The Lament of Autumn

No one could have imagined just how deeply he loved this child! It was the shared bloodline between him and her!

But the child was dead.

Yu Changxuan stood rigidly in place, his spine ramrod straight as if it might snap at any moment. Veins bulged at his temples, throbbing violently. His hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists, and his eyes blazed with a ferocious, predatory fire. Gu Ruitong, witnessing his state, couldn’t help but feel a tremor of fear and called out, "Fifth Master."

Just then, the door swung open as attendants escorted Qiu Luo inside. The moment she entered, Qiu Luo saw Cai Fuhu’s mangled corpse sprawled across the carpet. Her legs instantly trembled like a sieve, and she dropped to her knees, shaking uncontrollably. Knowing exactly why she had been brought here, she had already prepared her defense. Sobbing, she pleaded, "Fifth Master, spare my life! I truly never expected Miss Ye would throw herself in front of Jiang Xueting to block that man’s bullet. I couldn’t stop Miss Ye—I even begged him to let her go, but he was completely insane…"

Before she could finish, there was a sharp crack as Yu Changxuan hurled the empty pistol against the wall. His gaze, sharp as lightning, fixed on her, and Qiu Luo immediately fell silent in terror. Gu Ruitong frowned and demanded, "Qiu Luo, I ask you: when Miss Ye was critically injured and unable to speak, and you were unharmed, why didn’t you immediately invoke Fifth Master’s name?!"

Tearfully, Qiu Luo looked at Gu Ruitong. "Officer Gu, I did—I mentioned Fifth Master’s name, but he wouldn’t listen…"

Gu Ruitong snorted coldly, pointing at Cai Fuhu’s corpse. "Cai Fuhu confessed right here in front of Fifth Master that you never once uttered the word ‘Yu.’ Otherwise, even with the audacity of the heavens, he wouldn’t have dared harm anyone under Fifth Master’s protection. Did you really think there would be no witness to contradict you?!"

This statement instantly silenced all of Qiu Luo’s excuses. Petrified and panic-stricken, she knelt there, her eyes wide with horror. After a long pause, she turned to Yu Changxuan, pleading tearfully, "Fifth Master…"

Yu Changxuan stood facing the window, the heavy night outside seeming to swallow his silhouette, his face growing even more ashen. He coldly ordered Gu Ruitong, "Drag her out and execute her!"

"Fifth Master!" Qiu Luo trembled from head to toe, collapsing to the floor, unable to move.

Yu Changxuan’s expression was dark and terrifying. He turned and strode out of the room, moving so swiftly and recklessly it was as if he were charging through obstacles. He went straight upstairs to the bedroom and kicked the door open. The door slammed against the wall with a loud crash, startling the young maid carrying medicine and nearly causing her to drop the bowl.

Yu Changxuan said slowly, "Everyone, out."

His voice was low, carrying the calm before a storm. The maids attending the room quickly bowed their heads and hurried out. Pingjun lay weakly against the headboard, still suffering from a low fever. Her face was as pale as snow, her long hair disheveled and spread across the pillow. She opened her eyes weakly to look at him, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.Yu Changxuan walked over step by step, finally standing before the bed and looking at her, who was weakened to the extreme. The light from the small green-shaded lamp beside the bed cast a glow, making her skin appear even more bloodless, pale to the point of near transparency. He gazed at her, his eyes a deep, dark chill.

Yu Changxuan reached out and pulled her abruptly from the bed. Her head tilted back, her disheveled hair cascading downward. It was as if a fire raged within him, consuming everything in its path. He spoke word by word, "Ye Pingjun, listen carefully. I will not let a single person who harmed you go unpunished!"

Fragile as a wisp of smoke, her shoulders under the lamplight were as thin as paper. His gaze was piercingly cold, almost cruel, his fingers lingering at her neck. His tone was sharp and ruthless, "But I will also not spare anyone who harmed my child! Including you."

Pingjun slowly opened her eyes, tears falling one by one from the corners of her eyes. She struggled to speak, "Just kill me!"

His expression darkened as he gripped her neck, pressing her down onto the pillow with one hand. She felt the world spin, her head throbbing with unbearable pain, her breath turning ragged and agonizing. He was so enraged he seemed on the verge of madness. "I really want to kill you. I wish I could kill you." He tightened his grip on her neck. "For that worthless Jiang Xueting, you actually destroyed my child. You killed my flesh and blood! Is Jiang Xueting's life more important than this child's?! How heartless you are!"

She closed her eyes, her unstoppable tears soaking into the soft pillow.

He stared at her tear-streaked face and suddenly let out a cold laugh. "I know you did it on purpose. You hate me with every fiber of your being. You deliberately did this to me. This child was nothing but a tool for your revenge. You wanted to kill him to torment me!"

Her eyes snapped open, her body trembling violently. She saw the hatred burning like flames in his eyes, a loathing that seemed ready to devour her. His words pierced her heart one by one. She parted her lips and struggled to say, "This was my child. I would never harm him..."

He cut her off fiercely, "You vicious woman! You killed my child for Jiang Xueting!"

Tears fell from her eyes like scattered pearls. She grew visibly agitated, her cheeks flushed bright red. Seeing the scornful mockery on his face, she gasped for breath and said, "You can't torment me like this. I never thought of doing such a thing!"

He was incensed. "But you did it!"

Her fingers trembled, and a sorrowful curve formed at the corner of her lips. She knew he would never believe her no matter what she said. The pain felt like ten thousand arrows piercing her heart. Truly despairing, she whispered almost inaudibly, "Let me go."

He froze there, breathing heavily in chaotic agitation, but finally, he slowly released his grip. The moment he let her go, she mustered all her strength and struggled up from the bed, staggering toward the balcony.The French window was abruptly pushed open by her, and icy raindrops blew against her face. Her frail body was almost instantly blown back by the gloomy wind. Struggling against the wind, she rushed forward, ready to leap down—she wanted him to know how much she loved this child, how she would rather die with it!

Her shoulder was suddenly seized as he yanked her back forcefully. She struggled desperately to break free, but he, driven to a frenzied rage, slapped her hard across the face. Her weakened body crumpled under the blow, collapsing silently onto the carpet, a trickle of bright red blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She could no longer move.

Outside the window, the rain pattered noisily, cold droplets sweeping inside. The two French windows stood wide open, the heavy curtains billowing in the wind. She curled up on the floor, trembling like a wounded animal, pushed to her limit—exhausted and utterly devoid of vitality.

The room fell into a deathly silence, as if everything had perished, with only the sound of wind and rain outside washing over them in waves. The oppressive night pressed down like an endless, unshakable nightmare. He stared at her for a long time, his dark eyes filled with pained despair, glistening with a layer of moisture as if warm tears were about to spill. His lips trembled and twitched, "Ye Pingjun, I wanted to marry you, but you’ve treated me like this."

She lay silently on the rain-dampened carpet, the hem of her nightgown fluttering with the wind.

The French doors, swung open on both sides, slammed against the carved railings of the balcony with a clattering sound, like the crunch of bones being slowly crushed, sending chills through the heart. He turned away, gazing at the dark sky, his tense body swaying imperceptibly. His chest felt as if weighed down by a heavy stone, making it hard to breathe—each breath a knife stabbing through his heart.

Finally, he said, "Leave. I never want to see you again."

Blissful moments like dreams, the bright moon shines on an empty bed.

After several consecutive days of rain, the afternoon had briefly cleared, only to turn overcast again by evening. Sixth Sister Qixuan had just returned from school and stepped out of the car outside the official residence. After walking just a few steps, her small rain boots were already caked with muddy rainwater. Entering the hall, she left a trail of tiny footprints on the carpet. Standing still, she stomped her feet and said, "Such rainy days are truly annoying. Xiao Mei, bring me a new pair of shoes."

Normally, if she called out like this, servants would have rushed to attend to her. But today was strangely quiet—not a sound could be heard upstairs or downstairs, as if everyone in the mansion had suddenly gone mute. Just as Qixuan was about to raise her voice, the maid Xiao Mei came running from the side hall with a pair of soft satin embroidered shoes, saying, "Sixth Miss, wear these shoes."

Qixuan sat down to change her shoes and asked, "Why is it so quiet? What happened?" Xiao Mei bit her finger, her face pale with fear, and whispered, "It’s terrible. The master was in such a rage this afternoon—he beat Fifth Master unconscious. The maids inside said Fifth Master was covered in blood."Upon hearing this, Qixuan’s face instantly turned pale. Although she usually loved quarreling with Fifth Brother the most, emotionally, she was actually the closest to him. She nearly burst into tears on the spot, repeatedly calling out, "Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother..." as she ran upstairs. There, she saw Yu Changxuan’s room surrounded by doctors and nurses. She tried to rush in but was pulled back by her second sister, Jin Xuan, who said, "Don’t go over there yet. They’re still treating him. Don’t cause any trouble."

Qixuan was dragged by Jin Xuan all the way to the north hall, where she saw Minru accompanying Madam Yu. Madam Yu sat on the sofa, trembling and weeping. Deputy Wu Zuoxiao stood nearby and said, "...Originally, the Chairman was questioning Fifth Master about why he had executed Cai Fuhu, the captain of the fourth squad of the Military Police. Fifth Master could have just made up an excuse to brush it off, but who knew he would stubbornly argue back at every word? The Chairman’s temper is... Madam, since you weren’t there, we couldn’t stop him. Fifth Master was beaten so badly he couldn’t even kneel anymore. The Chairman felt sorry for him and was about to stop, but then Fifth Master said something..."

Madam Yu trembled as she asked, "What did Changxuan say?"

Deputy Wu wore a troubled expression and spoke haltingly, "Fifth Master stubbornly pressed on, bringing up the Chairman’s Battle of Yanmen Mountain years ago. He said the Chairman... acted without integrity or honor, betraying friends for personal gain to secure his current promotions. He said... the Chairman might as well beat him to death, so the Yu family would have no heirs..."

Before Deputy Wu could finish, Madam Yu let out a gasp and trembled, "Changxuan has gone mad! He knows perfectly well that Yanmen Mountain is his father’s sore spot—no one has dared mention it for over a decade! He... he’s truly seeking death... This foolish child, he’ll be the death of me..."

Beside her, Qixuan leaned against Jin Xuan, crying in fear, "What is Fifth Brother doing? Why is he arguing with Father like this?" Jin Xuan squeezed Qixuan’s hand, her own eyes red-rimmed, and said, "Sixth Sister, Mother is already suffering enough. Please don’t cry."

Just as Madam Yu was weeping, an aide-de-camp came over and said, "Madam, Fifth Master has opened his eyes." Madam Yu hurriedly stood up from the sofa, but she rose too abruptly and stumbled. Jin Xuan and Minru quickly stepped forward to support her as they made their way to Yu Changxuan’s bedroom.

The bedroom was eerily silent. Nurses and aides-de-camp stood to one side. When Medical Officer Dai saw Madam Yu, he removed his stethoscope from his ears and greeted her, "Madam Yu." Madam Yu noticed large, blood-soaked gauzes on the bedside table and could no longer hold back her tears. She approached the bed, weeping, and called out, "Changxuan..."

Yu Changxuan lay unconscious on the bed, his eyes slightly open but unfocused, as if he didn’t recognize anyone. He closed his eyes again, dazed and confused. Covered in injuries, he couldn’t bear the weight of a blanket, so only a light, soft cover was draped over him. His exposed arms were bruised purple and swollen, the skin torn and flesh ruptured—let alone the rest of his body. Madam Yu was overcome with grief, nearly fainting, and had to be supported by Jin Xuan and Minru to remain standing. Medical Officer Dai said to Jin Xuan, "It’s best to take your mother out for now."