The Xie manor summoned a physician.
The physician, carrying his medicine box, hurriedly walked into Anshou Hall.
With just one glance at the Old Mistress, the physician knew this person was beyond saving. But he still checked her pulse before sighing and shaking his head.
Yun Chu lowered her eyelids.
She had originally wanted to use Xie Shiwei to bite hard at Xie Shi’an, but in the end, it was the Old Mistress who had died.
In her previous life, when the Xie family reached its highest point, the Old Mistress enjoyed her twilight years in comfort. When she passed away, people from throughout the capital came to pay their respects. It could be called a glorious burial.
In this life, the Xie family’s road to success had not yet begun, and the Old Mistress had already entered the yellow earth.
“Old Mistress!”
Yuan Shi stumbled in and threw herself onto the Old Mistress’s body, crying aloud.
The concubines also brought their children. They knelt before the Old Mistress’s bed. The maidservants and older women all followed suit and knelt down. Sobbing cries rose heavily.
Yun Chu put on an expression of grief on her face, but she discovered she couldn’t shed a single tear.
What had the Old Mistress done to her? It seemed like nothing, but thinking carefully, the Old Mistress’s shadow was behind every matter.
The Old Mistress who spent her lifetime protecting the Xie family, who took the Xie family’s honor and disgrace as paramount—she died at the hands of her own great-grandson. Who knew what her final thoughts were before death…
Yun Chu turned and walked out of the Old Mistress’s Anshou Hall.
She stood in the courtyard and gave orders to several steward women in a flat voice. “The Old Mistress’s funeral arrangements—you few handle them. Be efficient.”
Several women wiped their tears and quickly rose to attend to the matters.
Yun Chu looked at Xie Jingyu sitting on the courtyard steps, silently shedding tears, and spoke. “You should stop crying for now. I just asked around—the Old Mistress died after being pushed and falling by Hui’er. How do you plan to handle this?”
Xie Jingyu raised his head to look at Yun Chu. This feeling of looking up made him thoroughly uncomfortable. He wanted to stand up, but his left leg couldn’t exert any strength.
He could only continue sitting on the steps, his voice low, cold, and hoarse. “That wretched creature—keeping him alive is just a disaster. Take a rope and strangle him!”
“Failure to teach is the father’s fault. Hui’er becoming like this—you as a father cannot escape responsibility.” Yun Chu said. “With the Old Mistress’s passing, as the only grandson in the capital, you must observe a year of mourning according to custom. During this year, you need not attend court. So at home, properly teach Hui’er. Hui’er is only eight years old, still young. As long as you as a father teach him properly, you can definitely guide him onto the right path!”
Xie Jingyu’s heart suddenly sank.
He had actually forgotten about such a major matter as observing mourning!
His official career had already been going poorly recently. After observing mourning for a year and then returning to court, where would there still be a place for him to stand!
The Old Mistress’s health had always been robust. Why did she have to die at this time!
He couldn’t be bothered with grief and tears anymore. He only wanted to drag Xie Shiwei out, whip him fiercely with a lash, then strangle him and be done with it!
Xie Ping, kneeling at the side, wiped away a tear.
Fortunately, she was only a great-granddaughter and didn’t need to observe mourning. Though even if mourning were required, it wouldn’t matter—her marriage to Prince An’jing was just a month away. It fell within the period of deep mourning, so marriages could proceed normally…
Xie Zhongcheng was staying at the estate and only rushed back to the Xie family the next morning.
Before even reaching the Xie manor entrance, he heard many neighbors gathered at the Xie family’s door discussing matters.
“Old Mistress Xie was usually such a healthy person. How could she just suddenly be gone like that?”
“You still don’t know? Before dawn this morning, I heard the servant hanging white lanterns at the Xie manor entrance say it was the Xie family’s Second Young Master who caused the Old Mistress’s death!”
“Heavens, isn’t Xie Er that person who broke the Marquis of Xuanwu’s heir’s finger back then? He actually killed his own grandmother?”
“What kind of family raises such a child? Not only constantly causing trouble but actually killing someone—and he’s only eight years old! What will happen when he grows up!”
“When the Xie family married the General’s Manor legitimate daughter, didn’t they conceal the fact that there was an illegitimate son before marriage? I can only say, for a family with improper intentions, raising a murderous wretched creature is not surprising at all!”
“The General’s Manor legitimate daughter was deceived into marrying in, then diagnosed as unable to bear children. It’s hard not to suspect the Xie family was behind it, just so the General’s Manor legitimate daughter would willingly raise the illegitimate son!”
“When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam is askew!”
“Damn it, the Xie family people are too disgusting!”
The speakers happened to include older women returning from buying vegetables. They really couldn’t restrain themselves and took vegetable leaves and eggs from their baskets, throwing them at the Xie manor’s entrance plaque.
Splat, splat, splat—the Xie manor entrance was a complete mess.
“Everyone stop this!” Xie Zhongcheng emerged from his carriage and roared sternly. “Someone, drive away all these unrelated people!”
The onlookers each spat at the Xie manor’s entrance, then dispersed in twos and threes.
Xie Zhongcheng was so angry smoke practically poured from his seven orifices. He only knew his old mother had passed away, but he didn’t know she had actually died at Xie Shiwei’s hands.
He stormed into the courtyard. White banners and white lanterns hung everywhere. Everyone wore white hemp mourning clothes. The main hall had already been arranged as a mourning hall. A coffin was placed in the center. Most of the Xie family members were kneeling in the mourning hall, weeping and burning paper offerings.
He suppressed his rage and walked in, offered incense to the Old Mistress, knelt and burned paper, then stood up. “Where is that wretched creature?”
Yuan Shi raised her head and spoke in a hoarse voice. “Jingyu locked him in the woodshed.”
Speaking of Xie Jingyu, Xie Zhongcheng frowned. “Where is Jingyu? Why isn’t he in the mourning hall!”
“Jingyu is ill.” Yuan Shi covered her mouth and began to cry. “His head hurts, his left leg can’t exert any strength at all—he can’t even walk. I took the liberty of letting him rest in his room.”
Xie Zhongcheng’s mind was in complete chaos. How had even Jingyu fallen ill? At such a young age, unable to move his left leg—it sounded rather frightening just hearing about it.
He turned his head and saw Yun Chu walking into the mourning hall. He said coldly, “The Old Mistress has passed away. Why aren’t you in the mourning hall either?”
Yun Chu raised her eyelids. “Is Father-in-law questioning me? Very well—I’ll kneel in the mourning hall burning paper and kowtowing. Have Sister Ping handle the funeral arrangements.”
Xie Zhongcheng’s face darkened.
He just asked a question, and this daughter-in-law retorted at him. What—couldn’t he even ask anymore?
But he didn’t dare say anything more. Otherwise, if he really had Sister Ping handle the funeral, the Xie family would likely become the laughingstock of the entire city once again.
“That’s not what I meant.” He softened his tone somewhat. “Right now, everyone outside is discussing how Hui’er killed the Old Mistress. The impact on our Xie family’s reputation is too great. This matter—Chu’er, what do you think? How should we handle it?”
Yun Chu was about to speak when the servant’s voice came from the entrance. “Lady Yun has arrived!”
Xie Zhongcheng saw Lin Shi walk in alone, and his expression again became rather unpleasant.
Clearly General Yun had returned to the capital, and the Yun family’s legitimate son Yun Ze was also at home, yet they only sent a woman to pay respects. This clearly showed they looked down on his Xie family!
Lin Shi walked into the mourning hall with a cold expression and offered incense.
Originally, she and Yun Silin had come together. Just as they left the house, they heard many people discussing Xie family matters—it was truly shocking to hear.
If what the common people on the street said was true, she didn’t dare leave her daughter in this den of wolves. Naturally, she also wouldn’t let the General come give the Xie family face!