Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 154
Chapter 154 - He Xu Returns to the Capital
Xie Shi'an took the invitation and set off to visit his former classmates.
As his carriage traveled down the road, the path ahead was blocked, leaving him with no choice but to step down and walk. After taking only a few steps, he caught sight of a familiar figure on the street.
His pupils constricted involuntarily, and he quickened his pace to give chase.
However, that figure wove through an alley, slipped into some shop whose name was unknown, and vanished from sight.
Xie Shi'an raised his head; right before him stood a gambling den.
His brow immediately sank.
If his eyes hadn't played tricks on him, that figure from just moments ago belonged to He Xu, who had vanished several months ago.
Although he had only caught a glimpse of his profile, he was certain it was his biological uncle, whose given name was He Xu.
Someone in the capital was investigating the affairs of the He family, so He Xu's appearance in the capital was perilously dangerous.
His own birth mother had been driven to her death because of this, yet He Xu was still living so carefree and unfettered. If anyone happened to target him, the consequences would be too dreadful to contemplate...
Without a moment's hesitation, Xie Shi'an strode into the gambling house. Inside, the noise was deafening, with people packed tightly together shoulder to shoulder. He searched a full circle through the crowd, but failed to spot He Xu anywhere.
He no longer had the mind to deliver the invitation to his classmate and instead hurriedly turned back toward the Xie residence.
He went to the study to find Xie Jingyu, but the servants informed him that Xie Jingyu had not yet returned.
He knew that ever since the eldest young lady became the Princess, his father had been "summoned back to service" by the imperial court despite the mourning period, prematurely cutting short his filial mourning obligations and landing him a lucrative sinecure.
It was said to be the most lucrative post in the Ministry of Revenue, one that everyone yearned for—counting and auditing the treasury silver every single day...
It was not until nightfall that Xie Jingyu finally returned.
His health was already poor to begin with, and coupled with days of continuous fatigue, he walked with a slight limp and a hunched posture. His left leg dragged heavily across the ground, completely stripped of his former elegance and grace as a top scholar in the imperial examinations.
Yet his expression was brimming with vigor and vitality, as if he were glowing with radiant spirit.
Xie Shi'an hurried over to support his father, guiding him to a chair in the study before swiftly pouring a cup of tea and handing it over.
Xie Jingyu did not rush to drink the tea. Instead, he pulled a stack of silver banknotes from his sleeve—amounting to at least five or six thousand taels of silver.
Xie Shi'an stared in utter disbelief: "Father, where did all this money come from?"
Ever since Old Madam's funeral, their Xie family had possessed very little silver; otherwise, they wouldn't have even been able to prepare a decent dowry for the eldest young lady.
"The accounts of the Ministry of Revenue are complex and tangled. Over these past few days, I re-examined and reconciled the accounts from the past five years, and these surplus funds naturally materialized." A hidden undertone of excitement seeped through Xie Jingyu's voice. "This just goes to show how utterly useless the previous record-keepers in the Ministry of Revenue were. Some places had amounts over-recorded while others had them under-recorded; after adding and subtracting everything, a full seven thousand one hundred taels of silver emerged on its own. I only took five thousand, and the remaining two thousand plus were logged into the public ledger."
Xie Shi'an furrowed his brow: "Father, you have only just taken over this post. Doing something like this is恐怕 [fearing it might] be inappropriate."
Wouldn't it be far more prudent to wait until he had firmly established himself in this position, and until there were fewer watchful eyes fixed upon him from all directions, before pulling off such a stunt?
"You don't understand."
Xie Jingyu shook his head.
He had secured this lucrative post through his connections with the Prince of Pingxi, so he had to produce tangible achievements to earn the Prince's trust.
He separated half of the five thousand taels in silver banknotes and placed them in his own study, while setting aside the other half in a small wooden chest. Once the sum accumulated to a sufficient amount, he would deliver the banknotes in this chest to the Prince of Pingxi as a full testament to his loyalty.
Xie Shi'an parted his lips, wanting to offer further persuasion, but suddenly remembered a matter of far greater importance and abruptly changed the subject: "Father, today on the street, I thought I saw He Xu."
"Really?" Xie Jingyu stood up in a rush. "Didn't he owe over ten thousand taels of silver and flee the capital long ago out of fear that his creditors would hack him to death?"
Xie Shi'an spoke in a deep voice: "I saw him slip into a gambling den, but I couldn't find him inside. I'm not even sure if my eyes played tricks on me."
Given that He Xu owed such a massive sum of money, how could he dare return to the capital, let alone step foot inside a gambling house? And why would the people running the gambling den ever let him in?
Could it be that he had simply seen wrongly?
"Regardless of whether you saw wrongly or not, this matter cannot be taken lightly." Xie Jingyu tapped his fingers against the table. "I will arrange for a few men to stake out the gambling den. The moment he shows his face, they will drag him off to some secluded spot... Only dead men tell no secrets."
Xie Shi'an lowered his eyelids.
Since his own birth mother had been driven to her death by his own hands, a maternal uncle seemed like a matter of little consequence.
Once he achieved greatness and renown in the future, once he secured a prominent rank among the hundred officials, and once the name of the He family was cleared, he would surely set up an eternal memorial tablet for his mother and uncle, having his descendants worship them for generations to come...
Just as Xie Jingyu had finished dispatching men to stake out the gambling house, Yun Chu's people intercepted He Xu right at the den and brought him to the small courtyard where she was temporarily residing.
The moment he stepped through the courtyard gate, He Xu caught sight of Chen Defu drinking tea in the courtyard. With a guilty expression, he stammered, "Uncle Chen, I just went out for a stroll; I didn't go gambling..."
Back when his lower anatomy had been slashed to ribbons by thugs and he had nearly lost his life, it was Uncle Chen who had saved him.
It was Uncle Chen who had arranged for men to escort him safely back to his ancestral home in Jizhou.
Growing bored to death in Jizhou and wanting to return to the capital for some amusement, it was also Uncle Chen who had provided him with travel expenses and arranged such a spacious residence for him here.
On the very second day of his arrival, he had originally intended to visit the Xie residence to squeeze some pocket money out of his younger sister, He Lingying, but he couldn't find anyone, so he had simply wandered over to the gambling den. Fearing that Uncle Chen would fly into a rage and wash his hands of him—which would spell his absolute doom—he felt deeply uneasy.
"He Xu, do you have any idea that you almost lost your life just now?" Chen Defu said coldly. "I went to great pains to save you in the hope that you would live out your days, not throw your life away so casually."
He Xu replied with an attitude of utter nonchalance, "I still owe the gambling house so much silver anyway; they aren't going to kill me. The absolute worst I'd get is a severe beating."
Chen Defu shook his head: "The person who wants your life is the Xie family's eldest young master, Xie Shi'an."
"What? Xie Shi'an?" He Xu frowned. "How could he possibly want to kill me? Uncle Chen, haven't you misunderstood something?"
He was Ah'An's biological uncle, bound by blood thicker than water.
"You were hand-picked and promoted by me, so I won't keep anything from you." Chen Defu looked straight at him as he spoke, "You and Consort He of the Xie residence are full siblings born of the same parents, aren't you?"
He Xu's gaze tightened instantly: "How do you know that?"
"I also know that Consort He is the biological mother of the Xie family's eldest young master, second young master, and eldest young lady. Furthermore, I know that Consort He was a legitimate daughter of the He family." Chen Defu's voice dropped to a low murmur. "The Xie family has offended powerful figures, and someone is currently investigating the affairs of the He family, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the Xie family... Because of this, Consort He—this vital human witness—was driven to her death by the joint efforts of the Xie father and son... Xie Jingyu and Xie Shi'an have constantly been searching for your whereabouts. The moment you returned to the capital, you were targeted. The next person to die will be you!"
"N-No way! That's impossible!" He Xu's complexion drained of all color. "My sister has a tough life; she couldn't possibly be dead! You're lying to me!"
"Ah—" Chen Defu let out a long, heavy sigh. "If you refuse to believe my words, just wait and see for yourself. I've said all that I can possibly say."
He patted He Xu on the shoulder, turned on his heel, and walked out.
Reaching the threshold of the courtyard gate, he glanced back at the two guards lingering in the shadows and instructed, "Keep a close eye on him. Make absolutely sure he doesn't die."
Having tracked He Xu for months, they were finally about to put him to use. He just wondered if the Xie family would be able to withstand this special gift meticulously prepared by the Madam.