Chapter 617 - Chapter 617: Chapter Six Hundred and Twenty-Three (1/2)

Chapter 617: Chapter Six Hundred and Twenty-Three

Han Yu was inherently a calm and composed man, but Su Wenyue’s situation was the only thing that had disturbed his peace of mind. Realizing his current state of mind was inappropriate, he adjusted himself. Worrying needlessly was of no use, it was better to finish the tasks at hand quickly and return home as soon as possible. At least Zhai Li had been sent back, ensuring that his daughter-in-law would not encounter any trouble. He decided it was best to focus on the current matters, for a single misstep could lead to total defeat. Matters of success or failure were at stake, relating to the life and death of his entire family; there could be no room for oversight.

The situation had reached this point because Liu Xiu was dreaded by Liu Xuan. Liu Xiu was not only close friends with Liu Wenyong’s eldest son, Liu Qian, but also was constantly on guard, even opposing Liu Xuan. Moreover, the abilities of Liu Xiu and Han Yu were not to be underestimated, which was an absolute threat to Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan was ruthless and narrow-minded, bearing grudges against people like Liu Xiu. He didn’t merely wish to drive Liu Xiu and his affiliates out of Peicheng; he intended to eradicate them completely. Otherwise, Liu Xiu and Han Yu would not have been forced to take such drastic measures today. After all, they were in Peicheng, where due respect was owed to Liu Wenyong even if not to the monks. They still had to consider him to a great extent.

Fortunately, Liu Wenyong himself had started paving the way for the successor he favored, showing tacit approval of their actions, which made things slightly easier. His health was declining, and he feared he might not last much longer.

Once the signal was given, Liu Qian took action together with them. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated. Though they ultimately succeeded in eliminating the two most significant forces supporting Liu Xuan, ensuring that no one could rival Liu Qian’s strength from then on, Liu Xiu and Liu Qian’s side also suffered some losses. It took until the third day for matters to be mostly settled, and it was only then that Han Yu managed to find time to rush home.

He hadn’t expected to encounter such thorny issues along the way, resulting in a delay until the third day. He was unaware of how his daughter-in-law had fared these past two days. Upon arriving home, he immediately headed for the inner courtyard, wishing he could see his daughter-in-law at once.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief upon Han Yu’s return, especially Zhai Li, who had been finding it hard to cope over the two days.

Although Brother Xing had managed to dissuade Su Wenyue that day, stopping her from continuing to lock herself in the room and maintaining her normal daily routine, anyone could see the profound impact the incident had on Madam.

“How is Madam?” Han Yu hurried home and, upon reaching the doorway, suddenly stopped to ask Aunt Li and Shu Xiang, who had been attending to Su Wenyue all this time.

Before returning, he was worried, but now that he was back, he felt a bit of timidness as he approached his own home. Even though Han Yu felt he had not wronged his daughter-in-law in this matter, recalling her jealous nature and the fact that Chen Li, with her abnormal thinking, might have instigated further, added tension and uncertainty to his thoughts.

For a man like Han Yu, who never flinched in the face of armies or the most challenging adversities, it was his own little daughter-in-law he actually feared.

“These past days have not been good for Madam. Whatever Miss Chen said to her the other day, Madam’s expression became very wrong after Miss Chen left, driving everyone out of the room and sitting in brooding silence for hours. It was only the Eldest Young Master who finally persuaded her. Nevertheless, Madam’s mood has still been down. She seems better in the presence of the Young Master and Miss, but when alone, she is greatly troubled and hardly eats anything, only managing a few bites when accompanied by the children. Madam’s constitution is already frail, and I truly worry she cannot withstand this much longer. It’s fortunate that you, Master, have returned.”