Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 172
Chapter 172 - The Daughter of the Yun Family Requests an Audience
Lady Yuan fell instantly into silence.
How could she not have gone to seek Yun Chu? But Yun Chu had rejected her outright, so what else could she do...
She could not very well force Yun Chu to surrender her dowry; if word of that spread outside, how could the Xie family ever hold their heads up in public again?
Moreover, even though she was the mother-in-law, she harbored a certain degree of dread toward this daughter-in-law. Whenever Yun Chu's face grew cold, Lady Yuan hardly dared to utter a word.
"Naturally, we will go speak with Chu'er," Xie Zhongcheng said coldly. "Right now, you are being asked to contribute silver. Hand over whatever you have. Once the Xie family navigates out of this predicament, you will certainly not be mistreated in the future."
Tingyu bit her lip.
Over the years, she had saved some private funds, which amounted to merely seven or eight hundred taels of silver. After saving for so many years, asking her to hand it all over at once was something she simply could not bring herself to do.
She paused, then spoke up: "When the Old Lady passed away back then, weren't there many fine treasures left in the storeroom? They can be brought out at this time to resolve our urgent crisis."
The moment the Old Lady's relics were mentioned, Concubine Jiang's expression grew taut.
She feared that the Xie family members would discover items missing from the Old Lady's belongings, and she was terrified they would mistakenly believe the Madam had taken them for herself...
Just as she was lost in thought, an outcry suddenly rang out from outside.
"Disaster! Master, Madam, something terrible has happened! Disaster!"
Xie Zhongcheng's face darkened. "Which mindless maidservant is making such a ruckus? What disaster? We are perfectly fine! The Xie family is perfectly fine, and things will certainly turn around!"
Hearing the voice, Tingyu immediately recognized who it was and said, "It is Tingfeng, who serves by the Madam's side."
Before Xie Zhongcheng could give permission for her to enter, Tingfeng stumbled recklessly into the room.
His expression turned even uglier. This daughter-in-law truly held less and less regard for him, her father-in-law, to the point where even the maidservant at her side had become so devoid of proper etiquette!
"Master... Master has met with disaster!"
Lady Yuan hurried forward to support Tingfeng. "Speak slowly! What happened to the Master? What is it?"
"He... he stopped breathing!" Tingfeng burst into loud, wailing sobs. "The Master has stopped breathing! Quick, Master, Madam, go take a look quickly!"
A wave of dizziness washed over Lady Yuan, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.
The concubines in the room paled in horror, sheer disbelief written across every single face.
The group rose swiftly and sprinted toward the courtyard where Xie Jingyu resided.
Arriving at the entrance of Xie Jingyu's courtyard, an overwhelmingly rich fragrance of liquor assaulted their senses. Stepping inside, they saw wine jars strewn about in disarray before the doorway.
Yun Chu stood on the steps outside the room, her face as pale as paper.
Xie Zhongcheng did not spare her even a glance as he strode into the room, looking toward the figure lying upon the couch.
"Jingyu! Jingyu!"
Xie Zhongcheng did not dare step closer, shouting twice in succession, but the person on the bed showed not the slightest reaction.
Lady Yuan lunged directly to the bedside, grasping Xie Jingyu's hand, and the tears she could no longer restrain streamed down relentlessly.
"Jingyu, Mother is here, Mother is right here..." Lady Yuan sobbed brokenly. "Open your eyes and look at Mother, please! Don't leave us behind and just walk away..."
The concubines also threw themselves forward in succession.
Concubine Jiang's face was painted with complete disbelief: "Master, wake up! How could you just leave us like this..."
Concubine Tao wailed loudly: "Master, if you leave, what will become of Brother Kang? He is still waiting for his father to summon a divine physician to treat his illness..."
Tingyu choked through her tears: "Master, the physician warned that your condition forbade alcohol; how could you..."
Xie Zhongcheng whipped his head around, glaring at Yun Chu standing outside: "Just what in the world happened here?!"
"Husband, he... he could not accept our present predicament, so he sought to drown his sorrows in wine." Yun Chu closed her eyes. "Wine can dispel sorrows, but it can also claim a life."
"As his wife, why did you not dissuade him?!" Xie Zhongcheng roared in fury, then stumbled and leaned heavily against the doorway. "Jingyu is dead, and our Xie family is completely ruined... Why? Why must the heavens treat our Xie family like this..."
As long as a person drew breath, a glimmer of hope still remained.
Once a person died, everything was reduced to nothingness...
The Xie family was truly finished.
Yun Chu stepped down from the raised steps.
"Halt!" Xie Zhongcheng stopped her. "Your husband has just died; where do you think you are going at a time like this?"
"The main entrance of the Xie Manor is guarded heavily by imperial soldiers; may I ask how we are to arrange a funeral?" Yun Chu's voice was clear and cold. "Or could it be that you believe your son embezzled government silver from the Ministry of Revenue and committed such a grave sin that he is unworthy of a funeral?"
Xie Zhongcheng's weathered face twisted in embarrassment. "When a man dies, it is like a lamp extinguished; whatever wrongs he committed are wiped clean before the heavens. Naturally, he must be laid to rest according to proper rites."
Yun Chu gave no further reply, striding toward the main gates of the Xie Manor.
After Qin Mingheng was taken away by the soldiers, she had already changed into a dark-colored cloak and prepared to leave the estate, only to be delayed for a brief moment by Xie Jingyu.
This night seemed exceptionally long, yet it was only just past the midnight hour.
Reaching the gates of the Xie Manor, she instructed the pageboy Duoxi by her side to open the door. The moment it creaked open, two long spears thrust forward, blocking the entrance completely.
Two guards stood on either side of the gate, their expressions chillingly severe: "By imperial order, no member of the Xie family may step beyond this threshold!"
Duoxi hunched his waist, stepping forward with a fawning grin: "Have mercy, officers. Our Madam has urgent matters that require tending to outside. Please show some leniency; she will certainly return before daybreak..."
As he spoke, he secretly slipped two hefty money pouches into the guards' respective hands.
The two guards were about to weigh the pouches to see how much silver lay inside when they suddenly caught the word "Madam." They quickly raised their eyes to look upon Yun Chu's face.
Although it was the dead of night, and although the woman wore a black hood over her head, one could still faintly discern her peerless beauty.
The two guards exchanged a glance and swiftly tossed the money pouches back into Duoxi's arms: "So it is Madam Xie. Please proceed!"
Orders had been passed down from above: all members of the Xie family were strictly forbidden from entering or leaving, with the sole exception of Madam Xie.
Yun Chu surmised that these guards were likely led by a lieutenant under her father's command, which was why they did not make things difficult for her.
She nodded in thanks, then stepped beyond the gates of the Xie Manor.
Under the curfew, carriages and horses were strictly forbidden from traveling the streets of the capital. Relying solely on her own two feet, Yun Chu walked for roughly half an hour before finally arriving outside the gates of the Prince of Pingxi's Manor.
Had her father still been in the capital, she could have entrusted him entirely to handle matters regarding Qin Mingheng, the former Marquis of Xuanwu.
Now, with urgency demanding unconventional measures, she could only come to plead with this Prince.
She hoped the slight acquaintance between them would be enough to persuade the Prince to grant her request.
Yun Chu climbed the stone steps of the Prince's Manor. The two guards stationed at the entrance had been watching her closely; the moment she stepped up, their spears pointed directly at her.
"Yun Chu, the eldest daughter of the Yun family, seeks an audience with the Prince of Pingxi late at night on an urgent matter. May I trouble you two to go inside and report my arrival?"
Qin Mingheng, the former Marquis of Xuanwu, had fled while on the path of exile; once captured, he would undoubtedly face severe interrogation and torture. She feared that Qin Mingheng would not survive the full brunt of eighteen grueling torments.
She worried that Qin Mingheng would not live to see tomorrow's sunrise, and she was terrified that she would never uncover what had truly happened on that night...
It was for this very reason that she came knocking on the door at such an inappropriate hour, just past midnight.
The two guards looked at her and recognized that she was indeed the eldest daughter of the Yun family and the mistress of the Xie family.
They all knew that the Prince and General Yun shared a deep bond of camaraderie, and for the daughter of the Yun family to seek an audience in the dead of night meant there was surely an affair of grave importance.
Yet at this hour, the Prince had long retired to sleep. If they rashly went inside to report and disturbed the Prince's rest, they would never be able to bear the consequences should the Prince fly into a rage.