Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 179

Chapter 179 - Knowing That You Would Come

The members of the Yun family departed.

Yun Chu remained before the mourning hall, her expression as tranquil and still as water.

Lady Yuan lowered her head in deep shame.

Things had reached this juncture, yet this daughter-in-law was still willing to remain in the Xie family, staying steadfast through thick and thin... And what about herself? What had she done? She had actually conspired with a concubine to plot against her daughter-in-law's dowry.

"Madam..." Tingyu gripped her skirt tightly and spoke with her head bowed, "This concubine was simply too terrified—terrified that the Madam would leave the Xie family, terrified that Brother Yun would be left without anything to lean on. Madam, this concubine knows she was wrong..."

She truly had not anticipated that even with the Yun family stepping forward, the Madam had not seized the opportunity to divorce.

Instead, she had chosen to remain in the Xie family.

However, since the Madam was staying, it meant the Madam would certainly manage the household, and the Madam's stated intention was to return to Jizhou.

Having grown accustomed to the prosperity of the capital, how could she ever accept Brother Yun growing up in that dilapidated place back in their ancestral home of Jizhou...

A multitude of thoughts swirled through her mind, yet she dared not speak another word.

"It was all you stirring things up behind the scenes!" Lady Yuan glared coldly at Tingyu. "Even though my Xie family has been reduced to this state, it is still not your place as a concubine to bully the mistress of the house! Kneel down for me—kneel right here before Jingyu's mourning hall!"

Y

Knowing that today's trouble stemmed entirely from her own actions, Tingyu obediently dropped to her knees upon the straw meditation mat.

Yun Chu's expression remained detached.

She had long since seen through a person like Tingyu; someone driven by utter, extreme selfishness could never content herself with a plain and ordinary life.

As for Lady Yuan, having struggled all the way out of Jizhou to finally reach the capital, the prospect of being sent back to Jizhou must have filled her heart with fierce unwillingness.

With the two of them harboring such resentment and discontent, they were bound to stir up trouble.

She instructed Duoxi to make a trip to the prison and inquire into Xie Shiyan's situation.

That man was the single most formidable presence in the entire Xie family that caused her apprehension; in her past life, the tragic fate that befell the Yun family had been entirely orchestrated and driven by Xie Shiyan.

Even though Xie Shiyan had been cast into the deep dungeon, she still felt a lingering sense of unease.

Duoxi quickly returned with news: "The prison guards say the Ministry of Punishments prepared a confession document for the Eldest Young Master, but he refuses to press his thumbprint and acknowledge the crimes. He is subjected to harsh interrogation and torture every day. The Eldest Young Master's face is covered in iron-branding burns, and they say one of his eyes was scorched blind... At this rate, the Eldest Young Master will either be tortured to death or broken to the point of giving a forced confession, after which he'll be sentenced to decapitation..."

Yun Chu waved her hand to dismiss Duoxi.

She stepped forward and lit three sticks of incense for Xie Jingyu.

She spoke in a measured voice: "Did you hear that? Your proudest eldest son, Xie Shiyan, likely will not survive..."

Xie Jingyu was dead, and Xie Shiyan's time was running short. The Xie family would never be able to stir up any further storms.

Yun Chu pressed her lips together.

There was no triumphant joy of vengeance fulfilled; instead, a heavy, indescribable sense of desolation weighed upon her.

Those who had lived alongside her for so many years in her past life, those entangled with her across two lifetimes, were gone just like that—like a gust of wind sweeping away everything in its wake...

It felt as though she had momentarily lost her bearings, drifting into a brief haze of uncertainty.

Yet that bewilderment lasted only a fleeting moment. She knew that beyond the Xie family, there were still many, many far more important matters waiting for her.

Xie Jingyu's bier remained in the Xie residence for seven days. Throughout those seven days, aside from the Yun family's arrival to demand a divorce, not a single soul came to offer condolences, though plenty of onlookers came simply to gawk and watch the spectacle.

Once the seven days of mourning concluded, the official funeral procession set out.

When the Old Lady of the Xie family had passed away earlier, the Xie family had purchased a burial plot, and Xie Jingyu was laid to rest right beside the Old Lady.

The coffin was lowered into the earth, and layers of yellow soil were slowly shoveled over it, burying it bit by bit. Concubine Jiang and Tingyu supported Lady Yuan, the three women huddled together and weeping bitterly.

Only after weeping their fill did they finally return to the manor.

The moment she arrived at the front gates, Yun Chu spotted Cheng Xu standing guard near the side entrance of the Xie Manor. Seeing her step down from the carriage, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully: "Madam Xie, regarding the case of the former Marquis of Xuanwu, our Prince has some matters he wishes to ask of you."

Yun Chu nodded and accompanied Cheng Xu toward the Grand Court of Revision.

Entering the gates of the Grand Court of Revision and descending into the deep dungeon, the light grew dim and the air grew damp. Walking to the very end of the corridor, she caught sight of Chu Yi standing there clad in pitch-black robes.

She raised her voice to greet him: "Your Highness."

Chu Yi swept a glance over the plain white mourning flower pinned in her hair and said, "Qin Mingheng is inside."

After obtaining the case files concerning Qin Mingheng, he had intended to send someone to escort her here.

However—

The very next day, he learned that the Yun family had marched in full force to the Xie residence to demand a divorce, yet Yun Chu had flatly refused.

She had declared that she would remain with the Xie family through thick and thin.

And yet, she had arranged for an old tofu peddler to impersonate an imperial physician to treat Xie Jingyu.

Yet after Xie Jingyu's death, she stubbornly guarded the Xie household.

He could not fathom what truly occupied the mind of the woman standing before him.

Did she harbor feelings for Xie Jingyu?

If so, why had she not petitioned the palace to summon a genuine imperial physician?

If not, why choose to sink or swim alongside the Xie family?

Unable to untangle these questions, Chu Yi could only set them aside for the moment. With a forceful kick, he thrust open the cell door and gestured for Yun Chu to follow him inside.

The interior space was quite vast. Qin Mingheng was suspended by his hands, secured with heavy chains against a stone wall. The cell was equipped with a full array of brutal torture instruments, and a brazier crackled as it heated iron brands, yet the chamber remained bitterly cold and damp.

Hearing movement, Qin Mingheng slowly lifted his eyelids.

His face was a horrific tapestry of injuries, and the mere act of opening his eyes sent a sharp spike of agony through his skull, forcing a ragged gasp from his lips. But when he caught sight of the woman who had suddenly materialized before him, a twisted smile broke across his face: "Yun Chu, I knew you would come."

Escaping while being transported into exile was a capital offense; any low-ranking guard could have put a sword through his chest on the spot.

Yet he had managed to survive for all these extra days because he knew the Yun family possessed the capability to buy him a longer lease on life.

What he had not expected, however, was that Yun Chu would actually enlist the Prince of Pingxi to intervene.

The Prince of Pingxi... Heh, heh, the Prince of Pingxi!

Qin Mingheng let out a raspy, mirthless laugh.

"Yun Chu, before you begin your questioning, have this man by your side step outside."

Before Yun Chu could speak, Chu Yi stated flatly: "I will be right outside. If you need anything, just call out."

Yun Chu curtsied: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Chu Yi cast a steady, reassuring look in her direction before stepping out and pulling the heavy cell door shut behind him.

"I heard Xie Jingyu is dead?" A wicked, mocking smirk curled the corners of Qin Mingheng's lips. "I overheard two guards discussing it, saying he drank too much wine and died a sudden, violent death. Is that true?"

Yun Chu's lips curved faintly: "Of course not. The two of you conspired to ruin my innocence and destroy my child—neither of you will be allowed to walk away unscathed."

Though he had long suspected the grim reality, a look of stunned disbelief still flashed through Qin Mingheng's eyes: "So Xie Jingyu truly died by your hand. You murdered your own husband, yet you managed to walk away completely clean, leaving the entire capital praising your loyalty and righteousness? How did you develop such a deep and terrifying scheme of mind... My Xuanwu Marquisate, passed down through so many generations, was brought to ruin by your hand as well... Back then, when I first met you, you were so pure—as immaculate and pristine as the whitest cloud in the heavens. Why, why have you become like this? I no longer recognize you... How could I have ever fallen in love with a woman possessing such a dark and calculated heart!"

Yun Chu laughed.

It was Xie Jingyu and Qin Mingheng who had conspired together to destroy her.

Yet now, he actually had the gall to stand here and interrogate her about why she had changed.

If she had remained as pure and naive as she once was, her only fate would have been to suffer the exact same wretched end as her past life.

She spoke in a chilling, frozen tone: "Qin Mingheng, that night, you still hadn't finished what you wanted to say.”