Chapter 93: But He Was Crying
A soft, delicate body fell into his arms.
It made Chu Yi freeze completely.
He had never been so close to a woman, except for that one night...
He quickly helped her stand up straight.
In that instant, besides the fragrance from her bath, he smelled another scent unique to a woman's body.
It seemed he had smelled it somewhere before...
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Yun Chu took two large steps back, putting a good distance between herself and the man before her.
Chu Yi looked at her. Compared to the many ripples stirring in his heart, she was far too unruffled.
It was as if she always wore the same calm expression, no matter what happened.
Just as he thought this, he saw Yun Chu's expression turn sour. She turned her head to the side, looking at Chu Hongyu who was walking beside them.
"Young Son, don't you have anything to say?"
Just now, she had suddenly pitched forward because this little fellow before her had given her a hard shove.
Chu Hongyu lowered his head, twisting his fingers together. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't do it on purpose... I just..."
He just wanted to help his mother and father foster their relationship. He wanted his mother to fall for his father, and for his father to be willing to marry his mother as the Princess Consort.
Mother could marry someone as awful as Xie Jingyu, so why couldn't she marry Father?
How could Yun Chu not know what he was thinking?
She crouched down and said, "Yu Ge'er, you did three things wrong today. First, you framed Tan Er Xiaojie. Second, you refused to admit your mistake and ran off, nearly getting into an accident. Third, you deliberately pushed someone... Although I've said that a child who knows their mistakes and corrects them is a good child, to repeatedly admit your mistakes only to make them again and again is not a great virtue. It is... being incorrigible."
If she hadn't happened to be passing by, who knew how much blame Tan Er Xiaojie would have had to shoulder.
If she hadn't happened to know how to swim, the little fellow before her would have likely drowned in the lake.
If she hadn't lived for more than a decade longer, she would have probably died of shame and indignation after being held by another man.
Chu Hongyu's eyes widened.
This was the first time his mother had spoken to him so sternly, even calling him incorrigible.
"I hope you will be a child of upright character." Yun Chu stroked his head. "Alright, I should be going."
She stood up and curtsied to Chu Yi. "Your Highness, this subject has overstepped."
"Madam Xie has spoken well," Chu Yi said. "It is I who have failed to discipline my son, causing Madam Xie so much trouble. In the future, I will certainly put more effort into teaching my unworthy son."
Yun Chu said no more.
She walked out of the estate, stepped onto her carriage, and looked back to see the little fellow gazing at her with teary eyes.
She couldn't help but sigh.
After her rebirth, she had used unscrupulous means to deal with the Xie family. In truth, what right did she have to demand that Yu Ge'er be a person of upright character?
But she truly hoped he would be a good child, one who would read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, and grow into a righteous young man with the integrity of a pine tree and a heart full of compassion for the world... As for a despicable person like her, she deserved to slowly rot away in the long river of time. How could she be worthy of his affection?
But he was crying.
Yun Chu's heart melted into a puddle.
She had no choice but to reveal a smile.
Chu Hongyu immediately beamed through his tears, waving his arms and legs. "Father, Mother smiled at me! She must have forgiven me..."
"Since she has forgiven you, then you must not betray her expectations for you," Chu Yi said. "The most important thing for a person of upright character is to read more. When we get back, study well with your tutor. This autumn, I will send you to the Imperial Academy."
Chu Hongyu nodded, sniffling.
The carriage proceeded slowly toward the capital. After entering the city, its speed slowed considerably due to the bustling crowds.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from outside.
"Is that Madam Xie in the carriage?"
The driver, Yu Ke, spoke from outside. "Madam, it is the Marquis Xuanwu."
Even before Yu Ke spoke, Yun Chu had recognized the voice of Marquis Xuanwu.
The words that man had spoken to her at the Marquis Xuanwu's residence that day still seemed to echo in her ears, and she... had slapped him.
Ting Shuang clutched Yun Chu's hand worriedly and whispered, "Madam, let this servant go down and handle it."
Yun Chu shook her head. So many days had passed; Marquis Xuanwu's anger should have mostly dissipated.
If she avoided seeing him, the man would surely find a way to force her to go to the marquis's residence, which would be even more difficult to handle.
Right now, they were on the street, with people coming and going. She reckoned Marquis Xuanwu wouldn't dare do anything.
Besides, she always felt that Marquis Xuanwu seemed to know something she didn't...
She lifted the carriage curtain, took Ting Shuang's hand to alight, and said with her eyes lowered, "Greetings, Your Lordship. Is there something you need?"
Qin Mingheng was mounted on a Ferghana horse. He had spotted the Xie family's carriage by chance and called out tentatively, not expecting to actually run into her.
His tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek. The slap from days ago had kept him from attending court for a full five days.
He swung himself off the horse, took two steps forward, and immediately caught a whiff of a unique fragrance.
He greedily inhaled the scent.
Yun Chu felt a layer of goosebumps rise all over her body. This person was even more disgusting than she had imagined.
Ting Feng and Ting Shuang flanked her, shielding Yun Chu behind them and blocking Qin Mingheng's peculiar gaze.
"Does Madam Xie still remember what I said to you that day?" Qin Mingheng smiled. "The two bodies you reburied—were they truly your own flesh and blood?"
Yun Chu's fingers tightened.
There it was, that feeling again, as if Qin Mingheng knew many things.
She knew she shouldn't fall into the maze he had deliberately set, but with her two children involved, she was utterly incapable of remaining calm.
She gave a look, and Ting Shuang and Ting Feng stepped aside. She looked up at the man before her. "Your Lordship is also aware that you've said this once before, and this is the second time. There's a saying that things shouldn't happen more than three times. What do you think, Your Lordship?"
"Come a few steps closer." Qin Mingheng stared at her obsessively. "Come here, and I'll tell you exactly what's going on."
Yun Chu looked at him coldly.
It seemed she would have to find a way to pry his mouth open.
"If Your Lordship has no other business, I will take my leave."
She turned to go.
"Wait." Qin Mingheng took two steps forward on his own. "Yun Chu, I can only tell you this: the two bodies the Yun family buried were not your biological children at all. If you want to know more, come to the Marquis Xuanwu's residence to see me of your own accord. I will tell you everything."
Yun Chu's pupils constricted sharply.
She was unwilling to believe the man before her, but the facts told her that Xie Jingyu was capable of such a switch.
Moreover, on the day she went to find her children's remains, she had been overcome with grief. Thinking back now, there were indeed many oversights.
Yun Chu lowered her gaze, hiding the emotion in her eyes.
When she looked up again, her face was already a mask of composure. "I must ask Your Lordship to stop making an issue of my deceased children..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a figure suddenly appeared beside her. Then, her wrist was grabbed, and she was pulled behind someone. Without even looking, she knew it was Xie Jingyu.
OpenNovel