Chapter 271: Rely on Oneself
Thinking about it, it made sense—after all, she was still their grandmother. Even if she was dead, she deserved to be buried properly rather than having her corpse continue to be humiliated by hanging on the city wall.
“Alright, but Yu Luo is no small figure now. I remember Big Brother once mentioning that Ye Jiamei’s maternal family helped them build a city in this wilderness, even constructing a grand mansion that’s more magnificent than the marquis’ residence we once had in the capital. Today, when I saw it with my own eyes, I realized that the city walls are just as tall as those in the capital, and the gates are so thick that even an army might not be able to break through. What shocked me even more is that Yu Luo has stationed guards patrolling the walls. Their whole family is acting like they’re the sovereign rulers of this wild land, basking in their own glory.”
“What? Ye Jiamei’s family has such power? Why didn’t we see this before?”
Hearing her younger son’s words, Chang Huilan was so shocked that her face twisted slightly.
She could hardly fathom how much manpower, resources, and wealth it would take to build a city in this desolate land. And to think that the once-humiliated Ye Jiamei’s family could achieve such a feat!
But why, if Ye Jiamei’s family was so capable, had they never stepped forward to support her when she was suffering in the marquis’ household?
If her powerful family had intervened earlier, they could have easily used money to subdue her domineering mother-in-law, stopping her from tormenting Yu Haojie’s family so mercilessly.
“Yes, Mother. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Every time I went hunting with Big Brother, he deliberately took a detour around that area. But today, I finally saw it—the city walls are truly imposing. It’s clear that Yu Luo’s family has gained significant power. I don’t even know if we’ll be able to retrieve Grandmother’s body. Yu Luo is not the type to be reasoned with.”
As Yu Xiaoxuan spoke, Chang Huilan slowly composed herself, a resolute determination flickering in her eyes.
Regardless of whether they could retrieve Old Madam Chen’s body, she had to go. At the very least, she needed an explanation to give to her husband.
And if they failed to recover the body, she could at least assess the strength of Ye Jiamei’s family and see firsthand just how influential she had become. After all, if her youngest son had returned with such a drastic change in attitude, there had to be something remarkable about it.
Just as she was about to leave, Yu Xiaoxuan suddenly remembered Yu Yingying, who was still lying in bed. He stopped in his tracks, turning to glance at the unmoving figure. Something felt off.
“Why is Yingying so quiet today? Shouldn’t she have reacted upon hearing about Grandmother’s death? Could something have happened to her? Mother, wait here—I’ll go check on her.”
As he spoke, Yu Xiaoxuan was about to turn back, but Chang Huilan grabbed his arm.
“No need. We’ll discuss it on the way.”
With that, she cast a glance at Yu Xiaoyun, who had been practically invisible in their presence. She considered saying something to him but ultimately decided against it. Without another word, she stepped out of the cave.
Watching his mother and brother walk away, Yu Xiaoyun grew anxious and quickly chased after them.
He had thought that Second Brother would at least reassure him, promising to bring back his aunt and sister. But Second Brother had said nothing at all.
Now, he had no choice but to beg him—to plead for him to save his aunt and sister.
However, by the time Yu Xiaoyun ran outside, Yu Xiaoxuan and Chang Huilan had already disappeared into the distance, their figures fading into the wilderness. The boy stood there in despair, tears welling up in his eyes.
His mother had been right. They were just illegitimate children. He was no longer the little young master of the marquis’ household. No one cared whether they lived or died. Here in the wilderness, they could only rely on themselves.
Yes, rely on himself!
Since Second Brother and Aunt didn’t care about his mother and sister, he would go himself. He would beg Yu Luo to let them go.
Wiping away his tears, Yu Xiaoyun turned and ran toward Yu Luo’s coal mountain.
He had overheard people saying that the special road leading from there was used to transport the black coal to Yu Luo’s city. If he followed that road, he would surely find her.
Meanwhile, upon learning that Yu Xiaoxuan had already visited once that morning—only to be scared away by her archers—Yu Luo let out a mocking laugh.
“I never thought the legitimate heirs of the Yu family would stay out of this, leaving only Yu Xiaoxuan to deal with it. At least he has some conscience left, worrying about Old Madam Chen’s fate enough to come alone.”
“Maybe it’s because last time, when Old Madam Chen faked being in danger, Yu Zhengqing finally stopped believing them. Even though she’s been missing for a whole day and night, he, her own son, hasn’t shown any concern. That’s why you should never lie—once you lose credibility, even when death is at your doorstep, no one will come to your rescue.”
As mother and daughter casually discussed the situation, they flipped through the account books compiled by Ming Ye. Outside, Yu Haojie was busy inspecting the final construction work on the shops.
Just as Ye Jiamei finished speaking, a subordinate rushed in to report.
“Madam, Yu Xiaoxuan has come back. This time, he brought a woman with him.”
“A woman? Among the legitimate heirs, the only woman allowed to leave their cave would be Chang Huilan. Did Yu Xiaoxuan actually bring Chang Huilan here?”
Ye Jiamei looked surprised, finding it hard to believe.
If Chang Huilan, as the daughter-in-law, was willing to step in and save that old hag Chen Shi, then why hadn’t Yu Zhengqing shown up?
Even if Yu Zhengqing was still holding a grudge, surely Yu Xiaoran, the devoted grandson, wouldn’t have stayed behind?
“Madam, the woman appears to be around thirty to forty years old. She has a refined appearance, likely from a scholarly family, but her clothing is as plain as the other laborers. She looks quite impoverished.”
“That must be Chang Huilan. Even if she has fallen into hardship, her noble bearing won’t disappear overnight. Mother, let’s go see for ourselves. This situation is quite strange.”
“Mm. Ming Ye, put the account books away. We’ll continue reviewing them later.”
As she spoke, Ye Jiamei patted Ming Ye’s shoulder, treating him like a well-behaved child.
Ming Ye nodded obediently, watching as the mother and daughter left before carefully organizing the records.
He was meticulous—marking the pages they had been reading with a bookmark so they could pick up where they left off.
By the time Yu Luo and Ye Jiamei arrived at the city gates, Old Madam Chen had already lost consciousness again.
And just as expected, standing below the wall were Chang Huilan and Yu Xiaoxuan.
“My, my! Sister-in-law, what brings you here today? Have you forgotten how you and that wicked old woman schemed against my daughter, falsely accusing her of murder? And yet, you still have the audacity to come back? Aren’t you afraid you won’t leave alive?”
