Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 82: Only One Path

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Xie residence.

Xie Ping had cried until she nearly fainted and was helped down by two maidservants. Just as she entered the Xie residence, He Shi emerged from the side.

That morning, He Shi had been restless, waiting anxiously until Xie Ping finally returned. But seeing Xie Ping in such a state, she inwardly feared the worst and hurriedly asked, "Madam, what has happened to the Eldest Young Lady? What occurred?"

"Concubine He, you've come at the right time," Yun Chu said coldly. "Please go and invite the Old Madam and the Madam to the ancestral hall. If the Master is also present, invite him as well."

With that, she led Ting Shuang straight to the ancestral hall in the rear courtyard. Xie Ping was thrown inside, kneeling pale-faced before the ancestral tablets of the Xie family.

Before long, footsteps approached as members of the Xie family filed in one by one.

"Chu'er, why have you gathered everyone so solemnly in the ancestral hall?" the Old Madam asked as soon as she entered, frowning at the sight of Xie Ping kneeling on the ground. "What wrong has Ping Jie'er committed?"

Yuan Shi spoke up, "Why is Ping Jie'er crying like this? What exactly happened?"

Xie Jingyu also arrived, his eyes filled with confusion.

Yun Chu spoke, "Xie Ping, tell them yourself what happened. Explain it clearly to the ancestors of the Xie family."

"I... I went with Mother to Qing'an Temple to pay respects to the Buddha. When I heard that the Fourth Prince, the Anjing Prince, was staying at Qing'an Temple, I found a way to arrange a meeting with him..." Xie Ping knelt prostrate on the ground, her voice hoarse. "The Anjing Prince and I were mutually attracted, so we... in the side chamber..."

She couldn't continue from there.

But everyone present understood.

"You... you have such audacity," the Old Madam exclaimed, nearly staggering from shock. "You haven't even reached the age of maturity—how dare you do such a thing!"

Yuan Shi felt dizzy: "Then did you and the Anjing Prince actually..."

Xie Jingyu raised his hand and slapped Xie Ping hard across the face: "How could I have fathered such a shameless creature!"

Xie Ping was struck dizzy, lying on the ground for a long time unable to get up.

"Master, what's done is done. Even if you beat the Eldest Young Lady to death, it won't change anything," He Shi said anxiously. "The Eldest Young Lady was at fault, but wasn't the Anjing Prince equally to blame?"

The Old Madam was jolted to realization: "Ping Jie'er is not yet fifteen. For the Anjing Prince to dare such a thing—no matter how you look at it, the fault lies with him. Our Xie family cannot suffer this injustice in silence."

Yuan Shi paced anxiously: "Our Xie family is of such low status—how can we contend with the Anjing Prince? What should we do? How can we handle this?"

Xie Jingyu turned to Yun Chu: "Madam, what is the Anjing Prince's position on this?"

"The Anjing Prince is willing to take Ping Jie'er as a Concubine," Yun Chu replied. "What does my husband think?"

The Old Madam breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the Anjing Prince was willing to take responsibility—otherwise, if Ping Jie'er lost her virtue with no one to marry, it would be a difficult situation.

Xie Jingyu's expression darkened. A Concubine was even lower than a typical family's Concubine—equivalent to a maidservant solely for warming the bed. For the daughter of an official family to be reduced to warming a man's bed—both the face and integrity of the Xie family would be trampled upon, truly disgracing the family's reputation.

Yun Chu continued, "However, after I threatened to appeal to the Court of Judicial Review, the Anjing Prince relented and promised Ping Jie'er the position of Side Princess Consort.""What, Side Princess Consort?" Old Madam's eyes showed disbelief. "I heard the Second Prince's Side Princess Consort is the legitimate second daughter of the Third-Rank Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments. For Ping Jie'er to become Anjing Prince's Side Princess Consort would be an extraordinary blessing from our Xie ancestors."

"But Mother refused!" Xie Ping cried bitterly. "Mother wouldn't agree to me becoming Anjing Prince's Side Princess Consort. She argued with Anjing Prince until it fell through. Anjing Prince is angry now, my life is over..."

She had calculated everything, except that her mother would disagree.

Her life was going to be ruined by her mother.

"Madam, is what Ping Jie'er said true?" Seeing Yun Chu nod, Xie Jingyu pressed his lips together and said, "Does Madam truly intend to bring a lawsuit at the Court of Judicial Review?"

"No, no, we can't sue." Yuan Shi shook her head like a pellet drum. "If this matter escalates, Ping Jie'er's reputation will be ruined, and our Xie family will become the biggest joke in the capital. Chu'er, you mustn't go to the Court of Judicial Review!"

Old Madam thumped her cane and said sternly, "Chu'er, you are the matriarch of our Xie family. Whatever you do, you should prioritize the family's reputation. Go see Anjing Prince now and tell him we agree to let Ping Jie'er be the Side Princess Consort. Jingyu, accompany Chu'er!"

"Then let me speak plainly first," Yun Chu said calmly. "Regarding Ping Jie'er's scheme against Anjing Prince, the Prince might not understand it immediately, but would Consort De, who has navigated the palace for so many years, not see through it? Once Ping Jie'er becomes a Side Princess Consort, she'll be like fish on a chopping block. She'll have to endure Anjing Prince's neglect, Consort De's harassment, and the future Princess Consort's torment. She's only thirteen—should she spend the rest of her life withering away in Anjing Prince's residence?"

Xie Ping couldn't help but tremble.

Yes, even Mother could see through her scheme, so how could Consort De not see it?

Daring to scheme against Anjing Prince, Consort De would probably skin her alive.

Moreover, when the future Princess Anjing enters the household, she would surely find ways to impose strict rules on her...

"You all only think about climbing onto Anjing Prince's coattails, without considering how Ping Jie'er will manage in the future." Yun Chu shook her head. "The Xie family's reputation is important, but in my view, what kind of life Ping Jie'er will have is even more important."

Tears welled up again in Xie Ping's eyes.

So Mother refused to let her be a Side Princess Consort because she was afraid she would suffer in Anjing Prince's residence. It was because she truly treated her as a daughter that she considered these things.

Everyone in the ancestral hall fell silent. They truly hadn't considered Ping Jie'er's future.

Old Madam even thought to herself that since this was something Ping Jie'er had schemed for herself, whatever life she ended up with would be her own doing.

Of course, she only thought this to herself, because saying it out loud would create a rift with Ping Jie'er...

"Elder Sister only has one path forward now." Xie Shi'an walked in through the ancestral hall entrance. "Since she has already schemed against Anjing Prince, she must see it through to the end—make Anjing Prince's residence actively seek to marry Elder Sister as the Princess Consort."

After all this scheming, merely becoming a Side Princess Consort to be manipulated would also bring Anjing Prince's wrath upon the Xie family.

But becoming the Princess Consort is different. The Princess Consort must be bestowed by the Emperor's decree, making her a formal member of the imperial family. Even a prince cannot deliberately disrespect the Princess Consort. No matter how much Anjing Prince despises Elder Sister, he must bring her along to all imperial banquets, and all major and minor affairs of Anjing Prince's residence would be handled by Elder Sister.As long as elder sister finds a way to bear Anjing Prince's legitimate eldest son, she'll be secure for life.

Yun Chu looked at Xie Shi'an: "An Ge'er understands my meaning best."

Only then did Xie Ping realize why her mother had proposed making her the princess consort back at Qing'an Temple - this was her only path forward.

Xie Jingyu spoke up: "I'll go to the Censorate now."

He wasn't going to file a complaint, but rather to inform Consort De that the Xie family could have the censors impeach officials at any time...

Yun Chu nodded: "An Ge'er, take the Xie family carriage and stay outside the Court of Judicial Review overnight. I'm going to the Yun residence."

Old Madam worried: "Will this really work?"

Would Consort De believe such simple deception?

She feared completely angering Anjing Prince and Consort De would mean the end of the Xie family's prosperous days.

Xie Jingyu replied: "Whether it works or not, we have to try this approach first."

His Xie daughter was only thirteen - even if this matter escalated, while the Xie family would lose face, Anjing Prince would actually suffer greater consequences.

He suddenly felt grateful that Ping Jie'er hadn't yet reached marriageable age...