Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 51: Encountering the Little Commandery Princess

By the time they left the estate, it was almost Xu hour. The capital's curfew was enforced from the second quarter of Xu hour until the fifth watch at dawn. If they didn't return to the city now, they'd have to wait until morning.

Ting Shuang helped Yun Chu into the carriage and asked softly, "Furen, are you truly agreeing to treat Young Master Wu like this?"

Yun Chu nodded.

Over twenty years ago, the Wu family members fell ill and died one after another until only the youngest, Young Master Wu, remained. Wu Furen decisively sold all their assets to seek medical treatment for him everywhere. Left penniless and without shelter, they moved into this estate.

This estate had been passed down from the Wu ancestors and was their only remaining property at the time.

However, a family named Zou schemed to force them into selling their ancestral property at a low price. The estate, meticulously maintained like an imperial garden with carved beams, painted rafters, pavilions, waterside terraces, and rare flowers, could have fetched over thirty thousand taels of silver. In the end, Wu Furen received only twenty thousand.

After the Zou family acquired the estate, they immediately demolished the Wu family's ancestral hall and were about to set fire to the small grove. With nowhere to go, Wu Furen devised a plan to pretend there were ghosts and scare them away.

Sure enough, the Zou family was terrified and had to sell the estate at a loss. As for the Zou family's luck being affected, that was purely coincidental.

Later, when a merchant took over the estate, Wu Furen and the then three- or four-year-old Young Master Wu pretended to be ghosts together, frightening the merchant into falling ill.

Not only that, Wu Furen went out during the day to tell the neighbors that the estate was haunted. Thus, word spread, and no one dared to take over the property. The merchant occasionally sent people to check, but they were scared away by the growing Young Master Wu, who didn't even need to disguise himself—his face alone, along with the foul odor from his festering sores, was enough to make people faint...

"The Wu mother and son are pitiable, having lived in darkness for over twenty years," Yun Chu said. "This estate is the ancestral property passed down by the Wu family's forebears. By purchasing it and using the proceeds to treat Young Master Wu, there's nothing inappropriate about it."

Ting Feng interjected, "But that divine physician charges five thousand taels just for one consultation. This estate would take three to five years to earn that much, wouldn't it?"

Yun Chu smiled.

Once the hot spring was developed, it could earn at least fifty thousand taels this winter alone. Paying for Young Master Wu's medical expenses would be negligible.

She didn't consider herself a compassionate saint, but she would help others when she could. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that she had accumulated many good deeds, which was why Heaven allowed her to return to the age of twenty.

"Furen, you should also have a consultation for yourself," Ting Shuang said, her heart aching. "You're still young. After curing your infertility, you could still have another young master..."

As soon as she finished speaking, crying suddenly came from outside the carriage.

Yun Chu immediately said, "Stop."

The coachman tightened the reins, and the carriage gradually came to a halt.

Ting Shuang lifted the carriage curtain, and Yun Chu looked out. They had already entered the capital, and with the curfew approaching, there were no pedestrians on the road, only a night watchman passing by.

The crying seemed to be coming from a small alley.

Without a second thought, Yun Chu stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the alley, with Ting Shuang and the other maids quickly following.

In the alley, only faint moonlight illuminated the scene, vaguely revealing a small white figure crouched in the corner.

The crying was coming from that small figure.Yun Chu quickened her pace and soon saw clearly that it was a little girl about three years old. Her long hair was disheveled and draped over her shoulders, her head buried between her knees. Her small shoulders trembled with sobs as she emitted faint, kitten-like cries.

Yun Chu also noticed the little girl wasn't even wearing shoes.

Her heart softened instantly. She quickly picked up the child and said gently, "Why are you out here alone? Where are your parents?"

The little girl lifted her face, revealing eyes that seemed enormous and round in her palm-sized face, filled with tears that rolled down one by one. When she saw Yun Chu, she first stared blankly with wide eyes, then suddenly burst into loud wails, burying herself in Yun Chu's embrace and crying bitterly.

Yun Chu immediately became flustered. "Don't cry, sweetheart. If you keep crying, you'll turn into a little striped kitten."

But the little girl only cried harder, her tears soaking through Yun Chu's shoulder, drenching her clothes.

Yun Chu felt an inexplicable ache in her heart.

Her most beloved child was Xie Shiyun, but even when Xie Shiyun cried from injury, she never experienced this heart-wrenching pain that felt like being cut by a knife.

Holding the little girl, she gently patted her back as she walked out of the alley. With difficulty, she climbed into the carriage and sat down, softly singing until the little girl gradually quieted in her arms.

Just as she was about to speak to the child, she saw those beautiful large eyes close—the little girl had actually fallen asleep in her embrace.

Yun Chu's heart melted with tenderness. She said softly, "Ting Shuang, you and Chen Bo go check nearby to see if any family is searching for a child. If all details match, bring them here."

Ting Shuang accepted the order and left.

The carriage pulled over to the side, leaving only Yun Chu holding the child, while Ting Feng and Ting Xue waited below the carriage, along with a coachman holding the horses.

At that moment, a large group of people suddenly approached and surrounded the carriage.

Leading them was a matron in her forties or fifties, who stared coldly at the carriage compartment. "Search it," she ordered.

Four or five guards immediately stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" Ting Xue hurriedly blocked their way. "Our mistress is inside! Do not be rude to our mistress!"

The matron's expression remained icy. "It's suspicious for a carriage to be parked by the roadside in the middle of the night. What proper lady would be out so late without returning home? Search it!"

Ting Xue grew frantic and was about to argue when a child's crying suddenly came from inside the carriage.

The matron's face lit up with joy. "The Little Commandery Princess is in the carriage!"

She pushed Ting Feng and Ting Xue, the two maids, aside, supported a guard to climb up, and abruptly pulled open the carriage curtain.

Her eyes immediately fell on the girl held by Yun Chu. She rushed over in one swift motion, grabbed the child under her arms, and pulled her outward.

The little girl, already crying, erupted into even more violent sobs when yanked like this.

Yun Chu's eyes darkened. "Let go."

"You're the one who should let go!" the matron glared furiously. "How dare you kidnap our Little Commandery Princess! You must be tired of living! No matter whose lady you are, your days are numbered!"

As she spoke, she tugged hard at the child in her arms.

Yun Chu, who had been holding the little girl around her waist, didn't dare to use more force and quickly released her grip.

The little girl kicked and punched in the matron's arms, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. Her originally fair and tender little face began turning bluish-purple.

"Let go of the child at once!"

Yun Chu's voice rose sharply, her aura fully unleashed.

The matron wasn't intimidated by her presence but was terrified by the Little Commandery Princess's bluish-purple face. Her legs went weak, and she hastily placed the child on the soft cushion in the carriage."It's alright now, no more tears..." Yun Chu's voice was extremely gentle, "Would you like auntie to hold you?"

The matron's face darkened: "What right do you have to call yourself our Commandery Princess's auntie..."

Before she could finish speaking, the little girl stretched out her short arms and wrapped them around Yun Chu's neck.

Yun Chu settled the child on her lap and softly asked, pointing at the matron: "Do you recognize this person in front of you? Is she from your household?"

The little girl just clung to her without making a sound.

Yun Chu looked up and said: "If she says she recognizes you, I'll let you take her away."

The matron could hardly believe that she needed a stranger's permission to take her own young mistress away.

But with the young mistress so dependently nestled in this lady's embrace, using force would be useless.

She spoke up: "Our Little Commandery Princess cannot speak. According to your reasoning, does that mean I cannot take the Commandery Princess away today?"

Yun Chu was taken aback.

This child couldn't speak?

Wait!

She remembered - Yu Ge'er had told her he had a younger sister who couldn't speak. Wasn't Yu Ge'er's sister the Commandery Princess?

Was this little girl Prince Pingxi's child?

But Prince Pingxi's child was supposed to be four years old, while this little girl looked about three years old...