Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 130
Chapter 130 - Murder Must Be Answered in Court
Once the incense ritual was concluded, Lady Lin turned back around.
"In-law," she said in a cold, measured tone, "on my way to the Xie residence, I heard people whispering that the old matron died a tragic death. I wonder if that rumor is true or false?"
"The commoners on the streets are simply spouting nonsense!" Xie Zhongcheng replied angrily. "The maternal matriarch was gravely ill and simply couldn't pull through due to her advanced age."
"Is that so?" Lady Lin let out a cold laugh. "Does In-law truly believe that by saying this, the commoners will stop gossiping about the Xie family? Or that the Censorate won't catch wind of it? Or that it won't deal a devastating blow to your Xie family's standing?"
Xie Zhongcheng clenched his fists tightly.
He never could have imagined that the death of a single person in the Xie family would spark such a roaring uproar throughout the entire capital.
When all was said and done, it was because the Xie family had married a daughter of the Yun clan. The Yun family commanded intense public scrutiny, which inevitably dragged the Xie family into the relentless crossfire of public chatter.
"What happens to your Xie family is of no concern to me," Lady Lin said, her voice growing even colder. "As for that child Xie Shiwei, when he previously injured the Marquis of Xuanwu's heir, I merely wrote it off as childish, unruly mischief. But who could have imagined that he would actually murder his own biological great-grandmother! If he can show such murderous cruelty toward an elderly blood relative, what about a stepmother with no blood ties whatsoever? If he can kill a great-grandmother, he is entirely capable of killing a stepmother! Our Yun family will absolutely, under no circumstances, allow our daughter to share a roof with a convicted murderer!"
"In-law, you are overthinking this!" Lady Yuan hurried forward to interject. "Wei'er has always respected Chu'er as his legal mother; how could he ever commit matricide..."
"Hah, in your Xie family, what on earth is impossible!" Lady Lin caught Yun Chu's hand. "Chu'er, Mother is taking you home!"
With Xie Shiwei acting so lawless and depraved, it was obvious he inherited his rot from the Xie family stock. A household full of rotten wretches made her deeply suspect that Yun Chu's premature labor years ago had everything to do with the Xie family!
She now harbored profound remorse. Why had she ever been blinded by Xie Jingyu's status as a top imperial scholar? Why had she ever picked such a wretched match for Chu'er?
It was all her fault; she was the one who had ruined Chu'er!
"In-law, let's talk this over rationally!" Lady Yuan hurriedly grabbed Yun Chu's arm. "The old matron has just passed away. If Chu'er, as the eldest legal daughter-in-law, walks out on the Xie family now, it will truly leave us with no face left to show in society. In-law, just name your terms—tell us how you want this handled, and the Xie family will do whatever it takes. As long as Chu'er stays in the Xie household, anything goes!"
Xie Zhongcheng softened his tone out of necessity. "Wei'er will certainly not be allowed to remain in the Xie family. On that point, In-law can rest easy!"
Lady Lin's voice remained frosty. "A life must be paid for with a life; you people in the Xie family have only one choice, and that is to turn Xie Shiwei over to the official authorities!"
The strength deserted Lady Yuan's legs, forcing her to lean heavily on a maid's arm for support.
Xie Zhongcheng clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
The Yun family was making an overt threat—forcing him to hand Wei'er over to the magistrates, or else face the absolute certainty of the Yun family severing ties and demanding a divorce.
The Xie family was currently teetering in the wind and rain, utterly incapable of surviving a blow as massive as a forced divorce.
Weighing the pros and cons in his mind with ruthless speed, he closed his eyes and spat out each word: "Then... as In-law demands."
The Xie estate's servants had long since leaked the events of the previous night, turning the entire capital into a boiling cauldron of gossip, with every single detail circulating with chilling vividness. If they failed to provide a satisfactory account, their Xie family would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever.
Handing over a single Xie Shiwei to preserve the entire Xie family seemed... well, not entirely unacceptable after all.
Yun Chu escorted Lady Lin out. "Mother, rest assured, the Xie family cannot harm me."
"Chu'er..." Lady Lin sighed softly. "Your father and I will forever be your backing, and the Yun family will always welcome you home."
After sending Lady Lin off, Yun Chu summoned Tingfeng. "Go to the woodshed right now and tell Xie Shiwei that the Xie family intends to turn him over to the authorities. If he accepts his fate, so be it; but if he attempts to escape, give him a hand, and slip him a few taels of silver."
Tingfeng nodded respectfully and spun around to execute the task.
Lady Yuan stepped out of the mourning hall, clutching Xie Zhongcheng's arm with trembling hands. "Old Master, are we truly going to send Wei'er to the magistrates? He's only eight years old!"
"He committed a grave crime, so he must pay the price," Xie Zhongcheng told her, his gaze steady. "Now that the old matron is gone, the inner courtyard of the Xie family will rest entirely on your shoulders from here on out. Stop wearing that tearful, weeping expression all the time. If you start crying, all the other women and children will follow suit, and won't our entire Xie family plunge into total chaos?"
Lady Yuan suppressed the tremor in her voice. "Don't we still have Chu'er..."
"You're the only one foolish enough to think this daughter-in-law stands sincerely by the Xie family's side!" Xie Zhongcheng hissed in a low whisper. "Ever since she discovered that Shi'an and his siblings were born to Aunt He, her heart has grown cold toward the Xie family. Remember this: keep the power of the inner courtyard firmly in your own hands, and stop constantly relying on outsiders..."
Lady Yuan's eyes widened in profound shock. "What did you say—Shi'an was born to Aunt He?"
This revelation completely shattered her worldview. It struck her like a sudden bolt of lightning, leaving her head spinning and dizzy.
Xie Zhongcheng shook his head. This wife of his had been sickly for over a decade, constantly swallowing medicine until it had clearly addled her brain. Was something so blatantly obvious really worth asking twice?
"No wonder... no wonder In-law practically raised the topic of divorce just now?" Lady Yuan wore an expression resembling a mourner at a funeral. "I heard that these past couple of days, the Yun clan elders stepped forward to secure a divorce for a married daughter of their clan. The Yun family clearly doesn't fear the negative fallout of a divorce at all. If the Xie family treats Chu'er poorly, the Yun clan elders will undoubtedly step in and demand a divorce for her as well!"
Xie Zhongcheng had indeed caught the unyielding firmness in Lady Lin's stance.
He, too, harbored a latent anxiety—would the Yun family ultimately cast all caution to the wind and push for a divorce?
"Once Jingyu recovers his health, we must ensure Chu'er conceives a child," Lady Yuan muttered, turning around with her hands clasped in a Buddhist prayer as she walked toward the old matron's memorial tablet. "Please, Old Matron, bless Chu'er so she may bear a son in one strike, and grant our Xie family a true legitimate heir..."
Kneeling beside the memorial tablet, Xie Shi'an paused in his paper-burning.
He had always known that his mother had visited divine doctors, and that both his father and mother had been taking various medicinal concoctions to regulate their bodies in hopes of conceiving.
Given the Xie family's current predicament, his father would undoubtedly stop at nothing to force his mother into conceiving a child. If the Xie family were to produce a genuine legitimate heir born of the main wife, what would that make of him—the eldest son?
Right now, his mother was paving the way for him, securing his spot in the Imperial Academy through the Yun family, and letting him feast upon the Yun family's influential connections...
The moment his mother gave birth to her own flesh and blood, the moment the Yun family gained a legitimate blood-related maternal grandson, where would there be any place left for Xie Shi'an?
Perhaps he ought to slip something extra into his father's medicinal brews... No, that was far too risky; any routine inspection of the medicine dregs would expose it immediately...
Xie Shi'an kept mechanically burning the paper offerings while his mind raced, countless dark thoughts bubbling up from the depths of his consciousness.
Xie Zhongcheng stepped away from the mourning hall and made his way toward the woodshed.
He intended to personally escort Xie Shiwei to the magistrates, letting those gossiping commoners witness with their own eyes that his Xie family practiced righteousness above family ties, and that their household was by no means crooked at the core!
The moment he reached the entrance of the woodshed, a terrified maidservant rushed out to intercept him. "Master, bad news! The Second Young Master—the Second Young Master is gone!"
Xie Zhongcheng flew into a towering rage. "What do you mean by gone?!"
"Just a moment ago, the Second Young Master was crying out from inside that he was thirsty. This old slave went to fetch him water and unlocked the woodshed door, but when I stepped inside a moment later, the Second Young Master had vanished!"
"That rebellious wretch actually dared to escape!" Xie Zhongcheng roared. "Everyone, give chase! You are to capture that wretch and bring him back dead or alive!”