Chapter 94: Weakness and Hypocrisy
Xie Jingyu's face was as dark as a thundercloud.
After having tea with Lord Yu and leaving the teahouse, he spotted the most conspicuous woman in the crowd from afar.
Truly worthy of being the renowned beauty of the capital, the eldest daughter of the Yun family stood out brilliantly amidst the bustling streets, effortlessly drawing everyone's gaze.
However, when he saw the man standing before Yun Chu, his heart instantly sank to the depths.
Apologizing to Lord Yu, he swiftly approached and pulled Yun Chu behind him.
He cupped his hands in salute, "This humble official pays respects to the Marquis."
"Tsk." Qin Mingheng chuckled, "This Marquis was merely exchanging a few words with Lady Xie. Is Lord Xie afraid I might devour your wife?"
Xie Jingyu replied, "It's getting late. This humble official shall take his wife home first. We shall visit Your Lordship another time when the opportunity arises."
After speaking, he turned to Yun Chu, "My lady, let us return home."
Yun Chu avoided his outstretched hand, supported Ting Shuang instead, and boarded the carriage first.
Xie Jingyu followed her up and sat opposite her.
As before, Yun Chu couldn't be bothered to speak with him, lifting the carriage curtain to watch the scenery outside.
A stifling frustration gathered in Xie Jingyu's chest.
He couldn't help asking, "What were you and Marquis Xuanwu discussing?"
Yun Chu answered indifferently, "We happened to meet on the road and exchanged greetings."
Xie Jingyu pressed further, "Was that all?"
"What else could it be?" Yun Chu lowered the curtain and met his gaze directly, "Does my husband's aggressive questioning mean you suspect me of being unfaithful?"
"Of course not..." Xie Jingyu hadn't expected her to be so blunt. He faltered, even daring not to meet Yun Chu's clear eyes anymore. He said awkwardly, "After Wei Ge'er injured Marquis Xuanwu's heir last time, the Marquis has repeatedly embarrassed me at court. I was merely concerned he might be disrespectful toward you, that's why..."
Yun Chu stared fixedly at him.
She knew Xie Jingyu was utterly hypocritical, willing to employ any means to achieve his ends.
If what Qin Mingheng said was true, then why would Xie Jingyu use two fake corpses to deceive her?
Those were her children, flesh and blood bearing the Xie family lineage. She truly didn't want to believe that Xie Jingyu had lost their children's bodies...
"My lady, what's wrong?"
Under Yun Chu's gaze, Xie Jingyu grew increasingly uncomfortable and unconsciously touched his face.
Yun Chu shook her head and said nothing more.
The carriage soon arrived at the Xie residence entrance.
Having left for the Yun family in the morning, then gone to the outskirts with some delays along the way, it was already dusk when they returned.
The orange summer sunset fell upon their shoulders, casting long shadows.
He Shi stood in the courtyard and immediately noticed the two walking in side by side—the man tall and jade-like, the woman exquisitely beautiful, a perfect matched pair.
Suppressing the emotions rising in her heart, she approached and curtsied, "My lord, my lady."
"I have matters to attend to and shall return to my courtyard first."
Without another word, Yun Chu turned and left with her maid.
Xie Jingyu watched her retreating back and sighed almost imperceptibly.
"My lord," He Shi spoke up, "My lady went out alone this morning. How did she return with you?"
Xie Jingyu replied offhandedly, "We met on the road.""Why did Madam change her clothes?" He Shi, who had been doing embroidery work recently, was quite knowledgeable about fabrics, "The gown Madam is wearing is made of Jin Yun water satin, a rare fabric from Jiangnan that only noble families can afford. Is the Yun family this wealthy now?"
Xie Jingyu's expression darkened abruptly.
As the Yun family's son-in-law, he knew very well that although the Yun family held the rank of first-class general's residence, they weren't particularly wealthy and couldn't afford such expensive fabrics.
He quickly entered his courtyard and coldly ordered, "Go inquire at the Yun residence's gatekeeper about how long Madam stayed there."
The servant was efficient, returning in less than half an hour to report, "Madam left the Yun residence around quarter past noon, after having lunch there."
Xie Jingyu slammed his teacup onto the table.
She left the Yun residence at quarter past noon, so why was she still on the streets in the evening?
Could it be that after leaving the Yun residence, she went to Marquis Xuanwu's residence...
The mere possibility made Xie Jingyu lose all restraint. He immediately headed towards Sheng Residence.
Yun Chu had just sat down at the dining table. The hall was quite cool with ice blocks placed around, as maidservants brought dish after dish to the table.
She picked up her chopsticks and was about to start eating when she heard the voice of a young maid paying respects outside: "Sir, Madam is having her meal. Please allow this servant to announce—"
Before the young maid could finish speaking, Xie Jingyu had already entered the side hall and directly took a seat at the dining table.
Yun Chu calmly instructed, "Prepare another set of bowls and chopsticks."
Xie Jingyu's gaze fixed intently on Yun Chu. He remembered she had a similar outer garment that she had worn two or three times before. At first glance, one might think the current one was the same as before, but in reality, there were slight differences - even though both were white, there were subtle variations.
This garment was clearly meant to deceive observers.
Why would she change her outer garment outside? Did she only change the outer layer, or had she changed everything underneath as well?
He picked up his chopsticks and forced himself to eat a few bites.
Seeing that Yun Chu had almost finished eating, he said coldly, "Everyone withdraw."
Ting Shuang looked toward Yun Chu.
Yun Chu smiled slightly. Coincidentally, she also wanted to have a proper talk with him. She waved her hand, and all the maids and matrons in the room withdrew, quietly closing the door behind them.
The room fell silent.
"Madam, where did you go this afternoon?" Xie Jingyu asked directly, "Was your encounter with Marquis Xuanwu really just a chance meeting on the road?"
Yun Chu lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea.
If she didn't know that this man had once offered her to Marquis Xuanwu to resolve the Xie family's troubles, she might have genuinely believed he cared about her.
After committing such a despicable act, did he still have the right to question her?
Before she could speak, Xie Jingyu suddenly stood up, leaned forward, and grabbed Yun Chu's wrist.
Then, without warning, he tore open her outer garment, revealing clothing he had never seen before.
"Why did you change your clothes outside, everything from inside out!" Xie Jingyu angrily tightened his grip on her slender wrist, "What exactly did you do with Marquis Xuanwu?!"
"When you left me alone at Marquis Xuanwu's residence, why didn't you consider these things?" Yun Chu said coldly, "Marquis Xuanwu told me that on that day at his residence, the cup of tea you handed me was drugged with knockout drops. I was wondering why I slept through the entire afternoon at the residence. Doesn't my husband want to explain this?"Xie Jingyu's heart skipped a beat. "What else did he tell you?"
"Just this one matter is enough to shock me. Could there be something else I'm unaware of?" Yun Chu pushed Xie Jingyu away sharply, her gaze piercing. "If you don't explain clearly, I won't hesitate to visit Marquis Xuanwu's residence for answers."
Xie Jingyu clenched his fist.
This matter was impossible to explain. Even if clarified, should Qin Mingheng bring up their wedding night to Yun Chu again, he would find himself cornered once more.
He lifted his eyes, face full of disappointment. "My wife, would you rather trust an outsider than your own husband? No one understands what kind of person I am better than you."
Yun Chu sneered.
Indeed, no one knew better than her the weakness and hypocrisy that lay at the very core of Xie Jingyu.
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