Chapter 207: I Am Willing to Take Responsibility
The night was dark and windy.
The autumn breeze rustled through the leaves, creating a whispering sound.
Yun Chu, draped in a thin robe, leaned against the headboard while reading the "Geographical Records of the Great Jin." Having lived two lifetimes, the places she had visited could be counted on one hand. She had once accompanied Xie Jingyu to his ancestral home in Jizhou for ancestral worship and traveled to Yong'an City with her mother to visit her maternal grandparents. Beyond these two cities, she had never truly been anywhere else... As for the cities she passed through while seeking medical treatment for Xie Shikang, those were merely brief stops, not genuine visits.
What a wasted life.
The geographical records vividly described the diverse landscapes and unique local delicacies from all corners of the Great Jin. Just reading about them filled her with longing.
One day, she truly wished to take her two children and travel across the land. Bolder still, she dreamed of boarding a great ship with them to journey through countless mountains and rivers...
"Miss," Ting Xue knocked lightly on the door and spoke softly from outside, "Prince Pingxi is here. He says he has urgent matters to discuss with you. Will you see him?"
Yun Chu was not surprised in the least.
After her words during the day, Chu Yi would undoubtedly interrogate Marquis Xuanwu.
Having learned the truth of that night, he would naturally come to her.
She threw a cloak over her thin robe before stepping out of the inner chamber, passing through the moon gate, and arriving at the outer courtyard.
Her eyes immediately fell upon Chu Yi standing at the entrance of the side hall.
Chu Yi spotted her just as quickly.
He strode toward her without hesitation. As he drew closer, he caught the familiar fragrance she carried—a scent that overlapped with the memory of that night.
He had encountered this fragrance before. Why, why had he not felt even the slightest suspicion?
Fortunately, it was not too late.
"I..." Chu Yi's throat tightened as he swallowed hard, forcing down his surging emotions. "I just interrogated Qin Mingheng."
Yun Chu stood before him, tilting her head slightly to meet his gaze. "Did you learn anything from the interrogation?"
"Miss Yun, it was I... I who ruined you."
Within Chu Yi's deep, ink-black pupils swirled endless regret and self-reproach.
His fingers clenched into fists, veins bulging distinctly on the back of his hands, trembling with barely restrained emotion.
"I'm sorry, it was my fault..."
"If I had known earlier, I would have taken responsibility for that night. I would never have let you suffer in the Xie family for five long years."
Finally, he understood why she harbored such hatred for the Xie family.
On their wedding night, Xie Jingyu had sent his own bride to the residence of Marquis Xuanwu.
The children she bore were cast aside by Xie Jingyu to Marquis Xuanwu's household.
If not for the last shred of conscience in Qin Mingheng, who sent the children to their true father, Yu Ge'er and Changsheng might have long since...
Xie Jingyu's death was far too merciful. Chu Yi wished he could grind his bones to dust.
"I am willing to take responsibility for that night."
Chu Yi's gaze burned intensely as he looked at her.
Yun Chu had mentally prepared for this meeting. Her expression remained as calm as still water, utterly unruffled.
Her voice was equally composed. "Your Highness need not trouble yourself. We were both victims—neither owes the other an apology. The most innocent are the two children, who suffered so much undeserved pain without understanding any of it... What's past is past. As their parents, we should focus more on their well-being."
Chu Yi did not press further about taking responsibility.
The woman before him had brought ruin to the Xie family because she hated them.
She despised Qin Mingheng, and the Marquis Xuanwu's household fell.She must also hate him for taking her innocence and ruining her life.
But because he was the biological father of the children, she suppressed her hatred.
That did not mean she was willing to marry him.
Chu Yi pursed his thin lips: "Miss Yun, regarding the children, I respect all your opinions."
Yun Chu spoke word by word: "The children's identities must never be revealed. If someone with ill intentions makes a big deal out of it, the children will bear the stigma for their entire lives."
At that time, she was a married woman of the Xie family, yet she gave birth to children of royal bloodline.
No matter how innocent she was, she could never silence the countless mouths in the court and among the common people.
She didn't mind being talked about, but she feared that the two children would be troubled by their origins for life.
"Your Highness has raised the children for over four years, while I have been absent for more than four years. I want to make up for the lost time as much as possible." Yun Chu's voice softened. "Changsheng is weaker and needs more attention. Since Your Highness is busy with state affairs, may she stay with me temporarily?"
Chu Yi immediately nodded: "Alright, I will bring Changsheng over tomorrow morning."
Yun Chu smiled: "Thank you, Your Highness."
The dim yellow light fell on her face. With this smile, light and shadow swept across her features—her radiant smile outshone the stars, a beauty unmatched through the ages.
The osmanthus blossoms on the tree were blown by the wind, scattering over her hair like tiny stars, adding to her charm.
He unconsciously reached out his hand.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch Yun Chu, she slightly moved away.
His fingers curved, picking a small osmanthus flower from her hair instead. His voice slightly hoarse, he said: "Changsheng and Yu Ge'er both love to eat osmanthus cakes."
Yun Chu's smile deepened: "I'm not good at much else, but I do know how to make osmanthus cakes. How fortunate."
She knew nothing about cooking. The only reason she could make them was because her grandfather loved osmanthus cakes. When her grandmother was alive, every late autumn, she would take Yun Chu along to make osmanthus cakes for her grandfather.
It had been a long time since she last made them. She wasn't sure if she still remembered how.
Tomorrow, she would make them with the children and have the cook guide her. The taste shouldn't be too bad.
Chu Yi didn't like sweet food.
Soft, sticky things like osmanthus cakes would never normally appear before him.
But at this moment.
With osmanthus branches before his eyes and the fragrance of osmanthus filling the air—the rich scent lingering everywhere, gradually cooling into dewy mist—he suddenly wanted to taste osmanthus cakes too.
The night grew deeper.
When the midnight bell rang, Chu Yi finally took his leave from Yun Chu's place.
Returning to the prince's mansion, he couldn't resist checking on the two children. Though the son and daughter lived in separate courtyards, they always preferred to sleep together.
They fell asleep holding each other, but once asleep, they each assumed their own positions.
Changsheng held a doll in her hand, sleeping soundly.
Yu Ge'er lay sprawled on the bed, his little belly exposed, rising and falling with each breath.
Chu Yi tucked the blankets around his children and carefully studied their faces.
Changsheng looked almost exactly like Yun Chu—her eyes, nose, and mouth, every feature was identical.
Yu Ge'er's facial structure and contours were also exactly like Yun Chu's.
He should have noticed long ago.
So many years had been wasted.
"Your Highness."
Cheng Xu called softly from the doorway.
Chu Yi finished tucking the children in before standing up and walking out: "Have you brought the person back?"
Cheng Xu nodded: "Shall we bring him up now, or wait until tomorrow?"
Chu Yi directly instructed him to bring the person to the side courtyard.A woman dressed in coarse cloth clothing was thrown to the ground, bound tightly with ropes and gagged.
"Mmhmm... Mmhmm..."
She struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.
Cheng Xu stepped forward and pulled the cloth from her mouth.
"Who are you? Why have you captured me?" the woman asked in a panic. "I'm going to report you to the authorities! I'll sue you for kidnapping an innocent woman!"
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