Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 167
Chapter 167 - He Was Not a Sinner
Darkness had fallen over the sky.
Xie Jingyu slowly regained consciousness. He tried to prop himself up with his right hand, only to discover that his right arm was limp and utterly devoid of strength.
He moved his legs; of all four limbs, only his right leg could still exert any force.
An overwhelming wave of panic engulfed him.
Yet he knew full well that this was no time to lie in bed recuperating.
"Help me up."
He gave the order to Concubine Jiang, who was keeping vigil by his bedside.
"Master, the physician just said that you need absolute rest," Concubine Jiang urged gently. "Please drink this bowl of medicine first."
Xie Jingyu allowed her to feed him the medicine.
After downing the entire bowl, he insisted, "Help me up."
Concubine Jiang had no choice but to support him as he struggled to his feet.
He made his way to the doorway and saw that not a single servant remained in the courtyard; fallen leaves blanketed the ground, left completely unswept.
"The servants have all departed..." Concubine Jiang kept her head lowered. "The Madam negotiated with them, exchanging their indentured servitude contracts for their final month's allowance."
Xie Jingyu's expression turned exceedingly grim.
A servant's monthly allowance was merely five or six hundred copper coins, whereas a contract of indenture was worth at least two taels of silver. How could Yun Chu simply let them all walk away...
Yet he had no energy left to dwell on such trivial matters.
Presently, two monumental dilemmas loomed before him: first, how to rescue Brother An from prison; second, how to restore himself to his official post.
"Support me... we are going to Sheng Residence."
Xie Jingyu spoke with effort.
A conflicted look crossed Concubine Jiang's face. "When this concubine went to pay morning respects earlier, the Madam stated she was feeling unwell and refused to see anyone."
Xie Jingyu erupted in sudden fury: "Can her slight indisposition possibly compare to mine?! I... I am already reduced to this state! Yet I am still toiling away for the Xie family! What right does she have to shut her doors and ignore our plight?!"
Concubine Jiang kept her head bowed, offering no reply.
She could not help wondering: if she were the Madam, facing the Xie family's current dire predicament, what would she do?
Would she dedicate herself entirely to resolving the Xie family's catastrophe?
Or would she fear being dragged down and seek a divorce from the Master?
"Jingyu, I went out earlier to inquire about the news." Xie Zhongcheng walked in from the doorway. "Shi'an has been thrown into the death row cells meant only for condemned criminals. The Emperor clearly intends to take his life! He did not commit any unforgivable, heinous atrocity—why must he pay such a catastrophic price with his very life..."
Hearing this, Lady Yuan could no longer hold back and broke into wails of despair.
Xie Jingyu's head spun in dizzying waves; had Concubine Jiang not been holding him upright, he would have collapsed heavily to the floor long ago.
"Now, our only recourse is to beg the Yun family to step forward." Xie Zhongcheng decided to cast aside all pride and dignity. "Although General Yun is away from the capital, the Yun family still wields considerable influence at court. As long as Yun Ze is willing to intervene, though Shi'an cannot escape punishment, he can certainly be spared the death penalty."
Xie Jingyu pressed his lips tightly together, the dry, pale skin peeling from them, his entire appearance looking sickly and haggard.
He had already seen the Yun family's stance through Yun Chu's actions.
If the Xie family came begging at their doorstep, they would undoubtedly be rejected without an ounce of mercy.
Why bring humiliation upon themselves?
He spoke in a slow, raspy voice: "We will not beg the Yun family. We shall go plead with the Prince of Pingxi."
Xie Zhongcheng was utterly astounded. "Since when did you have ties with the Prince of Pingxi?"
Xie Jingyu did not answer, for he truly lacked the strength to speak further.
The Prince of Pingxi had known about him taking a daughter of the He family as a concubine long ago, yet the prince had neither reported it to the authorities nor penalized the Xie family. Instead, he had even arranged lucrative appointments for him.
The Prince valued his talent as the top imperial examination graduate and had brought him aboard the Prince of Pingxi's ship; he was one of the Prince's men.
The Prince would surely not stand by with folded arms and watch the Xie family collapse.
"Prepare the carriage. We go to the Prince of Pingxi's Manor."
Xie Jingyu forced those words through his teeth with great difficulty.
Xie Zhongcheng nodded and instructed the sole remaining manservant to ready the carriage, then assisted Xie Jingyu aboard.
Concubine Jiang and Lady Yuan hurriedly pulled open the heavy main gates of the Xie Manor. The carriage rolled slowly outward, but just as it reached the threshold, a squad of government soldiers suddenly surrounded the entrance.
The sight of the soldiers sent Xie Zhongcheng's heart pounding wildly in terror; their Xie family could truly weather no further storms.
He scrambled down from the carriage at once, cupping his hands in deep deference. "May I ask what brings your honors to the Xie Manor?"
The leading official barked with imposing authority: "Where is Xie Jingyu?!"
Sitting inside the carriage, Xie Jingyu felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized his heart the moment those words rang out. A dark premonition surged straight from the crown of his head downward, freezing him stiff where he sat.
The official had already spotted him and announced coldly: "Officials have submitted a report to the Court of Judicial Review accusing Xie Jingyu, Director in the Ministry of Revenue, of abusing his official authority to embezzle treasury silver from the Ministry of Revenue..."
A coppery sweetness surged into Xie Jingyu's throat.
A mouthful of blood welled up and sprayed onto the floor of the carriage.
"...His Majesty is furious and has ordered a comprehensive court investigation into the Ministry of Revenue! During the course of this investigation, Xie Jingyu is strictly forbidden from stepping half a pace outside the Xie Manor! Once the witnesses and material evidence are fully gathered, judgment shall be executed immediately!"
As the official finished speaking, the imperial guards behind him instantly took up positions, guarding every gate of the Xie Manor.
Two guards dragged Xie Jingyu out and tossed him back inside the Xie residence.
With a resounding thud, the main gates of the Xie Manor were slammed shut.
"This is intolerable! An absolute outrage!" Xie Zhongcheng roared in fury. "Someone saw that our Xie family was in trouble and deliberately reported that Jingyu embezzled funds! Those despicable villains kicking a man when he's down will die a horrible death!"
Lady Yuan could only cling to optimism: "The innocent remain innocent. As long as Jingyu never did such a thing, nothing bad will happen. Being confined at home will just allow him to nurse his health."
Xie Jingyu's face was ashen and ghastly.
Xie Zhongcheng probed cautiously: "Jingyu, tell your father... you didn't embezzle silver from the Ministry of Revenue, did you..."
He received no answer.
Xie Zhongcheng's heart sank inch by inch, plummeting straight into a pitch-black abyss.
He suddenly burst into manic laughter: "Hahaha! Our Xie family strove so desperately to reach the capital, fought so hard to gain a foothold at court, endured countless hardships to get where we are today... Gone! It is all ruined! Xie Jingyu, you are the greatest sinner of our Xie family! I failed to educate my son, so I am a sinner as well! With what face can I ever face the ancestors of our Xie clan..."
Xie Jingyu vomited blood incessantly, his lips stained crimson.
He did not embezzle! He didn't!
There had always been discrepancies in the Ministry of Revenue's accounting books!
Why shouldn't he take the silver that had appeared out of thin air?!
He was not in the wrong!
He was no sinner!
He was not!!
"Jingyu, oh Jingyu..." Lady Yuan panicked entirely. "Concubine Jiang, hurry and help me support Jingyu inside to lie down! Someone come quickly, brew the medicine! Hurry!"
"No... I don't need to lie down... Cough, cough, cough..." Xie Jingyu gasped weakly. "Go... go to Sheng Residence... find Yun Chu... go find... find Yun Chu!"
Lady Yuan was both exasperated and anxious: "Look at the state you're in! Just lie down and rest! I will go find Yun Chu, I will go plead with her..."
Without giving him a chance to object, they carried Xie Jingyu into the bedchamber.
Only after watching him drink his medicine and drift off to sleep did Lady Yuan make her way toward Sheng Residence.
Yun Chu sat sipping her tea, myriad past events flickering across her mind like scenes in a revolving lantern.
Since her rebirth, less than half a year had elapsed, yet the Xie family—so prosperous and flourishing in her previous life—had crumbled away piece by piece like this.
With the Xie family's ruin, she, as their primary mistress, would naturally be affected.
For someone like her whose very core was rotting away, personal reputation meant little, but she had to safeguard the reputations of the other young ladies of the Yun family.
She had already determined the optimal moment to demand a divorce.
Just as she was pondering this, Tingfeng stepped in to report: "Madam, the Old Lady has arrived.”