Yun Chu sat on the wicker chair in the courtyard.

She had already drunk four or five cups of cold tea in succession, yet still could not calm her emotions.

Whenever she thought about not knowing where the children were buried, her heart felt as if it were being sliced apart by knives, the pain unbearable.

In her previous life, she had never asked about the children. Until her death, the children had never truly found peace. She hated her past self to death.

He Shi was dragged in through the doorway.

The pain in Yun Chu’s heart transformed into hatred, her eyes carrying sharp blades as she turned them mercilessly toward He Shi.

He Shi couldn’t help but shudder all over.

The Yun Chu she had seen before had always been gentle and magnanimous. Even toward the lowest-ranking servants in the household, she had always been kind and pleasant.

Even last time when she had framed the madam, the madam had never shown such an expression.

Behind her, one of the two old servants kicked her, and her knees went soft as she fell to the ground.

Yun Chu looked at her coldly: “Four years ago, the child in my womb died prematurely. Nanny He took the child back to the ancestral homeland for burial. I ask you, where was the child buried?”

He Shi’s heart tightened. Why would the madam suddenly inquire about something from four years ago?

She kept her eyes lowered: “The master was busy with affairs, so he ordered this servant to make the trip in his place. This servant took the young master and young miss back to our Jizhou hometown for burial. They were buried on the mountain behind the Xie family ancestral shrine. Because no monument was erected, this servant cannot specify the exact location.”

“Bang!”

Yun Chu slammed the teacup in her hand heavily onto the table.

Her expression was icy cold: “It seems Nanny He has no intention of telling me the truth. Servants!”

With her command, two rough-working old servants in the courtyard moved a long bench forward, pressed He Shi down onto it, then picked up two long wooden boards.

He Shi was frightened out of her wits: “Madam, everything this servant said is the truth…”

Yun Chu made a gesture.

The two old servants received the order and began beating her with the boards from left and right.

Being servants accustomed to rough work, their strength was astonishing. After three or four strikes, He Shi’s breath grew weak.

“Nanny He, I’m giving you one more chance.” Yun Chu spoke word by word. “As long as you tell me where the children are buried, I will release you.”

He Shi was in such pain she nearly fainted.

She knew very clearly that the madam must have confirmed the children were not buried in Jizhou, which was why she dared to openly interrogate her.

There was no point in maintaining her original story.

“Madam, this servant… this servant also doesn’t know…” He Shi spoke with difficulty. “The master ordered me to bury the young master and young miss, but before I could set out for Jizhou, the master took the children’s bodies away. This servant truly knows nothing…”

Yun Chu shook her head: “Continue.”

The two old servants put all their strength into the beating. He Shi screamed in agony.

Before long, she fainted.

Yun Chu’s face showed no emotion as she spoke coldly: “Splash water on her and wake her up. Continue beating.”

A basin of ice-cold water was splashed on He Shi’s face. Before she could recover her senses, the boards fell on her body again, and the concentrated pain engulfed her.

Yun Chu dug her nails hard into her own palm.

She only wanted to know where the children were buried. Why had such a simple wish become an impossible dream?

What exactly was it that made He Shi afraid to reveal where the children were? What else was there in all this that she didn’t know…

Never before had Yun Chu hated herself so much.

Hated her own weakness, hated her foolish gullibility to deception, hated that she was unworthy of being a mother…

Outside the courtyard, Xie Ping was anxious and frantic.

If the beating continued like this, even if He Shi didn’t die, she would lose half her life.

She also couldn’t understand why He Shi was so deeply secretive about the burial place of two children who had died at birth!

She stamped her feet and turned to go to Anshou Hall.

When the old lady heard that Yun Chu was punishing He Shi with beating, she didn’t care. But when she heard that Yun Chu was enraged over the children who had died at birth, the expression on her face became somewhat uncomfortable.

Those two children were already dead—did it matter where they were buried?

The old lady walked with her cane toward Yusheng Residence. When she reached the entrance, she noticed that Yusheng Residence had somehow become Sheng Residence.

But now was not the time to ask about such minor matters.

“Chu’er!”

The old lady quickly stepped inside.

“What wrong did He Shi commit to warrant such a commotion?”

Yun Chu looked quietly at the old lady: “If you, Old Lady, know where the children are buried, then I can release her.”

“Children who died without breath just after birth are considered inauspicious. No matter which family it is, they simply find a random place to bury them, lest it affect the family’s fortune.” The old lady spoke. “Even in the imperial family, if a prince or princess dies at birth, they are buried in some random place outside the city. How much less so for the children of our mere fifth-rank family?”

“Old Lady, you have many grandchildren, so naturally you wouldn’t care about children who died young.” Yun Chu’s voice was extremely cold. “But I only have these two children. Until I know where the children are buried, I will not rest for a single day. If the children cannot find peace, then the Xie family will never have domestic tranquility!”

She stood up and walked into the inner chamber.

Old Lady Xie was so angry she nearly fell backward: “She… what does she mean? How dare she be so disrespectful to an elder like me?”

“Old Lady, since our madam married into the Xie family, she has always been filial and respectful toward you. This offense is due to excessive grief.” Tingshuang kept her head lowered. “The matter of the young master and young miss’s bodies not being in Jizhou was personally investigated in Jizhou by the madam’s older brother. If the Xie family cannot provide an explanation, the Yun family will personally come to demand one.”

The old lady’s heart seized.

This was a blatant threat.

She looked at He Shi collapsed on the long bench and said coldly: “Hurry up and say everything you know. Don’t damage the marriage relationship between my Xie family and the Yun family.”

He Shi bit down hard on her dry lips.

If she told the truth, the Yun family and Xie family would truly be finished.

Her son An’ge still needed to rely on the connection with the Yun family to enter the imperial court. No matter how much she detested Yun Chu, she knew she couldn’t let Yun Chu abandon the Xie family…

“Old Lady, Nanny He is nearly gone.” Xie Ping couldn’t help but speak. “Please call a physician first.”

“Miss, don’t let good intentions lead to bad outcomes.” Tingshuang said coldly. “Without the madam’s permission, no one may take He Shi away.”

The old lady’s expression was very grim.

Although she was an elder, if this granddaughter-in-law was determined to do something, she truly had no way to stop her.

The Yun family was the great mountain behind her granddaughter-in-law’s back.

Thinking of this, the old lady turned around and walked away directly, leaning on her cane.

Xie Ping felt extremely anxious inside, but didn’t dare show it too obviously.

She just didn’t understand why He Shi was so capable of causing trouble. If it weren’t for the fact that she had crawled out of He Shi’s belly, she wouldn’t even bother with this mess.

But even the old lady couldn’t control Mother, much less could she as a younger generation.

She could only ask Father to come.

Xie Ping hurried to Qingsong Pavilion to find Xie Shi’an.

Xie Shi’an was writing calligraphy. He had long since heard from the attending servant about what happened at Sheng Residence.

His expression was composed: “Do you know why Mother suddenly began caring about children who died four years ago?”

Xie Ping shook her head.

“Last time with that incident, we were willing to believe a servant rather than believe her.” Xie Shi’an looked at Xie Ping. “Perhaps Mother thinks that we non-biological children are all ungrateful wretches who can’t be raised to show loyalty, so she thought of that pair of children who died at birth. At a time like this, if you still speak up for He Shi, Mother will probably be thoroughly disappointed in you. In the future, when attending banquets of great families, she probably won’t take you along anymore either.”