Grand Tutor Xie had taken a few steps when Chu Yu finally reacted.
She pondered for a moment, pursed her lips, and ultimately decided to chase after him, calling out, “Grand Tutor!”
Grand Tutor Xie halted his steps. Chu Yu walked up to him, bit her lip, and finally asked, “Can the Grand Tutor give me an honest answer? In this matter, is the Wei family truly guilty or not?”
Grand Tutor Xie remained silent. His gaze fixed on Chu Yu for a long while before he slowly said, “The young madam should be a wise person.”
A wise person, meaning if you can’t guess or don’t know, then don’t ask.
How could Chu Yu not want to be wise? But when Grand Tutor Xie uttered those words, she couldn’t help but harbor a glimmer of hope that perhaps he would do more than she had imagined.
Chu Yu didn’t respond. Seeing her determined expression, Grand Tutor Xie paused for a moment before slowly saying, “Guilty or not, we shall see.”
Chu Yu understood Grand Tutor Xie’s meaning. Now that they had been arrested, they must be guilty. But in the Emperor’s heart, there might still be some hesitation, so there was a possibility of innocence.
She comprehended Grand Tutor Xie’s meaning and carefully considered her words: “Then if the Wei family is guilty, should I now lead people to kneel at the palace gates? How could His Majesty tolerate that?”
Grand Tutor Xie thought for a moment but didn’t say much. Chu Yu observed his expression and continued, “Perhaps the Grand Tutor could be a messenger and convey my wish to His Majesty for an audience?”
“What do you intend to do by seeing His Majesty?” Grand Tutor Xie furrowed his brow. Chu Yu calmly replied, “As everything is proceeding according to the law, and the Seventh Young Master has not yet been convicted, I naturally want to plead for His Majesty’s mercy. If His Majesty doesn’t allow it, I’ll seek other methods.”
The implication was that she was merely going through the motions with the Emperor, at least consulting with him first as a courtesy.
Grand Tutor Xie pondered for a moment, then nodded, “Very well. I will speak to His Majesty about this matter tomorrow. I will also help you arrange other matters.”
Chu Yu cupped her hands and said to Grand Tutor Xie, “Thank you, Grand Tutor.”
Grand Tutor Xie nodded, glancing at the gradually diminishing autumn rain. “No need to see me off. I’ll head back now. Unless there’s something urgent, we needn’t contact each other after this.”
“Chu Yu understands.”
Chu Yu bowed and watched Grand Tutor Xie leave. After he had taken a few steps, she summoned the steward and said, “Quickly prepare twenty thousand taels of silver to be sent to Grand Tutor Xie.”
The steward was momentarily stunned but hurried to make the preparations.
Chu Yu let out a sigh and returned to the main hall. Jiang Chun hurriedly approached, anxiously asking, “How did it go?”
Chu Yu nodded, “The Grand Tutor said he would help me seek an audience with His Majesty.”
As she spoke, Jiang Chun sat down and poured a cup of tea, somewhat puzzled, “You didn’t see the Grand Tutor off?”
Chu Yu waved her hand, “Since he has agreed to help us, we shouldn’t appear too close at this moment. Otherwise, His Majesty might suspect whether the Grand Tutor is truly moved by the Wei family’s situation or has other motives.”
“Then why did you send those twenty thousand taels of silver…”
Jiang Chun was confused. Chu Yu took a sip of tea and explained, “He agreed to help us, but the money for bribing officials shouldn’t come from his pocket.”
Jiang Chun nodded, and Chu Yu put down her teacup, saying to her, “You take care of Father and the younger uncles. I need to go out again.”
“Where are you going?”
“There are other places that need attention.” Chu Yu’s face showed signs of fatigue. “They might not receive me, but I still need to try.”
With that, Chu Yu instructed the steward to prepare gifts and headed out, boarding a carriage. She had prepared a list of names, noting down what to say and who might be willing to speak on their behalf. She delivered gifts to each of them.
Upon hearing of her arrival, most of them refused to see her.
The same happened at the Princess Royal’s residence. However, Chu Yu knew that the Princess Royal had always been fond of money. Her expression remained unchanged as she secretly pressed a banknote into the hand of the servant who came to deal with her, whispering, “I understand the Princess Royal’s rules. These funds are at her discretion.”
The servant, accustomed to such matters, discreetly tucked the banknote into his sleeve before seeing Chu Yu off.
After visiting eleven officials’ residences, Chu Yu noticed it was getting dark. She quietly made her way to the imperial prison, presented the Chu family’s token, and then distributed some silver. This earned her a quarter of an hour to visit, and the guards quietly led her in.
Wei Yun was confined in a separate room. When Chu Yu entered, she saw Wei Yun sitting upright near the cell door. He had changed into prison clothes, his hair now hanging loose, and his complexion looked somewhat pale. Seeing Chu Yu, he smiled faintly, “Sister-in-law, how did you come so quickly?”
Chu Yu remained silent, looking Wei Yun up and down. The guard beside her fawned, “Young Madam, please speak quickly. I’ll keep watch for you.”
Chu Yu nodded, smiling respectfully, “Thank you, sir.”
As she spoke, Wan Yue handed over some silver from behind. The guard hurriedly waved his hands, “It’s no trouble, no trouble at all.”
While speaking, he retreated along with the others, leaving only Chu Yu and Wei Yun in the cell. Seeing Wei Yun’s calm demeanor, Chu Yu asked with concern, “They didn’t beat you, did they?”
“No,” Wei Yun smiled, “After all, this is the capital. I’m innocent, so what could they do to me?”
Chu Yu said nothing. She walked to the door and opened the food box, passing over dishes and snacks. “If you’re hungry, eat some food. Hide the snacks and steamed buns. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get you out, so don’t starve yourself…”
Hearing this, Wei Yun seemed a bit helpless, “Sister-in-law, you make it sound like… This imperial prison isn’t a den of tigers and wolves. I just eat, drink, and sleep here every day. I won’t starve. The way you talk, one might think you’ve been in prison before.”
She had.
Chu Yu vaguely recalled that in her previous life, before the palace coup, she had been imprisoned as Gu Chusheng’s wife.
Those days were nothing like what Wei Yun described.
She pursed her lips, not saying much, only pushing the pastries inside.
Wei Yun knew she didn’t believe him and hurriedly said, “I’m telling the truth. I was just sleeping when you came in to disturb me…”
“There’s blood on the ground.”
Chu Yu spoke, and Wei Yun stiffened. She continued, “From the beginning until now, you haven’t changed your posture. Wei Yun, do you dare to stand up?”
Wei Yun fell silent. Chu Yu stared at him and coldly said, “Stand up!”
Wei Yun didn’t move. Chu Yu’s gaze fell to his feet, and Wei Yun struggled to smile, “It’s nothing, just a sprained ankle…”
“Is the bone cracked?”
Chu Yu lowered her eyes and pulled open the bottom layer of the food box. “These are the best medicines from our household. Hide them well. Most of the loose bricks in the cell can be pulled out. Many have been hollowed out by prisoners. Hide them there. I’ll try to get you out as soon as possible, but first, tell me clearly, what exactly happened?”
Wei Yun said nothing. Chu Yu gripped the food box, suppressing her emotions.
“Before you left, I told you not to pursue the remnant troops, to prioritize safety above all. Why did you still chase after them and end up being annihilated in Baidi Valley?”
“I don’t know…” Wei Yun’s voice was hoarse.
Chu Yu frowned, listening as he shook his head and said, “I don’t understand either. Father and my brothers have never been like this… I don’t know what happened. That day, they were like they were under a spell. I tried to persuade them, but Father insisted on pursuing. When my persuasion failed, he punished me by sending me to count the army provisions. They all left. Before leaving, Big Brother told me things weren’t as I imagined and not to worry. And then…”
Wei Yun’s voice choked. Chu Yu listened calmly, her voice steady, “Little Seven, don’t be upset. Keep it brief. Start from when you first noticed something was wrong.”