Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 230
Chapter 230 - The Yun Family's Account Books
Two guards escorted the Xie family's book-boy into the courtyard.
The book-boy was the same age as Xie Jingyu, but his weather-beaten face looked much older than Xie Jingyu's, appearing nearly thirty or forty years old.
Yun Chu sat on a chair, looking at him coldly: "Raise your head."
The book-boy trembled all over. Raising his head to catch sight of Yun Chu's face, he was immediately so frightened that he fell prostrate onto the ground once more: "Madam, it has nothing to do with me... Master forced me to do such a thing. I had no choice and could only obey... I beg Madam to spare me!"
Yun Chu watched him indifferently: "Why did you leave the Xie family?"
The book-boy stammered, "It... It was Master who wanted to silence me. To keep my little life, I c-could only flee!"
"So that means you are innocent as well." Yun Chu let out a satirical laugh. "Speak in greater detail about what happened that night."
She could easily guess why the book-boy had fled. He must have used the events of that night to threaten Xie Jingyu, and when Xie Jingyu sought to silence him permanently, the book-boy had escaped.
Master and servant—neither of them was a good thing.
Prostrate on the floor, the book-boy said, "Master ordered me to purchase medicine and spiked the wine with it, drugging all the maidservants and older female attendants in the courtyard. He also spiked the nuptial wine. Once Madam lost consciousness, Master and I carried Madam into the sedan chair sent by the Marquis Mansion of Xuanwu together..."
Lying on the couch, Chu Yi's gaze turned cold as ice.
His sharp, severe eyes fell upon the book-boy's hands. If a gaze could materialize into substance, the book-boy's hands would likely have been chopped off by now.
The book-boy shuddered and continued, "Those responsible for receiving us at the Marquis Mansion of Xuanwu were the Marquis himself and a maidservant. Apart from them, there was no one else."
Just as he spoke, a gagged woman was thrown down beside the book-boy.
Yun Chu took a sip of tea and asked casually, "Do the two of you recognize each other?"
The two exchanged glances, looking at each other for quite a while before finally nodding.
Since they matched up, it meant they had found the right people.
Yun Chu looked toward Chu Yi: "How does Your Highness think this should be handled?"
Chu Yi used the coldest, most indifferent tone to utter the most cruel words: "There is no need to keep this book-boy alive."
Yun Chu nodded; she held the same intention.
"Madam, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life!" The book-boy was thoroughly scared out of his wits. "This humble one will let this matter rot in my stomach and never tell a single soul! I beg Madam and Your Highness to spare this humble one's life..."
Two guards gagged his mouth and dragged him directly away.
Witnessing all of this from the side, the nearby maidservant turned pale with fright, her whole body curling up in a tremor.
Although this maidservant looked disheveled, Yun Chu could still spot a hint of good looks.
This was the woman the Marquis of Xuanwu had prepared for the Prince of Pingxi.
Attempting to let this woman become the mother of the two children.
For the sake of all this, this woman had lied low in a village thirty miles outside the capital suburbs for five years.
"Keep her for now," Chu Yi's deep, cold voice sounded. "Allowing her to die just like this is letting her off too easily."
With a wave of Chief Steward Cheng's hand, two guards dragged the woman down, her muffled cries for mercy fading further into the distance.
Yun Chu did not linger any longer, standing up to return to her own courtyard.
Just after her front foot left, Chief Steward Cheng came to report that Consort Yin had arrived. He immediately had people place several pots of broad-leafed green plants above the doorway; the long, broad leaves dangled down, green foliage spreading out, and several more pots of chrysanthemums were set on the ground, completely screening off the doorway from view.
Consort Yin entered the courtyard with a face full of worry and sat by Chu Yi's bedside.
She forcefully stole a glance at Chu Yi's wound, and her tears instantly fell: "How could you dare to go suppress bandits with only Cheng Xu? If you died in that bandits' den, how could your mother keep living... Your mother only has you to rely on! Before you make any decisions in the future, can you think about your mother for once..."
Consort Yin wept heart-wrenchingly.
Chu Yi only felt a headache coming on.
Once she had cried her fill, Consort Yin finally stopped and nagged, "Fortunately, you didn't suffer injuries for nothing. This time, capturing the bandit king alive was practically bought with your life. Your Imperial Father realizes he was utterly wrong to take back your elite bandit-suppression troops back then. So, he had me bring back your precious sword to you."
This was the precious sword the Emperor had bestowed upon Chu Yi when he was fifteen years old. He had always treasured it dearly, and now it had returned to his hands once more.
Consort Yin let out a sigh: "Although you acted absurdly, giving up your prince title and fiefdom for the sake of a woman, your Imperial Father still cares for you and cannot bear to truly disown you as his son. I have discussed it with your Imperial Father, and he has agreed to let that sweetheart of yours become a side consort. For a farm girl of unknown origin to enter the Royal Genealogy is already breaking the rules of our ancestors. Yi'er, stop being so headstrong."
Chu Yi closed his eyes: "Please return, Mother."
"You... you truly refuse to listen to reason!" Consort Yin exploded all at once. "Since I gave you a way out and you refuse to take it, then so be it! Just live in this wretched courtyard for the rest of your life!"
Throwing down a basketful of angry words, she flicked her sleeves and departed.
When leaving, she deliberately brought her people to barge through several courtyards, yet failed to spot even a trace of that so-called sweetheart's shadow.
She couldn't help but feel utterly frustrated; this son of hers protected that farm girl all too well.
Upon returning to her courtyard, Yun Chu was examining the Yun family's account books.
With the wealth the Yun family had accumulated over so many years, saying they had a grand family and vast property was no exaggeration. Although their revenue was high, the main and branch lines of the Yun family combined were populous and thriving; just maintaining daily expenses alone was no small sum, so the savings in the public accounts were not particularly vast.
For instance, the Yun family clan school—teaching children to read and write—along with the martial arts academy, as well as the needlework academy specifically for girls: the money to hire tutors, plus the silver for various pens, ink, paper, inkstones, needles, thread, and weapons, amounted to nearly ten thousand taels a year.
Another major expenditure was the maintenance of the ancestral hall—year-round offerings and incense, as well as the monthly clan gatherings... all such matters cost money.
Furthermore, the widowed, solitary, and orphaned within the clan were all funded by their branch.
The source of silver came from the properties accumulated by the Yun family over the years. Previously, her mother had managed them, then handed them to her sister-in-law, and now they were in her hands.
Yun Chu flipped through all the account books briefly. The business was not extraordinarily prosperous, but it wasn't bad either; continuing like this would fully sustain the daily expenses of an aristocratic family of high standing.
"Miss, Fourth Aunt is here," Ting Xue walked in and reported softly.
Yun Chu set down the account book: "Let Fourth Aunt in."
The Fourth Aunt of the Yun family walked into the reception hall with a beaming face, her eyes scanning over the account books: "Oh, Chu'er is going through the accounts! With so many account books, you must be exhausted, right?"
Yun Chu had someone serve her tea, smiling: "Not tired at all."
"You must be tired." Yun Fourth Aunt wore a heart-pained expression. "The Xie family comes from a humble background; everything inside and out added together isn't even one-tenth of the Yun family. Having grown accustomed to handling the Xie family's simple mundane affairs, looking at these matters of the Yun family, there must surely be things you can't handle. Your mother is busy, your sister-in-law is pregnant, and you must feel too embarrassed to ask. So, Fourth Aunt specifically came to take a look and see if there's anywhere I can lend a helping hand."
Yun Chu said, "Fourth Aunt also has your own matters to be busy with, wouldn't it be too much trouble?"
"No trouble, how could it be trouble?" Yun Fourth Aunt let out a sigh. "Now that trouble has befallen the Yun family, many people are intentionally stepping on the Yun family's head, and the Yun family's business will certainly be affected. You are a young, thin-skinned girl, and certain matters are difficult for you to handle; but for an older woman like me, those people won't dare to mess with me."
"Fourth Aunt speaks the truth." Yun Chu looked toward Ting Xue. "Go tell the clan that any women of roughly the same age as Fourth Aunt who happen to be idle may come to my place to find some work to do."
Ting Xue accepted the order and departed.
Yun Fourth Aunt's face turned completely green.
She had deliberately come knocking on the door before everyone else realized what was happening, precisely to gain the upper hand.
If all those people were called over, what benefits could she possibly get out of it anymore?