Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 247
Chapter 247 - Building an Intelligence Network
The north wind blew all through the night.
Waking up in the morning, the courtyard was blanketed with a layer of withered, yellow fallen leaves.
After sending Yu'er off to the Imperial Academy, Yun Chu and Changsheng sat in the parlor—one drawing pictures, the other sketching embroidery patterns.
Yun Chu was pondering what kind of pattern would suit a man like Prince Pingxi, and it could not be too complicated; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to embroider it, and if she ended up making a sachet that looked like a mismatched mess, it would be a bit embarrassing to give away.
"Tingxue, why don't you sketch a few designs instead so I can pick one?"
After struggling for over half an hour, Yun Chu ultimately had to turn to Tingxue for help.
Nothing in the world is difficult, as long as you are willing to give up.
Tingxue excelled at needlework and immediately began sketching.
Yun Chu picked up a blank sheet of paper and began pondering how to construct an intelligence network.
At the start of her rebirth, she could rely on her prophetic perspective to avoid disaster and seize advantages, but many things were gradually changing and turning out completely different from her previous life.
If she wanted to push Ding Yiyuan up to the height of a National Preceptor and firmly secure him in that position, she had to possess her own dedicated sources of information.
As she slowly pondered, the blank sheet of paper gradually filled with writing...
"Miss, Aunt Jiang and Miss Xie are here to pay a visit."
Tingfeng walked in from outside to report.
Yun Chu folded the paper and raised her head: "Let them in."
News of the events that transpired in the Xie household yesterday had already reached her ears.
She had assumed that given Tingyu's temperament, she would stir up at least some commotion within the Hu family, but she never expected that she would actually escape for the sake of Xie Shiyun.
The laws of the current dynasty clearly stated that enslaved maidservants and low-class concubines who dared to flee privately could be executed on the spot by the principal wife.
Tingyu had died precisely at the hands of the Hu family members in this manner.
Yun Chu felt no great emotional fluctuations within her heart...
Before long, Aunt Jiang led Xie Xian in from outside.
Aunt Jiang bowed her head in greeting: "Greetings, Miss Yun."
Xie Xian also lowered her head and said, "Best wishes for your peace, Miss Yun."
She strictly remembered Aunt Jiang's instructions: her mother had already left the Xie family, and she was no longer permitted to call her mother.
Yun Chu invited the mother and daughter to sit down, and Tingxue served tea.
"Pardon me for making an uninvited disturbance, and I beg Miss Yun to forgive me," Aunt Jiang said with a cautious expression. "This concubine has come to ask Miss Yun to help me make a decision."
When the Hu family members came knocking yesterday and the four manservants beat Tingyu to the brink of death, she simply could not bear to watch any longer, so she took out one hundred taels of silver in an attempt to save her.
That one hundred taels of silver had been obtained by pawning some of the Old Madam's fine belongings—a box of jewelry that sold for a full thirteen hundred taels. She had converted all of it into silver notes and kept them hidden on her person.
She hadn't slept the entire night; she and Lady Yuan had hastily buried Tingyu together. Originally, she had wanted to come find Yun Chu as soon as daylight broke, but Xie Shi'an was at home, and she dared not make any reckless moves.
Only after wearing Xie Shi'an out until he left did she immediately bring Xian-jie'er over.
"Miss Yun, I—I want to take Xian-jie'er away from the Xie family," Aunt Jiang said, determination shining in her eyes. "It's just that as a mere concubine, with Xian-jie'er being just a little girl, the two of us mother and daughter have no way to establish our own household. I don't know what to do."
Yun Chu thoroughly agreed with Aunt Jiang's idea.
The Xie household was a den of wolves; staying there for too long meant sooner or later being chewed up until not even bones remained.
After pondering for a moment, she spoke up: "Only by having a male heir can one establish an independent household. As long as you have a son under your name, you can move out and stand on your own—it's not a particularly difficult matter."
When she left the Xie family, her household registration fell back under her maiden family, but Aunt Jiang had no blood relatives, so she could only figure out a way to adopt a son.
Aunt Jiang looked distressed: "Is this matter not difficult?"
She felt it was exceedingly difficult; her husband was already dead, and it was impossible for her to give birth to another son.
She had also considered taking Yun-ge'er or Kang-ge'er along with her, but deep down she knew that Xie Shi'an would never agree.
There was no need for her to provoke that wolf.
As for her maiden family... she had no real maiden family to speak of, and if she needed to seek help, she could only turn to her former principal mistress here.
"The Cistercian Orphanage houses many parentless orphans. You can come with me to see if there is any child who catches your eye," Yun Chu paused before adding, "Have the child enter your name in the capacity of an adopted son."
If a child was formally acknowledged and adopted as her very own, that child would inevitably develop expectations and constantly compare themselves with her biological daughter, Xian-jie'er.
Over time, even a saint would harbor petty thoughts.
She had suffered a massive loss because of this in her past life.
Aunt Jiang did not ask further and nodded: "Alright."
Yun Chu put aside her current tasks, took Aunt Jiang and her daughter, boarded a carriage, and headed straight for the orphanage.
With each passing day, the number of children at the orphanage continued to grow. Even before stepping inside, one could hear the joyous laughter of the children.
Xie Xian was only reserved in front of Yun Chu; upon seeing so many children of roughly her own age, she immediately blended right in and began playing along with them.
Yun Chu brought Aunt Jiang inside, produced a booklet, and handed it over: "These are the details of the orphans who have no parents and are in good health. Take a look and see if there's anyone suitable, and I'll have the child brought over for you to take a look."
Aunt Jiang looked through it, but unable to discern much, she decided to let Yun Chu make the call.
Yun Chu did not visit this place very often and wasn't entirely familiar with the children, so she asked Tingxue to invite her cousin, Yun Qin.
Yun Qin was practically intimately acquainted with the temperaments of all the children in the hall.
"Although the orphanage is wonderful in every way, every child actually hopes even more to have a home of their own. Since Aunt Jiang is willing to come and adopt, I thank you on behalf of those children," Yun Qin said in an orderly manner. "When adopting, the child shouldn't be too old. Furthermore, since Aunt Jiang has a young daughter in her household, we need to find a boy with a gentle temperament so that the two children won't end up in conflicts."
As she spoke, she pointed to a child's name.
Before long, someone led a child into the room.
Yun Chu remembered this child; although he was only a little over four years old, he carried himself with polite restraint everywhere he went, and no matter what happened, his emotional state remained remarkably stable.
Making this child Aunt Jiang's adopted son indeed seemed quite fitting.
Aunt Jiang also took a liking to the child instantly, because the boy gave her a feeling completely different from any of the children in the Xie family.
His gaze was clear and his temperament pure, yet deep within his eyes lingered a trace of caution and fear. After all, he was an orphan who had experienced wandering, always maintaining vigilance toward strangers around him.
"Is your name Xu Ti?" Aunt Jiang asked in a gentle voice. "I wonder if you still remember your birth mother?"
The boy shook his head: "Mother died in difficult childbirth."
"Then would you like me to be your mother from now on?" Aunt Jiang took him by the hand. "I'm not asking you to accept me immediately either; you can continue living at the orphanage. Whenever you've made up your mind, I'll come pick you up to take you home."
Xu Ti pressed his lips together and asked, "If you adopt me, do you expect me to do something?"
"I need a male heir so I can establish an independent household," Aunt Jiang did not hide it from him. "Once you become my adopted son, I will provide for your schooling and ensure you no longer suffer from hunger or cold."
The child thought for a moment before asking further: "Then if I study for a dozen years, will you still provide for me?"
"As long as you are genuinely studying hard and applying yourself to scholarship, I will continue to provide for you all the way," Aunt Jiang promised.