Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 95

Chapter 95 - His Deep-Rooted Affection

"Madam, on the day of our grand wedding, the Marquis of Xuanwu also came to partake in the wedding wine, and he got drunk that day."

Xie Jingyu slowly walked closer to Yun Chu.

"I was the one who personally supported the Marquis to the side-chamber to rest. He kept rambling drunken nonsense, and when I listened closely, I realized the name he was shouting was 'Yun Chu.' That was also when I discovered that the Marquis of Xuanwu apparently harbored deep-rooted affections for you, Madam."

"After we were married, he constantly threw roadblocks in my path behind the scenes. Fortunately, thanks to our marital ties with the Yun family, he didn't dare truly push me to extremes—until Wei Ge'er injured the Marquis of Xuanwu's heir. Seizing that legitimate pretext, he began manufacturing trouble for me without a shred of restraint... Because I took Madam He as a concubine and the Yun family stopped stepping forward to protect me, I knew I had brought this entirely upon myself... During that period, my footing in official circles became precarious, which left me with no choice but to bring my wife along to visit and plead for forgiveness."

"Yet I swear to the heavens, I truly did not drug my wife's tea! In this world, what man would actively invite a green hat upon his own head? At the very least, I am not that kind of person!" Xie Jingyu pressed his hands onto Yun Chu's shoulders. "Madam, that man covets you and cannot bear to see the harmony between us husband and wife, which is why he is sowing discord right before your eyes. You must not, under any circumstances, believe his words—do not believe a single syllable."

Yun Chu looked straight into his eyes.

What a thoroughly sincere pair of eyes, and how brilliantly disguised. No longer was it any wonder that she hadn't seen through this person's true face until she was well past thirty in her past life.

She was already certain that nothing of value could possibly be squeezed from this mouth; aside from sophistry and cunning, what else would he say?

If she wanted to uncover the truth, she would have to investigate it entirely on her own.

A perfectly timed look of astonishment surfaced on her face. "The Marquis and the Marchioness are deeply devoted to one another, and there isn't a single other woman in their inner courtyard. How could he possibly harbor deep-rooted affections for me? My husband must be mistaken."

"Having no concubines in the inner courtyard does not mean a man loves his wife deeply," Xie Jingyu countered. "Though the Xie family's back courtyard houses several concubines, in my heart, Madam has always held the primary position."

Abruptly, he pulled Yun Chu into an embrace.

"Madam, ever since our wedding day, I have never come to your chambers. I have wronged you, and today I shall make amends."

Without giving her room to refuse, he began pulling her toward the couch.

He merely wanted to find out whether she had gone behind his back to engage in any unspeakable deeds with the Marquis of Xuanwu.

Over this past period, Yun Chu had been diligently learning martial arts from Qiutong. In the past, she might not have been a match for Xie Jingyu, but after practicing martial arts, not only had her agility improved, but her physical strength had also increased significantly. With a sudden kick, she sent Xie Jingyu stumbling backward out of her control; fortunately, a chair stood directly behind him, preventing him from crashing to the floor.

"Husband, have I ever told you that sharing a bed is strictly prohibited during my period of physical recuperation!"

Yun Chu's voice turned ice-cold and fierce.

Xie Jingyu pressed his lips into a tight line.

Her resistance was so fierce—was it truly for the sake of recuperating her body, or was it because she feared he would discover her flaws...

"Husband, I took a trip to Qing'an Temple outside the city this afternoon," Yun Chu shifted the conversation to another topic. "The eminent monk performing the rites for the children mentioned that there seemed to be something amiss with the children's remains..."

Instantly dropping his previous train of thought, Xie Jingyu asked with nervous urgency, "What is amiss?"

"The master said that before children reincarnate and enter a new cycle of rebirth, they will always return home to their mortal household at least once. Yet no matter how the master chanted or guided them, neither child ever returned to the Xie residence." Yun Chu fixed her gaze intently on Xie Jingyu. "Husband, what do you suppose is the reason for this?"

Xie Jingyu felt a sudden numbness crawl across his scalp.

He had always believed that talk of Buddhist masters performing deliverance or wandering ghosts being reincarnated were nothing more than fabrications concocted by mortal men.

Yet right now, he didn't dare think that way at all.

No wonder Qing'an Temple commanded such flourishing incense; it turned out the masters residing there possessed genuine, extraordinary abilities.

"Perhaps... perhaps it's because this isn't the Xie clan's ancestral home," Xie Jingyu frantically wracked his brain for an excuse. "The children might have returned to the Xie family's old residence in Jizhou instead."

Yun Chu nodded. "That must be it."

"The hour is growing late; Madam should rest early. I still have matters to attend to."

Straightening his posture, Xie Jingyu pulled open the door and strode out. No matter how one looked at it, his retreating figure carried the unmistakable aura of someone fleeing in panic.

Yun Chu collapsed limply into a chair, drained of all strength.

She could now be incomparably certain that the Marquis of Xuanwu's words were true—those two corpses were genuinely not her children!

Otherwise, Xie Jingyu would never have worn that expression.

Otherwise, Xie Jingyu would never have simply turned and walked away like that.

To think that after reliving a lifetime, she was still being played in the palm of Xie Jingyu's hand. She truly was the biggest fool beneath the heavens!

What she desired to know even more was why Xie Jingyu had repeatedly deceived her regarding the whereabouts of her children. Those were his own flesh and blood—what on earth could possibly motivate him to do such a thing?!

"Tingshuang!" Yun Chu raised her volume. "Investigate! Find out the whereabouts of everyone in the Xie family on the day I confronted Madam He and forced her to reveal where the children were buried!"

Tingshuang nodded. "Understood, Madam!"

Knowing this matter could not be publicized, she summoned only her most trusted personal maidservants to quietly inquire and investigate together.

Throughout the night, Yun Chu had expected to dream of her two children, yet no dreams came. When she opened her eyes at dawn, the sky remained pitch-black.

She donned her martial arts training attire and spent over half an hour practicing in the courtyard alongside Qiutong before the sky finally brightened completely.

After finishing her practice, bathing, and washing up, she emerged to find that everyone who had come to pay their morning respects had already arrived.

Her eyes drifted toward Xie Ping, who stood off to the side. Compared to her demeanor days prior, Xie Ping showed marked improvement under Mother Fu's strict discipline.

Standing right there, Xie Ping's posture made it immediately obvious that considerable effort had been poured into her instruction; she now possessed a certain refined air and cultivated poise.

After exchanging the customary pleasantries, Yun Chu prepared to dismiss everyone, as she truly lacked the energy to deal with these people at the moment.

"Madam!" Tingyu suddenly stepped forward, her face streaked with tears as she pleaded, "I beg Madam to let this concubine see Yun Ge'er! It has been many days since I last laid eyes on him..."

"Madam, this concubine has something to say." Madam He stepped forward. "Madam entrusted Yun Ge'er to my care, and I have always served with utmost diligence. It's just that Yun Ge'er was unaccustomed to the environment when he first arrived in my courtyard, crying and making a fuss every day. It took a great deal of effort for me to finally soothe him, but then Auntie Yu sneaked over to Jade Lotus Garden behind the scenes, completely undoing all my hard work. Because of that, I had no choice but to bar Auntie Yu from seeing Yun Ge'er. I hope Madam will understand."

"Madam, Yun Ge'er hasn't attended the study hall for six or seven days now, and it seems he has fallen ill," Tingyu accused tearfully. "Auntie Yu has never raised a child of her own and has no idea how to care for Yun Ge'er at all! I beg Madam to let Yun Ge'er return to my side..."

Yun Chu's tone remained indifferent. "Has he fallen ill?"

Madam He kept her head lowered as she replied, "A few days ago, he caught a chill from indulging in too many iced treats during the heat. We've already had a physician prescribe medicine, and he will recover in a couple of days. Auntie Yu needn't worry."

Tingyu was nearly driven out of her mind. Back when Yun Ge'er had been by her side, he had practically never fallen ill. How could he fall so gravely ill that he couldn't even attend the study hall the moment he entered Jade Lotus Garden?!

Madam He had once poisoned the child in concubine Tao's womb; Tingyu was genuinely terrified that this deranged woman might have gone completely mad and laid her hands on Yun Ge'er as well!

Yun Ge'er was her entire lifeblood—she couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen to her if she lost him!

"Madam, this concubine truly knows her wrong!" Overwhelmed with profound regret for having lodged that complaint before Xie Jingyu, Tingyu sobbed breathlessly, choking on her tears. "I beg Madam to have pity on Yun Ge'er and allow him to return to his birth mother…”