of the Xie family would be trampled into the dirt. It truly disgraced the family style of the Xie family.
Yun Chu continued, "However, when I brought up the prospect of filing a lawsuit at the Dali Temple, King Anjing relented and promised Ping'er the position of secondary consort."
"What? A secondary consort?" Shock appeared in the old madam's eyes. "I heard that the Second Prince's secondary consort is the legitimate second daughter of the Third-Rank Court of Imperial Sacrifices Commissioner's estate. For Ping'er to become a secondary consort in King Anjing's manor, smoke must be rising from the ancestral graves of our Xie family."
"But Mother refused!" Xie Ping wailed bitterly. "Mother disagreed with letting me become King Anjing's secondary consort, and negotiations with King Anjing broke down. King Anjing is angry, and my life is completely ruined..."
She had calculated every single detail, but the one thing she never calculated was that her mother would actually refuse.
Her life was going to be destroyed in her mother's hands.
"Madam, is what Ping'er said the truth?" Seeing Yun Chu nod, Xie Jingyu pressed his lips together and asked, "Does Madam truly wish to go to the Dali Temple to file a lawsuit?"
"No, no, we cannot go," Madam Yuan shook her head like a rattle-drum. "If this matter gets blown out of proportion, Ping'er's reputation will be ruined, and our Xie family will become the biggest joke in the capital. Chuchu, we cannot go to the Dali Temple!"
Leaning on her walking cane, the old madam spoke in a stern voice. "Chuchu, you are the matriarch of our Xie family. No matter what you do, you should place the reputation of the Xie family above all else. Go see King Anjing right now and tell him you agree to let Ping'er become a secondary consort. Jingyu, you will accompany Chuchu to go together!"
"Then I shall speak my ugly words first," Yun Chu said calmly. "As for Ping'er scheming against King Anjing, King Anjing might not figure it out for a moment, but could Imperial Noble Consort De, who has spent all these years immersed in the inner court, fail to see through it? Once Ping'er becomes a secondary consort, she will become a fish on the chopping block. King Anjing's cold shoulder, Imperial Noble Consort De's deliberate hardships, and the future principal consort's torment—she will have to endure all of it. She is only thirteen years old. Is she to spend the rest of her life fading away in King Anjing's manor?"
Xie Ping shuddered.
That's right. Even her mother could see through her schemes, so how could Imperial Noble Consort De fail to spot them?
Since she dared to scheme against King Anjing, Imperial Noble Consort De would likely skin her alive.
Furthermore, once the future primary princess consort crossed the threshold, she would definitely rack her brains to force her to bow and observe strict rules...
"All of you only think about seizing the opportunity to climb up to King Anjing's manor, yet none of you consider how Ping'er will manage to survive in the future," Yun Chu shook her head. "The Xie family's reputation is certainly important, but in my view, what kind of life Ping'er will live is even more important."
Fresh tears welled up in Xie Ping's eyes once more.
So her mother's refusal to let her be a secondary consort was out of fear that she would suffer grievances in King Anjing's manor; her mother genuinely treated her like a daughter, which was why she considered these things.
Everyone in the ancestral hall fell silent. Indeed, they had not considered Ping'er's future at all.
The old madam even thought to herself that this was something Ping'er had schemed for herself. No matter what kind of life she lived hereafter, she would only be reaping what she sowed.
Of course, she only thought this in her heart for a moment, because once spoken aloud, it would sever any remaining bond with Ping'er...
"Eldest Sister only has a single path she can walk right now." Xie Shi'an walked in through the doorway of the ancestral hall. "Since she has already schemed against King Anjing, she can only walk this dark path all the way to the end: make King Anjing's manor take the initiative to request Eldest Sister as their primary consort."
She had schemed so much, yet it would only result in becoming a secondary consort at the mercy of others, while the Xie family would also be implicated and suffer from King Anjing's wrath.
However, becoming the primary consort was entirely different. A primary consort had to be bestowed in marriage by the Emperor and was a proper member of the imperial family. Even an imperial prince could not intentionally make the primary consort lose face, and no matter how much King Anjing loathed the eldest sister, he was required to bring her along to attend every single royal banquet. All major and minor affairs of King Anjing's manor would also be managed entirely by the eldest sister.
As long as the eldest sister found a way to conceive King Anjing's eldest legitimate son, she would have nothing to worry about for the rest of her life.
Yun Chu looked at Xie Shi'an. "Still, An'er understands my meaning."
Only then did Xie Ping understand why, back at Qing'an Temple, her mother had brought up making her the mistress of the prince's manor—it turned out this was her only path.
Xie Jingyu spoke up. "I will make a trip to the Censorate right now."
Going to the Censorate was not to file a lawsuit, but merely to let Imperial Noble Consort De know that the Xie family could have a Censor official impeach him at any moment...
Yun Chu nodded. "An'er, take the Xie family carriage and sit outside the gates of the Dali Temple for the entire night. I will make a trip to the Yun family."
The old madam was filled with deep worry. "Will this actually work?"
Was this merely acting as a facade? Would Imperial Noble Consort De believe it?
She was terrified of completely angering King Anjing and Imperial Noble Consort De, which would mean the end of the Xie family's good days.
Xie Jingyu replied, "Whether it works or not, we can only proceed this way first."
Their Xie family daughter was only thirteen. Even if this matter blew up and the Xie family lost face, the one truly affected the most would still be King Anjing.
He suddenly felt a trace of fortune; it was fortunate indeed that Ping'er had not yet reached capping age…