Chapter 173: You're Being Too Formal
The two guards looked at each other, neither knowing how to make a decision.
At that moment, a voice sounded: "What's going on here?"
The two men seemed to have grasped a lifeline, quickly cupping their hands in salute: "Lord Cheng, the eldest daughter of the Yun family requests an audience with His Highness."
Cheng Xu was a third-rank first-class guard and also the vanguard commander for bandit suppression. Those below him all addressed him as "Lord."
Cheng Xu emerged from the manor and saw the woman in a black cloak. Naturally recognizing her as Madam Xie, he immediately said, "Madam Xie, please come inside quickly."
This Madam Xie was no ordinary person. Not only were the two young masters particularly close to her, but even His Highness treated her with exceptional distinction. Naturally, she couldn't be slighted.
Yun Chu nodded: "Thank you."
She followed Cheng Xu into the Prince of Pacifying the West Manor. Late at night, dim yellow lanterns lit the manor's courtyard, illuminating the path before them.
"Please wait in the side hall for a moment, Madam Xie. I'll go inform His Highness right away."
Cheng Xu had the maid on duty serve tea and some pastries before heading to Chu Yi's residence.
Just as he reached the inner courtyard gate, an elderly woman blocked his path: "Lord Cheng, His Highness just extinguished his lamp and went to sleep half an hour ago. It's been so hard for him to get a proper night's sleep lately. Could you wait until His Highness has rested a bit longer before discussing whatever matter you have?"
The woman was Chu Yi's Etiquette Tutor. She had been with him since he was young and naturally doted on her master.
Cheng Xu knew that His Highness had indeed been very busy recently - court affairs, bandit suppression, unexpected incidents - each matter handled personally by His Highness.
Getting a good night's sleep was truly rare for His Highness.
But Madam Xie...
Cheng Xu rubbed his head.
"Madam Tutor, I'll wait in the courtyard. I'll report to His Highness whenever he wakes up."
Seeing his conflicted expression, the tutor guessed it might be something important and lowered her arm, allowing him to enter.
Cheng Xu paced back and forth outside the room where Chu Yi was sleeping.
He knew how much His Highness cared about that Madam Xie, so he didn't dare delay her matter.
But His Highness needed rest, and he didn't dare wake him either.
He could only pace back and forth to ease his anxiety...
After walking for about half an hour, he heard a cold, deep voice from inside the room: "Cheng Xu, speak if you have something to say."
"Your Highness, forgive me!" Cheng Xu started, then quickly said, "About half an hour ago, Madam Xie requested an audience, saying she had something extremely important..."
Before he could finish his sentence,
the double doors before him swung open.
Chu Yi emerged from the room, putting on his outer robe as he walked, only pulling up his boots when he reached the courtyard.
He strode out rapidly while saying, "From now on, regarding matters concerning Madam Xie, no matter what I'm doing - whether sleeping or in meetings - you must report to me immediately."
"Yes!"
Cheng Xu breathed a sigh of relief and led Chu Yi to the side hall.
Yun Chu had waited for about half an hour when she saw Chu Yi striding in.
She immediately stood up: "I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, Your Highness."
Chu Yi gestured for her to sit: "For Madam Xie to come at this hour means the matter must be serious. Please speak."
He was somewhat worried about what might have happened to her.
Simultaneously, in a secret corner of his heart, he felt a flutter of joy.
Because when she encountered trouble, she was willing to come to him for help.Moreover, her visit at such a late hour was enough to indicate that, in her view, their relationship could be considered that of friends.
Yun Chu spoke: "I wonder if Your Highness is aware that Marquis Xuanwu Qin Mingheng has escaped and returned to the capital?"
Chu Yi nodded.
Ever since the Xie residence had been surrounded, he had arranged for people to keep an eye on the situation at the Xie family.
He also knew that Qin Mingheng had barged into the Xie residence after returning to the capital.
His men had immediately informed him that the woman before him had not been injured, and only then had he gone to sleep.
"I wonder which official is handling Qin Mingheng's case?" Yun Chu said softly. "Can Your Highness intervene in this matter?"
Chu Yi's fingers twirled slightly: "Are you saying you wish for me to take over?"
Yun Chu lowered her eyelids: "I apologize for troubling you, Your Highness. I know this request is unreasonable, so I have brought the deed to the hot spring manor. Please accept it."
Previously, when Yin Pin had wanted to buy this manor, she had been unwilling to sell.
Now, when asking for a favor, one must adopt the proper attitude. She was willing to offer the manor as a gift.
"Xie..." Chu Yi began, then deliberately and openly changed his form of address, "Miss Yun, you are being too formal."
He pushed the deed back and gave a few instructions to Cheng Xu, who quickly headed out of the prince's residence.
Yun Chu knew he had gone to deal with Qin Mingheng's matter.
She was about to speak when she saw a servant hurriedly approach from the doorway, leaning close to Chu Yi's ear to whisper something.
Chu Yi's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Yun Chu in disbelief: "Your husband, Xie Jingyu, has died?"
Yun Chu was stunned for a moment.
Xie Jingyu's death had not been announced publicly; only the Xie family members knew about it. Even the guards stationed at the Xie residence gates might not be aware.
How had this man before her received the news so quickly?
Could it be that he had been having people watch the Xie family all along?
Seeing Yun Chu remain silent, Chu Yi's heart suddenly sank: "Did your husband die at Qin Mingheng's hands?"
Was that why she had come to ask him to take over Qin Mingheng's case—to seek revenge for Xie Jingyu?
Was that it?
"No."
Yun Chu denied it directly.
She pressed her lips together and said, "Because of the trouble the Xie family encountered, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol. His health was already poor, and drinking too much led to this incident... It has nothing to do with anyone else."
Chu Yi's gaze grew obscure.
Xie Jingyu had been in a one-year mourning period. It was for his own selfish reasons that Chu Yi had recalled him to court and assigned him the most lucrative position in the Ministry of Revenue.
He had deliberately had someone tamper with the account books, intentionally placing flawed accounts right before Xie Jingyu's eyes.
He had thought that if Xie Jingyu could resist such great temptation, it would prove he was an upright gentleman—and then Chu Yi would make himself give up completely.
But on the very first day Xie Jingyu discovered the discrepancies in the accounts, he had taken thousands of taels of silver from the Ministry of Revenue.
Chu Yi was glad Xie Jingyu was a scoundrel.
His heart ached for Yun Chu, married to such a man.
What he hadn't expected was that Xie Jingyu would die from excessive drinking before the court could investigate the case.
"I was the one who arranged this assignment for Xie Jingyu," he said with difficulty. "If not for me, perhaps this wouldn't have happened..."
"In the end, it was his own moral character that was the problem," Yun Chu said calmly. "Heaven sees what people do; this was the fate he deserved."
From her composed tone, Chu Yi could hear complex emotions.He thought that even if her husband was a hypocrite who embezzled silver, even if her husband had done so many things to wrong her, there would still be a place for Xie Jingyu in her heart.
Just as he was speaking, Cheng Xu returned.
"Your Highness, when I arrived at the Court of Judicial Review, Marquis Xuanwu was undergoing flogging. The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was preparing to carry out the execution at sunrise," he reported. "I informed him that Marquis Xuanwu was still involved in another case, so the Chief Minister spared his life."
Yun Chu breathed a sigh of relief.
Criminals who escaped during exile could be executed immediately by the supervising guards.
When Qin Mingheng was captured, she had guessed he probably wouldn't survive until sunrise the next day, which was why she had come in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late.
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