Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 454: Extra Story – Previous Life 6

Marquis Xuanwu left after causing a huge scene at the Xie residence.

Xie Jingyu was beaten black and blue, lying on the ground for a long time unable to get up.

Although his body ached terribly, he realized the suffocating resentment in his heart had finally dissipated.

He would no longer dwell on Yun Chu’s wide-open, unclosed eyes in death, nor would he feel restless and fearful, no longer afraid of vengeful spirits coming to claim his life...

On the day of Yun Chu’s funeral, Du Ling, a woman of the Du family and wife of the Ji family, came to pay her respects. She wept until her face was drenched in tears: “Chu Chu, the Yun family’s charges have been finalized. There was nothing I could do, truly nothing... Rest assured, I will collect the bodies of the Yun family for you and ensure they depart with dignity.”

Yun Chu’s body was arranged by the Xie family to be sent back to Jizhou and buried in the Xie ancestral graves.

Xie Shiyun knelt before Xie Jingyu, choking back sobs as he said, “Father, please allow me to escort Mother back to Jizhou. I wish to accompany her on her final journey.”

Xie Jingyu frowned. “The provincial examination is approaching. The round trip would take too much time. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another three years...”

“But if I don’t escort Mother, I won’t be able to focus on the imperial examinations,” Xie Shiyun pleaded. “I will study diligently along the way and will not disappoint your expectations.”

Yuan Shi wiped her tears and said, “Let Yun’er go. At least one of the children should see Chu’er off. It’s a testament to his filial piety.”

After a moment of thought, Xie Jingyu nodded. “Then go quickly and return soon.”

All the Xie children were registered under Yun Chu’s name. If no son accompanied her back to her hometown for burial, it would inevitably invite gossip.

Thus, the matter was settled.

When Ting Yu, still in the Xie residence, heard that Xie Shiyun was escorting Yun Chu back to Jizhou, she fell ill from anger.

With less than ten days until the provincial examination, a round trip to Jizhou would take five or six days—hardly any time left for preparation...

Her Yun’er had been devoted to his studies ever since he earned the title of Cultivated Talent. He was a promising candidate, sure to become a provincial graduate this time. If the funeral arrangements delayed him, she would never forgive Yun Chu in this lifetime...

However, on the eve of the provincial examination, Xie Shiyun still had not returned to the capital.

Ting Yu was frantic with worry and hurried to find Xie Jingyu. “Sir, where is Yun Ge’er? No matter the delay, he should have returned to the capital today. The exam is tomorrow morning...”

Xie Jingyu replied with a grim expression, “The steward who accompanied him said that after Yun Chu was buried in the Xie ancestral graves, Xie Shiyun disappeared. I’ve had people searching for him these past few days, but there’s no news yet.”

“What do you mean, disappeared? How could he disappear?” Ting Yu’s eyes widened in shock. “Are the servants useless? How could they lose a grown man like the Third Young Master?”

“He left on his own accord; the servants didn’t lose him,” Xie Jingyu said sternly. “Panicking won’t help. We must wait for news.”

Just as he spoke, the steward from outside hurried in with a letter. “Sir, this letter was just delivered by the Third Young Master’s classmate.”

Xie Jingyu was startled. He opened the letter and, after reading it, flew into a rage. “How dare he become a monk! Has he gone mad? He’s throwing away a brilliant future to become a monk! If outsiders find out that a member of the Xie family has become a monk, the Xie family will become the biggest joke in the capital! That unfilial son! How did I give birth to such an unfilial son!”Ting Yu snatched the letter and immediately broke down in tears: "Yun'er, my Yun'er, why are you so foolish... Yun Chu's death wasn't your fault, it wasn't your fault at all. It was your father and eldest brother who forced you to do it, what does it have to do with you? Why blame yourself, why become a monk..."

As she wept, her knees gave way and she collapsed to the ground, wailing at the empty sky, "Madam, you've always cherished Yun'er. I beg you to spare him, don't let this ruin his entire life... The tutor said Yun'er excels in his studies. He'll surely become the Number One Scholar like his father and eldest brother. He has such a bright future, it can't be destroyed like this! If you spare Yun'er, I'll have him set up a longevity tablet and light an eternal lamp for you..."

She kowtowed repeatedly.

Xie Jingyu felt his scalp crawl and kicked Ting Yu in the shoulder: "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense!"

Ting Yu cried until she fainted. When she woke up later and wanted to find Xie Shiyun, she fell ill again, confined to her sickbed, her health rapidly deteriorating.

Meanwhile, He Shi showed a smile and said to Xie Shiwei: "Although the Xie family has established itself in the capital and become rising stars at court, we're still from humble origins with shallow resources. With Xie Shiyun gone, there's one less person to share the family property. You and your eldest brother can get more."

"It's just silver, not worth mentioning," Xie Shiwei shook his head. "In this world, power in hand is far more important than silver."

He Shi sighed: "If we can clear the He family's name and restore my status, I can become the official mistress of the Xie household. Your statuses would become more respectable too. Ultimately, I've been a burden to you all."

Although the children were registered under the principal wife's name and were nominal legitimate heirs, everyone in the capital knew these children were all born of a concubine.

Children of concubines were even lower than illegitimate children... Fortunately, the children were outstanding. Ping Jie'er entered the palace and became a favored consort, An Ge'er became a first-rank chief minister, and Wei Ge'er is now a third-rank general. Everything is getting better.

"Indeed, we should start preparing to clear the He family's name," Xie Shiwei said calmly. "The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is incorruptible, so we'll have to approach the Deputy Minister instead. He specializes in managing major case files. Having him rewrite some documents shouldn't be too difficult."

Delight flashed in He Shi's eyes, then she sighed: "How much silver will we need to grease this relationship?"

The family spent over ten thousand taels on Yun Chu's funeral. All those burial objects pained her to see...

"This time we won't need silver," Xie Shiwei smiled. "I'll go discuss it with eldest brother."

When he went to find Xie Shi'an, Xie Shi'an was sitting at his desk frowning, clearly lost in thought.

"Eldest brother, what troubles you?"

Xie Shi'an snapped back to attention: "Nothing. What brings you here?"

He had been thinking about Song Yin. Since their mother's burial, Song Yin hadn't initiated conversation with him once, and had begun living separately from him, claiming poor health.

He was pondering where things had gone wrong.

Why had Song Yin changed?

"Eldest brother, the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is known for his lustfulness. We should exploit that," Xie Shiwei whispered. "The sooner we clear the He family's name, the smoother your official career will progress."

Xie Shi'an nodded: "Then spend some silver to buy a respectable girl and send her to him.""Brother, isn't that rather narrow-minded?" Xie Shiwei wore a disapproving expression. "How much would an ordinary woman cost? Could the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review not afford one? We need to demonstrate our sincerity. Only with genuine sincerity can we persuade him to rewrite the case files."

Xie Shi'an's thoughts were still preoccupied with Song Yin, so he didn't immediately grasp the implication: "Why don't you speak plainly?"

"Xie Xian," Xie Shiwei said slowly. "She's too disobedient, too untamed. Even after being confined for so many days, she's still making trouble. Since that's the case, we should find her a suitable destination. This way we can both drive her out of the Xie family and demonstrate our sincerity to the Chief Minister. Killing two birds with one stone - why wouldn't we take this opportunity?"