"Nie taiyi, you must be tired." When the wound was almost completely patched together, Yun Xuan Zhi coldly expressed his gratitude to Nie taiyi. The taiy only packed up his things back into the medicine box, then turned around and stepped out of the inner room.
"Thank you, Nie taiyi." That Nie taiyi had still come over to provide medical treatment despite his age prompted Yun Qian Meng to immediately stand from her seat and courteously express her gratitude.
Nie taiyi glanced at Xia mama and Mi mama behind Yun Qian Meng, then in a relatively gently tone, he voiced out, "Xiaojie, if in case you feel unwell again someday, just ask the mama beside you to come over to the Nie fu, don't trouble xiangye's huwei again."
Immediately understanding the implications behind Nie taiyi's words, Yun Qian Meng smiled and approached his side. She then turned to face the still seated old madam and said, "Grandma, granddaughter will accompany Nie taiyi out of the house."
The old madam eyed the cold as ice Nie taiyi, he seemed to be someone who was arrogant and disinclined to engage in conversation with others. He had not even greeted her when they met, much to her displeasure. Hearing Yun Qian Meng's words, she only waved her hand in annoyance, wishing the people she hated to quickly disappear from her sight.
With regards to the old madam's rude behavior, Yun Qian Meng merely smiled. Turning back to Nie taiyi, she gestured for them to leave Feng He Yuan.
"Yatou, what had happened to the child?" although Nie taiyi was extremely miffed with Yun Xuan Zhi and his people, faced with Yun Qian Meng, who looked exactly like Qu Ruo Li, he was unquestionably affectionate towards her.
A while ago, he had not inquired more in front of Yun Xuan Zhi because he was absolutely irate with Yun Xuan Zhi. Moreover, he felt that Yun Qian Meng's words were more trustworthy, so he asked the question that had been lingering in his heart all this time.
Sighing softly, Yun Qian Meng then briefly narrated the details of Su Qing's difficult birth, but made no mention of her involvement in Qu Ruo Li's death. It was, after all, still Yun xiangfu's family affairs. If it were to spread around, whether for Yun xiangfu or Fu Guo Gongfu, it would not bring the least bit of benefit.
After hearing Yun Qian Meng's explanation, Nie taiyi's brows wrinkled and his eyes held a little apprehension. "I'm afraid that child will barely survive. Staying inside the his mother's belly for so long, in addition to not being born naturally, and losing a large amount of blood, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to survive."
Despite his extreme abhorrence towards Yun Xuan Zhi, Nie taiyi was a physician, this was an undeniable fact. Moreover, he was a physician with a parental heart, the child was only a newborn baby, indeed it was too pitiful.
After hearing those words, Yun Qian Meng also nodded her head.
The child was also born half a month earlier. After suffering from his mother's crimes inside her body, if he had died prematurely before his birth, that was as lucky as he could ever be. Even in modern times, premature babies had to undergo observation in a hospital before being discharged. In ancient times wherein the technology was further behind, how he would survive was a matter that would cause unending headache.
Yun Qian Meng walked with Nie taiyi away from the rear courtyard until they reached the guest hall. Nie taiyi then hopped onto the horse carriage of Nie fu, yet he did not immediately return to Nie fu, instead he instructed the driver to proceed to Fu Guo Gongfu.
"Xiaojie, let's go back to Feng He Yuan." Once Nie taiyi had already left, Mu Chun quietly reminded Yun Qian Meng as the light outside gradually grew dark.
"No, let's head back to Qi Luo Yuan." The incident today was already good enough and Su Qing was still unconscious. Even if they returned, there was nothing more they could do, so they might as well just be wasting time.
"Yes." Mu Chun helped Mi mama support Xia mama as they headed towards the direction of Qi Luo Yuan in a line.
The sky grew increasingly darker, when Yun Qian Meng failed to return after almost half a day, the old madam knew that she had already returned to Qi Luo Yuan. As for Yun Xuan Zhi, since he had gone into to the inner room, he had yet to come out as well, leaving only the old madam sitting in the outer room. She was indeed feeling somewhat tired already, acting a bit bored, she stood up with an indignant expression and left for Qi Luo Yuan.
And during this time, Yun Xuan Zhi was instructing the wet nurse to take the child from Su furen's arms. He then ordered the previous physician to properly check over the child, afterwards, he permitted Su furen to go ahead and return to Su fu.
Although Su furen harbored a grudge against Su Qing because of Pan Lan, judging by Yun Xuan Zhi's expression, she knew that things were likely to become very ugly. She said nothing further and quickly left xiangfu, thinking that she needed to consult with Su Yuan first before coming to any decisions.
Now that everybody had left the inner room, Yun Xuan Zhi instructed a yatou to cook some congee and bring it over for Su Qing. He then took a seat by the bedside and quietly waited for Su Qing to regain consciousness.
Inside the Chu xiangfu, Shang Guan mama stepped down from the horse carriage and went straight to Chu Fei Yang's study.
"Mama!" Xi Lin, who was guarding outside the door of the study, immediately called out upon seeing Shang Guan mama.
Shang Guan mama nodded to him then straightforwardly inquired, "Is xiangye inside the study?"
Shang Guan mama's peered into the study. Seeing the lit candles, Chu Fei Yang was most likely reading inside the room.
Xi Lin nodded then turned around, with a disciplined air, he gently knocked a few times on the door and respectfully said, "Xiangye, mama had returned."
"Let her in." A quick response echoed from inside. Xi Lin carefully pushed the door open, permitting Shang Guan mama to proceed inside.
"Laonu greets xiangye." Even though Chu Fei Yang was a child that Shang Guan mama had personally brought up, Shang Guan mama would never forget etiquette in front of the fully grown Chu Fei Yang who held an official position.
"Mama, quickly get up." Chu Fei Yang put down the document that he was holding. Slowly, his dark bright eyes looked up as he said, "How were things?"
From an outsider's perspective, Shang Guan mama seemed standoffish, but in front of Chu Fei Yang, she would lay bare all her feelings.
Her brows knitted and she immediately told him of everything she had witnessed today at xiangfu, until finally, she slowly said, "If what Xia mama said were true, then it means Yun xiang loved his concubine more dearly than his wife. Yun xiaojie's younger brother's fate was so pitiful after his birth, he just… Oh dear, as the matter stands, Yun xiaojie currently has no one to rely on in xiangfu right now, one would certainly feel bad for her."
Chu Fei Yang had quietly listened to Shang Guan mama's story, but his gaze had gradually grown cold, the only sign of his angry mood. He let go of the scroll, and said indifferently, "You must be tired, mama. Please go ahead and get some rest."
Shang Guan mama watched Chu Fei Yang's expression knowingly yet she did not say anything further. She courteously paid her respects, then quietly retreated from the room.
After Shang Guan mama left, the gentle expression on Chu Fei Yang's face immediately vanished, replaced by an ice-cold gaze that could freeze over a lake, it was enough to give pause to anyone nearby; even the flickering candlelight that was reflected onto his eyes wer not be able to thaw away the ice-cold chill...
"Xi Lin, prepare my horse." Chu Fei Yang suddenly stood up and sent instructions to Xi Lin who was standing guard outside...
That night, moonlight penetrated through layer upon layer of dark clouds as it passed through the window and sprinkled its light inside the quiet inner room.
Yun Xuan Zhi command all the yatou to extinguish the candles inside the room as he sat calmly by the bedside waiting for Su Qing to wake up.
By midnight, Su Qing shifted in pain as she struggled to move her body and felt a sharp pain from the lower part of her body spreads across her entire body. Without warning, the pain caused her to open her eyes in a flash, and the dark figure that suddenly appeared surprised her. She was about to open her mouth to screech when Yun Xuan Zhi's seemingly indifferent voice echoed in her ears, "Qing'er, it's me."
Su Qing's heart was so strung up that even though she heard Yun Xuan Zhi's familiar voice, it took her a very long time to respond. By means of the hazy moonlight, she looked at her bedside, sure enough, she really saw Yun Xuan Zhi and suddenly Su Qing felt relieved. Her lips parted to say something, but her voice had already gone hoarse from all her screaming earlier in the day. Her throat was still in pain and she was unable to speak out any words.
Yun Xuan Zhi who had been observing seemed to noticed she was suffering from pain. He stood up then approached a table to pour out a cup of warm water before heading back. He then carefully supported her upper body and put the teacup by her lips as she delicately sipped a few mouthful of water to moisten her throat before he asked, "Feel better now?"
After Su Qing took a few sips, her throat evidently felt much better, so she nodded. Yun Xuan Zhi took the nod as confirmation, and he then set the tea cup aside, afterwhich he hugged her then slowly said, "It must have been tough for you, Qing'er."
Su Qing searched through the completely pitch-black room, not seeing any yatou or mama around. Because of that, on top of Yun Xuan Zhi's words, her heart became alarmed. Could she have given birth to a daughter again?
Regardless of the pain in her body she stood up, yet she was still being tightly embraced by Yun Xuan Zhi and could not struggle free from his arms. Su Qing could only hold her breath and hoarsely asked, "Xuan Zhi, the child, is it a boy or a girl?"
Yun Xuan Zhi was embracing her from behind, so in turn, Su Qing was unable to see his expression which had abruptly turned cold upon her question as Yun Xuan Zhi indifferently replied, "A boy."
After hearing that, Su Qing's agitated mind finally settled down. Although this delivery had turned her life upside down, the heavens still showed mercy to the kind. At long last she had obtained what she had long wished for, giving birth to xiangfu's first gongzi. Su Qing's heart suddenly became ecstatic and all the pain in her body seemed to have vanished in a flash, replaced by a smile that remained at the corner of her mouth.
"Qing'er, do you still remember the time you gave birth to Xue'er? That child was as small as a kitten, but now she has grown into a mature lady. Time really makes us feel old." Yun Xuan Zhi seemed to be in great spirits today, that he would even go so far as to mention the matters of the past.
However, Su Qing's mind was only thinking about her newborn son right now, wholeheartedly imagining his appearance. For a moment, she was oblivious of the peculiarities in Yun Xuan Zhi's attitude, and she unhurriedly replied, "Oh yes! Who would have thought that the wrinkled child would become a slender and elegant woman right now. Xuan Zhi, the room is too dark, ask Wang mama to light a few lanterns. And then, I would like to take a look at our son."
Su Qing happily leaned against Yun Xuan Zhi's arms, the smile on her mouth grew more brilliant, thinking that Yun Qian Meng would now hang her head down once again in their future encounters. Su Qing felt that the resentment that was recently pressing down her heart could now settle.
Yun Xuan Zhi stubbornly would not let her go, but upon her request, he slowly replied, "Us talking to each other like this, isn't it good enough? The wet nurse has already taken the child off to sleep, we'll see him tomorrow. Under such a beautiful moonlight, how long have we not chatted like this?"
Yun Xuan Zhi's gentle voice came abruptly grazing her ears, and happiness bloomed on Su Qing's face. Although she knew that she had redeemed herself only because she had given birth to a son, in her heart she still felt incomparable happiness. She rested her head on Yun Xuan Zhi's shoulder, in such a delighted mood she replied, "It's been so long, recently you seemed to never set foot inside Feng He Yuan. You might have told the other yiniang the same thing so many times already."
Su Qing was harboring a little resentment in her tone. But luckily, she had given birth to a son or else she would be jeered at by those sluts.
Yun Xuan Zhi gently laughed at Su Qing's words, he then shifted to lean his cheeks on top of her head and lovingly said, "Oh, you. You are still naughty the same as in the past! I remember the first time I saw you, you were the same age as Xue'er. I saw you at the lantern festival with your wet nurse trying to guess the riddles written on lanterns. I thought then, who was this lady, who was so very charming? In the future, when I become the top scorer in the Imperial Exams, I shall marry her!"
"Then what happened? You were indeed the top scorer in the Imperial Examination, but the one you married was the second xiaojie of Fu Guo Gongfu." Su Qing slowly continued, her tone bore a trace of resentment towards Yun Xuan Zhi and hatred towards Qu Ruo Li.
Yun Xuan Zhi detected the resentment in her voice, he laughed and faced a corner of the dark room, before he immediately replied, "I had already consulted you on this matter. If I had not obtained your consent, how could I marry Qu Ruo Li?"
The smiling expression on Su Qing's face now became a bit dull, subsequently, the happiness in her eyes had lessened. Yes, if she had not been concerned for Yun Xuan Zhi's career as an official, nor the plan she had personally set up for him to offend Qu Ruo Li during her trip to the temple, how would Fu Guo Gongfu agree to let their highly respectable, legitimate born xiaojie marry someone like Yun Xuan Zhi, who only had his title of the top scorer of the examination, but was without any official position?
But because of one wrong move, she had gotten herself a title as a yiniang, and even her children would only ever be considered concubine born.
Yun Qian Meng's position originally belonged to her Xue'er. Thinking of Qu Ruo Li's daughter taking the place of her daughter as the legitimate daughter, an inextinguishable flame of fury ignited in Su Qing's heart. She wished she could pull out Qu Ruo Li's dead body and beat it in order to vanish the hatred in her heart.
"Are you blaming me, Qing'er?" Su Qing had yet to respond to his inquiries, so Yun Xuan Zhi gently brought it up again. His voice was as gentle as a feather brushing across the eyelids, gentle feelings floated up from the bottom of Su Qing's heart that she could not help but snuggle up into Yun Xuan Zhi's warm chest and slightly shook her head.
"Even if I hold a grudge, it will never be against you." From the beginning until the end, in Su Qing's heart, the one she hated most had always been Qu Ruo Li. That woman had possessed a noble family background, gorgeous looks, abilities that were not inferior to men, and was blessed with a pair of twins of mixed sexes. As for Su Qing's previous plot against Qu Ruo Li, she still felt a twinge of guilt in her heart. But when she had seen Qu Ruo Li getting everything she desired in life, unending bitterness developed in the bottom of Su Qing's heart. Fortunately, she had already taken precautions against the child then, or else she and Xue'er would not be able to have any standing inside xiangfu today.
After Yun Xuan Zhi heard her statement, a malicious look flashed in his eyes, but his voice was still as gentle as before, "So you mean to say that you are still harboring grudge against Qu Ruo Li? So much hatred that when she was giving birth, you've made a mess out of it?"
Suddenly being questioned by Yun Xuan Zhi like this made the smile on Su Qing's face to abruptly go stiff. Her entire body froze, as if she had suddenly been placed in a world of ice and snow. She asked herself with some uncertainty, could it be that he already gained knowledge about that matter?
But Su Qing immediately thought of the matter they had agreed upon so many years ago, so she reigned back the doubt inside her heart. Forcing herself to keep calm, she said, "Xuan Zhi, what are you talking about? You aren't making any sense. Besides, you never really liked Qu Ruo Li, right? Why are you repeatedly mentioning her today?"
Su Qing then struggled to turn around and take a look at Yun Xuan Zhi's expression, but Yun Xuan Zhi only held her tighter, not permitting her to move a single inch. She could only anxiously lean back into his arms, nervously waiting for him to continue.
But at this moment, Yun Xuan Zhi was disinclined to speak out. Based on Su Qing's reaction, he now knew that Xia mama's words were most likely true. He had not quite expect that Su Qing had hated Qu Ruo Li to that point where she even refused to let the child live. The words of the old madam floated into his mind, making Yun Xuan Zhi's heart become colder than water.
"Xuan Zhi, regarding that matter, however…" After receiving nothing but silence from Yun Xuan Zhi for a very long time, Su Qing's heart became anxious, so she tried to explain.
Yet Yun Xuan Zhi gave her no chance to explain, since he quickly said, "Yes, I didn't really like Qu Ruo Li, but this doesn't mean that I don't like my son! But you can't accept either of them, so you didn't even let the child slip by, right?"
Yun Xuan Zhi would not listen to her explanation, so Su Qing's heart went rigid with coldness but she insisted, "Qu Ruo Li only gave birth to a daughter, Yun Qian Meng. What son? The one who gave birth to a son, is me! It's me who devoted all my strength to give birth to the first gongzi of xiangfu. Yun Xuan Zhi, you really disappoint me, I have done this much for you, only for your to treat me like this? Don't tell it's still not enough for me to give you a son? Everything that you've obtained up till now, which of them were not achieved due to my sacrifice of lowering my own position? But now, with your new flame, you just throw me to the back of your head. From where did you get those rumors? You even ignored the fact that my body had just recently given birth, do you still have a conscience? I'm really disappointed in you!"
An unknown source of strength permitted Su Qing to struggle free from Yun Xuan Zhi's suffocating embrace. Regardless of the sharp pain that inevitably spread across her body when she turned around, with eyes full of hate, she firmly stared at Yun Xuan Zhi, pausing at each word for emphasis.
Yun Xuan Zhi only stared back at Su Qing with a gloomy expression. The two of them stood opposite from each other in the dark, and after a very long time, Yun Xuan Zhi slowly said, "Whether you really murdered that child or not, from now on, you will not be allowed to raise your children."
Su Qing's face suddenly went deathly pale. In contrast to her originally pale facial color after she had given birth, her face now had become even more unsightly. Her eyes were filled with tears and her hands immediately shot up to grab Yun Xuan Zhi's sleeves.With all her might, she shook her head, and pleaded, "Please don't, they are my children. Don't you think that you can snatch them away from me. Inside xiangfu, nobody else is more qualified to educate my children. I would never allow you to take away my child, where's my child? Wang mama, bring my child over here!"
Su Qing's hoarse voice reverberated in the room, but aside from Yun Xuan Zhi, there was no other servant inside Feng He Yuan at this time.
Yun Xuan Zhi shook off Su Qing's grasp, then he stood up, his eyes coldly gazing at the woman lying on the bed writhing in pain, and coldly stated, "Wang mama, that daring nucai? Do you think that I would still let her live? Since you had just given birth, I will not bother you yet, but wait until tomorrow. We shall figure out how many lives of newborn children you have slaughtered all these years."
"For what reason? What did I do wrong? Aren't you just as responsible for Qu Ruo Li's death? Do you have a clear conscience? Without your approval, would I have been able to do it? You didn't even let my wet nurse keep her life, you are the real callous person! And my child! I will be the one to bring up my own child, others would certainly not have any good intentions!" Su Qing laid on the bed, her hands were firmly grasping the brocade quilt underneath as her entire body trembled from anger as she yelled hysterically at Yun Xuan Zhi.
But all it did was attract Yun Xuan Zhi's disdainful gaze. Seeing Su Qing on the verge of going insane, Yun Xuan Zhi only coldly replied, "You had better give up your plans and discipline yourself instead. Permitting you to educate your child would only result in another cruel and unscrupulous one like Yun Ruo Xue. Not even her own brother was safe from her, you really know how to teach your child, she could have almost become a murderer who would kill without even blinking her eyes."
Having heard this, Su Qing's yelling gradually stopped. Raising her eyes filled with fury, she looked somewhat confused. But when her eyes clashed with his cold and ruthless gaze, her heart panicked instantly, the feeling of uneasiness suddenly crept up as she stared at Yun Xuan Zhi. Shaking her head, she mumbled, "Unlikely, why would Xue'er hurt her own younger brother? Yun Xuan Zhi, don't you dare turn us against each other. What do you mean to achieve by doing this? This is a joke and people will laugh at you for no reason!"
She was completely unconvinced and Yun Xuan Zhi could only faintly sighed. The incident had indeed been all too sudden, even he himself had been caught unprepared emotionally. He decided to give Su Qing a night to digest his words. It would also give him enough time to adjust to the excessively shocking information he received today.
Yun Xuan Zhi no longer paid attention to Su Qing who was lying on the bed and full of tears. Taking large strides, he stepped out from the inner room. He commanded the yatou outside to bring the already prepared congee over to Su Qing, then he quickly left Feng He Yuan.
"Tell me, where did Wang mama go? Was she punished by xiangye?" upon meeting someone aside from Yun Xuan Zhi, Su Qing immediately wiped off the tears on her face, fiercely grabbed the yatou who brought the congee inside. Her long fingernails pierced through the yatou's clothes and painfully sank into her flesh. It had been so painful that the yatou dropped the bowl and chopsticks in her hands.
But she was not one of Su Qing's trusted aides, so she evidently did not feel sorry for her. But looking at her delicate and beautiful looks, Su Qing was only angered further. Raising a hand, she exerted all the strength to slap the yatou's face. The yatou got knocked off onto the bedside table, colliding against the sharp edge of the corner of the table and wounding her. Fresh blood flowed out from her forehead and Su Qing crawled herself back onto the bed after suddenly feeling totally drained. Her eyes were still coldly gazing at the yatou who was now trembling in fear, as she asked once more, "What had happened today? Tell me and do not leave anything out!"
But to no avail. The yatou had been transferred over by Yun Xuan Zhi from elsewhere to serve Su Qing. When she arrived at Feng He Yuan, she did not see any other people around aside from Liu huwei's men. She was the wrong person to ask as, aside from softly weeping, the yatou no longer dared to approach Su Qing for the fear of being killed the moment Su Qing was unhappy.
Su Qing knew that her body was weak, and yet, seeing the idiot who only wept in front of her, she could not restrain her annoyance. Feeling fidgety, she waved her hand and impatiently said, "Get lost!"
As if receiving amnesty, the yatou hurriedly tidied up the shattered bowl, then quickly ran out of the inner room with her head lowered.
After Yun Xuan Zhi left the Feng He Yuan, he immediately proceeded to Qi Luo Yuan.
Standing outside Qi Luo Yuan's garden, he could see some illumination from the loft. Yun Xuan Zhi let the mama standing guard at the garden notify those inside, and soon after, he proceeded upstairs.
Inside Yun Qian Meng's chambers, Yun Qian Meng was holding a scroll, quietly reading. Yun Xuan Zhi concealed the anger in his heart before he said, "It's very late now, why don't you get some rest, Meng'er?"
Yun Qian Meng had already expected that Yun Xuan Zhi would come to see her, so she laid down the scroll in her hand as she stood up to pay her courtesies, "Daughter greets father."
With her being refined and courteous, Yun Xuan Zhi could not muster any anger in his heart. he just nodded and sat down, gesturing for Yun Qian Meng to sit beside him, he then bluntly asked, "Where is Xia mama?"
Yun Qian Meng saw the anxiety in Yun Xuan Zhi's heart, causing her lips to twitch as she unhurriedly replied, "Just now, the injury in Xia mama's leg acted up. The pain was unbearable, so I had someone take her to see Nie taiyi."
Yun Xuan Zhi sneered and said coldly, "What good timing for the wound in her leg to act up! Just in time, right when I come to find her, she had escaped to Nie taiyi's residence. Doesn't she know that the Nie fu and Fu Guo Gongfu are long time friends?"
Yun Xuan Zhi had a serious expression as his gaze had gone completely cold when he glanced daggers at Yun Qian Meng.
Although Yun Qian Meng's expression was just the same as ever, the faint smile on her face gradually dissipated throughout Yun Xuan Zhi's interrogation. With only her calm expression, nobody would be able to determine the fluctuations of her internal emotions.
Following Yun Xuan Zhi's words, she asked him back, "Father, are you worried that Xia mama might tell Nie taiyi everything about the matter regarding mother and brother?"
Yun Xuan Zhi did not know how to respond to her mentioning things so openly. Out of embarrassment, he voiced out, "These are xiangfu's matters after all. Your father doesn't want anybody else to know about it."
Afterwhich, Yun Xuan Zhi only stared at Yun Qian Meng, seemingly awaiting her assurance.
A smile bloomed on Yun Qian Meng mouth as then she slowly said, "You worry too much, father. Xia mama had already rigidly held onto this secret for more than ten years now. If she had not coincidentally seen father, then this secret, would have followed Xia mama to her grave. But if you do not wish for others to know, it might be too late. There were too many people around today, father. You may be able to handle those yatou in the fu, but the old madam and Shang Guan mama are people you cannot influence. If the information has already been leaked, I'm afraid it will be beyond your capabilities to suppress it, father. Furthermore, mother is the second daughter of Fu Guo Gongfu, wai zumu and jiujiu have the right to know. Even if we wanted to cover up the truth, how unfair would it be for mother and brother, who both died and left behind some resentment?"
Yun Qian Meng's emotions had been stirred. Under the flickering light of the candle, Yun Xuan Zhi felt that his own daughter had transformed quite a lot recently. The corners of her eyes now glistened with unshed tears. Now after being rebuked by Yun Qian Meng like that, Yun Xuan Zhi was at a loss of words for a long moment, and he had no idea what to say.
Yun Qian Meng lifted a hand and used a handkerchief to wipe at the corners of her eyes, then she continued, "Father only saw Su yiniang's painful birth today, yet you never saw my mother's grief after seeing her own son being drowned right before her own eyes. Meng'er knows that father still has doubts and fear that you might accuse Su yiniang wrongly. But your daughter is not worried about having to take part in a confrontation. Real justice can be found in the will of the people, the evil ones will never win over the righteous. I believe you will find the truth in the end, father." Finished speaking, Yun Qian Meng's hand on the table had involuntarily clenched into a fist, she seemed to be very anger yet she had nowhere to vent it.
Yun Xuan Zhi looked at his daughter and could not help but sigh, "Apparently, Meng'er's heart still harbors deep hate."
"Hate? I only hate myself for not being a man, I couldn't even avenge my brother with my own hands. I only hate myself for being a woman; my hands can't lift and my shoulders can't carry. Not only seeking revenge for the sake of my relatives, but even during any ordinary day, I still need to watch out for yiniang just to be able to preserve my life."
Yun Xuan Zhi's exclamation was replaced with Yun Qian Meng's hatred towards herself. After she let it all out, Yun Qian Meng shut her mouth and did not attempt to speak further. The anger in her had also completely dissipated, as if she did not have such an intense conversation with Yun Xuan Zhi only moments ago.
Yun Xuan Zhi stared at Yun Qian Meng who remained silent and he suddenly recalled that his daughter was no longer alone. Two people now stood behind her: Chu Nan Shan and Chu Fei Yang. Yun Xuan Zhi was startled but immediately eased a bit and asked, "Meng'er, if it was truly as Xia mama says, then how would you like Father to punish Su yiniang?"
Yun Qian Meng only shook her head indifferently, but eventually uttered, "Su yiniang is father's concubine. When it comes to punishment, it must be decided by father. But if she really did kill people as easily as scything grass, then naturally we must hand her over to the authorities for interrogation. And yet the Minister of Justice is Su yiniang's brother, so there's no need for me to mention what is inherently wrong with that, father surely understands. Moreover, if father were to personally hand Su yiniang over to the authorities, it would be hard to guarantee that she would not talk nonsense. But I presume that it would be better if father personally interrogates Su yiniang, Or maybe sending her over to Fu Guo Gongfu would be better."
Yun Qian Meng's words bore both logic and threat. If Yun Xuan Zhi was reluctant in punishing Su Qing, or if her brother, Su Yuan, bent the law in his sister favor, neither option would give Fu Guo Gongfu justification. If this matter did not obtain any closure, then it might eventually anger Gu laotaijun and she might do it her own way. Perhaps by then, Yun Xuan Zhi might also lose his reputation.
It would be better for Yun Xuan Zhi to personally handle the matter. Not only to provide favorable result for all parties involved, but also to put an end to this matter before it could spread. In the end, this was indeed the most appropriate method.
As for Su Qing, this method might be the most cruel one. Being personally interrogated by a beloved in the main hall, perhaps Su Qing's affections for Yun Xuan Zhi would subsequently vanish by then.
Yun Xuan Zhi had already thought of what Yun Qian Meng had said just now, but he had never expected that his daughter, who never stepped out of her courtyard, would have such insight. He could not help but begin establishing preventive measures against Yun Qian Meng in his heart.
Yun Qian Meng paid no notice of the defensive look on Yun Xuan Zhi's face. After all, even without today's argument, Yun Xuan Zhi had never felt at ease in front of her.
At this moment, father and daughter no longer had anything more to say to each other, so the two of them sat quietly for a long while. Yun Xuan Zhi eventually stood up, told Yun Qian Meng to take proper rest, then turned around and left Qi Luo Yuan.
"Xiaojie, you must prepare for asleep now. Look at the time, your eyes are already red." As soon as Yun Xuan Zhi left, Mu Chun helped Yun Qian Meng up. Seeing the slightly red eyes, her own grew dark and she felt pity.
Yet Yun Qian Meng only shook her head and said, "It's fine."
If she had slept earlier, more likely than not, Yun Xuan Zhi might have thought that she had wrongly accused Su Qing this time around. It was better to calmly confront it, so that when the time came that Yun Xuan Zhi's heart was having doubts, crossing that threshold would not be as difficult.
"You must rest a bit earlier. Tomorrow morning, we shall enjoy a show." Yun Qian Meng believed that based on Nie taiyi and laotaijun's friendship, laotaijun would already know about today's incident already. And as for Shang Guan mama, she might have already told Chu Fei Yang everything she heard of today.
She could not help the cold smile that rose from the corners her mouth. Su Qing's days of ease would be coming to an end. The delay of her revenge was not because Yun Qian Meng thought Su Qing was undeserving of it, but only because the timing was not yet ripe. This time, the time was right, a good time for war, and she would love to see just how Su Qing would argue.
After Yun Xuan Zhi stepped out of the Qi Luo Yuan, he called out for Liu huwei, and asked in a low voice, "What's her condition?"
Liu huwei glanced at the dissipating candle lights inside Qi Luo Yuan and replied in a similarly low voice, "Beizhi has already used torture, but her mouth is too tight and she still refuses to confess. I'm afraid that she might commit suicide by biting off her tongue, so I had to assign someone to watch her."
Yun Xuan Zhi laughed coldly. "If she really didn't do it then we needn't have resorted to torture to obtain a confession. This means she had really done something and knows that if she confesses, her master will certainly die."
"Then what does xiangye mean to do?" Liu huwei watched Yun Xuan Zhi with concern when he had suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Let's go and pay her a visit!" Yun Xuan Zhi turned around and headed towards the direction of an abandoned courtyard.