Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 138
Chapter 138 - Two People's Surnames
The group walked inward.
Yun Chu led the children in the front, Chu Yi lagged behind by a short distance, and more than a dozen servants and attendants followed in the rear.
They quickly arrived at the hot spring area. What used to be wild springs had now been completely renovated into bathing pools, featuring both large open-air public pools and partitioned private hot springs.
"There are thirty-six large and small pools in total," Chu Yi stated. "Each one needs to be named. A rough fellow like myself is not skilled in such matters, so I can only trouble Madam Xie."
Although Yun Chu's martial arts skills were not exceptional, her reading and writing stood out across the entire Yun family, so she nodded and accepted the task.
Walking along the path, they reached the entrance of a small courtyard. The two sides of the courtyard gate were planted with flowers and plants, blooming passionately in the height of midsummer.
Stepping inside, various floral blooms flourished everywhere. Small stone paths were embedded among the flower beds, making it feel like stepping into a secret garden and lifting everyone's spirits.
"Madam Xie, our Prince personally built this courtyard," Manager Cheng stood at the side and said. "Please take a look and see if anything needs improvement."
The entire estate had numerous standalone courtyards built within it, each equipped with a separate bathing pool for men and women. While the rest of the courtyards looked largely identical overall, this particular one was exceptionally unique. Not only was it filled with exotic flowers and grasses, but the edges of the bathing pool were even inlaid with various colored stones that looked just like gemstones, dazzling the eye with brilliance.
Yun Chu assumed this was a bathing pool built exclusively by the Pingxi Prince for Consort Yin.
She was just about to speak.
Chu Hongyu exclaimed in astonishment, "Wow, so many, many crabapple trees are planted right there! So that's what it meant when Prince Father asked me what flowers Aunt Yun liked."
All around the corners of the walls were crabapple trees, identical to the crabapple trees in Shengju Residence where Yun Chu lived.
She was somewhat startled. Could this bathing pool...
"Madam Xie is the female master of the hot spring estate; the most unique bathing pool naturally belongs to Madam Xie," Chu Yi said with an expressionless face. "There is still an empty patch of ground here. Whatever flowers Madam Xie likes, I will have someone transport them in and plant them."
Yun Chu pressed her lips together.
In her first year married to the Xie residence, she had planted a vast expanse of crabapples in Shengju Residence because she originally loved crabapple blossoms very much. She didn't know when it started, but she had gradually grown to detest them in her heart.
She longed to escape the crabapples, just as she longed to escape the Xie family.
She remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Please have these crabapples transplanted to other courtyards. Planting orchids or jasmines here will do. Tingshuang, handle this matter."
How could she possibly trouble a dignified Prince with such trivial matters...
Tingshuang stood waiting in the rear and immediately stepped forward upon hearing the instruction. "Understood, Madam."
Chu Yi paused and said nothing more.
"Changsheng, come quickly! The water in here is nice and warm, it's so comfortable!"
Unable to resist, Chu Hongyu dipped his little hand into the hot spring pool and hurriedly called out to his younger sister. The little girl scampered over with pattering steps.
The two little fellows sat on the edge of the hot spring pool and decisively kicked off their shoes, dangling their four snow-white little feet into the water and splashing each other back and forth.
"Yu Ge'er, you are not allowed to do that," Yun Chu said in a gentle voice. "Changsheng's body is weak; if her clothes get wet, she will easily catch a cold."
The little fellow rolled his eyes, shifted his little bottom in another direction, bent down, scooped up a handful of water, and splashed it directly toward Chu Yi.
The little girl copied his actions and, following her older brother's lead, cheerfully splashed the water from the hot spring pool outward. The majority of it landed squarely on Chu Yi.
Chu Yi's entire set of clothes was soaked through entirely.
His face turned completely dark.
The attendants standing on the sidelines silently took a step back.
When leaving this morning, the Prince had spent about a quarter of an hour carefully selecting this exact outfit. It was all black, and though the attendant couldn't tell how it differed from any other outfit, the Prince had picked it out through a thousand selections—only for the young heir to get it completely soaked...
"Changsheng, run! Prince Father is going to hit people!"
Chu Hongyu grabbed his younger sister's hand, leaped out of the hot spring pool, and sprinted away wildly on his bare little feet.
A large group of servants swarmed after them in a flurry.
"Young Heir, wait, run slower!"
"County Princess, don't run barefoot, let this old servant put your shoes on for you..."
The large crowd vanished in an instant, leaving only Yun Chu, Chu Yi, and the maidservant attending to Yun Chu.
Chu Yi coughed and spoke up, "Madam Xie, please don't misunderstand; I rarely hit children on normal days."
Yun Chu nodded. "Mm, I know."
Chu Yi felt as though his explanations were only making things worse.
Just as he wanted to say something more, Yun Chu stated, "The Prince's clothes are wet; you should go change into a fresh outfit first."
With no other choice, Chu Yi had to head out first to change his garments.
Yun Chu continued to admire the small courtyard. She could tell genuine effort had been poured into it, as it was practically flawless in every aspect.
She stepped inside the house. The main building featured a grand hall and inner chambers, two side chambers, and a study—small though the sparrow was, it had all its organs intact.
She sat before the desk, had Tingfeng grind the ink, and began writing down the names for each of the hot spring pools. When it came to such things, she could write them effortlessly, one after another...
As she was writing, the two little fellows finished running around and crowded over. "Aunt Yun, what is this character pronounced as? What about this one..."
Chu Hongyu asked about this and that with burning curiosity, and Yun Chu didn't find him annoying at all, patiently teaching him how to recognize the characters. The little girl also blinked her misty eyes and listened attentively.
"Yu Ge'er, what do you think would be a good name for this hot spring estate?"
The names for the hot spring pools were all settled, leaving only the name for the entire estate—truly a headache-inducing task.
Chu Hongyu swung his two short legs, racked his brains in deep thought for a good while, and suggested, "How about 'Above the Chu Clouds'? 'Chu Clouds' refers to the clouds in the sky. Soaking in the hot spring feels just like soaking inside the clouds—so comfortable, so enjoyable, it will definitely attract a lot of people to come."
"Above the Chu Clouds..." Yun Chu recited it a few times, a smile blooming on her face. "Indeed not bad."
"I also think this name is viable." Chu Yi, who had changed into a fresh set of clothes, walked in and looked at the paper on the desk. "Madam Xie's handwriting possesses an imposing grandeur amidst its elegance. Why doesn't Madam Xie write these four characters down so I can have someone frame them into a plaque for the estate?"
Chu Hongyu clapped his hands. "Great, great! Aunt Yun, you write it."
He really was a brilliant little mastermind. His own surname combined with his mother's surname came together to form "Above the Chu Clouds." He hadn't expected both his mother and his Prince Father to be pleased with it.
The little fellow pressed his belly against the edge of the desk, feeling utterly delighted upon seeing the characters for "Chu" and "Yun" written side by side.
After Yun Chu finished writing those four characters, she belatedly realized that this name was simply the combination of her surname and the Pingxi Prince's surname...
She looked toward the man before her. The man's expression was completely normal, as if he didn't think there was anything unusual about it at all.
If she were to bring up that it was inappropriate, it would only make her appear somewhat overly sensitive like a petty matron.
At that moment, Manager Cheng, who had been guarding the doorway, walked in, took the calligraphy away, and immediately arranged to find the finest craftsman to mount it and carve a plaque.
Yun Chu's lips parted slightly, but she closed them again in the end.
She brought out the names she had conceived for the bathing pools and presented them one by one for Chu Yi to look over.
After reading them carefully, Chu Yi remarked, "Everyone says Madam Xie possesses outstanding beauty, which is why she bears the title of the capital's premier beauty. In my view, Madam Xie well deserves to be called the capital's premier talented woman."
Yun Chu: "..."
Wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?
Chu Hongyu tugged on Chu Yi's sleeve. "Prince Father, since Aunt Yun is so amazing, how about having Aunt Yun be my teacher?"
Yun Chu couldn't help laughing. "Yu Ge'er, stop talking childish nonsense."
The Prince's Manor would never invite a married woman to be a teacher, and she, a married woman herself, would certainly never go to the Prince's Manor to lecture.
Just as they were speaking, Manager Cheng walked over and announced, "Your Highness, Madam Xie, the midday meal has been prepared. Please proceed to the reception hall for lunch."
Yun Chu hadn't planned on staying here for a meal, but the two children grabbed her hands from left to right, gazing up at her with large, expectant eyes that made it impossible for her to utter a refusal. She could only follow them along to the reception hall.